Baby Mine

There is something about the style of my floral series that lends itself easily to children's decor. Simple, sweet and a little whimsical. Organic and fluid. Although I enjoy creating commissioned pieces for all areas of the home, it has been so much fun to work on these paintings especially for little ones.  Here are a few recent paintings that are already with their new Owners, who will hopefully grow up appreciating artwork as much as the people who commissioned these paintings for them.

If you would like to order a commissioned piece for the holidays, now's the time! Email me at utopiapkwyarts@yahoo.com for more info. Thanks!


 These and a few others from my abstract heart series are hanging in Madeline's nursery. Even though she's child #4 in her family, nothing was spared for Princess Madeline. Mom had her nursery decked out with artwork before she was born to celebrate her arrival. 

This one I painted as a  gift for my dear friend Laura, who I have known since we were both babies, to celebrate the arrival of her baby girl Avery.

This one is for a little girl named Lilly. Her sweet Aunt Roxanne commissioned it for her first b-day. 

These two went to Ellie's nursery and I can't wait to see pics of them in her room.

This one is hanging in a tween's room who also happens to be a student of mine. Her mom gave it to her as a Valentine's present.  It's cheerful and full of energy and life, just like Emme.

This one was ordered for a baby shower this weekend...ssshh it's a surprise!

Thursday's Other Creative Soul: Judith Seay

As a creative person myself, I am fascinated with what makes other like-minded types tick. Thanks for joining me today as I share an interview with local artist Judith Seay.

Name/Location:
Judith Seay, the Natural Edge Studio Gallery, Dallas Texas


Education 
BFA SMU with further studies at UT, UNT and SMU


Current City;
Gunter, Texas, north of Dallas, Texas


Tell me about your work.
With oil paint on canvas,  I combine color, texture and shape to create a composition that delights
the senses sometimes with recognizable objects and sometimes with just
the imagination.


Describe your normal day.
I start early on the computer paving the way for my work to be seen so when the economy recovers I will have a good inventory of paintings and people interested in seeing them and buying them! I start painting mid-morning and paint until mid-afternoon. I take 3 walks up to the road every day (one mile) to keep myself young enough to keep painting. I cook dinner for myself and my husband and we watch the sunset, sometimes with my son and his wife who live on the same property. Those days are wonderful but my perfect day would be
walking in the mountains of Colorado and getting inspiration for my new paintings, even though most of my paintings are not landscapes.I create them in my mind inspired by the color and beauty around me.


What are your passions? 
Jesus Christ, my family and  painting


What are your goals? 
I want to sell paintings. I love to paint them. I need to sell them!  My goal is to be ready with a body of work, name recognition and work recognition when the economy gets better.


Who are your creative influences? 
My Mother My teachers at SMU (the
Dallas Nine) Otis Dozier, DeForest Judd, Stephen Wilder and many artist friends


Are there any other relevant experiences that shaped who you are?
I learned the Truth and the Truth set me free. Freedom is an important part of being an artist. I cannot paint when I am not free, When a painting gets too over-worked sometimes I need to
mess it up to set it free and it is almost always better then.


How do you set the table for your muse? 
bread and wine


Is there anyone that you really look up to as an inspiration? 

Jane Jones is an artist.She is a watercolor painter and she has been painting and selling for years. Through good times and bad times she has persevered.

What's your working style? 
When my husband goes out of town I pull all my paints etc out of the studio and make the whole den into my
studio and paint all day and into the night with no interruptions. I love it! When he's here I paint about 5-7 hours a day (That includes cleaning brushes etc.) If I have a show coming up I paint on the weekends too. I can't stop when I know someone is going to see them.


What are your websites/social networking links? www.judithseay.com
linkedin  facebook  htt://galleryofseays.blogspot.com
http://twitter.com/artseay    artseay@gmail.com

A Poem for Wednesday: Litany

Love Song

8" x 10"

Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas

Available on Etsy

You are the bread and the knife,
the crystal goblet and the wine.
You are the dew on the morning grass
and the burning wheel of the sun.
You are the white apron of the baker,
and the marsh birds suddenly in flight.

However, you are not the wind in the orchard,
the plums on the counter,
or the house of cards.
And you are certainly not the pine-scented air.
There is just no way that you are the pine-scented air.

It is possible that you are the fish under the bridge,
maybe even the pigeon on the general's head,
but you are not even close
to being the field of cornflowers at dusk.

And a quick look in the mirror will show
that you are neither the boots in the corner
nor the boat asleep in its boathouse.

It might interest you to know,
speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,
that I am the sound of rain on the roof.

