"B" is for Beauty - A to Z Challenge

Farrah Ferand from Evening of the Dragonfly recalls an early childhood filled with beauty. She loves the trees that surround the house where she lives and the tree-lined streets of her little town. Since she wants some large paintings for her exhibition, she is working on one now that will take three days to finish. It is an acrylic painting on canvas, 18" x 36". This is the first third of the painting (left side) and will probably change some as the entire work develops.

"Beauty of Art" ©Mary Montague Sikes

Before her sister left home when Farrah was seven years old, life was joyful. Farrah would lie down in a field of grass behind the farmhouse and study the sky and the clouds with their ever-changing shapes. Her grandfather would sit with her sometimes and tell her stories about the trees and the little creatures that lived in the forest. It was a beautiful time.

"A" is for Artist - A to Z Challenge

Farrah Ferand is the heroine of my new novel, Evening of the Dragonfly, and she is an artist. Since in the book Farrah is creating a one-person painting exhibition for a gallery in Richmond, it seemed like a fun idea for her to create the paintings for that show as part of the A to Z Challenge. I'm hoping to have her create only six or eight paintings during the 26 days of the Challenge. To do that, Farrah would paint a portion of a painting each day. Already, that plan has gone astray as I have a finished painting for today.

Farrah has a troubled past and repressed memories. We will see her uncover some of that past as she creates new paintings, or parts of paintings, each day.

"Moonshine" ©Mary Montague Sikes

When Farrah was a child, her mother and her grandfather told her tales about some of their relatives making and selling moonshine in the back woods of western Virginia. Farrah was intrigued by the stories and believes she should include a painting that relates to them in the exhibition. That's why she has titled the first painting created for the A to Z Challenge, "Moonshine". The painting is watercolor on canvas, 24" x 18".

Blogging A to Z Theme Reveal

Today is the day of the theme reveal for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. Two years ago, I decided to paint an animal a day for the A to Z Challenge and was very pleased with the results. I wound up having a nice group of acrylic paintings that became a show for several gallery locations. I'm still thinking about combining those paintings into a children's book.

"Child Viewing Animals A to Z Show" ©Mary Montague Sikes

©Mary Montague Sikes

Although the painting a day became quite a grind with which to keep up, it was lots of fun and I loved the result. That got me thinking about doing another painting challenge for this year. I have a new novel out, Evening of the Dragonfly, that features an artist as the heroine. Throughout much of the book, Farrah Ferand is creating paintings for her first one-person exhibition. I began to consider, "What if?". What if Farrah came into my studio and painted for 26 days during the month of April? What if each letter of the alphabet sparked the section of a painting?

I don't know if this is going to work, but I want to try it. I plan to do fewer paintings but larger ones than I did for "Animals A to Z." If all goes as planned, I should have eight paintings or more for my exhibit of Farrah Ferand's paintings.

What do you think about this idea? Do you think it will spark some sales of my book? Do you think I can meet the challenge of creating an exhibition of art work by the main character in my book?

I hope so.

Georgia O'Keeffe - The Inspiration for an Artist

This is a quote I found today in the Robert & Sara Genn Twice-Weekly newsletter: "Where I was born and where and how I have lived is unimportant," wrote Georgia O'Keeffe. "It is what I have done with where I have been that should be of interest." 

As artists and writers, we sometimes reflect on meaning and the contributions in life we may or may not have made. The O'Keeffe quote is thought-provoking for me. O'Keeffe found the skeletons of animals in the desert where she lived and made art from and about them. She dissected the flowers in her art and found beauty in closeups of their forms. I am especially drawn to those flowers and once created a series of work inspired by the paintings of Georgia O'Keeffe.

On March 28, I will teach an acrylics workshop, "Painting Like Georgia," at Arts on the Main in Gloucester VA. In September, I will offer a similar workshop at the Art Academy in Hilton Head Island SC. I hope to do something with where I have been with my love of the O'Keeffe flower art. Here is the brochure put out by Gloucester Arts on the Main. The painting on the top left is mine and is sold. The other two are works by O'Keeffe.

Paint Like Georgia! Georgia O'Keefe had a legendary style that is fun to explore!  Mary Montegue Sikes will be here Saturday March 28th, 10am to 4pm,  to share her acrylic techniques with us!  A full day of wonderful instruction with an experienced artist with lots of tricks to improve our paintings!  All levels welcome - $45

Learn to paint like Georgia O'Keefe!  Just for fun class. From the moment Mary Montague Sikes saw paintings by Georgia O'Keeffe, she was intrigued. She loved the colors and designs of the paintings created by the artist during her days living near Santa Fe, New Mexico. Over the years, Sikes has transferred that love to her elementary and high school art students. More recently, she has taught workshops that focus on the O'Keeffe paintings and enjoys inspiring other artists to create work in the manner of the iconic artist. This workshop will focus on using floral close-ups to inspire. Sikes will demonstrate paintings she creates using her own photographs as working drawings. Students should bring a selection of floral photos they have taken. Monti maintains studios at Crossroads Art Center on Staples Mill Rd. in Richmond and in West Point. Her work is represented by Prince George Art and Frame in Williamsburg. She also writes & illustrates books!!

Join Our Mailing List  SIGN UP TODAY TO SAVE YOUR SEAT! call or email! Gloucester Arts on Main 6580 B Main Street Gloucester VA 23061 804-824-9464 FAX 804-824-9469 www.gloucesterarts.org reservations@gloucesterarts.org .

The Return of the Great American Indie Bookstore

Is the "great American indie bookstore" on its way back? According to a lead story in the February issue of American Way magazine, it is. I couldn't be happier.

The headline on the cover of the magazine reads, "The Return of Small Bookstores." Inside there is a very long article by David Hale Smith describing the return of bookstores that are "thriving in many parts of the country."

Smith points out that people still love to read "real books". He notes an early year 2014 survey that found "hardcover and paperback print books significantly" outselling e-books. He also tells about a 2013 American Booksellers Association report saying that indie bookstore sales were rising. That is really good news. After all, what could be nicer than browsing through the shelves filled with real books, pulling out a volume dressed in a pretty cover, and enjoying the scent of ink and paper?

You can curl up with a real book. You can ask questions of the bookstore owners. You can meet local authors there.

It is still nice to get to know authors, isn't it? You can ask them lots of questions and enjoy chatting with an expert on some topic or learn more about the heroine or hero of a series.

The return of indie bookstores! What great news for authors! Do you have a new bookstore in your community?