Gridlock Sketches

So...I was driving to Delaware a few weeks ago, and on my way on 95 I was stopped for about 40 minutes in traffic.  Apparently a truck fell over, blocking all of the lanes!  Anyway, I'm ashamed to say I spent way to much time thinking of how I could get out of the traffic, looking at maps and adjusting my radio in a frenzy.  After about 20 minutes I realized we weren't going anywhere, parked my car, turned up the music, and took out my moleskine sketchbook.  I had just bought it a few days before, and though I did sketches when I thought to, couldn't justify drawing in the moleskine when I wasn't on the go, which is what I bought it for.  It's my first moleskine, so I was quick to break it out when I thought of it.  

I just did some quick sketches of a tree-lined path above the banks of mud of the construction site to the right of my car.  The trees looked interesting, even though they weren't that appealing with only thin patches of leaves on their bare branches.

The other quick sketch I did of the shiny truck in front of me.  I didn't really notice it before, but now that I was in sketching mode, I loved the details on the truck, and especially the way the sun hit the aluminum back.  I actually was a little disappointed when the truck started moving and traffic disappeared.  Anyway, here are the pages:

They are very quick, very loose, nothing much, just a sample of some sketches on the go.  I wish I had thought of it sooner.  It was interesting going from a frenzy of worrying about how to get out of the situation to a moment of literally kicking back, parking, and sketching.  I think for me that transitional moment happens often in my life.  In our busy world, it's easy to get caught up in stress and worry when you are thrust into a sticky situation.  It's the moment when you remember what is important, when you distinguish what you can and cannot change about something, then you can truly be free from worry and be open to what life has to offer.  For me that day, it meant being able to notice a shiny truck and capturing it on the page, but another time, it could be something else, like stopping to smell the roses.

Art-making Flow

I am having a hard time getting a schedule going for art-making.  I find that I have spurts of creating some days, and other spurts of researching artist opportunities, reading about art marketing, looking up galleries, etc. on other days.  I think lately I have been doing more research and reading than actually creating!  I think the reason for that is because I don't really have a set schedule for art-making.  There is plenty of inspiration, ideas, motivation, and time at the moment for me, just not a lot of focus and organization.  I haven't really established a flow yet.  Also, I think starting out as an artist has been a little overwhelming as I'm trying to establish my artist identity, what I want to do, how, and when.  There are so many opportunities out there, that it's hard to decide which ones to go for.  I have ideas for 3 different series of artwork, that I can work on at the same time, little by little.  I think I have to develop a process for myself, and a purpose.  Once I do that, my "flow" will hopefully become more natural and it will be smooth sailing.  Are there any artists who have thoughts on this?

First Post

Yay, I'm a blogger!  I am now getting serious about being an artist, so I thought it would be a good idea to start a blog to show my work online.  Once I get some decent photos of my painting I just finished and entered into a contest, I will put them here.  So here it is, a start.