Optimal Trajectory

I've been focusing lately on 'Optimal Trajectory'. The spiritual definition of it is the theory that everyone is born with a purpose, a path in life. The closer you are to your 'optimal' path, the easier things flow in your life to deliver you to your destiny. The further you get from your path, the harder things become for you (as though trying to tell you, you are going the wrong way)

I've been climbing out of a tremendous hole that I've dug for myself and this has left me with limited finances. I was excited though, because after this week, I will have a bit of money to spend. But my impulse THIS week was to go ahead and spend a few dollars on internet advertising for my artfire page.

I was disappointed, knowing that I couldn't do that this week and would have to wait until next week.

Then the mail came, with an advertisement from Google. A card was included good for a $100 credit to try AdSense/AdWords advertising. I probably would not have received the advertisement if I had not signed up for AdSense some time ago on another blog that I haven't even been to for months. (It was set up to advertise an upcoming event)

I'm also hoping the credit isn't BS, but so far it seems like it will fill the bill. The claim is that you can use the credit to start a campaign, and when it's done, you don't have to continue if you don't want. It reduces in value next month and expires in March. I'm hoping the point is to get you to try the advertising and when you actually see results, it will encourage you to continue.

I've never received an offer like this and I think it is significant that it is coming at this particular time, so, I guess I will get to launch a campaign this weekend.

I'm very excited--I will get to launch this week after all and it makes me feel encouraged that I'm on the right path.

Bone Dogs

These are some fun little pieces from 2004 that I'm turning into magnets.

Staying Warm at Christmas

Here is an inset of a FIRE painting. Something to keep warm by. It's going to be 27 degrees here in Florida. I know it may be colder elsewhere, but I didn't sign up for this!

Istanbul, Turkey

This painting was shipped to a Travel Business in Istanbul, Turkey. The shipping cost was so prohibitive, it had to be taken off the frame and rolled, which is not easy to do with a painting that has 3D texture on it. The owner said it arrived okay, but I got the feeling he was not enjoying trying to get it back on to a frame. I would love to visit this piece some day.

Blue Couches

Here are some early pieces placed in a decor setting I refer to as 'blue couch'

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From The Archive - Very First Ebay Sale

I watched a friend of mine paint and put up the paintings for sale on Ebay. He was selling them pretty regularly. I watched the listings for about a year. Cheering if he got a good bid, marveling at the effects he was producing. All through that year, it didn't occur to me to paint. I was too intimidated. But over time, as I looked through other art in the 'Outsider Art' listings, I became bolder.
Finally, I decided to try my hand at some very simple folk art. It started with scrap wood from Home Depot and did a simple painting. I wired it to hang and went through the process of putting it up for sale.
When someone placed a bid on it, I almost fell over. I know it sounds strange, and maybe others don't have this reaction. But for me it was mind blowing to think that some total stranger looked at what I created and said "Yes" I will spend my money on that and hang it in my home. (I guess talk about low self esteem) but it is the ultimate form of validation.

Sink Your Teeth In

A power overload knocked out the power supply on my 'modern' computer. As an emergency back up, I've plugged in an older computer that we had here at the house that no longer had a monitor.
This is the computer we used around 2004. This means it was the computer I was using when I first dove in to abstract painting. Some of the photos from that era fell by the way side some time ago, but, the silver lining of losing the other computer is that many of those photos are still on THIS computer.
Unfortunately I can't upload them directly to this blog, so I'm working (very SLOWLY) to try to get some of them uploaded to a place I can do an image link to them here.
It's been edifying to go back and look at early work and see where I've been, see what I moved forward with and what I left behind. I'm also seeing things I want to return to.

An Angel Made From A Banana Leaf

I found this image of an angel I did some time ago in my archive of photos.

I was inspired by dried banana leaves in the yard. They have this beautiful shape that looks like angel gowns and many other things to me. Her hair is made of left over twine, her wings made from left over silky twine, her hands and face made from sculpy clay, baked and painted. Upholstery tacks hold the leaf in place. She is mounted on a piece of found wood, I painted some detail around the edges for color and character. Her halo is a piece from an old camera.

The Latest

Today is the second bought of fall/winter weather here. For us tropical types, 50 degrees (F) is chilly. So, here is the latest FIRE piece to warm up to....

Returning To Fire

This image isn't very good, but it was my first 'fire painting'. It's done in oils, deeply textured, painted with a knife. The inspiration was seeing people buy 'red canvases' on EBay. This painting is called "Lava". I didn't just want to do a 'red canvas'. I wanted to paint FIRE.

Someone let me know I was on the right path by buying this from me right away for $150. Most of what I had painted before sold for under $80.This was a fortune for a painting to me. I had just started painting abstracts. This was also one of my first oil paintings.
I tell other people 'what you do that comes easy to you is probably what you're best at, but often we dismiss this and beat our heads against the wall trying things we find challenging.' I don't follow my own advise. Painting fire comes easy to me.
I need to do it more often.

I spent the day painting two paintings and then looking up some old images. It's been a bit of a humbling, emotional experience. I don't claim to be the most talented artist, but I sometimes forget all the different chances I've had to be creative. I can't believe I ever stopped painting for a while. I think of all I could have learned in that time. I forgot how enjoyable it is to work on a painting and see it transform, see all the possibilities. Each thing you do to the painting changes it forever. And they all take on a life of their own. I have yet to begin to create something, have an idea in my head as to how it will turn out and have it actually turn out that way. They always take their own path.

More Stuff Going Up Soon....

I have access to my storage area soon and will put up 'offerings' from there up on Ebay soon. I'm too tired to go get the code for the clickable banner to put below this post, so please click the one from the previous post to see what's available, thanks

Tropical Angel

This is a very 'GREEN' Angel. She began a long time ago with a collage background made from old posters. I wish I could remember which ones. Later, looking to create art and use up items that I had on hand, I came across the background again. It didn't make sense to cover it over. But the background was too busy to add to as a regular painting. I remembered an angel I made from a banana leaf a long time ago and decided for some reason to try it again. Plus, I could use a little looking after right now.

Anyway, the rest is textured material made from recycled paper. Even the hair is made from recycled paper (poured onto a screen to make it like 'homemade paper') The center has a 'belt' of left over craft wire.

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