I am a visual artist - I am not a composer of music, an interpreter in movement, or a maven of words. I am a visual artist. My chosen media for many years has been metal and glass. It occurred to me as I drove to work yesterday, that I really love working with metal. It always amazes me how malleable metal can be. The things that I can do to change the surface of metal, and what I can then do to color or embellish it, just makes playing so much fun! And I love the colors of metal, unadorned: the bright white gleam of silver, the wink at the sun that gold boldly does, and the mellow warmth of copper. I love them all. I tend to work most with copper, not only because of the color but also because it is a more affordable option for me. But copper fulfills much of what I want in a metal. It can be cut, hammered and shaped. It can be etched. It can be enameled and patinated. It can be soldered or cold connected. It's a happy metal and I really enjoy it.
Even as I work with the metal, however, I still have a deep desire to be better with pencil, ink, paint and paper. There is something so portable about being able to produce art on the fly. I have at least one sketchbook with me at all times - in my jacket pocket, in my car, in my work room, next to my bed. I love being able to grab a pencil and jot down a design or a scene on the fly. But expertise in this, like in most things, requires regular practice and I won't be able to truly devote myself to all of the aspects of my art until I have retired from my "day" job. Therefore, let's all think optimistically about the economy and our place in it. We will be able to pull ourselves out of this economic downturn, recover our funds and financial stability and our personal confidence. Then I can retire and play with my art. After all (as my good friend likes to say)...."It's all about ME" - LOL.
Create happiness by sharing beauty with another person today.
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