A Little Collaboration

Make Art That Sells Bootcamp with Lilla Rogers  finished up just over a week ago.  Our last assignment was to stay off of Facebook so we could focus on our own art and style and not be influenced by what everyone else was doing.  I think this was wonderful advice.  I love seeing what everyone is doing, but I also end up comparing myself to it all.  There is so much talent in Bootcamp and it can be very deflating looking at all of the beautiful work that comes out of it.  In the end I think I place way too much judgement on myself and probably do get a bit lost in it all.
For our mini we were to draw our favorite drinks and then for the final, make a piece of art that we would hang on our wall.   I didn't get a lot of time for sketching or for the final piece.  This summer has not been about making art.  It has been about so many other things, being with family, kids activities, sick pets, growing friendships, expanding our hearts and sometimes just being.  At first I was fighting all of this,  but now I've come to accept that it is just not the right time for a lot of art making. 
But sometimes you just have to make art.  A week ago Sunday, I was in a somewhat foul mood and I said to my husband I think I just need to paint and draw today.  So that was pretty much all I did on Sunday.  I think my soul really needed that, it had been way too long and like anything that is out of use, it takes awhile to get it back in shape.   I just wanted to paint and draw so bad, but things weren't flowing and the ideas weren't coming and I couldn't get anything to look like I wanted it to look.  Instead of getting lost in the joy, I found myself drowning in frustration.  Ugh, as Fischer would say! By afternoon I came up with a cute little cat with a tea cup and a honey bee but ended up cutting them out of the painting because I didn't like the direction they were going.  Not sure what to do with them, but knowing I wanted to use them, I went outside to get some fresh air, it was the first fresh air of the day.  I asked my husband if he could write a little poem to go with my cat and honey bee.  I said I wanted it short, and it had to have the words, honey, sweet, bee and tea in it.  He started off in some silly direction, not really serious about it, but then I started writing ideas down too and before we knew it we had a sweet little poem to go with my cat and honey bee.  Amelia and Fischer pitched in a little too!  After we had a poem, the piece came together quickly and easily.

 

My piece didn't make the deadline for the Bootcamp gallery, but in the end I found my joy.   I love this little picture and the sweet little poem our family wrote together, and it will hang on our wall!

If your in the area, come visit me at Powderhorn Art Fair in Minneapolis this weekend!