All's Quiet…
Posted By Carrie L. Lewis on November 6, 2009
And that’s the way I like it!
Not much is going on in the studio when it comes to actually putting paint on panels, but I have been busy. Most of the art-related work has been either with ‘administrative stuff’ like contacting photographers, putting together quotes and keeping up with clients or with ‘preparation stuff’ like prepping panels for new projects. That’s not a bad way to spend a week because it leads to painting later.
I did some painting on each of the two portraits at the painting stage, but it’s a matter of paint and wait for paint to dry. Again, that’s not bad. It’s just the way things are.
A web design job is on the desk, too. I spent three hours today working on that and made great progress. It’s almost ready for a customer review of the basic design, then I’ll be working on individual pages.
Writing has been very hot this week. My two month-long projects are going great guns. So well, in fact, that I’ve surprised myself.
The second draft project is the slower of the two, but that’s to be expected. It’s generally easier to change something that already exists, but it’s a lot more difficult to kick out high word counts. I have worked through six chapters and four of them were brand new. I’m happy with that.
The National Novel Writing Month novel is going absolutely bonkers. In spite of not having an idea until October 23, then not doing anything but discuss and ponder on Sunday, the word count is already over 20,000. I don’t know for sure what the daily average is, but I set a personal goal of 3,000 words per day and I’ve hit it and gone over every single day. That absolutely boggles my mind! The only way to describe what’s happening is that the author is certainly off to the races!
Speaking of races, today was the first day of the two-day Breeder’s Cup festival. I don’t get to watch the races live any more, but I have access to them on the internet. I tried to watch the first two just a short time ago, but the feed is so slow, I decided to wait.
I always look forward to Breeder’s Cup day(s). It’s the signal that the racing season is officially over for me. That’s not as true now as it used to be when I depended on network TV for coverage or since coverage moved off network TV. Nor does it matter that we don’t have cable or that the TV in our house hasn’t been turned on (or even plugged in) for at least two years. The computer works just fine, thank you, and it’s there when I’m ready for it.
Besides, it’s amazing how much time there is to paint and write and do administrative stuff when I’m not glued to the boob tube!
And how much better my attitude is!
I am a self-taught artist for the most part. Lots of trial and error in the past forty years! Formal art training consists of a couple of years of high school art, a painting class at a community college, one semester in the Fine Arts program at Abilene Christian University and a couple of local workshops.
I am always looking for ways to better my artistic skills, so I am a permanent student in the School of Trial and Error. I love reading and have been known to spend hours online researching materials and techniques. As a result, I've painted in several different styles, including the direct method (which goes straight for the color) and Classical methods (which involves underpaintings, layering and glazing).
I have exhibited paintings in locations such as Lone Star Park Race Track, Grand Prairie, Texas and Remington Park Race Track, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Since the early 90s, I've worked with the Michigan Harness Horseman's Association, donating custom portraits to their annual benefit auction.
In the course of maintaining a growing art business, I have taught myself web design (a skill that will no doubt prove to be a continual learning experience).
I also enjoy puttering around the yard, chasing trains with my husband, Neal, travel and, of course, looking at horses whenever they appear on my horizon.
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