Remember the ones you LOVE...

Above:  Heart-felt Message, Toni Youngblood ©

Valentine's Day is in two weeks.  Remember to express your love for friends, family and those special and dear people in your life.  Click on Art Note Cards to see more of my available note cards for expressing your affection on this Valentine's Day and every day.

Book Recommendation: The Artist's Guide

The Artist's Guide:  Making a Living Doing What You Love was written by Jackie Battenfield and published in 2009.  I'm so happy I discovered this book while shopping for encaustic paints on Evans Encaustics website when the book had just been released.

I researched more about the book and author and decided to purchase a copy.  This book is no disappointment.  It is an excellent resource for visual artists in developing their careers.  It's not the only book of a similar type that I've read, but I have to say it is the best.  It is professional, practical and uses step-by-step exercises and real life examples to guide the artist.

As it says on the back cover "FINALLY, a comprehensive guide for visual artists that imparts the practical knowledge you need to build a flourishing life and career."  I have a link to Jackie Battenfield's website, artistcareerguide, on the right side bar here on my blog under "Art Related Links".  I click on it every day to see  "Jackie's Tip of the Day" on a sticky note.   Click here to learn more about Jackie Battenfield and The Artist's Guide.

from The Business of Being Creative

Sean Low from The Business of Being Creative has written a guest post on Vincent Wolf's blog.  Sean Low describes himself/his work as follows, I am a consultant to all creative businesses – designers (interior, event, graphic) to photographers to florists to bakers.  If you create something for a living, you are my client.   In his post on the Vincent Wolf Blog, Sean talks about the "4 P's:  Passion, Philosophy, Platform and Process". See the full post here.

Liberty National Golf Course - Interior Design by Vincent Wolf

ART: Friday Gallery Stroll January 21, 2011

Painting by Rebecca Cooper

Tomorrow evening Charley Hafen Jewelers - Gallery will be hosting the Artist Reception for Rebecca Cooper's exhibit:  Non-Verbal Communication:  Body Language, held in conjunction with the Salt Lake City Gallery Stroll, on Friday, January 21st, from 6–9 PM.  


Rebecca uses the human figure in her oil paintings to represent complex emotion. Filtering out unnecessary details, she focuses on expression, poses, gestures and color to acutely illustrate human sensibilities.


The art can be seen at Charley Hafen Jewelers • Gallery from 1/21/11 through 2/14/11.  Charley Hafen Jewelers - Gallery is located at 1409 S 900 E, Salt Lake City (Sugar House); 801-521-7711.

Painting by Rebecca Cooper

For a complete listing of tomorrow evening's participants listed on Gallery Stroll website, click here:  Salt Lake Gallery Stroll.


Have an artful weekend!

ART WORK: Announcement...Art Note Cards available

Above photo:  Toni Youngblood

See the new ART NOTE CARDS  tab at top of my blog.   I've created and printed note cards from images of some of my paintings for several years and sold them in shops here, in Seattle, and to friends all over.  Now I have all my card images in one location on my blog where it's easy to find and order them.      


Click on the tab at the top of the blog:  "ART NOTE CARDS"


You will see more cards in the following categories:

-Crows (a favorite in Seattle)...

-Watercolors of the Mediterranean...

-Natural Wonders...

-Love and Valentines...

-Birthdays...

Special thanks is due to my long-time Seattle friend, Suzanne (aka Spunky-Sue), for helping me to realize this  easier  way to find and order my cards!

Spunky-Sue on a big adventure!

Celebration of Dr. King's Birthday

Today is as good a day as all others to remember those less fortunate and to serve them in ways, even seemingly small.  Be aware of needs, ask how you can help and fill in and be a bridge to help others along their journey.  This morning, my friend, Karen and I volunteered to help serve coffee and breakfast to the homeless through the SLC Mission.  It may have helped these people who have no real place to call home.  But it also helped us be more aware of their situation, and opened our minds and hearts to more questions of  ways in which we can all help. It's been too long since I did this kind of volunteer work---not since investigating public toilet facilities available for use by the homeless when I was an architecture student in Seattle.  I'm kind of embarrassed now to realize that it's been so many years since I've involved myself in this kind of endeavor.  So I'm "preaching" to myself here.  :o~

 

Artwork: Crow Painting: Found a Peanut, Struttin'

Found a Peanut, Struttin' , 2010 - Toni Youngblood

This fellow was strutting proudly to show off his peanut find when I saw him at Green Lake in Seattle.  I always wondered whether he ate that glorious trophy of his!  The painting above sold last month in Salt Lake City.

There are not nearly as many real crows making Salt Lake their home as there are in Seattle.  However, there are more crows in Salt Lake City than there were twenty years ago.  Does that mean SLC is getting "wilder"?  No, more likely it means that Salt Lake is becoming more urban.  Sound counter-intuitive?  Not when you consider humans continue to encroach on the wilderness.  Corvids, (crows and ravens) thrive in the human-made environment.

Here are some of the reasons why:  We create roadkill and garbage that they love to devour.  They will even snatch our fast food hamburger from the picnic table.  Human suppression of many of the raptors that would devour crows  make cities and agricultural areas relatively safe havens, especially since they are more than smart enough to outwit people with shotguns!  From In the Company of Crows and Ravens.

Love them or hate them, corvids are very intelligent birds and entertaining to observe.

More links - videos demonstrating real-life crow intelligence:
Joshua Klein on the Intelligence of Crows
Tool-making crow
Really clever crows in Japan

More crow paintings:  here