A New Year and New Thoughts....

Coffee and Persimmons 11x14

After an exceedingly busy, cold and yet, satisfying holiday...I am finally back in the studio! Well actually three days ago. I will make a quick update of events over the holidays...
1. Removed work from the Artcentral show, two large pieces sold.
2. Accepted into the Oliviero-Block Auction, coming in April.
3.Thanksgiving..here at our house and also at relatives.
4. Max's 18 year old son's, Wyatt, visit from Christmas to January 17th....lot's of visiting!
5. Sub-zero temps for most of December and January....with a lot of snow!!
6. Two pieces sold from Cherry's gallery....and a party attended there!
7. Photographic trip in the snow...we had several inches...fairly uncommon here.
8. Various car problems.
9. Christmas and all that entails...cookies, cooking, decorating, parties, gifts, visitors.
1o. A trip to see Avatar and and eat hot wings....I had catfish...the guys had hot wings.
11. Hosting a birthday party and cooking prime rib and all the trimmings for our friend, Tom's birthday.
12 Attending a dance recital for local dance group that Max's daughter teaches and performs in and a friends, Linda Simpson and Jim Bilgere, opening in Joplin.
13. Found three large plastic bags of paper work that never got organized from when I moved....thankfully most of it got tossed!
14. Finally got the studio completely organized.
15. Gained 10 pounds....:(....lost 6 pounds....:)!
16. Started 2 paintings and finishing the commission for my Doctor.
17. All the daily junk, cleaning, washing, animals, etc.........
18. Updated website.
19. Read two books...the new Richard Schmid book and one called Fake! that a friend loaned me.
20. Back to my blog and limiting Facebook time.
21. First New work of 2010...!

So let me start with the story of a painting a did a while back. Of Saints and Sinners was originally 20x30. I had it exhibited in a few shows.....everyone loved it but it never sold. I was going through some older paintings deciding what to junk and what to save and the thought occurred to me....cut this one down. This is something I have done before by the way. Small paintings are doing very well these days. So I did. I carefully placed a frame around different sections and decided it definitely had two really good parts. The rest was somewhat extemporaneous. Then it occurred to me....Make it a diptych. So that is exactly what I did. I had Cherry frame it in the perfect framing material and it turned out beautifully! It sold immediately at a Christmas party at the gallery I am in to two local interior designers. Another small painting also sold earlier to a local Doctor who has begun to collect my work. Never let it be said that bigger is better!
Next time step by step....and more.
Here are the before and after pictures.
See you later,
Theresa




Before "Of Saints And Sinners" original 20x30





After "Of Saints And Sinners II" Diptych 25x15 Sold





"Music!" 8x10 Sold