30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 17

"Whisky Tango" - mixed media on aquabord, 16" x 20".  Ready to frame or can be leaned upon a shelf.  Available on Artfinder.

High in her tower,
She sits by the hour,
Maintaining her hair.
Blithe and becoming and frequently humming
A lighthearted air:
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-
             From "Agony", Into the Woods

Ahhhhhhh, yes!  These next three days are complete cheats during this 30 and 30 challenge.  Painted in advance, these pieces allow me to spend some precious time in a workshop learning new skills and hobnobbing with other creatives.  Kind of ideal for the midpoint of a paint marathon - it will recharge my creative batteries.

Artists are like Rapunzel, high in our towers, isolated from others, frequently humming...and that's important for the creative process.  But Julia Cameron (the creative whisperer) tells us to get out and have frequent "Artist Dates" to refill our reservoir of experiences.  It is amusing to me how far I will go to actually avoid doing something fun, letting the work fill up the hours day after day instead. So I put this workshop on the schedule a month ago, knowing then I would need it now.

Think of it as "rut prevention".  Like a vitamin for keeping the muse healthy and interesting.  One of the best rut-preventions is to learn someone else's techniques and approach to creating.  I try to take at least three workshops per year, and it never fails to boost me up in a way I could never accomplish on my own. 

This piece, "Whisky Tango", is the finale from last week's demonstration.  This was a background piece, to which the trees and characters were added later.  But they were inspired by the storytellers in the audience, two of whom had cats in their tales.  I don't paint a lot of cats (which is odd, given I am a big cat on the zodiac), but LOVED creating this guy, whose expression has given me fits of giggling.  His rider is obviously wondering about the wisdom of cat-wrangling - I wonder if they will set off into the forest or end up in a tangle as the Tango tries to climb a tree? 

---

Today's "Pay What You Can" piece is "Carnival Bot", pen and ink on paper, 6" x 12".   This piece will be shipped flat.  Shipping is anticipated to be around $6.


Email me at [email protected] with how much (or how little) you'd like to pay for this cutie (shipping will be added).  The winner will be selected at random and notified via email in 24 hours.