In the last few days and weeks, as I’ve been getting this blog together and compiling it into one site, I have realized that in addition to the other hats I wear, I am a writer, too.
I have been writing pretty regularly for years, but didn’t realize how much! A week or two ago, I ported a few other blogs over into this one-and was surprised to have almost 200 posts! Some aren’t great, granted, and they all need to be better organized, but that is a lot of content!
I am proud of that accomplishment, I like accomplishing things without really working toward a goal-but discovering that it is goal worthy after completed is awesome!
In the next few days, I plan to move this whole shootin’ match over to http://www.whitneychristmas.com. I should be able to have a link or forward visitors from this page to that, to make it an easy transition. I am really looking forward to getting the reorg and move done, it will be awesome to have the content at my fingertips, and those of guests.
Pretty definitely sure that I don’t want to go. Pretty definitely sure I have to. Fun times. I just am so sick of the constant battle. I’m reading the book Wheat Belly, and though I am only 10% into the book, it makes a compelling argument for quitting wheat, cold turkey.
My crochet monokini (Tunisian iirc) is too tiny for the mannequin, I don’t have an accurate view of body sizes.
I’m sure there’s a reason I haven’t done it. It is a huge commitment to make, but I know it would make a positive difference, even if it doesn’t make my brain-loonies go away, I know I would drop weight. I’m so tired of having to be super careful about cheese, even. Next up: No gluten? That sounds quite a bit more wretched. Though, the cheese dishes have pasta quite often, so its just one of those things.
I’ve put another drawing up on Fine Art America, in the music art section. It is loosely based on the song by the Beatles entitled “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” Without further ado, here is a thumbnail-click through the image to get to the ordering page 🙂
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
I really love the serenity of the beach scene… The newspaper boat is named Lisa, an update on the name Lucy. The emerald green iris still marks dynamism and change available to both “the girl with the kaleidoscope eyes” and to Lucy herself… The sky of the pupil is reflected in the sky behind the shape of the eye. I like the combination of graphic geometric elements and a bit softer shaded look central to the drawing.
Take a look by clicking through the image-unframed art prints start at $20, and greeting cards are available as well as acrylic canvas prints, metal prints, a cell phone case for galaxy or iPhone, and more.
Note: This is just a scattering of thoughts, I haven’t really edited for clarity so I’m not sure it even makes sense. And I’m not really that bitter about the issues, it just amazes me some days. The disparity between the haves and have nots has gotten pretty wide in this country-and it is disturbing. Especially the statistics related to veteran homelessness. Pitiful.
Self Portrait, January 2012, ink.
So, here we go:
Its an interesting thing to think about-poverty in the grand ol’ United States of America. The home of the brave (who aren’t taken care of and represent a significant portion of those in poverty… both while in the military and afterward), and the land of the free, not that anything in life is ever free.
So, the two fantasy themes on which a large part of American lore is based, Brave and Free, are pretty darn false. Even if brave is taken to mean risk takers in general-entrepreneurs come to mind-and free indicates freedom to make personal choices. Its all about the American Dream. Get your education, work hard, and you will do well in life. Unfortunately, though I think this may have been the case to a certain point in US history, I don’t see it as very true at this time.
Sculpture: Mannequin, mixed media 2005
I live below poverty line, and have for quite a while. I am smart and well educated, but disabled. And the jury is out on whether I’m getting adequate health care at this time, through the “system” as it is. I am pretty sure that with the right accommodations, I could hold a job in a more typical sense. The lack of work/life balance and level of stress in most positions, however, makes this more than impossible.
Lewis Carroll Quote-Misspelled, a couple years ago when I made it, and just noticed.
I’ve been daydreaming lately of holding a job. It seems pretty exciting really. My time with G– was a huge challenge, and I did crack in the end, but I did damn well with the complications handed to me! Same with TD Ameritrade. Top of my class in the 5 week training period, but the stringent and inflexible time/break schedules eventually did me in. I’ve had other jobs, Merle Norman and Glamour Shots come to mind, but retail just isn’t a good idea for me lol.
