Day 16 of the 30 in 30 - "12:37"

Time has been at a premium in the Weber household the past two weeks.  I haven't mentioned anything about my son lately, but there have been some changes going on with his life that have also greatly impacted my life... one way is that I have had a lot less time in my studio.  The main change that has happened is that we have enrolled him in cyber school! He is in 6th grade and he started just on Tuesday.  It has been a steep learning curve for him, and for me as well as I have had to be very involved at this stage of the game.. making sure everything is squared away and he knows what he is doing.  But... now that he has made it through the first week, things have gone better than I could have hoped and I know we have made the right decision.  He is the happiest I have seen him since August and is actually excited to start school every day!  So, even though I've had to manage my life a bit differently lately, it's all been for the good.  And, forcing myself to do this 30 in 30 right along with the other craziness I have had in my life, I feel more confident than ever about my artwork.  I am so happy that once everything smooths out, it looks like cyber school will fit perfectly into our family's life. Most of all, I am thrilled that my son's health has improved immensely and he is happy with this new adventure he started.  I know most artists struggle to balance their lives with creating art and all I can say is, it's worth it to not give up!  Sometimes you have to make the time to get into your studio so you can keep on creating!

12:37, oil, 8"x8", to purchase click here

Day 13 of the 30 in 30 - Pysanka Perlustration

True story: Many years ago, I sat in my Mother's kitchen carefully blowing the innards out of several chicken eggs.  After washing and drying them, I super carefully and painstakingly applied layers of melted beeswax and dye to finally achieve the intricate artwork called Pysanky.  My mom still has a bowl of these relics in her basement (I think).  Just one bowl though... It was an art form I never pursued beyond this initial discovery stage as I found it was way too detail oriented and tedious of work to keep my attention!  I remembered just how tedious it is as I painted this painting that has a Pysanka egg in it today!  Oh yeah, and that Magpie...I love the position he is standing in!  Great lines and curves that seem to swirl and compete nicely with the egg and egg cup. And his intense inspection of this egg had me looking for a new word that would nicely sum up what was going on... Perlustration seemed to fit the bill.  

Pysanka Perlustration, Oil, 8"x8", to purchase click here

  

Day 9 of the 30 in 30 - "Be Like a Magpie"

In the words of artist David Hockney, "Style is something you can use, and you can be like a magpie, just taking what you want.  The idea of the rigid style seemed to me then something you needn't concern yourself with, it would trap you."  

Yes!!!  Artists will naturally have their own style, if they work at it long enough, but my belief is that we should all keep trying new things and exploring different ideas.  There is too much out there in this big beautiful world of ours to hem ourselves in... Be brave people!  Be like a Magpie. :)

If interested in purchasing this or any of my other work, check out my Daily Paintworks site here. 

And to read more about David Hockney, check out this cool link! 

Be Like a Magpie, oil, 6"x6", to purchase click here