The Party’s Over – it’s Time to Call it a Day

"And all that Jazz" 11 x 14 acrylic / framed in a recessed red boxed frame!

We’re back! (Sounds like Jack Nicholson in the Shining) The morning after the long drive home, we went for our usual three mile walk. It felt sooo good! I was delighted to see that the Bob Whites had returned. They were flooded out four years ago, and this is the first glimpse I’ve had of them since that time. They are such delightful birds.

Seeing The Bob Whites made me determined to create a canvas for them. I had done a drawing some time ago, and now I want to permanently honor these adorable birds.

"Bob White" 11 x 14 matted print ready to frame
http://www.etsy.com/anfinsenart 

In one blog, I told you how my husband had learned to imitate their cheery whistle “bob bob white.” If we didn’t see them, he’d whistle their call and soon they would answer. They had a warm interchange back and forth until my husband tired of the game.

Before we left Fort Myers, they had pruned our bushes and trees. It looked like a war zone! This time of year, the neighborhoods begin to look like a jungle, and in some areas they were starting to. Upon our return, we were pleased to see that our street was neat and back in flower. The pruning had made the leaves grow back in super thick and green.

Our new remodeled kitchen welcomed us home. There are still things to do, but it was great to see the glistening shine of new paint and granite counter tops. New appliances are being delivered on Friday to replace our old, rusted out ones. What a difference it will make!

"Shimmy Shake" 11 x 14 acrylic in black box recessed frame
http://www.etsy.com/anfinsenart

It was good to visit with friends and family in Georgia, but I’m eager to get back to painting. It almost feels like Christmas. The anticipation is "killing me. I have a canvas, and in my next blog I’ll show you what I have in mind. This time around, I’m working on an abstract design with a tropical flare.

I also have some vintage canvases in mind. I tried to search for “discontinued products,” but didn’t find what I was looking for. Can you help? I would like to paint some product signs that are no longer in use.

I first thought of “Hires” root beer which has technically been discontinued except in Utah where they still sell Hires root beer kits to make a homemade brew using dry ice for the bubbles. I have tasted this mix and it is excellent!

I want to add some more vintage style artwork to my repertoire of retro paintings. Those were created using old sheet music covers as a jumping off place for my compositions. This time around, I thought the old signs would be fun.

Choose your Preference: Experienced, Mature, or Seasoned Professional?

"Release" 24 x 30 mixed media on canvas. (Currently adding two smaller side panels)

The “Old Masters” offered artists the fundamentals of drawing, painting, and envisioning. Today we shun the label “old” preferring “mature” or “seasoned” to describe our depth of Professionalism, whether as an athlete, a writer, a musician or an artist; it’s all in how you look at it.

In reading the “Life of Pi” this statement caught my eye: “Life can either be a dry, yeastless factuality, or the better story.”

I don’t know about you, but I want my life to be the “better story!” I want everything I do to reflect what I am and who I am. I want my voice to resound with truth and clarity. I want my paintings to sing, my words to dance, and my vision to connect with others. I want to live my life with passion and enthusiasm.

Still, in comparison to the Masters, I’m a novice. I’m still a student learning from my mistakes, and struggling to become better.

"Cafe Costa Rica" acrylic on 20 x 20 canvas in floating frame

In an article written by J. Thomas Soltesz called: “Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” posted in the April 2007 issue of “the artists magazine,” this truth hit me square in the face. “To me,” Soltesz said, “the most important aspects of painting are to be able to see, remember what you see, and have the skills to reinterpret what you see in unique and beautiful ways.”

I try to do this, but sometimes my efforts are met with frustration and the risk of being misunderstood. Many of my landscapes have an abstract quality that veers from realism. Some traditional artists are taken aback and offended; others see the vision or the feeling I’m trying to convey. In taking risks, we all face the dilemma of exploring new ground on the cutting edge, or of caving in to safety by producing what everyone else is doing.

"Sunset on the Nile" 24 x 30 acrylic on canvas in silver frame

I acknowledge that I sometimes go out on a limb. I try something different and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. But we have to try! Like many self-taught artists, I fell into a few traps in the beginning.

