Adventures in Backdrop Painting!!

This summer I'm helping out with a children's musical theater camp... fun!! I'm doing the backdrop for the stage, and helping out wherever else needed.

Creating a backdrop is a completely new experience for me, and I'm learning a lot as I go! Mainly about materials - I'm using two 4'x8' foam insulating panels, latex paint, and spray paint. Normally in my line of work, I look for materials that will last a very long time. I'm concerned about how the painting will hold up and weather through the years. But here the goal is to make a big, colorful backdrop in a hurry and on a budget. 
Challenge accepted! 

The play is about kids growing up in the digital age, so I decided to paint a computer floating through cyber space.  There are bright neon colored "stars" (hubs?) on a black background, and I'll probably make them connected by thin lines lines to show how we're all connected in this virtual world.

I'm pleased with the way it's turned out so far, but it's not been without it's challenges. But, like I tell my students: we're artists, so we like to figure stuff out. 

Here are a few pics from today, more to come when it's done (which should be tomorrow).

Before

After (After today, that is. Still a work in progress..)

Future home of a giant keyboard.

 

 

 

 

Helpers!

What I'm Working On: May 2015 Edition

"Untitled" (In progress) Oil on canvas ©Tabetha Hastings

Here is a sneak preview of my latest painting. This is a slightly cropped version, and still very much in progress. (Not ready for the world to see that nose yet!)

This is the second painting in a series of intimate portraits. I'm compelled by the lines of the human body, as well as the interesting colors and textures of the skin that we're all wrapped up in.

My focus is largely on the female form; I want to express beauty in what is often overlooked. Sensuality above sexuality.

If interested, you can check out more of my work at http://tabethalandt.com

Day 93, 100 Happy Days: Inspiration

I woke up this morning with a serious knowing that I have to make some changes in my life. I had the distinct feeling that it was time to recreate myself. To change the direction of my story.
Don't get me wrong - in many ways things are going better than they have in ages. But... that can be challenging. That means that I can actually see where I want to go (which is good), but it also means that I see the distance left to traverse. I can see a glimmer of hope, but I can't quite grasp it. Sometimes I even know the things I need to do, just not how to do them.
That was were I was at when I got out of bed.

I sat with my coffee and wrote about my dissatisfaction in my morning pages. I made a list of eleven things I need to do to move forward - many of them things I need to do every damn day. Daunting, to say the least.

Then I decided to pop in a dvd while I unpacked a box of art supplies. It was a documentary, and I knew nothing about it. I saw it at the library one day, it's called "Who Does She Think She Is?" On the back cover it said "A compelling documentary film on women artists... explores the barriers to the creative process and how art ultimately transforms women's lives and those around them."
I'm a woman, I'm an artist. I picked it up.
It's due back tomorrow, so I thought I'd watch it for a bit while I unwrapped a shipment of canvases. I really thought I'd turn it off after ten minutes.

But I didn't. And in fact, somehow it changed everything up for me. (By the way, I know I'm late to the table on this one - the movie is from 2008. Why did I never hear about this before?!)

The documentary profiled five women who were creating their art while raising kids. They're not not necessarily successful (by traditional definitions), but they're doing it. They're doing it because they have to. Because they can't not do it. They do it knowing that the art world is sexist and that art created by women is not received with the same respect of art that is created by men. But they still do it. They squeeze it in - an hour here, an hour there. They do it even though sometimes their marriages crumbled. Art to them is not a hobby, it's a passion.
And that, is inspiring.

In the end, my head was buzzing with ideas. Classes I want to teach, classes I want to take, creative ideas. Art projects. And, ways to make some of those changes that were on the list of eleven things. Instead of looking for ways to motivate myself, I am now inspired to make the changes. And that makes all the difference. And that makes me happy.

Day 88, 100 Happy Days: Art on the Go

I love how circumstance and venue can change how we create. Travel is no excuse to slack on making art; in fact it's a perfect opportunity. I love looking back at work that I created while traveling, or came into being (directly) because I traveled. 

I just took a short trip to North Carolina, and travel by plane dictated that I bring art supplies that are portable. Oil pastels were my portable supplies of choice. 

I've not had a chance to do much sight-seeing, but just the drive from the airport to the hotel was beautiful. Trees everywhere, and snow (surprise)! 

I sat down with my pastels today, and suddenly a new little drawing appeared. A drawing that wouldn't have come into the world had I not taken this short trip. 

Day 69, 100 Happy Days: Transformative Power of Art

"Wash Away The Pain"Acrylic on Canvas ©Tabetha Hastings

Painting is amazing. It can help us get in touch with who we are, and what we need to change in our life. It can bring out our insecurities, or it can soothe us. (I think all of this can be said of viewing art as well as creating it.)