I’ve been looking into artist residency and relocation programs around the state, country, and world. Unfortunately for the residencies, even if there is a small stipend, travel and other expenses are to be paid by the artist. For the relocation programs… money for renovations or “good enough” credit to hold the forgivable mortgage. Someday, I will get there, but everything has to start at the bottom, of course.
Art Quilt Detail
I guess the thing I’ve learned about it lately, though, is that REALLY, money and happiness do not equate. Or relate, really. I’m pretty happy, pretty stable, and pretty broke. So… Its ok really, but it doesn’t mean I can sit on my laurels. Several months off is plenty.
My goal… really, is just to be able to manage to pay bills, food on the table, and go out a couple times a month. Just enough, really. Nothing extravagant. Living at poverty line instead of below… Now there’s a concept!
High ho, high ho, off to work we go. The mind still wants to believe that what I know is more important than who I know, and that talent plus hard work equals success. Its important for me to hold those hopes though, at least it propels me forward. And forward motion, well, there’s some momentum in that. And movement is the essence of life. So, I guess in the end it all works out, but, occasionally I would love to have a budget that even theoretically covers the bills and essentials. We’ll make it, figure it out. We are clever and creative, and of course that is what counts.
I’m pretty excited this morning. I sat down and finalized my blog planning, in order to have a bit more focus and fun with it 🙂 Today’s tasks are-Introduce “Summer’s Coming” theme, and let you know about my Fiverr gigs!
Soooo, without further ado….
Summer’s Coming!
Get ready for the heat and sunburns, festivals and swimming. I adore summer in Texas-though it definitely does get super hot. Most of the small towns around here have festivals of some kind, including mine. Florence is, apparently, the Friendliest Town in Texas. Never mind that there is a bullying epidemic in the school system. Small town culture is very interesting.
I plan to show you some of my art-and make some art/craft tuts perfect for summertime. Tutorials will be here, free with photos and perhaps video. Also, there will be some book suggestions, photos, and mentions of local upcoming events. There might even be a recipe or two!
fiverr link to my gigs!
My Fiverr gigs are approved and posted, and I plan to add more, but the first ones are special.
I love sharing my art, but its just not feasible to give it away 🙂 As a way for me to make a few bucks and keep myself in supplies, I’ve put a fun listing on Fiverr. The cost is 5$ for the digital image of a custom drawing. I’m doing them free association style, in alcohol marker on post card size paper. Send me your favorite quote or song lyrics after purchase, and I’ll make something fabulous!
For just a peek, here’s one I’ve already done, loosely related to “Hey There, Delilah” by I forget who… aha, here it is:
4×6 alcohol ink on paper
So, thanks for looking and thanks for your time-the Fiverr thing would make a great gift too… Christmas shopping anyone? LOL
Now off to work on moving this whole shebang over to whitneychristmas.com in the near future. Hopefully I can get things a little better organized first!
Wanted to drop a quick sticky line here to say, “Welcome! Pardon the dust!”
I am working on all of my web stuff right now, and the major plan is to move this work all to my page at http://www.whitneychristmas.com (which is currently photography related).
I’ve had a great couple of days. The type where I do begin to wonder if the sick is all in my head. The type where I know I will crash in the next day or two. Gotta pay for the fun of feeling like a somewhat normal human, of course.
4×6 alcohol marker on paper, 2014
Usually, I can’t manage to go out into the world, simply not enough energy and too much pain. Even short errands are exhausting. I went to the dentist Friday, and then braved Wal-Mart, and hit up Hobby Lobby. We ended up back in town at Big Lots later that night, fun stuff. We got some thing we’ve been putting off, that really are helping it feel more cozy and homey. Like a bath mat.
I’m angry at the impending crash, one can hope it doesn’t happen and I live the rest of my life in happy bliss. But its not going to happen that way.
Watercolor artist Mary Whyte is inspirational to me, and is a great example of a contemporary, successful artist. I just viewed her CBS video, available on her site, and wow, I’m blown away. Struck by so many things really.
