A Favorite Artist

Minnie Evans is one of my favorite artists, not so much for the art she did, although it is very intriguing, but because of the life she lived.  She is a bit of a mystery, and who doesn't love a mystery. Whenever I share her story with students, they are all ears.  Minnie did not even start creating art until her late forties and never had any formal art training. In fact, she only had a fifth grade education. She could not afford drawing paper, so she drew on thrown away pieces of paper and most of her early art was created with crayons.  Just that alone makes me love her.  She was fiercely devoted to her husband and three boys and her Christian faith.  All her life, she had unusual sleeping and waking dreams she claimed were from God and that is what inspired the pieces she made.  Many, including her family, thought she had lost her mind the way she constantly started drawing all the time. Although she never made enough from her art to quit her job as a gatekeeper of a public garden, she kept creating art in her eighties!  One pleasant surprise I had while in New York was finding one of her pieces at the MET.  She created art with everything telling her she couldn't, she shouldn't.  She was an uneducated black woman with no formal art training and she drew pictures of things no one really completely understood.   She loved to create: she believed it pleased God and it did not matter if she were ever famous or not.  She did not leave her family or become melancholy.  She just loved to create the art that she was passionate about.   I love Minnie!

Advice from Barry Eisler

Such good advice from Barry Eisler on his website, http://www.barryeisler.com/writers_published.php

Never give up. Let's face it, not everyone will get published. Getting published takes luck as well as discipline. But finishing a manuscript? That's entirely up to you. If you don't get published, don't let it be your fault. You'll regret that. It's not failing to get published that should frighten you; it's knowing that it was your fault, and dealing with associated regret. If you do everything you can to make it happen, you should be damn proud, no matter how it turns out.

Never give up. Keep practicing.

                                               Barry Eisler

This is one of my all time favorite blogs for children's book writers.  Classes and critique sessions are available from these two writers and there is lots of free info on their Mentors For Rent site.  One of the goals I have this year is to purchase some of their sessions.

https://mentorsforrent.wordpress.com/blog/

Christmas gifts

A Christmas present to myself.  It is a beautiful book, similar in feel to Nancy Tillman's books.  Sitting by the fire next to the Christmas tree, savoring each spread.

A present that topped that one though, this year, is my three week old grandson.  This evening, I sat by the tree holding him, talking to him as his little eyes looked at me listening.  That is a gift like no other.  It goes deeper in the heart than even a beautiful book, deep within that place where books are born.

Grateful

The day after Thanksgiving and I finished the wedding scene illustration!  I am grateful for so much, especially the birth of my first grandson, Judson.  And I am grateful to be finished with this illustration and moving forward with this project.

I painted this for inspiration in my office/studio.  It is a very precious and powerful word to me.  What a glorious gift that we all have-the ability to dream!

My new website is up and running, a few new pieces added and more pages to come in the future.  I am sooo thankful website builder is easier to use now.  It had a mind of its own when I built my last site!

www.Melissa-Ross.com