A Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect - to think about all the things one is thankful for.  Here's a few things I am grateful for:

1. my health, even though I could stand to lose some weight
2. my mom - she's been my Rock of Gibraltar through thick and thin
3. my camera - yeah, it's an inanimate object, but has given me so much pleasure
4. Nature - anything wild and free as it reminds me to step out of the wood and concrete box I call home and look at the beauty that surrounds me.
5. A will to survive or I'd have packed it in years ago.

I am sure there are many other things I can think of but these would be my top 5 so to speak.

What are you thankful for, even if you don't reside in the USA.

So, a Happy Thanksgiving to all in the USA.

Perseverance is Vital

With the thought of 2011 coming to a close, and another birthday to celebrate tomorrow, I find myself looking back upon 2011 and the changes that I've gone though and what I hope to see happen in 2012.  In some areas, I've seen marked improvement.  In others, I'm seeing some growth but some stifling issues on creativity causing major block.  While I struggle with the later, I'm focusing on the former hoping that when I am ready to return to creating for the later, I'll be ready to jump in head first.

This morning, I glanced back at my overall progress as a model horse painter looking at the marked improvement since I first started back in 1985.  Here's a piece I'm just finishing up - these images are still progress photos but you get the idea.  This little guy was commissioned for a paint job with "artist license" - in other words, I was able to let the piece tell me what he wanted for color and pattern and I'm so happy this client allowed me to do that.  Sometimes trying to force a color on a model that "isn't feeling it" ends up in a less than stellar job - at least to me.  But then again, I'm ALWAYS really hard on myself.

 
















I also studied my progress as a greeting card creator.  With the opening of my first online "store" at one particular POD, my overall statistics since joining there a few years ago have shown some improvement, quite to my surprise.  I currently have sold 200 more cards than I did last year.  It's not anything I can pay bills with at the moment but it's a step in the right direction.  I've still got so much to learn, but hey, 200 more cards is still 200 more cards and the year hasn't finished out yet.  Now, where's my bar chart??

I'll readily admit creativity in that department has waned significantly due to new "marketability" guidelines which I originally freaked out about, then embraced as I gained further insight into the need and reasoning behind.  I took a great deal of time to study my own products and made changes I hope are to the better.  But then, I started hearing stories of major inconsistencies in the review process for approval or denial.  So, now I'm wondering whether or not my work will survive the culling process after all is said and done.  While I fret with these problems, I started looking at other avenues as I prepare for a long winter which is promising to be cold and snowy.  With some added support of fellow card designing artists, I'm looking at other avenues to market my cards while the changes continue to be made.  I'm focusing efforts on a second store with a different POD at the moment since I also have the ability to create more than just greeting cards.  When I opened up there a couple years ago, I sold I think but one item.  This year, I've seen several more sales.  Again, it's not enough to make a living on, but marked improvement.

My photography will be a great winter project to focus on when the snows fall - reorganizing my entire digital library for one, maybe entering a contest or two with my more successful images, and seeing how I can use them for future projects.  I'm also taking the time to learn some new forms of art to add to my skill set.  As a paraprofessional at a local middle school, I've been tickled with the creations the students are making using simple colored pencil drawings.  I've been inspired to try my hand at it and I'll post later my first unfinished piece.

The moral of this story, keep trying.  Sometimes it does take time to see the fruits of your labors take off.  If one thing isn't working well at the moment, try something else until the inspiration comes back to find you.

Getting back into the swing of things

What a day I had today.  It was the first time I stepped into a hall where model horse people in our region assembled to hold the end of the year championship show.  Model horse show?  Huh?  What are ya talking about?

The world of model horses is a lot broader than just collecting them.  Think about model train enthusiasts - how they go to conventions and set up elaborate dioramas.  Our model horse hobby is much the same - where every detail counts.

Here's some photos from a few of the first classes:

Harness entry

dressage entry

western games entry

english games

jumper entry

another harness entry

My main reason for going to the show was to deliver three horse models I had painted on commission and to get a bead on what live showing model horses is like these days as I had taken a seven year hiatus after the loss of my job.  I needed some time to get my head around that and figure out a new path in life - and the issues around model horse showing was just not something I wanted to put any energy into at that point - I had far more pressing things to focus on.

Breyer PAM all work done by me

likeness of Spectacular Bid (customizing work done by Julie Brooks, paint job by me)

Debbie Lermond Sheba's Jewel resin (tail repair, prep and paint by me.

