All I Want For Christmas

I am running very late. I don't have any Christmas trees up yet. I really need to start decorating for Christmas.

 To do this, I will first have to remove literally hundreds of painted snowflakes, Santas, snowmen, Christmas gnomes, angels and more. I have been selling painted decor at holiday markets galore. And having to paint new stock in between events. My displays have included mtiple lighted Christmas trees, garland, yard art, ornaments--I paint a lot of everything. A lot of items sold. 

  But the rest of the stuff is all over my house.

I could take the easy way out, I suppose, and just decorate with my display stuff. But I want a change of scenery, folks. I want my treasured heirloom ornament collection that dates back to my very first Christmas. 

 Which takes several trees to hold. 

And I am just about jollied out. I want to prop up my feet and read my latest painting magazines. 

 Unfortunately, I seem to be the only one in the household who knows how to run a dishwasher, washing machine, or broom. 

 Plus it is time to start getting stuff ready to sell for Mardi Gras.

 So Santa, I will pass on the jewelry, the furs, the designer bags, etc. If you could bring me a maid...early!

Merry Christmas, y'all!

betsylevels.com

Apprentice yourself to BOOKS

 🎨Some folks (rather snooty in tone) call decorative painting a craft or just a hobby, not "real" art.

Hogwash.

The roots of all art are primitive people decorating functional objects and even cave walls.  They often seem to have believed they were adding significance and even supernatural power by the act of embellishment.  For thousands upon thousands of years, secrets of method and technique were jealously guarded.  Even into the Renaissance, apprentice painters followed the patterns, techniques, and instructions of their master painters, learning skills they could later use in their own original works.

Decorative painting teaches a myriad of skills and techniques that can be used later in original works. And when it is original, folks, that is art.

I'm glad we don't have to be apprenticed out to temperamental masters to learn to paint today!  We can find a lot of good instruction free online.  And of course, to work more at your own pace, there are books.  I have (to my household's dismay) one of the most expansive collections of decorative painting books in the country.  It takes up four tall file cabinets and a half dozen tall bookshelves.  Some of these titles are out of print and date back to the heyday of tole painting in the early 70's.  

And I don't even use patterns anymore...I sit down and freehand everything!!  But those books have given me incalculable instruction and inspiration. ( And I have let my family know that the entire collection is to go to my artistically inclined granddaughter upon my death and not sold for a quarter each at a huge garage sale.)

I recommend you check out secondhand sources for some of these older books on decorative painting.  And one of the newest entries into the used book market is Dead Tree Dreams, out of Nacogdoches, Texas.  They are a small locally owned business, and we all need to support more of those.  Although they have only been live for a few days, I am quite impressed by a bookstore run by actual readers, not just hawkers of goods. Their inventory is already changing  and updated frequently, so check back often to see what's newest.  

Check them out!

Dead Tree Dreams...Good Books, Good Company

UPDATE:  Dead Tree Dreams will be opening a brick and mortar location in early 2023 at 115 North St in Nacigdoches, TX.

Map

And as always, feel free to check my art out at 

betsylevels.com
My site for my fine art canvases and merchandise

Flamboyant Flamingoes
Gift items all featuring my flamingo art

Betsy's Angelic Gifts
Gift items with my angel art

Feminist Fashions

New, with a few items for the woman who will not be remembered for keeping her mouth shut

ENERGY CRISIS IN PROGRESS

 Wow.  Christmas came and went.  And New Year's. And Mardi Gras. And Valentines and St. Patrick's  and Easter and probably a world of significant dates I've  never heard of.  I am not a "good" blogger.  I don't really see any point in posting pictures of my fast food or making duck lips for the camera every day.

I have had a few craft shows and been tending a large garden, and guess what?

I'M EXHAUSTED.

Not "need coffee exhausted.. Not "need a nap" or "need a day off" exhausted. I mean 'pull-the-covers-up-and-do-not-open-till-Xmas". exhausted.

Part of it is undoubtedly due to age.  And having had not just one, but two go-rounds with Covid (with definite Long Covid issues) comes into play here.  But my last few outdoor events have involved high winds and early hot temperatures.  My tent was weighted down enough to not get airborne, thank heavens (several of my co-vendors were less fortunate. ) And with prices the way the are, I can well understand why people don't have spare money to spend like they used to.

