How Twitter Actually Changed my Artistic Goals ~ 2 in the series

If you're new to this blog and the series I'm doing, head over to "How Twitter Actually Changed my Artistic Goals" ~ 1st in the series! Here you can find out why I'm writing about this topic and more about the first artist featured, Aaron Caycedo-Kamura, make sure to follow him on Twitter @AaronCK!

Before I highlight the next artist I would like to thank everyone who has visited my blog and left such lovely comments. I have received so much wonderful feedback, some on a very personal and emotional level, it has quiet simply been overwhelming! In a strictly positive way. What was an attempt to thank my "Twitter Friends" for their support has come back to me tenfold! This simply confirms my belief that the relationships I have developed on Twitter will continue to support and uplift me.

So, on to this week's featured artist....

Paulo J. Mendes

Paulo resides in Matosinhos Portugal, which from his daily sketches looks like a simply lovely place, close to the coast. (Portugal also happens to have a pretty good football team, FC Porto, who won the UEFA Champions League in 2004. They have gone through to the playoffs for this year.)

I began following Paulo after noticing that another "Twitter friend" @lameymacdonald artist Debbie Lamey-MacDonald, was following him. I clicked on the link and was just amazed at the wonderful sketches he completes each day. Each one invites you to walk in and enjoy the scene, they truly take you to another place. I often wish I could walk into the homes that are portrayed or talk to the people depicted in Paulo's wonderful drawings. His watercolors are beautiful as well. This is a medium I have never attempted, but looking at Paulo's mastery almost makes me want to give it a try!

With each post Paulo attempts to describe the scene and encourages us to ask questions concerning the image, what exactly is happening here? I find this one of the best parts of his posts, it causes you to develop a story in your mind, transporting you right to that time and place.

Paulo's welcome on his blog truly describes his goals:

“Postalguarelas” is a mix of two Portuguese words, “Postal” - postcard, and “aguarelas” - watercolors. This title was chosen because I like to work in a small scale.

I like to paint imaginary places inspired by my country's vanishing landscapes, traditional architectures and ways of life.

“Postalguarelas” é uma mistura das palavras “Postal” e “aguarelas”: Escolhi este título porque gosto de trabalhar em tamanhos pequenos.

Gosto de pintar lugares imaginários, inspirados pelas paisagens, arquitecturas e modos de vida tradicionais em vias de desaparecimento no meu País.

Paulo was nice enough to follow me back on Twitter, and has become one of the fellow artists I can depend on hearing from for his support and kindness. I look forward each morning to seeing his daily sketch, the time difference to Portugal works in my favor! Paulo has also inspired me to start sketching on a more regular basis. I am now participating in "The Sketchbook Project" with Art House Co-op, a great program I encourage everyone to visit.

Please stop by Paulo's blog http://www.postalguarelas.blogspot.com/ and follow him on Twitter @postalguarelas. I'm sure you will come to look forward to his daily sketch post and the support he provides for his fellow artists!

Aria grows into her own!

It was some slow going for Aria, my Snapping Turtle. I felt good about her image, but I struggled to put her into a suitable place. When the photograph was originally taken at the Myakka State Park, she was preparing to lay her eggs. She didn't care one bit that there was a group of us watching her, she just went about her business!
Here's the progression: (click on image for larger representation)

First Competition Entry: Application for 6th "Annual Paint the Town," St. Petersburg, Florida

I just finished an application for St. Petersburg's "Paint the Town Competition." This is the first time I've ever attempted to enter a competition, so hopefully all will go well. The event is held annually by the Morean Arts Center, it is a Plein Air Competition with the best of show receiving $1500. Frankly I just would like to be accepted into the event!
Here are the pieces I submitted for consideration:
(click on image below to see a larger representation)

The Old Scout ~ Garrison Keillor

I don't usually put other people's writings on my blog, somehow it just doesn't feel right. Every once in a while you read something that speaks to you, or makes you laugh, and you just want to share. Garrison Keillor often does that for me, the simplicity of the sentiment, or anger, or diatribe of the times presented in crisp, clear language, how all writing should be on some level. What follows below is a pretty good summation of the complexity, tolerance and compassion of a family Thanksgiving. (With a little Sarah Palin thrown in...yeah, he's a liberal, and I have to say I'm real happy about that!) Also, here's my completed Snapping Turtle, I'll be doing a post later today to show her progress, she was kinda speedy for a turtle!

A Celebration of Simple Goodness

November 24, 2009

We now interrupt Mrs. Palin's book tour to bring you Thanksgiving, a grand old holiday, and we in the book business are thankful for her, that a busy woman who wanted to tell her story chose the medium of ink and paper between hard covers. Her tour is not about politics. It's about books.

Those big crowds waiting in the cold outside bookstores were looking forward to cozying up to her book and savoring the intense intimate pleasure of a memoir, the feeling that you and the author are close personal friends. You don't get that feeling from watching someone on TV; you get it from a book. Mrs. Palin's job was not to impress book reviewers or stake a claim to the Republican Party but to give pleasure to people who already love her, which evidently she did. Good for her.

And that's the challenge of Thanksgiving — to gather among our kin who know us a little too well and have an amiable occasion enjoyed equally by all, at which nobody is stabbed through the heart with a carving knife...
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On Traveling...

