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. I love books. I love second hand books. That's all you really need to know about me, but in case you're curious, here is a blog I wrote two years ago about my art book collection. Things haven't really gotten any better.... and I finally did buy that copy of Richard Schmid's book..... (With apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning) How do I hate thee? Let me count the ways … I hate having to wear socks in the house because my ankles get cold … I hate to have to take 10 minutes just to assemble all the clothing I now need to be comfortable if I step outside … I hate feeling the cold bite my face or numb my fingers and toes … I hate walking on a snowy road or sidewalk in constant fear of falling and breaking something … I hate driving in the snow, especially when other drivers still think it’s summer! And I really hate seeing freezing rain in the forecast! Living in the country, ice storms can wipe out the electric grid and we can be without power for days. It has already happened more than once, and as our climate changes, it is likely to happen even more. If the power is out and the roads are unusable, that can become a serious health risk. But it wasn’t always like this. I used to get excited and couldn’t wait until the first snow came. Now I can wait and am disappointed when it finally does come. I used to love the sound of crunching boots that only happens when it’s really really cold. Now I still like that sound, but only because it reminds me of when I was a lot younger. I used to love sliding and making forts and coming in to a warm house after hours of playing, then wondering if my toes would get that strange unscratchable itch from having gotten way too cold. Now I am afraid of sliding onto my rump in a slushy parking lot and winding up in the hospital! So what happened? I guess adulthood happened. Responsibilities of getting to a job on time, regardless of how many inches had fallen overnight or if the plow had just closed the driveway in again. Maybe it happened that morning of my birthday when it was so cold the diesel in our Jetta solidified, and I had to wait for hours in an unheated store entrance for the tow truck to come and rescue me. This was pre-cellphones, so I had to stay where I could see the car. Needless to say that at 40 below I wasn’t the only stop the tow truck driver had to make!! And on my birthday! That may have been the tipping point, when winter went from wonderland to fool’s paradise. So, mostly, I hate winter. Things that have helped? Getting really warm boots that make my feet look like snowshoes but that ensure no more itchy toe syndrome! Heated seats (game changer… well, almost!). Paying someone to clear the driveway (best money spent-ever!). Parking the car under some sort of shelter. Being a snowbird for a bit more than 10 years (nothing quite like slipping your feet into sandals and being out of the house in less than 10 seconds!) Changing the wood-burning stove to a propane one (instant on/off, thermostat control, no more smoke, or dirt and bugs from logs, not to mention the stacking, chopping and carrying-- and it turns out propane is more environmentally friendly than wood!). Buying the super-size container of hot chocolate mix at Costco. Finally accepting that "helmet hair" is a small price to pay for not having your ears freeze off! Don’t get me wrong, there are some things I still like about winter. The snow is incredibly pretty, as long as you don’t have to go out in it. I love the hush that large fluffy snowflakes create as they slowly fall, or the sparkling "diamonds" in the air when it is sunny and tiny snow crystals are falling. I love opening the blinds in the morning and guessing what animals made the new track patterns across the snow. I appreciate that the cold ensures that we don’t have poisonous snakes and spiders the size of dinner plates! I also appreciate that the cold sets up the unfaltering return of perennial plants - quite amazing really! And that it also slows down human activity so we have time to rest and regroup for another year. So what about you? Love it? Hate it? Have an “it’s complicated” relationship with it? Tell me your winter stories in the comments below! I’ll go make some hot chocolate! For a little over a year now, I have had some small works on consignment in a café in a neighbouring town. The café has all sorts of merchandise for sale, including jewelry, kitchenware and coffee or tea related products. There is literally something in every available space! I am really bad at following up, and had heard nothing from the café in too many months to count. Of course my “little voice” had convinced me that this was because no one wants my art, and basically they just don’t like me. What else could it be, right? So last week I prepared myself to confront failure and went over to the café, ready to pick up my art which obviously no one wants…. To my astonishment, the owners had sold two of my pieces, and commented that it is really hard to see the art properly as it is mixed in with all the other items on offer. So he offered me my own space, right in the sitting area, to create a fitting display where my art would be seen in a literally more favorable light! I was flabbergasted! I had also brought one of my calendars, on the off chance that maybe they could see that as something their customers would want to buy. The owner agreed immediately to take 5, and when I got home he had already posted the news, with a photo, on Facebook! A few hours later, he messaged me saying he only had one left and could I bring more!! I had taken approximate measures of the space he was offering me, and proceeded to come up with ideas of what kind of display I could find or make. Of course I had enlisted the help of my favorite handyman! We visited a few second hand shops looking for a small bookcase or anything that could be transformed into something to display small art pieces. The search was unsuccessful, but then I had an idea to create something using an old vintage frame! After running the idea by the café owner, the search switched to finding such a frame that we could then transform into a display case, preferably using items we already have in our considerable stash of “this could come in handy one day” items. I found a frame that, although not as ornate as I would have liked, was the right size to use without modification. We then proceeded to build a shallow “box” to sit behind the frame, and backed it with a sheet of used pegboard that we very luckily found at a local building supply store. Needing to have something to prop this display up off the ground, I found a very nice, and again, perfectly sized wooden wine crate at the liquor store, which they sell to raise money for the food bank! Win win! We will be installing the display either today or tomorrow. I had fun creating it, even though that means I did no “art” this week. I can't speak for my handyman, but we have built Ikea shelves together in the past, and we are still talking, so I guess it went well. I realised I really like problem solving! And repurposing! And I think it will look great and will do a much better job at displaying my art! I will post a picture on Facebook when it is installed! Conclusion? Facing your fears can of course lead to realizing you have failed, but it also can open up unexpected opportunities!! I should try this more often! What about you? Do you resist facing your fears? Let me know in the comments! Last week I announced that I would start alternating new blogs with repeats of previous articles. This is the first of such recycled articles. Today would have been my mother's 100th birthday, so in her honor I am republishing an article I wrote back in October 2020: How did I get here? I hope you enjoy it! |
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