I also happen to be the shooting star,
the evening paper blowing down an alley
and the basket of chestnuts on the kitchen table.

I am also the moon in the trees
and the blind woman's tea cup.
But don't worry, I'm not the bread and the knife.
You are still the bread and the knife.
You will always be the bread and the knife,
not to mention the crystal goblet and--somehow--the wine.

Billy Collins

The Flow

“Artists and athletes speak of something called “flow.” When they are deeply involved in what they are doing, time ceases to exist. So does their sense of themselves as separate from what they are doing…

Awareness blooms, as the individual self escapes its confines to become part of something bigger than the self.” 

– Barbara Brown Taylor – An Alter in the World

I love that. I have been searching for the connection between the dedication I feel to myself as an artist and the dedication that comes with being a runner and yogi, and that quote captures it. It is all in the quest for The Flow.  I can't explain what happens when my brian reaches that state, and it has happened in the art studio, in the yoga studio, and outside with feet pounding the pavement, but it is as close to enlightenment as I've ever come.

"Trial"

Original on display at the Blues Jean Bar in Dallas

Prints available on Etsy.

New Painting, "Spaces in Our Togetherness"

24" x 28" x 1.5"

Oil and Mixed Media on Canvas

“But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.”

 Kahlil Gibran

After I finished this painting, I tried to make some sense of it and figure out where it came from within me. Sometimes I know before I paint, and sometimes, as in the case of this one, it only becomes obvious afterwards. 

Anyone who follows my work can see that birch trees are one of my favorite subjects. They simultaneously convey a strength and frailty that I find fascinating. I looked at the painting above and realized that there are five trees in this one. "Why did I just paint 5 this time?", I asked myself. Then I realized that there are 5 people in my family and discovered upon reflection that this painting was inspired subconsciously by them. My husband and my three children are my whole world. However, without the spaces in our togetherness, without my time to myself, often spent in the studio, to nourish my spirit and my soul, I am not fully me. These spaces in our togetherness make us whole, make us strong, as much as anything else.

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, email me for details.

Thursday's Other Creative Soul: Bryan Wetz

A s a creative person myself, I am fascinated with what makes other like-minded types tick. Thanks for joining me today for an interview with local Interior Designer and Co-Owner of RISING Gallery, Bryan Wetz. I have had the pleasure of getting to know Bryan as I have shown at RISING, and am pleased to share that he is just as personable as he is talented and dedicated to being an arts advocate in the local community.

Name/Location

Bryan Wetz

Business Name:  1:  Studio Wetz (custom furniture)

                       2:  Bryan Wetz Interiors

Inside Rising Gallery

4631 Insurance Lane

Dallas, TX 75205

(just off Knox)

Education

I hold an interior design degree from Oklahoma State University...and I love my Cowboys!

Current City/Hometown

I'm originally from Midwest City, OK (a suburb of Oklahoma City).  I moved to Dallas in 2002 and I'm here to stay.

Tell me about your work in one sentence. 

My work is modern with a twist and always guaranteed to be original.

Describe your normal day.

Coffee to get me going.  I'm an early bird so I like to get the day going and enjoy the sunlite as long as possible. It's off to the gallery for a day of design and project management.  Being self-employed it's a constant pursuit of the next job and networking while trying to stay on top of the current job.  I usually end the day with a brainstorm session with my brother at our art gallery.  Then it's time to wind down....I love to cook and spend the evening with my wife.

The "ideal" day....I'd take my time enjoying my coffee and watching the news.  I'd stroll into work and see the orders for my custom designs rolling in and see what needs to be filled that day.  I'd sit down and start work on my "magnum opus".  I'd be traveling a lot for shows I'm participating in, but when I'm in town, I'd end the day with some drinks with my favorite people.  Then home for a good home-cooked meal and time with my wife.   Someday soon I hope!!! :)

What are your passions? 

Personally...I love my family and friends.  They keep me going and push me when I need a push. I love to laugh and have a good time.  I love listening to music and seeing good art and design in whatever form it comes.  I love a good surprise!

Professionally...design, design, design.  It's hard to create something that hasn't been done before.  I try to create, not copy!  It's a challenge to free my head of all the things I've seen before.  I use it for inspiration only and try to come up something original. I want people to appreciate what I do by enjoying what they've purchased from me or enjoy the time they've spent in one of the environments I created.  To be honest and original...

What are your goals?

I'm a provider by nature.  I want to be remembered someday for the work I've done and know that I did it the best I could and in the process I want the people that work with me to know that they are taken care of and jobs are always secure.  My ultimate goal is to know that I've done enough work to secure my future so I can spend more time doing the design I love and taking care of my family.

