Forging ahead and other news

Only just over 5 hours left of 2013. Its been a great year for me art wise but now its time to look forward to 2014. The painting I am working on seems very appropriate in this respect as the blacksmith busily creates new from old.

I am really enjoying painting this piece now. The ref photo I am working from is taken with a flash in a dark area so the light in it is very flat and uninteresting. The joy of painting though is that I can change this to make it whatever I want.  I am loving developing the contrast between the warm light of the fire/ the heated iron he is working on and the cool light shining in from outside. I love the focus and intense concentration on the blackmiths face too. Painting it was a good distraction from the chaotic last 24 hours.


A couple of other artists sent me a message yesterday lunch time to say they had got a phone call from the director at Fallbrook (Signature American Watermedia exhibition hosts) to say there had been a big mistake and those who were accepted were actually rejected so to expect a phone call. I waited and waited but nothing. Several other people posted on facebook the same news or that their accepted and rejected paintings had been switched. Several people sent me messages to say sorry because they guessed that I too had had the phone call but I hadn't. I had to say that I had no idea what was happening.

After a sleepless night wondering if i was still in the exhibition or not and how on earth if the other painting had been accepted, which had happened with a few of my friends, I was going to get it framed and shipped in 3 days, I phoned the director.  She was not working today but luckily they phoned her and she phoned me back from her home. Thank you Mary

Apparently I wasnt contacted because my accepted painting Content-Ted is still the same. I'm still in the show and I dont need to get another one framed so it will be packed up in its box tomorrow ready to be shipped the next day.

  
I feel so bad for my friends who thought they were accepted but got the phone call to say they were not. Being an artist is not for the faint hearted. All we can all do really is to try to continue Forging Ahead.

May 2014 be a good year for us all. ((((hugs))))

Ona