HOPE- AND MY GREEN HILL.

 A long time ago on a far away hill a passionate girl filled with hope started her journey exploring art. She didn't know the right way to go or the wrong way to go. She just went..... forward. She read and she painted and she played and she practiced and she studied and she geeked out on art supplies. And she plays to this day. Happily, merrily now she plays in her own art gallery called "Krantz Art". She and her sweet Farmer bought a building and named it "Main Street Arts" and now it shelters her and a co-op gallery of 30 beautiful artisans. And they all live happily together.

 That lucky, very blessed-to-the-max girl is your's truly, ODD CHICK.It is still amazing to me where your most passionate passions will lead you if you will just listen, if you will explore, if you will follow your heart.

MY GREEN HILL is HERE AND NOW.

AND HOPE continues to perch on my shoulder whispering that there are more luscious hills ahead.

I have never seen anyone do that before....

We heard it at least 30 times. "Welllllll......I've never seen anyone try to paint carpet", with a pinch of salty scoffing. Only a pinch. But just enough, every time, to make a girl wonder why originality is such a scary thing to some, and when it quit being a road block or hazard to creativity for others.  Art has certainly made me braver in that area.

This idea wasn't mine alone, of course. It came after a brain-storming session with an art friend about how to get rid of boring carpet. "It's a canvas", she said. And off I go like Alice down the rabbit hole. AND There are chrome sheets on my ceilings and paint on my carpet and wood pallets painted with gold glitter. It's been done before somewhere I bet, but it feels original to me.

"It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation."

If you haven't heard, I've been incredibly blessed lately as Sweet Farmer and I have purchased a building on main street in Roswell, New Mexico and I have leased 3/4 of it out to a co-op gallery and have retained 1000 square feet for my own gallery space and studio. I KNOW!!! I can't believe I just wrote that!!It's true.

It's a canvas. The whole space is just like a new canvas and I am enjoying painting it layer by layer. Of course, I have had lots of help. Like Isaac, this new friend, young and spunky, cool as beans grafitti artist who has helped me paint pinwheels. I wish I had permission to share his story because he has a great story and I'm so glad I met him.

He doesn't think I'm odd. When he heard what I wanted to do with the floor, he says things like, "that's going down hard" and that translates, "wow, I like that". He gets that you have to be brave and do your thing even when people think you're a little too original. But I think artists learn to embrace the fear of doing it different. We've learned to accept failure, uncertainty, and surprise outcomes on some level. We know you can always begin again. But we have to explore the boundaries of creativity. And step over them now and then. 

Speaking of beginning again. This is what was under 60 or 70 years of layers of stucco on the top of the store. Once it was named "Everybody's". And now, many years later it will be a place for everybody to create, share their art, and share their passion.

There are lot of us art geeks out there. Thankfully.

YAH! IT's SPRING!

I'm crowing like a happy rooster over here for a hundred happy reasons.

I'm happy it's spring!!

I'm loving this new app called Over that Misty Mawn turned us on to. OH YUM_ take her class and she shows you how to use it and even more secrets!

I've seen people making beautiful cards and fun post using this app. It makes your art all brand new again when you can use it a different way.

DANGER! DANGER! artist's crush!! -  This is 120 half stick pastels from Rembrandt that I got for my birthday!! AREN'T they the most beautiful sight. THESE have made me very happy. I did spill the box which made me sad for a minute because they were all sorted into color and values. But I think I can get a picture and put them back right .. or not.. they are still making me sigh every time I open the box!

I have BIG news. I'm tackling something that is mind-boggling for me right now. BUT it is bringing me lots of happiness and joy. I can't wait to share it with you. Give me a couple of weeks. 

I hope the first day of Spring is getting you energized for great things. 

Of course, I still love SWEET FARMER. He makes me really happy!

Don't let anything stop you from having a great SPRING! 

