Night and Day

"Heavenly Night" 6"x 5.5" mixed media, digital ©2015

I wanted to blend together my love of watercolor and the tools of the digital world I have been exploring recently for my newest artwork.  One of the wonderful things about digital artwork is the ability to try out several possibilities without using up so much canvas and paper.  My "scarcity" 'fraidy cat definitely loves this aspect!

This may seem like a new direction for my art to take for some, but it is actually a combination of an older style of my own from art school days and years of designing stained glass art.  

While Utah State University, I had design classes from Prof. Jon Anderson.  His classes were tough and I often despaired of ever learning what he was so passionately trying to teach us.  After a particularly disappointing assignment review, I called my Dad in despair.  I will never forget how he told me to "learn all you can, take advantage of everything your teacher is trying to give you."  I was a little disappointed that he didn't commiserate with me on how difficult the class was, but he did give me a different outlook.  Dad didn't get to finish his college training and in retrospect, I think he would have liked to have had that opportunity again.  

I "girded up my loins" and tried again and again, and eventually I did start to understand the design concepts and my assignment grades improved accordingly.  I am grateful now because those design principles have served me well over the years in so many different ways.

Seeing the same problem in a new way can certainly change the outcome in surprising ways. Sometimes it is like night and day, both beautiful in their own way.

Happy creating!

>^-^< Tina

"Rosy Morning" 8"x 10" mixed media, digital © 2015

  Both of these prints are available at Fine Art America, click here

For this week only, "Happy Mother's Day" is printed in white text on the "Rosy Morning" print.

Barriers

"Envy" 5"x 7" watercolor ©2014

Have you ever wanted something someone else had and then felt guilty for being envious?  I have.  I remember sitting in a church meeting and hearing a beautiful solo being sung and wishing I was up there singing it.  I have looked at beautiful pieces of art and wished I had created them.   The best piece of advice I ever heard was to notice that feeling and instead of being ashamed for feeling it, ask yourself "is this a key to what kind of creative things I want to do too?"

The next inevitable thought after that often is, "oh, I couldn't because....and next follows the inevitable list of why you can't.  All the barriers go up.  The trouble with these type of barriers is that some of they may be real and some of them are just illusions in our heads.  We also know deep down that doing something about what we really want involves work and facing the fear of being really awful at it.  It's easier to dream.

Here's an example of my goofiest barriers: Scarcity.  The paper/canvas is so nice, if I use it, I can't get more.  Anger.  How dare you suggest I can choose to use my time differently that what I am doing?  Home Runs. Expecting a perfect result the first time.  Time. Belief that I need a huge block of time to do something creative.   All of these excuses are illusions in my head that seem emotionally real.

My painting up there of my "Envy" cat is from a photo I took in Greece in 2008.  That year was a turning point for me.  That was the year I decided I was going to stop the excuses and take my desire to be an artist seriously.  My first oil painting in over 20 years, "Purple Glow", was really hard for me to complete, it took so long and I felt so discouraged.  I repainted it twice.  I did keep trying though, step by step learning something every time I painted and after six years, completing an oil painting is a much easier process for me.

That still leaves the singing, but I'll save that for another post.  So with the new year coming on, what is your one thing you really, really want to get better at?  If you don't know, what are you envious of other people doing?  What barriers stop you?  The "Envy" painting looks like the cat could be sitting at a window with glass, but she isn't, she is sitting behind a fence with open spaces she could easily jump through if she wanted.  Think about it.  

 To purchase a print of "Envy" click on this link to my Fine Art America site.
 

"Purple Glow" 8"x 6" oil on canvas ©2008

Finding the Perfect Gift...

"The Perfect Gift" 5"x 7" oil on gessobord ©2014 Tina M Welter

How much we sometimes scramble around, trying to find the "perfect gift"!  I think part of the fun and pressure of the season is the anticipation of surprise and delight we hope to give those we love.  

When I think of the delight of perfect gifts, I think of the movie the "A Christmas Story".   Young Ralphie spends the whole movie thinking his requests for his perfect gift - the Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model air rifle with a compass in the stock and "this thing which tells time" - are not being heard or even worse, being dismissed.   Who hasn't experienced that intense combination of hope and uncertainty?

For me, it was a wish for an acoustic guitar when I was 17.   Being a teenager and shy, I don't recall being very direct about what I wanted, plus it was one of those things I had deemed "too expensive" to even ask for.   But like Ralphie, I was completely stunned when my Dad surprised me with the desired guitar on Christmas morning.  It was a second hand guitar, a bit worn, but I didn't care.  What filled my heart was knowing that Dad had heard what I wanted and did his best to make it happen.

Isn't that the key thing, the perfect gift is the feeling of having our wants and needs heard and noticed?  So my advice on finding the perfect gift is to really listen.  It may not be a "thing" at all, perhaps it is a wish for time spent together or an experience to share.   I hope I have given you something worth thinking about as well as a new painting image to enjoy.

Happy listening!  All my best wishes for a joyous season of giving and receiving.

Tina  

If you feel this little message is worthwhile, please feel free to use the links below to share, or tell me about your experience with receiving your perfect gift in the comments below, I would love to hear about your joy.

Click here if you would like to buy "The Perfect Gift" as a card or a print.