Monday, February 25, 2013

Red, an Update & and Invite

Red
Oil on canvas, 12x12
Donation to Eastern Shore SPCA

Where the HECK have I been?

After the daunting trip to Florida, I traveled to Hartford, CT, and participated as a vendor at the King's Foot Guard Dog Show - and had a great time. I got one big commission - and an abstract one at that (check out Roy and Bert to see what I mean), which makes me so happy.

I love painting these, the abstracts, but making them is terrifying. There can be no mistakes, none. You put a mark on the canvas, and there it stands, naked, without coverup or background. No changing your mind! No second guessing!

So much like the very best moments in life, yes? Those moments when you have the courage to jump, the strength not to look back, the serenity not to question yourself.

***

The update

I leave in about 10 days for my Arizona journey, To Tubac and Back. I have a raft of sponsors already, but there's plenty of room for more. So why not sponsor me? Everyone who pitches in anything gets a chance to win one of my paintings. For $100, you also get a 10x10 painting and a discount on a larger painting - and the chance to win a big painting, too.

The sponsorship arrangement is fun and interesting, and has changed my outlook on the trip. It feels much more like a mission this time. I am not just wandering the country looking for cool stuff to paint; I am wandering the country looking for specific cool stuff to paint for very specific and special people. I love knowing that I am making paintings for these folks! I am more directed and energetic than ever. Want to get involved? Click here to find out how.

Here's my sponsor list so far:


Kathryn Yamartino
Tiffany Williams
Laurie Cooper
Dov Kugelmass
Pat Hart
Blake Wenz
Maggie Platte
Donald & Paula Cooper
Kristen Singh
Linda Fite
Nancy Russell
Sherry Svec
Heather MacLeod

***

The invite

Longtime followers of my blog will remember the Art for Shelter Animals Project, which I started years ago with my friend Shiela Tajima. ASAP has languished for well more than a year now, as I got too busy with Patch and with life to give it the attention it deserves. 

It's time to start it up again, and I'd like to invite any and all of you who make art to consider joining me in relaunching the project. 

Here's how it works. You make a portrait of an animal in your local shelter or with a local rescue group, you send me a jpg of the portrait, and then you give it to the shelter or rescue group. They can do whatever they want with it. Anything. Once you give it, the piece is theirs. The more creative the shelter, the more uses they will find. 

And more than anything, the shelter will be grateful. They'll be thrilled to have the painting and happy for the attention. 

It was making paintings for ASAP that liberated me in terms of using colors, and using the palette knife, really. The shelters are so happy to have the pieces that there is No Pressure At All. Making these portraits showed me that dogs can be painted in shades of green and purple and still be recognized. 

Please join me! Make a portrait of an animal in your local shelter, or with your local rescue group, and donate it. Send me a jpg before you give the piece away, though! You can go to the shelter and take photos, or do what I do and use Petfinder.com

This is a great way to help your community, to help some dogs and cats and rabbits and whatever else is in your shelter, and to do it without involving money. If you teach art classes, it's a great topic for an art class, too! 

Thank you for considering it! 





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