I finished this piece today ...

a sign for some good friends'

"throwdown" space on the river!

http://www.tkellerart.com/

This Life I've Chosen ..... Part IV

Here I am again, reflecting on that part of my life where I wear an artist's hat (or apron).  The last four years of this art-venture found me a short while ago spinning my wheels.  I had taken on way too much and needed to dump some things off my plate.  Lots of prayer and many conversations later, I made a decision to move out of a few galleries and art associations.  I'd realized (after more than two years later) I couldn't continue to participate in the gallery scene and outdoor events.  Over the last couple of years I've encountered some physical challenges as well as time challenges, which, if you've followed my blog, you already know, so I'm not gonna re-cap all that.  I've met some awesome folks and made some wonderful friends along the way.  I've grown in many ways.  I've gained a wealth of knowledge.  And somewhere along the way, I slipped back into that SuperWoman cape and refused to admit I couldn't do it all .... again.  Unfortunately, it took me awhile to realize I was wearing myself out physically, mentally and emotionally. 

I still have work in four locations.  That's not too terribly bad since the previous total was ten locations all at once.  I can choose which shows to apply to and which events to submit work to.  I don't feel as much pressure to "perform" as I was feeling and I don't feel like I have to create what people expect (judging from previous work).  I admit I strongly hesitated about slowing down because I was afraid I'd be forgotten. 

Slowing down and deciding what I was most passionate about was a huge determining factor.  My current passions include getting to see my granbaby girl five days a week.  Watching her grow and develop has been a constant joy!  Not easy (especially when my back flares up), but a joy!  I don't get many painting projects started or finished, but that can wait.  Afterall, I was 47 when I started doing this art thing!  And hey!  Nobody has forgotten Elvis, have they?

I'm also enjoying reconnecting with my role as a housewife!  Really!   I love gardening and doing small projects around the house.  I love cooking.  I love reading.  And more recently, I love knitting!   I know!  Perhaps I am, as my daddy used to say, a Jack of all trades and Master of none.  I'm okay with that!  Unless my number comes up at a young age, there's always tomorrow to pursue mastering a skill.  So, for now, I'm just living life the way I want to live it!  That "glamorous" life of an artist, well, in my humble opinion, is a silly notion.  Don't get me wrong!   I find it very relaxing to chair up to my studio work table with a watercolor and inspirational music playing in the background.  And I appreciate the oooohs and ahhhhhs like the next person, the recognition of my art by others, and bringing a long, drawn out project to completion.  But, I'd rather be known for kindness, generosity, love and compassion.  Sure, you can include that in whatever you pursue, but lightening the load is slowly bringing me back to knowing who I am.

Before someone wants to slap a diagnosis of "burn out" on me, stop!  I am blessed to be able to pick and choose at this point in my life.  And if I choose dolce far niente! then so be it!  Of course, truth be known, when I practice the sweetness of doing nothing, it's often because I'm sitting with a heating pad on my back!  One never knows what tomorrow holds . . . Be happy!



"The precedent to quit doing and simply be is divine."  Eugene Peterson



Footnote:  I've already been asked since this page was posted if I'm giving up art! 

LOL! Not at all!  I'm gonna go with the flow and take it as it comes! 

Bowing out of the rat race!  I'm not cancelling outdoor shows or burning my studio! 

Just need to find a little balance between painting, planting and pain! 

So, please, don't read more into this than is written and go spreadin'

rumors around town that 'Terri Keller is throwin in the towel'! 

I'm not going away!  Just gettin' a grip and leaving guilt behind!

'Cause I can!

Journal Entry!

Presenting another finished piece to it's new owner!

Of course, Keller Bug had to get in the photo!

Cheese!!

http://www.tkellerart.com

C A N C E R
Today's a good day to ground

 your fluctuating emotions, Cancer.

Step back from the drama you create

[for yourself] and evaluate your inner state.

Are you fooling yourself into thinking

 everything's okay when it really isn't

[or it's not okay when it really is]?

 Be honest with your highest truths

 and ground yourself back in reality.

Write down your thoughts.

[emphasis added]

Funny how quite often my horoscope is so in-tune with what's going on at the moment. I should preface to say it's not a 'grab the paper every morning and see how to plan my day' thing. It catches my eye on Facebook and frequently causes raised eyebrows which, perhaps is what's causing the wrinkled forhead.

