As It Happens...

TRANSFIXED - 48x40 - 2010

As it happens... we wait. We do our part and then it's someone else's turn. Sometimes there's a volley of reciprocated emails and excitement rises so we begin to plan and envision and... dare I say, consider how we'll spend/use the money!

The project is a big one... a very, very big one in my world of relativity. The comments have been encouraging and agreeable... we see eye to eye. We understand exactly what needs to be done. The reward would be contractually guaranteed with half up front so no concern there.

Then, a slowing of banter... then apologies and reassurance that all is still a go. But then another lag, but I know it's a busy time for all concerned so I wait.

Now I begin to think the job is too big for me. Maybe another artist (or two) are leading the pack and I find myself rooting for them to win the race. I remember reading that Obama the Candidate said that first he was afraid he wouldn't win, and then he was afraid he would. That wraps how I feel. I know I could do it but it would be a very difficult task...

That said... the project has/had certain specifics that I've given a lot of thought to... how I would paint in that direction while maintaining the geometric elements that attracted them to my work in the first place. The amount of attention I've given this... to the point of slowing serious attention to other works in progress... has possibly opened a door to a new, energized direction without really leaving anything behind. So whether or not the project goes through, good will have come of the dalliance.

Small World

 Small World 2 - 42 x 45

Small World 1 - 60 x 40

The commission is finished, approved and shipped! I worked through my NOLA gallery and a Maryland decorator for a private client in Washington DC who selected SW-1 from my website. This was the second time this decorator had selected my work for her client to choose from and she really is easy to work with, I just get nervous when I must paint to please. 

I was sent several swatches (at my request) and discovered that the digital images I sent the decorator looked way different on her computer... she kept repeating: no blues or grays! And I repeatedly assured her there were none in the painting. I copied, printed and taped up every clue mentioned in emails and sincerely hope I made everyone happy... could have kept painting forever but realized that I would never satisfy both myself and the 'others' so when they said they were happy, I took it off the boards. 

Commissions make me really nervous... especially for private homes. I still see things I'd change if given half a chance... aarg!

Melange...

Here's the challenge... transform these two horizontal paintings to verticals with a stronger reference to the hill country of Texas. Hey... I can do that ;) What I can't do is take really good photos that capture color as they should, but you'll get the idea. Next, I'll roll and ship to Texas!

MELANGE, 48 x 60, the original thought...

MELANGE 3, 60 x 48, the vertical interpretation.

GLIMPSE and SOL, diptych, 60 x 78, the original thought...

MELANGE 4, 60 x 48, the vertical intrepretation...

Manufacturing Deadlines...

Harry Ally and Karen Jacobs With Thistles
photo credit - Suzanne Ally

This morning my FB status read: "Three paintings in progress... with deadlines!" Okay, maybe that's a stretch, not the number of PIPs (probably three times that many at one stage of incomplete or another) but just what qualifies as a deadline?

One is a commission which will be delivered to NOLA when we drive that way at end of May (a dance recital plus bringing the g-chicks back determined the date.) So that's legitimate. Another painting has been a PIP for over a year... a good idea which just hasn't resolved itself as yet, but I want to get it to Atlanta along with a few others before I make the NOLA trip. That's a rather fluid deadline... could be scratched but really need to refresh the work there and this big one would fit nicely...

The third is another landscape with a much looser approach, trying to let Harry Ally's influence work with me... and it would give me another painting to deliver to NOLA along with the commission. Am really trying to loosen up... not happy with recent efforts, have overpainted a bunch that just got too real and precise... constipated, if you'll pardon the thought.

So there you have it... if I wait for others to set my deadlines, I'll float through life letting whatever strikes my mood have it's way with me. It's all about discipline and sometimes, especially in spring, especially when thoughts turn to upcoming g-kid visits, my will to work falters. Got to keep the ole momentum going one way or another!

BTW, the thistle bouquet has been on my kitchen counter since returning from Colony... today it burst forth with giant dandelion type seeds all over the sink ;)

That Was Then, This Is Now...

Prior to the adventure of France, I had a pretty good rhythm going here... almost daily entries featuring a painting from the archives which somehow tied into 'the theme of the day'. I'd like to reclaim that sense of purpose, mainly because it allowed me to revisit early works, reminding myself of where I've been... and fueling the potential to travel on.

But that was then and this is now... all that fueled potential in the studio has yet to provide any finished work, despite a decent attempt in the studio. Two large paintings in progress... both suggested by galleries as having potential buyers (not commissions... smart people don't pay up front for unseen works they'll have to live with for eternity.) So am trying to read the minds of mysterious art patrons and am frustrated to not be able to tackle my own ideas. I should just cover the canvas(es) and shove them out the door to fend for themselves instead of poking and prodding them to grow up and make something of themselves!

Okay... got that out of my system. Now to go back downstairs to see if they've managed to finish themselves...