Matters of the Heart and Mind Dictate most of our Priorities

“An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward. When life is dragging you back with difficulties, it means it’s going to launch you into something great. So just focus, and keep aiming.” Tecla Barber, Park Ridge, New Jersey in May 2016 Guideposts

I loved this quote from Guideposts. After I read it, I knew I must plug it into my art blog. Because of health constraints recently, I haven’t been able to dedicate myself to either writing or artwork. I’m hoping that means once my life is on an even track, I’ll be launching into something at least better.

Robert Browning’s poem will forever reverberate in my brain: “Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?” Indeed.

I’m flying out to see my two daughters who live in Texas. I’ll be taking a break from blogging while I’m gone so don’t be alarmed that I’ve dropped out of sight. It’s only temporary.

Daughter Holly with her two children when they were "just beginning."

My daughter Holly is a voice teacher and a performer. She has one audition while I’m out there. The other daughter, Paula, is an art teacher and an artist. She is having a show for her students and for herself at her school while we’re out there.

Paula with her three boys and husband and father, James. An Army Family.

Paula joined the Army to earn enough money for college. She toughed it out through Basic Training and finished her 2.5 years. She did what she had promised herself: she got her art degree at Mary Hardin-Baylor University in addition to marrying and having three boys.

Holly completed her Bachelor of Arts degree at Chico State in CA and her music degree from Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins where she taught until she had children. She now teaches voice and piano at home in addition to home schooling her children. Major accomplishment for both of my girls!

One of Paula's paintings

Some of her student's work:

 

While I’m gone, I invite you to check out my other blogs:

Carol Anfinsen – The Art of Living; Musings from my Dancing Heart @ 

https://anfinsenart.co/   

A Christian blog titled: “Witness Spoken Here” @
http://www.witness-spokenhere.com

My Etsy Shop Anfinsen Art @ 

https://www.etsy.com/shop/AnfinsenArt?ref=hdr_shop_menu

My Art Website @ http://carol-allen-anfinsen.pixels.com/

Cyber-rattling – the Skeletal Remains of Abandoned Blogs

Every now and then, I like to repeat a blog from the past when I think it's relevant. Reading a blog with a catchy title like "Stop Doing Art" made me think of it.

The creators are burned by the glut of artists and wanna-be-artists who "clutter" the airways with too much art and most of it bad. I don't know what they've been sniffing, but their arrogance is off-putting to say the least. What I'm seeing is the replacement of good art with photography and digital art. Yes, they are art, too. And I agree that they require skill, but there's just something about the smell of paint and canvas that that can't be duplicated through any other media. So here goes:

"Namesake" acryllic on canvas

We’re all eager to start them. We want our own public space in the sun to share our personal trivia or our hopes and dreams. Millions of blogs attest to that fact. But what happens when the enthusiasm fades, a blogger moves to another space, or just leaves his or her audience hanging as weeks turn into months and months into years?

You end up with clogged search engines and the skeletal remains of countless blogs hanging in the pathways of cyberspace. I was amazed as I searched for viable art blogs how many of them have not been updated in months; some for more than three to five years!

Amongst the casualties were new mother blogs, created by first time mothers who wanted to share the miracle of birth and their amazing adventure into motherhood. Others wanted to share a wonderful vacation with humorous stories and full-color photos. But when the vacation excitement fizzled, and the dazzle of motherhood wore off, so did the blog.

"Tickles from God" acrylic on canvas

Many blogs are started with good intentions, but they fail miserably when the blogger realizes there is no substance. There are no long-term goals. There was a beginning, but no ending. The blogger had no vision for the purpose of his or her blog or the discipline to finish it.

Clanking around in this wasteland, I still found some good information, an interesting fact or two; but it required an investment of time to find that juicy fruit, that bright star among the scattered bones of defeat. Some bloggers move frequently from space to space, leaving their old blogs behind like bread crumbs to lead their followers back home. Some links failed, leading me on a wild goose chase.

With all the apps and gizmos out there, I sometimes have difficulty uploading my own updates, especially in the evening hours. The large sites like Facebook and Twitter become unpredictable and double tweets or failed tweets happen on occasion.

Abandoned bytes and cyber debris join other waste materials in the heavens. Our Satellite Station over the years has dropped scraps and junk that still circle the globe endlessly polluting the atmosphere. Our oceans are filled with garbage and the ghostly remains of plastic bags. Japan’s Tsunami debris floats around the globe, butting up against foreign shores and introducing them to alien species.

Our “throw away” society continues to add to our mountain of debt and our growing landfill piles. Wouldn’t it be great if someone would find a way to clean up this wasted space or manufacture things that would last? If our economy is so bad, why do so many people throw thousands of pounds of food in the trash each year? Solutions not rhetoric is what we need. Suggestions anyone?

"Beach Buddies" mixed media on canvas

All Carol's artwork can be found at Anfinsen Arts Alive

Cyber-rattling – the Skeletal Remains of Abandoned Blogs

"All that Jazz" acrylic on panel in red boxed frame

 (repeat of a blog from 2012)

We’re all eager to start them. We want our own public space in the sun to share our personal trivia or our hopes and dreams. Millions of blogs attest to that fact. But what happens when the enthusiasm fades, a blogger moves to another space, or just leaves his or her audience hanging as weeks turn into months and months into years?

The search engines are clogged with the skeletal remains of countless blogs hanging in the pathways of cyberspace. I was amazed as I searched for viable art blogs how many of them have not been updated in months; some for more than three to five years!

"Lucky Lady" acrylic, mixed media on panel in red boxed frame

Amongst the casualties were new mother blogs, created by first time mothers who wanted to share the miracle of birth and their amazing adventure into motherhood. Others wanted to share a wonderful vacation with humorous stories and full-color photos. But when the vacation excitement fizzled, the dazzle of motherhood wore off, so did the blog.

Many blogs are started with good intentions, but they fail miserably when the blogger realizes there is no substance. There are no long-term goals. There was a beginning, but no ending. The blogger had no vision for the purpose of his or her blog or the discipline to finish it.

Clanking around this wasteland, I still found some good information, an interesting fact or two; but it required an investment of time to find that juicy fruit, that bright star among the scattered bones of defeat. Some bloggers move frequently from space to space, leaving their old blogs behind like bread crumbs to lead their followers back home. Some links failed, leading me on a wild goose chase.

"Shimmy Shake" mixed media on panel in black boxed frame

With all the apps and gizmo's out there, I sometimes have difficulty uploading my own updates, especially in the evening hours. The large sites like Facebook and Twitter become unpredictable and double tweets or failed tweets happen on occasion.

Abandoned bytes and cyber debris join other waste materials in the heavens. Our Satellite Station over the years has dropped scraps and junk that still circle the globe endlessly polluting the atmosphere. Our oceans are filled with garbage and the ghostly remains of plastic bags. Japan’s Tsunami debris floats around the globe, butting up against foreign shores and introducing them to alien species.

"Vamp on a Ramp" mixed media on panel in gray boxed frame

Our “throw away” society continues to add to our mountain of debt and our growing landfill piles. Wouldn’t it be great if someone could find a way to clean up this wasted space or manufacture things that would last? If our economy is so bad, why do so many people throw thousands of pounds of food in the trash each year? Solutions not rhetoric is what we need. Suggestions anyone?

"Yes, Sir, that's my Baby!" mixed media on panel in black boxed frame
(All Retro prints and originals are on http://www.etsy.com/shop/AnfinsenArt)