Well-being is realized by small steps but is truly no small thing.
~ Zeno
I recently watched this video of Tischler working on a painting. It’s a beautiful painting… it took over 60 hours. It’s easy to look at the end results of a process (work, creative, whatever) and think that it just arrived that way. We forget to think about the process of things being created (unless it’s ours). If the finished project is impressive, the process must be impressive as well. The process of creating must have been brilliant.
It’s not.
- This week’s artist is – Daniel Dancer – who a friend recently shared with me. I had to share with you as soon as I saw it! If you look closely – these are photographs taken from above (in a hot air balloon?) and a lot of the images are made up of… people! To see even more, check out his website!
- Lucian Freud would have been 101 on Friday!
- This article seems timely – things to know when painting snow!
- Here’s a history of paper airplanes.
- Well, biking through the salt flats looks amazing!
- Last week I was talking to someone about a project and mentioned that a customizable stamp for each page would be really handy. Lo and behold, I stumbled across one! And here I thought I was making stuff up!
- I enjoyed looking through this list of computing mascots. It was fun to discover the names for the ones I did recognize.
- If the words “vibrant,” “versatile,” and “affordable” pique your interest, you’ve got to try fluid acrylics. This review focuses on Daler-Rowney, which we don’t carry – but we do have Golden’s Fluid Acrylics on hand!
- This isn’t one that I experience, but I’ve talked to some who go through olfactory overload.
- While it’s ultimately a commercial, it’s still a commercial worth watching. And here’s a bit of behind-the-scenes of the making.
- Here are the Ocean Photographer of the Year winners.
Fun Fact: The famous Spanish artist Pablo Picasso actually had a much longer full name: Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso.- In a new event, Kroeger’s Ace is holding a Ladies Night tonight from 6:30-8:30. Receive 20% off *almost* everything in the store! Enjoy an evening packed with deals, drinks, catered food, demos, goodies, tons of giveaways and much, much more!!! The first 100 guests will receive a FREE goodie bag full of cool stuff and one lucky goodie bag will have a golden ticket for a $250 Ace Gift Card. All attendees can enter to win one of several giveaway prizes, including goods and gift cards form other local businesses. No purchase necessary. They will also be raising funds for Women’s Resource Center throughout the day and evening!
- Saturday is the Holiday Market (by the DGO Farmers’ Market folks) at the County Fairgrounds Exhibit Hall from 9-2. Artisans will have an assortment of quality handmade holiday gift items. Plus, pick up the last of the season’s fresh vegetables, meats, cheeses, and more from your favorite local Farmers!
- Also Saturday, from 2-4, is the MakerLab’s Open House. Learn more about the MakerLab and what you could create, and also get some Christmas shopping done. They will have unique handmade gifts and ornaments available. Many items can be personalized, while you watch! See the laser cutter or computer-controlled router create truly special gifts for your loved ones. Special holiday membership gift certificates will be available as well.
- There’s still a Slow Bluegrass Jam at the General Palmer on Tuesday from 5:30-7:30, in case you’re a beginner/intermediate acoustic music player looking to play more. This weekly jam is welcoming to all players, with a focus on slower tempo improvisation solos and chord changes. If you can play the I, IV and V chords in G, D and A then you know enough to play at this jam!
- There are classes/workshops/projects available at the Dancing Spirit Center for the Arts, Let’s Letter Together, the Scrapbook Nook, Create Art and Tea, Durango Sustainable Goods the 4 Corners Gem and Mineral Club, 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.
- After months of drooling and debating we’ve finally managed to start working with Ohuhu! If you like alcohol markers, you’re going to love these. They’ve quickly become our new favorites (pushing out the old faves). If you aren’t sure whether you like alcohol markers – this are a fabulous way to test them out. Either way… swing by and see what we have. Worse case scenario – it’s a fun name to say. Ohuhu!
In this next video from Tischler, he shows the process of redoing the whole painting – basically from scratch. All success happens the same way: action by action. Sometimes action looks like a step forward, and sometimes it’s a step (or two) back. In an interview with a world-famous musician, I heard the secret to their high output:
“I wish I could romanticize it, and tell you that we’re sitting down and there’s a destination, but it’s basically just work. You write one song, then you write another song and eventually you’ve got an album.”
One step forward. Some of the steps will be bad and will have to be discarded, but they’re necessary to move forward. Whether you’re creating to sell, for serenity, for sanity, for self-expression, or just for sharing – the world needs your art!
Matthew & the Art Supply House crew
P.S. – December happens to have 5 Saturdays this year – which mean that the final Customer Appreciation day is coming up at the end of this month! Do you have your bag ready?