In Memory of Theresa Duncan

Quote from Theresa Duncan's blog The Wit of the Staircase http://theresalduncan.typepad.com/,

That's what an artist is supposed to do. An artist is supposed to be a land-based astronaut. You're supposed to be walking out in front of people, avant garde, reporting back, if you make it.

Two steps forward, one step back, really means one step forward

Mind Machine, originally uploaded by livefunky.

Ok. I admit it. Life does not go in a straight line. Just like art, some pieces of the beginning intentions shine through, others are reworked over and over or wiped out completely.

I opened IllustrationStation.etsy.com a little bit ago for my digital creations. I wanted to keep them separate from my fine art creations at livefunky.etsy.com. Once I got going with it, the more the lines blurred between fine art and digital art - and well, art is art. So I've decided to close IllustrationStation and keep all of my creations in one place - my first shop (hehe and true love) livefunky.

Maybe I'm just a little worried people will think that my multiple interests/mediums means that I'm not focused as an artist. I am always going against that idea in my mind from both angles. One voice says to keep things clean and consistent, the other says "follow your instincts - some artists work that way - be yourself!". As usual, I've got dichotomy working for and against me at all times - hahahahaha

(which actually fits quite well with this image, me thinks...)

Anyway, I thought of "updating" my blog posts (which really means edit out the fact that I jumped into a new shop then backed out of it asap) but why do that? That erases the truth of my journey which has been categorically NOT in a straight line. We learn from our mistakes and we learn from other people's mistakes too. I know a lot of us blogging artists are eager to read other artist's blogs to learn from their lessons.

Yesterday I went through livefunky and edited every listing that mentioned my other shop, and I put all of my IllustrationStation listings in edit mode (besides two in treasury lists - that's what really made me sad I never went with one shop right from the get go :( - mLee - I've gotta say, you said 1 shop only and you were right!!!:)

It's all good. I'm happy to have made the choice and to be following thru with setting things up for a steady future. If I opened a gallery to show my own work, I'd include all of it under one roof. The same should apply to my online gallery.

Carry on.
:) jct

SPT - Zoned Out

Self Portrait Thursday - July 19, 2007, originally uploaded by livefunky.

Hello friends.

This picture is my entry to the flickr group Self Portrait Thursday. I took this using the Fireworks setting on my camera without a flash. I've been experimenting with that setting and the lightwaves I can capture from artificial light. In this case, I turned on our tv and put it on a snowy channel - the computer monitor is captured a little on the right, too.

I call this shot "Zoned Out" because I'm finally back in the zone after a break of a few very OFF weeks. To use a word I've become fond of in the past year, I was feeling quite wonky. Not myself.

After much reaching out and reaching in, I'm out - this baby's back on track! Sometimes you just need to take a big gulp and move on.

"I know it's true. Into each life. Oh, some rain, rain must fall"
Ray Charles - Drown In My Own Tears

I like to paint the world in bright yellow colors that shine with optomism and hope. When all I can see is blue, I panic.

Eventually I stop squeezing my eyes shut and open them again.
And see.
I'm okay

In fact,
I'm stronger

That IS the beauty of life, of age, of the experience of growing as a person. We keep meeting bigger challenges. The universe seems to raise the bar as we go along, and we could give up at any point, but we don't because there is so much to gain from pushing forward. The times that test us will come - that is for sure - but you just have to keep on keepin' on. It's so simple and lame in a way, but it's true.

Now that I'm feeling inspired again, I created a few new prints for both of my Etsy shops.

www.livefunky.etsy.com
www.IllustrationStation.etsy.com

Prints

I just started listing a few prints in my Etsy shop www.livefunky.etsy.com - more coming soon!

Hope everyone has a great weekend :)

New Etsy Shop

Sea Of Faces, originally uploaded by livefunky.

NEW SHOP ON ETSY!!!

www.IllustrationStation.etsy.com

I am excited to announce my new Etsy store called Illustration Station. It focuses on my digital illustrations created with the helping hand of Illustrator. Just to clue others in on what my process is with these images, I begin with a hand drawn sketch, which is scanned and then I add color and tweak the design in Illustrator.

The prints are created from my home with my new fantastic, wide format Epson printer. Epson is the only way to go with art prints, as their archival inks and papers are of superior quality. I am thinking I might create a new blog too, just to document my images as I make them, but we shall see. Painting is something that I am ALWAYS going to do. this project is just sharing a different side of me. I hope you like what you see!