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Paint Like a Child

2/2/2016

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My granddaughter, Charlotte, loves to paint.  In fact, I can put out paint for her (she loves pink and purple) and she will just "paint her heart out".  I love to watch her, knowing that she has no inhibitions.  She is not worried about the success or lack of for the finished painting.  She doesn't worry about getting just the right shape or composition, or if the colors get muddy.  She just loves to move those colors around and around.  Of course, I know that it is a wonderful activity for her to express her creativity and to just have fun.

All of this brings me to my point.  It is too bad that we, as adults, loose that sense of freedom of expression.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could continue to create with that kind of confidence, spontaneity, and imagination, not worrying about the right or wrong way to do something.  Children don't think about critiquing their work. They paint freely and with confidence and pleasure.  Spontaneity, imagination, play, experimentation, and a lack of inhibitions are all desirable components for creating artwork.  That is true for anyone, adult or child. 
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As artists, we don't want to go back to childhood, but it would be nice to create with "wild abandon" like a child.  Enjoy the process.  Be spontaneous and confident and have fun!
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A Little NudgeI

12/20/2015

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A friend and I visited A.R.E. (Association for Research and Enlightenment) a couple of weeks ago.    The A.R.E. was founded by Edgar Cayce in 1931 to explore spirituality, holistic health, and to be a resource for mind-body-spirit materials for daily living.  Located near the ocean in Virginia Beach, it is a beautiful, serene, and inspiring place.  While visiting the Research Library, I noticed a table of books on sale for $5.00.  As I perused the collection, a book entitled The Daily Book of Art caught my eye.  What a great find!  As artists, we are always looking for a book that will give us the little nudge that we need to "keep going".  This little book has a year's worth of daily lessons and readings, including aesthetics, art history, philosophy, and short hands-on exercises.  Just enough to remind artists of all the things that art encompasses and inspire us to keep pursuing our passion.  
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Painting as a Profession

11/5/2015

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I was in the UPS store the other day, mailing a large painting to a client, when a lady noticed what I was doing.  When she realized that I was the artist, she said to me, "That is a wonderful hobby".  I would loved to have explained to her that painting for me is not just a hobby, but it is my profession and business.  As I read in a recent blog post from gallery owner, Jason Horejs, most people do not realize that an artist is a small business owner and has much work to do to keep the business afloat.  There is making art, of course, but also, keeping inventory, participating in exhibitions and shows, keeping up with taxes, framing, packaging and mailing, writing a blog, posting on social media, pursuing gallery space and/or clients, emailing information about shows, and often much more.  It is truly a business that takes much more time than the actual making of the art.  Most artists do all of that themselves, because most artists do not have the funds to hire help.  Attached to this blog post is the painting I was mailing to Julie Ann Segal, Metro Interiors, Minneapolis, MN.  
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    Kay Hofler

    I am a retired art teacher and now a full time professional artist who loves to paint and share my paintings with family, friends art lovers and patrons. 

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