Countdown to Fall Art Crawl begins

I've been busy painting lately... mostly just painting for the love of it and painting things I love...lots of poppies. But this past week, I started working on a piece to submit for the fall art crawl poster competition. The deadline for entering is tomorrow! I know...I always think I'm going to be ready for these things way before they are due, but it never happens. There is something about working up to a deadline that gets my creative juices flowing, I guess!

Actually, I've been a little on the fence about entering the fall poster competition. First off, life has been a little busy lately (but isn't it always). Second, I've entered this competition before with no success. I don't necessarily expect success, but rejection isn't my favorite thing either.

Then there is the whole painful process (for me) of creating something with certain specifications for a competition. Like many artists, I like creating what I like, what I'm passionate about. I don't what art to become a popularity contest. And yet, there is that aspect to making art, especially when you are trying to be more visible as an artist, that is about getting your art seen and well, liked. Ugh.

In the end, I created a painting that is part of a series I started many months ago. I intended to do another larger piece in this series, so this seemed like the time to do it. I could have entered 3 different pieces, but this time, I entered just one. Be what it may, I can say I participated.

So tonight I had to write an artist statement as part of my registration. Why didn't they ever teach you how to do that in art class? I love writing, but find it hard to write about my art. Here's what I came up with (let me know what you think):

My journey as an artist began when I was a young girl looking at a print of a Renoir painting...as I looked at the print I thought to myself, “I want to do that...I want to paint.” If only it was that simple to realize our dreams

Pursuing my dream of being an artist has taken many twists and turns. Along the way, I have been a student, wife, single mom, and in the working world, a social worker. The passion to be an artist has remained. One way or another, I have always made art.

Recently my life has changed in such a way as to allow me to pursue my dream of being an artist with renewed focus and purpose. I now have a studio in Lowertown St. Paul and live in one of the artist co-operatives.

My artwork explores many subject matters and themes, often drawing from my life experiences. Through my art I look at what is hard in life and what brings us beauty. I explore relationships and the forces that keep us going. I enjoy using intense color and hope my work reflects passion and energy. I primarily work with acrylics on canvas, but have begun doing some mixed media work as well.

This painting of two birch trees demonstrates my use of color and explores the theme of relationships. For me, these two birch trees, leaning against one another and then stretching off into different directions are like a couple. At the base, they are strong together...but they are also independent of one another and branch off in different directions. In fact, it is that support of one another, that allows them to pursue their own dreams.