Soltesz goes on to say “Simplicity is key: It’s the simple color changes and blending of edges that ultimately determine whether the painting works or not. For example, the experienced painter tries to see what he can leave out of a painting to make it successful, while the beginner puts everything in.”

Does this sound familiar? He continues: “Know where you’re going. See the painting already complete on the canvas before you start. Richard Schmid is the master of what I call ‘realism out of abstraction,’ which he describes the way the retina actually sees images, focusing on one area of contrast and making the rest an abstraction.”

"Kelly's Rose" mixed media on wood panel

When I read this article, it was like Thomas was speaking right at me. Another concern I have is that my portfolio is too diverse going from serious portraits to contemporary paintings to illustrations and cartooning. I was so pleased to read his closing comments:

“Always challenge yourself to explore new avenues to avoid falling into a rut.” Amen!

Ace Hardware has a new sales slogan: “Find Your Soul Paint.”  I’m making it my own in reverse: “Paint Your Soul.”

Do cramped closets and overstuffed drawers have you by the throat?

I didn’t realize what a pack rat I’d become until I tried to clean out my jewelry boxes and a bulging chest of drawers.

My rationale went like this: “If we move back up North, I might need these sweaters, these gloves, and this flannel nightgown.”

The jewelry was no different: “If I had this fixed, got a new clasp, a new link, I could wear this necklace again. Why, some of these pieces must be heirlooms; I could give them to my kids. The stones may be valuable? At the very least, I should have them appraised.”

And so it went. Instead of throwing things out or giving them away, I just moved them around to a different place.

"Home at Last" 16 x 20 acrylic on panel

In truth, I’ve thrown out a lot of things in the past from necessity. For one thing, I’ve moved a lot. When you move or downsize, some things have to go. I think the loss has made an impact on what I’m now willing (or unwilling) to give away.

 Everything near and dear to me seems to be gone. My children live in different States across the country. I’ve changed my life, my religion, and my hair color. Is this why I cling so tightly to what is left?

Please don’t psychoanalyze me! I do that enough myself. I’m just glad that I haven’t become a classic hoarder (yet!).

I once knew a woman who, like me, had trouble throwing away her favorite magazines. She lived in a small duplex and when you walked in the living room, every table held multiple stacks of magazines, albeit neat stacks. Each pile was face up in date order and could be found instantly. While I admired her ingenuity, I often wondered how high those magazines were allowed to get before they came tumbling down.

"Painting of my Grandmother" mixed media using "found items"

My artistic “scrounge for finds” nature encourages clinging. “What can I turn this into?” I ask as I comb through saved items in the garage. “There must be some mixed media project that would welcome this?” So like a game of shuffle board, I just move junk from place to place until I get the urge to clean and then I start the process all over again.

My mother was a neat freak; immaculate and germ conscious to the point of paranoia. She once threw away a square of butter because a fly had landed on it. I remember thinking that I would scrape away only half an inch to make myself feel better, but never the whole square.

She also loved changes and moved her furniture around at least twice a month. I hated it. When I walked in the door after school, instead of feeling at home, it took me several days to adjust. Because of this, I rarely change my furniture around. I find an arrangement that feels right and then I live with it – forever. Why change a good thing!

"The Pose" 16 x 20 Barred Owl acrylic on panel

My mother’s cupboards and drawers were neat and simple; partly because my parents had so little, and partly because she hated old things. Ironically, I developed a love for antiques and used items. I’ve always felt that old things carry the spirit and the life of those who went before.

This feeling was reinforced by an antique frame I purchased that held the photo of a woman with dark eyes. Every time I walked into the room where the picture was stored, those eyes bore down on me. There seemed to emanate a dark spirit of evil around that photograph. I couldn’t explain it, but I certainly felt it. Eventually I threw that old photo away, knowing that it was worth far more than the antique frame that held it.

See, I can throw things away on occasion.

"Playing Dress Up" 16 x 20 mixed media on canvas