twitter.jpgThis has been a frustrating week. I washed my latest small piece — the Cardinal — and the red has crocked onto the background and isn’t coming off. (I’ll have to get brave and paint it.) Possibly because of that frustration, I’ve spent hours trying to find inspiration for my next piece — and I haven’t accomplished anything more than wasting time on the internet. And today we were met with news of the sudden death of an old family friend. Sometimes I’m just happy to still be here — and I let that be enough.

So while I want to be working, I don’t have direction and I’m having a hard time finding my way. It’s not uncommon — I’ve been here before. It’s just frustrating.

I did post some on Twitter this week. If you want to follow me in real time, you can find me @vsgreaves — or hit the Twitter icon in the upper right above the menu. You can also find my Facebook Page link next to it — I post about work in my studio there.

Artists are constantly being asked to donate their time — which only devalues our work:
Time and Skill Cost Money: Don’t Be Cheap Jerks: http://buff.ly/1gK2avF RT @ArtsyShark

This is not about art but it is about perseverance. A South Korean that was in his 30’s aged out of the Korean Olympic Team — so he moved to Russia to compete for them — and came out of last week with a gold medal. If they’re smart, the Koreans are reconsidering their ageism:
The Koreans learned the hard way that you can still win a gold medal even if you’re older. http://tinyurl.com/mzdqvyt  @nytimes

Luke Haynes is a fellow textile portraitist who has aligned with the watch company Fossil — which is a boon to the perception of art quilts in the eyes of the general public:
http://blog.fossil.com/luke-haynes-fossil-a-creative-collaboration/ … #lukehaynes #fossil

With the Ukraine in complete chaos, Orthodox priests have been donning their chasubles and providing prayer between the military and Ukrainian citizens. Stunning photographs.
Orthodox Priests Pray On Kiev Frontline http://huff.to/1eN7Hkg  via @HuffPostRelig

Visualization is important to moving your mind forward (definitely what I need to be doing):
“Stuck? Try Drawing Your Ideas” http://feedly.com/e/hdUzrht1 

In my search for inspiration, I found this artist who makes the most stunningly realistic paintings — in PASTELS no less:
Realistic Pastel Paintings By Spanish Artist Ruben Belloso http://fineartblogger.com/realistic-pastel-paintings-by-spanish-artist-ruben-belloso/ … via @eexploria

This is a little kick in the pants that I need to think about as I try to work myself back into the studio:
Check out my latest post on Lifehack ‘7 Basic Rules of Creativity You Should Know’ http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/7-basic-rules-creativity-you-should-know.html RT @FortheCreators