Revving up for the New Year

Whew! What a whirlwind Christmas was. Sort of glad it's all over actually. Our house is beginning to look somewhat normal again thankfully. The cat, Indie, can quit bashing the ornaments from the tree and all over the house. The dogs can resume their positions on the couches now we have less intruders or should I call them visitors to share the seating with.

We actually had a white Christmas here in Oklahoma. It snowed/iced two days before, melted off and then snowed the two days after Christmas right when my daughter was due to leave of course. She made it home safely which is great.

I have been invited to be the featured artist at the North Main Gallery in Mt. Vernon Ohio during February so I am working on my first collection of smaller oil paintings for this show. This will coincide with a pastel workshop to be offered on Saturday February 2nd at the Plum Alley Studio or we may move to a larger space close by if needed to accommodate everyone.

A list of required materials will be posted here, on my website and available through the gallery also. My workshops are fun and informative. I don't hold back all my tricks of the trade as I believe we have a duty to share what we know with others which can only enhance their artistic pursuits. I have had the joy of attending workshops and seminars with many great artists and have come away with some great snippets and techniques, making the workshop very worthwhile.

Today the sun is shining here in Oklahoma and I hope to begin a new work featuring citrus fruits. There is something about a juicy orange in the winter that begs to be painted. I'll post pics here as I progress.

HAVE A GREAT SATURDAY Y'ALL... I'm now bilingual Aussie Okie.. :-)

Cheers,

Colleen

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

One good thing about having families in two countries is the prolonged celebration it brings us. My parents, brother and most of my extended family still live in Australia which is about 17 hours ahead of the USA at this time of year. So I wait for it to get to around 5am over there and call my brother's house to ensure his teenage daughters know it is time to wake up and begin their Christmas Day. I'm good like that! :-)

Of course this does draw retaliatory treatment from my brother Terry who will return the favour when Christmas morning finally gets to us. He doesn't get as much joy now that all three of our girls have gone off to college and are not here for him to rouse. That coupled with the option of turning down the volume on my telephone ringer means I'm not playing fair with him. It's to be expected though. Even if my brother and I can't be in the same country we can still torment one another!

On the homefront, we did enjoy a nice quiet morning with my daughter Andrea who got here safely from Nebraska. I have to laugh about the fact that she made it all 440 miles only to not be able to find each other in the Walmart parking lot where we were to meet up. Perpective is an interesting thing. She had a whole different outlook on the area from her vantage point than I at the other end of the parking lot. So much so, that I really thought we were in two different Walmarts.

After opening our gifts and taking some photos for the album, Andrea (who is in culinary school) cooked breakfast for us all. My husband's family will be joining us this afternoon for a meal and shared enjoyment. My fingers are twitching to get to my art table and begin creating a series of new paintings. I find that the closing of an old year and the dawning of a new one recharges my batteries and creative juices.

May all of you have a fabulous day today whether you are surrounded by family or enjoying a more quiet moment.

Merry Christmas to all,

Anticipation

Good morning! It's the Sunday before Christmas and I have been out of bed since 7am. My daughter Andrea is driving from Nebraska to Oklahoma by herself to be with us for the holidays. Of course I am both excited but also a little apprehensive about her driving over 400 miles by herself in her not always reliable vehicle.

I will keep busy making cookies, rumballs, etc and since I still have a few boxes left to unpack from the move, finding something to occupy my mind shouldn't be a problem. On the art scene I have garnered a corner of the breakfast room to set up my art space. I'll post some photos when I have it all tidied up. While we have four bedrooms, this is the only space that doesn't have carpet. Let's just say pastel and oil paints don't play well with carpet. I have replaced a room or two previously and thought I'd try something different this time.

A good floor covering can be one of those vinyl tablecloths turned upside down so the fluffy cloth side is up. It tends to catch a lot of the dust and other drippings from painting. Do be careful though if you place that on a tile or vinyl floor it can be a bit slick.

Have a great Sunday!

2008 is Gonna be Great!

Ok, well basically 2007 has been a crappy year. And not just for me. So many people I have chatted with lately have talked about the challenges they've faced. The only thing to do is put it all behind us and move forward into 2008.

Personally, I am diving in head first to the art festival scene. I am planning to attend a LOT of art fairs this year. Of course this depends largely on my being juried in to the shows. A positive attitude never hurt so I am just forging ahead as if my applications will be accepted. The 2008 Oklahoma Festival of the Arts has seen fit to offer me a spot this year which is great! We set up on Monday, April 21st and the show runs through until Sunday evening on the 27th, so quite a long week I imagine.

Other shows I am applying to include Cherry Creek, St. Louis, St. James Court, Tulsa Mayfest, and a few others. Let's hope I can get into a few more of these great shows. As I move towards the show season I will be sharing my preparations with you. This is my first year where I am attempting to attend more than one show, so it will be interesting to see how this all goes.

I will share my comparisons on buying panels to hang my work on, finding a new framer now we've moved states who can handle my pastel work, putting together a kit to take to the shows and much more as I discover what it takes to do this. I can't promise it will always be pretty!! I have a lot to learn.

So if you've been there and done that I welcome any information you have to share with a show newbie and if you are also considering participating in the show circuit I'd love to hear from you too!

Have a wonderful Holiday season and I look forward to chatting with you all again soon!

Til next time,






http://www.colleenbrown.com/