Another beautiful entry!

 

I was SO happy to get home today to see yet another wonderful entry for this month's painting challenge by Dean H....you have to hop over to his blog...aptly entitled "Deano's Den".  Dean is a wonderful painter and he has captured this lion beautifully! He's called it "Crown of Gold"...YES! Just look at that light!  Thank you DEAN...and of course Dean will go into the drawing at the end of the month!!

I was especially glad to come home to some beauty as I had a less than fulfilling day...aaarrrggghhh!!  I try not to whine here...I'm soooo sorry, but today I just have to "cry" a little "out loud"!  I'm hoping I will be forgiven!!  I usually try to find the rainbow when it rains on my life...and I'm sure I will...perhaps tomorrow! 

As you know I have taken a long term sub job at a local high school.  I've spent weeks before the assignment visiting the school and the classroom to get to know the kids and to understand what would be needed from me in order to give the job my very best.  It is my personality to give %110 when I commit to something.  I'm not sorry I did that...Today I went to school to find an e-mail from the teacher who had the baby telling me she had decided to come back a month early.  No call, no pre-warning...just a simple e-mail.  On one hand I can understand the issue of finances driving her back...as she stated...but on the other hand I felt a little kicked in the stomach as I had moved life around and set aside the time and effort to do this and was counting on the finances myself...WHINE, WHINE!  lol...with a little tear in my eye! :) The frustrated, and yes...a little hurt female in me wanted to say..."but you knew the finances when you blocked this time out"...but I only said it in my head...Besides it does no good to add to a situation...so...I plugged on today feeling a little disconnected and my mind was scrambling...Then I remembered I'd been praying for God to give me clear direction...so how can I argue with an answer...Perhaps He knew I would be too bedraggled or something...I don't know, and I don't care to question Him. So, if I can hold out my return to my "other" life will be early May.  yea..(she says in a small voice tonight!)

Perhaps it wouldn't have been soooo distressing if I hadn't gotten up at 4 a.m.  I was laying there and it popped in my head to check on the book situation with the paper company I've told you about.  I haven't heard a word...I "won" the February contest, but have yet to receive my prize, or any word....there was no March newsletter as promised that would announce it...hmmm  The little niggle started..."Oh Saundra...have you been too naive...did you give away the farm and NOT take care of business properly"...SO, I e-mailed the person I've been dealing with just to ask what was happening...and it came back almost immediately as undeliverable...WHOA...hold on here...embarrassment, feeling foolish, trying NOT to make more of this than I should...OK girl...just try again...so I did...this one didn't come back...whew...BUT, in the letter I asked the questions...I'm just wondering...you said you would send the mock up for my approval...you had a deadline of several weeks ago and still I haven't heard...is there a problem..."I hate to bring it up...I'm embarrassed, but am I going to get my prize for winning the contest (the little artist girl in me was looking forward to it)...your website doesn't have any lesson plans...the price stated there is widely different than what you told me...am I confused...is this legitimate..?"  WAY too much groveling I did...EMBARRASSED again!  I never heard back from her...a FIRST...she always responded within hours when I was giving away the farm (my WHOLE original and new process) BUT, I wanted to write this to you all as a reminder that when, IF we create something new and different...be careful, protect ourselves...Having said all that I will give this person a day or two to respond...to explain...to give me something to show me that I wasn't taken...and then I don't know what...hmmm...lesson learned?  Is that all I should do??  Don't jump to conclusions...perhaps several family members have been in the hospital...perhaps her computer crashed and she weren't able to get it fixed for a month...perhaps she is revamping the website to correct the information...perhaps...perhaps...I'm wondering now how many perhapssss should I allow before...what?  Hmmm she says again...Lesson learned Saundra??  I mainly wanted to bring this up here as a cautionary tale...IF and WHEN you brilliant artists come up with something unique...be careful...Perhaps this story will have a better ending than I feel like it will right now...Let's hope so! 

Happy Creating...and I MEAN that!!

SHOE DAY

 My shoe...ha...It is an old Reebock...I think I'm old cuz they don't wear white tennis shoes anymore!!

WOW, getting back into the swing of every day all day teaching is a tiny bit challenging if I want to stay in touch with you all...but I'm making it!!  Today was a crazy day at school, but I had a few minutes after school to draw the shoe for the shoe project I talked about a couple days ago.  Step one is to draw the shoe...I'm almost finished except for some shadow and such...NEXT step will be to morph it into something...I'm doing a giraffe head.  Hopefully that will be tomorrow.  We are gathering work and putting information into the computer for an art show so that takes most of my day between classes...but somehow I will make it!!  I'm sure June 3 will come quickly and then it will be back to whatever I'm calling normal for me! HA

I'm hoping you all are going to try to take part in the painting challenge.  I'm looking forward to more paintings if you have time!!

Til then...HAPPY PAINTING!!

