Not committed? MY 365Day Journey

Blog #3

In the past my studio time's been a hit and miss at best—I haven't been terribly consistent in getting into my studio regularly, never mind each day as I’d hoped for. I simply wasn't committed. So, I figured that if I'm going to be serious about being a working artist, I'd better be committed and I’d better get to work...and every day.

Collage

At the start of 2016 I decided that I'd create a project that would do just that—get me into the studio EVERY day to make some art. Daily art. One piece for each of the year’s 365 days. But I needed something doable, manageable. Something small. Something that I'd do and to which I’d stay committed. Art that could take me a few minutes or much longer depending on how much time I had in any given day. Art that can be simple or complex. Made in any medium. The solution came by way of my sketchbook. I could make small artwork in my sketchbook. Six 3"x3" squares on one page worked out great. One for each day. And it was very doable for sure.

Drawings

Now all I needed was something that'd motivate me. Something that’d intrigue me. After cycling through a gazillion topics, themes, and ideas—KABAM!!—I landed on something of interest to me. Circles. Yes, and so obvious! I LOVE circles and they are a major motif in most of my artwork. An "Exploration of Circles" was perfect! Why the circle? Well, I'll talk about that in another blog :)

Stamping

The absolutely wonderful thing about this subject that I've discovered is that it's virtually unlimited. Circles are all around me—in my imagination and pretty much everywhere in my environment. It's astounding. Thankfully there's a wealth of ideas—I haven’t yet been at a loss for what to make. So far I've made over 90 artworks using various techniques: drawing, collaging, stamping, stenciling, rubbing and painting.

Stencilling

However, the very best thing about my project is that it DOES get me into my studio and I DO make art—every day. As a matter of fact, I find I can't wait! So now I'm not only making these daily 356 artworks, but I'm also creating other art. Acrylic mixed media pieces; some of which have even been inspired by my small artworks (I use them like thumbnail sketches as the start, or for spin-offs for larger works).

I'm very exciting and so very pleased that I’m committed to my 365day journey to make art! Day #98 and counting:)

Thanks for stopping by—I value your time. Feel free to leave a comment or contact me. 
I’d also love for you to take some time and have a look at my artwork in Instagram, my ARTIST Facebook page and my ARTIST website.

Be well and have a Fabulous day!

Live your Creative Life!

💋Annemarie

My NEW World ~Social Media~

Blog #2

       

In order to be a “working” artist, I have to work—pretty obvious, right? So, I spend oodles of time daily in my studio working, making art. Art that I love to share! However, to share my art I’ve come to realize that I have to promote yourself. And self-promotion I’m finding is rather challenging. I feel as though I’m sort of “bragging”, singing my own praises.

So far, no one’s come knocking lol!  

Sharing my artwork wasn’t always an easy thing to do, and sometimes still isn’t. Whenever I share my artwork I run the all too common risk of being criticized. I open myself up. I put myself—and my inner most being—on display for others to examine. To scrutinize. To look at, study, analyze and evaluate. Very scary indeed! Several years ago, I was so fearful to show my artwork, that I rarely shared it—only to a few, mostly family and friends. (You know the “supporters” no matter what.)

The dictionary defines “criticism” as “1. the expression of disapproval of someone or something based on perceived faults or mistakes 2. the analysis and judgment of the merits and faults of a literary or artistic work”

When I first started showing and sharing my artwork, if the comments are positive, then I’d feel elated, but when they weren’t, then I felt rather deflated. Criticism—evaluation, assessment, appraisal, analysis—I’ve come to understand is just someone’s judgment about the artwork and sometimes even the artist. It’s really not to be taken personally. Even so, no one wants to receive any “bad press”! I’m sometimes still nervous, and occasionally intimidated by other artists and/or their work, but I continue to put myself “out there”. It’s become clear that to be a working artist, I not only have to work at creating my art, but also do the hard, laborious, (and mostly not so glamorous) work of publicizing my artwork and myself. I’m constantly trying to nurture, stimulate and inspire others through my art and also have others to WANT to see my work and to get to know ME :)

Social Media (SM) and the Internet are the perfect platforms for sharing my artwork. By taking baby steps, one step at a time, I feel that I’m moving forward, making headway by trying to engage YOU, my viewers and cultivate an audience and a following through the following SM venues:

https://www.instagram.com/annemarie.greenwood/

https://www.facebook.com/Annemarie-Greenwood-1108028655898606/?ref=hl

http://www.annemariegreenwood.com/

I’d love for you to take some time and have a look at my artwork on Instagram, also on my ARTIST Facebook page 

(I have 2 other pages—my personal page & my Yoga Studio page), and on my ARTIST website (I also have a website for Annemarie’s Yoga Studio).

Here are 2 lithographic prints that I did last year. I was extremely fortunate to be able to have the opportunity to work in a print studio—something for another post :)

Thanks for stopping by—I value your time. Feel free to leave a comment or contact me. 

Be well and have a Fabulous day!

Live your Creative Life!

💋Annemarie

Welcome to Annemarie’s Blog & Website!

Blog #1


I’m Annemarie, a self-taught artist creating works of art using mixed media.

My Art philosophy is simple: 

Create it & Share it!

But I must tell you—I’m not a writer—did you hear that?

Really, I am NOT a writer. I’m an artist who wants to share my artwork with an audience—YOU!

So, I had to make it happen. Wow! What an adventure!! I now have my own Blog  and Art Website… 
http://www.annemariegreenwood.com/index.html

I had no idea what was involved in creating a website. The many, and often enormous, details I had to think about and decide on—number of pages, page titles, drop-downs, design, artwork and information (all the neat things I want you to know).

During the process I learned so much, some fun stuff I liked—such as artistic decisions, like choosing designs, fonts, colours and what artwork to include in the galleries—and then there was also the other stuff I learned because I had to—like how to write a bio and an artist’s statement correctly, and other boring logistical info.

I did have help with its creation—I hired a great website builder/designer, Jennifer Lyons, and an awesome graphic designer, Amber Strahl-Finucan.

I was extremely impressed at how quickly and well it all fell in place and before I knew it, there was my Art Website—ready to be officially launched, to be “blasted into the cyberspace!” Wahoo!

Thank you so much for taking interest in my art and for stopping by—I value the time you have spent here on my blog getting to know me a little better. Feel free to leave a comment or contact me. 

Be well and have a Fabulous day!

Live your Creative Life!

💋Annemarie