Emotions of the Ocean, Wednesday, Avon OBX

Wednesday started out cloudy and overcast but didn't stay that way for too long.

I got very intrigued by the clouds.  Right on the horizon line, there was a bank of clouds then above that, there were two different types of clouds, one wispy, the other puffy.  I don't know the names for the types of clouds, so can't be specific - any Weather Channel junkies out there who can help me?!

Here's the whole scene at about the same time as the image above.  The sky was bluer Wed than it had been Mon and Tues when it tended towards dark, sandy green.

Later in the day the sky got lighter and brighter as did the ocean.  The waves were a little bit choppier too.

Look how the water changed completely - it got dark as could be!  That what made these pictures so much fun!  I might think I was drawing the same picture twice, but when I finished and compared them, I could see how utterly different they actually were!

Tomorrow's post I will continue with the pictures I did at the OBX each day so you, like I, can experience the changing emotions of the ocean.

(If you're interested in purchasing any of these, please contact me.  Unframed, they will sell for $165.  Framed (acid-free materials, beautiful hand-made frame (framed by Chris and me)) they will sell for $275.  I will also be making prints which will be $35.) 

Emotions of the Ocean, Friday, Avon OBX

Friday was our last full day at the Outer Banks.  It began with the owner of the cottage calling the house to ask if it would be possible to have some workmen come for a couple of hours a bit later to install the shower doors in the master bathroom.  She was lovely and apologetic but said they didn't have a choice.  I was stunned speechless - we had plans for the day that didn't include workmen banging around and in and out for a bit.  Once I gathered my ability to speak again, I told her it would be a major imposition and asked if there were anyway to NOT have them come, I would appreciate it greatly.  Thankfully she understood because she loves her time at the beach also so she back off of her request.  Thank you, owner!  We appreciate you even more now!

After I got up I went to Spa Koru to do some yoga.  One of the perks of renting this house is a week's membership at the spa.  I did yoga three times during the week.  It was a wonderful benefit!  After that I went to talk to the owner of Studio 12 to talk about teaching classes there this summer.  She was terrific and we're having conversations about how to get me down there to teach and when.  Sounds like fun to me!

When I finally got home from all that, it was almost 1 and I was ready for breakfast!  But first I had to do a drawing.  Then another one.  Then another.  Knowing it was my last day there made me all the more avid to draw as much as I could.  Who knows when we'll ever have the chance to stay in such a fabulous home again!  

These three pictures ended up being more alike than other days' of work.  Interesting that the ocean was less variable than previously.  It remained densely clouded and windy.  

As the day drew to a close, Chris was watching out of the back windows to see how the sound was looking to try to gauge what the sunset might be like.  He decided it looked like it would be great, so we hopped in the car and headed down to the Canadian Hole (where windsurfers and kiteboarders launch) on the Sound to watch that glory.  He was so right!  The clouds cleared just enough to offer us sunset perfection.  Here are some of the pictures I took.  I've already painted one of them!

As the day drew to a close, Chris was watching out of the back windows to see how the sound was looking to try to gauge what the sunset might be like.  He decided it looked like it would be great, so we hopped in the car and headed down to the Canadian Hole (where windsurfers and kiteboarders launch) on the Sound to watch that glory.  He was so right!  The clouds cleared just enough to offer us sunset perfection.  Here are some of the pictures I took.  I've already painted one of them!

It was such a blessing to spend time at the Outer Banks.  I feel refreshed, renewed, and reinvigorated and ready to create more artworks.  I don't know what they'll be of, but this week has shown me that it's in my blood, in my psyche, and in my soul.  This is how I process the world and what I find before me.  I don't seem to have any other choice!

Emotions of the Ocean, Thursday, Avon OBX

Thursday we were out and about a lot.  We drove down South and stopped by galleries and shops in Avon.  It was quite an ironic day.  I had come to the beach intended to VACATE.  Take a break!  Quit pushing so darn hard because I was tired!  But, like a moth to flame or a duck to water, I am drawn to art and to creating.  So where did I go?  To galleries!  of course!  Each gallery we went in, Chris would off-handedly mention that I was an artist also.  At one place, Studio 12, in Avon, the owner asked immediately if I'd be interested in showing my work there.  But of course!  I asked if he'd like to see it, figuring he wouldn't want to get himself into trouble by agreeing to show my work before he'd even seen it!  I showed him my fruits and beach scenes.  He suggested I speak with his wife the next day about the possibility of offering classes there.  Sounded good to me!

We went into a couple other galleries as well and talked about doing the same.  It looks like I'll probably be offering classes in the Outer Banks this summer!  I'll post details here as soon as everything is confirmed.  

