The personal pronoun.

I looks like another spring-like day here in Wainwright and things are looking up.
The newspaper is doing well and we're forging ahead with new ideas and things we need to work on. I think the readers will be surprised as we see some fresh design work turn some heads, and the death of the personal pronoun...
I'm sure it will be for the best.

Type rest of post here

The Queen!

It's been awhile

I haven't been keeping the blog up for sometime. I was using the area to post photos of paintings that I had been working on. The thing about it, is that I think this can still be used, like it should to convey thoughts and feelings, not just a way to show off whatever new work I'm doing.
Things are a little topsy turvy right now here, and things will have to be worked out over the next couple of weeks before I can share anything. At least of value.
I've been invited to be one of the artists at the Wainwright Ducks Unlimited dinner, November 15th, which should be pretty cool. It's a way to continue to expose my work to new people, even though the wax stuff I've been doing has been seen for the past two years at our Arts Festival, but not much outside of that crowd.
On the writing side, I'm working on a fun project, working on a serial killer thriller, which I will share my working title, The Chimera.
I'm over 60,000 words in and I'm coming towards the climax of the story. I'm thinking and re-thinking how the whole thing should end, and so far, I think I'm on the right track. We'll have to see, I guess.
The Ghost Dance, the unpublished manuscript that I finished a few years ago, now, I've sent a package out to Coteau Books and I'm awaiting a reply. I've got all the fingers, toes and appendages crossed in anticipation. Of course, that causes cramping.
Wish me luck.
k

Spirit Horse

Here's one of my pieces that I created for the Arts Festival. It sold within the first half hour of the show and I had plenty of positive remarks and those that would have purchased it over and over. I think it's a combination of the movement that the painting has, with the horse's mane, as well as the cerulean blue colour.

Wainwright Arts Festival 2008

WIth the 2nd Annual Arts Festival in the rearview mirror for this year, I can look back and reflect on the show and festival's successes and failures.
First of all, I think that for failures, there were very few. Some things need to be tweaked, with the food and perhaps the set up of the show, but overall, it was definitely a success.
Everything from the literary night with author Pauline Gedge to the final part of the art show and sale, it went over very well. We had about 400 at the art show, which is I think up considerably over previous years.
I personally sold five pieces at the show, better than I have ever at one of these things. The more my wax stuff gets out there, the better, I'm educating people on what I'm doing and I still believe that the original pieces with the wax and acrylic paint are connecting with people. I'm happy with that.
That's very satisfying as a an artist.
I've put in an application for the AFA Art Acquisition program, and I hope that the Alberta Foundation for the Arts picks one of the four that I submitted; The Warrior, the Haida Raven, The Buffalo Honouring Skull and the Bighorn Sheep.

The Rhino

Another new wax posted, he was just completed in the last few days, so I can bring him to the Wainwright Arts Festival's Art Show and Sale on Friday, Feb. 22 and Saturday, Feb. 23.
I'm really happy with how this guy turned out, and it was something that I've been thinking about for some time. I hope that he goes to a nice home that will appreciate him.

Scorpion

A simple scorpion that took months to finish, because I was using that water-soluble oil paint, which I had never used before. It was awesome for the background and the blending, but I was frustrated by the time it took to dry. I think I can find some sort of middle ground, either with addition of a medium that can increase the drying time.

The Spirit Bear

The Spirit Bear commission for good friends of ours. I'm really pleased with how everything turned out.
The Spirit Bear is neither albino nor related to polar bears, instead being a color phase of the American black bear. Because of the ghostlike appearance of the bears, "spirit bears" hold a prominent place in the native mythology of the area.

The New Wolf

This wolf is one of my new favourites. I'm really excited about how it turned out, and on top, because it was a little more difficult to do, it makes me feel good. I think being able to overcome an issue or a challenge makes it all the sweeter.

Over the past few months, I've been kinda in a funk when in comes to painting, as I noted in the post below. I'd finish a piece and be happy, then back down in the dumps looking at the next piece that's started, but unfinished. At one point, working on multiple pieces at once was a way to keep moving forward, one's drying while the other is being completed. Well, that can catch up to you and bite you in the ass when you start a bunch, but don't finish them.
This wolf was started back in mid-October, during the open house at the Oilfield Art Gallery. Once I got it home, I had a tough time working on it, too many other distractions, I painted the Carousel horse instead and avoided this one, and two others that I have sitting on the floor of my office/painting room. I cannot start another until I finish these pieces, they'll turn out too, I'm sure, but I just have to push through and finish, otherwise they're not only physically laying there, they're also sitting in the back of my head, waiting to be completed. My sub-conscious is demanding I get them out of there, freeing up space. Apparently, it's crowded up there.

Feeling a little funk

It's funny, since my last painting was finished and sold, I've been kinda in a funk with the painting.
I'm not sure why, but things were zipping along with the photos in the Lloydminster Source and the Meridian Booster of me doing a wax piece. Then there was a really good story written by Katie from the Source in the "Powerin' the Patch" special section and that was very encouraging. But, since then, I've not been as driven to get some work done.
It could be that I was turned down for a painting for a fairly high-profile fundraiser because I was too expensive, and the fact that my work just has not been selling in the Oilfield Art Gallery in Lloyd.
Maybe that's not the right spot for me, maybe the clientele just doesn't find what I do interesting. I'm not sure.
I hate that feeling, that bit of discouragement that can easily sap the life and fun right out of painting and doing the waxes. Yes, I know that they've done well, and better than I could have expected at the beginning, but now that I'm a year plus into it, perhaps I'm expecting too much...
I guess I'll wait and see. Working to get the next Arts Festival in the can first before I go hanging up my brushes. I think I may be a little too sensitive when it comes to sales. I've had plenty of positive feedback, and that's great, but when you sell a piece to someone for their home, you know that the piece has made a serious impact on someone. I love that.
I need that gratification, I guess to continue to push me to keep painting and keep working. With the Arts Festival coming up in February, I was worried that I wouldn't have enough work, now I have more than enough, especially if nothing sells in the four months my 10 pieces were at the gallery.
I'm sure I'll feel different tomorrow on it, but that's the problem with artists, too damn temperamental.