So, what remedy?  At nearly 62, I won't be able to go schlepping tent and gridwall panels around too much longer.  I have already had to eliminate outdoor events during the hot months.  Here in the deep South, heat is not something for old people to play with!

So, here I go, off to the races with online selling.  I have taken every free online marketing class, webinar, or workshop I could find.  A few have contained useful information.  The rest sound like carnival barkers selling snake oil. For just a few thousand dollars they can teach me to send annoying spam out about my artwork!  Then THEY send ME a ton of annoying emails reminding me to buy their programs. Can you say "unsubscribe"?  Good grief, if I had that kind of money I wouldn't be worrying about selling my painting!

I have overhauled my website, and opened not one, but two Etsy shops, and come up with new offerings for all three.  I've been posting on social media even though it takes a lot of time up. And I remain active in two local art clubs and two online.  

I suppose some people would slow down, but I am keenly aware that I don't have that many more active years left to spend on my art.  Eventually time and nature will force slowing down on me. I want to use what time I have.

And anyway, a bad day at a crafts fair is still better than a good day doing housework!

I would really love to hear what my readers are doing when they hit energy crisis 2022.  How do you get the active vibe back? Feel free to post comments!

And since I have gone bull headedly through the setup processes, here are links to my online stores.  I would really love to sell some of my painting. Without sending out spam to half the known universe.

Angel themed gift items

https://www.etsy.com/shop/BetsysAngelicGifts

Tis The Night Before The Crafts Fair

'Tis before the last crafts fair, and all through the house, 

 Painted objects are everywhere, annoying my spouse. 

 Wood stockings are hanging all over the place, 

 Showing cuddly kittens, or a bright Santa face. 

 The sofa is covered with an army of gnomes 

 And other yard ornaments awaiting their homes. 

 And I in my apron, and hubby in shorts 

 Sit down to a leftover dinner of sorts. 

 When a shattering, clattering sound fills the halls, 

 Oh no, the cat knocked down the wet Christmas balls! 

 And what to my horrified eyes should appear 

 Is an unvarnished side of a painted reindeer. 

 I'll load up the trailer with decor and such

 'Cause if I don't sell plenty this time I'm in Dutch. 

 It's the very last crafts fair of this Christmas season.   

I'll do it all next year again for some reason, 

 But my thoughts, oh so cheerful, as I toil till daylight,

 "Happy Painting to all, and to all a good night!"

--Betsy Levels

Good enough

 My mother hoarded art materials.  But she would postpone painting them. She was firmly convinced that painting was a fun activity, only deserved if you had been responsible enough to complete all your chores first.  As most of us know, that very rarely happens.  

She accumulated a mountain of paints, canvases, frames, books, and every other imaginable arts and crafts plaything.  When she died, I inherited her supplies.  About half of them had never been used at all. Three shopping bags were full of dried acrylic paint from a hobby store that had been closed for a decade.

I also bought a lot of art supplies.  Apparently the hoarding gene and the postponing gene run pretty strong.  I got paints, and canvases, and other things.  I always said I was going to wait until I was "good enough" at painting to use them.  I was afraid to "waste" a "big" 16x20 canvas on an amateurish, ugly painting.  I didn't want to "mess up" expensive wood items by doing a poor job on them.   So my already considerable hoard of art supplies kept growing.  I piddled around with mini canvases and small ornaments. But I was afraid to really do anything much with most of my hoard.  I just believed I wasn't "good enough" yet.

One day I realized that I am getting old.  Fast.  And I don't want to leave my art stuff to someone else when I die. (On top if that, a third-generation hoard would take a warehouse!) I simply started actually painting.  And my gosh, how quickly it became a vital activity!  I needed that creative outlet and had never fully utilized it.  It is as necessary as eating and sleeping now.   And the plain truth of it is, if you don't  paint, you'll never be "good enough".  

I have certainly done better on some projects than others.  And you can definitely track the improvement in my art by looking at the dates of completion.  But a teacher in a workshop I took told us "practice is art".  I took that advice to heart.  I paint on anything that doesn't run away. 16x20 canvases are no longer "big". That was a real turning point and I am so glad I did it. I sell my paintings and painted objects.  I give some to friends and family.  But mostly, I keep painting.

