Categories
Artspiration

A bit of focus

In life you can either be a force for good, a force for evil, or you can do nothing. I choose to be a force for good.
~ Mili Fay

We’ve been open “normally” for a couple of weeks now and it’s been great to see you!. In case you didn’t hear – we’re open Mon-Sat from 9-6 (regular hours). Monday and Thursday mornings from 9-10 are reserved for high-risk customers. The frame shop is requiring appointments but is fully back open! Curb-side pickup is still available if you prefer that service.

I’ve been testing out some new materials for the store. While they could absolutely used in the studio, I’ve been taking the excuse of great weather and plein air month to get out and play outside. It’s been a lot of fun to take advantage of random moments of free time to wander about Bayfield and Durango, looking for sites that capture my attention and then spend a few minutes really focusing on them. I always feel that taking a bit of time to sketch/draw/paint something or someone will help you see it in a way that staring or taking a photograph just never will. Capturing something through art uses different parts of the brain than any other activity and allows us to really see things.

Without further details, here are some different palettes, papers, pencils, paints, and paintings from those plein air materials tests mentioned at the beginning of this email. 

Of course, getting out for the sketches shown above was a lot of fun in a variety of ways. I was able to spend time with a friend – both of us making art, chatting, and remaining a safe 6′ apart. I got to test out new materials, some that I’d never used before and thus stretch my brain a bit. Though I might have hidden in the shade, I also was able to soak up some sun, wind, bird song, and general time out in nature.

Not shown are the sketches that I created on my porch. It’s easy to look at plein air sketches and think that you have to hike to some remote location, travel into the middle of a city, or be on a beach somewhere.  Fortunately, “en plein air” is basically French for “outdoors”. My porch? It’s outside. So I took an opportunity to sit and sketch my back yard. It was a wonderfully calming exercise that gave me a break during a time I couldn’t stray far from the house and also gave me the chance to better appreciate a part of my daily life that I would normally overlook.

No matter what the situation, don’t overlook the power of art in your life. Whether alone or shared, the acts of making and viewing art can vastly improve your life – or at least your day. Carve out the time to be creative. After all, the world needs your art! 

Cheers!

Matthew & the Art Supply House crew

P.S. – Thanks for reading! If you like this newsletter, please forward it to a friend. If you’d like to receive a weekly newsletter in your email, you can subscribe below.