Happy New Year

“A writer - and, I believe, generally all persons - must think that whatever happens to him or her is a resource. All things have been given to us for a purpose, and an artist must feel this more intensely. All that happens to us, including our humiliations, our misfortunes, our embarrassments, all is given to us as raw material, as clay, so that we may shape our art.” (Jorge Luis Borges) http://artquotes.robertgenn.com/

There is so much good information online to access.  Please send appropriate links to us and we will post some of them from time to time.

Some tips for the new year from New Zealand artist Richard Robinson. www.livepaintinglessons.com This site also allows you to sign up for some free lessons.

"1. Re-evaluate. Look at your latest works and notes to see where you have come to and try to recapture your previous notions of where you were heading.

2. Absorb. Look at other artists' works on the web or printed media or galleries to spark the desire to create something that beautiful.

3. Play. Just PLAY with your paints until something starts to emerge. This can be lots of fun.

4. Set a Goal. Set a goal for learning or exploring a subject or technique which will generate its own inspiring thoughts.

5. Explore. Go exploring outside, by foot or vehicle, looking for things that grab your eye.

6. Feel. Start with a feeling or a piece of music or poetry - how would you paint that? Try to imbue everything you do with that feeling - from first sketch to mixing paint, to each brush stroke - let it all be an expression of one idea."

Please note that Friends of Art Manchester has some new venues for artists to display their artwork coming up in 2014.  Please consider joining us in the new year and learning where you can hang your work in downtown Manchester (commission free). We are also planning on some murals in the spring. We also hope to have a variety of projects going on in the downtown, perhaps even a plein air paint-in in one of the parks and an indoor pop-up gallery.

Since no one submitted a painting or photo for today’s post, you might enjoy looking at other  murals. To see a mosaic mural named “Trust”: http://www.muralmosaic.com/Cochrane.html  

May 2014 be a creative year for all of us.  Happy New Year.