I have been in a quandary about my art business.  Had to recently do some proverbial 'house cleaning' and eliminate a few gallery/art centers from my list of things to do.  It took me two years to realize taking on multiple locations to keep furnished with artwork, along with the outdoor events and bookkeeping (not to mention, uhm ... painting), was just too much on my plate.  I think I'm currently at a manageable place.  Now, I need to re-evaluate what I offer.  Perhaps drop a few print sizes and do some streamlining - especially for storage purposes. 

Another area of focus is cropping up as the start of hurricane season is only a few months away and it's time to take stock of supplies and flooding potential.  What does it hurt to have extra in your pantry to share with family, friends and neighbors?  On the heels of those thoughts are those forming when I watch the news these days about food shortages and oil prices and all those other 'doomsday' scenarios, which I've heard since I was old enough to ask daddy what "run for the hills" really meant! 

Whether it's business, health, financial matters, rebellious children, death, gas prices, the grocery receipt, another birthday .... : ) or what to wear to the Ball, I remember the calm my grandmother exuded and the scriptural prayer she always murmured throughout the day.  Come what may ...

“Be anxious for nothing,

but in everything

by prayer and supplication,

 with thanksgiving,

 let your requests

 be made known to God;

 and the peace of God,

 which surpasses

 all understanding,

will guard your hearts

 and minds through Christ Jesus.”

 (Philippians 4:6)



I thought I'd share with you a bit of what has been keeping me busy the last couple of weeks!  I got my glue on by creating masquerade masks for the Mardi Gras season here in Mobile.  I made twelve from various materials ... but accepted my own the challenge of making them without the traditional Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold (besides, I prefer pink over purple and untraditional greens!).  They turned out pretty well, I think!  I may even wear one to the Inca Ball!

I've also been busily working on a commission for a client in Atlanta.  It's a large acrylic piece.  You can follow the progress on my art site at http://www.tkellerart.com/.  Click on the tab at the top which says "Abby's Painting" if you'd like a peek! 

Other things I'm trying to accomplish include preparing for upcoming outdoor Spring art show events.  I'll post a schedule of these show dates on my art site soon!  Lots to do and little time to do it!  I also have a couple of projects under-wraps which I can't expose right now! Stay tuned!

OK....So this is supposed to be a before & after post.  As for me and my house ... who has had time to do anything this week except procrastinate put up the Christmas decorations.  Not to be left out, I am posting my studio re-do from last summer (only because it is ONCE AGAIN on the list)! Below is a before(left) & after (right) shot.

During the process of emptying the studio completely

and culling & organizing before putting it all back.....

I found this fabulous flat storage at a tag sale! 

It fit in my car with only 1/2 inch space to spare. 

It was meant to be mine and has made my studio life

a ton easier to find mats and bags and paper!

This was the transition phase ..... everything in the pool,

uhm, I mean the dining room.

It looked so good and was such a peaceful place. 

Unfortunately during the holiday rush, and

now preparing for upcoming shows,

it has nearly come full circle back to the disaster it was ....

evidenced by the photo below which I took this morning.  Ugh!

This is where I create!

and

This is where I post what I create!

http://www.tkellerart.com

Cake & Champagne!

ArtOlogy has it's grand opening during ArtWalk Friday! Cake & Champagne! The gallery has been transformed in a short period of time. We still have changes to make and will do as the budget permits! Nice selection of fine art, funky art, jewelry, prints and notecards all around! Start-up was a lot of work for everyone. After the grand opening, we will settle into the routine and hopefully we will all find time to tap into the creative mode again! I've honored and privileged to be included with a wonderful group of artists and fabulous women to boot! Eager to do my part and step up to the challenge!

http://artologyinc.com/

Busy Bee !!

Been in my studio off and on this week preparing for a couple of art events. Off and on because my time has been limited so it's been catch-as/catch can all week. I've joined forces with five other artistic women to open a funky new gallery downtown called Art(Ology). Check out the site at http://artologyinc.com/ . I've also been busily caring for and playing with my granbaby girl, Keller. She's not napping as early in the day as she used to and not as long. So while she snoozes, I paint or whatever project is pressing. Currently that would be pieces for holiday shows. I'm trying to keep several things going at once so drying time is not down time. Yep, doing some multi-tasking.


If you haven't already filled up your calendar, put these two events on it!

November 20/21 Dauphin Island Art in the Park Festival at Cadillac Square.

December 3/4 Mobile Botanical Gardens Artists' Market during the annual poinsettia show.

Also!! This weekend is the Christmas Jubilee at the fairgrounds, Trinity Episcopal Arts & Crafts Event, as well as a couple of churches on the island holding arts & crafts events. Get out and enjoy this beautiful weather while it lasts!


http://tkellerart.com/ (my art blog)

Another Carnival Season has Passed.

