Patti Gibbons Art

I received an email in response to yesterday's post. After I read it I felt rather badly, and immediately wrote back, telling Michael that for the most part I do use my local art supply stores.  Those of you who know me know that I can't stand the "box" stores, but somehow, because the chain store Michael's contains art supplies, I forgot it was one of "those" stores, and that spending my money there is not the most economically wise thing to do in these difficult times. Michael also told me that such stores often hike their prices way up, so that even with the 40% discount coupon you aren't getting that big a deal. So remember folks, that if you can, make the most of your money buy purchasing from local  individually owned businesses.  You are doing everyone a big favor, rather than benefiting corporate America! Read about their 3/50 Project and when you are in town visit the Newburgh Art Supply Store! Hi Patti, Caught your recent blog p...

  I am registered with Michael's craft store to get email coupons.  Most of the time I get one for 40% off one item, and one for 60% off custom framing - which I never use because I am my own framer.  This week was the mother load of coupons, and to make a long story short, I bought 8 canvases, 7 tubes of paint (some expensive tubes) a set of colored graphite pencils that I have been coveting for a LONG time, and some colored charcoal pencils - all for 100.00.   It was an orgasmic experience.  I think my heaven  will be working in an art supply store after retiring from teaching art.....and I will be like Salad Fingers and his rusty spoons, getting great pleasure out of touching the rows and rows of art supplies....... Full of resounding vibes from my purchase, I went into the studio to paint for the afternoon.  I finished up the Mt. Tremper Bungalows then worked on another painting which has been an ongoing project. The painting has taken o...

Valentine's Day was barely over before I went into full steam ahead production for St. Patrick's Day. I know that is not a huge card sending holiday, but I have been asked to put my cards in the Storefront Gallery again for their show next month, which is featuring paintings by an Irish artist. In the cold dreary months, I am desperate for ways to make money to pay the studio's heating bill.  I feel like I work to pay the heat, but at least a few paintings get done along the way, which makes it more palatable.  Much of the greeting card design that I do is "bricolage", a fancy seductive word which basically means making art out of materials that you have on hand, which is the detritus in my studio. Now I do cheat a bit.  I found a few things on Etsy and eBay that fit into the genre of work that I do, but the majority of the papers and ribbons etc. that find their way into my work are what I have laying around from another project, another shopping trip. T...

I just have to get through all of this - the cold, the ice, the lack of sun, the difficulty of watching my aunt do the final crumble and leaving us to pick up the pieces and move her into an adult assisted living residence. When she left her home for that ride to the hospital, she had no idea that this was how it was going to end. Neither did we.  But it did, it is done, and she is safe, and we take the rest of the situation day by day.  We do what we can do, no more, no less. I have done a nose dive a few times under the covers, refusing to come out - not to play, not to party, not to eat, not to visit.  I just want the dark, the electric blanket, and the drone of CNN or the Weather Channel to drown out the chatter in my head. But I pick myself up pretty regularly, dust myself off, and go onto the next thing. Fortunately Larry has been sensitive to my needs, and took good care of me this Valentine weekend; the symphony, a lovely Valentine's dinner, a bag of ch...

Saturday, in spite of the snow and ice, I attended all three openings that I submitted artwork to. I don't know how it all came together, and I was amazed that I pulled it off. Today I dropped off two pieces to WAAM in Woodstock, and was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of artwork that had to be juried, much of it by well known and prolific artists.  I felt rather insignificant amidst the rooms full of art, so I am bracing myself for rejection, something that I have not experienced in a while.  Rejection however, keeps me humble, God forbid I might ever have any kind of an artist ego.  This is the first time I submitted art for the main and small gallery that were of the same subject matter, these being part of the series of works in different medium of little bungalows on Route 28 that I used to ride past every day as a teen on the school bus.  They tell a tale of another time,  a time whose frayed cord is about to be severed with the future sale of one of t...

Today is the second snow day in a row, and I savor the time that I am forced to stay indoors by the terrorist weather channel propaganda, and the simple fact that I have a car that sucks in the snow. I am a teacher, I work very hard for these snow days, and I simply just don't go out.  If you have a truck with a plow, or a Hummer, then you can entice me.  If the sun breaks through and miraculously melts everything and the birds start singing, I might go out. But otherwise, I stay put. Snow days mean I can sleep in a few hours more after the snow chain call, and I actually get enough rest to make up for all the hours I am up with night sweats.  I get to take a long steamy shower instead of feeling like I ran through a car wash.  I eat my breakfast when I am hungry, and it lasts past noon. I work on the taxes with relaxation while I watch a movie. I might do some house beautification, which is my new mindful way of saying house cleaning.  I spend some time listi...