Hi to all you blog followers, artists and friends.  It has been an exhausting time for me.  The two biggest shows of the year have come back to back as usual.  I barely have enough energy for them.  I have never been super social but I love people.  My problem is that I stress about missing someone or forgetting a name so of course that means I always forget names and miss someone.  Forgive me if you find me frazzled at one of these events.  I do my best.  Even when I do not receive an award, as on Thursday evening, even so, many people want to know about my work. I spend a glorious evening speaking with the wonderful people telling them about how I came to design the composition, how long it took me to paint the piece and even how many trips up and down to my studio or back and forth to check my perspective did it take.  It may seem hard to believe, but if I am answering questions about the art, I am happy. In the past two evenings I have enjoyed the company of my dearest friends as we traveled to the show, I’ve been blessed to hear great music and wonderful food, I’ve reacquainted with people I have not seen for ten or more years and I’ve recorded in my heart the sincerely enjoyment expressed to me about my work. That is the true award.  The Friday evening show brought recognition for the Degas piece that I have already posted here.  People really love her and I must admit that I have a special fondness for her too.  Having used someone else’s creative results as inspiration for my piece did not take away from my own creative input and it only served to add heightened appreciation for the beauty of the Light, Shadow, Texture and Form of the work.  Usually I am very familiar with the features of my portraits as I paint the faces of my grandchildren and friends.  But with this piece the only features were exactly what the title tells you.  That somehow made this work very gratifying, maybe because I did not have to make the work look like someone.  I just wanted it to be beautiful in its own right.  That also may be the reason why people were so drawn to her; she was not someone’s grandchild.

This blog is about me and my work but I must mention another work that was part of the show on Thursday evening.  I don’t feel it is a good idea to include names or photos of someone else’s work but I will make mention of this piece by description.  This one piece stood out among all the art in the studio.  If you were there you will remember the painting  that portrayed a formally dressed Daddy standing in the bright light of a sunny window with the most beautiful little girl in a frilly dress with a string of pearls around her neck.  This painting was perfectly executed in an impressionist manor.  The features on both the father and daughter were crisp and soft at the same time.  The composition was spot on and I’ve never seen light captured so well in an oil.  Best of show could not even bring as much recognition as this painting and this artist deserves.  I hope someone passes on my congratulations to you and I hope you continue to paint and enter such art as this!

I will not post a photo yet of the piece from Thursday’s show since he may be in some other local venues.  I just do not like to take the spotlight off the event. It is a little bit like spoiling a surprise.  I’ll show you later.  Right now I am hurrying to do a subject for another local gallery that is coming up soon.  It may turn out to be somewhat abstract, a real divergence for me.  The theme for the show is a challenge but I have the perfect material if I can pull it off.  We’ll see.  I’ll keep you guessing till I see if I can manage it.  Till then, Shabbat Shalom, dear friends,  Diana