You are only entitled to the action, never to its fruits.
~ Bhagavad Gita
It can be terrifying to share your work as an artist. Something that you create seems to represent who and what you are to others. And whether it is accepted or rejected then seems to reflect directly on you. But does the photograph I took stand in for me as a person? Or the watercolor sketch that I made on my lunch break? No, of course not! It is a representation of what I observed and was able to record at that moment. One of Stoicism’s principles is to focus on what you can control and accept what you can’t. I can control which pieces of art I share with the world, but not anyone’s reaction to it. With that bit of wisdom in mind – have fun creating and don’t worry about sharing!
- This week’s artist – Emmi Mooney – survived a career as an ER nurse before diving into full time artistry! The texture in her paintings, both physical and visual, drew me in to her paintings as soon as I saw them. If you like the ones I’ve included, check out her website for even more!
- The Scrapbook Nook has a variety of classes this week: Thursday at 1 they will be making photo albums – perfect if you want to display on your coffee table or give as a gift! Friday at 9am they will be launching a Facebook Live product exploration. Saturday at 10 you can join in to make some dazzling accordion folding cards and then finish them with Prima Watercolor Confections! You still have time to enter the March art contest!
- Local creative Business spotlight – San Juan Ballet – We have a few businesses in Durango that focus on supporting local creatives. Emily Simpson Grandt, the founder of the San Juan Ballet, aims to provide children in the area with the opportunity to study classical ballet. The school meets each student as an individual with unique goals and aspirations and aims to guide them along the path that will help them reach those goals. It is their hope that the “students find joy in building solid dance technique as they develop into performing artists.” If you know of someone who might be interested in learning ballet, helping with costume development, or would enjoy watching a performance, learn more on their website.
- I’ve stumbled across Wendy Macnaughton‘s work a few times over the last week or so. I’ve particularly been enjoying her drawn journalism. And her visual philosophies – I certainly can’t disagree with the one below!
- I know this is about reading more, but I think the same advice applies to creating more art.
- Curious about the Life of a Painting? Follow along as Maria creates one.
- Stitch will be hosting a SAQA trunk show featuring fifty-seven small art quilts during special event days in April. They’re asking for a $10 donation at the door. Even having grown up near the National Quilt Museum and taking a few fiber arts classes, I continue to be amazed at the beautiful pieces created by quilters and other fiber artists. Find out more at Stitch’s website.
- Our second art contest of the year is under way. Monochrome is the theme – we’re excited to see how you interpret this prompt! You can see the contest details here and all of the current entries here.
- This week I wanted to share these fun colored mechanical pencils. Yes, the lead is the same color as the cap/tip. So you can focus on the details, instead of chasing down your pencil sharpener.
It’s looking to be a busy spring! Patrice Delorenzo’s workshop is on Saturday, the mural party is coming up on April 17th, and we’re planning an Art Supply House Garage Sale and a bit of remodeling in May. And that’s just what I know of off the top of my head! I hope your spring cleaning is going well and you’ve been able to soak up some of this sunshine we’ve all been waiting for.
Cheers!
Matthew & the Art Supply House crew
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