But with three new paint jobs on horse models that were now in the hands of their new owners, the bug bit again and I watched some of the classes as they were set up, judged and pinned and it brought me to a decision where I hope 2012 will allow me to get some of my own models out there - to hang with my crazy model horse buddies and to get to know the newer hobbyists that I've become acquainted with through email.

So, to conclude, thank you to Iva, Nancy, Linda, Meredith, Ann, Larry, and Anne for the warm welcome back to the live show aspect of model horse collecting and showing.  May I see you all as a fellow competitor in 2012!

Remembering September 11, 2001

image by John Skelson   http://www.silverprintphotography.com/911lights.html

It's hard to believe it's been ten years since this tragic event occurred.  I can remember with incredible precision exactly where I was standing and what I was doing when the news came across the Internet.  It was the one time I was happy the other department supervisor was taking some time to access Yahoo News.  I can remember him saying "something happened at the Twin Towers".  Even my mother could remember leaving for work having just heard "there was an accident involving a plane in New York."

As the events unfolded, we watched video pipe through Supervisor Joe's computer showing the plane hitting the first tower.  And when the second strike happened, it became blatantly obvious this was no accident.  A TV was rolled into our small cafe and all us workers piled in to view what was going on.  Horrified, we sat there without saying a word - the only time our busy crew of lab techs and supervisors fell completely silent and still.  It almost seemed as if the world around us came to a complete stop with all attention directed on the events happening with each passing moment.

With the anniversary of 9/11 upon us, I'll be out on another all-day whale watch in the waters of Cape Cod Bay.  It will be a different kind of trip knowing there will be events all around to remember those heroic souls lost.  And I know I certainly will take a moment to pay tribute to our fallen Americans and all the soldiers who are still fighting for peace.

This morning on the morning news, Dan Holdridge tells his story of being at the Pentagon.  I was most impressed with his words to a group of students at Albertus Magnus college:

"No one's going to solve their problems by burning of Bibles or other materials.  People are going to solve problems when they put down hand grenades and pick up hand shakes."

Such wise words - when will we all learn to just get along?  Why can't we all learn to live in peace?

Dan Holdridge's WTNH televised interview:

http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/news/new_london_cty/ct-native-living-on-a-pentagon-prayer

At 8:42 AM EST on Sunday, September 11, 2011, please honor our lost brothers and sisters with a moment of silence and pray for all the world's peoples to find the strength to one day set aside all differences and create a world of peace for all.

Going to the Cats

Cats - those graceful, seductive creatures that people either love or hate.  People have long since categorized themselves as either cat-people or dog-people and sometimes a lover of both species.  These fascinating creatures have been a part of my life for many years, all starting with a stray named Samantha who was named for the character in I Dream of Jeannie for one minute she would be here and the next she was gone. 

Samantha graced our family with at least two litters of kittens each year, one litter she gave birth to was in our laundry room behind the clothes washer.  She also became the one cat who later introduced us to the need of spaying and neutering one's feline companions.  Over the fourteen years she spent in our yard, as those years passed, it became harder and harder to find homes for her offspring.  She was the mom to two of my first feline house mates - an orange tabby named Fritz and a grey tabby named Ollie born a litter apart.

In 1997, my mom became one of the founding members of a feral cat welfare group.  We learned about new programs like that run by TEAM (Tait's Every Animal Matters) - a mobile surgical unit that travels our home state spaying and neutering felines - feral and housemates alike.  This same surgical unit became a model for other similar ones in Pennsylvania.  Long story short, the pyramid of offspring that can result from just one pair of cats is a striking number and that's if one kitten from each litter survives.

Just this year, I was asked if I could lend a paint brush to some sculpted cat resins to help raise money for the Cat Guardians of Illinois and you bet I jumped on it!  These five figurines were sculpted by Marcy Osedo (Studio Cute), cast in resin by Deb and Randy Buckler of Resins By Randy, and painted by me (Sunshine's Creative Endeavors's Arcadian Creations).

Chris Wallbruch is selling the cats via auction with all proceeds going to help her Cat Guardians and the final day to make a bid is September 8.  Feel free to contact Chris (wombats AT earthlink.net) to place a bid!

