Your Holiday Shopping Guide

With the biggest shopping season of the year nearly upon us, I’m going to add my 2 cents worth and encourage you to buy original art for your family and loved ones for your holiday giving.

Here’s why:

It’s classy. 

Anyone can go to X-mart and grab a vase off the shelf. Anyone can dash past the carrots and celery, through the underwear aisle and past the computers and bike tires to snag a bracelet that says,

"I love you just like a thousand other guys love their wives".

Anyone can join jillions of people milling through stores that can be found in any faceless mall in the world and paw through piles of merchandise looking for that one special thing that says,

"You’re just as special as 10-thousand other fellas”. 

It takes a classy person to resist all that and shop for a one-of-a-kind item for a one-of-a-kind person.

Choosy shoppers choose fine art.

Buying fine art puts you in a class of your own.  Why stand in line at a jewelry counter to buy the same rock or watch or pendant fifteen other schmucks are hoping to impress with?  Do you really want your sweetie seeing her jewelry on some other woman? Investigate a local painter or sculptor who will share a creative vision with you that extends far beyond the reaches of the cash register.

Fine art, whether thrown and baked, framed, sculpted or blown will always, always be in style. No matter what Martha Stewart is doing, no matter who HGTV puts in the screen, you will be assured of having taste.  Think about that before you paint everything according to the latest Modern Copycat magazine. Buying art that stirs something deep within, a memory perhaps, or an idea, will help it retain its interest and personal value long after you’ve re-covered the sofa and your easy chair and yanked the curtains off the walls.

"Honey, let's be different and buy one-of-a-kind, original art.  All the cool kids are doing it."

There are lots of great galleries in your area waiting just for you.  Drop by and say hello, and tell them a bit about yourself.  Let them help you in a way that no bored teenager who would rather die than wait on you can.  They'll guide you to a purchase that will have your loved ones feeling truly cherished.

Weekend Review

It appears that finally the gremlins who attached themselves to my blog have moved on to some other poor schmuck's blog.  Good luck, fella.

As promised, photos of my amazing weekend...

That's me, on top.  Dee's floral watercolor, and Harry's lathe turned vessels.

Prairie Winds Art Center in Grand Island, Ne. provided a lovely opening reception for Harry Adams, Dee Rodgers and I for our exhibit, "Nature's Bounty".  Crowds were exceptional, as you can see.  I'm so very grateful to art lovers, family and friends who came out to share the evening with us.  This exhibit will be up until November 30th.

Elbow to elbow nearly the entire evening

While the Prairie Winds reception was winding down, I dashed down Highway 30 to Kearney to prepare for the Museum of Nebraska Art's 2-day Kaleidoscope of Art event.  I joined over 30 artists sharing their creative endeavors with appreciative crowds at one of Nebraska's crown jewels, the Museum of Nebraska Art.  The former Kearney  post office, this beautiful building is perfect for housing and showing the artwork of Nebraska artists.  I am delighted to have shared space in the large main gallery with Keith Lowry, Jane Marie, Del and Martha Pettigrew, Pat Jones, Karen Krull Robart, Jorn Olsen and others. 

The main gallery, just before the crowds moved in.

Hey Mom, look!  It's me!

Special thanks to Handsome Husband who kept the home fires burning while I was out peddling my wares. It's a group effort here, and I'm grateful to HH for his support. 

What did you do this weekend?

Bad Timing

Well, this is awkward.

I just wrapped up a wonderful week.  Twice I talked with groups about my life as an artist.  It also happened to be the same week  I had 2 major art events scheduled.  The first, an exhibit at Prairie Winds Art Center in Grand Island, started with an opening reception on Friday evening, and the Kaliedescope of Art at the Museum of Nebraska Art in Kearney, Ne opened on Saturday.  Both were terrific fun and I'm so grateful to the many friends that came to share the fun with me.

After all this rubbing elbows and visiting with friends old and new I had hoped to be able to post a batch of pictures. I find that I'm unable to upload anything at all, and I don't have enough brain cells left to string words together that make any sense.

So, it is with great humility that I beg your forgiveness and promise you that I'll post photos of my weekend along with witty banter as soon as I can figure out how to overcome this annoying and untimely glitch.

Until then-

Time Out

It appears I am not alone.

In last week’s post, I mentioned the difference between the way Handsome Husband and I organize our days.  He lives by his list, making notes, checking them off with a satisfying flourish, and generally parading through his day like a man who knows where he’s going.

And then there was me, trying to corral my day, finally coming to the conclusion that making concise lists is – for me anyway – like herding cats. It just doesn’t work very well.

Accomplished artists Vickie, Karine and Hannah agreed.  We check, uncheck, recheck, and re-recheck , then double-check the recheck until we’re dizzy.  I have a solution.

 

 The Time Out.

In sports the time out is used to re-group, rest, and re-figure the direction of the team.  The players stand around sloshing water in their mouths and catching their breath while the coaches ponder their next move.  After a short time has elapsed the players get their orders and go back onto the playing field with renewed spirit.  Or something like that.

With kids, the time out lands them in a corner on a hard seat.  Focus and self control are the goals.

If you think you're being ignored, you're right.

And so it is with creative work. Whether it’s a day, a week, or sometimes several months, any kind of creative work needs time to rest, a siesta from the over stimulated eyes and minds of its maker; a breather, an interlude from being re-stitched, under-poked or overworked by artists who are simply too close to their projects to see clearly.

Funny, much art improves by being left alone. Sometimes flaws become more apparent after a time of idle repose so that some tough love can be applied.  Hopefully it’s the loveliness that becomes even more obvious so that finishing touches can be completed without all the un-checking and re-doing.  Regardless, it’s the time out that clears the air. 

After a long time out, © 2011 Patricia Scarborough, Sandhills Shoreline, 14 x 11 pastel 

 

In preparing for two fast-approaching exhibits, I unearthed a painting I had put away in frustration quite some time ago.  After seeing it with fresh eyes it was obvious that all that was needed was a quick stroke of pastel and ‘voila’, it was ready to be photographed and framed. Once.

Others that I had hastily finished and framed, documented, re-framed, re-documented, etc. are now being given their time out in hopes of a clearer perspective.

So I’m adding to my list by adding . . . nothing.  Space.  Time Out. 

Paintings in Time Out. Stacked up ready for delivery to Prairie Winds Art Center in Grand Island, Ne. for a November exhibit titled Nature's Bounty, with Harry Adams and Dee Rodgers.  Opening reception is Friday, November 4th from 6-8pm.

Then it's  quick dash out the door and down the highway to the Museum of Nebraska Art's Kaleidoscope of Art event on Saturday and Sunday.

Put them on your list.  I'll see you there.  Check.