Halloween Fun may turn into Halloween Horror

 When my children were younger; we had a large, legal filing box filled with costumes. Each year new costumes were added after every holiday. There were Halloween costumes, wigs, noses, and masks; and there were school play costumes, patriotic costumes from neighborhood Fourth of July parades, and pilgrim’s costumes to celebrate our two son’s birthdays that fell during the Thanksgiving holiday.

This box grew more popular each year as the number of costumes grew. The neighborhood kids loved them as much as my own children. The costumes were used year round, even in the summer when the kids wanted to play “dress-up.” Photographs over the years have documented the fun they had.

Most of the costumes were homemade; and many of them were easy to make. We had Indian costumes complete with moccasins and feathers. Colonial costumes in red white and blue, and a British Beefeater complete with a fur-topped hat that was once worn when it was in style.

My favorite costume that every toddler in the family wore was an old white pillow case that draped over the child and fell to the ankles. Ears were tied with string to make floppy rabbit ears. A face was a round circle so the child’s face could smile through. A cotton tail was glued on the back in the appropriate spot.

This costume was harmless and funny back in the days when mom and dad took turns walking their children through friendly neighborhoods. I miss those days. Rarely do I see children in our neighborhood on Halloween. Most of them attend costume parties at their churches or schools, or the local shopping mall where store owners distribute candy. It’s a dangerous world we live in.

In today’s world, some of those imaginary goblins and monsters are real, preying on the innocent and unsuspecting. Every few weeks, a small child disappears from our neighborhoods, sometimes even plucked from their own beds while the family sleeps. We must find a way to stop this atrocity. Our children are not only the future of the world; they are our pride and joy. Each one is precious!

Evil is real. Satanic powers are real. If we are to protect the future and our children, we must find ways to eradicate evil, rather than celebrate it! 

Everyone loves being scared or pretending to be afraid of Horror shows and Haunted Houses. But does it really end there? Even here in Fort Myers there is a Zombie Festival this weekend where people dress up in gore, win prizes, and drag their half-dead bodies through the streets. Hundreds of people look forward to participating in it, but it’s not my “cup of tea.” I only hope the influence of that evening will not reap negative consequences.

Have a safe Halloween everyone.

Painting what Matters – an artist’s love; a Buyers Delight

My friend Emma was a joy to be around. She was inquisitive and inspiring. She filled the room with grace and charm.

"Emma's Birthday" 11x14 pencil drawing on Bristol

 I drew this picture of Emma after her 94^th birthday and presented her with this drawing on her 95^th celebration. She was thrilled. She loved it so much that it was hung on the wall in her bedroom where her cherished family photos were displayed.

Emma passed away on Oct. 12, three and a half weeks before her 97^th birthday. I had circled the calendar on Nov. 7 to be sure I remembered it. She will be missed!

"Mother and Child" 9x12 drawing (my daughter after her 1st daughter)

Artwork is long lasting. I know Emma’s family will treasure this drawing for many years to come. Her passing made me ask myself the question: “What will I be remembered for?” Will my paintings leave a positive impression on people? Will they uplift, warm the heart, or please the eye long after I’m gone?

There’s a lot of wild, unusual, even grotesque artwork out there, and some that bend the line between beauty and pornography. There are buyers out there for almost everything. Have you ever asked yourself: “What do I want to be remembered for?” Or do you consider only what will sell in the marketplace?

We all need to butter our bread. We need to pay the rent and make a living. But if we sacrifice our values or our reputation for the sake of art alone, where will it lead? Where will it end?

"Does this hat make me look fat?" 9x12 drawing (Zoe on her first birthday)

The focus of your life and your art becomes the standard by which you live your life. Every artist must choose the God of his or her life, whether a temporal material God that brings out the worst in us, or a Heavenly God that inspires the best in us. Life must not be degraded in any case. Life and the living of it is a hallowed and joyous experience if lived well. 

Emma lived her life well. She served her church and community. She served her friends and neighbors. Rest in peace, Emma dear; the best is yet to come!

Featured Artist;
Stan Prokopenko and one of his marvelous videos. Watch him on YouTube and learn how to draw marvelous portraits! "How to Draw a Nose Step by Step."

Does Fear have a Strangle Hold on You?

First Place winner in PanAmerican Alliance juried competition

This is the month when spooks, goblins, superstitions, and zombies celebrate the hidden fears and foibles we normally bury. Costumes and disguises parade as evil to ward off evil.

In reality, we all harbor secret fears that are sometimes disabling. Psychiatrists have names for these phobias. Some people overcome them through faith in God or a power greater than themselves. Others struggle a step at a time to unchain the demons within.

Second Place winner in PanAmerican Alliance juried competition (colored pencil)

I was talking about fear with my daughter, who is having difficulty finding employment. Each interview becomes more mountainous and treacherous. She finds reasons for not following through with an appointment: “They won’t hire me anyway. They’ll find some reason why I’m unsuited. I can’t go through it again.”

