Artist Portfolio & Blog
“I think you should just let it be. Then you got the essence of what it is. If you’re trying to do something you think you should be doing, you’ve lost it already.”
— Neil Young
Although Neil Young’s quote pertains to music, art is art. He’s talking about spontaneity. When I’m painting and I start thinking of “target audience” and other foolishness (such as the illusion of perfection), spontaneity goes right out the window. Like everything else in life, I think it’s all about finding balance.
You know I don’t like dwelling on the negative but every once in a while ya just gotta vent and either take a stand or move on. So here’s my vent:
I keep reading stuff about a new kind of art thievery going on. In a way it’s the same old-same old. You know, lazy-ass predators looking for easy takings. Except now the easy takings are the pictures by naive artists who post their work online. Along come some AI people who take — as in STEAL!!!– that art and convert it to whatever they want and then sell prints. They make money off from the artists who create the images. Am I repeating myself? I can’t help it — I am screaming mad about it. Ok, so let’s try something. I’ve put up several little pictures the past few days. Let the stealing begin. *SARCASM*
Oh btw, since I restarted this blog almost all new followers are AI sites. Hmmm…wth is that about? My curiosity is piqued. So here’s another little picture, oil on canvas, just to see what happens…
And when the heavy rains come, I call it my grotto. The steps lead up to my garden on the left and to a tiny, semi-hidden meadow (also mine!) straight up the hill, beyond the blooming forsythia.
This is the second of the series for the Girl on the Ridge, but the first one completed. I’m not sure about showing whole pictures so again I’m showing just a piece. For now anyway. Comments humbly accepted
This was a big doodling moment after months without painting. By doodling I mean whatever appears, it’s just for me, to capture my heart again and get those painting gears rolling. The cats are Summer, Marmalade and little Willow coming through the doorway.
I would love for my life to be all about art but while I was on a creative binge my house became trashed. The sweet dog I adopted from the shelter is a wild little 30-lb pup that was never house broken and it’s taking a long time to retrain her. I’m still squeezing in some painting, though. Working on a couple of little waterfalls.
Working on the Girl. Here’s a bit of underpainting on the final canvas of the three, where she is dancing in the sun.
So what is my goal with this blog? Well, I’m not aiming to make a pile of money in sales. Some of that would be handy of course, lol, but it’s not my driving force. Mostly this blog is a way to keep myself organized. It’s a simple art journal that I can share, and it also serves as a digital portfolio and as a way to explore some ideas. More about that later on. Plus, who knows, WordPress options are extensive. I might let it grow. I also think it’s nice to connect with other bloggers Ok, so that’s it, ev’ry-body must get blogged
When I started painting I was enamored by the old Dutch masters and Italian masters of course, but eventually I found 19th century art, which won my heart from many directions. From America the Hudson River School landscapes and the amazing portraits by Cincinnati ‘s own Henry Mosler. And from Europe there was the Barbazon landscape movement in France, and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in London. They painted mystical, mythical portraits of models dressed as ancient goddesses. Always the pretty ones, though. You know, Greek and Roman (insert snarky huff here, lol) So I’m thinking of painting some of the scarier ladies with way more personality, like the pre-Celtic goddess Cailleach 😄
Linda Audet 