A New Painting

About a month ago I was speaking to someone about my desire to paint again and how I don't really have the space or the time. She suggested I make finding the space and the time a priority.

So like all new ideas I come across, I obsessed about it.

I posted on Facebook about wanting to find a studio to rent and was contacted by a fellow artist friend. She was also interested in finding a space.  1 day later we viewed a studio space and signed a lease on the spot!!

I can't even begin to explain to you the excitement I felt knowing that I finally had my OWN space!
A place to hid and create. A place of my OWN. All mine. Me.
No more excuses. 

Awesomeness...

Yea well now I'm dealing with finding the time....
Stupid life getting in the way.

Anyway... now for the subject of the post.

As you know if you've read my previous post, I'm in love with interesting looking and pretty people.
I can't help it.
So I thought I'd paint a picture of a woman.
Nothing deeper then a pretty picture.  My art is not intellectual.  I just like pretty things.

Here she is in progress:

and a close up:

I'd say she's about 1/2 done.

Of course I'm struggling with my old enemy Insecurity.  I question my talent. I'm trying to remind myself I'm painting for ME. No one else.  But I worry I'm no good... Nevermind that I enjoy painting....

I hope to finish within a month and will post the finish project.

If you feel the need to comment, make it something constructive. If you're cruel, I'll hunt you down and punch you.  I'm incredibly scary in person (said no one ever who's ever actually met me...)

welcome to the digital age

This weekend has been a good one for me.  I discovered the joys of digital art.

For Christmas last year, my husband Tom surprised me with a new computer.  Granted, he was sick of me stealing his laptop every night but still, very generous.  It's one of those cool ones with the touch screen tab thingy. 
As you can tell from my description, I'm very knowledgable about computers.

Anywho, it came with a basic paint program that basically sucks.  So I thought about shelling out the cash for Corel or one of the other major programs. I looked at them all. I used the free demos.
By the word "use" I mean, I tried them for one day and then got so confused and annoyed I never tried again.
I contemplated going back to school for digital art but quickly realized that was a dumb idea (for me. Anyone who goes back to school is a hero in my eyes).

So on Friday night I was browsing the internets....can't even remember what I was doing... and I stumbled upon a painting program.  I did a little research and found that it's the perfect program for "newbies" like myself. I played around on the demo and quickly bought the full version. It was freakin' cheap too!!

And now I'm in love.  I can't stop playing. How cool is it to "paint" without the hassle and mess of real paint? Yes, the traditionalist in me just cringed at that sentence.  Of course, nothing will ever replace the sensation of raw materials like paint, ink, and pencil.  But this program has actually released me from my dumb insecurites.  I'm not wasting good paper and canvas (which was a weird hangup I had). If I don't like something, I can just erase it.  If I love something, I can get it printed. How cool is that?!

Yes, I know I'm about 20 years behind.  But  guess I've been stubborn in thinking only "true art" is the use of traditional materials.  So I'm sorry to all you commercial and digital artists out there who I may have looked down upon.  Which is really sad considering you're out there doing what you love and I was trapped by my own insecurities.

This weekend I found the Fun in art again.

duh.