Creating, Launching & Happiness

Hello

Such a lot has happened in the last few weeks.  I’m not sure where to start!

Well, I suppose I’ll get the bad stuff out of the way first.  This very much affected my creative life, which is why I’ll tell you about it.
I had a breast cancer scare.  Horrible experience.  Even though I’m quite practical and positive thinking, this really rocked my boat.  I was in shock.  I went to see the specialist at the hospital thinking she’d say something along the lines of nothing-to-worry-about.  But no. It was a this-could-go-either-way-cancer-or-benign.  Whoa! So I spent the next 2 weeks having the biopsy thing and worrying.  I couldn’t paint, or do anything!  Luckily, the result was benign!!! PHEW!  It was a nasty abscess that needed a month of antibiotics, aspiration and outpatient appointments to settle it down.  The good news is I’m better.  I didn’t realise how systemic these abscesses symptoms could be – I felt really ill.  Now I’m almost back to normal. Yay!

Since then I’ve been on fire with my business. 🙂

I’m a member of 4N (http://www.4networking.biz/), one of two professional artists in the country that belong to this wonderful group.  Everyone is really taken with my work.  I take in a different painting to each meeting I attend (about once a week) and have met some lovely people who are very interested in what I do.  I’m currently sorting out a commission, a sale and a lease agreement with 3 different local businesses.  Next week I’m looking at a venue to run some creative workshops, following two presentations I gave to the Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds groups about “Keeping Creative – not just for artists.”  The presentations (called “4Sights”) were received really well and created a buzz for the rest of the meeting.  Yay!!

Then I had a wonderfully creative day this week with the creation of a new product that I now have for sale.  Handmade, stylish collage greeting cards. This new card design of mine all started with an experiment when it was my eldest step-daughter’s birthday. She likes handmade things (yay!) and loves bold, simple and pretty designs. So I rummaged around in my card making stock and new design was born. She loved her card, so I thought I’d make some more and offer them for sale.  You can find the first pair in the shop, with more to come.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/58880322/pair-of-handmade-collage-cards-free

pair of handmade collage greeting cards © Deborah Eileen Burrow 2010

Alongside all this, I’ve been working on some new paintings on canvas.  I’m working on two snow paintings at the moment.  Every snow painting I’ve done in the past has sold at my exhibitions, so I’m thinking that I need to do more!!

I’m also taking on beginners and near beginners for art tuition.  I have 6 years of teaching experience with high success rate.  I lead an art group in Aldeburgh, Suffolk several times a year too, and I love it.  If you, or anyone you know, is interested please contact me via the contact page of my website.

On a final note, I have a twitter page that is very active with lots of followers (646) and I’d love to connect with you there, so feel free to come and tweet at http://twitter.com/#!/BurntOrangeGirl.

I’ll leave you with my favourite discovery:

♥ Artist in Focus ♥

Photographer Charlie Waite.  Very famous for his work with the camera, and one of my favourites.  He uses light, composition and colour in such an inspiring way.  I know you’ll love it 🙂

I’m not permitted to insert a copy of his work here, so I implore you to go to his website and explore the Gallery page
http://www.charliewaite.com/home.asp

New Paintings and Creative U-Turns

Hello again

I have 2 new paintings to show you.  A variation on my tree paintings. Happily the smaller one was an experiment and I was so happy with the result I painted another one 🙂

The Deep Autumn Night copyright Deborah Eileen Burrow 2010 :: Acrylic + Mixed Media on Birch Panel 7x5" (18x13cm)

A Winter's Night copyright Deborah Eileen Burrow 2010 :: acrylic+mixed media on birch panel 15x12" (40x30cm)

As you can see they are still a strong part of my love for trees, but they are in a different style which is refreshing to my eyes!! I say that because I continued the painting I had started on a birch panel in my last post (the vlog) and it really didn’t do anything for me.  I loved the backround, but once I started to paint in the trees I lost momentum.  Then I went through what can only be described as a few weeks of Creative U-Turns.  This is a coaching label for Avoidance!! I seemed to do everything but paint.  I’d wake up in the morning thinking I’d get on with painting, but found many other things to do instead!  I recognised this as a creative u-turn and sat down and had a think about where I was going and what I really needed to do to get ready for the exhibition in June.  Yes, its only weeks away!!

I have concluded that I was feeling a bit of pressure!  As it happens, I really only have to finish the big painting of the solitary tree, and I have completed my paintings.  Then of course I need to varnish and document all the paintings….  that can take a couple of weeks.  But the good news is that after taking time out to figure out where I was with my pre-exhibition planning, my brain obviously heaved a sigh of relief and my creative self re-activated and these 2 paintings made themselves known!

