Sunday, May 6, 2012

seashells, paintings and books


Let each man exercise the art he knows. 
Aristophanes



hello lovelies!

Yes, you. 
Including the men who join me here.
(and i know there are a few)

I hope i didn't scare you all away
with my recent "I'm not married" rant. ;-)

I may not believe in marriage
but i do believe in love.

Big difference between the two (in my eyes).

Now let's get on to some fun stuff, 
shall we?

The little yellow birds above
are paintings i used to do a lot.
I began doing them for friends
and they kinda started selling well.
A little too well.

I was faced with the age old question
most artists are faced with eventually...

"am i doing this because i love it
or because i know it'll sell?"

These little birds eventually became boring for me,
so i stopped painting them.
I still think they're cute - i just do them much less now.

I painted these two for my mother,
who's giving them as a gift.
(she still loves them...)


On my regular walk on the beach over the weekend,
I found these beauties.
I watched as a huge seagull
cracked this open with his beak
and feasted on what was inside.

Whenever i see something like this,
part of me is in awe of the whole spectacle,
and another part wants to run towards the seagull
and scare it off
so i can save this little guy.

But then i remind myself that this is nature,
the way things are supposed to be.
So i just sit and watch instead...

with my eyes half closed.


Isn't it beautiful?


As for painting, i've done a little less lately,
only because work got in the way.

i hate when that happens. ;-)


Whenever i have left over paints,
i spread them on paper, like i did here.
No particular image or idea,
 just blocks of leftover color.


Then whenever i have a bit of time -
I add more paint to it and turn it into something
a little more visually pleasing.

At least for me.


I like this free form kinda painting
where nothing needs to make much sense.

Very liberating.


A quick pencil sketch... 
may turn into a painting soon - not sure.



A while ago, i ordered these books
and they came in last week.

It's like Christmas at the house
whenever i get a box from Amazon!
Soooooo exciting!

The Fire Starter Sessions.
A. MA. ZING.

Steal like an artist...
SUCH a good little book.
So many gems in there.

And yes, there's a difference
between good stealing and bad stealing


so don't go sending me any hate emails
about how stealing is bad, ok?

I already know that.

And i don't run with scissors either. ;-)


One of his little nuggets of wisdom.

On that note, i've had a few conversations lately
about what it means to be creative.

With today's technology at our fingertips,
and everyone else's masterpiece in our face 24-7,
it's hard not to feel overwhelmed and intimidated sometimes.

There's nothing wrong with being inspired by others,
but i think we need to set limits for
inspirational time.

If you often find yourself sitting in front of your computer,
thinking things like

"I wish i would've done that"

"I wish I was that good"

"if i had the money, I would do blankety blank blank blank"...

shut off the damn computer
and go make something.

The only thing you should be concerned with is this:

what fuels me?

What do i want?

What do I love to do?

And go do it.

Let others do what they are best at,
and you wow us with what YOU are best at.
I know you're all best at something...
I've seen it.
Go do that.

"Let each man exercise the art he knows". 
xoxo

17 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, where do I even start....

    First, good for you for not getting married if you don't want to. I don't want kids, doesn't mean I don't like 'em, just don't want 'em for me.

    LOVE your little birds! I can see why they were so popular. Again, if you don't want to paint 'em any more, you don't have to!

    You're obviously much better about not interfering with nature than I am...I regularly pick up earthworms that are drying out on the sidewalk. I'm probably not very popular with the waiting robins but I can't help myself! Poor little wiggly earthworms....

    I just got the same two books! I've only made it a few pages into each of them. Amazon deliveries are the best!

    Take care and happy creating xx

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  2. Tons of good stuff here... WOW!!
    Great, great post, Pauline, love it. :]
    The quote as the beginning of your entry to the sweet yellow birdies, always a delight to see your work!!
    Fantastic books too... ENJOY.
    Amazon is my favorite place to shop for books. Such deals.
    Such powerful thoughts to ponder, "WOW US WITH WHAT YOU ARE BEST AT."
    I agree with this, with all my heart & soul!! :]

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  3. Your birds are delightful. I can see why they are popular...but if they aren't fun anymore, maybe they need a rest. And after seeing your sketch...wow! Follow your heart.

