To blog or to paint, that is the question. Most mornings are taken up with Pickleball, as you know. I play 5 or 6 times a week for 2 to 3 hours. Playing in the heat, a shower is a must before doing anything else, but then the choice for the afternoon is between writing or painting, cleaning the house or weeding the garden. If you have been following this Blog, you may have noticed that my frequency has decreased monthly. The garden needs weeding, and the floors need a good wet mop; painting has been winning!
Body of Work
Most artists work toward creating a body of work, while others paint whatever moves them. Now that I’ve been painting for about a year, I am starting to focus on who I want to be and what I want to create. Everyone here in the Keys paints tropical fish, birds, flamingos and beautiful scenery. I have been doing some of that myself, and they are selling, but I enjoy abstract painting. Even when I paint a fish, it is not a replica, and the colors are inaccurate.
I am working on a series of Jazz Paintings inspired by some of my favorite jazz musicians. You can see them posted on my website – ArtbyKSB.
When I see a photo like this one on the left, posted by one of my favorite Saxophone players, Kirk Whalum, I have to take a crack at a painting.
My First Gallery
Janice Nagel, an artist friend, recently purchased the Shady Palm Art Gallery in Marathon, Florida, in the lower Florida Keys. She offered me an opportunity to show my work, and I accepted immediately. The other day, I took a container of my Tropical paintings and, with her help, set up my new space. Another artist friend will be set up right around the corner from me, Osvaldo Fernandez Diaz, an amazing artist who just moved to Islamorada from Cuba.
Back to the question at hand – to blog or to paint. I do love to write and hope to find time to do both. I have so much to learn, but in the meantime, I am having fun making a mess. That, in itself, is amazing since I was always known for being too neat, too matchy, and very color-coordinated! One day, I felt totally uninspired and decided to make a mess. When I showed it to my husband, he loved it. Then I posted it on my Facebook page, and others said they liked it also. Making a Mess comes highly recommended by artists like Louise Fletcher and others.