I love the way our brains work it all out in the end.  I took a Diploma in Life Coaching a few years ago, and coupled with the reading of books like, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, I do have a better understanding of my creative self.  I have learnt we just have to be patient with ourselves and be kind!  Treat that inner creative self like a child – when it has a tantrum, sit it down and work out what’s causing it.

So, there’s a little insight into my painting life – its ups and downs!

I will be back soon with more news.  Meanwhile, here’s the poster for my upcoming joint exhibition with Susan Miller, the co-founder of Toot Arts.

And now

:: Artist in Focus ::

The beautiful paintings of Robin Pedrero.

I love Robin’s work – it is vibrant, colourful and cheerful.  Her use of colours and layering is really inspiring.  Robin lives and works in Florida, USA and is another wonderful artist with a strong and friendly work and networking ethic.  See more at : http://pocketfullofcolors.blogspot.com

Blackbird and Berries copyright Robin Pedrero

Spring Fever

Well, I ‘ve had a very busy time recently with a commission, art donations, preparing for my upcoming exhibition, and on the receiving end of art career coaching and mentoring.  At last Spring has sprung and I am feeling the stirrings of energy – I really need it too!!

The commission was a beer label design, requested by the organisers of the Bury Fringe Festival .  They are having a beer brewed by the local brewers Bartrums Brewery, and wanted me to produce a painting exclusively for the label of that beer.  I am pleased to say that it has now been handed over and they are thrilled with it.  Unfortunately I can’t show you the image this week as it is still in the process of being photographed ready for print, and ready for press.  As soon as I can I will post it here.

Secondly the art donations.  I was approached about taking part in 2 fundraising events, independently,  in the latter part of 2009.    One of the events is now on – the Art Relief Show at the Peter Pears Gallery in Aldeburgh, raising money for St Elizabeth Hospice.  This was no mean feat where the organisers managed to find 100 artists from the region to each donate a painting.  I attended the private view and was very happy to witness my painting being sold first to a collector of mine who lives in Aldeburgh.

Amongst Friends ©Deborah Eileen Burrow 2009

My dad, who is also a good painter of realism landscapes, also donated a painting.  Dad has always been an artist, but hasn’t painted for about 20 years until the last few years.
The second fundraiser is also for St Elizabeth Hospice and starts 17 April where the art show will do a tour around East Suffolk until September.  The show is called Suffolk Coastal Deckchairs and features artists works onto deckchair canvases.  Something very different, but very interesting to do and I am happy with the way the painting turned out.

A Moonlit Evening ©Deborah Eileen Burrow 2009

As I mentioned in my last post, I am working with a coach to help with my art career and business.  It has immensely rewarding and it has really boosted my self-confidence and skills.  One of the things I have worked on is setting time aside for painting & drawing practise.  I made myself a committment to attend Life Drawing Classes and have now been 4 times.  At last I feel ready to show you some of the work:

©Deborah Eileen Burrow 2010

©Deborah Eileen Burrow

©Deborah Eileen Burrow

©Deborah Eileen Burrow

©Deborah Eileen Burrow

One of the other things that came up during my coaching sessions was about my origins.  Where I get my influences from.  Of course, most of my inspiration is from the countryside I live in, or have visited.  However, there are artists who I love – their work and their work ethic.  So I have decided to have an “Artist in Focus” each time I blog and it will take form of a photo, a sentence or two and a link  at the end of each future blog post.

I have also had some wonderful, although challenging, mentoring from the lovely Katie Millard .  She has been great and made me paint with my left hand, with no shoes on, with a big brush and make marks without form or structure apart from how I’m feeling.  Phew!

Finally, prep for the upcoming exhibition at the Edmund Gallery, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk ~ 18-23 June 2010 ~ is going well.  I nearly have all the work done for it.  Just working on a final 3 paintings – 2 large and 1 medium size canvases.  Also working on a primed wood panel which if it comes out well, will be set floating in a frame.  I’ll show more as it is completed.  Susan Miller is also working on her paintings.  We are both working on the philosophy of  Toot Arts which will soon be up online.

So, there we go – lots of news and happenings!

Thanks for checking in and I’ll be back soon with more news.

Now its time for:

♥ Artist in Focus ♥

Donna Wallace

I found Donna on the internet just recently and I was thrilled to find her work also featured trees and paintings with the texture of tissue paper. I particularly love her “white tree” series.

Her works and her bio are on her website:
http://dwallace-studio.com/default.aspx

“Lone Stand Against All” ©Donna Wallace