As this year gently comes to an end, many of us are thinking of the one about to start. What will it bring us? Will it be better or worse than the ones we have just lived through? And for many, the thought of “what can I do better?” creeps into the mix. Even if you have given up on making “official” New Year’s resolutions (because you know you won’t actually keep them), the end of one year and the beginning of a new one will subconsciously pull at your desire to improve, to be better. It’s human nature. Babylonians were making New Year’s resolutions 4000 years ago! Check out this website if you don’t believe me! Although I am sure some people still resolve to pay their debts or to return borrowed objects, most people make resolutions aimed at improving themselves, such as losing weight, drinking less, etc. There is certainly nothing wrong with these noble thoughts, but I would like to suggest another idea, one that might have a better than 8% chance of success, if only because it is much more pleasurable than going to the gym or cutting out desserts or wine. And that suggestion is: Add some art to your life! Art is a wonderfully easy, guilt-free way to add beauty and pleasure to your life. This could be done many ways, but here are a few suggestions:
So, what do you think? Are you ready to be a better you by becoming a “patron of the arts”? Let me know in the comments below, and all the best for 2023!
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With Christmas just a few days away, let me start by offering you my best wishes for the season but also for the coming year. I can safely say that I wouldn't be doing this if it weren't for all of the support I get from my friends, followers and collectors. Thank you! As this week is "recycling' week, here is a post from May 2021 in which I answer a few Frequently Asked Questions. Please feel free to look at the rest of my FAQs, and post any questions you might have in the comments below! Happy Holidays! Can you believe that AI wrote this? I spend hours every two weeks thinking of a topic that I think you will find interesting, then twice as much time writing the actual blog article. Is it possible that AI can do it effectively for me? It is! And here's why: I'm able to write content quickly and efficiently because I'm using a tool called Copy.ai. It's not only saving me time from having to write by hand, but it's also saving me time from having to proofread and edit posts for typos or grammar mistakes. It's also saving me time from having to think about what kind of post I want to write, which makes it easier for me to focus on other things like work or family life. I'm sure you've heard the news: AI is taking over the world. Well, not really. But it's definitely changing the way we work and live our lives. It's a great way to save time and get the content you want without having to worry about it. Here's how it works: I enter a keyword into Copy.ai and it returns a number of results that are related to that keyword. Then I can select which ones I want to use for my post, copy them into an editor and format them however I want. The best part about this is that I can get content for my posts in just minutes. I don't have to worry about finding something that's unique and high quality, because the tool does all of that for me. It saves me time so that I can focus on other important things like SEO or social media optimization. The biggest benefit of using a tool like this is that it saves me time. I don't have to spend hours and hours trying to find quality content for my blog posts anymore. All I have to do is enter a keyword into the tool and it will return hundreds of results that are related to that keyword. Then all I have to do is select which ones I want, copy them into an editor and format them however I want. The tool is also very easy to use. I didn't have any issues setting it up or using it for the first time. It's pretty self-explanatory and only took me a few minutes to get started with it. I also really like that there are no restrictions on the number of searches you can do. I've used other tools in the past that only allow you to search for one keyword per day, and this was extremely frustrating because I'd have to wait until tomorrow before being able to search again. All in all, I'm super impressed with this tool. It's very easy to use and it doesn't cost a lot of money like some of the other keyword research tools out there. I will definitely be using it again in the future. So if you're looking for something quick and easy to put together, check out Copy.ai today! ---------------- SO, what did you think? (This is me) Are you impressed? I wasn't really. I supplied the subject and the first paragraph, and AI wrote the rest. A lot of repetition and empty statements. Sort of like not very good student essays.... Plus, it didn't really take me that less time, but perhaps that's because I am not familiar with the tool. I might try it again on an actual art topic to see how it performs. If you have topic suggestions, put them, as well as your impressions, in the comments below! Thanks!
I have discovered yet another rabbit hole. I know. I have stopped counting. I sometimes feel like Sisyphus, but rather than being condemned to forever pushing a boulder up a mountain, it seems I have been condemned to forever try new things. I am OK with that. And although my life sentence does involve work, it’s a lot more fun, I imagine, than that rock-pushing thing. So what, do you ask, is the new thing this time? It’s called “gel printing”. It is a derivative of printing, and that is how I came across it. I think I first saw a gel (or gelli) plate at an online art supply store, but I had no idea what it was. I was undoubtedly looking for materials to use as carving blocks for printing. I remember thinking that these gel plates were much more expensive than their linoleum or vinyl counterparts, so I quickly dismissed them. But it turns out they are not meant for carving a design into just once, but rather as a reusable surface from which to print. Confusing, I know. The best would be to see one in action. And where could you do that? YouTube, of course. So I watched a few videos of the gel plate in action, and I had pretty much come to the conclusion that it was more for “craft” or “scrapbooking” types of art, until I found Mark Yeates, of the “Yeates Makes” YouTube channel. I had definitely underestimated the power and potential of the gel plate. Mark is an experimenter. A true experimenter. I am nowhere near as bold and fearless as he is. He tries anything! And doesn't mind sharing the process, warts and all! I have to admit that it is comforting to see that there are other artists out there who are a lot more experimental than I will ever be! Makes me feel normal! Anyway. If you haven’t already gone off to see a few videos of gel plates, let me explain how they work. A gel plate is a flexible clear silicone mat, about ½ inch thick. They come in various sizes, from about 3 inches square to a bit over a foot square. You create an image on the surface using a variety of mediums or techniques, mainly involving acrylic paint. Then you transfer this image to a surface, usually paper. You can transfer images or parts of images from magazines or laser prints, you can build layers of images, either right on the plate or by accumulating multiple transfers to the receiving surface (paper). Mostly, paint is applied to the plate with a roller or brayer, but you can also paint directly on the plate, you can use objects or stencils to add designs to the paint on the plate, and as my new friend Mark Yeates has shown me, you can even transfer your original artwork to the plate, which in my mind raises this technique beyond somewhat random colors and patterns to bona fide original art. I am still learning. It looks so easy when I watch them do it. So many variables can affect the result, not the least of which in my case is my lack of experience with acrylic paint. Most of the resulting prints have an imperfect, slightly grungy look, which I am also not used to, but which I quite like in others’ work. I just have to give myself permission to produce it. Pacify the perfectionist. Who knows? Maybe this will help me loosen up a bit in my other painting! What about you? Have you ever heard of gel printing? Have you tried it? I would love to know how you use it and see what you have done! Let me know in the comments. |
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