Some Advice From An Artist Friend

I can’t believe it has been a month since my art show. Where does the time go? Where is this season going?!

(Sigh)

Along with this disbelief of the summer circumstance had come the feeling of emptiness, in the pit of my stomach. A sense of fear was slowly setting in. What’s next? What should I be focusing on, now, as an artist? Looking for some guidance, I decided to reach out to friend and local professional artist, Deborah Leonard.

She was happy to chat and even welcomed me to her West Simsbury studio!

Isn’t it lovely? It’s like a little English cottage just waiting to show it’s treasures within. You really do feel transported into the rolling hills of Yorkshire, while being here. It is a must visit for all you art enthusiasts out there!

I had brought along a painting that I had completed for the show and Deborah had nothing but nice things to say about the piece. She also gave me lots of encouragement to pursue portrait commissions further and what price points to consider. It was really nice to get wonderful advice and hear such positivity from a fellow artist.

Deborah then continued to show me around her studio and gave me so many great tips on framing my canvases like; vendors on where to buy frames from, sizes to think about for my portrait art and what types of frames to look for that would compliment my work. She even mentioned some upcoming art show events that might be a good fit for me to become a part of!

I was like a bright-eyed student walking around Deborah’s studio feverishly taking notes and looking intently at her artwork. It was so inspiring to meet up with a well-known artist and really get some amazing guidance from her. I now have a better pulse on what to do and can’t wait to share with you all my art developments!

Thank you Deborah for this wonderful day :)

My Art Showcase Title Backstory

For my art showcase I decided to play on the phrase “Sex, Drugs and Rock’n’Roll.” I thought it was a great way to categorize my own three types of artwork, I will be displaying. After a little bit of word swapping magic the title for my art exhibit will be:

“Portraits, Cartoons & Rock’n’Roll”

I was curious, though, on the original phrase. I do this often. I like to know of the backstory to things. Why do we have “Sex, Drugs, and Rock’n’Roll” in existence? The first thing I thought of was the 60’s. I think this phrase pretty much explains the whole decade, right? Well, I went and asked the smartest guy I know, Google, and he told me that it was based off of a song in the late 70s...wha?! 

The song “Sex, Drugs, and Rock’n’Roll” was a B-side track off of an album called “Razzle In My Pocket” by Ian Dury and the Blockheads. Now here’s a fun fact that got my eyebrow raised, boys and girls... The song was released in 1977 - the year I was born (head explosion). You have got to check out this video. It’s has all of the 70’s vibes, man, and some far out wipe-in effects. But what caps it all off is the super-rad Ian Dury floating head that moves into center camera. It’s perfection.

The birth year connection to this raunchy classic inspired me to officially make this the art showcase with the most sexy, addictive, air guitar hands (get it) EVER! I’m now completing portraits and my art prints are starting to come in, so more developments and little artwork teasers are in the works. It’s starting to come together :)