Friday, February 15, 2013

For the Love of Artists


https://www.facebook.com/events/601057069908095/

 

Opening reception for this exhibit
Saturday 2/ 16, 7:00 - 10:00pm


This is my piece hanging at Kettle Art right now for this show. Take your sweetie and go support the arts!



Sunday, February 10, 2013

where does my work come from?

I have done a lot of work....sometimes I get the urge to make all kinds of stuff. my head gets full of creative possibilities...so much so that i feel like i could just burst! I know that in my lifetime i will never complete all of the projects in my head... but that is neither here nor there...


Where does my work come from?

After much hemming and hawing...dabbling in various styles, genres, and subjects....the work i am the most connected with all comes from a very emotional place...a place that is all about the effort it takes to simply "be present" no matter what...to push through the darkness and face the sun...

And because my work is based on simply being present, I create from what i know, experiences i have had, life I have lived. I have had to make peace with this through the years. Sometimes it can be straight from the heart and leave me very drained from thinking too much about it...Sometimes, it can make me laugh, as i think of the beauty in each moment. This is what i do. Sometimes people understand it when they look at it...usually those kindred spirits who are looking for meaning and feel the empathy necessary to relate to some of my work.  And then, sometimes people just don't....awww...such is life...

Like, I said, I have done a lot of work...the problem is...when it doesn't come from the heart....or the place in my soul that needs to be freed, it simply doesn't resonate....it is just a drawing...it is just a painting...it is just a design project...with no heart, soul or feeling...it is meaningless...i choose to create work with soul...work with emotion...work that reminds me, if no one else, the importance of simply "being present."


Friday, February 8, 2013

Falling in love with my work again




I go through spells...sometimes i feel like i have a successful piece and sometimes i don't...it is just how this goes...
In recent weeks there have been those moments when i felt good about the work...Every artist knows what i'm talking about...that moment when you realize that the work your have created  actually makes you feel giddy...just like falling in love....For people who have never experienced this, it can seem a bit egotistical...i mean, really?  Your work makes you feel giddy?  How weird is that?  But, it does, when it is good...there is that level of creativity that is almost intoxicating and euphoric...and it happens when the work is complete...and in your gut...you know that it is good....and believe me, there is a lot of crap work that was created before the good, so when you finally make something that is successful...it is like Fireworks....

How does that happen?  i think it is the theory i have heard from the infamous Ira Glass about getting through the crap to the good stuff..and that quote i like by Andy Warhol and simply making stuff and letting other people decide if it is good... both said in a little different way to mean...

just keep going...

there is another one i like...

" just start, the results will happen...."

and sometimes, the result is to fall in love with your work again...and remember exactly why you are doing what you are doing...because let's face it...being an artist is hard work....it is gut-wrenching, brow beating, emotionally taxing, and with very little reward at times(monetarily and on the low end of the spectrum of respect from the general public)....so, when it does pay off even if it is just in the form of a successful creation...that is like hitting the lottery....and sometimes. that is enough....


Thursday, February 7, 2013

New in the Zazzle Shop

 So, you may have noticed that I have irons in a few fires....

I have my Etsy Shop...
I participate in as many local art shows as possible....
And, I also have my Zazzle storefront.

What is different about the Zazzle storefront?  Well, in my Etsy shop, I can offer ORIGINALS...and a few prints...in my ZAZZLE shop i can offer my work in a variety of forms:cards, stickers, phone covers, keychains, e-book reader covers, t-shirts...etc.. It is a win/win for me, because they make it easy to offer products i could never produce myself or even have time to ship.

So, if you have seen some of my artwork and you would like it in a different format, let me know, i will see if i can create a product for you. I have ordered products from Zazzle myself and have been impressed with the quality of the work.

here are a few of my  new items from this week and a few of my favorites from the past! (and p.s. VALENTINE"S DAY IS JUST NEXT WEEK!)



namaste lotus bag
namaste lotus bag by bradshawmeadows
Look at other Yoga Bags at zazzle.com

February is full of WUV TWU WUV

February is full of Love around here... Right now I have a piece at the Bath House Cultural Center located at White Rock Lake. This is a beautiful, accessible, public gallery area that supports art and culture in Dallas. I love this space and the shows they present. The Annual El Corazon show, curated by Jose Vargas never disappoints. I am so grateful to be included in this beautiful love filled show. It runs through to March 2. This is also another  chance to collect the work of amazing DFW artists. And if i may suggest...this would make a great stop along the route of any Valentine's Celebration Date.... go to  White Rock Lake, have a picnic, stop in at the Bath House, buy your sweetie some art....I know that would win my heart! HINT HINT HINT!  (Good Luck on your date!)


Wednesday, February 6, 2013

three drawings a day

So, in the last few weeks, I'm challenging myself to draw three drawings a day.

WHY?

1. Because I need to stay in practice. When I stop working, i lose ground...momentum comes to a halt...creativity stops in it's tracks... no good can come of that...ever..
2. It takes a lot of mediocre work to get to the GOOD STUFF. (I want to get to the good stuff ASAP!  I'm not gettin' any younger ya know...)
3. If I'm not creating, I'm a pretty miserable person...it's true...I've said it before, and i will say it again..I'm a maker...I have to make stuff...it's what I do...it's who I am...when I'm not making something...I'm not being me...pure and simple...





Tuesday, February 5, 2013

for the love of Kettle


This is the piece I donated to Kettle Art in Deep Ellum for their annual fundraiser "For the Love of Kettle." Kettle Art is a gallery, currently located in Deep Ellum that supports emerging artists. I have only recently had the good fortune to participate in their forum and cannot express enough my appreciation for what they do for the art community.

"For the Love of Kettle" is a ONE NIGHT show in which pieces of donated artwork by local emerging artists are sold for $50.00 a piece...This is an excellent event to grow your collection and support a gallery that does so much for artists....

Artists, such as, Diana Almand, Brian Hamm, Patricia Rodriguez, Monica Moody, Tom C. Carlton, and Sarah Zamora are just a few of the amazing DFW area talent who have contributed to this event. ( I for one would like to collect work from all of these!)


"for the love of Kettle" is this Saturday, February 9th. 7-10 

at
2714 ElmDallas, Texas 75226

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