I learned that what I've been espousing for years -  Follow Your Bliss and the Money will Follow - actually means what it says.  Follow your BLISS!  Recently I've been working very, very hard, feeling pressured to make a living doing what I love and learning to not love it quite so much anymore.  It isn't fun to push and push and push and to feel driven to succeed.  I was starting to feel resistant to standing in front of the easel.  Going on vacation was perfect - the beauty all around me thrilled me and inspired me to wake up and paint!  I couldn't wait to get to the easel!  I would have done more pictures, but I was worried about running out of paper.  It was then that I realized that I've been turning my love into my duty out of fear of not making enough money.  What I learned Thursday was that just being myself and doing what brings me pleasure and joy works much better.  Now I'll have several places to sell my artwork and to teach classes - I'll even get to go to the beach in the summer - what a concept!  A very, very good lesson.

When we returned from our explorations, I took time to draw another picture before we headed out to chase the sunset.  It looked like it was going to be a good one.  It seems like when there are some clouds, but not opaque cover, the sunsets are best.  As you can see from this picture, the cloud cover was pretty dense, but we wanted to get out there anyway.  Below are some of the pictures I took that evening.

I love seeing the rays of light breaking through the clouds.  It looks like an image from the Old Testament or something equally awe-inspiring.

There were a couple of windsurfers out on the sound when we got there.  It was fun seeing them silhouetted against the darkening sky.

The sun behind the clouds almost created a silver lining.  Not quite, but I thought this shot was equally dramatic!

That night we were blessed with a very dramatic full moon rising over the ocean.  I rested my camera on the balcony railing so I could get a long exposure so the clouds would show up.  It was quite an artful day!

Tomorrow I will continue with the pictures I did at the OBX each day so you, like I, can experience the changing emotions of the ocean.

(If you're interested in purchasing any of these, please contact me.  Unframed, they will sell for $165.  Framed (acid-free materials, beautiful hand-made frame (framed by Chris and me)) they will sell for $275.  I will also be making prints which will be $35.) 

Emotions of the Ocean, Tuesday, Avon OBX

Tuesday I awoke, full of excitement, with the sun glaring from behind the sun-blocking curtains.  I could tell it was a bright sunny day, so even before I wrote my morning pages, I popped out of bed, ran into the living room, and started drawing.  I think I said good morning to Chris before I applied pastel to paper!  I hope I was that polite, at least!  It was 7:30, I believe, and the sun had just come up enough to cast a radiant white light onto the ocean, all but blinding me in its glory.  It was impossible to see any details where it shone except where the waves cast a shadow.  The area around it was more visible, thus the blue.

After doing picture #1, I kissed Chris good morning then went back to bed to write my morning pages so I could get centered for the day.  By the time I was done with them, the ocean had changed completely.  The sky was now somewhat cloudy and the water appeared dark sandy-green.  I couldn't take time to eat breakfast!  I had to draw another scene first!

After breakfast, the clouds had filled the sky, leaving it almost completely overcast and the water even darker.  I was intrigued by the idea of trying to render the overcast sky and still differentiate enough to make it interesting.

And now it looks like Monday again with windy, overcast skies, choppy turbulent seas, and a barely-visible horizon line.  And all that after such a blaringly bright 7:30 AM!

The next couple days' of posts I will continue with the pictures I did at the OBX each day so you, like I, can experience the changing emotions of the ocean.

(If you're interested in purchasing any of these, please contact me.  Unframed, they will sell for $165.  Framed (acid-free materials, beautiful hand-made frame (framed by Chris and me)) they will sell for $275.  I will also be making prints which will be $35.) 

Emotions of the Ocean, Monday, Avon OBX

Yikes!  I can't believe it's been so long since my last blog post.  I have a lot to catch up on.  Before catching up, though, I'm going to get current.  Last week Chris and I went to the Outer Banks of North Carolina on vacation.  It's where we go to fill our souls and release our anxiety and tension.  We were very blessed this last time to find a cottage, Canary Sings, which was discounted substantially so we were able to stay on the ocean affordably.  The cottage is actually much more beautiful than the pictures indicate.  It is behind a good-sized dune, but from the upstairs window, we could see the ocean very clearly.  Here's a picture taken from inside the living room.

Though I hadn't intended to paint or draw while I was at the beach (I was on vacation, after all, and art is now my full time job!), I felt so inspired by the view that I could not WAIT to set up my easel and draw the scene moment by moment!  I prepared my sanded paper, tearing or cutting it into 9"x6" pieces, put up my new easels, and set to work.

The first day I did 6 paintings.  Every time I looked out the window, the view was different, and I got so excited I had to get up from whatever I was doing and draw it!  It was really fun drawing it because that way I could compare the colors and sky and sea concretely.  I was amazed at how much it changed in a short time.  Chris suggested a great way to think about it - he said it's like emotions - they come and go, passing quickly from one to the other, as silly to take personally as the changing weather, and similarly harmless (sometimes they're not so harmless, as when someone takes their anger out on you - likewise the ocean as when there's a hurricane).

 Here's the first day's worth of images (Monday, March 5)

The sky was very misty.  It was difficult to see the horizon or any details in the sea.

This one is fairly similar to the photograph I attached at the start of the blog post: cloudy, a bit stormy, grey and green.

Later the weather cleared up.  It was still cloudy, but the sky was showing patches of blue, and I could see the waves much more clearly.  Obviously, this picture is more close up than the others!