The article I found her in was entitled 3 Things You Need to Become an Accomplished Artist. I clicked through the email link mostly on a lark. Who really has the formula. But Miss Mary Whyte definitely does. In essence, she asserts that drawing is the building block. Her other points are as simple as 1, 2, 3. And yet entirely complex.
1. Something to say.
2. The ability to say it.
3. The courage to do it.
This sums it up in a heartbeat, really. I have things to say (And JR cracks the joke-“All the time!”) and am having a love affair with expression right now. But that really is a general theme for me-even in times of little expression, the pieces created tell a poignant story. There’s always something to say.
Digital art created from a photo of mine.
I am a trained artist. And self-trained. And well read and researched and tested. There is always more to discover, but I have an aptitude toward the techniques needed to produce art. Nuff said.
The courage to do it is the hardest of all. The fact that Mary Whyte understands this as the final, most important step-but it is also integral to the other aspects. It is often easier to “say something” in a temporary medium, such as speech. As the medium becomes more permanent, the more dedicated you have to be to your subject. My goal is for my works to last 300 years if well taken care of. That’s pretty darn permanent. But I’m pretty passionate, too!
[I see inauthenticity in my work faster than anyone else. Several paintings that I made in school, during a certain period, definitely make my hang my head… Horrid. Trite said one professor, and another asked if I (yes, personally, me) was an alien. We didn’t get along real great after that, but the point was driven home. Be real to me!]
It does take courage, but I need to also share more about my process and thoughts surrounding a particular piece. Not only for others but for myself as well, a record of journal entries, in essence. My work is becoming increasingly real, increasingly personal. My little drawings lately have grown more complex in spurts, two or three on one level, then two or three above and so on.
4×6″ alcohol marker on paper. 2014
I started a larger drawing the other day, have already posted on it here. That is on 9×12 watercolor paper, and the most complex for the artwork lately. I am getting the urge to work large, but with subtle detail. Free association drawings are my fun time lately-like the Tree of Life sketch.
Art has always, always been about play to me. But it is now time to get down to work. Age 30 is both young and old to be working on what I consider my “life’s work” as an artist. I do have a bad habit of not considering my work up to now when I think about the work I want to leave behind. I have a lot of art behind me, and a lot of writing 🙂 but I feel like I’m just starting to “get it” with being less experimentative and more intentional with my work.
It is pretty interesting to be using imagery and symbolism in my work, in a heavy handed way. Interesting for me to see what comes out. That gives a big experimental element to my works, but, the overriding theme while working is the larger composition and how things fit together to evoke a thought or feeling.
The DIY MFA site brings in another point-that in order to create great works-writing, in that case-you must also consume great works-read the classics, in other words. Other than my art history classes, I have not spent concentrated time looking at contemporary art and artists. I have started doing so lately-hence finding Mary Whyte, and seeing where I fit in with Low Brow art.
4×6 alcohol ink on paper
On a more technical side, I always feel justified in using certain materials and techniques only after seeing another artist (that I admire) doing the same. Two things to say about that. 1) Get ova it. For real. 2) Miss Mary was using large paper. So THERE! Well its watercolor and yeah but duh. I prefer acrylics on canvas, but watercolor on paper may just be where the sweet spot is. I need to study up on her techniques of applying paint in order to get the opaque colors. I planned to acquire a set of gouache, or opaque watercolor, yesterday but couldn’t find a kit I liked, so no dice. I like watercolor because reworking is limited. Though Its kind of chancey too, I have screwed up a lot of watercolor paintings through not knowing the medium.
Its time to paint, just gotta get my stuff together, but drawing for now will suffice for sure 🙂 The need to create is ever present!
I survived the dentist, and was quite nice and polite, too. I didn’t get kicked out-or arrested, as I really feared. Man, was I in a bad mood this morning! Due to the disappointing, and yet suspected, news, I’ll be waiting for dental insurance to kick in prior to major work. No root canals though! Yeah!
The family farm was sold a while back, but I saw this pic of the ole’ place, and it made me smile. Grandma loves her red brick houses!
Crazy Pain 