Saying yes...

Per Request

Additional products have been added...

Teh Zazzle... being uber-simple, has probably caused me to overthink and second guess, so if what you wanted (you all know who you are) isn't there, let me know and I'll won't think when trying to put them up next time...

make custom gifts at Zazzle

Awesome

See the rest of Mark Jenkins' street installations here.

h/t Krup

The protective filters are down and the mouth is open...

I was talking with a friend a number of weeks ago, I don't remember the progression of the conversation, but do recall ending up talking about what artistic projects I was working on when this little nugget came out... He said, "It's too bad you haven't been successful with your artwork."  He said I had not made much money, or if I had, I had not been consistent.

I sat silent for a moment, confused... It was so strange because in my heart of hearts I could reel off a hundred ways in which I had been successful with it and they were very important ways, ways that meant the world to me. The money part seemed so insignificant at that point. I was thinking instead of my artistic victories; it was so odd to hear someone sum up my entire creative path in terms of money. I understand how he could have done that. I've done that at times, many other people have done that, but when it came right down to it, too much had gone well for me to dismiss it. 

I've treated my artistic abilities like a loyal pooch. No, that's not true, I'd treat a dog better... I've treated them more like a high school boyfriend... there when I need it, dismissed as soon as something more intriguing comes along... and there again when something intriguing doesn't call or live up to the hype. You get the idea.

I don't think I ever set out to have a serious artist career (to be said in deep booming voice!). I love painting, but never wanted to be Julian Schnabel. I always liked Pop Culture a little more (yes, I said it!)and would have been happy making one silly thing that the masses embraced as a touchstone.  And I wasn't even sure of that.. other paths were often more intriguing, but when they paled or life's direction changed, art was there waiting for me. Sometimes I treated it as dismissively as a party trick, other times I realized I might have underestimated it. As I've gotten older, I've relied on it more and more... appreciated it more and more, taken it for granted less and less. I've slowly realized it's not a separate part of me, but was just me... me needing to make things, needing to capture things, needing to express in various ways.

I've made a lot of discoveries over the years. They haven't stopped, if anything, they've increased. I think back to the artistic person I was in high school and in college and then as a young adult, times when I thought I had reached all there was to reach, that my vision was complete, and I laugh because I've realized over the years that I will never stop learning new ways of seeing things, new ways of experiencing things, and with these new ways will come new ways of expressing. It's never-ending, thank God.

I felt I was all that in my 20's... but my 30's held creative changes I never would or could have expected. My 40's have been just as eye-opening. I keep moving forward, keep feeling and seeing things on different levels, which is why it was so funny to hear my entire artistic success summed up in terms of the bottom line. It's ironic because looking back, I probably made more money on things that were nowhere near what I am capable of today. I'm almost ashamed I took money for them...

No, my artistic success cannot be summed up in mere dollars. If anything, my lack of consitent earnings over the years has proven I've failed at marketing and business. Or I've failed at being concise and knowing exactly what I've wanted to do or be when I grew up.  I haven't failed in art, I've failed at making money, I've failed at focusing and choosing. I haven't failed at what I've created or how what I've created has evolved and how I feel about it. I haven't failed in how I see things or feel things. I haven't failed at having ideas, THANK GOD. You have permission to shoot me should my imagination ever give up on me and leave. No, I just honestly could not say I had failed. It was nice to see it like that, to feel it like that, probably for the first time ever.

It's a wrap...

Update below:

Snag has posted the last letter of the alphabet... What started as some throw-away conversation some 20 months ago, has now finally come to an end.

Thank you, Snag, for letting me put my images to your words. I'm ready to work on the Pissed Unicorn... or a cookbook.

Update: Alternate/B movie ending over here... thanks to fish, as usual, for allowing himself to be the punchline of many jokes.

Drawing Assignment

Update at the bottom:

A few days ago, Zombie Rotten McDonald and I got into a drawing conversation. I believe it started with him saying, "I don't draw enough anymore" or something to that effect. Somehow it ended with both of us saying we'd do some impromptu drawings. For all of the roughs I do, I don't really draw anymore either. Drawing is always a means to an end, not an end in itself.

He suggested I do something out of my comfort zone... i.e., no plants! Harrumph.  He suggested something from real life or possibly something architectural, perhaps The Bean. I was in the city yesterday and thought about The Bean, but I like to scribble and I wasn't sure how *scribbly* and *the bean* would workout. I had a feeling I'd be tempted to smudge and I couldn't forgive myself if I did that. So, no Bean.

I thought about doing something from real life and then I thought I might do a zombie. :) And then... after realizing the tenor of the day, I figured a self-portrait would fill both the real life and zombie bill. I haven't done a self-portrait in eons... I set up a mirror and tried to do the dance between the mirror and paper and how I was kind of envisioning it. Eyes are of course the hardest since I didn't want to be looking right at myself, but off, onto something else, say something I look at ALL THE TIME... the computer screen.

This was done fairly fast. I gave myself a limit of 45 minutes, not wanting to get too obsessed with details, but also, not wanting to correct too many of the accurate details... sags, sour mood, distorted face from leaning on hand, etc.

I messed up the angle of the eye on the right from dicking with it too much so I stopped dicking and will let it be as it is... looking like one of those stress dolls. The ones with the eyes that bulge out when you squeeze their necks.

Zombie- here's my assignment. I'll await your "Flying Monkeys Baking Souffles"... or whatever you decided to do.

