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Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Changes in 2015

2015 
What will I do differently this year.

I listen to a show on blog talk radio,
She's the artist who hosts the 30 paintings in 30 days twice a year.
She hosts a free radio show focusing on marketing art.
She did a show in December of things to do differently in 2015.
I made a list of things I wanted to change about my art
and I'm going to show one of the things I'm doing this year.

Since I've opened River Run Gallery Fun Art Studio
I found I don't have as much time to paint what I'd like to paint,
but I am painting every day.

In a different show, Leslie talked about what to do with older art.
I sort of meshed those two shows in my head and decided this year
I would market my older works better, 
but I would also work on redos of those paintings.

I did this painting in another of Leslies 30 paintings in 30 days.
I've always like it, but it never got much attention or buzz,
so I decided I would start with this painting and change it.

I forget why I thought fugi mums and this painting would work together,
but I did, so I started in on the change.


I started with a photo of a fugi mum on my computer and a determination
I was going to create something different than I normally paint.
So right smack dab in the middle I started with this green, teal, yellow, white mum.

Then I added another and another,
changing the colors a little on each one.
But I still had that odd color at the bottom.


  So, here is the finished painting.

I was a florist for 20 years and the fugi mum is one of the mainstays of the shop,
but I've never painted one,
until today.

These were great fun and not nearly as hard as my brain told me they would be.

These are some of my favorite colors, but I seldom use them.
You will see more of these colors in the coming months.
Thanks for stopping by today.

Friday, January 9, 2015

Your Creativity is Screaming to Get Out.

Unleash Your Creativity

You are creative!
LET IT OUT!

I truly believe everyone is creative.
Everyone has talent.

I encourage you to let your creativity work for you in improving:
your home,
your work place,
your life.

How can you do that?


  1. Don't be afraid to create something.  No matter if it's a great meal, try a new skill, decide on a new hobby, try quilting, gardening, crafting, jewelry making, knitting, crocheting, painting, etc.
  2. Follow your heart.  If you have an idea of something you want to create or learn, start today and move in that direction.  Create for you even if you don't get great positive response in the beginning.  
  3. Perfect your process.  As you find the thing you want to learn or create, work on it.  Study it.  Practice. Practice. Practice some more.   
  4.  Share it! That can be a really scary part.  It makes you vulnerable.  It puts you out there.  But sharing it, when you're ready, is important for your growth.  You don't need to be a closet creative person.  I think when people come to the gallery to take a class, one of the scariest parts is the first few minutes of the class when they think they can't do it and they were foolish to try.  Another scary moment is when I either take a short video during the process or take the group photo at the end.  But, people enjoy seeing your success.  They want you to have success and so do I. 
  5. Enjoy YOUR success!  So what is your success?  To most people, creative success is learning something and then being able to do it all by yourself without a teacher standing right over your shoulder coaching you along.  I took a workshop several years ago from Dreama Tolle Perry in Carmel, IN.  I adore her work, but as soon as I got there, I started having doubts if I could paint in her loose colorful beautiful style.  I looked at everyone around me and was sure they were all better than me.  Well, I am more of a realistic painter so it didn't come naturally for me, but during the three days of the workshop, I worked and painted three or four small paintings.  When I came home I decided to paint one again to see if I could do it on my own. I named it Balcony Victory, because to me it was a victory that I could do it without her standing right next to me guiding every stroke.   
The painting at the beginning of this post is "Balcony Victory".  And it represents a victory to me.
 
Every artist, every creative has victories all along their journey.
Don't cheat yourself out of yours. 
 

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About Me

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Ghent, Kentucky, United States
I'm a nature artist and I love to paint old barns, rivers and lakes, trees and fence rows and flowers. I work almost daily. You can purchase paintings by contacting me at slgraves6@gmail.com and there is also a tab across the top of my blog for available paintings and one for small paintings with buy now buttons. You can also purchase through my Etsy shop using the name of Fine Nature Art. . Thank you so much for stopping by.