Holiday Sale

This Saturday night, December 22 (assuming the world does not end), from 7 - 9, I'm hosting a Christmas gathering in my studio/gallery and I hope some of you can attend. I will have these paintings on sale at discounted prices. If you can't attend, but are interested in one of the pieces, you can contact me through email, by phone, or through this website. Hope to see you there!

"After the Ball"

16x20

original price $2300

sale price $1500

 

 

"Stargazers"

20x16

original price $1200

sale price $600

 

 

 

"Like A Red, Red Rose"

10x8

original price $450

sale price $175





 

END OF DAYS

 

 

I thought I should probably write about the end of the world while I still have time.

I actually wrote about this once already in regard to Mr. Harold Camping, who predicted that the world would end on May 21, 2011. To his embarrassment (or maybe not…), he was incorrect in his assessment. I wonder what feelings are conjured up when one realizes that one has been wrong about the demise of humanity. Relief? Disappointment?

(She's getting all gussied up for the end of the world?)

 

Anyway…I’ve been sitting here at McDonald’s (most of you know that McDonald’s is not – for me – the best place for creative writing but, oh well…53 cent coffee) thinking of some of the more pleasant aspects of the end of the world, assuming that the Mayans were correct, though I’m not convinced…as one comedian has pointed out, they didn’t have pants. How advanced were they really?

Let’s think positive. I suppose you wouldn’t have to worry about your library fines. And we can all stop worrying about Charlie Sheen. Personally, I can quit worrying about cellulite, which is a good thing since it’s never going to go away. Ever.

I may as well just go ahead and cancel my gym membership. And I’m mentally thinking of all the unpleasant tasks that I might as well put off until the 22^nd. I think I’ll wait to clean out my car and mop my floors. And I will not be shaving my legs. It occurs to me that we should all put off any unpleasant procedures until after the 21^st. Elective surgeries…root canals…and definitely colonoscopies. It would really suck to go through a colonoscopy the day before the world ends.

I know some of you are probably thinking “how can she be so flippant about such a serious topic? That’s terrible.” The truth is that I’m not that worried. I think that I’ve worked it all out in my head. Since the Bible says that “no man knows the hour”, surely that would trump the Mayan calendar. These pants-less people can’t possibly have calculated the end of the world. Unless…the “no man knows the hour” is literal. Maybe the Mayans did know the day…but just not the hour. Oh, dear…I think I’ll have steak and ice cream today.

That having been said…I don’t think you should stop buying things. Like art, for example (subtle, huh?). In fact, in the spirit of the likely continuation of the world as we know it…I want to invite you all to visit my new page on Café Press. It’s an affordable way to add some of my art into your lives. Check it out! (while you can…)   http://www.cafepress.com/maryhortmanfineart

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MUSELESS

 

MUSELESS

 

 

I suspect that most artists would relate to my state of mind this week. I am uninspired to paint. Yes, it happens. But I must persist in spite of that inconvenient truth (apologies to Al Gore, though I doubt very much that he will ever read this).

So artists/writers and other such creative types are supposed to have muses…right? I suppose it’s not to be taken literally, but I get it. As artists (whether painters, musicians, writers, or whatever), we have creative impulses that are not science-based, but more…ethereal. So we’ve created an entity that embodies that factless notion. The muse.

The problem for me is that my “muse” is inconsistent. I call her Aunt Clara. No doubt you remember Aunt Clara from “Bewitched”...Samantha’s aging aunt with the colossal memory problems, who sporadically dropped in through the chimney, and stayed just long enough to create chaos. BUT…she had inspired moments. As I recall, she once caused the blackout of the entire eastern seaboard. That’s awesome. And didn’t she once turn the Tates’ kid into twins? Hilarious (Larry Tate...what a jackass). But mostly she just screwed things up.

 

So that’s the inconvenient truth of my artistic life. I’ll have to press on without Aunt Clara, and hope that she shows her ash-covered chimney-face as the week progresses. And who knows? Maybe I don’t really need her after all. That’s ridiculous. Of course I need her. We all need inspiration…

But maybe the inspiration comes with nitty-gritty work. First comes work…then the muse. After all, the muse can’t do much with an artist who has no skills. So for all my fellow artists out there…just keep putting the brush to the canvas. And assume that the muse will show. At some point. Hopefully without a blackout of the eastern seaboard...