Sunday, August 30, 2009

Sunday August 30, 2009

Shenandoah Valley I 24 x 30 sold


After researching the creation of an interactive auction website, I am very glad I have a few more months before it is to be up and running!!! My goal is January 1st 2010. In the mean time, I intend to post Parkway paintings weekly on Saturday mornings. These are paintings that I have done in 2009 in preparation for my daily painting extravaganza. Prices will be posted and anything not sold by 2010 will be auctioned at that time. Thanks for your interest in my blog. If you would like to help me in this endeavor, please post the link to my blogspot on your website, blog and/or facebook page.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Saturday August 29, 2009

Explore Park Spur #1 12 x 16 oil Sold

It's actually Friday night but I am posting this for tomorrow, since I will be gone. I need to pack the car for a demo and show downtown at Center in the Square Gallery, but my brain is still on the Blue Ridge Parkway daily painting project for 2010. So I decided to do some research on the Parkway.

History: The Blue Ridge Parkway was born during the Great Depression of the 1930's. The need for jobs and the growing number of automobiles led to FDR's New Deal that pushed for funds and manpower to construct the Parkway. The Great Smoky Mountains and the Shenandoah National Park were attracting tourists but a scenic motor road was needed to enhance the area.

I remember so vividly my family vacations in the 50's and 60's - packing the car in Richmond and heading for the mountains. Little did I know then that I would be living within walking distance of "Skyline Drive" as we used to call it. One summer our family rented a cabin behind Traveltown Lodge in Hollins. It was a magical night as we sat on the front porch, my brother and sister and I catching fireflys (lightning bugs) at the foot of Tinker Mountain. I remember the blue-green hills, the cool breeze and "huge" mountains covering the sunset. Tinker Mountain seemed so big to a little girl from the flat sandy Piedmont area of Chesterfield, Va. My love of the mountains began that night. It is stronger today than ever. A few years ago, my husband and I moved from Cloverdale to Blue Ridge. We did not need a larger house but wanted to be closer to nature. We now have a comforable "farmhouse" retreat and 3+ acres of land on a private road within walking distance of my beloved "Skyline Drive" What an incredible blessing to now, after many years of hard work, be able to stay at home and paint my mountains. This "Blue Ridge" daily painting project is the culmination of my life's dreams.

August 28, 2009

It is 3:31 a.m. and I am not sleepy. This is very unusual for me; I usually require a lot of sleep. Tonight, however, I am so excited about this new adventure I cannot shut down my brain. In the last few years, a new phenomenon has occured on the Internet. An art trend called "A Painting a Day" has combined an artist's practice of daily work with the technology of online auctions and blogging. Artists promote themselves through the blog and post each day's work for sale for as little as $50. each. In the process, artist/bloggers are using the internet to change the making and selling of art. Richmond Va artist, Duane Keiser, actually began the phenomenon with his daily blog in 2004. Artists from all over the world are finding this movement interesting. I found the website of Julian Merrow-Smith from Provence, France when searching online. I was not only inspired by his work but also I am interested in setting up an auction website to display my paintings and sell them. After painting 260+ landscapes, I will need a way to move them out of my studio! I still have a few months to get the details together, however, I have already started taking photos and doing some paintings in preparation for this journey. I am really looking forward to the benefits of painting daily!!