| To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it.~ Kurt Vonnegut |
I recently read an article about making time for what you love. The author shares this short video about a girl and her snowman and later asks: What about you? Like the little girl in the video animation above, is there a snowman in your past? A passion neglected or forgotten? What have you left tucked away in the refrigerator of your childhood?
- This week’s artist is – Sema Martin – whose work I just ran across via a podcast where she spoke about her business/commission process. I was very impressed! As someone who’s not incredibly comfortable with colored pencils, I was really impressed with her work. If you’re interested in getting photos of your pets, she has some great advice and a tutorial. Be sure to check out her website and instagram for more!
- Friday is both the last day we can design fully custom framed pieces for the holiday and order specific art supplies. If you’re thinking of giving a custom framed piece as a holiday gift, hurry and get your appointment scheduled!
- We’re again participating in Durango’s Share the Love online store. It’s open through Tuesday. You can see our items here – and get a deal on gift certificates!
- You might have heard about the recently discovered/shared Sistine Chapel of the ancients. Here are some more details/photos of it.
- Here are 15 contemporary African Artists on the rise – if you’re looking for some more modern art.
- My father-in-law is an excellent guitar player. I’ve strummed a string or two in the past. This excellent photo essay shows behind-the-scenes of how Martin makes guitars.
- A friend sent this short video – pandemic plein air painting.
- If you’ve ever been curious – this is how one artist breaks in his sharpies.
- This is a good insight into how one artist chooses what to paint.
- It can be hard to sell your art. Here are 5 tips to stand out from the crowd.
- Keep doing loop-de-loops!
- Art in everything – world currencies edition.
- When do you think underwater paintings were first done from observation? It was earlier than I would have guessed!
- Here are 10 things all (begining) artists need to know. I particularly liked #7.
- The Durango Arts Center is again hosting the Winter Solstice Artisans Market. Swing by from 12-6 from Wed-Sunday until Dec 23. Check out their website for more info.
- I was fortunate enough to take a middle-school trip to tour the Parthenon. Of course, it was the full-scale replica in Nashville, TN (a 2 hour trip) rather than the original.
We’ve had some of these Visual Journals on hand for a few months now and love them. They just arrived in Bristol board, too! If you’re looking for a watercolor, bristol, or mixed-media pad, give these guys a try.
You might not know it if you just listen to the news, but in some ways 2020 has been a great year! Here are just a few amazing things that have happened this year:
- Australians supported one another in the midst of massive wildfires.
- Animals from Tiger King are now living in sanctuaries.
- The Lockdowns showed us that nature can heal.
- People took a stand for racial justice.
- Americans voted in record numbers in this year’s presidential election.
- In the sunniest parts of the world, the cost of solar power recently broke below the cost of fossil fuels for the first time ever.
- Scientists were able to reverse aging and vision by injecting genetically-modified cells into optic nerves, by causing the optic cells to actually become younger!
- A team in China built the first-ever photon-based quantum computer.
- In May, SpaceX sent its first manned rocket to space. It now costs roughly $62 million dollars per flight to reach space – NASA’s old space missions used to cost about $1.5 billion!
In the article that I mention above, the author talks about how pursuing his snowman, the things that so attracted him when younger, helped his creative pursuits blossom. They weren’t “stylish” or “trendy” but they set him apart and allowed him to be true to himself. Doing what he loves allows him to fully be himself and share his art with the world. The world needs the true versions of ourselves. The world needs your art!
Cheers!
Matthew & the Art Supply House crew
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