Vintage Art

Time to hang this for awhile so that I can decide if it's truly done.  It has a very aged look to it, using a limited palette, Payne's Grey, Quinacridone Azo Gold, and from Nova Color, Fluorescent Purple. Who would think that fluorescent anything could have such a vintage look! (Note: they no longer carry the F Purple but have replaced it with Quinacridone Violet)

Been reading Steven Pressfield's new book Turning Pro. (author of The War of Art)  Just to explain he uses the terms Amateur and Pro to describe life lived outside of doing what you were designed to do and living from the centre of what you were shaped to do, The Pro. Interesting reading, here's a few morsels to chew on...

"When we turn pro, everything becomes simple. Our aim centres on the ordering of our days in such a way that we overcome the fears that have paralyzed us in the past. We now structure our hours not to flee from fear, but to confront it and overcome it."

"When we were amateurs, our life was about drama, about denial, and about distraction. Our days were simultaneously full to the bursting point and achingly, heartbreakingly empty.  But we are not amateurs any more. We are different and everyone in our lives sees it."

and this made me laugh, one line, one chapter,
"The amateur tweets. The pro works."

"Turning pro changes how we spend our time and with whom we spend it...We will have to choose between the life we want for our future and the life we have left behind...The essence of epiphanies is the stripping away of self-delusion. There is great power in this moment. Epiphanies hurt."

Marketing Our Work

Another art fair under this newbies belt, one more to go in September.  It's been a great experience with positive feedback and art being sold.

Jean and I had a great time at this last one, 'The Golden Unicorn Art Festival' is in the middle of lake cottage country so it was a festive, neighbourly kind of atmosphere.  People connecting up with fellow cottagers, chatting, browsing, eating wonderful home cooked yummies, listening to live entertainment and buying from the many artisans at the fair.  My hubby and I are looking forward to returning next year!

Jean went right out after out first fair and bought a new big pop up awning complete with add on sides for extra shade and problem weather.  Can you tell he is ready to do the local fair circuit with me next year! Got to love a guy who believes in you that much and who is a real people person.

Did a quick clean up in the studio so I could get started on some new pieces. Love it when the creative juices are flowing and the art is selling!  Oh and I managed to create a new spot on line for housing my art. I wanted to set something up to make things easier to purchase my art on line and this is the first step, I'll be adding the 'Buy Now' PayPal button in the future.  But for now I've simply created a new Dynamics View blog and linked it on the sidebar of Esynergy, 'My Art Gallery-Brenda Thebeau Abstracts'  in time the page tab at the top of my blog will be removed.  For those of us new to the on line art scene deciding on how best to present and sell our work is an ongoing exploration.  I wanted a site that used my name as the URL but didn't want to loose my current blog followers by switching to a completely new web hosting system. So this was my solution.  Now to get things sorted out and add the PayPal 'Buy Now' button, Marketing for the Technically challenged, that's me!

Art Fairs Here I Come!

Just a quick update on how my sister, Kellie and I fared at the art fair.

Though we got rained out in the afternoon, I did sell several pieces and Kel too. Considering we had to close up shop before you really get the most of your foot traffic, I'm happy with how it went.  So much so that I'm doing two more this weekend!

Friday, Art on the Boardwalk, put on by The McCain Art Gallery, you guessed it on the Florenceville-Bristol Boardwalk!  It's a 2 hour event so I felt I could take on the all day fair in Fosterville, NB, the Golden Unicorn Art Festival, this Sunday.

Though there were days, well every day, that the firbromyalgia took it's toll, I just pushed through and rested where I could, if I could, knowing that these kinds of opportunities don't come around often. And now that we are set up for exhibiting, it does get easier. I will however be preparing for next year months in advance!

Truth is, I could not do it without the continual help and support of my hubby, Jean.  He has been there with me every step, I don't think I could find anyone who believes in me more.  Kel got some photos of him doing what he does best, enjoying the people.  He's a people person all the way and attends the fairs with me, hanging out even telling people all that he knows about my art.  What a day!  And before I forget, the girls, my grand-daughters each sold a painting and bookmarks, so it was a positive experience all way around.  My greatest regret is that because of the rain and this being my first show, I wasn't able to have them stay for the day with me, perhaps next year!

I'm excited and been busy painting some new mixed media pieces, as the others sold. I also have another of Kel's truck pieces varnished and drying, just no photo as yet.  Then there is the new big abstract, 24 x 30"which I love and will hate to part with, well almost! (top of post) It was pure joy to just start flooding my canvas with paint, the tones are rich and deep just like I like then.

Okay, I've been cramming down my lunch while writing this, now it's time to get back at it! Looking forward to catching up with what everyone else has been doing in blogger land!

Creative Call

Feeling the crunch, last week before our first art fair.  I say our, because not only is it a first for Kellie and I, it's a first for my Grand-daughters.  At their Gramp's suggestion they wanted to put some small canvases and bookmarks in the fair too.  Needless to say, I've been busy helping them 'finish' them out. At 9 and 11 it's hard for them to comprehend just how long and hard you can work to get a piece to that finished state.  The table holds their offerings in various states of doneness, including a basket of bookmarks.

My sister, Kel's been pulling out all the stops too, can't wait to see her many framed and print offerings. Exciting times for the 'Graham' girls!  (I'm a Graham by birth, still am, often wish I could use my maiden name for my art, I feel so connected to my roots, the creative soul that I was as a kid)

"You and I when we're young--experience a calling. To art, to service, to honourable sacrifice. ...this calling is followed immediately by the apparition of RESISTANCE.  Fear.  Self-doubt.  Self-sabotage.

What makes this moment so soul-precarious is that most of us are unconscious of both our aspirations and our Resistance."  Turning Pro by Steven Pressfield

I'm working to complete a large piece, and another smaller mixed media piece.  This is just a snippet of the bigger abstract.  The creativity is flowing but boy my body is pushing back!  It's times like these that I think, darn this painting is worth a bundle for all the hours of pain and hard work to create it! Just saying ;-)