Some thoughts on January...and February...

Mackie, on the interwebs.

The last days of January were...a blur.  Teachin, artin', travelin'...it just escaped me and I didn't MAKE time to blog.  (notice I didn't say 'have')  In my defense, Mackie was always on the computer when I did want to blog, so I am not totally to blame.  Look, I even have proof!

So, uh...here's a wrap up of the last bit of January.  Last weekend I traveled to Daytona for a Florida Art Education Association board of director's meeting, John came along and we stayed an extra day to have a mini-vacation.    Some great networking for next year (more on that at a later date), planning for conference and gave my Youth Art Month report and then, just some quality time with my husband. Good times!

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One of the biggest take-aways from the weekend (beside a little tan!) was meeting a very special lady.  On Sunday, per usual- I am up way to early...and John, well..he is not.  So I head out with my art bag to find a spot to draw and while I was wandering around I stopped in the hotel gift shop to look for my mandatory jewelry purchase (I buy a piece of jewelry every time I go on a trip, at least one piece...uh, sometimes more) and I met Alma.  I knew there was something special about this woman as we quickly bonded as I looked for jewelry.  Turns out....she had experience in the jewelry industry, designing and was the perfect person to help me select something- we chose a bracelet in a gunmetal mesh with sparkles all over it.   Her husband was also in the industry, and she also worked with galleries and spoke candidly of selling work and attending gallery parties.  We talked fashion, of silk scarves by Lanvin and Bottega Venta, her love of green to compliment her once auburn hair.  I could clearly see that hair in my mind, this amazing woman before me with an amazing head of red, sassy hair.  

Alma asked me if I was an artist, and I said yes.  When she asked if she could see my work I happened to have the pieces I just finished with me, so I took them out and put them on the counter.  She loved my work.  I talked to her about trying to do this whole art licensing thing...and she told me to keep going, not to stop.  She said many encouraging words, and it was such a sincere moment. There were a few times I just had tears in my eyes, that I had by chance come into contact with such a kindred soul.

So, we went back before leaving Daytona, after lunch on the pier and some 'angel bombing'...and I gave Alma the last of my angels that I had with me.  This angel, in a zebra dress and red heels, was reaching for a star inscribed with the word, 'inspire'.  How fitting.

I promised Alma that I would see her again in the fall.  And I will.

Folks definitely come into your life for a reason. No matter how brief the time.

I had these intentions to write this big ol' diatribe of my work for this month, what I was inspired by...to try to explain it all...but well, I have two unresolved pieces I want to complete and another one for February (more about that later)...and that is all I can think about...how to come to some closure for the month of January...so here is just some rambling comments...

...started with the idea of 'darkness'...I interpreted it as ladies with dark hair with tattoos and piercings, which I think is lovely...in the 6th piece of the series I added a peacock feather tattoo which prompted me to go off on a tangent with a peacock feather motif...then I tried to reel myself back in, only to get distracted by calla lilies and dragonflies in my tattoo designs...then I started thinking, 'I need to work with my backgrounds more', so I focused on that...then I kept thinking about a phrase I love from an Avett song...so I started working with text...and then, another piece of text, a quote I love:

...so I started thinking about light and dark, and duality...how within each one of us we have the potential for both good/bad, light/dark...and I guess the  Louis Vuitton Spring 2013 fashion illustrations I completed this month, heavy with black and white graphics and pops of yellow were still in my head and inspired my colors...so I created a piece that included a portion of the text, and then went on to just the idea of the duality...and then, wait- I met Alma and she inspired me to create a picture of a fiery red-headed muse whispering in my girl's ear...then back to my black/white/yellow images...and now I am trying to close up the series.  I have the last two pieces, still painfully unresolved.  My goal is to include many of the elements from this whole month...don't know how it will turn out...but that is where I am at.

Some of the works I have created in the last part of the January series...

Enough for now.  Gotta go make some art.  Will post final pics tomorrow for the series as well as the first piece in the new series and all kinds of other things related to art, cheer and sparkle...