p.s. This post was scheduled to go out on Friday as usual, but for some reason it failed to post. No idea what happened. Technology. Am I right???
Information about the giveaway is down the page a bit. Are you eligible to enter? Find out!
This Week in the Studio
It’s been a very fun week, although I kept finding myself so tired at the end of the day. Sometimes I get so caught up in all the ideas that I forget to take a break and rest my body. It’s a good problem to have, and I’ve heard many artists report the same issue.
Many exciting creations are waiting in the kiln to be bisqued. Bisquing is firing the bone dry clay projects to a temperature that doesn’t actually vitrify them, but rather just makes them hard enough so that applying glaze is easier. I don’t usually bisque, because it is quite possible to glaze bone dry clay (also called greenware). However, I had also constructed several stamps and molds that would need to be only bisqued for use. Might as well fire it all instead of just those few pieces. Firing commenced early this morning, if you’re reading this on Friday.
Here are some photos:
Yippee! Our Central Texas Pastel Society meetings will begin again tomorrow, Saturday 9/17. Which means that our “challenge paintings” will also begin. Our society has traditionally chosen a theme each month to encourage members to get in the studio and paint. Our challenge for this first meeting after the summer break is “drink”.
I didn’t have anything I had painted recently, so Tuesday evening I began a piece. My oldest daughter had come to visit over the weekend and had brought me a lovely bright bouquet of zinnias and basil from her garden. I knew it needed to be the focus of the painting, and I never miss a chance to include teacups from my collection into my art.
Here is the final piece. My daughter tells me she loves it not only because it showcases her beautiful bouquet, but because it reminds her of our early morning mother/daughter conferences when she was just a young teenager. My heart!
Party Time and Giveaway
It’s getting close to time for the next Arty Party! Yes! October 1st we will get together and you can shop all the new pottery and a few new paintings. Just a reminder: Christmas is coming! Don’t wait until the last moment to shop. There are Experiences and Gift Cards as well as paintings and pottery available.
Here’s the giveaway information: we need more people to join us for our parties! So I’m going to give you some incentive to help me invite people. Each of you that EITHER brings a guest TO the actual party OR shares the Magic News in a such a way that someone on your friend’s list signs up for it, will get a free gift! It is a small gift, but it will be handmade by me just for you! I’ll ship it to you as soon as I have the information I need.
All you need to do is invite, invite, invite, share share share. I’ll keep a record of all the people who join the Magic News list between now and October 1st and you’ll get a chance to “claim” that person as one you know. And of course I’ll get a list of all of you who bring a guest to the actual party.
I really appreciate your support. It means more than you know that you share my art with your circle, because you never know when it’s going to be the means of bringing joy to someone new.
To make it as easy as possible for you to win, here is an image you can use to share about the Party and the Magic News. Just right click on the image and choose “save image” to save it to your device. Then you’ll be able to share it on social media along with a personal message about why you like hanging out with me 🙂
AI-ai-ai
There’s a big kerfuffle in the art world right now about AI art. Art created with Artificial Intelligence techniques is making a splash and winning awards: and many artists are downright scared. It’s hard enough to make a living at this without having to compete with a computer intelligence!
A friend of mine put out a video on the subject today, and I thought I’d share it with you, and then also present my own thoughts on the matter, in case you’re interested. You don’t have to watch the video to understand what follows, though.
Will AI Art Make Artists Obsolete?
My comment on the video itself is there for you to see, but here is an expanded version of it:
I love that I’ve been listening to you (Rafi) and others and studying scripture to learn how and why we were created long enough to not feel threatened by this new development, but rather intrigued. No AI can replicate MY art. My art is created from God working through my own heart in a way unique to me. You won’t be able to program that into an AI intelligence. The only way to get my art is to get it from me.
If you’re an artist that is worried about AI replacing you, then I humbly submit that perhaps you don’t yet understand art at all. I make art because I can’t NOT make art. If that’s not why you make art, maybe you do need to evaluate your career choices.
On the flip side, what can AI art teach us? Y’all… Please think about this: somebody programmed that AI generator. There is a data-driven reason those images are pleasing and evocative. If it’s data, WE CAN MINE IT. We can figure out what it is that makes the AI art so good, and put that in our own art!!!!
Fear not, gentle artist. Go forth and be the artist you were created to be.
Next week I’ll share with you why my tagline is now longer…Meanwhile, I pray that you will be delighted when you see the music, hear the colors, touch the magic, and find the wonder and worship arising in your heart…
Godspeed
