Painting Through Difficult Times

I was honored to participate in three shows this summer and fall. The Rio Grande Art Association's Summer Show in Corrales, NM, The Corrales Historical Society's fall show at the beautiful San Ysidro Church in Corrales, NM, and the Placitas Artist Series in Placitas, NM.

We also had some changes in our household which has given me more time and a dedicated studio to paint! But, just when things seemed to be smooth sailing ahead, I fell and broke my patella on my left leg and that has thrown much of daily life into a new realm. After being in a leg brace for 6 weeks, crunch time is here to start to bend my knee and strengthen the muscles that were dormant for weeks. It is tough, no doubt about it.

I really wasn't comfortable painting at my easel until recently, so painting went on the back burner. But, as is true of most things, perspective is good and I had a chance to reflect on where I want my art to go moving forward.

I am finishing the last painting in my Women Who Have Guided Us On Our Path series and am going to move on from that for the time being. The last painting is of 3 "Comfort Women" from a photograph taken by photographer Paula Allen, who kindly allowed me to use her photo as a basis for my painting.

Also on a personal level, my husband and I are going to begin spending half of the year in Ajijic, Mexico, and I am thrilled to have new inspiration for my work. I've always been an admirer of Mexican art, culture, architecture, and of course, the food! New adventures often mean a new way of looking at life and art and keeps us moving forward in life in very positive ways.

Women You Should Know

I was enormously flattered to have my work and story published on womenyoushouldknow.net on March 10, 2021. Their support of my Women Who Have Guided Us On Our Path series has meant such a lot to me. I got some great feedback after the article was published. It was also good for me to articulate my thoughts about art and what it means to me on a personal level. Sometimes it's hard to put feelings into words, but readers shared their impressions about my bio and I'm happy that I was successful in communicating my story meaningfully.

Thank you WYSK!

More work to do on the series and the spotlight made me more determined to keep painting!

Art in a New Year

Already it's February and that's nearly over, too. I must admit, the first part of the year I was occupied with reorganizing after the holidays and getting through the election, etc. I still tried to be productive in art, but found myself distracted with other events. But I have some good news. So often, artists go through periods of self doubt, and I must admit I've had a lot of those periods lately. I wonder if what I'm doing is of any value, but thankfully those times pass and I keep plodding on.

In searching online for organizations that focus on womens' issues and those that focus on celebrating the successes of women throughout history, I came across www.womenyoushouldknow.net. Their mission is to "inspire and inform and ensure that the triumphs and struggles of women and girls have a powerful platform." I noticed that they have an Art section, so I sent them a query describing my Women Who Have Guided Us On Our Path series to see if they would be interested in reviewing my paintings. Yes, they were!

And, they asked if I would like to be included on their website with images of my paintings, an Artist's statement about my work on the series, and a Bio. Wow, that was so exciting.

Everything has been sent off and will be on their site in March.

Boy, did that give me a boost. So, today I feel great, have so much inspiration and can't wait to get painting. A few weeks can be entirely different!