"Carnival" (watercolor)
http://www.tkellerart.com/

Another fair season has passed. I drove down Airport Boulevard this morning alongside a couple of trucks with a colorful array of disassembled carnival rides piled to the clouds. I missed the fair again this year. Missed it last year too. I probably shouldn't use the word 'missed' cause it was by choice. First time since, hmmm, I was a child. It was a sentimental event for me cause my first date with my husband was at the Greater Gulf States Fair. Come to think of it, our second date was to the fair as well! Nothing like fair corndogs! The image I've posted is a watercolor from a picture taken on our last trip with some dear friends and family. Had a blast! Now that our children are old enough to go without us, it's lost it's thrill. Perhaps when my grandaughter is old enough to enjoy it I'll go back. I love seeing the county fairs portrayed on old movies with the cattle judging and preserves and pies. There's still a good bit of that these days, but it's still not the same as seen on TV. I haven't ridden any of the rides in a long time. That old song says 'tequila makes her clothes fall off' and I'm here to say some of those rides almost do the same!

Growl Growl! Grumble Grumble!

Why is that we have to wake up and get outta bed just cause the sun does? I say 'as long as you put in a full work day (or evening) it shouldn't matter'. I am not a morning person. Let me clarify that statement. If I get up at 6am or before, I'm moving at a pretty good clip by 7: but after that it takes a few cups of coffee or some other intravenous caffiene to get me moving. My husband says I sound like a troll in the morning. Honestly! I perform my best in the evening. I get more done. My creative side is a night owl. It's nothing for me to be wide awake at 1am busy as a bee. Maybe that's why I'm not a morning person. Gotta get crackin' this morning....it's 8:00 already! Where has the day gone?!

Sittin' Pretty

Sweet kitty! This is a watercolor commission I did for a dear friend at the request of her daughter. Now that the birthday surprise has passed, I thought I'd share it on my blog. I didn't get a great picture before framing it so this one is a little pixelated, but you can get a great idea of how cute it was!

Tis the season ...... sorta!

A few weeks back I started painting one night a week with a girlfriend from high school. It's been a nice change of pace from so much commission work and preparing for upcoming shows. We all need a change now and then. Though when I really need to relax I read or sit outside or paint! My work is also a form of relaxing .... the painting part, that is!

The second busiest season of the year [for me] is fast approaching. The holidays. Beginning with Halloween and not ending til after Mardi Gras. Non-stop. I tossed a couple of spring art shows in there for good measure! The most busy season is spring cause that's when I do the outdoor shows almost every weekend. Lots of printing, packaging and packin up....followed by setting up tents, hanging artwork on the walls and setting up shop in the open air! Love that part of my business the most .... meeting the people who buy my art!

Hope to see ya at one next spring!

Nourish your Soul!

When you recover or discover something that nourishes your soul and brings joy, care enough about yourself to make room for it in your life. Jean Shinoda Bolen

Ah! My girlfriends and my art come to mind. Many of the girls I graduated high school with have recently reconnected thru Facebook and dinners and movies. What a joy! Though many years have passed and many events have taken place that molded and made us the women we are now, the laughter and personalities are still intact! We all lead busy, productive lives yet we make the time to get together as often as we can to catch up and encourage one another thru current happenings. Now, instead of crushes, sleepovers, and lunchtime gossip, it's marriage, divorce, children, grandchildren, aches and pains of aging, and ... still, sleepovers and dinnertime gossip!! LOL! Though, I must say, the gossip part has changed to a more "What's so-and-so up to these days" along with concern and joy and encouraging advice or words of wisdom and planning the next get-together! What a fun group of women to share popcorn, oh! and Butterfingers with! I can't end this paragraph without mentioning the many girlfriends I have in my neighborhood and otherwise. Sharing birthday lunches monthly and getting together at one another's homes to break bread, share a bottle of wine and giggle the night away! Also, the girls and friendships I've made on Facebook as well. I haven't met many of them personally, but we have bonded nonetheless. I think a FB Reunion is in the cards! It would be a "re" union cause we did afterall first "meet" on FB!! What a party it would be if we all converged in one place!

