Updates from Terri on Her Art Journey
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These are the paintings I posted on Facebook each and every day during the month of April. Most of them are available for sale directly from me, and many will be on exhibit and for sale at City Lights Art Gallery in Henderson, NV, during the Henderson Art Festival on Mother's Day weekend (May 13-14, 2023). Prints of some of them may be ordered from Fine Art America at www.fineartamerica.com/profiles/7-terri-thompson sometime after Mother's Day.
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During the month of February, I painted and posted on Facebook a series of 28 sunflower paintings. I called it SUNFLOWERS28, and I shared a painting every day for the entire month.
Currently, during the month of April, I’ve been doing another series. Called 30SKIES, that’s exactly what it is . . . a series of 30 skyscapes. As I explained back in February, one of the reasons I like to paint in a series is because I’ve learned that most artists who’ve become good at their craft, have evolved by working in a series. Painting a series conveys commitment to a concept, theme or subject, and it demonstrates the artist’s creative abilities and the depth with which they can explore their chosen direction. And it tells a story, making a deeper connection between the artist, their work and the viewer. Many artists aren’t fully aware of the advantages to creating multiple works of art around the same idea, theme, philosophy, concept, topic, composition or subject matter. Working in a series gives me a chance to explore, investigate or examine a particular topic, technique or even color palette in a progressively deeper and more meaningful way. The closer I practice and look, the more I see, and the more I see, the more fascinating my exploration gets. In general, a series requires either visual unity (color, materials, size, shape, composition and/or technique) or intellectual unity (themes, concepts, subject matter), and the most successful series typically are a combination of both the visual and the intellectual. A series can lead the viewer deeper into the artist’s own personal journey as she develops her unique voice. The one requirement for a successful series is passion and, of course commitment. When I announced on Facebook that I was going to be doing a series on sunflowers, for example, I had to commit to getting 28 sunflower paintings finished within a one month deadline. I made myself accountable to my Facebook audience which kept me on a path to completely follow through on. This forced me to maintain a high level of focus and discipline without getting distracted. Painting with such passion and intensity can be exhausting, I must admit. But it’s also exhilarating and rewarding to complete a cohesive, coherent, unified body of work. And, bottom line, I believe that having a series will make it easier for me to sell my artwork. Growing an audience by engaging them on Facebook has been a happy result of the two series I’ve done so far. So, I think I shall continue to paint in a series of series. Whether those will be about a particular subject, place, color, theme or medium, who knows? Just keep following me, and we’ll find out together. In less than a month, I plan to participate in the Henderson Art Festival to be held on Mother’s Day weekend, May 13-14. It takes place in the Water Street District of Henderson, NV, where the street will be lined with tents filled with the beautiful work of local artists.
I’ll be setting up across from City Lights Art Gallery located at 3 E. Army Street. In preparation, I’ve been working on a variety of small pieces for which I will be selling at small prices of no more than $20 to $30. Among the items I’ll have for sale are some of the sunflower paintings from my SUNFLOWERS28 series which I shared on Facebook during the month of February. This particular painting, which I just finished last week, will be on display and for sale during the month of May at the City Lights Art Gallery’s members exhibition. It’s done in acrylics on a 12” x 12” stretched canvas, and the gallery is charging $50 for it. If it’s not sold by the end of May and you’d like to own it, let me know. There’s going to be a lot of wonderful art for sale at the Festival on Mother’s Day. Prices range from cheap (like mine) to very expensive. If you’re in the Las Vegas area, come check it out and please stop by my tent. Mention that you saw my blog and I’ll give you a little gift! Last week, from Palm Sunday to Good Friday and culminating in Easter, was the perfect time to reflect on the glory of God and the finished work of Jesus on the cross.
Matt Tommey, one of my mentors, founder of Created To Thrive and author of “God’s Plan for Living,” put it succinctly when he wrote of Jesus: “He who knew no sin became sin so that we could become the righteousness of God in Him, so that through Him we might have eternal life. God incarnate on Earth, Jesus walked among us in power and authority so we could walk in that same authority and more. The very image of the Father, he was revealed to us so we could become image bearers revealing His light and life. His life and death open the way for the Kingdom that is promised, that is coming, and yet is now here living inside every believer who chooses to call upon His name. Through Jesus we are restored as God’s sons and daughters. His sacrifice changes everything.” Bottom line: Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again. It’s April and the beginning of the second quarter of 2023, which means it’s time to assess my performance for the first quarter and to set some goals for the next three months.
Since January, I’ve done a fair job of keeping a steady pace of painting. On average, I painted 8 hours each week (my goal was to paint 10 hours a week), and I made 59 paintings (my goal had been to paint 60 pieces). So, I’ll keep these goals for the second quarter and try to do a bit better. Another goal was to post a blog every Monday morning, which I managed to do, so that will be a repeat goal, as well. Where I exceeded my expectations was in the number of courses I was able to take. I’d planned to take one in-person class and two online classes. Instead, I surprised myself by taking 5 in-person classes, 7 courses online, and a week-long painting challenge. Although the learning experience was quite rewarding, that’s undoubtedly what ate into my production for the quarter. So, I will cut back on the number of courses I take, and spend more time actually painting for the rest of the spring. Although I had not set any financial goals for myself, I did manage to make $326 in art sales, averaging about $100 a month. Most of that came from commissioned work of pet portraits. But I also sold a few things at the Valentine’s Day art fair. (Participating in at least one art fair had been one of my goals.) My goal for the spring is to attend another art fair, which will probably be the two-day Henderson Art Fair over Mother’s Day weekend. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the first quarter was that I won the second-place ribbon in the watercolor category of a juried competition sponsored by City Lights Art Gallery in Henderson, NV. At the beginning of the year, I’d challenged myself by setting a goal to compete in a juried competition, but little did I expect to actually win. It was so much fun, I shall try to find another contest to enter sometime during the second quarter . . . but no promises there. Finally, one of the best things I did during the first three months of the year was to produce a series of paintings, and to post them on Facebook. Called SUNFLOWERS28, it ran during the month of February. For 28 days, I posted one of my sunflower paintings each and every day of the month. It kept me busy and disciplined, consistently painting and posting. As I’ve learned, most successful artists work in a series. So, it’s something I plan to do myself at least once or twice a year. During my SUNFLOWERS28 series, a Facebook acquaintance commented that I “had a way with clouds.” That comment gave me an idea for my next series called SKIES30, which I started on April 1. (This painting of a plane flying into the sunset is the first in my new series.) I plan to post daily on Facebook one of my sky paintings for the entire 30 days of April. Another reason I’ve chosen skyscapes as the subject of my new series is to GLORIFY GOD in my small way. I was inspired by Psalm 19:1-5 which reads, “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies proclaim His craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.” Isn’t that an amazing scripture? I wonder if Vincent van Gogh had that in mind when he painted Starry Night or any of his amazing, wondrous skies. |
AuthorTerri Thompson is a journalist-turned-visual artist, who is on an "art journey" and exploring how to tell her stories through her watercolor and acrylic paintings and photographs. Categories |