Here’s a copy of the postcard that the gallery sent out to let people know about the show. How cool is this?

Today, my Dad and I drove down to Zion National Park and delivered the last batch of my art that’s gonna be in the show  at DeZion art gallery on Saturday. The gallery owner there is so cool. He’s really kind in the first place to let me be in the gallery at all and now I get to be in a show with only 2 other artists who are really good! I’m excited and nervous at the same time. I’m supposed to socialize with customers so that’ll be fun but I think maybe a little out of my comfort zone. It is enjoyable to meet new people but I don’t generaly like to talk about myself very much so that’ll be difficult.

The best part of the trip will be the chance to hang out with friends and family in an absolutely gorgeous National Park. If you’ve never been to Zion, you really should check it out. The scenery is completely stunning. It’s so much fun to just explore and find all kinds of natural hidden treasures. I can’t wait. And don’t worry, I’ll post tons of pictures!

I’m grateful that I’m alive

I’m grateful that there is more than one way to experience life

I’m grateful that I can choose

I’m grateful for the cleansing power of sorrow

I’m grateful that I can see and feel beauty

I’m grateful to those who create their own beauty and share it with me - musicians, artists, writers…

I’m grateful for the ability I have to think and the desire I have to seek understanding

I’m grateful that I know why I’m alive

I just drove down an absolutely beautiful highway at 2:00 in the morning. It’s been rainy all day and as I was driving home these massive clouds were just rolling across the road. The moon was shining through them and every now and then I could see glimpses of clear sparkling stars shimmering in the sky. It was breathtaking. Because the moon was so bright I could see the mountains through which the road passes and great masses of clouds were just resting all over them. The clouds almost looked like they were tired and decided to take a break from the efforts of hovering in the sky.

I think sometimes that the reason nature is so fascinating is that it’s beauty is transitory. It shares with us these moments of stunning asthetic perfection and then in almost the blink of an eye it changes and we are left only with the memory and the sensation that we are part of something amazing.

It’s been forever since I last blogged! Sometimes life gets so busy that you forget to do the little things, you know?

I’ve been getting ready for the show at the DeZion gallery lately. Today, my Dad and I drove down to my grandparent’s house to drop off a bunch of pieces that will be in the show. My grandpa has agreed to make the frames for all the art. Normally my brother Jake would do it but he’s kind of on his honeymoon right now so he’s a little busy :). Anyway, Grandpa makes fantastic frames so I’m really excited to see how they come out. I’m sure they’ll be amazing.  It was fun to see my grandparents reaction to the art. They’re so proud! Grandma’s eyes just lit up as she was looking at it. Man, it always makes me feel so good to make my family proud of me. After all, family is what it’s all about.

This photo is much more true to the colors of the original painting.

Well I finished another one today. Actually, I should mention that I’ve been working on this one for quite awhile. I started weeks ago and didn’t like how it was coming out at all so I totally redid the background today and now I love it. The forest seemed like the perfect setting for this young man.

I’ve been doing a lot of paintings lately of people who are searching for something. I’ve also noticed that I always seem to do a solitary figure in my paintings. I wonder what it is about that theme that fascinates me. A friend once suggested to me that an artist puts something of herself into every painting she does. Maybe that’s what I’m doing. Anyway, here is my painting. I’m going to call it Vision Quest.

Here is my finished painting.  I’m going to call it Searching for the Sun. I’ve included some close up pictures so you can see the details better. Read the rest of this entry »

I LOVE hiking. It’s finally warm enough and the snow has melted enough that I can go again!  I went on a great one today. I got up, showered, ate breakfast and just took off. That, I think, is the best part about being a full time artist. I make my own schedule. Now I’ll spend the rest of the evening finishing my painting and hopefully starting a new one.

It was amazing to see all the new growth on the trees. They’re turning green now! Just 2 weeks ago I went up the same trail and everything was brown. The ground was all muddy and sloshy and eventually I hit snow and decided to turn back. Snow is no fun to hike in without snow shoes. But today everything was green and the ground was dry and I had a great time. I am so grateful for springtime. For that matter, I’m grateful for all of the seasons because without winter I don’t think I would fully appreciate the springtime.

It’s interesting how we change as we go through life. When I was a kid I could spend hours playing with a doll, combing it’s hair, changing it’s clothes. I could turn anything into a toy. A piece of grass could become a creature from another planet. A torn plastic bag could become a beloved pet. A couple of sticks could become my front legs (I of course was a horse).

That seems so funny now. I mean I still have the imagination to do these things, I just don’t have the desire. I would be bored out of my mind after just a few seconds of playing with sticks.

The things that are fun to me now are the things that I thought were so boring when I was a kid. Things like writing and reading and taking long baths and playing the piano, going for long walks etc. The best movies are the ones with ‘a lot of talking’ as I used to call them with disgust.

It’s just funny to think about how much we change as we go through life. I’ll bet ten years from now I’ll have developed a whole new set of interests and personality traits. Hmmm. I look forward to finding out what they’ll be.