I feel for her, but at the same time she can’t remain frozen in time. “Don’t let fear keep you from doing what you really want to do,” I told her. “Don’t let fear control your life. If you do, you’ll regret it forever.”

I try to live by that advice myself. We all have to get out there and show the world what we’ve got. It may not be as good as someone else. It may not be as flashy and flamboyant, but it’s unique and represents who we are.

One of the greatest barriers to self-appreciation is making comparisons between yourself and another person. Because of insecurity or lack of self-confidence, the other person’s accomplishments always seem greater than our own. Our talents and skills pale in comparison. So why do it? Why compare yourself with others at all?

Progress is made and skill improved when we compare our last efforts with our present efforts. Compete with yourself until you feel more confident, and then you can comfortably compete with the world. It works for Olympic athletes. It works for pianists, writers and performers.

I look back over the years at how my work has changed and improved, and I’m clearly amazed. Don’t discount yourself; move ahead with the belief that you will get better. You must get better. Natural law predicates it. Practice and repetition do make a difference (your mother was right!).

My blog contains photos from a PanAmerican Alliance juried competition in Cape Coral. I attended, but did not show any of my work.

Featured Artist

Shijun Munns  was born and raised in Foshan; an old town in the South of China. She currently lives in Atlanta with her husband and “numerous pets.”

“I look at the world with an artist’s eye, and a poet’s heart,” Shijun said. Her work definitely reflects this. Link http://www.facebook.com/shijunart

A Perfect Way to Deal with Anger – Paint it!

 The Alliance for the Arts capitalized on the “angst” that divides people in this current political season. They sponsored a juried competition titled: “State of Mind: Politics 2012.” It isn’t the first time they’ve used a political theme, and it won’t be the last. But judging from the crowd on opening night, the strategy is still working.

I was fortunate to be selected for the show. Although I wasn’t one of the winners, I was the only one who represented the chaos in the Middle East. In my blog is a sampling of the diversity of subject matter and materials that were used.

Today, politics seems to be played like a football game; each side cheering for their side at all costs. In the past, more people seemed to vote for the person, rather than the party. At least, I did. I’ve been an independent, a democrat and a republican, depending on who's running. Now it seems that people support the party rather than the person, and choose to ignore voting record or the past of their own candidate. Instead of offering solid policies and solutions, there is more slander and mud throwing.

Historically, this has always been so, but the ugliness today is right in our faces and the values once cherished are no longer in play. In the show, it was interesting to see how artists expressed these concerns.

Putting your anger and emotion to canvas is invigorating and healthy. It allows an artist to express his inner turmoil and share either a vision or a torment with his or her audience. Van Gogh had so much suffering and discouragement in his life. He allowed people to see his anguish, his joy, his exultation and pain in a style that today is considered brilliance from an  unfettered imagination.

If you have joy or pain that eats away at your heart, try expressing it on canvas instead of burying your soul under a pillow of tears. Discouragement comes to all of us.

I painted a scene of two brothers on the beach watching the sun go down. I wanted it to have a magical feel, one that was almost fanciful and full of wonder. I submitted my painting to a critique group and they literally slaughtered it! There were so many criticisms; I had trouble absorbing them all. Only one person gave constructive criticism. I printed out her suggestions and kept them.

What happened to the painting? I was so ashamed of it I put it in a box with a protective cardboard over the top along with other stored canvases. I quickly forgot where it was. I opened that box several times over the course of the next year, but the cardboard I’d placed on top of the painting created a false bottom.

A year later, I found that painting and finished it according to the constructive criticism I’d received. Ironically, not only the first version of the painting that was critiqued, but the final version sold prints from the digital images online. I consider this a valuable lesson. Listen to your own heart and paint what you love. If you receive criticism, weigh it carefully. Take what is of value and blow the rest away!

Please share your experiences with critique and the value of belonging to an art league with us.

Cyber-rattling – the Skeletal Remains of Abandoned Blogs

"Hey, Coconut, Mon!" 18x24 mixed-media 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?

We have 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, the dazzle of motherhood wore off, so did the blog.

"Day Dreams" 9x12 oil on canvas (SOLD) Prints Available

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. 

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.

"Playing Dress-Up" 16x20 mixed media on canvas

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 circles 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?

"With These Hands, Wonder" oil on 18x24 canvas

Five More Things from Milton Glaser’s Book

"Skudeneshavn Norway" 16x20 Commission SOLD (Prints available)

I have never done anything in my life the easy way. Art is no exception. After spending half my life marrying young, raising six children, working as an office manager and then a free-lance writer/consultant, I came to art in my thirties. Unable to finish college because of my children’s university expenses, I struggled on my own with the help of the Public Library and some inspirational art teachers.

My interpretation of the “10 Things I have Learned—The Secret of Art” by Milton Glaser continues.

"Inset Kirke" Original Sold (prints available)

Glaser’s book seems to be designed for those who had the money and encouragement to attend University and study abroad. It is designed for those who plan from the start to pursue a career in art or design. But there are things every artist can learn from his observations:

1.    Style is not to be trusted. Life is not static. It is in constant flux and usually unpredictable. That’s what you never want your style to become; predictable. If it does, your buyers will get bored; your work may become dated and obsolete. Glaser’s example was the famous bull painted by Picasso. Several versions were made, each a variation of the other beginning with realism and ending up with abstraction and a simple line. Each was unique, each a different style by the same artist.