Bill Bryson wrote:

Is there anything, apart from a really good chocolate cream pie and receiving a large unexpected check in the post, to beat finding yourself at large in a foreign city on a fair spring evening, loafing along unfamiliar streets in the long shadows of a lazy sunset, pausing to gaze in shop windows or at some church or lovely square or tranquil stretch of quayside, hesitating at street corners to decide whether that cheerful and homey restaurant you will remember fondly for years is likely to lie down this street or that one? I just love it. I could spend my life arriving each evening in a new city.

How Twitter Actually Changed my Artistic Goals

It began with an invitation from one of the artists on the PFAN LinkedIn network. “Let’s follow each other on Twitter.” I was very new to the concept of social media, but thought, why not. I established an account with Twitter and soon had a few followers from the LinkedIn group. @CamilleEngelArt @magzoxbrown @portraitgirl @danielsroka @NancyStandlee and @Kickthefaucet.

To understand the immediate impact of these connections I need to explain a tiny bit about my lifestyle. I live on thirteen acres about thirty miles inland off the coast of Florida. People live out here for a reason; they do not really want much social interaction! For eight to ten months out of the year, my husband is on the road. Therefore, it is just me, two dogs, two horses, and an occasional shark in the tank in the barn.

After joining Twitter, I am now connected to more than a bunch of animals and my husband on the phone. I did not know these people at all, but I felt like they were my friends! This is a little presumptuous, but many of my Twitter followers have become my friends in their own Twitter kind of way.

The impact of Twitter for me is immeasurable. Next I created this blog, and established a presence on Facebook, something I had avoided for a long time. Not only did I feel more connected to the outside world, I actually began getting some commissions! I had the courage then to enter work in local shows. The last show I was in, one of my paintings received an honorable mention. I finally called the author of a story on the Florida Boxer Rescue website and asked if she was interested in developing a children’s book. We are working on it and actually have a publisher lined up. I have two shows lined up for this winter. People are actually buying my work!

Twitter has not, and is not, going to sell my work. What Twitter has done for me is establish supportive relationships with fellow artists. This support gave me the confidence to finally promote my art. I have learned so much from many people but I wanted to take the time to highlight some of them here. My gratitude is enormous for these fellow artists!

I really didn't know who to pick first. So I put each person's name on a piece of paper and am actually drawing them out of a jar! So today's featured artist is......(pulling a name out of the jar...)
Aaron Caycedo-Kimura!
I began following Aaron not to long ago at the suggestion of D.E. West @dewestartist (another artist I'll be featuring in the coming days!). I liked his bio on Twitter immediately, "I'm an artist. I squeeze pigmented oil binder out of tubes and paint still lifes, portraits, figures, and landscapes. What a mess!!" Sounded promising to me! Visiting his website Aaron Cayced-Kimura I was thrilled, such incredibly beautiful work! And his artist statement was wonderful:


"Paint is my metaphor for life: both are really messy. At the same time, both can be beautiful. Making little excuse for what comes out of the tube, I build my images with exposed brush strokes, thick drags of paint, and occasional drips and spatters. I allow the medium to speak through the different kinds of marks it lends itself to. The "messes" I create (and bring to order) are meditations of light, atmosphere and harmony."


Aaron's incredible skill as an artist is evident in all of his art, but his figure work really stands out for me. I love to draw the figure and it was just recently that I began to do so successfully. The way Aaron takes the figure and then applies his own vision to it is just beautiful. After looking at this piece it inspired me to attend an open studio each Saturday morning to draw the figure.I hope to eventually develop a series of work intertwining my abstract water work with the figure. Please visit Aaron's website http://www.aaroncaycedokimura.com/
and explore the rest of his work, you will be glad you did!
Following Aaron on Twitter @AaronCK has been a terrific experience. He is encouraging and supportive to the fellow artists he follows, and I look forward to seeing what he's working on by way of his blog, http://aaroncaycedokimura.wordpress.com/ Aaron's work continues to inspire me through his style, subtle use of color, composition and subject matter. Thank you Aaron for following me and I wish you continued success in all your endeavours.
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Snapping Turtle

Watch my new Snapping Turtle grow! I will be posting incremental progress so check back!

Tomorrow I will begin my series, "How Twitter Actually Changed my Artistic Goals." I am going to share information about some very talented artists I have met on twitter, stay tuned to see and hear how these wonderful people helped my art to grow! I will be featuring the following:
Margaret Zox Brown @MagZoxBrownArt
Aaron Caycedo-Kimura @AaronCK
Paulo J. Mendes @postalguarelas
Deborah T. Colter @dcolter
Debbie Lamey-MacDonald @lameymacdonald
D.E. West @dewestartist
Melody Lea Lamb @melodylealamb

"Snapping Turtle" progress!
Day one of "How Twitter Actually Changed my Artistic Goals," featured artist Aaron Caycedo-Kimura! Who will be next? Stop by and see...or better yet just follow my blog! Subscribe with the link on the right!
Click on the picture below to get a closer look.

Zazzle Store

create & buy custom products at Zazzle

Stop by and see the Zazzle store I've created for my animal portriature. Please let me know what you think! Maybe you'll see a great holiday gift!

What Ever Happened To Cheap Local Television?: A Philadelphia Story - Monkey See Blog : NPR

Just a little touch of nostalgia...really only for those of us who grew up in the Philadelphia area.
What Ever Happened To Cheap Local Television?: A Philadelphia Story - Monkey See Blog : NPR
by Linda Holmes
News broke this weekend of the death of Al Alberts -- a development that probably means absolutely nothing to you unless you were a child within the Philadelphia viewing area between about the mid-70s and the early '90s, in which case you know that Al Alberts was the host of the long-running (like, really long-running) Al Alberts Showcase....
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