It"s now easier to comment

Thanks to all who emailed me to let me know the comments weren't working! I wondered why it got so quiet. I was asked if I am a professional artist. Depends on your criteria. Do I earn a living with my art, no I don't. Do I paint as much as I can and is my life constructed around my art making yes. I have both a BFA and a MFA. I devote as much time to my art as is possible. Although the past early spring writing has come up many ways. I took a memoir class and hope to gather a few stories from the notebook and will do something with them. I do write every day and last month visited a psychic who said I could be doing a lot more with writing. What could be better painting and writing and living on a island in a one room school house with an abundance of roses surrounding the house. Well, maybe living on an island further out to sea... Be well, Diane

MakingComments

Hi Again. Hey, I'm still learning the "art" of blogging so please be patient while I work through the kinks. My last couple of entries did not allow for comments from you, but now you can make comments. Sorry about the mix-up. So feel free to make comments about the last two entries after this posting. Thanks!

Still Packing

Hello from sunny and a bit breezy Westport Island. I hear that some rainy weather is coming in on Saturday just in time for my boatride to the Art Retreat! Wouldn't it be just like that! Here in Maine we have had such a glorious week with weather just about perfect and if we had rain it was at night. The flowers this year are stellar especailly the wild roses. I have many jars of rose petals changing into rose elixer. The peonies are so huge they bend over with the weight of their blossoms. My paints are all packed or I would be painting them now as they sit so beautifully in a tall blue and white Japanese vase. But I have taken photographs for later inspiration. I don't paint from photos but sometimes I will get inspiration by going thru some photos and making drawings then getting out the canvas. I am getting both excited and a bit nervous which is usual for me in new situations. This may be the last post until I come back July 1st so I wish you all great weather to go out and paint, Diane

20 June 2006

We just had a wonderful thunder and lightning shower here on the island. Because the island is surrounded by 3 rivers the storms seem to follow the path of a river so the storm began at the north end and continued to rumble and flash its way down island and then across and finally way over to the left before leaving us with a varied sky of soft cobalt blue and paynes gray hit with the snow white clouds. I expected a rainbow but never did see one. I have been busy packing all my art supplies for the week retreat beginning on Saturday June 24th. Since it is out on an island what I take is what I get to use. Plus all of us with our supplies need to fit onto the mail/lobster boat for the ride to the island. I have lots of canvas bags packed with my canvasses to paint. Then the proverbial green joint compound bucket with turps, alkyd, large tubes of paint that don't fit in my paint box, paper bags for trash, plyers to open stuck caps. You can just imagine the "stuff" I have to think of. Not to say sketch books, cameras, film for one and charged batteries for the digital as the voltage on the island is not what we can use to recharge the batteries. Now, I just have left what clothes I think I may need out on a Maine island in what we call summer. I am getting very psyched to finally have everything done that needs doing and be on my way. I won't be able to blog from the island but will fill you in once I come back again the first of July. Happy painting, Diane

Hello from Westport Island on a sunny day in June. I was asked about the painting at Sherman Lake. It was strange to go and paint what had been a lake and is now tidal. I exspected to see all the old birds I had seen before but they were missing. I did see one egret but none of the larger birds like the Blue Heron or the Osprey. Could have been timing. The grass was dense with water and over my sandles by two trips with painting gear to set up at a picnic table. But it was wonderful being outside in the sun with gorgeous clouds drifting across the sky. I had already begun a painting facing south where the tide was leaving a lot of good brown muck. I do like low tide. But wished I had started with a sky painting. First after the months of steady rain it was nice to see the sun and blue sky and second I so love painting skies. I am not quite finished with the painting but will try to upload it when it is done.

I had an electrician here this week and now have 7 lights in the school house. I am excited to think I don't have to stop painting when the light goes. I find I am painting more and more in the studio. An interesting change.

Keep painting, Diane

In conjuction with the reinvention of my website, I decided to share thoughts, news, and images through my Artist's Blog. Please add your comments as you check out my new and updated web site. I look forward to your comments. http://www.wildwoodartgallery.com/. Welcome!