Art Noise, And Other Ventures

Gail Vail and me

I've made a commitment, along with artist friend and Art of Oconee gallery partner Gail Vail, to write Art Noise, a lake area newspaper column about (surprise!), the Art Scene in the Lake Oconee area. It's a column that was written by another local artist, but she recently left the area to pursue new opportunities.

So, why did I decide to do this? It wasn't my idea, I mean, I didn't immediately think of it. The idea was suggested by Maria Siffert from Dress The Walls, business partner of Art of Oconee. Maria jumped on it, suggested it, and so Gail and I decided to sign on.

I seem to be getting more involved in writing and web-based, ongoing projects of late. My other projects? The list is growing, and I am excited about it. First of all is my own website and blog, naturally. I also manage and write for the Art of Oconee website/Blog. (Not because I was just achin' to do it, but because there was a need and I was willing to take it on.) Well guess what? I have learned a TON about blogging, and that has led to an interest in Facebook, so now I have a personal Facebook page and am managing the gallery Facebook page as well. The same thing pretty much happened for the email account for the gallery, so I volunteered for that, too. Again, HUGE learning opportunity. I also have a personal Twitter account, but haven't spent much time with it (future...).

I try not to get involved with stuff unless I feel there is a personal or professional benefit for me. I must say, learning about all this web media has involved a learning curve (can we say cobwebs on the easel?), but I am much more comfortable with the writing now. I'm not saying I'm a thrilling read (yet!), but I think my message will improve over time. Practice makes perfect, and all that.

I recently completed a job putting together the website and blog for Lake Country Authors, a group of area writers who are all published authors. It got fairly complicated, but I am pleased with the result! You can see for yourself: LakeCountryAuthors.com

One more thing, I must admit I got a new toy tool to help me - an iPad 2. I've spent a ton lot, of time researching apps to help me organize, write, and keep track of everything, and I am just now starting to feel like I have some control over it. So much so that I might be able to get back in the studio for some serious summer painting!

New Work at Art of Oconee

I am an artist member of Art of Oconee, a gallery at Lake Oconee, Georgia. We have just re-hung all the walls with lots of new work, and I brought in several new pieces, three of which are below:

A Mother's Touch, 36"x36", O/C

Heartbeat, 48"x48", O/C

Midnight Stroll, 24"x48", O/C

The gallery is participating in an Art Walk this week, so we have sent out postcards; I wrote an article for the newspapers, and will send out an email this week to remind everyone on our list about the event. Being part of a gallery takes some time and effort, but I think it's worth it. For one thing, I always have a place to show my latest work. I also have work at various locations around Lake Oconee, Greensboro, and Madison that are up for various lengths of time and events, but I like having the gallery as a permanent location for my paintings.

These pieces are large, and take up most of my wall space at the gallery. I like working on this scale, which is a little larger than my work from last year. I'm looking forward to the Art Walk (or Art and Shop Walk, as it is listed on the postcard). It should be fun and give me a chance to touch base with people I haven't seen for a while.