Changes and Moving On

I found someone to take over the Bradford Neighbors column in the newspaper. I’ve enjoyed writing this column – over 10 years – but I no longer feel a part of Bradford. It’s not always easy to get updated info as I don’t live there now, and I feel guilty for not doing as good of a job as I’d like for the town. I’m so happy to turn this over to someone who lives there.

(Photo: "In Foggy Sunlight," pastel painting still in process. I'm working out how to get the streams of sunlight to work with the shadows.)

Annette said I could start a new column. I was doing the garden column a couple years ago, but that petered out, and this year, I’m not much into gardening at all. My focus is more on my art, so I decided to do a column on being an artist – my way.

After all, how often do you see anyone writing about art in a newspaper? Oh, there will be the usual interviews or articles covering events, but because I love people’s stories and often want to know more, I thought it might be interesting to write about what it’s like to create art, a kind of behind-the-scenes point of view.

This is a bustling artistic community with an abundance of creativity. It’s wonderful to see the different ways people come up with creative endeavors – besides the usual fine art works. I figure writing about being an artist will put a different light on art while also covering a subject that isn’t in the normal realm for a newspaper’s readers. Plus, this will be a break from some of the controversial topics of the times.

I already have a list of 15 topics to cover so far. There will be issues I personally go through in my artistic endeavors, plus I’ll discuss tips, share pointers and sayings, and talk art in general. It’ll give readers an insight into the art scene and hopefully inspire them to find their own ways of being creativite.

I’m not a traditionally trained artist, and although I’ve taken some classes here and there beyond school, I pretty-much learn as I go. I read articles by other artists. I pick up pointers here and there, but mostly, I want to figure out being an artist on my own terms.

Yet, I have questions. I want to understand others’ techniques… especially with styles I don’t personally care for. Which is something I love about art – we don’t all have to do it the same way, and I love that.