Elephant Art, Vocational Rehab, and Surviving the Depression of 2008

I recently finished a piece that I had about 90% completed, then got stuck and set it aside. I'm not sure what the exact title is going to be, but for now I will call it "Elephants" (posted above). This is my first elephant theme art that I have done in color. I really like the way it turned out.

Things have been in a bit of a "crisis" mode this week. I'm afraid the Depression of 2008 is hitting everyone, including the company I do independent contracting maintenance work for. They are struggling to survive this recession/depression and just cut my pay and my hours. The problem is I can't really afford a cut in pay right now, so I am looking for another job. Working just four hours a week is just NOT helping to pay the bills.

I have decided to change my direction a bit. I am trying to get into a government-run Vocational Rehab Program, so I can get funds to go back to college and get my bachelor's degree and become a certified art teacher. A friend of mine is doing this exact thing and told me who to contact. I have left about three messages with the person in charge of this program, but she will not be back in town until next week. I hope I qualify to get into this program. It would be a HUGE improvement in the quality of my life and it would allow me to be able to make a fairly good living doing what I love the most--creating art! The minute I learn if I qualify and am accepted into this program, I will post this news on my blogsite. Cross your fingers, folks!

Colored Pencil & Turpenoid Workshop

Today, I taught an art workshop on Colored Pencil & Turpenoid at the Vineyard Church. They have their own art department with a place to teach art classes. I had five students. I thought that was a good number--not too many, not too few. I enjoyed teaching the class and I think everyone enjoyed learning about a new method of painting. I also got paid for teaching this class! This was a very pleasant surprise because last year, when I taught this same class at the Vineyard, teachers were purely volunteer. Now they give teachers a small fee for teaching. Now that's a switch, with a bad economy where everything seems to cost more and offer less.

I was going to teach a series of extended workshops at my house on Colored Pencil & Turpenoid, but most people can't come during the month of August, due to conflicting schedules & vacations, so I may postpone this until September or October.

I got a phone call today from someone I talked to at my last art show at the Capital City Market. She is coming over this Thursday to give me photos so I can get started on doing a portrait for her! I usually have to call someone several times and maybe even beg (or bribe?) them to give me a photo(s) so I can get started on a commission, so it is very nice to have someone take the initiative and contact me. I actually haven't even followed up yet with contacting the people who signed up to have commissioned portraits done. I have been distracted with so many other things, including stress, that I haven't gotten around to it. That will be on my list of "To Do's" for next week.

Art Therapy and Another Painting From The Leavenworth, Washington Series

I decided that I needed to work on some art projects just for the sake of my own therapy and not because I am completing a commission or building up art inventory. Creating art can be very calming and centering and that is what I have needed this week--something to calm my nerves as I try to contemplate how to handle my current state of poverty and career struggles and my husband's lack of business as a mortgage broker. So instead of being mad at the economy and sticking my head out the window screaming, "I'm mad as hell and I'm NOT going to take it anymore!" I decided to go back to working on my series of Leavenworth, Washington paintings. I had been "stuck" on a certain area of this one painting I was doing, probably due to stress, and couldn't seem to get past it. Then I decided to use acrylic paint spattering instead of colored pencil and that seemed to work for me. Anyway, I have finally completed another in the Leavenworth, Washington series. It is presently untitled and is shown above. This is actually the view from the balcony of my sister-in-law's back yard. My sister-in-law, Chris, lives in Plains, Washington which is 20 miles outside of Leavenworth.

I have also been preparing for the workshop I will be teaching this Saturday on colored pencil & turpenoid. It will be at the Vineyard Church, July 26 from 2-4 p.m. Although the timing for having this workshop is not so good, I have had fun preparing the lessons for it.

Coping with Recession Really Sucks!

This has been a very bad week. I have been under so much stress that it has been difficult to concentrate on art, but I need to get back to my art because it is the therapy that helps calm my nerves. I look forward to being able to start my third part-time job in September. That will ease the strain of things. How much time I will have for art work after I start this job remains to be seen.

This Saturday I am having a garage sale to help bring more money into our lives. I am getting very close to actually being a starving artist, and believe me, it REALLY SUCKS!

The only art project that I have worked on and completed is the "Molly" dog rock. The final version is shown above. My client will be picking it up Saturday.

Then next week I have to work on preparing for a colored pencil & turpenoid workshop that I will be teaching at the Vineyard Church on Saturday from 2-4 p.m. If I had known that June and July would turn out to be such a crappy month for my husband's business as a Mortgage Broker, causing me tons of stress, I would have postponed the workshop until the following month.

