My First Art Sunday featuring me

On Y!360 there used to be an Art Sunday tour. I began participating like many of the others with the art of the great masters. As an art history student I found that quite gratifying, but eventually wanted to show my own work. So on an Art Sunday Post in May 2007 I finally did.I find it interesting that my art has changed so much. I think this was also one of the first times I ever did multi-photos in a blog.

Art Sunday - Canyons of My Mind (May 2007 on Y!360)

In the past few blogs for Art Sunday I have featured my pen and inks of people and my more colorful work of churches in northern New Mexico and my mind. I have never promised to faithfully copy an existing Spanish mission church. And given the lack of faithful renovation it isn't even something to be strived for. But that is an entirely different blog.

I want to cover my first love to paint - canyons. As I have said previously these are my spiritual centers. And in the painting Awaiting Dawn below I see Egyptian figures facing the dawn.

The colors in this art work came from a complete accident. I was printing out the photograph I had taken of this scenic overlook in Arches National Park Utah and something had gone wrong with the photo ink cartridge making the bottom half of the photo purple and the top yellow. So I used the same color scheme in my painting of this awesome view.

I more closely followed nature's color scheme with this representation of Delicate Arch also at Arches National Park. But a photographer wanting a certain effect had some years before blackened its base by lighting a fire. I chose to make that scar purple rather than black. And to put pink clouds in the sky. Hey, if you are going to leave it just as it is then just print the photograph. This painting, which my sister currently owns, was my first extensive use of India inks in black, sepia and burnt umber as under-painting. It is actually a Chinese technique.

By the time I painted Awakenings above I had totally suspended any adherence to supposed reality. Don't you see figures in clouds? Well, I see them in rock. The initial inspiration is Mesa Arch at Canyonlands National Park in Utah. And because I did not want to frame in the spirit of the painting I just painted the frame too.

This probably gets me mature content with the Yahoo Blog police. But art is for intellectually mature individuals. You bring to a painting your experience and I bring mine. Hopefully we meet in the middle.

Note the opening picture is Flight of Fantasy. I changed my perspective from the photograph to share space with the hawk.

Maybe this week I will post on Creative Journey a group of current paintings to compare with these some two years later. I certainly think I have developed as an artist.

My First Ever Blog

My first ever blog was February 9th, 2007. I had opened my Y!360 account in August of the previous year at the urging of my cousin, Judie, who is no longer with me on this earth. I did not know how to insert photos, or change titles or put in links but the above photo is from the snow storm I talk about below.

Entry for February 09, 2007

What is it about the new year which makes us all expect wonderful things? As if all the bad from the previous year can be shoved aside with the mere passage of a couple seconds we have designated as the end of one year and the beginning of the next.

January 1 found me still snowed in from the horrendous snow storm that ended 2006. And if found me fighting with my sister. Nothing necessarily new. We always had our clashes of spirit. What can one expect from two strong personalities raised in a highly competitive family. The difference was I had decided not to take it anymore.

I had not even been aware that was my numero uno 2007 resolution. I was not going to take disrespectful behavior from anyone. About time. This year I turn 62. If I am not going to stand up for myself, who is?

And from that beginning a sea change has ensued. It was as if emerging from a long tunnel. That tunnel was entered at Christmas 2001. On Christmas Eve of that year I suffered a serious closed brain trauma (CBT). It alters personality and perceptions and in my instance "knocked me into the right side of my brain." Emerging from the tunnel this January 1st did not mean things were as they once were but I had decided to take total responsibility for who I had become. No apologies, no excuses. What you see is what you get. And if you don't like it get lost.

I frankly love the new me. Oh, so much more creative and comfortable with myself. I can be totally content with just my paints and pets for company.

Not that I am unwilling to share, but on my terms. Not a bad place to be as 2007 gets rolling. It is a little sad my sister does not want to continue the journey with me. But I am sure there are other stops along the way. People will get off and get back on. Doesn't prevent me from enjoying the trip.

My sister and I are no long fighting but I am still very much on the "No apologies, No excuses" bent I expressed here. And the new creative me has gotten a lot more creative. And I now have five blogs. And know how to post pictures in a lot of different ways.

Note: I had imagined when I first set up Chats with Charley II that I was going to archive all my old 360 blogs here. But Google is not set up to take them and the transfer to Profiles went smoothly. I can archive them on Wordpress but have not decided on that.

So for the moment my objective is to go through my blogs before they vanish from 360 and feature a few here. In the more than two years I was on Y!360 I wrote 921 blogs. Not all of them are memorable. It could be an interesting journey just re-reading some of them.

Y360! was my first Blog

The news from Australia is that Yahoo has finally announced July as the date for closing Y!360. And has now hung a blog on Profiles which is where I am composing this.

The above photo is of a local wildflower. the Mountain Crocus, and one of the first to bloom here. I had to relocate my Flickr account to retrieve this. One of those many accounts I have not had time for of late. Back to being active there. But this foto seemed appropriate to launch a new beginning on Profiles.

As many of you know I have become quite active on Blogger with three blogs there: Sidetracked Charley, Travels with Charley and Creative Journey. And in the very near future I will be opening another - Chats with Charley as a "warehouse" for my old 360 blogs which Yahoo has promised to export and archive and also have available through Profiles.

I will not be moving to Multiply. Nor will I join just so I can comment on your content there. The burned me once and I will not go back. But I will maintain Profiles so you can make comments in Guest Book. And if you are a connection I will see where your updated blog content is and can visit.

The above is a copy of a blog on my Profile. Check it out there too so you can see what is happening. And if you are not currently a connection of mine and want to be leave a comment in my guestbook, or Twitter, or Facebook or one of my Blogger blogs.