In some way I want to know that I left my mark on society in my own little way and people everyday will be enjoying it!

Who are your creative influences?

This could get lengthy...I'm inspired by architecture and many early designers.  Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Frank Lloyd Wright, Gerrit Reitveld, Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, Alvar Aalto,Charles and Ray Eames, Finn Juhl, Eero Saarinen, and Isamu Noguchi...to name a few.

Are there any other relevant experiences that shaped who you are today and what you do?

I have an early memory that I always go back to that seemed to make a lasting impression on me.  My church was having an arts and crafts fair when I was maybe a first grader.  A church pastor was an artists and had a table set up where he would teach how to draw.  I stayed at that booth for the whole fair.  I copied a drawing of a windmill he had drawn.  That was when I knew art was my future.  I wanted to be a career artist, but in college I fell in love with furniture design.  I mesh the two by approaching my design work as functional art!

How do you set the table for your muse?  

Sitting at my drafting table (yes I design the old school way).  Paper in front of me, pen/pencil in hand, good tunes in the background and pix of recent inspirations taped to the wall in front of me alongside my recent new designs that can always use an additional tweak! Now I'm ready!

Is there anyone  that you really look up to as an inspiration?

I don't really get star struck or necessarily look up to anyone famous...I look up to people that make me laugh and put a smile on my face.  My mom, who I lost in 1999, is a big inspiration to me.  She saw my talents, and although she didn't always know what to do to guide me, she always encouraged me to keep pursuing my art and design.  The most important life lesson I learned from her was "tomorrow is promised to no one" and b/c of that I try to make the most of each day.

What motivates you on a daily basis?

Good design, "out-of-the-box" thinking and ideas, music, and art! My true guilty pleasure is my Pearl Lite Latte from The Pearl Cup (extra shot of expresso is a must).  I have a caffeine addiction I think!  I must feed it!

What's your working style? 

I like to multi-task.  It makes the day go by fast.  But when I start on new designs, I like to work on them for hours at a time.

What are your websites/social networking links?

www.studiowetz.com

www.bw-interiors.com

Etsy: Bryan74

Facebook Fan Pages:

Studio Wetz

Bryan Wetz Interiors

-that's where you can find my work....I must let you know that I'm revamping both sites, so expect changes soon!!

I have a love/hate relationship with FB.  I enjoy posting my new designs for everyone to see and always love the feedback, good or bad.  Become friends with Studio Wetz and/or Bryan Wetz Interiors.  I hate FB b/c it can easily suck you in and waste your time.

A Poem for Wednesday: Poetry

Life on Mars          11" x 14"                    Oil and Mixed Media on Gallery Wrapped Canvas       Available on Etsy Poetry

And it was at that age ... Poetry arrived in search of me. I don't know, I don't know where it came from, from winter or a river. I don't know how or when, no they were not voices, they were not words, nor silence, but from a street I was summoned, from the branches of night, abruptly from the others, among violent fires or returning alone, there I was without a face and it touched me. I did not know what to say, my mouth had no way with names, my eyes were blind, and something started in my soul, fever or forgotten wings, and I made my own way, deciphering that fire, and I wrote the first faint line, faint, without substance, pure nonsense, pure wisdom of someone who knows nothing, and suddenly I saw the heavens unfastened and open, planets, palpitating plantations, shadow perforated, riddled with arrows, fire and flowers, the winding night, the universe. And I, infinitesimal being, drunk with the great starry void, likeness, image of mystery, felt myself a pure part of the abyss, I wheeled with the stars, my heart broke loose on the wind.  Pablo Neruda

New Painting, "To Give is to Love""

8" x 10"

Acrylic and Mixed Media on Gallery-Wrapped Canvas

SOLD

“Remember to be gentle with yourself and others. We are all children of chance and none can say why some fields will blossom while others lay brown beneath the August sun. Care for those around you. Look past your differences. Their dreams are no less than yours, their choices no more easily made. And give, give in any way you can, of whatever you posses. To give is to love. To withhold is to wither. Care less for your harvest than for how it is shared and your life will have meaning and your heart will have peace.” 

Kent Nerburn

These cherry blossoms were commissioned by a Collector in Washington, D.C. She wanted me to paint something to be given as a wedding gift to dear friends.  I am filled with gratitude to create a piece that has so much sentimental value already attached to it. I worked on five cherry blossom pieces at once, and it is interesting to see how the subject matter progresses from very tight to more loose and free as my comfort level increased. This is one of the looser ones, as you may have guessed.