Photos from the Art Exhibit Opening Night Event
Category: Resistance
Twitter Art Exhibit NYC 2016
How I was able to turn out some kind of artwork to enter this year’s Twitter Art Exhibit is beyond me.
My erstwhile friend, Mr. Resistance, has moved into every room in my virtual house and is making every waking hour a living nightmare.
Fun.
I have to check, but I have entered this online art exhibit and sale for Twitter users for the last three years.
The entry can be of any media, design, style, but at a postcard sized surface. The organizers clip the artwork to the gallery wall.
The artwork is donated by the artists and purchases go to a worthy charity. This year it’s being held in New York City and benefits Foster Pride.
Here’s some information from the Twitter Art Exhibit website:
Twitter Art Exhibit: NYC is an international exhibition of original postcard art benefiting Foster Pride’s “Handmade” Program, in which young women in foster care learn to create and market a unique line of goods. The entire exhibition is carried out by an unpaid, volunteer corps of organizers and artists; there is no entry fee, and artists of all career levels are encouraged to participate, making it possible for emerging talent to appear alongside seasoned professionals.
Twitter Art Exhibit: NYC is the sixth installment of an open international exhibition of handmade postcard art for charity, donated by hundreds of participating artists from around the globe.
Social media plays a major role in Twitter Art Exhibit. It is our intention to tweet, share, seed and promote our artists to thank them for their participation, and to make this event a huge success.
The event will be highly publicized and well attended by art buyers and enthusiasts, members of the press, local artists and the community, as well as by the staff of Foster Pride and the young people they support.
Foster Pride website: http://fosterpride.org/
It’s exciting that the Twitter Art Exhibit is right in my backyard in NYC. Maybe, if I can get all my ducks in a row, I can attend the opening night reception.
Just, maybe.
Another 30/30 Painting Challenge for September 2015
Why did I decide to do another 30 paintings in 30 days challenge? I asked myself that same question each day of this month.
So ok, I want to be more accountable, push myself to the studio, paint and process, and maybe get some good work out of it. Can’t say for sure that will happen (the good work part) but maybe, just maybe the Muse will stay and Mr. Resistance will stay away.
Five works in 10 days is an ok showing. Working small in 20 minute segments and pushing the process, maybe I can double up and meet the quota this time around.
Fingers crossed Mr. Resistance keeps his distance.
Thought for Thursday
The artist enters the Void and comes back with something. ~Steven Pressfield, The Writer’s Skill blogpost
Greece’s Independence Day March 25, 1821
On March 25, 1821, Greece began its war of independence, to free the people from 400 years of oppression under the rule of the Ottoman Turkish government. The Turks tried to erase the people’s language, culture, history, artifacts, and Christian religion.
Sound familiar? Any relevance to present day problems? I’d say yes.
Long Live Greece!
Read a past post here: https://www.dsislianthemelis.com/march-25-1821/
A Jumble of Garden Flowers
This photo of my garden has been seeing a lot of action lately. I really like the jumble of colors and shapes in this mess of flowers, leaves, stems, petals and the structure of the urn.
Already I’ve painted this scene in a quick and small watercolor in my sketchbook, as an acrylic work on a small stretched canvas, and now this one much larger at 14×20 watercolor on Arches cold press paper.
There’s just so much going on around here that painting has had to take a back seat, but in twenty minutes at a time work can get done. Looking at a colorful floral of summertime helps, too.
..And that’s my commentary for the day.
A Smaller Version
In an effort to keep the Muse nearby, and to avoid Mr. Resistance, I worked up another view of the rocky crags and sky scene of the photo from my author friend. Just a smaller version of the larger work to keep things fresh and moving ahead.
Believe me when I say that if I don’t keep at it, even for twenty lousy minutes a day, I’ll be toast.
It’s smaller than the other view because I was experimenting with keeping the colors, shapes and brushstrokes to a minimum. I wanted to see if I could get away with doing less by using the small size paper and a larger brush.
Never the type to paint so small it was a good exercise in discipline. I usually paint a large painting in a small space, cramming too much detail which would have been better served by a large surface.
My professors in school would say Go bigger! So going smaller is a tough one for me.
It’s a process, and I’m all about the process. In twenty minutes a day, if I’m smart about my time.
Which, if I let Mr. Resistance have his way, I’m not.
The Art of Making Art
Making art is a tough business to be in especially if the artist is the “at home” person. How I even make things happen around here is probably a miracle.
Yes, miracles do exist. They happen all around us. The trick is to keep our eyes open and be aware.
Synchronicity is one of those miracles that, if we go along with it, happens over and over by some magic trick of fate.
Once the “work” begins something unusual occurs: more work. Then the cascade of opportunities open up.One thing suddenly leads to the next, and the next. It’s so weird.
Let me explain the latest run in with the Muse.
An author acquaintance, who purchased a couple of my small watercolors last spring, contacted me to paint something for her newest book venture. As I’ve been going the rounds with Mr. Resistance lately, I agreed thinking it’d be the best thing to keep me accountable. Obviously, the 30 Paintings in 30 Days Challenge did not work this time around. What, 3 paintings? Nope, not good.
She sent me the photo above as an idea of what she was thinking and I set to work, coming up with my own version of this photo. The shapes and contrasts were interesting enough for me to keep working on it. Twenty minutes in I stopped working because if I didn’t it would be destined for the trash can.
Twitter Art Exhibit 2015
This will be my second year participating in the Twitter Art Exhibit which is being held in Moss, Norway. Last year it was in Orlando, Florida. It’s a fun idea open only to artists using twitter. I’ve made some lovely connections with other artists across the globe, sharing ideas, our process, and our art.
The sale of each postcard-sized work will benefit a group called Home-Start Moss, which helps families in need. Artist David Sandum of Norway is a foundering member of the exhibit.
I’m happy to have done my piece and sent it out. This little painting made it safely to it’s overseas destination intact.
For me it’s an incentive to get to work done, push aside Mr. Resistance so I can meet up with The Muse at my art space. And that ain’t easy, as I’ve mentioned many times before.
Now, I know I’m going to hear it, that painting is a joy, all freedom and light, happy little trees in the forest Bob Ross stuff.
Creating art is a tough job and I’m a slacker lately. Totally unprofessional.
Shhh, don’t tell my guru Steven Pressfield. He’s already pegged me for an amateur.
You’ve got to be made of strong stuff to tangle in the creative realm. Distractions abound around every corner. The Muse waits for no one. Mr. Resistance, on the other hand, stays well past his welcome. He’s pretty sly, that guy.
Yes, the crickets are chirping here.
Yes, I’ve made it to the studio to get some work done.
Yes, it may not be pretty, but hey, I’m here.
Right?
Photo for Friday-Autumn Beach Day
The last beautiful, warm day in autumn just called for a quick visit to my favorite spot, Pt. Lookout beach. A wide open sky, calm ocean waves, with the crisp salty breeze made this day perfect.
With my granddaughter in tow, we surveyed every bit of seashell, discarded horseshoe crab carcasses, and our footprints in the sand.
The expanse of beach was limitless, as were our hearts, open and free.