My Colorful Life

"Adele Bloch-Bauer's Pet Cheetah"
Acrylic/Mixed Media on 2X4 foot gallery wrapped canvas

I will always remember
painting this cheetah
painting because I finished it the day before my 55th birthday.
He represents my wild and colorful life.
If I'm having a mid-life crisis- then this is the best crisis I have ever had and I never want it to end. BRING IT ON!
I recently told my hair-dresser to cut my hair but leave it a little grungy. GRUNGY???- but it's short and messy and I love it. It fits my life on the go.
It shakes out when I take my dirt bike helmet off  and it doesn't look too bad.
I'm wrinkling and getting chubby, and having flashes of something besides brilliance, memory's fading, and all those things but I'm good with all that. I mean, I want to take care of myself and be healthy and I know I've been hot and now I am COOL beans and ba-ba-ba-ba bad to the bone. And wiser. And calmer. And kinder. A better lover of people. So heck to all those other small things like fitting in skinny jeans, compared to the good gifts I've been given through age and time, I will take about 50 more years in my yoga pants! 
I'm in love with my husband, my kids, my grandkids and my art. Oh, my GOODNESS. My art/mind/life has truly been the greatest gift of this season of my life. I will forever be grateful that I prayed that simple prayer and asked God to teach me to draw in 2007.
God has also given me a peace in my heart, and a spacious place in my head to grow in Him. I just hope He gives me more time and health to do a thousand things on my bucket tank load list of places to go and new passions to chase down. I know it's a lot to ask. 
I intend to recreate myself at least 10 more times. New hairdos, new hobbies, less stuff,  classy fashions, new sports- I intend to be NEW, and classy, and traveling and learning until the day I die (I'm heading to Ireland in September!) or until I lose my ability to decide what to do with my day or my mind. But there's no time to waste.  My heart is nearly bursting now. 
Thanks for sharing the years with me!! I hope we have many more.
Above all things, I feel grateful, for this moment, this time, and my very precious mid-life season.

Acrylic on 22x30 Fabriano Paper - 

This is my latest painting called "Our Prayers Are Our Gifts" inspired by not one, but two glorious on-line classes.
You must check out Misty Mawn's Full Circle Workshop. It is packed full of 12 weeks of pure, undiluted, mind-blowing inspiration. I have loved it so much.
And
Jeanne Oliver's "Studying Under The Masters". This is a group of artists that hold nothing back and has been very educational and I have been reading like a mad woman and devouring new and magical information about the old art masters, and who inspired them, and who inspired them... and you can imagine it cost me another penny and many a library visit to hunt down the info- but it has FIRED ME UP, I tell you.

I learned to weave a scarf on a loom!!! Check off another bucket list item. It was an amazing day and I was so pleased with myself when she found no mistakes as far as missing a weave -Because I am always the messy one!

I'm still practicing my drawing. I'm even teaching some little kids some basic drawing lessons and that has been a big deal for me. I love seeing them progress, and loving their drawings and it has helped my own drawing by repeating the basics over and over.

And when I can't stand the joy of painting and drawing, and my chores are done, I take a little spin on my new (used) dirt-bike Sweet Farmer got me for Valentines. I love to see the farm land around here as I ride, and search for drawing inspirations on the back roads. 

Life is really good for me right now. It's hard not to feel guilty sometimes. Our lives are not perfect and sad things have happened that created a huge tidal wave of grief in our life.

 We lost my sister-in-law, Sweet Farmer's only sibling -his big sister. It was a heart attack at 51. She was a beautiful, loving mother and wife and she loved her little brother with a deep and consistent devotion. They were super close. I have been so sad for my Sweet Farmer as he bravely goes on to accept the loss of her presence from this side of things.

In spite of sad things, our lives are rich and full and hold so many opportunities. Even losing someone, makes you realize how very special our moments are with loved ones and to be truly present in the day you have.

Give you gifts to world and let it gift you back.

And spread grace... the world needs it so badly.

Checkin In...

If you are still following me- you are the loyal, among loyal blog friends. I have been here in a big way. But not Here. I can't even begin to tell you all the here and theres I've been.

Blame my IPad!  I do love it, and my new Sensu brush and art apps for art on the go.