Patches - a Himalayan - CURRENT BID $15  http://www.modelhorsesalespages.com/sales/view_details.asp?id=872158

KitKat - Russian Blue  Starting offer $15  http://www.modelhorsesalespages.com/sales/view_details.asp?id=872156

 Hanna - orange tabby long hair CURRENT OFFER $25  http://www.modelhorsesalespages.com/sales/view_details.asp?id=872160

 Napoleon short haired tortoiseshell calico - my personal fave of the bunch!  CURRENT OFFER $30
http://www.modelhorsesalespages.com/sales/view_details.asp?id=872137

 Cookie - black tiger long hair  Starting Offer $15 http://www.modelhorsesalespages.com/sales/view_details.asp?id=872161

A Bit of Fun with Colorful Butterflies

Ever since I can remember, I've been intrigued with the beauty of butterflies.  In my youth during summer recess, you would always find me outside on a sunny day in the yard or the vacant lot next door before it was subdivided and built on.  The wild flowers were prime attractants for them and provided hours of outside time running around with a butterfly net.  Later on, I switched over to photographing butterflies enjoying watching them go about daily business without being hassled by me or net. 

I was familiar with the common species - cabbage whites, monarchs, several of the swallowtails.  But, as the scientist in me grew, so did my desire to get to know more about these colorful insects.  Once I obtained a macro lens, it was really all over!  I am without a doubt hopelessly addicted to photographing small things or getting in closer to capture detailed images of some of my favorite subjects.

Here's a few:

 
I started learning about butterfly gardening.  You don't have to live in the country to provide for butterflies.  There's plenty of flowers that can be planted in pots that will bring in these beautiful winged creatures.  It's more than just providing sources of nectar for the adults.  A great attractant is through the providing of host plants for their larva.  This takes some researching and becoming familiar with the different species in one's area and this can be accomplished easily if one is willing to let a section of the yard "go back to nature".  I was inspired to do so as the usual store bought plants just didn't hold up with the extreme heat whereas native wildflowers will manage. The benefits of native plantings abound - the most important reason - it's healthier for the environment.

This leads up to a fun story to tell - a story of an encounter with a Red Admiral.  This particular species I find tends to be a bit nervous when approached making getting close pictures a bit of a challenge.  As with all wild things, one needs to get to know one's subject in order to photo it well.  At the time this little one showed up, I was outside with my macro set up shooting small insects and I certainly wasn't thinking of the Red Admiral that had been spending the last two days teasing me with his appearances and quick departures whenever I approached too close.

However, at this particular time, he/she decided to delight me with a close encounter.  I don't recall having any perfumes on or anything of particular interest, but this little one landed on my shoulder and would fly off only to return again and again and again.  Then, he landed on the Rose of Sharon and delighted me with staying very still while I got in close for the following images.

What was so fun was having him fly off and return and each time I went in close with the macro lens it seemed as if he was keeping a direct eye on that lens.  I can only imagine what he must have been thinking.  Did he see his reflection and think the other a rival male?  Was that other butterfly in the reflection a pretty female?  I haven't a clue.   We were in each other's company for a good twenty minutes.  I think I finally walked away after taking a couple dozen pictures.

Look at this close up!  I swear it was as if he was staring me down from his perch on that Rose of Sharon that was just over my head.

I know this particular shot will end up a greeting card and I have yet to determine how I will use it.  Maybe a "Hello" card.  I haven't decided yet.  It's going to have a comical twist to it, however it ends up.  Before I left, I thanked the little bugger for delighting me with his extreme interest in me - for whatever reason he had, I certainly enjoyed it and have a bunch of wonderful fun images to remember the encounter.

Inspiration and Motivation - Trying to Get Creative Again

I didn't feel up to writing last week.  There's been a lot of junk going on that drew upon my energy and put a bit of a damper on my creativity.  With all that I've handled over the years, I managed to be strong as I have indeed survived them, but sometimes it saps my energies.  It's a struggle, admittedly, to find the strength to continue handling life's "bumps in the road" as many times I feel that my tires are running flat.

Through one recent dilemma, I have been in touch with a fellow artist who has posted on her blog how she's dealt with creative block, especially when you feel like your self-confidence is being severely tested.  I thought I would link up her blog posts here as they are indeed appropriate for how I'm feeling right now.

http://judyadamsonartanddesign.blogspot.com/2010/05/magic-of-confidence.html  and http://judyadamsonartanddesign.blogspot.com/2010/08/max-shapey-lcsw-on-blocks-to-creativity.html

and to overcome creative block in the art world, http://judyadamsonartanddesign.blogspot.com/2010/07/6-tips-for-overcoming-artists-block.html

It comes down to getting motivated and finding one's own goals and I thought I would address some things here.  Motivation - the driving force to do something.  Hum... where does one start?  I guess in a way I've been lucky in that my creative juices flow in many directions.  When I'm feeling particularly down lacking motivation to do any one particular form of art, I hop over to something else or do something else.  And then the flip side of this, I face hurdles in staying focused when I feel things aren't going quite the way I want them to go.

