Painting & Fighting

I'm painting. I've been painting. It's been difficult.  I've lost much of my motor memory. I've forgotten how to see clearly. I get tired more quickly.  I'm not 25 anymore.  I'm not even 39. 
     Resistance is an interesting thing.  It takes many forms. I regret nothing though.  Getting out of the machine saved my life.  Finding my rhythm has required more patience than I had estimated.
    This is real.  I am doing art. All day if I want. It's amazing. Also, terrifying.  I was so used to being efficient & scheduled.  Art is neither.  Being professional is. Being a freelance artist requires a balance of the two.
      I'm still falling down now & then, but I'm getting back up every time.   I get scared sometimes.  Scared that I've lost some intangable thing I had before I entered the machine.  Scared that something broke inside of me. I know that just resistance lying to me.
     I've met some goals. I've had to reassess some things.  I have to keep telling myself that art is a real job.  I just have to keep moving forward.  I sleep too much. It's part of the resistance.   That and I was really, really, really tired. It's 3:38 am. I'm painting. Tomorrow I will paint again.
     Art is a real job.

Studio

Finally, the studio is a studio again.  My depression and chronic stress from the horrible job I was stuck in is in the past.  I'm a full-time artist now. 

This year has been amazing.  Things just fell together. 

I work 15 hrs at an Art Museum just to cover my benefits, but other than that, all the rest of my time is time to create.

T & I have switched some responsibilities around.  I now do all the grocery shopping.  It's been nice.  I can go during the day when the stores aren't crowded.  This has reduced T's stress as well.  No more fighting to get to and thru the store right after work.

I will start posting here more often now.

Cheers!

Simon Stalenhag Art

Hey kids!  Happy Monday.  New art.  Newly discovered Artist.  Simon Stalenhag. He's based in Stockholm, Sweden and creates art with a 70's feel mixed with a futuristic vibe.  It's cool stuff.  I'm not a big realism fan, but add robots and dinosaurs and you've got my attention and most likely my love.

BROM has a Kickstarter

Brom's Kickstarter here: Click me!



Many of the top tier stuff is gone, but you can still get a great book for a great price straight from the artist & Publisher.  Go give an artist some money!

Fear of Legitimacy

This post was inspired by one of my beautiful friends. Several of my friends are creatively blessed. Some take photos, some write, some paint, some make music, & some do all four or a combination of some.

Most of them hesitate to accept themselves as legitimate creators though. They refuse to call themselves Musicians, or Writers, or Artists, or Photographers. Why? I think it's because of three things.

One, they enjoy it & don't take it too seriously & haven't tried to make a career or money out of it.

Two, people fear that a "real" artist, musician, writer, or Photographer will call them out.

Three, society says you have to choose one thing & that's what you are. You can't be an IT tech & a writer. What you call yourself, if you do both, is determined by how much money you make at both. If you get a steady paycheck at the IT gig, and only make $20 off an article, then you are an IT Tech, but you're not a writer.

I call bullshit.

When you are IT'ing, you're an IT Tech, but man, when you are writing...you're a freakin' writer. Period. Even when you are IT'ing, you are STILL a writer. You write. That makes you a writer. Artists art, Painters paint, photographers take pictures, musicians make music, and writers write.

Be proud of those creative things you do. Don't sell yourself short. If I never sold anything in my life & worked my 8 hr. a day job for the rest of my life, would that make me less of an artist? Hell no! I might not ever be considered a Professional artist, but I'd still be an artist. We need more creatives in this world. So please, if you create be proud. Don't hide it. Don't deny it. Come on out into the sunshine.

Another Featured Artist: Deanna Molinaro

Sea Monster Morning

Painter, writer, sculptor, Deanna has some really awesome art to share with the world. Sometimes it amazes me what these big publishing houses pick up & what they don't. She is amazing & inspiring. I fell in love after reading the Sea Monster story. Check her out here: Deanna Molinaro

Featured Artist: James McCarthy

James McCarthy


Fine Art America site for James McCarthy




Beinart site

Facebook Page

Some seriously cool stuff.

Hey Art Fans!

Got another great artist for you to go check out! James Hance. He paints the things I love most in life! Muppets, Star Wars, Superheroes and more! Even Doctor Who. Go check out his site & buy something to support his art! He has t-shirts if you can't afford his work. It's really awesome stuff.

Tony Orrico

I stumbled across an artist today that I have fallen in love with. Generally, I'm not much for performance art. I'm not knocking it, it just doesn't move me most of the time. This guy is different. He uses his entire body to measure & move & create. It's beautiful. The precision & repetition & stamina is absolutely amazing. It's art, science & dance all at the same time with a tangible output. I went to his website & looked up his bio & it stated: "a former member of Trisha Brown Dance Company and Shen Wei Dance Arts". So a dancer, who has used his art in order to create & merge with another form of art. Wow. I can't wait to see more from this guy. He really makes me want to try this. I might be moving the motorcycles out of the garage this weekend.



It's been a long time since some sort of art has moved me to tears. I'm sure it's not for everyone, and many will see it as some doofus with pencils squirming around on paper, but for me, it is what art is & should be. Using your body, mind, & soul to create.

Art Tuesday feat. The Artistic Biker

The Artist Biker is, as he describes himself, "...Jonathan "Blade" Manning. A treasure troll of a man, with hobbit feet and a sharp pointy head. You may see me traveling up and down the highways of Oklahoma looking for the next place to sketch, paint, sing, dance, write, photograph or simply meditate. I have begun a journey that once set upon, there is no turning back".

He runs a blog, The Artist Biker, that has a plethora of information on creative outlets & creativity. He also shows off his own creative skills. He's quite the art journalist. He also owns & rides a motorcycle. He's also very funny. He runs a live show/podcast every Thursday to show you the techniques he's discovered as well as invented. He is self-taught with no formal training. His shows always promise lots of laughs. He has a Facebook page as well as being on Twitter, Flickr & Youtube.

Right now he is trying to start up his own art studio. He has a building he's made an offer on & he's asking for donations. If you can spare some pocket change or five bucks, I'm sure he'd appreciate it. He has a Paypal link all set up over at his blog.

Go check him out & make sure to catch his show on Thursday. Tell him SisterInArms sent ya. ;)