After all of these years, I’m dumbfounded again!  I just realized that I’ve been wingin’ it for too long. When drawing a face,  I thought you drew a circle, and then divided the face in quarters. That is true.  I never knew that you had to divide the bottom half in fifths.  I just started popping in the features without regard to where they might end up in that cirlce.  I see that mathmatics could make a huge improvement in my work.  Wow!  This was great news for me to find out because I generally make long faces. 

I found a very old book in an antique store called “Drawing the Head and Figure” by Jack Hamm.  The first chapter is on the face and then moves on to full figurative as well as positions.  I decided that I would start tasking and testing myself on how well I could pull off some of these sketches and that is when you …..

Learn something new everyday! 

If I muster through part of this book, I just might be able to pull off some better paintings than I have.  You see, I like my work but not enough people like it and I’d like to capture a bigger audience. So, I’ll sketch away.

In this lesson, I knew about making an egg shape circle. Learning the division in fifths to the bottom half of the face was a revelation.  You place the eyes on the horizontal center line and then the nose on the second mark down, then the top lip and then finally the bottom lip.  The rest you start to fill in, like the eyebrows and hair line.  The face might be a bit round but this is just for practice.  Eventually, you’d want to create a better shape for the face.  Practice makes perfect.

I’ve been procrastinating on blogging because I felt that my work was not ready for traffic bearing.  Now, I have a reason to blog.  I decided that I’ll prepare my work while I’m blogging and just let it develop over time.  I figure the older I get, the better I’ll be so I had better get going!  Right?  Right!  No fear, I’m going to show my work regardless if it’s “IN PROGRESS”, just goofing off and sketching or, I’ve finished a great piece.  You’ll see my development and I’d love comments that are good, bad and indifferent.  That’s it!  I’ve got my mission.  Who cares if you like it, I’ll be learning!  Maybe, I’ll have something to share that will inspire other artists or you might find it interesting.  If not, I’m doing it cuz I want to!

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I don’t know how everyone else is feeling out there but I’m so ready for this recession to end.  How about you?  I’ve been working harder than I’ve worked in ten years and I’m scrimping along.  I know it won’t last forever but it is a heavy weight on all of us. I know there are so many folks in worse situations than I.

So, when will we see some relief?  When will this mess with the wars go away? Why can’t we all just get along?  It’s human nature to mess things up but I feel we can make a difference if both sides find a compromising solution.

My very good friend is considering a divorce from her husband.  I really don’t know him but he doesn’t look like a bad guy.  She’s just tired of the nudging and his inability to listen to her needs. She has made efforts to work with him but she’s forlorn and worn out.  I’m bummed about it. It’s just that they have kids, not just one or two but four kids.  My friend took off work for a couple of days just so she could screw her head on straight and make a conscious decision.  Will she?

I went through this 34 years ago with my son.  His dad abandoned him at a very young age and he’s never been able to resolve a loving relationship with his father although he’s made the efforts.  His dad is just a dead beat dad.  In fact, today his father left him a message about his grandmother passing away on facebook.  Insane!  He couldn’t even pick up a phone.  The worst part is this just puts more salt on the wound.

What would have happened if we stayed together? Could we overcome our differences?  We were so young and immature.  Today, I can look back and say that I would never break up the family for the children’s sake but I did, didn’t I?

Divorce messes things up and messes kids up.  We were too selfish and too young to analyze the outcome. Where am I going with this blog today anyway? My mind has been with my friend  all day yet I did not want to influence her in any way, shape or form but I’ve not heard from her which means she’s going through some heavy conversations with her husband or she’s made a very tough decision.

It’s out of my control and I think this is why we are all feeling a bit frustrated about the decisions being made for our world today. What solution would I have for the worlds problems?  I wish my friend would talk to my sister.  She’s a relationship coach.  She made a great comment the other day on our Master Mind meeting.When making a a final decision, “Play it out to the worst possible and best possible scenario and you’ll find your answer”. I like that concept and I’ll remember that the next time I’m perplexed or just messed up!

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When I’m rinsing my silks to get rid of the dye residue, I might as well jump in because I have to swish and splish the water around for a long time.  Silk painting takes about six to seven steps to complete.  It might look easier than it is but there is a long process much like batik.

