I Started Painting :)

[Elspeth]

Thank you so much Rebecca Ann. You are right, children are full of wonder and I never want to lose that wonder.

[RebeccaAnn]

Elsbeth
I know two special artist you might like to check out. You can find them by doing google search and there are even some books about them. One is Grandma Moses. She didn't start painting until she was about 80. The other is Maud Lewis. She was a little lady that lived in a little house in Nova Scotia. I got to see her house. It is like a little child's house painted with bright wonderful pictures and colors like your paintings. Both are well known artist and their art work hangs in museums. Maud Lewis, I don't think is known much out of Nova Scotia. But to me she is very special. On our last trip to Nova Scotia we saw one of her paintings in a little museum and Jean-Thomas said we need to find more about her. He found a book about her for me and we found her house. Maud had polio. Jean-Thomas looked at her paintings and told me mommy you can paint too, like her. It was a few years after that that Jean-Thomas went Home to Heaven.
RebeccaAnn

[Elspeth]

Thank you so much Rebecca Ann for the references. Grandma Moses I'm familiar with, but I will have to look up Maud Lewis. She sounds fascinating. Reminds me to of the old lady character on the Walton's Maud Gormley who took up painting birds and sold her primitive paintings to the tourists.

[RebeccaAnn]

I found a Maud Lewis site you might like to check out, She painted on anything she could find, including shells. http://www.lighthouse.ca/maud.html
There are also a few other sites Nova Scotia artist and Canadian artist. There are also books written about her with her pictures. amazon.com has a few listed. She is a folk artist.
RebeccaAnn

[Elspeth]

Thanks for the link. Those are cool paintings.

I'm new enough to the idea of art that I struggle with the question - what is art - so it's nice to be exposed to all kinds of art.

[RebeccaAnn]

According to my brother, who is a craftsman that works in a children's museum art is beautiful and enjoyable. It makes you think and lets you explore. He creates, designs, builds and maintains the exhibits at the Madison Wisconsin Children's Museum. Jean-Thomas says art is a gift from Heavenly Father. It is also said that art is in the eye
of the beholder.
I don't know if you ever watch Touched By An Angel on tv or not. They had a great episode in an art museum. All the people were wondering around looking at the paintings and talking about them. There was also a group of gifted children there studying the art work and making some of their own. There was an artist there who wanted to destroy his painting because it was no good and he couldn't figure out why he painted it. It was yellow and black with a little bump, nothing more. He said it was nothing, it gave no feelings and didn't inspire. A little boy came up to him with a painting he had painted in his hand and gave it to the artist. He told the artist your painting isn't finished yet. The boy's painting had the same yellow sky and dark ground with the bump that the artist painted but out of the bump grew a little tree. He went to the painting on the wall and explained to the artist this bump is a little seed in the ground. It needs sun and water and grows like me, into a small tree that will get bigger. The artist then knew why he had painted that picture and it was beautiful with great meaning, but it took a little child to help him see.
RebeccaAnn

[rhatcher1313]

I agree totally with RebeccaAnn ! Seeing through the eye's of a child is A wonderful gift! I also enjoy your work. It reminds me of a more peaceful, innocent time, as in being a child, again! Ohh, & A message to RebeccaAnn, YOU have the same gift, only yours are through words, such beautiful mail you have sent me! Please share these wonderful stories w/ our community here! Thank you to both of these very talented women! Each is an accomplished artist, in their respective fields! May God Bless & guide you both through your wonderful work! Again, many thanks !!
Slainte,
rhatcher1313

[RebeccaAnn]

Elsbeth
I got this neat children's book from the library I thought you might be interested in. It is SILENT NIGHT by Will Moses. Ever wonder what happened to Grandma Moses and her family? Well according to the book cover information about the author painting is as much a part of the Moses family tradition as the family homestead in Eagle Bridge, NY. Will Moses learned to paint as a little boy from his grandfather, folk artist Forrest Moses, who learned from his mother, Anna Mary Robertson Moses (Grandma Moses). I found a link to Will Moses' studio. http://www.willmoses.com/
I love your paintings. You are a folk artist. You see the essence, color, and beauty of things and paint those things for others to see. Some people say I should publish my poems and stories. I would be honored if you could illustrate them.
RebeccaAnn

[Elspeth]

Rebecca Ann, that is such a sweet thing to say and the honor would be mine, but I know I am no where near good enough to do your writing justice.

I write as well and have spent some time learning the ropes of the publishing business. If you ever want to chat about the process of publication, let me know. So far I haven't been sucessful, but I'm still trying and learning.

I will look up the link you posted. Thanks so much for letting me know of it.

[RebeccaAnn]

Elsbeth
My writing is not much and your paintings are perfect. I write from the heart, you paint from the heart. What greater justice is there? I do not know the first thing about being published or even if anyone would ever find my writings worth taking the time with. I can think of no one better than you to make pictures for some of my poems. If you don't mind, maybe I could make stories or poems for some of your pictures. We could put our works together and see what happens. rhatcher1313 says we both have a very special gift. Why not put our gifts together?
RebeccaAnn

[rhatcher1313]

To Rebecca & Elsbeth,
As i said before, both of you have a very special gift, If both of you got together & create a book, it would be A top-seller !! If both shared the wonderful talent in A joint venture, I foresee A great work of art. Only thing, WHEN it is published, not if, please sell me the first public copy, signed, of course by both! I would be very honored by this. You two have more talent than most people posses, that have gotten their work published. Best of luck in this venture. I may not have the talent to write, or paint , but, I do have quite an extensive library, & spend lots of time reading, & admiring art. Hey, there was a reason that you 2 have met, don't let this wonderful opportunity get away. Many thanks to both for sharing your gift here. & when you both are rich and famous, don't forget the cheering section here! LOL, Thanks again.
Slainte,
rhatcher1313

[Elspeth]

Wow, both of you. You blow me away. Really, I know I'm not that good, but Rebeccca Ann, if something I painted inspires you to write a poem, by all means do it. I'd love to read them. And who knows? All kinds of books get published. You never know.

[RebeccaAnn]

Elsbeth
I got a new children's book from our library I thought you might be interested in.
CAPTURING JOY: The Story of Maud Lewis by Jo Ellen Bogart. It has neat pictures many of them hers.
RebeccaAnn

[Donajhi]

I don't know anything about painting, but I do know I like your art work very much.
Thank you for sharing your brilliant paintings.