Original art, art classes, plein air, Lake Saint Louis, MO

Ok..so I entered this contest for the cover of Thalo Magazine. days go by, and I am getting people to vote for the painting. It occurs to me that all this time I was called the painting Ranauculous (so I know that is not the correct spelling) and Crystal Vase. It occured to me today that the title is Anenemones and Crystal Vase . People are not going to like that much I bet. Perhaps if it is chosen, before it goes to print, I can change the title, and ofcourse be sure of the spelling.

Anyway, be sure to go vote for my painting, so that I can win. Your vote could make the difference. You will need to vote every day please until Nov. 7th, as you are allowed to vote daily.

Click this link http://www.thalo.com/static_pages/contest to get to the voting page. The more votes the better, so share this link with your friends, and be sure to tell them my name so they can know which painting to vote for. We wouldn't want them voting for someone else now would we? Well..maybe if they want to, but I would rather they vote for me ofcourse.

Sooo..I am packed now for my trip to help my daughter. I have filled the entire back of my Ford Escape with art supplies. I know..probably overkill, but it makes me feel good to have it with me. I will be doing some watercolor portrait studies, such as this one of my husband. He is a nice looking man. I wish I could do him justice, but not too bad just the same. He said, "argh, the neck" but then said it looked like him, although he doesn't like what he looks like. I seem to be battling that all the time. Nobody likes what they look like. That is why I do portraits of me when I was young..I am such a coward.

I have a trip to Sedona scheduled for next week. I am meeting friends there late on Saturday, and hope that I will have two paintings done by the time I meet up with them. It is only an overnight trip, but am so looking forward to seeing Max and Dianne.

I will be busy this trip with grandchildren, but still, I am hopnig to paint some each day, if only in my sketchbook of baby Layla sleeping.

So watch this blog, facebook or my website for updates while I am out in AZ to see how things pan out for this Artist/Oma (that is grandma in German). If you have not signed up for my "Hot off the Easel Newsletter", please do so to see what goes on in Gabriele world.

Blessings all, and wish me luck with all the grandbabies.

Lately I have been feeling a bit in a funk, and have decided that since I have no room to put even a small piece of paper art, in the many flat file drawers and the rack is crammed full of paintings, some good, and some not so much..some finished, and some, who knows when...it is time to purge. Boy am I purging! I have eliminated a LOT of stuff from the studio and house. It is starting to feel like I am breath again.

WIth the dawn of the digital age, it seems pointless to have tones of 4x6 hard copy photos filed and organized in file drawers stacked 6 high..so most of them, now gone. Pared down from a dozen drawers down to three. Now what to do with all those metal file cabinet. You see, the purging has been below the surface, so you can't really tell anything is different by looking in the studio and house. I will have to do something about that. Next..books. The art books, most will stay, but the others..most or at least many will go ...

The art work..now that was a biggie. I had an art burn. Just after I had the art burn, I discovered a way to repurpose old paintings..but oh well..those dozen and a half or so are gone and that is the whole point anyway. Stacks of pastel works are gone, and sketch books from art classes I used to teach, well, those are still here, cuz I can't figure out what I should do with them..perhaps boys and girls club to color?

I went through my paints, and threw out the dry ones, Brushes..well..that is a problem..I can't seem to throw brushes away unless they are rock hard, or have no bristles... I will work on that cuz the brush jars, well...it is a bit embarrassing how many I have. That is for another day..

There is still much to do, but although it may not look like it on the surface, it is getting better, and the most important part, I feel better. That my peeps, is the most important thing!

Go forth and purge!

Blessings all!

Gabriele
PS..I will be in AZ helping my daughter with her new baby in a couple of weeks. I will be there through the holidays, and likely will start back with classes after the new year. I do have classes going for a couple weeks here. You are welcome to join the class, and pay weekly at this time.  I will be posting and updating my website from AZ, so stay posted.