"Into the Light" Acrylic , 18X24

A few weeks ago, I posted an acrylic abstract painting and asked all of you to tell me what you thought was my inspiration. Well, it is now time to tell you. My inspiration for this painting was a picture of lots of koi fish in a pond. While painting this abstract, I encountered lots of comments from family members. The most negative was, "What IS that?" Painting abstracts is new to me after painting realistic landscapes for so many years; so I figured they would come around when completed..

I decided to enter this piece in the Miami Dade College Student Show, since this is where I was first introduced to acrylics. I gave it the title "Into the Light" so that it would not influence anyone's opinion of what was the inspiration. To my surprise, my piece was recognized in the show. This encourages me to move on with acrylics and especially in creating something unique from a photograph.

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Don't Ever say Never!

Ever since I picked up a brush, I have mainly been a landscape painter. I have been drawing people my entire life, but always as a cartoon or caricature. I am a people person, but people have never been my subject. Two things happened to me to motivate me to try a portrait. For one, I am the proud grandmother of a gorgeous girl, Nola. She has brought so much love and excitement to my life that I never thought would happen since the birth of my son. I see many beautiful pictures of her and always say, "I wish I could paint her". I have forwarded a few of these pictures to my friend, Elizabet, so she may paint her one day, since I did not dare.

Last month, I went to Deborah Weed's - 3G Exhibit at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden. I found it amazing to see the works of two previous generations right next to hers. One of the pieces was a portrait her grandmother did of her as a little girl. How wonderful that so many years later Deborah has part of her grandmother's love on a canvas. That exhibit pushed me over the edge. I bought a canvas and decided I will try it. I am working hard at it. It is still a long way from completion, but I wanted to share my new project. The end result may not capture what I want to portray in the painting. I just hope that one day Nola sees what I am saying on this canvas......................"I love you, Nola"!

Art by Nova!

There is so much that can be done on the internet these days; anything from researching your aches and pains, selling, and in my case, making new friends. I started selling my art on line in 2006. I was preparing myself for retirement and pursuing my lifelong wish to paint full time. I had been selling many of my miniatures to a lady that not only purchased, but always sent me the most wonderful words of encouragement. Her interest in my art motivated me to paint even more and believe some of the things she would say about my art. Slowly, we started communicating via email. My friend, Nova, is not just an art lover, but an artist. She would buy art and encourage artists, as she continued to create on her own. One day she shared one of her pieces with me. I told her that she should not just be buying, but also selling. Her creations are psychedelic, abstract paintings. Her love of geometric shapes and color is very evident.

Nova is no longer painting for herself, but for the rest of the world. She has already sold a few pieces on line and is delighted. She says "My goal is to create and share art from the heart that inspires, sings, and brings joy, happiness and smiles that last." Nova is now on the web. It is my pleasure to share her page today. To find out about her, and her art, check out the link below.

http://www.joanwinter.com/nova.html

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Big News...........Grove House Artists Gallery!

It seems that every time I leave town, a big news story happens in Miami. They are usually negative stories related to my previous employer. I end up reading the paper on line and feeling sad and disgusted at yet another person getting arrested for greed and corruption.

During my last trip, I missed another big story, but this one put a smile on my face. I missed an opening reception for my friend Lynda Wellens and the "Sand, Sea & Surf" exhibit at the Grove House Artists Gallery. During the reception, they announced the award winners for the exhibit. I can't still believe that my piece titled "Summer Showers" won Best in Show. This is my first acrylic seascape so the award is extra special.

During this trip I was reading the book "Finding your Visual Voice". Could acrylics be speaking to me loud and clear?


www.artistamundo.com/rosiesart