starting all over again

Detail of Rebecca (my daughter) in acrylic

"Ode to Joy" (Detail of first attempt at acrylic)

"Cara" (most recent charcoal)

This is the art blog of Susan Obaza. I've been interested in art all of my life, been drawing and painting actively for around 12 years, and I thought it's time I create a place for myself to share my work, things I'm learning specifically related to the arts, and to ask questions of other artists or interested visitors. I do have some goals in mind. I think I've wearied friends talking about my hopes and struggles trying to make it somewhere in the art world, and they've been patient. And I need that support. I need your comments, your prayers, your encouragement and criticism, or I just need you to know what I'm doing. And I need accountability. I also need a place to visit artists out in the blog community on a regular basis, and links list is by far the easiest way to accomplish that. It's hard being alone, hard to stay focused and hard to create without the joy of sharing it. I also love to write, so this is perfect for me.

I'm in a bit of a quandry at this point. I received excellent "basic training" in traditional drawing and painting disciplines. I'm extremely grateful to my teachers and fellow artists who are brilliant and have remained friends. They're all over the world now, showing work, teaching and forging new artistic paths. I will include links to them. I have a commercial art associates degree from Luzerne County Community College. I received atelier training under Tony Waichulis. He is doing everything but writing the book on trompe l'oeil these days. But this turned out not to be my path. And that is where I am-trying to fine tune just what that is. I work in oil, charcoal, colored pencil and now acrylic, which is where I'm attempting to land. I will include two recent pieces I've done. I think keeping a record of recent work will help me be more objective. My greatest skill seems to be in portraiture. This is a joy for me, but also a problem, in that I have never really developed the discipline of thinking in terms of the whole-my composition skills are lacking, as I most usually paint or draw vignettes sans background of any kind, or just shapes or light shading if that. Or I use imprimatura, so there's a ready-made tone in the background.

So then, my goals are to achieve at least one painting a week, improve my compositional skills, improve my skills working with acrylic as that is a new media for me, and begin to jump back out in the pond. I have not exhibited work for probably a year now, and that seems like a lifetime. My ultimate hope is to land a gallery or the equivalent of that.

Thanks for visiting, thanks for sharing. Sue