I just returned home from one of my favorite pursuits, buying art. All summer long I attend art festivals around the twin cities, where craftspeople put up tents, endure all sorts of weather conditions from sunny and hot to rainy and cold, and hope to sell out their booths of textiles, photographs, jewelry, pottery and artwork. It is so much fun to scour the festivals in search of really cool earrings or reasonably priced watercolors or acrylics. Today I bought 2 pieces from one of my favorite artists. Her name is Judy Hedblom and she creates these amazing works of art in copper. I like collecting her 8 inch squares (before today I had 3), but I branched out this afternoon and bought a larger piece because it captured me. She hammers thin copper sheets over wood frames, then fires the copper to create abstract lines and circles or trees. I've seen her for 3 years and each year she gets better and better. She likes to expirament and her work blows me away each time I see her new stuff.
www.copperandclay.com
I also bought from a terrific watercolor painter by the name of Richard Graves. I love his stuff and he's another one that loves to expirament. I ran into him a year ago but couldn't afford to buy anything at the time. Today I discovered a picture that I simply had to have. What I love about him is his use of color. He isn't afraid to be bold and paint scenes not as they are, but as they make you feel. He showed us two paintings of a narrow winding street somewhere in Europe. One picture had precise terra cotta cobblestone, white washed walls and simple flowerboxes filled with red geraniums. The other picture had sunwashed walls of gold, vivid flowers of hot pink, yellow, reds and bright green foliage and people in bright clothes. The first picture depicted the scene. The second made it come alive. How nice to be able to do both effectively.
www.richardgraveswatercolors.com
These two inspire me to keep expiramenting with my craft. I think it's what helps us expand and mature as artists.
Today's Goal: To spend a few hours writing
Yesterday's Achievement: I came up with a new idea for a book (although that may be a mixed blessing)
What I'm Grateful for: Purchasing incredible art work for reasonable prices
