Challenge Yourself by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Life is a challenge, right, I get that, but it’s fun to set up creative challenges for myself. Whether it’s diet, exercise or my art I enjoy the challenge of something new and different. Recently I have started a new way of eating called Keto and believe me it is a challenge! I also completed a 30 paintings in 30 days challenge and was so relieved when I was finished but what a sense of accomplishment to have 30 new paintings that I otherwise would not have done.

"Out of Bali" ©2019 Leada Wood

This is the finished version of the jewelry challenge. I don't use metallic paint for silver or gold, as they look so flat and I don't care for them. Painting is an illusion after all, so it's another challenge to paint metal without using metallic paints. I also used Golden's interference paints, which are utterly luminous and that was a learning curve as well.

Recently at a WTAG meeting we were told to bring a black canvas and a piece of jewelry. In this photo the easel is more colorful than my canvas, but this is only the beginning! I'm not sure the other women at the meeting enjoyed the challenge as much as I did. Oh well, sure beats eating cookies and I thought it was fun!

My personal preference for drawing on a dark surface is white charcoal pencil or some light colored chalk. It rubs away easily and takes the fear of drawing straight on the canvas away. I am still laying in color at this point. I did learn that all black gesso are not created equal and that I have been using one brand that I will not be using again. 

I thought I was finished as I signed my name but with fresh eyes this week, I decided it needed more work. I used Golden's interference colors and they are very hard to photograph but give an iridescence glow to the paint that no other paint can give. I wasn't quite happy with this so I added more highlights, as seen in the first photo, to give it more depth.

You can see the piece of jewelry that was made by M Douglas Walton in the upper right corner that gave me my inspiration for this piece. I may do it again, who knows, only use a square canvas and create it even larger.  It was an entertaining experiment with materials that were new to me and I learned somethings along the way. That's what challenges are for...to learn new things. This is 8x10 in acrylics.

Here’s The Thing, by Leada Wood, Texas Artist

Being an artist is not all running around the countryside painting idyllic scenery like one might think. Nor living it up with the gang in the studio.  It’s a lot of time spent alone putting in the hours to hone your craft, whether you’re feeling creative or not. Inspiration won’t come knocking if your not working.

One must wear many hats as an artist, taking care of marketing, social media, bookkeeping, shipping, packaging, cleaning the studio, gallery representation, art walks, art shows, doing demos, classes and the list goes on and on. That doesn’t include what I have to do in my other life. So you see it’s a very busy but good life. I am one of the fortunate ones who gets to live this frenzied Artist life that I have
a passion for. It wouldn’t be for everyone but when it chooses you, you are truly blessed.

Just a little bit of the packaging getting ready for an art walk. I matt, wrap and label each painting as well as make labels and signs for them. I also must take good photographs of each drawing, and painting, and catalog them, as well as take all my refrence photos.

Although there is a lot of work besides painting, I really enjoy the work I do. To be able to dream something up and put it on canvas and have it turn out is a wonderful feeing.

I am always thinking of the next painting, how can I do it different, what am I trying to say? What inspires me...everything...the way light hits a flower or the colors of the clouds or shadows. Nature is everywhere and it captures all my senses. I am an observer and curious about every little thing, it's who I am.

I think anyone can be paint if they are willing to put in the time and learn the skills. Most people are creative, maybe they haven’t discovered that about themselves, but when they do, OH what a
journey they are in for!

"I simply do not distinguish between work and play" ----Mary Oliver

"Curiosity about life in all of its aspect, I think, is still the secret of great creative people"
                                                                                                                                   --Leo Burnett

"Creativity is contagious, pass it on" ---Albert Einstein

"Use what talents you possess; the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang the best." ----Henry Van Dyke