Just a little while later, everything was different.  There were clouds, yes, but the water was much darker, the clouds much thinner, and the sky was now that gorgeous cerulean blue.  What a contrast to the early morning fog!

So many colors in the waves!

Can you believe this was the same day as the first picture??  Clear blue sky with just a couple of grey-ish clouds, blue water, calm and relative stillness.  Amazing!

The next few days' of posts will be the pictures I did at the OBX each day so you, like I, can experience the changing emotions of the ocean.

(If you're interested in purchasing any of these, please contact me.  Unframed, they will sell for $165.  Framed (acid-free materials, beautiful hand-made frame (framed by Chris and me)) they will sell for $275.  I will also be making prints which will be $35.)

Wendover Art Group, Barclay Butera's line - Faith and Trust

Several months ago I was contacted out of the blue by an employee of Wendover Art Group who said they would like to use some of my artwork as prints.  They would pay to have the pieces scanned (HUGE scans!), then they'd put them on their site and sell them on demand.  I would receive a check each quarter if/when my pieces sold.

Barclay Butera, a well-known designer, had seen my work and felt like it would be the "next big thing".  That was quite flattering, but I had no clue if these guys were for real or not.  I had my doubts - internet scans abound - so I checked them out as well as I could.  I spoke with people who knew of them and who knew about licensing artwork, etc.  It was a brand new thing for me.  What I found out sounded good, so I decided to go for it.  Everything was quite rushed because they wanted to have the prints available for a big furniture show coming up.  Mark Staples, a fine art printing specialist here in Richmond, did a great job scanning the work in record time, then he and his assistant Carol sped the scans to Wendover.  It all happened so fast!

A couple of months later I received a check for a reasonable amount of money, and just last week I received another one.  I like it!

Today I was sending someone a link to Wendover's website, and, for the first time, was able to find my pieces there.  Here's the link.  I am fascinated to see what they've done with my pieces!  For example, "Evoking Beach" (above left) is upside down, and it's been printed 22"x26".  The original is 6"x9" (right).

In the contract I signed, I gave them permission to alter the pictures and to change the sizes, etc., so I'm not complaining.  It's just fascinating to me to see them once the changes have been made.

If these were my nudes, I wouldn't have agreed to allow such changes, but I made a choice about these.  They came out of a period of my life when I was in pretty dark despair some of the time.  Chris had been out of work for about 9 months, and I was feeling scared.  Despite that, I decided to step out of that fear and, in faith, to rent a cottage at the Outer Banks for a week so we could get away and find our centers again.  When I arrived at the beach, I pulled out my paper and pastels, sat at the picnic table on the porch, and began to draw.  I gazed out onto the ocean, at the sand, at the sky, and drew what I saw, moment after changeable moment.  I don't know if I spoke much for a couple of days.  Through those drawings, I re-gained my center and released my fear.  A day later Chris got a phone call from a company ready to offer him a temporary job.  It wasn't perfect for him, but it was perfect for us for the time being.  It gave me the assurance I needed that all was well and all would be well.  I could trust the Universe that we would be OK.

These drawings have come to symbolize that assurance to me.  Wendover called just as I was starting to think about quitting my "day job" to become a full time artist.  I decided that this was the Universe's way of letting me know all was well, all would be well, I could quit my job and trust all would be very well.  So I released my attachment to the images with gratitude for their part in my life.

These are the same pieces which will be on display in Petersburg at the Petersburg Regional Art Center from now through the end of April.  The Opening will be this Friday from 7-10.  Perhaps I'll see you there, and you can tell me about times in your life when your faith was restored.

UPDATE:  8/6/2012

I am still selling my artwork through Wendover.  Last Spring they decided to license several more pieces, this time in hues of brown and tan. Last week I received a check for prints which had sold. 

It has proven to be a wonderful relationship with Wendover, and I couldn't be more pleased.  It's amazing to receive income for works I did a while ago but which continue to sell through the magic of the internet.  I'm so grateful!

Art Opening this Friday in Petersburg

Occasionally I will show artwork other than my female nudes.  Last month I had my color studies on display at the Bon Air Library in Chesterfield.  This month I am showing my Ocean Scenes from the OBX (Outer Banks of North Carolina) at the Petersburg Regional Art Center.  The center is a great old building built in 1858.  It was formerly a department store and a furniture store before becoming the art center. It has four floors and a basement. Three floors and the basement have studios. There are two large art galleries.

Each month on the second Friday they have a Grand Opening where around 100 artists show their work in a juried show and the residents of the center open their studios for folks to peruse. In addition, they have a very long hallway where individual artists can have small shows of their works for the month.  That is where my work is hanging. 

The pieces are all pastels.  Most are 6"x9", framed in beautiful Chris-made frames to 14"x17".  They're perfect for a small wall.  I have reduced the prices of the small pieces to $250 or $295 (depending on the frame) because I'm ready to let them go.  I would be delighted if you decided you would enjoy having one of my pieces in your home. 

I'll be at the Center Friday from 7 - 10 PM and look forward to seeing you there if you can make it!  Click on the link for directions.