People who come to my classes are often very brave. In my Artist Way classes we talk about fear and insecurities that we have surrounding creating art.
It's very common in our culture.

We are all born artists; it's true. But then we grow up, and somehow life beats it out of us. Puberty beats it out of us. Well-meaning - or not so well meaning - teachers, family members, and friends beat it out of us.

So yes, coming to a painting class like mine can be a brave act.
Some people handle it by having the attitude of I'm just there to have a good time and it doesn't matter what my painting looks like. Others either don't have the fear, or are willing to explore anyway. And then there are others who are just so fearful and beaten-down that they criticize their work and themselves the entire time that they're painting. That's hard to watch, and I try my best to get them through to the other side feeling better. Sometimes my job is 90% cheer leader.

So to have one of those people leave my studio either happy with the painting that they created, or happy with the experience, is a wonderful thing. It is why I do what I do. It's beautiful to witness those breakthroughs.

Day 68, 100 Happy Days: First Friday

What a wonderful First Friday! It was great to see some old friends that I hadn't seen in ages. And great to be back after taking January First Friday off.

Good friends, good art, good drink, good snacks.

And now I'm hitting the sack. Happy and sleepy.

Post First Friday drinks at the Interstate (almost partial selfie) >>>

Day 54, 100 Happy Days: Fresh Studio Walls + Shrinking My Vocabulary

This is actually a "before" pic, but I love how empty it is.

My studio walls take a lot of abuse. I hang and rearrange my work on them (several times a month), paint of various colors gets splashed on them, and then there's First Friday... Every month I have up to ten other artists showing their work in my studio for the art walk. This means that once a month I take down all my work, and they put up theirs. And in the process they create dozens more holes in the walls. Later, I spackle the walls, which creates spots that don't quite look like the rest of the wall, and the cycle continues. Resulting in splotchy walls.

Today, my studio got painted for the first time in ages. And, it was done by a friend as a gift (sometimes you gotta take the donuts)!

My studio is absolutely sparkling now. Gorgeous white walls with not a spot on them. It's going to be difficult to nail into those things! I enjoyed looking at those flawless white walls today, because they represent potential. Just like a blank canvas.
Now to deal with those floors...

Day 54 Happy Bonus: Shrinking My Vocabulary
I realize that having a shrinking vocabulary doesn't sound like a happy thing, but if you take the right words out, it can make you much happier. Today I banned from my vocabulary a 9-letter word that starts with "ex" and ends in "ed". It means tired. And I have been tired for days. Today I realized that I've been saying that "ex" word a LOT lately, and that stuff gets in your head. So I immediately stopped saying it, and started saying that I had loads of energy. Yes, I knew it was a lie, but I told the lie so enthusiastically and I threw my arms in the air when I said it... well I may not have felt like I had loads of energy, but I definitely felt less tired.
Fake it til you make it, baby!!

Day 53, 100 Happy Days: Watching People Create

I have to admit that I took to Facebook to complain after tonight's class. But it wasn't about the class - the class was wonderful. I complained because I was exhausted and just stretched too thin right now. And then I had to walk a dog, which was the last thing I wanted to do. But, just like last night, I was able to focus on the present during the walk, and bring myself back to a good state.

Which made me think about how amazing it was to watch people create in my creative space tonight. People came in with little or no painting experience, and came up with the most amazing paintings! Using my painting for inspiration, I give them a bit of guidance and encourage them to do their own thing on the canvas. And the do. And that is a brave and bold thing to do, and a beautiful thing to witness.

Day 43, 100 Happy Days: Kicking Booty and Taking Names

Yet to be titled new painting for a class.

Busy busy business!

New session of The Artist's Way starts on Sunday, and it's going to be a good sized class. I'm very happy about that! More people make for more discussions, shared experiences, and opportunities to learn and grow.

Also, I have two very big Painting Soiree classes (private parties) coming up in the next few weeks - it looks like there will be 20 people in both - oh and a potential third with 20 people.

I'm kicking booty and taking names!

Day 42, 100 Happy Days: Living Life Fully

"Elemental Bass" Oil on Canvas ©Tabetha Hastings

So... this is one of those days where I'm not exactly at liberty to say precisely what made me the most happy.  (In case you haven't noticed, I like to say a lot here without revealing too much).

I could write about some other things that made me happy today, but they're all things that make me happy so often that I'm sure you, dear reader, are tired of hearing about them (painting, Paint Club, etc).