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  4. Great post! Full of thoughtful, interesting, ideas. The books sound really good (who Doesn't love Amazon?), and I love the diversity of your art! nancy

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  5. I love how random you are - and I mean that as HUGE compliment:-) Your quick pencil sketch tells a story... I love it. Hope you paint and share it with us! Thanks for visiting and for your encouraging words:-)

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  6. I love the Steal Like An Artist book- it is such fun and filled with nuggets of wisdom! I can see why the birds sell so well for you- they are adorable. And I can see why you want to keep things fresh for yourself. How amazing to see a seagull get its dinner- wow!

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  7. Really great post. i love the little yellows, the walk on the beach sounds like heaven! And what a good way to use up leftovers and make something really interesting out of it!

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  8. The yellow birds are delightful and so very cheerful. No wonder they are popular! It's best to go with your heart, as you have done, to stop doing them when the joy of drawing them died out for whatever reason. The two books look like real gems. Thank you for yet another inspiring post!

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  9. What a wonderful post! So much to think about and reflect on and so much beauty.

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  10. Great post filled with creative tit-bits, Pauline! I love your painting and sketch....and those little birdies are adorable!! However, I do understand your point about whether you're painting it because you love it or because you know it will sell. I found myself in that trap for a while in my early days of painting.

    I adore sea shells! Like you, I understand nature's food chain but, I'm often torn and want to save the victim. I look away in the 'predator catching their prey' scenes of documentaries. I'm such a sook!

    Enjoy the rest of your week ~ xo

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  11. Thoughtful musings on creativity and life. The books look interesting. I love your blue paintings, and the yellow birds too! I know why they sold so well -- there is a happy innocence represented there. Have a creative week.

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  12. Oh so much to say! WHAT a wonderful post, and I so agree and am inspired by your last thoughts on creating the stuff that fuels us individually.
    AND those books sound wonderful - looks like I have some shopping to do ;)
    Beautiful artwork too btw, I understand why those cute birds are so popular, but you gotta go with your heart, your blue piece and that sketch are wonderful, xoxo

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  13. What a wonderful post ~ so glad your shared your creations ~ love them all ~ shells are awesome too and great book finds ~ enjoy the week ~ thanks, namaste, ^_^

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  14. Your painting is visually pleasing to me too :). And great pencil sketch. I hope to see something developed from that one. I just got my latest Amazon.ca order last week with Abstract 50 Inspirational Projects and loving it.
    Stay inspired!

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  15. I am just catching up on posts and have to say that the last one cracked me up and then this one is just perfect... 5 year plans bring me out in hives and then I need a drink and a lie down to recover and then I get behind which means I have to make a list to catch up which causes stress, so i need a drink and a lie down, then I feel a bit tipsy from the drinks... so I don't get anything done... except another drink... then I am in all sorts of trouble and hung over and all because of freakin five year plans... having said that I did for a while wage war on them and used to sneak little notes onto peoples when I saw them... you know helpful hints like... get a life... or pick nose... it helped me cope with them...xx

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  16. i really hate not having time to respond to each and every one of you individually, but then if i did, i'd have to follow Tracey's plan and have a drink. :-)
    Shit Tracey, you cracked me up so much with this... i laughed for 15 min...i swear. i was still laughing while i was doing the dishes when my son gave me "THE LOOK"... i know you know which one i mean. ;-)
    How's the new Rufus CD? Thanks for being here Tracey. You make my world a better place. Really. Drinking and all. xoxo

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  17. I love your "found" painting out of left over paints. I do the same thing! I really hate leftover paint, it feels so wasteful. :)

    I do love your birdies too, but I completely understand. You can be good at something without enjoying it. I ran from architecture to art, and most people gape at me when I tell them that. :) But its where my heart is now!

    Keep up the great work, I look forward to seeing what else you do! <3 Kate

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