Updated Artist Statement

I updated my Artist Statement on my website the other day. It reads:

"I am all about color and design. Big, bold, beautiful color and stylized design!

In 4th grade, I won 1st place for the fire awareness poster coloring contest throughout the entire school district. I worked really hard on the piece. I colored it with crayons on the hot concrete stairs leading up to our front door. Then I rubbed it smooth to blend the colors. The crayon lumps were gone and it was glossy from the waxy crayons.

In addition, my friends outside of school and I made a deal. They would draw pictures. I would take their drawings and color them with crayons, colored pencils and paints. I was teased I did not stay in the lines and cried over it.  I laugh over it now and think of it as a life lesson that would aid me in my artistic career. I am true to myself today with bright, bold color and still love the glitz of high gloss."

Blonde Ambition, © Susan Calvert, all rights reserved

Earlier this week, I mentioned my artist statement to someone and elaborated about another childhood incident.  Four of us girls were creating art using paint-by-number sets.  (Do they still make those anymore?)  I was painting a horse.  From the knees down, the color was bright white.  Well, I painted it bright white all right, all outside the lines (again)!  The horse looked like it was wearing go-go boots.  We broke out in song singing:  "These Boots Are Made For Walking" by Nancy Sinatra.

Yesterday, I heard the wife of a man at my husband's former employer trashed yours truly at a sales meeting.  She told everyone I was nothing but a weirdo and my art showed it.  Upon hearing that, I busted out laughing.  You see, words like weird, different, interesting, unique, strange are compliments to me.  I strive to be "outside the lines and box".  What's funny is I've never even met the woman. I had heard she read my blog while my husband was employed there.  Although the woman tried insulting me, she really doesn't have a clue how this "weirdo's" art has changed the lives of people who have purchased it.