Quotations

I love incorporating quotations into my art. I've got several different books on quotations that I love to just flip through and look at. One book in particular is quite thick. I sat down one day and just started really reading some that seemed to catch my eye. I got a pack of post-it marking stickers out and started putting them by the quotes I really liked. It's so much easier to find quotes I like when they're already marked for reference. I love how profound some of them are. Here's a quote my artist friend, Kathy Malkasian uses in her correspondence that really sums up what being an artist means:

"The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something." -Kurt Vonnegut

Kathy is such a fabulous person! Her studio, "Valley Ridge Art Studio" is nestled in a rural area in Southwestern Wisconsin. She gets well-known and published artists to come and hold workshops there throughout the year. Check out her website at www.valleyridgeartstudio.com. I started attending workshops there 4 years ago, and always look forward to them. It's a great way to meet other artists, and really learn a lot of different techniques from the best of the best!