The Eldest Lamblet just got back... I asked her if it looked like me. She said I looked like I was pursing my lips like I do when I'm judging something. She also said the eyes looked *off*. Probably because they are! But the last thing?? "Mom, you're not that wrinkley!" :)  Bless her wonderful heart. I'll have to do something nice for her. My mood was probably that wrinkely today.

I decided to crop. This one looks much more accurate.

Update:

 For Karla... a seriously LARGE EYE. :) The subject matter for many of my doodles over the years.

Also- word has it ZRM has posted his drawing assignment. I have seen it. It's wonderful. He actually did two. Both are wonderful, but then he chose a subject matter close to my heart.

Cheater!

As always... I'm not finished yet...

Got distracted from other artistic work yesterday. I went out to see how many tomatoes were left, how many more to expect in the tomato deluge that is this time of year, when I was hypnotized by the sun coming through the plants and bouncing around everywhere. I really wanted to paint it, other jobs be damned.

I'm at that infuriating spot where it's too wet to finish, but yesterday sure was fun.

I'm also wondering if I should call my Zazzle store, "It's not finished yet"...

Update: I worked on the tomatoes for a bit today. Hmmm, looks better in person. Apparently my camera doesn't have the new and improved monkey vision.

I think I'm finished for now. When looking at it in person, it's realistic, but also rather abstract. I kind of like the balance of tight/loose it's got going right now (more of which you can see in person). On the otherhand, for some reason, when I looked at it at one point today, it reminded me of upholstery tapestry! I'm not a big fan of upholstery tapestry so I think I'll tuck it away and will bring it out down the road and see what I think.

Alternate Alphabet Ending Happening at Snag's

Join Snag for a very special episode of The Animals Are Scaring Me...

The Alphabet Drought is Over!!!

Head on over to Snag's to bask in all of V's gory glory...  Once again, prose by Snag, illustrations by me.

Blogger Help/Contest/Opinions, Etc, Etc, Etc!!@!

This dear blogger has decided to open a Zazzle store to offer up some of her more quirky art offerings... This blogger has done a lifetime of piece work and labor intensive stuff... some serious, some fun, but is ready to embrace the offerings and convenience of this not so new digital age (I'm still resisting my digitizing tablet, but one step at a time...).  As I said, I plan on offering a number of things that I've done over my blogging career and before, including various ways to sell individual letters (on coffee cups, etc) from the Snag Alphabet so that Snag and I might make enough to go get a drink.

Anyhow, here's the deal. No, I'm not asking you to pony up, what I need is help with the name. I thought I had it. It had been in my mind long before there was a Zazzle... It was Sn'Art. It might make sense to some of you, but what's more important was that it made sense to me. I was 99% sure that this was what it was going to be, but asked a couple of people what they thought and did they like the apostrophe or not...

I had Googled Snart  spelled in a variety of creative ways and saw nothing that seemed prohibitive... until kind Google Guru fish informed me yesterday of THIS! Ok, I can have an immature sense of humor along with the best of them and as I said, this store will be for less *serious* stuff, but I don't think I want it associated with a sneeze/fart...

I had mentioned to fish that I was tired and really didn't want to come up with a new name... I liked it better when they just popped into your head in the middle of the night... perhaps I'd call it Cottage Cheese... no, that wouldn't work. fish was kind enough to offer up a number of suggestions

Ouis in Art? (Made me think of the Piss Christ although I liked it when he said it rhymed with Cuisineart.)

Straight to D'art?

D'art of the Possible? (This has possiblities)

Thelma's Truck Stop? (Wha??? While Thelma could outdrink a trucker, she's no truckstop gal...)

And while I'd take almost anything coming from fish, this didn't necessarily strike me as *it*. fish then suggested crowdsourcing. My first thought? Hell no! I don't want anyone to know about this!!

Ok, ok, I saw the silliness of my ways. He was right (you're not always right, fish, so don't let it go to your head.)

So, if you would, please put your minds to work and see if you could offer up something quirky. It would be nice if art were in the name somewhere, but that's not manditory. It also does not need to have Saying yes... in it. If we come up with a winner, I'll send you some of Pinko's Blueberry Whoppers. :)

It's Not Finished Yet!

This is what Grizzled says I say whenever I'm working on something. I don't like being watched when I work... Not sure why... I guess it's because I know all of the ugly spots you go through before you get to the end. I also know of all of the wonderful spots that get lost along the way... you don't want proof that those existed and someone looking at it midway might remember. I'm getting better though... a little more willing to show the process, or my process.

And yes, if this looks familiar, it should.

Update:  Trying to keep it amped up while toning down what needs to be... however, finding I just want to scrub and scumble. I'm not going to though; I'm doing this in a number of ways and am trying to keep each in their own category. Also, just posting this so I can see the difference from the morning... if there is one. While I thought the bowl would be trouble, the ice cream (something I've easily knocked out before) is being problematic. The actual "scoops" weren't pretty, but I'm trying to adjust them a tad. That little bit on the top is way too dog turdish-like... While it was in the original, it may have to go away altogether and I may have to make stereotypical scoops. The reflection from the bowl is still way over the top, but I'm not minding that... it's its own creature. And... I'm loving the stupid strawberries on the bottom right. It's silly, they're pretty much exactly as they were on the tablecloth, but they're working some kind of brain-tickle magic.

Update II: dog-turd-like chunkule on the top has been eradicated. However... IT'S STILL NOT FINISHED... even fish's take on it, is still not finished...

Now see... this is a case where I was thinking vast forward movements had been made between photo one and two, but looking at that movement on the top... apparently... if the painting were at the eye Dr and had heard, "Better #1 or #2?", it would have said, "#1".

Live and learn.