Instead I'll just say that I feel like I am living my life fully, and that makes me so happy! Had you asked me at other times in my life if I were living my life fully, I might have said yes. But at this moment in my life, it feels really full - in a great way. And, of course, it can always get fuller. I don't believe there is a capacity limit to how full one's life can be lived. The only limits are time and energy.

ps - In looking for a picture for this blog post, I was reminded of another time in my life were I was living my life to the absolute max. I was just post-divorce and happier than I'd been in my life.
The painting pictured above was created during that time, and it screams wild, fun energy to me. And a live lived fully.

Day 37, 100 Happy Days: Dreaming Up New Classes and Other Studio Stuff

This is what we'll paint in the first oil Painting Soiree!

It was another great studio day, and today I got to paint with a good friend. Also, two people I didn't know - other artists - stopped by my studio and we had a nice discussion about art.

And someone else stopped by asking for a private lesson on the nuts and bolts of painting - she wants to know how she can assure that she is selling a quality painting to her customers - quality materials. This may just lead to another class. How exciting!

Today I tried my hand at a Robert Henri painting: The West Coast of Ireland. I saw it in a book recently and fell in love with it. The way the hills blend into the sky just makes me crazy. I had a good time experimenting with different brushstrokes to try to see how he captured that beautiful stormy sky.

And after today's adventure in painting, I've decided that I CAN do a Painting Soiree in oils after all! I've been thinking I couldn't do it without painting like Bob Ross, but I found a way. It just takes the right painting. I'm imagining that a lot of my current students who are curious about oils will sign up to check it out. How exciting to be able to introduce people to beauty and wonder that is oil painting!

Day 37 Bonuses: 
The weather (high of 58 degrees!), the incredible sunset (and that I live in a place where I can experience both those things), help from friends in the form of a much needed dry erase board, and an unexpected dinner and visit with a friend. 

Sunset from my studio window. I LOVE that if you look closely you can see one of my sunrise paintings reflected in the glass. (Right above the Grease Monkey sign.)

Day 35, 100 Happy Days: Another Soiree Painting

As yet untitled windmill painting. ©Tabetha Hastings

Another day in the studio! This one with a group, thanks to Paint Club. And it was a great group - three newbies showed up and lost in the paint and conversation.

Since I have trouble working on my own paintings (the more detailed, in-depth paintings that I paint to sell) when there are other people around, I decided to create another painting to teach. My goal is to create two new paintings a month for my classes, and I've already hit that goal for January - not bad!

I think this painting will be a tricky one to teach (with all those straight lines), but it's definitely doable. And it's one of those paintings that students will feel really good about completing.

Day 14, 100 Happy Days: Holding Space

I had three awesome ladies show up for Paint Club today.  Some really wonderful people pass through my studio, but every once in awhile I meet some who I would consider kindred spirits. These three fell into that category.

We spoke the same language, and they really "got" what I'm doing in my studio. They came in and fearlessly dove into the paint (so to speak), and understood that painting is about the experience more than it is about the finished product.

They allowed themselves to be fully present.

It made me happy to be able to hold space for people to have that kind of experience. What exactly do I mean by "holding space"? To me holding space simply means providing a non-judgmental environment where people can feel safe to explore. In my studio (best case scenario), they're exploring not only the paint and what it can do, but they are also getting in touch with a part of themselves that they don't always access. Painting can really pull you inside and help you to work through things you've been holding on to. Of course, not everyone has that experience, but everyone could if they were open to it.

I'm so happy to be able to provide that opportunity.

Haiku Day 27: Long Time Gone

fourteen days away

a yearn in my heart for home

tonight my own bed

"Self Portrait" Oil pastel on paper ©Tabetha Hastings

Haiku Day 24: Funny Sanctuary

world of our making

some funny sanctuary 

hard to say goodbye

"Sanctuary" ©Tabetha Hastings

Happiness Project Day 90: Being a De-Stress Facilitator

Wow - I'm in the final ten days of this thing! What an amazing journey this has been.

My happiness today came from my private lesson student. She came straight from work and was a half hour late for her 2-hour lesson. Needless to say, she was pretty stressed out when she arrived.

She sat down, pulled out her paints, and dug into her new painting, and pretty soon she said "Hey! I'm not stressed!"

Painting is pretty cool like that. It has a way of bringing you into the present moment. The rest of the world can just fall away, and it's just you and the canvas.



I'm so happy to be able to play a part in making someone's day better.

(Also today, a homeless man told me I smelled nice. Hey - I take my compliments where I can get 'em!)


By the way, if you're curious as to why I started doing this project, you can check out: My Happiness Project Day 1.

If you're in the Denver area and want to learn to paint, check out my website! 

Happiness Project Day 88: Making Art for Art's Sake

I've come to realize that I have a hard time working on certain paintings during Paint Club. Specifically, any painting to which I feel attached. This means that if I'm creating something to sell, it's difficult for me to work on, simply because I find it hard to focus when other people are around. So, I save those pieces for when I'm working alone in my studio (although sometimes it's even hard to focus when I'm alone).

