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Thursday, July 30, 2009

Two Gifts: Laurel and Laura

Bowled Over
8x8 oil on panel
$85 - email here for info
A return to produce painting and one perfectly titled. OK, today has just been the happiest of days. Grab a cup of coffee and stick with me here - we've got alot to talk about.

First, Lavagirl and I spent the morning volunteering at the West Bank Community Library. We were reminded what a great place it is - the people, the atmosphere, and natch, the books! Their second beautiful location has just opened - here's the website. I'm dreaming of a whole afternoon spent there reading and another sketching.

I return home to find not one but two artists I admire so very much have visited and left comments on this blog. First, Austinite Laurel Daniel - a talented plein air landscape artist and teacher. Laurel has a gift for distilling the most important aspect of any scene - be it landscape or still life - and then capturing it on canvas using lights and colors that are truly stunning. She recently won second place in an International Artists Magazine contest and was published in their April/May 09 issue. I was lucky to take a class from Laurel last year and will start again next month. Visit Laurel's blog
here.

Next, the incredible Laura Frankstone. I've followed Laura for 3 years, give or take. More than any other artist, Laura's work and process and attitude inspire me. She works primarily in watercolor but the medium - for me - is really secondary to her eye, her understanding of color, her line. A resident of Chapel Hill, Laura travels constantly and even sometimes visits Austin; when she does, I'll think, if she were my friend I'd take her to sketch at the Littlefield fountain or Hey Cupcake - those places are just so Laura. And then, whadda you know, the next week she'll post drawings of those very places. Laura's one of the best
Urban Sketchers and she's getting alot of well-deserved recognition - look for a grand article on her in the upcoming issue of Artful Blogging. Visit Laura's blog here.

I've always heard that, through blogs, artists have created an enriching community of friends-cum-supporters together. As a newbie, I guess I didn't really understand that until today.

2 comments:

Laura Frankstone said...

Mitzi, what an incredible compliment you've paid to me in this lovely post. Thank you very, very much.
Isn't it fun and funny how well we get to know people by looking at their artwork and reading their stories on line? Although one CAN present a false front, it's pretty easy to tell when someone is posing or not being authentic. I sense in you that genuineness--- and I see in your work and in the design of your blog, as I said earlier today, great liveliness, talent, and charm. Thank you for introducing yourself to me via your comment on my blog---and to Laurel, a gifted painter.
Welcome, Mitzi, to the blogging art community!

Laurel Daniel said...

Oh, dearest Mitzi! You are too kind to give me such honor here. I am overjoyed, honestly. I can't wait to have you back in class and is it really in a month? I guess so! FUN! Thank you, thank you, thank you. :) XOXO