Glaser’s point? “Anybody who is in this for the long haul has to decide how to respond to change in the present moment (zeitgeist). What is it that people now expect that they formerly didn’t want? How do you respond to that desire in a way that doesn’t change your sense of integrity and purpose?”

"Vikeholmen Lighthouse--Skudeneshavn, Norway" 16x20 Acrylic on canvas

2. How you live changes your brain. This statement almost sounds Biblical; “as a man thinks in his heart so is he.” (Prov. 23:7). Mahatma Gandhi put it this way: “A man is but the product of his thoughts; what he thinks, he becomes.” Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “A man is what he thinks about all day long.” Drawing each day changes the brain. Repetition and programming improves cognition. Your actions may literally change how you see things.
   
3. Doubt is better than certainty. “You just have to know what to compromise,” said Glaser. “Blind pursuit of your own ends which excludes the possibility that others may be right does not allow for the fact that in design we are always dealing with a triad – the client, the audience and you.” My interpretation: Being open and teachable is more important than being right all the time.
   
4. On aging Glaser said: “It doesn't matter!” I’ll go with that!
   
5. Tell the truth. If you’re in business, and art is a business, you must stand by your product, your word, and your promise. When you accept a commission or a project, you should seek to fulfill it. Customer satisfaction should be uppermost in your mind. You should go beyond what is expected and offer your customer some additional incentives for buying from you; free cards, a copy of preliminary sketches of the painting, or other gifts of appreciation. Never deceive a customer if you want a repeat customer.

"Egret Reflections" acrylic on canvas SOLD (prints available)

Featured Artist:

Kandy Cross, a teacher of art and art history who has since been fortunate enough to live near the sea, visit many of the places written down on her bucket list, and paint within the Mediterranean and Caribbean-inspired areas visited across the globe. Shown is the painting “Boats at Burano” and a link to Kandy’s online gallery.

http://kandy-cross.artistwebsites.com/featured/boats-at-burano-kandy-cross.html

My Take on Milton Glaser's book: “10 Things I have Learned—The Secret of Art”

"Victims of War" 18x24 mixed-media on canvas

Reading is as important as marketing to an artist or any professional. Learning must be continuous; including the taking of classes as well as the viewing of other artist’s work, and studying materials from the library.

Another word for “reading” is “remembering;” at least that’s my opinion. Study brings back the things you’ve learned and forgotten. Milton Glaser’s book of “10” things” helped me remember. Here is my take on his list.

"in-progress painting"

1. You can only work for people that you like; looking back, I’d have to agree. My best work came out of friendly, cooperative relationships. There are some people you can never please. They are never satisfied. They can’t communicate what it is they want, and whatever it is, you can’t supply it. When the work is finally approved, all are left with a feeling of dissatisfaction and frustration.
   
2. If you have a choice, never have a job; an obvious deduction. Not all of us are so lucky. We don’t always have that choice. Offering imaginative ways to find time and money would have been more helpful. Glaser’s reasoning is that you need to dedicate real time and effort if you’re going to be successful. I think if you continually work at it, you’ll eventually reach your goal step by step. Then you will have that choice to dedicate yourself full time.
   
3. Some people are toxic avoid them. Well said! Toxic people pull you down, discourage you, and eat up valuable time you could be using to fulfill your own dreams. Toxic people poison the very air you breathe. They are unhealthy to be around and they make you feel bad about yourself. They consider what you’re doing a waste of time. Avoid them, leave them, or ignore them as much as possible.
4. Professionalism is not enough. From Glaser's point of view, if you work as a "professional" you become fixed into a style or mode. You're afraid to take risks. You begin doing things in the same old way, cranking out signature pieces that are recognizable, but may become boring. Within the professional parameters, you must explore, take risks, and grow.
5. Less is not necessarily more (just enough is more). I like detail. I have had artist chums who have said “well you can have too much detail!” Who’s to say when enough is too much? Only the intuitive artist or professional knows when a project is finished. If your gut tells you when you’re finished, put down the brush or pen, but not before.

"Sunset on the Nile" 22x28 mixed media canvas

I will continue my take on Glaser’s final five points in my next blog. Milton Glaser is a modern renaissance man — one of a rare breed of intellectual designer-illustrators, who brings a depth of understanding and conceptual thinking, combined with a diverse richness of visual language, to his highly inventive and individualistic work. Here is a link if you would like to read more about Milton Glaser:

http://www.miltonglaser.com/milton/#1

Featured Artist;
Cathy McClelland from rural Australia. Her painting “Tap Dance” below shows the delight and whimsy with which Cathy views the world. “I’m a farmer’s wife that loves to create paintings of what I have seen and experienced in my daily life,” Cathy says.
Cathy McClelland Fine Art | Facebook