The Colors of Doing an Art Show

The art show at the Capital City Public Market went well. I was happy with sales, although I didn't make as much money as I did at last month's show. I got a few people who seemed very serious about getting a portrait done, so if those go through, it will be well worth it. It was not a real hot day either, so that made it very pleasant. I hate doing shows when it is 100 degrees or more outside. Nothing like cooking yourself and your art in the heat until you are fried to a crisp!
I thought I would explain what it feels like to do an art show, using colors to describe my moods. A new day, A new art show and a chance to make some money. Yay! Color me a happy color like pink. My husband is having physical problems this morning and may make me late for setting up and I can't do this show without his help. Color me red because I'm getting a bit anxious and irritated! We arrived but set up was rough going and we didn't get fully set up until 10 minutes before the deadline. Color me very red and a bit purple. I make my first sale within 30 minutes of being open. I feel much calmer & better now. Color me a peaceful blue. My husband buys some freshly-made mini donuts from one of the vendors. They are so good they melt in your mouth. mmmmm! To hell with the calories--I feel like a rainbow inside! I am enjoying the live music that is at the art show and sales seem fairly good. Color me bright yellow or pink. There is a dead zone in sales. A whole hour and a half has gone buy and nobody is buying! What's the problem here? I'm feeling a bit nervous. I don't want to go home with only $50.00 in sales! Color me orange--a combination of pale yellow (happy but cautious) and red (nervous & irritated). During the last hour to half hour of the show, I get some big sales! Yay! Color me bright yellow again with a smiley face. Right when the bell rings that indicates the show is closed, I get a $21.00 sale. (You aren't allowed to sell after the bell rings.) That's cutting it close!

My husband and I are exhausted after packing up the art, the tables & the canopy and then unpacking it when we get home. We have very little energy or life left in us. Color us black. It's time to take a nap!

Another Art Show to Do & Another Rock Animal Portrait

This has been a stressful week. Because the mortgage/real estate crash has hit us very hard, I have had to think about getting another part-time job to help make up for the lack of business my husband has had as a mortgage broker. So Thursday I did a little bit of job hunting. I already have my eye on one job that may open up in September. Financial stress sucks and it sometimes makes it hard for me to concentrate on my art business.

However, I do have an art show tomorrow (Saturday), so I have had to get my brain in gear and concentrate on preparations for this show. This Art Show is the third one I have done this year in downtown Boise at the Capital City Market. The only difference is, this show will be under the Visiting Artist Program of the Capital City Market instead of the Emerging Artist Show that is sponsored by Boise Blue Art Supply Store, and it has a higher application fee. I also have to set up my own canopy this time.

In spite of the stress of trying to pay the bills with very little money, I just got another pet portrait order. This order comes from a very good friend of mine and is for a rock animal portrait of a black & white dog by the name of Molly. I have posted molly's photo above. Can't wait to start on it.

My Portrait of Kate Hepburn in Web Digest Weekly

Good News! Just a few days ago, I got a request for permission to use my portrait of Katharine Hepburn in an online web magazine called Web Digest Weekly. (Portrait is posted above.) The publisher, Carey Parrish, is doing a tribute page to the late classic movie star, Katharine Hepburn and is using my graphite pencil portrait of Kate that he found on my website. This tribute to Kate is only going to be up for a week, then a new tribute page goes up and another celebrity is featured. Check it out at http://www.webdigestweekly.com/.

Today I took a brake from landscape and yard work and painted some rock animals that I plan to sell this Saturday at my art show at the Capital City Market in downtown Boise. I am creating a new item--a big "mama" hog rock animal with little piglets. (Okay, everyone can say, Ahhhh....isn't that cute....) I also have to make two beaver rocks because my beaver animal rocks all sold at my last art show on June 21.

Making Money versus Making Art

Lately, I find myself in a situation that has had a very definite impact upon my art. The struggling economy has really been very tough on me. My husband, being in the mortgage business, has been especially hard hit. Every month we watch the real estate market decline as lenders refuse to lend money because of an uncertain economy. The business continues to change and some of the loans my husband use to handle, non-conforming loans, have dissappeared. And although some very good things have happened to help us survive the changes in the market, it has also caused some very hard and uncertain times. I have found myself becoming so distracted by it, that I can barely concentrate on doing any artwork. Lately, I have become consumed with thinking up ways to make more money. Thinking of more art shows, a garage sale, etc. All things that promote and make money, but do not give me time to create art. And that is my dilemna. Right now I feel pressured to make money, which leaves little to no time to create art. In the next few weeks I doubt that I will have much time for serious personal art projects because I have an art show on July 12th and I have decided to have my garage sale on July 19th.