Model Horse Painting/Customizing.  Sometimes it's a battle here as in many cases your sales come down to how well your work wins in our hobby competitions.   I've battled feeling held back and one well-established artist told me to stop thinking about what others think - paint/create model horses because it makes ME feel good.  I really tried to change my mindset, and believe me, I still battle with this today.  However, when I started focusing NOT on creating winning pieces and focusing on doing a better job, it seemed to help.

Here's one of my latest creations named Incantation - a Peter Stone Ideal Stock Horse model repositioned, repainted, and given real mohair.  He is owned by a dear friend who's been kicking my butt to push on with this art form based on two models I've now done for her that have become local "champions".   My focus here now - not on creating winners but having fun doing the creating, doing the best I can, and just pleasing a commissioning client or MYSELF. 



 


When the painting of model horses "isn't talking to me," I'll jump over to another form of art to refocus.  Sometimes it's attempting to do poetry, writing fan fiction for my favorite movies or TV shows, or doing something like digital art.  I can spend hours looking for colorful patterns and pictures using free program called Fractal Explorer and Apophysis and taking the rendered images and at times making even more creations by combining them together.

 

Inspiration - something that sparks that inner drive to move forward.  To me, it can come in many forms - perhaps as a kind word from someone who understands what you are going through; a feeling of success at one step that drives you on to the next; or obtaining some inner peace doing something relaxing (sometimes these are temporary "fits").  For example, I will take a stroll down to Center Cemetery in my home town - yes, this sounds freaky but let me explain - Center Cemetery resides right alongside a salt marsh and it's truly beautiful there in the summer.   As a nature watcher, I enjoy the large number of birds that congregate here to feed on fish and small crustaceans that make their way upstream on the high tides.  Egrets, herons, songbirds, ducks and geese, sandpipers, and my favorite - the Ospreys - all hand out here.  I'll watch kingfishers show off their marvelous hunting skills hanging in the sky as they locate a fish to pounce on.  The sandpipers probe the exposed mudflats for bites to eat.  And seaside dragonflies patrol the cemetery grounds and over the river's water for prey.  As a water sign being a Scorpio, I find peace here.  It's generally quite except for the periodic visitor wishing to pay respects to a loved on that passed on.  Even for myself, a dear friend was laid to rest here and now I get to say hello to her while I commune with Nature.  I never go to this place without my camera as I never know what I will see there.  And after a venture like this, there are times I'll come home and create, create, create!

You don't necessarily need to go far either.  Sometimes I just need a short walk outside my own door into the yard to feel inspired to work on art.  I also don't go outside without my camera.  The flowers are blooming now both wild and cultivated.  There are numerous creatures hard at work with daily life.  Sometimes I find inspiration in seeing how they don't let the bad things hinder them.  They have things they must do and they just do them.  Even if you are in the city, take a moment and go outside.  One favorite thing I enjoyed in my youth was just looking up at the clouds and observing patterns or pictures that emerged.

 I see ocean wave rolling in.  What do you see?




Like many, sometimes you feel like the weight of the world is upon your shoulders.  I'll focus on the things I can't do or haven't felt successful with and these will curb my creativity a great deal.  Then, I will get a swift kick to the posterior that gives me the strength to push on.  Yes, there are times I feel like I'm taking a step forward and then twenty backward.  We all can be our own worst enemy - this can squash the creative focus or cause unnecessary high levels of stress.  I'll whine and complain, but I will eventually seek something that allows me to push forward - like a fast and hard reminder I still have a roof over my head, food in my belly, and my health.  I've overcome stresses others might have folded to long ago.  Admittedly, it's a battle but I refuse to give up.  As I was yet again just reminded via conversation with a fellow artist, perhaps something is coming along that just hasn't presented itself yet - maybe where I am now is just a springboard to something bigger and better - and I need to be there with open arms to embrace it.

I guess the reason for my ramblings is this - find something that boosts your motivation and allows you to find inspiration to create, or to accomplish a task that has otherwise proved daunting to face.  So today, I will finish painting that model horse I was commissioned to do, take care of a few necessary chores around the house, and take a short walk outside and marvel at what I might discover in my own back yard.

Coming Soon:
Feel Better Friend card and a Friends Like You birthday card