Another area I've made room for is my artwork. After being gently nudged...no, prodded! by my family to step out into the public eye three years ago, I have grown in so many ways. I'm not as shy as I used to be! I have a lot more courage than I used to have. I finally get it.....your friends aren't gonna dis-own you if you paint something they don't like. They may not hit the "like" button but they are still there to encourage you! And, wow! When they do hit the "like" button and say you blew their mind with that piece....well, just.... Wow! I've only recently come to realize how much I coveted responses from fellow artists too. I suppose that is my own personal measure of success. Though it shouldn't be the yardstick I gauge my work by. Perhaps that is the way in every profession ... approval/ acceptance/ recognition by those in the same field. I so need to get over that! After all, it is the purchase of a piece that ultimately brings personal rewards and recognition in my book! Not just the sales....but the joy that a piece of art brings into someones life. That probably sounds sappy, but I don't know how else to put it. I love interacting with my customers whether at art shows or on Facebook. To hear and read feedback and see a face light up along with a "I want this" and the piece finding a new home, makes it all so much more rewarding than a local write up in the paper would.

I'm glad I was nudged out of my comfort zone and have taken chances. I have already achieved a lot in a short period of time and still have a lot to learn. And, except for the aches and pains of aging, I'm lovin every minute of it! It truly does nourish my soul and bring joy to my life!

Mars Hill Cafe

The above photos are of the menu boards and feature boards I did in pastels for Mars Hill Cafe in Mobile. I did the original boards several years ago and re-vamped them for the new owners. The photos are a little grainy but they were all I had!

Mirabella ~ Art Study

Don't ya just wanna scratch her behind the ears?! I love this little watercolor! It's an art study I did today. I wanted to do something with lots of shadows so I could play a little with purples and blues. This cow jumped out at me from an old magazine page while I was looking for collage pieces. I'd give credit to the original artist if I could read the name! Adding something else to the to-do list: take a ride out to Irvington and Grand Bay and find some cows to photograph!

Studio Re-Do in Progress!

Emptying the studio (filling the dining room in the process) in an attempt to re-vamp and organize. Over the last three years, accumulation of art supplies, resource materials and ephemera have taken over, leaving no space to be creative. So, everything was moved out of the studio and into the dining room. The only thing left were the work tables and shelving. After rearranging a few things and making a list and sending a car load home with a fellow artist, I'm beginning to get back into the groove of painting and creating!

While running errands over the weekend I decided to make a few stops at tag sales. I saw an estate sale sign and had to go back! The lady asked what I was looking for. I told her old jewelry, KJV large print Bibles and shelving I could hang on a wall. "No, none of that" she said as I stared into the garage. She told me there were things inside for sale as well. I immediately asked about these shelving units. I desperately needed flat storage in my studio. After wheeling and dealing with the guy in charge, they loaded them up with 1/16th of an inch to spare in the back of my Tahoe! IT was meant to be and has found a new home! No more digging thru piles for mats, bags or paper! I can also use a couple of the shelves for drying space for oil pieces! Yay!

Ode to the Pelican

Brown or white, you are the goofiest of birds. Bird of crash dives and the infinite wattle, creature most likely to be caricatured in blown glass,to be carved and clown-painted in Oaxaca.

Albatross of the Gulf, usherer in of fishing boats, even the
psalmist took note: I am like a pelican of the wilderness.
Oh, my soul,if I could shape shift, it would be you, pelican,
and I’d yawp from your roomiest of throats.

Pelican, Pelegrin: on lazy tongues our names alike.
Wing man of my father as he marathoned across
Lake Pontchartrain with blood in his shoes.

Portrayed prolifically in water colors, but rarely the topic of
a tribal tattoo. Selfless Pelican,in stained glass second only
to the dove, feeding your trinity of flightless young with
shreds of flesh and sips of your own blood. On the state flag they’ve sanitized your cannibal love, Louisiana bird.

What can we do for you, pelican? Oil spoiled,washing up on toxic
beaches. Marbled eggs unforming while pious, blackened pelicans sit.

I have been faithless, pelican. All my life I thought you were falling –
reckless, sprawled like Icarus–until you surfaced with a fish.

Blue-gloved hands hold you kindly in a tub, flush saline in your eyes,
give your feathers a toothbrush scrub. You fight by giving up,
unwilling or unable to be saved by us.

-Alison Pelegrin

http://poetsgulfcoast.wordpress.com/2010/06/01/a-poem-by-alison-pelegrin/

Now, I need a Vacation!

My family returned from a week long trip to the Florida Keys a couple of weeks ago. After unpacking the trailer and all the bags and catching up with laundry I realize now, I need a vacation! We had a great time. Breaking up the drive with a stop off at Busch Gardens was worth it! Six adults and a baby in a Tahoe wasn't as bad as I'd feared it would be! My granbaby girl was awesome! She's a great traveler and she loves gramma's iphone/headphones! Along the way we all learned the words to an awful lot of Veggie Tales songs! After the kids rode all the roller coasters followed by a good night's sleep, we headed out on the last leg of the trip. Key West here we come!

