A life is assembled action by action.
~ Marcus Aurelius
People often think Tom Brady (a legendary football quarterback) is obsessed with winning. But listen to him talk, and you’ll hear something different. He wasn’t fixated on trophies. He focused on improvement. He wanted to throw a little more accurately. Release the ball a little faster. Lead his team a little better. What he truly obsessed with, he said, was “just constantly trying to be a little bit better each day.” That mindset—not some grand chase for greatness—is what led him to his career excellence.
- This week’s artist is – Dan Dempster – the Artist-in-Residence at the The Springs Resort in Pagosa. See even more on his website and instagram!
- Eva Benson would have been 150 on Sunday!
- Building an art collection over time.
- Creating acrylic gel skins with high-flow paint drawings.
- No matter how you want to add texture to acrylic paintings – there’s a way.
- Here, 13 artists share their titling methods.
- Daily drawings of the Titanic.
- Edward Gorey’s great simple theory about art.
- Ellen Dissanayake defines art as: “making special”. An anthropologist who studies art’s evolutionary origins, she sees art as a fundamental human behavior. “My position, lone as it might be, is that making important activities special has been basic and fundamental to human evolution and existence, and that while making special is not strictly speaking in all cases art, it is true that art is always an instance of making special. To understand art in the broadest sense, then, as a human behavioral proclivity, is to trace its origin to making special, and I will argue that making special was often inseparable from and intrinsically necessary to the control of the material conditions of subsistence that allowed humans to survive.“
- The Ocean Census has discovered 866 new marine species in our oceans.
- Photographer of the year contest.
- Here’s a list of individual rocks.
- Tax tips for artists – can you deduct that?
- Did you know that Tom Hanks rescues typewriters?
- Just for fun, tomorrow is “National Theatre Day” – Whether writing and directing, producing and acting, creating beautiful costumes or doing lighting and scene design, theatre is a medium of art that requires a wide range of talented artists involved in a variety of ways. And World Theatre Day is here to show appreciation for those who give their time and talent to make the show go on.
Fun Fact: Renaissance artists often had to make their own paints by grinding pigments and mixing them with oils or other mediums, a time-consuming process that required skill and patience.- The Durango Celtic Festival has moved up to the Concert Hall at the Fort. Happenings are Friday and Saturday. Here’s the schedule.
- Saturday, the Raven House Gallery will be celebrating their first anniversary and invites you to join them. Head to 102 Grand Ave in Mancos from 2-5 to meet the artists and celebrate with them!
- Spring in the Rockies Arts & Crafts festival will feature 70 local artists and crafters from around our region. Head to the La Plata County Fairgrounds Saturday (9-5) and Sunday (10-2).
- Join Durango Parks and Recreation & Durango Public Library the first Tuesday of each month for a free, family-friendly, outdoor Storytime and nature journaling adventure! Recommended for ages 3-7 with a favorite adult. These programs will be held at Santa Rita Park picnic shelter. (from 10-11) If the weather’s iffy, Stories in the Park might move indoors. In case of rain, snow, extreme cold/heat, etc. on the day of the event, give Durango Public Library a call at (970) 375-3380 to see if they’ll be at the usual spot under the picnic shelter at Santa Rita Park or cozied up inside at an alternate location!
- There are lots of live music events, open mics, live jam sessions, etc, scattered about the area throughout the week. There are too many to list here, so if you’re looking for such things, head over to WhatsHappeningDurango.com.
- There are classes/workshops/projects available at the 4 Corners Gem and Mineral Club, the Bayfield Library, Create Art and Tea, the Dancing Spirit Center for the Arts, Durango Sustainable Goods, Let’s Letter Together, the MakerLab, Picasso & Vino, the Scrapbook Nook, Seed Studio, and the Durango Arts Center. There are a lot more things happening that I don’t include – so if you’re ever looking for something to do, start at WhatsHappeningDurango.com.
- We’ve received a new batch of circular knitting needles. If you’ve come by in the past but not found what you were looking for – these ones are a different length. If you need some 16″ needles, they’re here and waiting for you!
- Sometimes the simple designs are the best designs (after all, the goal is to highlight the framed item, not the frame or mat).
Tom’s pursuit of being a little bit better each day applies just as much in the studio as it does on the field. Whether you’re a painter, ceramicist, printmaker, or sculptor, greatness isn’t some sudden breakthrough—it’s built in the quiet moments of daily practice. One brushstroke. One kiln firing. One sketch, one mistake, one insight at a time. Small steps add up. They shape not only what you create, but who you become. So here’s the question: What do you want to be great at? And what can you do—today—to be just a little bit better tomorrow? No matter where you are on your creative growth journey, the world needs your art!
Matthew & the Art Supply House crew
PS. – This will be March’s 5th Saturday, so it’s customer appreciation day on the 29th! Do you know where your bag is?