Another hill climbed

Well another hill has been climbed.
A new set of completed thoughts, pictures drawn, sketches made and completed. How refreshing it feels to set goals and finally accomplish them. Sometimes as an artist I really struggle with the ruts...I want to push myself but sometimes in an artists world we are our only critiques. There is not always someone around to tell you..No, that's not good enough...you have to dig deeper.. Only I know what I want my paintings to look like and become and only I can make them come to past in my own way...Its sort of like figuring out who you really are...What your likes and dislikes are. Not what you think OTHERS want you to be or what OTHERS want your artwork to look like. What YOU really think about yourself and what YOU are capable of. Not what OTHERS think about you and what OTHERS think you are capable of.

We can definitely be our own worst enemy.
Creating Mountains for ourselves when its really only a hill. My favorite analogy is of the duck who settled for a mud puddle when just over the hill was a beautiful pond awaiting. If only he would have taken himself a few steps further and pushed ahead..Why did he settle when he could have had so much more. Why didn't God's people look past the Giants and listen to Gods promise? They were they're own worst enemy. They could have had so much more. Cant we too have so much more? Aren't we the only ones preventing ourselves from bigger and better things in life. I know sometimes God puts things in our way but we must ask ourselves what is God trying to teach me? This is just another piece to Gods grand puzzle. Who are we to doubt that God knows what the GRAND picture looks like. Isn't that crazy..Well I would like to think that there is always a pond over every hill. Maybe some people like playing in the mud or wonder in the desert but I know that God has a plan for me and I know that being lazy waiting for things to fall in my lap is not how I am going to accomplish things in the art world. I know that most artists are thought of as free spirited roll with the wind type individuals and most of the time that's true but now a days being an artist is hard work. It takes a lot to get noticed. "The squeaky wheel always gets the grease" Its about getting people to take notice and once you have their attention you cant let them forget you. You want them to see you and hear about you everywhere they go...and then maybe just maybe they will remember you for what you want them to. Your passions. I am so thankful that God is fulfilling the passions in my life. I thank God everyday for putting me through tough times so that I could get to know him better. Don't doubt God's promises. Its ourselves we have to worry about.

So for now its another hill climbed and I'm just wading in the pond for now....Don't be afraid to put on your hiking boots for the next hill or mountain that comes along.

coffee in a handmade cup

So the day begins with a hot cup of coffee in a handmade cup. The best way to start any day. There is something amazing about pottery. I love to see it start from nothing a bag of dust and become a beautiful piece of art. If only it was as simple as it sounds..

As an artist I can truly appreciate what that cup has been through to get where it is today. A functioning piece of pottery.

First my cup was a lump of clay that was wedged and mangled to get all the air bubbles out before it could be molded. Then it was slapped on to a spinning wheel....round and round being pinched and probed tugged and pulled until it became centered to the wheel soon to become a vessel. Then after the maker shaped the vessel to his liking it was set on a shelf to dry. Sometimes days upon days just sitting there until it was completely dried out. Then it was put in a kiln. A fiery furnace reaching over 1000 degrees. The fire makes the cup "Bisque" or hard but not totally solid. The cup then gets a coat of wet glaze and again is set on a shelf waiting. And if only that was the end. the cup is then put through the fire once again this time for longer. But Ah, Alas once the fire cools and the cup has lost its hot glow it reveals its true beauty. A completed vessel. My beautiful cup.

Isn't that so much like life. "For I am the potter and you are the clay." God truly does want to make us beautiful vessels. It takes many trails, molding spinning and confusing times in life. Sometimes there is just nothing...We are sitting waiting to dry and we feel like nothings happening...we are useless. Even fire and flames, tribulations come but they are only a moment in our life...God knows the end result his plan for our life..to make us what He wants us to be. Beautiful vessels...

Artist Block

Well if there is such a thing as artist block, I have it. I am working on my next show and I need some serious inspiration..I have done so many paintings to date somewhere around three hundred to be exact. I just want to keep in my style but do something different. There are so many decisions to make when planning an exhibition. Do I make art that will sell or art from my heart. If that was the case everything would be abstract and houses. That's really what I love to do. The more whimsical pieces are from my heart. I love architecture and color and that is why you see so many New Orleans based artwork...Its a city full of interesting houses painted colors you would never think to paint a house. Then there is the abstract pieces. Which are much more difficult to create then you might think..Just the right colors in just the right place making sure not to put too much. The balance is critical in making it work. But, I love that challenge and I love how you can stare at the abstracts and find something different every time. Its kind of like looking at clouds and finding animals...Well righting all this stuff really does help get my inspirational juices going. I just want the people who view my work to see growth and movement in my work. I don't want it to be a rerun. I want it to be a block buster. Lord, help me to use this creativity you have blessed me with to the best of my ability. OK.....Off to make art.

WOW

Wow... I am so excited. For the second year in a row I received a grant from the Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation (www.culturaleconomy.org) Last year I was able to pay for booth fees and travel to Art Markets. This year for a brand new website equipped with a gallery and online store. www.artbyecm.com I cant wait till it is up and running which should be really soon.
Special thanks to Chris Sanderson for helping me get the site started and to Gavin Stevens for the New site...I have absolutely no complaints. God has been so good to me time and again since I have started my new adventures in the art world. I had no idea just how far I would go...and I haven't stopped yet. Each bend brings new and exciting challenges. I am learning so much about myself and that there is no Mountain too high. I will do my best to keep up with this blog. Not only so that you all may enjoy my adventures with me but that I might see more clearly those dreams and aspirations coming true before my eyes.