BLOG/VLOG LINK:https://youtu.be/G7egQiI1oJQ
Hi, it’s your neighborhood magical freaking unicorn high on Christmas spirit. It doesn’t happen often, and it may be a bit annoying. Sorry/notsorry.
Did you know that if you hit “reply” to this email, the message will come straight to me? I’d love to hear from you.
Did you know that if you scroll down you can comment on this post? And that if you do, Google will show this post to more people? It’s magical!
Announcements
Please check out the home page and the Lessons page of this website. I have finally had time (ahem MADE time) to work on them to better reflect what is available to you and anyone who visits the site. I would LOVE your feedback…especially if something important to you is missing. PLEASE bring it to my attention.
NEXT WEEK: there will be no regular blog/vlog. However, I do have a Christmas gift for you, and it will arrive on YouTube sometime next week.
Here’s the story: last week at a Christmas party, a friend a fellow artist suggested that I combine my music skills with my painting skills, and play a piece of music and then paint to that music. I knew it was a good idea, but I also knew there were obstacles: like, legal obstacles. It’s simply not legal to just pick a piece of music out of a book, record it, and put it up on YouTube if it’s not your own composition.
I did some research and discovered that I could purchase the license to do what I wanted to do. But a few people I asked privately suggested that the amount was too much and I shouldn’t pay it.
I decided, however, to find out just how many people would enjoy such a thing, and if there were enough, I would buy the license and do the thing. Lo, and behold, there were quite a few people who wanted me to go through with the plan judging by the likes and shares I collected on the posts.
So my gift to you next week will be a video recording of myself playing a piece of Christmas music combined with a video of myself painting to that same music. So stay tuned!
LET’S DO THIS!
Put the Merry in
I think I will probably blog on this topic many times if I continue to have Christmases. It encourages me and strengthens me, and I hope it will do the same for you.
Five years ago my pastor posted the following message on the day after Christmas.
From George Grant:
The word ‘merry” is from an old Anglo-Saxon word which literally means “valiant,” “illustrious,” “great,” or “mighty.”
Thus, to be merry is not merely to be mirthful, but to be joyously strong and gallant. In Shakespeare we read of fiercely courageous soldiers who are called “merry men”. Strong winds are “merry gales”. Fine days are marked by “merry weather”.
So when we wish one another “Merry Christmas” we are really exhorting one another to take heart and to stand fast!”
So this year, as in all years, I humbly and fervently wish you all MERRY CHRISTMAS.
Valiant Christmas! Illustrious Christmas! Great Christmas! Mighty Christmas! Fiercely courageous Christmas! Joyously strong Christmas! Gallant Christmas! And, of course, mirthful Christmas!
Take heart, weary ones. Stand and see what the Lord will do. Christ, the Lord, the King has been born, has died, has arisen, and is working–even in those things in which we see Him not.
While you’re standing and watching, keep your eyes open for the music, your ears tuned to hear colors, your hand open to the divine magic, and your heart open to wonder and worship…
Godspeed.
This Week in the Studio
All the paintings that were out at competitions are home. I’m looking forward to finding new places to hang them.
One of them had been entered into a virtual exhibit which was juried, but not judged. The Pastel Society of America solicits paintings every month on a certain theme, then chooses from among those submitted a number of them to be posted in a virtual exhibit and sent out to members as an email.
I was delighted to discover on checking email today that Kaleidoscopic Ephemera was among the seven pastel abstracts chosen from among the entries of Associate Members to be included in the exhibit! That means that a lot of pastelists all over the planet will see it. Can you spell c.h.u.f.f.e.d.?
Here’s the full piece.
Other than that, the only thing going on in the studio is clean-up and finish up. I washed off some practice pieces and dried the paper in the sun for reuse this week.
I’m hoping to have time to paint and pot next week, but I need to get some business things caught up (taxes are coming!) and continue to contemplate my trajectory for 2023.
Again, MERRY CHRISTMAS 2022!
Did you know that if you hit “reply” to this email, the message will come straight to me? I’d love to hear from you.
Did you know that if you scroll down you can comment on this post? And that if you do, Google will show this post to more people? It’s magical!