First you must stretch the silk on stretcher bars and then you apply your gutta resist to hold colors in areas.  Next, you apply the dyes individually, let it dry which takes several hours unless it’s a very dry day.  Ok, here comes the worst part for me.  You must wrap the silk in paper and roll it up in a tube shape and then put it in a steamer for 4 to 6 hours.  Why?  To set the dye color.  After that, it’s rinsing time like you see below:

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What I love about abstracts is you can turn and hang them any way you want.  It’s in the eye of the beholder.  My son, Dave Conrey gave me one of his first acrylic paintings for Christmas a couple years ago.  I turned it one way and he said, “No, it’s supposed to go the other way!”  I argued, “I like it this way.” As the artist, he wanted it to be shown from his perspective.  I honored that and now hang it his way.  I’ve come to enjoy it like that.

Like this piece of mine,  I wouldn’t care which way someone hung my art on the wall  as long as they liked it and hung it.  I would hate to know they put it in a closet or never framed it. This is one reason I do not give my friends art any longer.  Art is so subjective and even it you think they might enjoy your work, they might not.  I found that to be true when I was representing artist for a living.  If I thought someone looked conservative, I found they might like contemporary which was insane to me.

The great thing about abstracts is that they can fit in to almost any decor if placed correctly.  Eclectic design is the most interesting to me.  Found objects of all types such as art and furnishings can be placed in any room as long as the scale works together. My favorite is to see a large abstract over a traditional fireplace or sofa.  Or, mixing traditional sketches with contemporary pieces also looks great.  If you have white walls, all rules about color matching are off.  You can go for it.  If you have color on your walls, you might have to control the color balance a bit but for goodness sakes, “Never buy art to match your sofa!”  That’s a bozo NO-NO!

Buy art because you love it and hang it any way you want!

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I’ve been getting back to silk painting and it feels soooo good! The medium is unforgiving so you must work quick.  It pays to know where you are going before you begin unless you are doing an abstract.  I’ve been playing with much of that right now due to my time constraints of moving, and all the clutter I’m sorting.  It takes less effort to create abstracts although I believe you must know balance and color to make it interesting.  During all this mess,  I managed to take on a commission for a simple tropical piece.  It’s harder to create commission work because you are limited to the client’s eye.  They saw a piece and want something exactly like it or very similar.  I painted this commission piece three times before I was satisfied to send it to the her. I wish she would have just suggested, “Let it rip, do your thing!” 

What’s my thing?  Figurative usually.  I love all types of faces and bodies.  I’m trying to stretch my limitations right now.  I want to keep evolving rather than be stuck or pigeon holed in to one style.  I think it’s perfect for the artists who have mastered their style like my mentor friend, Kenton Nelson.  Now, he’s got it going on. I recently saw Kenton at his mosaic exhibit at Scape Gallery in Corona, CA.  Although, he complained that it took him nearly 15 years to accomplish all this, I beg to differ.  The rumors of his sales five years ago were astonishing. What does Kenton have that most artists don’t?  Focus!  And, humor.  He’s a funny guy, handsome and extremely caring. People love him!  I will settle down to a style that fits me once I’ve mastered the paint brush like Kenton.  I’m working my own path but I’m also experimenting.  Maybe that is a good thing or maybe it’s bad.  I’d certainly like someone’s opinion on that.  For that matter, I’d love some feedback on my paintings, good, bad or the ugly.  I’m a big girl and it’s important to hear the comments.

The great thing is that painting just makes me happy.  Everything can be upside down in the world (like it is right now) but I’ll have a smile on my face when I’m up to my ears in oils and linseed or red fingers from silk dye. 

My other love is singing.  You can check out the blog my husband, John Solone and I have going at Solone’s Sinatra Tribute.  My life is almost perfect except for my finances.  However, mark my words. “One day you will find me writing about all the abundance I’ve received from my talents, just like Kenton.  It’s going to happen. It’s only a matter of time.”  I have some catching up to do.

Guess I’d better get busy!

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As the breeze catches the tree leaves, they sway back and forth.  I find myself writing!  I’ve been remiss.  I stopped writing three months ago.  Why?  Because I put my home on the market, took one month to stage it, sold it in three weeks and then it took another 30 days to close.  The last two weeks I’ve moved and been unpacking.  I’ve decided that I need a break from the uncluttering of boxes.

