Richard Fudge - My Art Blog: May 2010

5/26/2010

Pretending to have a Simpler life

On my road trip, I'm going to pretend that I'm living a fantasy that I've had for some time. In my fantasy, I have a much simpler life. No 3 bedroom, 2 bath house. No pets. Just an RV and the road. Each day an adventure.

How did I catch this travel bug? My immune system was down. We've all got a metal immune system for crazy ideas. Voices in our heads that automatically shoot down our 'crazy' creative desires because "Oh be serious. You can't do that and you'll starve/throw away your live's work/be seen as a failure/etc." But take a life changing event, such as a divorce, and suddenly you have fewer fears. I've already lost a lot. I've felt failure. I've survived a tougher situation than I ever expected to live through. Now I'm starting to hear a different voice and it says, "well, why the heck not? what do i have to lose?"

So let me share with you some of the infectious materials that have led to my roadtrip:

A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller (urges you to live a more interesting story)
Through Painted Deserts by Donald Miller (a journey from Texas to Oregon)
Travels with Charlie: in Search of America by John Steinbeck (his roadtrip was 10,000 miles)
The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town America by Bill Bryson (about 14,000 miles)

And then there are the countless blogs that modern day Steinbecks are keeping about their great American journeys. They even give you practical advice and encouragement so you can do it yourself.

http://tosimplify.blogspot.com
http://www.happyjanssens.com/
http://roadtripnation.com/

I guess i got tired of reading about everyone else's roadtrip adventures. Even my own sketchbooks have seen more of the country than I ever have and I was having to write about their journeys!

5/23/2010

Painting of the Week Sale - Week 4

At the end of May, I'm headed on a long roadtrip. Also, I'm working on a lot of new work, but I've got quite a bit of old work sitting around. So to free up some space in the house and have some money for roadtrip souvenirs, during May I will be posting a PAINTING OF THE WEEK with a lower price on that piece for that week only. Shipping is extra.

Week #4

Serene - 24"x30" - Richard Fudge 2007 - acrylic medium

Normally $400. This week it's $325.

You can email me at richard.fudge@gmail.com if you're interested. Thank you!

5/19/2010

Sharing the creative spark

My first big roadtrip is drawing closer. What seemed like a far off date is frightfully close. Is the car ready? Am I ready? Do I have everything I need? Will it all fit in the car? But there is an equal amount of excitement. I'll be visiting some very artsy areas of the country and hanging out with many passionate artists. I'm looking to catch some of their creative spark.

The goal is to meet in person some of the artists that I only know through email and online, do a little Q&A about their work, studio, and how their work and faith come together ( for example: for some it's subject matter, for others it's painting at church, or an outreach project that uses art.) I also hope that the artist(s) might show me (or at least give me directions) for some of their favorite artsy spots - a favorite gallery, coffee shop, thrift store, district. etc. I'm going to take as many notes and photos as i can so that I can share the creative sparks with you.

I feel as though I'm about to embark on a 12 day long artist's date. I had been working my way through The Artist's Way but I'll admit.... I fell off the wagon. I was a member of a group and we met every Thursday at a coffee shop. But life got crazy busy and I dropped out. I didn't finish the 12 week workbook. But I mention this because of the artist's dates. An artist's date is a weekly time where you just go out by yourself and do something that recharges you creatively. Or as the website defines it:

"The Artist Date is a once-weekly, festive, solo expedition to explore something that interests you. The Artist Date need not be overtly "artistic"-- think mischief more than mastery."

Some examples of artist's dates:
http://theartistswayblog.wordpress.com/artists-date-ideas/

5/18/2010

Briefly, I'll be departing

In 10 days, I'll be leaving for my road trip and I'll have you know that I'm prepared. I just ordered the most important items of the trip - 2 pairs of ExOfficio boxer briefs. Sounds trivial I know, but this is the best underwear around. I bought a pair a while back for a backpacking trip. They wick moisture, prevent chaffing, odor resistant, and are amazingly comfortable. I wish I could afford to own nothing but this brand of underwear.

Why do you care? Hey, I'm just trying to give you some road trip advice. These boxers are the best thing since sliced bread or better yet... Smartwool socks - which I'd also like a lifetime supple of. What are Smartwool socks?! OMG, why are you depriving yourself of so much comfort and such a simple pleasure? Also, I need to tell you a really funny story about my brother, his first time to try on a pair, and him sliding through the kitchen like Tom Cruise in Risky Business.