Remember the Moments

We do not remember the days, we remember the moments. ~ Cesare Pavese.

Commissioned oil portrait by Tina Steele Lindsey





A Move

 Monday morning I was headed to sign a lease a historical store to use as an open studio when I suddenly changed my mind and leased a warehouse space instead.  I adore the store space, more than you know, and had great ideas for it, but at the last minute I opted to sign on the warehouse space which would offer use for both myself and my husband in lieu of just me.  I still may want to lease something down the road, but for now I will concentrate on getting some work up and see what spring may hold.

The image at the left comes from one morning while painting; light came through the window and hit my brush ferrule and produced this wonderful effect which was a really nice moment!  I grabbed my cell phone and took this pic, and hope you've had a nice moment this week as well with more light in your life. 
                                                       ~~~
Art quote:  “During that period of my studies — around 1846 — when progress was slow or almost nil, and when no one was willing to provide the explanations my soul craved for, I experienced (it was just after my arrival in Paris) many discouraging weeks. I was in this state of mind one day when, strolling through the Louvre, I saw the casts of the Parthenon pediment. How can I describe the emotion I felt? A veil fell from my eyes. Never had I experienced such a deep and intense joy. What was it I saw in those wonderful plasters? I understood that the subtlety of accents, in contrast with large planes, is what makes a drawing great. This truth, which I have yearned all my life to express and which still drives me on, is the secret of art. It applies to composition as well as to drawing proper. It is the principle that must guide both the young beginner and the fully developed artist.” - William Bouguerau

A Helpful Tip

One thing I always find helpful before a final sitting, and working the last passes on a painting, is to upload a photo and circle specific areas I wish to iron out.  Because I juggle 400 things a day and have 800 interruptions, and wear three pair of glasses, each seeing the painting a whole new way, this helps much in the same way as holding a painting up to a mirror - little time is wasted searching for problem areas during a final sitting.  I will post a pic of the completed painting later. This morning found us at least ten degrees cooler than we've been use to; my thoughts keep straying to the flooding in Colorado.  My hope the situation there stabilizes soon! Thank you for your emails and for checking in.  My best to you and yours.

Moved ~

It has been eons since I have posted, but we did get moved.  So glad that is over.  It took a little longer than I anticipated, but it is done.  Unfortunately in the middle of it I took a bad fall when I stepped backward without realizing a floor fan was behind me.  I will leave out all the pleasantries about all that because I am not the first one to take a bad fall.  I've gotten some work completed, and for anyone interested materials used here are Pan Pastel, sponge applicators, and messes corrected with eraser.  That's about it for now, hoping life is treating you and yours well.  Best~

Taking a little time off as I've been preoccupied in a search for new studio space, my nose daily in listings and driving to and fro and yet have not located what I am looking for.  My requirements are very specific which limits my options but I am hopeful if I remain diligent the right space will present itself.  We are also getting ready to move by end of July as well, much going on.  I hope you are finding summertime agreeable, no problem in that for me.
(drawing, graphite -  TSL) 

Natalie didn't like the movie, either.

Natalie - graphite on paper - TSL

My sweet husband and I stay so very busy that when we get a day to chill that is precisely what we do.  We go nowhere.  Yesterday, after a relaxing day and fabulous dinner cooked by Chef D. (husband) we retired to the sofa to watch a movie he chose, a cowboy movie which turned out to consist of innocent families terrorized and eventually murdered; this went on the duration of the movie, horrible.  Because we have so little time together I wanted to stay in the same room but not watch the movie, so I grabbed my computer and a drawing pad and opted to draw Natalie Portman from a compilation of photos I found on the internet.  Though I tried not to watch the movie, I heard the movie, and the emotional roller coaster of its theme came through in my drawing.  This drawing is a perfect example why I prefer beautiful music and no distractions while painting, beauty begets beauty, angst begets angst.  Our emotions will come through in our work, as artists and as individuals as well.  Clearly, Natalie can attest to that.
I have been considering that what separates us in life and in the arts is our individual strengths and flaws which enable each person to bring something UNIQUE to the table. If we were all perfectly rendered we'd be robots. Keeping the life in your art is imperative, after all that is what separates the great works of art, not how perfectly rendered a piece is, but how well it exudes the soul of its creator.

Have a Little Faith in Your Work

 

 

I encourage everyone who puts their work "out there" in the world to not be discouraged.  Truly understand that just because one individual turns down your book, your play, your research, your song, your design, your performance, etc. doesn't mean it isn't good; if something isn't right for someone it probably isn't, but it may be perfectly good for someone else. 

The above painting, Sorbet, is the only painting that didn't make it through a review in a gallery selling my work.  I took it to another gallery and it sold straight away and has since been one of the most written about abstractions of mine on the web.  Just remember, everything is subjective to the moment, keep doing what you love, and godspeed.

 

Compilation photo credits to Anita - Girl with a Serious Dream, and Elise Bergman 

Be Mine - I Wuf You!

 



 

 

If you have a little extra love and time to share please visit your local animal shelter,

there is someone there waiting for you..

-- TSL

No One is Better at being YOU - than YOU

Over the years the appetite and appreciation for Malcolm Liepke's fanciful works has grown understandably with collectors and artists alike.  The problem is many artists are so enamoured by his work they copy his style almost to embarrassing lengths.  This sort of thing gives me such a major headache!

 

When it comes to the arts, and life for that matter, if nothing else.... be original! Otherwise, what is the point?

Study the masters in art, or whatever else it is you do... and then do your OWN thing.  You were created as a unique individual, so no one can do YOU better than you.  Have a little confidence that what you have to offer is

as uniquely valuable as what anyone else has to offer.

What is true beauty?

graphite  on paper -TSL

 

The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.

— Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Orange Mallow II ~ and you flu, too?

 

 

This is Orange Mallow II, a square version of my original Orange Mallow which has been highlighted on this blog previously.  It is a commissioned piece.  This is something I generally would never attempt regarding most of my abstractions, however this particular painting had focal points to work off in lieu of big swaths of color.  I was able to deliver the same feel and look of the first but with some differences, and it be uniquely its own.  There will be no Orange Mallow III, the first and second stand on their own and I have enjoyed their processes immensely.

Now, I've been sick for 13 days and am as weak as water... I feel like a helium balloon!