The Lion Knows

 

I'm so excited to share some great news with you! So many of you have followed
me since the beginning when I was just learning to draw and then as I experimented with different mediums and styles, through various workshops.
I can't even begin to tell you how much your encouragement has helped me move my art along.
I now call myself an ART-cheologist because I know that I am digging and excavating layer by layer my potential in this art journey. It's not just a passing fancy, but a deep and enduring longing in my heart to find out what I'm made of, whatever talent I've been given, how far I can take it, and how much I can share it.

Well, my news is that my Lion above was juried into the Roswell Art Show and received an Honorable Mention and a green ribbon! UPdate: The Lion KNows won People's Choice Award at the Roswell International ARt Show. also. The original has sold! Prints available on canvas or archival paper.
That may not be great news to you but I was absolutely humbled that I was in the top awards for a show that included fantastic art from all over the world- among 269 entries. I entered for the last 3 years and never received such an award.
This painting represents another mile-stone for me, another marker as I think it represents my current level of skill and I can see progress in this painting.
I want to play with the "Big Boys". I want my art to be exceptional and I am still determined to dig further and this award has spurred me on.
Your encouragement has been invaluable.
I hope you are still enjoying my art, your own journey and may we all be blessed with an extra measure of magic.
And simply believe in it when it arrives.
 

"Wandering Voice"

22x30 on Fabriano Paper. Acrylic  "Wandering Voice"

She was such a pleasure to paint. I can't even tell you. I've always loved to sketch faces but when I went to paint the sketch,  I always struggled with blending the acrylics and them drying too fast but this time it wasn't a struggle. The paint and I danced together and she came forward as easily as could be. Don't you love it when that happens?

In case you don't recognize her this is a study of the top portrait of the Delphic Sybil by Michaelangelo that he placed very prominently on the ceiling of Sistine chapel. I love her strength and beauty. She was a powerful woman in her time telling men their fortunes and predicting outcomes. She was a priestess. It is said that when she died she became a wandering voice that still speaks to the ears of men in dark riddles about the future. I'm just weird enough to love that too.  I've been to Delphi, in Greece, where she worked and lived. I've been to the Sistine Chapel and seen her painted image. Maybe that's why her image followed me around. I often wonder why we must paint or write certain things and get them out of our heads. What is the mystery of that? Why does a subject or object or landscape call to us and how do we decide that we must paint or write certain things above all the others?

I painted her in a fresco style and she has fine little cracks all through her which gives her the aged look I was going for. It is improbable that anyone will ever buy this painting because she's not in style or would fit in anyone's décor I know.  But I don't care- she feeds my painterly soul.  And I expressed her with my own visual interpretation. She will always remain with me and maybe I will hear her someday speak in dark riddles about my future.

Zebra From Anotha Motha

Odd Chick got her wings...

This is odd chick getting ready to fly!!!

 

 

 

 

 

I went and signed up to tandem jump out of an airplane before I even talked to Sweet Farmer about it. I was afraid he would talk me out of it!

I handed him my camera, a kiss like it might be my last, and happily jumped in a plane that took me up 11,000 feet.

The only scary part for me was that little roll out of the plane- I didn't want to get caught on anything like the step or geeeeez- the propeller! Then there was a 45 second free-fall and what a RUSH! I tried to stay totally present so I could recall the memory with great clarity- but even then, ITs HARD TO PUT INTO WORDS. I have nothing to compare it to. The cold, the speed and the rush of the wind on my cheeks and the ground whirling below me like a giant pinwheel. I have to admit I was glad when the chute came out and slowed things down a bit so that I could soar. I even spread my arms out like a bird to see if only for a minute I could feel in small measure the freedom of the spaciousness of the sky. 

 

It was a glorious flight on a sunny day at Port Aransas, Texas. And it was a dream checked off on a list titled, "Wild & Precious Living".

I loved it. I hope to do it again whenever I get another chance - I will jump at it! I was light and weightless in the sky.

It looks like I didn't stick my landing but I swear I did- or at least I felt like an Olympic champion when I landed on my feet - but then all my weight and the earth touch like a magnet to the ground.

I kept waiting to be scared but truly it was peaceful. Sweet Farmer thinks it's funny that I'm more scared to talk on the radio when we're flying our plane (now that stops my heart) than I was to jump out of a plane! Go figure.

 

What's on your bucket list?