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Towards becoming a professional artist


This year, I decided to finally embark on the path to becoming a professional artist. Not a small thing, considering that the world probably could care less to have another artist. But does it need it? YES! I keep reading about being showing something different, and I feel that I am. I was sketching and doing watercolors and as of March, entered an abstract realm that is new and suits me well. I am not sure where I fit, and I'm not sure the world will like it, time will tell.

There are so many things to cover before I actually become a little bit known.


1. Painting! It remains the reason why I want to do this. It's about holding a brush, and doing my work, primarily.

2. Social media and networking, which lives in the realm of marketing. I am not fond of having to spend more time than I want on that, however it is a amazing tool nowadays and I am grateful to have access to it.
3. Marketing. That is THE largest part of getting anywhere. It includes many areas to cover.

There are more than 3 but those are the main categories. So, I better keep at it.


On a great note, I have been selected by a friend and artist to be in the upcoming Jackson Rising IV. It is happening soon, more on that in a coming post.

Summer between the Sun and the Moon

Acrylics on wood panel - 20 x 20 in. (50 x 50 cm)

Summer is going by very fast and already we are seeing fall colors around! I heard nature is a month ahead of schedule and that may mean winter a month early too, we'll see.
In the meantime, since we are still basking in warm temperatures and the sky is still filled with lovely puffy clouds, pollen and birds, I let the season lead me to paint this piece. It took me about a month and a half to complete as this was my first larger abstract painting. It's a shift from my usual 10x10 inches paintings and I learnt a lot, to stretch my imagination and my strokes too. 
I love painting larger, it is freeing, less constricting, but more work as there is more space to fill. I still enjoy the smaller sizes for they are simpler and quicker. Although, you never know when I decide to cover it all and start over, so a small painting can be revisited later and change skin completely!
Back to this one, the title sums it up. I have spent a fait amount of time outside observing. What? Nature, simply. It is a constant source of inspiration for me, and if it comes about in more abstract ways, it's simply my interpretation of what my eyes and mind drink up and retain. Since I don't feel fully in charge, it's always a surprise to see how a painting turns out. I like the spontaneity this gives me.

Festival

Acrylics on wood board - 10 x 10

I had started this as a simple study in texture but it developed in a lovely way. I work intuitively, very often, letting the piece lead me into a certain direction. I had many doubts that I was going down a good path on this one, but after I made the decision to add some lines, some green, some shapes, it got better and better. Working with gray is also very satisfying as its variation are endless. 
I was inspired by some colors on one of our maple trees outside. It's a Rocky Mountain maple, and it has numerous of those little helicopter seeds ripening. They are amazing shades of pink and orange, and the green leaves provided a great contrast. After that, it's a world in my imagination that takes over. I like this piece a lot.

Dawn, as the birds know it.

Acrylics on wooden panel, 16 x 20 in.

Each morning, birds are the ones waking me up. And I love mornings, for they are full of hope, the hope that this day will be leave me with a full heart and mind. 
I try not to become "attached" to shapes as I paint, or to anything at all, in fact, but shapes seem to be what calls to me the most. That is how I work, by developing shapes and creating a composition that is harmonious. I often see something in a shape and want to keep it on the painting, but it doesn't always work. When I slowly traced the bird shape on this piece, I knew what it was all about: dawn and birds.