There are times in your life when doors open and you just know you need to cross this threshold. The Stewpot was one of those opportunities I didn’t fail to miss.
In the year 2006, I hung my shingle as a professional Artist. With a capital T. In 2008, the economy shifted and I found no floor under the carpet snatched out from under me. I returned to the practical employment options. And no matter how much money I made, life was dissatisfying. In December of 2010, I moved to Dallas from Denver.
People who have read the details of my story find it strange when I tell them that this has been the best time of my life. That I’m fortunate and wouldn’t change any part of this for anything in the world.
February of 2011, I walked into the Stewpot and created a watercolor paint to prove to then Director, Cynthia Brannum that I knew what I was doing and, would waste her time. By the end of that day, she was strongly encouraging me to allow her to offer that painting up at a silent auction being held in a couple of days. I wasn’t particularly proud of the piece; it was just a demo as far as I was concerned.
A couple of days latter, she was handing me a large sum of money stating, that the piece had caused a bidding war. The only kind of war she approved of. The stage was set for all the good things that followed. And, they have been; good things. Lots.
I enjoy about the painting is the freedom to lose myself. There are no thoughts, just feelings. Although my eyes are open, I'm not truly looking at anything in particular. Channeling my feelings and each gets a chance to voice itself.