I’m sitting in my beautiful backyard and I’m writing!  Yeah!  I’m back to the basics of any craft and putting it down on paper instead on the computer.  My son is a graphic designer and finds the computer as his right arm.  For me, it’s foreign and too much like work because I’m sitting at a desk.

I feel more compelled to share my spirit when I’m connected to my true self.  True talent lies on paper.  I learned that in high school, and design school.  They would not let us touch the computer to do our drafting. We had to learn the ancient craft of using our hands.  Imagine that?

If you are feeling stressed to create, or have writer’s block, get away for a bit.  It took Harold Brockney almost 30 years to go back and write “The Runaway Soul”. Take a vacation, read a book, get back to nature or just move to a different room.  If you are stumbling around, figure out what is bugging you.  For me, I had no control over the time frame of the move but now that it’s over, I’m amazed at how simple it was to write this today.  I’m not sure you are intriqued but I am.  I’m writing, painting and singing again.  That’s my perfect life!

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I hope you can hang in here with me and realize I’m bogged down with fixing up a house instead of doing my art, my passion.  I also have not put the time in to completing this new blog site. Soon, I will be back at it but for now, it’s my home I’m updating so that I can downsize and move to my desert home in the Coachella Valley of California.  The valley was made famous by the Hollywood stars back in the best years of Sinatra and for the concert that’s coming up this weekend.

Our home in Mission Viejo is two story and I just don’t like the feng shui of the place. I’ve never loved it although I’m trying to love it but it’s just not flowing for me.  I’m excited about the move because it will feel like home for me.  I grew up in the desert of Apple Valley, California where the mountain ranges and vast valleys are similar.  We had our own claim to fame with Dean Martin, Roy Rogers, Johnny Weissmuller, Pearl Bailey and many more.  Growing up in this world of wide open spaces is the life for me so I’m working hard, packing and ready to rock.  My husband loves it as well but not as ready as I am to leave this hitching post. 

My frame of mind when I’m there is focused on art where I’m stressed in this current environment.  One must go where there heart is.  I’ll be ramdomly posting and when I settle I’ll be focused here again.  Like I suggested, bear with me!  Thanks y’all!

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What a week!  I’ve never purged like I purged before.  Feels great!

I’m moving in many new directions.  My focus is clear.  I have a one, two, three and five year goals set. I will become completely self sufficient with my art.  Starting this new blog was the first serious step. I am focused on my identity as an artist and vocalist.

This past couple of years have been rough on my interior design business.  First the decline of the housing market put a slow turn and the final full blown recession created a huge halt for many designers.  I’m fortunate to have the natural talents as an artist because I have come up with some very creative plans for my future.  I will continue to work with clients on color and design consultation while pushing forward the long awaited dream.  I will eventually be completely self sufficient with my art and silk products.

That’s just a bit of the fun.  I am currently singing at a great gig once a week.  My plans are to perform to a larger venue which I will keep secret for now until it comes true for me.  Sound good?  Maybe not for you but for me, this is the lifestyle I promise to create for myself.

I hired a home organizer to assist me on the purging sessions. She’s keeping my head on straight. I’ve had a difficult time letting go of the interior design stuff as it took me many years to build those resources.  She will ask me questions that help me make a quick decision on whether  to toss or not. Who needs it?  I can go online and find it once again.  I’ll just have her create a resource data base.  I would love to be totally paperless and that would be a major accomplishment.  Having a clutter free environment is definately within the first ten goals I intend to complete.

If you are having difficulty in your home, your career, or your goals take it from someone who tends to hold on to things. Purge until you Surge in to a clear state of mind.  You will fly once the clutter is gone.

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Today is the first day of Morgancreations.com.  What is Morgancreations?   It is my website for my art.  It is my livelihood to come tomorrow.  It is my passion that I wish to share with those who might enjoy it. 

It is also my goal coming true.  I’ve realized that I’ve dabbled most of my life with my art.  I’ve never stopped painting but I also found other things to distract me like work and other things.  But now, I’m serious about indulging whole heartedly in to creating the lifestyle I’ve always dreamed about.

This day reflects my certainty.  In the past, I let life get in the way of creating the lifestyle I’ve always dreamed about.  My picture perfect world is giving birth at this very moment.  While I’m working onmy art and blogging away, I shall soon reach my goals I’ve set. This is a great start at a true adventure, a new beginning.

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