We had a great time shopping and trying out all the restaurants on the foodie place list. It was HOT! Like walking around in a sauna all day. The first night we saw the sunset from the condo balcony. Beautiful, cept for the fact we didn't get to see the dip into the horizon cause of the mangroves everywhere. We vowed to see it from Mallory Square every night for the rest of the week. That's supposed to be the place to see the sunset. So after another long, hot day,chugging around the island in our little rented open-air, battery powered cars, we made our way to Mallory Square for a burger and what was supposed to be the most beautiful sunset in the world! The sunset was pretty....but there were the mangroves again blocking the dip! We later learned unless you were up really high in a building or out on a schooner, that's what you were gonna see. I'm here to say...to this date, the prettiest sunset I've ever seen is on Dauphin Island. Next time we will take a schooner out past the mangroves and perhaps then I'll change my mind. But hey! The burgers were great!

We ate at some great places. Blue Heaven for breakfast (while the chickens walked around under the table and around our feet!), B.O.'s Fish Wagon, Margaritaville, Harry's Harpoon and several others. Oh, and we ate at the Columbia Restaurant in Tampa while we were there....it was fabulous!!

I started a charm bracelet for my granbaby while in Key West and bought a couple of pieces for my own bracelet back home. I set out that morning planning to start myself a Pandora bracelet but came across the Brighton's at Fast Buck Freddies! I fell in love with them.....as I'm already a Brighton fan! Of course, when we returned home my daughter gave me an early birthday present....Brighton charms.....a carousel (Keller and I had our first carousel ride at Busch Gardens) and a cupcake (Keller's first birthday is coming up)! I was hooked! Made a trip to the mall to fill up the remaining space! On our recent anniversary my husband also gave me some beautiful spacers, filling up another bracelet, as well as a necklace to start!! Wow! Love it!

On Tuesday while the rest of the family went fishing, I stayed in with Keller .... giving us both a rest from the heat. That evening we enjoyed a feast of yellowtail snapper and cheese grits!! Yum! The last afternoon, my youngest daughter and her friend went parasailing! It was awesome watching them dipping into the blue green waters as Keller dipped her feet into the water along the beach! What a beautiful afternoon!

The 17 hour trip home wasn't so bad! With frequent gas stops along the way we all had many, many opportunities to stretch our legs! We were getting around 6.7 miles to a gallon of gas....so yeah, we stopped often! It was a great family trip! I can hardly remember when we did it last.

Now, I am ready for a vacation ... you know the kind where you lie around, drinking umbrella drinks and listening to the waves lapping at the beach. Hammock gently swaying in the breeze while your hubby nibbles your ear......WAKE UP! Time for drive down to Dauphin Island! Hang the swing and fix me a cold drink. What time is that sunset?

It's only a Season.....Not a Slump.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd ever have artist's block. It's here. It's nesting. It's caused such a void between me and my studio. I force myself to paint things I'm not interested in painting when I find the time to paint. Not entirely true....the time thing. I've always said 'where there's a will, there's a way' but finding my will is the current issue. It's not burn out. There just isn't the spark. I do enough painting to keep the businesses and galleries furnished with my work and to keep my followers interest perked. There are a few large pieces I want to re-visit too. It's only a season. I keep telling myself...it's only a season.

A lot has happened the last year or so. Troublesome things. If you have followed this blog you know already those distractions and hindrances. The only redeeming factor of it all has been my new granbaby girl. I keep her full-time. Sure that takes away from painting time, but if the desire was strong enough I'd paint at night or other available increments of time. Just gotta find my want to again cause it's time to prepare for upcoming art shows and if my heart isn't in it my work will show it. Perhaps I just went too hard and fast the last couple of years while also dealing with my mom's illness and my aunt's illness and now my husband's aunt's illness. There is hope. I do work better and harder under pressure. So I expect it to kick in any time now!

And, I must say to you skeptics out there who know I play Farmville......what else is there to do while holding a baby? Can't do laundry, vacuum, dishes or paint. So I farm! She loves the sounds of the animals too. Not justifying....just sayin. I keep up with my housework but too tired for late night painting. But, presently, my mantra is "Cleaning and painting can wait til tomorrow....cause babies grow up, much to our sorrow" and I'm enjoying every single second of it.