Christmas 2012

This Christmas we had LOTS to be thankful for. For one, this will always be remembered as the first Christmas for Santa Clause to come down our chimney ;). I have never been so excited for Christmas to come!

 We were hit by a tornado the evening of Christmas day. We were fortunate to get away with minor damage, but we missed major destruction by about 100 ft. Some of our best friends are left with inhabitable homes. This Christmas was a huge reminder of how fortunate we are to have each other, and grateful that no lives were lost. Please say a prayer for fast clean up and recovery for the people most effected.

concept journal entry #1

I said I was using this blog to discuss my reasons for painting. I haven't gotten around to actually doing that until now :) Busy couple of months.

The process I use to develop new art involves thinking and writing almost more than painting. I enjoy painting with some kind of idea or feeling involved. It is great to be able to sell the work, too, though. So... it's important to keep in mind what people are drawn towards, aesthetically.  I'm pretty sure painting to match the wallpaper is considered a faux pas by the great artists of the world. I actually really like it, though! That's the decorator in me I guess. However, the contemporary artist in me wants to break ground with the next great body of work that will really get notice. And so, this is where I am now;

Southern Grace and Lace?

Now that I have a daughter of my own, I am thinking about the way we raise girls down here in the south. There is a standard (among some people) of how to dress your child, which happens to be the same way many of us were dressed as children and the generation before that and on and on. This is just one example of how traditional southern women approach the decisions in life.  In some cases it's a "keeping up with the Joneses" affect and for others it's a choice people make for the time-honored style. I am a huge fan of tradition and carrying on a family heritage and local customs (and hand sewn lace and smocked dresses for that matter), but sometimes it's okay to embrace change and new ideas that you aren't comfortable with or used to seeing. I can't keep up, or is it that I can't hold back from embracing newness? It's just that it seems like nothing changes here, and sometimes I feel like I am forcing myself into the standard, not just with my child and how she is dressed, but myself in many other aspects.  Anyway, this all boils down to maintaining your originality and unique qualities and priorities despite what is expected of you.

So, with my paintings, I have been exploring alternative surfaces to paint on while still maintaining my recognizable style of painting. It's a way to throw unexpected flare onto something that has become somewhat of a standard for me. Words like grace and beauty, dainty and feminine are rolling around in my head as I paint. With these paintings, I am exploring an alternative to whats some might consider "good-lookin'" (as we'd say 'round here). I am excited to see where this new approach takes me. Stay tuned :)

"Grace" 16x20

"Dainty"12x16

Unbound Perspectives

Last week was my group exhibit, Unbound Perspectives, at Agora Gallery in New York. It was a great excuse to take off to NYC with the girls (14 to be exact) for three days. Can't wait to do it again.

The paintings in the exhibit are available online. Click here to view paintings:
Agora Gallery, Sarah Otts

Hotel Chandler was a great choice! Highly recommend it. 

@ Agora Gallery in Chelsea 

My sweet college friends flew up and surprised me!! 

What a fun week! Thanks to my mom who did all the planning! Great trip :)