OMG, I love, love, LOVE Halloween! I dressed as a prom queen, a dark angel, a lion tamer, the Mona Lisa and Hermione Granger. It started on October 20th – I chaperoned the school dance. The following Wednesday there was a costume party at the Dinosaur BBQ in downtown Syracuse; Saturday it was a house karaoke party and on Halloween, I did a day and night thing – school then costuming at Notch 8 in Jamesville. Why don’t we do this all year long? Halloween is just the most creative holiday. It is the best! So fun….
Ken Nichols‘ mandala paintings have been on display in the Chittenango Middle School library since the end of November 2016. They are coming down on Monday. Ken is a painter and a potter, a Syracuse artist who believes in the passion of creation.
He uses Golden Artist acrylic paints. He begins by painting the surface of the canvas black then uses an intuitive process to shape the composition relying on color to forge a path of rhythm throughout. The result is vibrant and fun abstracts that keep the viewer hypnotized in his psychedelic vortex.
Ken spoke to students during a 10th period art reception in December. He had them mesmerized! I have a short video at the bottom of this post. It is always a win-win for students to meet artists. A mutual admiration society of positive energy that transcends age and time. Belief in yourself is always the message. Taking pride in what your hand can manufacture. Art for art’s sake and for peace of mind. Really good conversation.
Check out more about Ken Nichols by visiting his web-site here.
This year my Halloween choices were varied. I wore the Rose from Titanic gown that I sewed last millennium from a McCall’s pattern to the Halloween dance at school. I paired it with my black Banana Republic suit jacket.
Last Friday night, I went to a dance party and wore this Jill Jill Stuart gown in combination with some wings to be a dark angel. Loved this one since it was a new idea. I bought the wings at Party City the day before.
On Halloween, I did a modified Frida Kahlo sans ‘stache using clothing from my closet – the new Free People top and my BCBG Max Azria leggings.
And on Halloween night, I Trekked out in a store bought Uhura dress. Love Halloween. It is soooo fun!
Lucky Brand jacket, Warner Bros. Hogwarts T-shirt, Trina Turk skirt, Nine West bootiesHonora necklace, Banana Republic leather top, cardigan and velvet pants, BCBGGeneration booties
One of the main reasons I haven’t been blogging – I was having technical difficulties with my Instagram account. The pictures were not saving to the camera’s gallery. I tried uninstalling the program and reinstalling it and it didn’t work until tonight. Yeah, tonight it worked. Weird.
Michelle DaRin jewelry, Banana Republic cardigan, BCBGMaxAzria top and skirt, Nine West bootsFree People cardigan, BCBGMaxAzria T-shirt and leggings, Lucky Brand top, Ralph Lauren boots
I must be more relaxed or something – I am on vacation. Or maybe it’s just an example of perseverence, although I had been on the verge of giving up, lol, over something so simple.
Michelle DaRin jewelry, BCBGMaxAzria dress, 7 For All Mankind jeans, Nine West bootiesJCrew blazer, Rachel Roy top, Banana Republic skirt, Steve Madden boots
A former student asked me how he could get his creativity back. He thinks he’s lost it, I guess. And the truth is, no one can find it for you. You just have to take the time to quiet your mind of all the bugs that are attacking you.
BCBGMaxAzria dress, Nine West bootsMichelle DaRin jewelry, Berkley Cashmere cardigan, Bailey 44 top, BCBGMaxAzria pants, Nine West booties
No more I’m not good enough…I can’t do this and all that junk. Believe you can do it. Know you can. Then think about how you will do it and just do it.
Viola top, Calvin Klein jeans, BCBGGeneration bootiesLord & Taylor cashmere cardigan, Banana Republic cashmere dress, Nine West boots
I know that some of my friends did not like hearing me say that I did not want to make new artwork until I started selling the art I have already made. It is not that I lack creativity. I just desired a sign from the universe that my art is leading to other great things. It is very important to me to achieve financial success as an artist because I want to show my students that it is possible. I mean, that is one reason. I mean, I didn’t make over a thousand works of art for them to just be stored away forever. That doesn’t make a lick of sense.
JCrew cardigan, Banana Republic dress, Nine West bootiesBCBGMaxAzria cardigan and dress, BCBGGeneration booties
And then, I haven’t been doing anything to make any of it happen. I haven’t been actively seeking venues or peddling my wares anywhere since the Natur-Tyme exhibit where I sold a handful of $5.00 cards. So, I kind of sound like a person who does not take my own advice.
Michelle DaRin jewelry, Free People cardigan, Lucky Brand top, BCBGMaxAzria belt, Banana Republic skirt, Nine West bootiesBanana Republic suit, BCBGMaxAzria top, BCBGGeneration booties
The truth is I wanted to manifest getting an art show in a passive way. I was already doing everything I could to get myself out into the stratosphere. I am here. Right here. And on Instagram and Linkedin and Facebook. I have over 20,000 views on this blog. I wanted someone to find me. Someone who was looking for me and my art because they know it will sell.
Banana Republic sweater and pants, Calvin Klein belt, Nine West bootiesBerkley Cashmere cardigan, Warner Bros. Gryffindor T-shirt, Nine West booties
Well, it finally happened. I will give you more details as it gets closer to show time. I was asked to be part of an art show at a medical facility in New Jersey. The show starts some time in April with a reception on May 5th, 2016. I will be exhibiting and selling my Dreamtime and Echolalia series paintings (it is an animal-themed show). The curator saw my work on Linkedin.com.
Michelle DaRin jewelry, Free People cardigan, BCBGMaxAzria tank top and leggings, Ugg bootsBlack Brown 1826 cashmere sweater, BCBGMaxAzria leggings, Ralph Lauren boots
Trina Turk recently replied to my comment on her picture on Instagram. She said, Love you, too and something about wanting to be an art teacher one day! I have the dream of meeting her one day, becoming friends and maybe even working with her – designing clothing with silk dyed to match my watercolors.
BCBGMaxAzria cardigan, top and pants, Nine West bootiesBar III sweater, BCBGMaxAzria leggings, BCBGGeneration booties
Two years ago, I wouldn’t have dreamed I would actually be interacting with her on social media. Things can happen. You can mold your life consciously even if you dream big.
This blog is about my community, my artwork and fashion because I have all of these other dreams. And I think it is perfectly okay to slide your creativity around to wherever it takes you. Who knows where it will stick? There are bound to be more glitches along the way. That is kind of the fun of it. To never lose faith even when junk makes you feel like quitting.
Banana Republic sweater, Trina Turk dress, Nine West bootsMichelle DaRin jewelry, BCBGMaxAzria top and pants, Nine West booties
I have a few more goals to achieve with the remainder of this February break. I am buying a car, so I guess these fashion posts are going to seem redundant for a while. While preparing the stuff for my taxes I tallied how much money I spent on clothes this past year and it was kind of a lot. (No, I don’t deduct any of it, lol) It would be nice if clothes were free, wouldn’t it? Just thought I’d throw it out there if anyone is listening. Would love to make that one stick….