"Single Red" © Saundra Lane Galloway

 Single Red

4x4 oil on fiberboard panel

Yesterday was a tough day for me.  I HOPE it didn't really come across like that...but it was...It was that moment where I realized that the teacher that had been with the kids all year had formed the climate of the room according to how she operated...and it wasn't me!  The kids were a bit out of control, and I was exhausted and down...whoa...way down...I wasn't sure if I had made a good decision about doing this...so...I went to bed like that.  I felt bad for my husband who was a real sweetheart...he made me dinner and rubbed my feet and told me it was going to be ok, that he believed in me!  WOW...a dream of a man last night he was!!  Thank you honey!! 

And so...I woke up this morning with the same stubborn attitude about life that has gotten me through a ton of tough stuff and went to school and got the control back!  YEP...I DID! Not by demeaning the kids or yelling or negative comments.  I just talked to them...I reminded them of how we are all different, and for ME...I needed to have things a little more organized and respectful...and all that...sandwich the "negative" between two slices of complimentary...and then I announced a contest for one who worked the hardest and was drawn from all those wonderful ones that worked hard and would win an easel...THAT got their attention...I talked about how we as artists have incentives...perhaps to win best of show...or we sell a painting, or we do a workshop and get paid...so I told them I wanted to give them a little extra incentive...WHEW...I'm here to tell you I came home a different woman!!  The students and I had a great day, and now we all have something to look forward to! 

As I was up this morning and was contemplating how I would approach the kids I woke to interesting skies...ONE pic I took while driving...don't tell anyone...shhhh.  I am so amazed and grateful for a God who has given us such awesome views to either calm or excite us...as artists it is the best present of all...SO, I'm sharing some of my views I had this morning as I awoke and drove to school...

Part of why I was so down yesterday is I didn't have ANY time to paint...I NEED to paint...it lifts me up...it fills my soul with endless creative thoughts and feelings...So, today I was determined!!  I only had moments between getting the kids ready for a district art show, and talking to them and helping them...and posting grades...and eating lunch...BUT, Single Red came out today...one of our 4x4 contest choices and will probably end up in my ETSY shop when it is dry...YEA...I GOT TO PAINT!!  I hope you all had a day that was as full of awesomeness as mine!!  HAPPY CREATING!!...and ps...don't forget about our painting challenge this month...the zoo animals that were posted on March 30, OR the funky show morphing challenge I've given my drawing students...Just e-mail me your entry at art4life44@hotmail.com and I'll put you in the drawing!!  YIPPEE!!

What to do, oh what to do with the SHOE

Today was back to school day after Spring Break.  I have to tell you 5:30 jumping out of bed was tough for me today....but I'll get used to it again.  There is something different about being SOOO inspired that I WANT to get up and paint, and the alarm jarring me out of bed to go to school to teach.  WHEW...even in the short two years since I've taught full time I've gotten used to what my life had become and I LOVED it!!  Oh well...gotta pay those bills!! 

SO, I had some things to do today and didn't get to paint during my off time like I'd hoped I would...and I MISSED blogging a new painting.  As I said, things will be a bit different from time to time on my blog as there WILL be days like I had today...so I thought I'd share an assignment I'm carrying out for the teacher I'm subbing for.  She wanted the students in her drawing I class to draw a shoe...they are to draw it realistically...all the bells and whistles...all the shading...THEN, they are to morph their shoe into something else.  The example was a tennis shoe into an alligator...

SO, as a way to try to get my kiddos interested (I've got to tell you a great number of them just aren't motivated at ALL) I decided to do this with them like I did the portrait for the painting kids.  So, here is MY shoe...my old favorite raggedy tennis shoe...I thought I'd show the students some pics of animals and well, just begin...I've chosen this photo of a giraffe I took from my recent visit to the zoo.  I plan to share my progress as things go along...so get ready to go back to school!

I still want, no NEED to paint something that fits into my "OLD" life that will come again when school ends...so I can step right back when I am finished.  I'm sorry to say I'm already looking forward to THAT LIFE! ha

Hubby dear and I have some tough decisions to make in the coming months...WHERE to go...HOW to work and live...MY job in all of this is to be supportive, and to try to find a place where I can happily teach workshops which I LOVE to do...and he can still do his job...We shall see as the days pass what comes before us! 

So, lesson #1...The EXAMPLE and how it may be morphed...I'd absolutely LOVE it if any of you most wonderfully accomplished artists out there want to try this with me...You can be sure I'll share your efforts with my kids!! :)  Yours can be painted or sculpted or whatever if you so choose...AND, I'll add your name to the drawing for the contest we are having this month!!  Any takers out there?? :)  HAPPY DAYS!!

NIT PICKING

 Me with reworked mouth...and

Me yesterday...the previous version...ha

Ok...so I've been working on my MOUTH...I think I've gotten it closer...my true mouth...smile...is a bit crooked...It may be nit picking at this point...because at some point we say enough of this and move on...even if it is to a completely different piece...BUT, because I want to give my students a complete picture of the process we sometimes go through...and because you are all so patient I'm posting it here!  What do you think?  Can you see a difference?  Hmmm...love to hear from you!!