How it Begins....that little voice - the Midlife artist

I became SERIOUS about art after I drew my niece's boxer, Brutus. His portrait is on my pet portrait website , robinzebley.com. But I did do some art before that, and it was when that little voice began in my head.

I went to a craft show when "country" was just beginning...like 20 years ago. And figured, hmmmmm...I could do THAT. I asked my wonderful aunt in law, Carole, who is an antique and primitive buff and had been long before the craze, what she thought was a good thing to make, and she thought "old fashioned, sad looking santas".

Now, you've seen tons of them, most from Chinese sweatshops, since then. But at this time, they hadn't hit. So that's what I started with, sold in local inhouse shows, along with handpainted slates, etc.

Then I went back to work and had no time for any of that.

When I got laid off, I tried my hand at the craft shows again...and hated it. I just couldn't get into the decorative painting thing...making the same exact thing over and over and over.

So went online, looked around, and started painting more creatively...and sold nothing. The VOICE said, "you are not a crafter".

Have you ever been to an exhibit or museum and it upsets you? It's the voice.

I've listened to it...and its led me to strange paths. Like a medium that wasn't terribly respected...colored pencil. And now woodcut prints.

I do what I like ... and like what I do. And that part...listening to your own voice, I think is much more common with midlife artists. We just don't have time to listen to everyone else, do we?