My husband came out to see what I was doing dragging everything out of the shed to get to objects at the back.  He asked me what in the devil I was doing.  I replied "remember those big carousel horses I was going to paint when I got good enough?"  He nodded.

I said "I'm good enough." Incredible, the freedom that comes with that knowledge! Now go paint. Or sculpt. Or do whatever creative thing you've been postponing. 

Happy Painting!

betsylevels com 

Only here for the Boos

 

My house looks like Halloween.  Not because of decorating, either.  I used to love decorating for every holiday on the calendar.  I have hundreds of holiday decorations, stored carefully in totes in the attic.  I don't think I will even have time to get them down this year .  Plus, there is no place to put them!

The dining table is covered with witch hats and spooky cats.  The top of the China cabinet boasts a boxful of spooky painted

pumpkins.  The mantel, formerly a focal point of seasonal decor, now holds canvases in various sizes and stages of completion. Varnished ornaments are hanging from all the chandeliers drying.

There's even a stack of totes full of  fall and Halloween finished items in the kitchen (unfortunately, it doesn't block the view of the dishes piled in the sink).

And to top it all off, I have Thanksgiving and Christmas items started as well.  Soon they will be all over the place too.

The reason is simple.  Fall and Christmas craft fairs.  I have the last quarter of the year to make up for the limited number of sales in the previous three!  Fall and Christmas sales make up a staggering percentage of my year's income, and I have to take advantage.  I'm also including some new things...a series of Kwanzaa themed items and some Hanukah themed ones.  My husband says I am over extended. I like to call it "versatile".

In the meanwhile, please if you're in the Northwest Louisiana area, I will be at Sunday Art in the Park at Shreveport Common, The Minden Maker's Fair, the Emerging Artist Tent at the Red River Revel, the Bossier Maker's Fair, and group exhibits at Shreveport Regional Arts Council and Bossier Arts Council all before Thanksgiving.  Y'all come see me!

But for now, back to painting.  I love to create things.  Painting has proved to be a valuable outlet for those creative compulsions.  Without it I would feel hollow. Considering what I spend on materials, I won't say it's cheaper than therapy.  But it's a lot more satisfying. And it doesn't cause a hangover.  So for now, I'm 100% here for the boos!! Now would you please not sit on the couch...I need to set some ghosts to dry there!

I'VE BEEN FRAMED!

The right frame can make a painting into a masterpiece.  My late mother taught me that.  I remember making twice yearly trips to a local frame shop for their clearance events.  We would fill her Dodge station wagon with discounted frames!  Framing days were an all-day event, as we would try her finished paintings out in various frames until each had the perfect frame to display each.  

Then we would store the rest of the frames.  She had a 12'x14' empty room that was just perfect for storing a huge number of frames. 

Unfortunately, I do not have such a room!

The old framing shop is no longer in business, but I have still managed to acquire a lot of frames for eventual use.  I haunt secondhand stores and garage sales.  I have even brought home stacks of frames I found on the curb.  I also have a good friend who owns a custom framing shop is where he sometimes has ready-made frames at very good prices. That shop, located in Shreveport, Louisiana, is King Framing on Youree Drive and he's on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/King-Framing-892377277484286/. He does exquisite custom frames too!

I used to have a walk-in closet off the master bathroom.  Now, it is the frame storage.  And the fabric storage.  And the surfaces storage.  And on and on. It is necessary to unload the whole blasted closet to get to whichever object is necessary. 

I have managed to "organize" the frames so they are grouped by similar sizes.  But the one I want always seems to know I'm coming and hide at the back of the stack.  It's a case of either unload the closet or hang by my feet from the clothes rods and pick. 

I honestly thought I had every imaginable size of frames, but when I finished a series of 3" x 9" mini seascapes, I found out I had missed a size.  So I will be spending some time improvising with the wood I have on hand (fortunately not in that closet) to frame all these.

After I put everything back in the closet, of course.

Of course, I have a few pieces nicely framed and for sale hanging at The Corner Pantry in Bossier City as well as on my websitebetsylevels.com .

Y'all check 'em out!