Because of this, Paint Club has become an "art for art's sake" thing for me - which is wonderful. When you create art for a living, it can feel like a job from time to time. It's good to get back to doing art for the fun of it.


This is a collage that I've been fiddling around with for awhile. It's fun to tear paper and paste it on... it's really re-imagining another artist's work. So I cut, tear, paste, draw and paint on this thing. I've got no particular place that I'm going with this, just having fun. And fun = happy.

Happiness Project Day 84: Fresh Energy in The Studios

Setting up for the big show.

Today we hung the First Friday art show. There is a big push every month during the week leading up to First Friday. We have to completely take our studios apart every month: paintings come off the walls, tables and supplies get stashed away in the back room. Then the artists show up to hang their work.

The studios were buzzing today with 18 or so artists and helpers working on the show. It makes me happy to have our spaces infused with the fresh energy that new art brings.

I'm really looking forward to this First Friday - it's the first one of the warm season, we have a great mix of artists, and I think it's going to be a lot of fun!

Happiness Project Day 81: My Art Community

Paint that was leftover after a class.

I'm in the home stretch of this 100-day happiness project, and it's interesting to see how it's evolved. When I first started, things that made me happy were more specific: sunshine, a meal, dogs, coffee, a song... whatever it was, I would look for it during my day, find it, and write about it at night.

Lately, unless something jumps out at me during the day, I just sit down and start to write, and see what comes up. I don't even title the blog post until I'm done, because it can be hard to nail down the specifics.

With that in mind, today was a fairly typical Sunday. My Artist Way class in the morning, Paint Club in the afternoon, dinner with a friend in the evening.

It was a good day, and all of these things made me happy. But when it boils down, I'm really happy to be able to foster and grow an art community right there in my studio. My art partner (pARTner, har-har), Wynne Reynolds and I have a solid foundation with artists who show their work in our studios on First Fridays. Add to this, artists who come to Paint Club to get creative while they hang out, and my Artist Way groups past and present, then sprinkle it with people who come to my classes, and we've got a pretty solid community of artists. For that I am happy and grateful.

I'm honored to be able to support artists and provide a safe space for them to work.

Day 81 Bonus: Lover's Rock by Sade
This song came up on my Pandora mix tonight. I was happy to hear a Sade song that I hadn't heard before.

Happiness Project Dy 78: Getting My Soul Fed Through Paint and Sigur Ros

"Headed Towards The Light" (in progress) ©Tabetha Hastings

I'm really trying not to repeat things that make me happy for this 100 day journey, but sometimes it must be done....

I spent this evening painting in my studio, and my soul has been fed. It's strange how sometimes six hours of painting can feel like three, and other times three hours can feel like six. Tonight was the latter, but in a really good way.

I decided to give myself a break from the intricate, detailed painting that I do in my tree bark series, and instead worked on an older piece (big brush strokes is what I was looking for).

If you've been to one of my classes or Paint Club in the past few months you may have seen this painting hanging on a wall, waiting for some love. The truth is that it's been sitting in my back room for YEARS waiting for me to finish it. I finally decided to pull it out and hang it on the wall in hopes of some inspiration.
The picture above was taken after I finished for the evening (and I must say I'm pleased - the picture doesn't do it justice). Conceptually, it was the same before I started painting on it tonight; I just added some more layers and depth and dimension to it.

One of the things that I love about painting is that it is such a great analogy for life. You can drop an issue that you're having trouble with - something you need to work out. Like relationship issues, a friendship, or even a book that you can't seem to bring yourself to finish. Then you go along in life - it could be for a few weeks or a few years. All the while you're gaining life experience and new skills and learning how to deal with things. Then one day you go back to the relationship issue, you call the friend, or you pick up the book, and the same issues are still there. But you are different. With any luck you've gained the skills and life experience to tackle the problem in a whole new way. You're looking at it from a fresh perspective.

It's the same way with painting. I get stuck on something, and the painting waits patiently for me to figure it out. It waits for me to improve my skills, or to purchase the right color or brush. Or it waits for me to see the right sunset, nature documentary, or have the right conversation, to gain the needed inspiration to finish it.
Pretty freaking cool, no?

I listened to several cds tonight, but as I was finishing up, this song from Sigur Ros came on. It felt like my painting, somehow. The name of the the song is Ekki Mukk (Sigur Ros is from Iceland). I just looked it up on youtube to post the video, and in parentheses after the song title it says... Moving Art. Of course it does. lol (And interestingly, AS I was listening to this song, I was imagining my painting animated - and I had no idea the song was called Moving Art!)