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These two pieces from my recent trip to Kauai really echo one of the three words I'm trying to live by in 2014 (see my post about them here): DO, as in "Just do it!".

I had already painted two other scenes at a nearby beach and Rich and I had driven to this beach to finish the day just sitting and enjoying the sun setting. We were both pretty tired (he had surfed in high waves for hours while I painted) but all of a sudden I had this overwhelming urge to capture those colors as quickly as I could. My usual reaction would have been to suppress the urge becasue the thought of going back to the car to get my painting gear, open it all up again and get started would have seemed too much trouble. Plus, I thought I didn't have time anyway before the light changed too quickly.

But this time I decided to follow that inner voice that said "Don't be lazy, don't be scared, just do it, damn it!" I'm fortunate enough to have a great man by my side who considers it his "job" to lug my stuff around (he calls himself my sherpa and says men are just apes with clothes! But don't worry, the only whip being cracked in our house is not wielded by me, he has a very healthy ego!)

So Rich went all the way back to the car to get my plein air pack and in order to save time I didn't even bother with the easel and just rested the box on my lap, something I never do!

I also used the Wallis Belgian Mist paper this time which I hardly ever use, preferring the white. But since I was in a "what the heck" kind of mood I just went for it. Twenty minutes later I had the first painting done and grabbed another sheet to do one more looking in the other direction. It was a blast! I didn't worry about anything except trying to get down the colors I saw in the clouds. I actually really liked the way they showed on the taupe tone of the paper and left a lot of it showing through. The whole time I kept telling myself "Don't judge it, just do it!" If we can leave the judgment for later in the studio it makes it so much easier to enjoy those magical moments of plein air painting.

Within the hour, my urge was satisfied, I didn't give in to my apprehension and was proud of myself for painting with gusto that day and getting an early start on my New Year's resolution. No remorse about once again letting an opportunity slip by and a nice sense of accomplishment for the day. NOW it was time to rest and just watch the sunset!

Very honored to have been interviewed by art critic, writer and FASO's own Brian Sherwin for his "The Art Edge " blog!! It's in two parts but you can easily access part two at the bottom of part one if you are inclined to read ALL of my ramblings:) And I thank you in advance if you do and appreciate any feedback or comments. And many thanks to Brian! http://theartedge.faso.com/blog/70085/art-talk-on-the-edge-interview-with-artist-daggi-wallace-part-1

Brain had contacted me months ago for this interview and I'm ashamed to say it took me so long to take the time to write down the answers to his questions. It's hard to put into words how we feel about our work and why we do what we do, isn't it? But having started this blog has helped me to do just that and I find I'm always glad when I do take the time to reflect and really think about my motivations behind my work.

Luckily, Brian is an excellent editor, so I could just let my thoughts and tpoing hand wander a bit. I hope you enjoy the resulting article.

CLARITY. DO. FAITH.

Three magical words that will hopefully keep me on track in the New Year!

The idea is to choose words as a type of mantra or theme for the upcoming year, instead of New Year’s resolutions. Art Biz Coach Alyson Stanfield suggests one word, and Chris Brogan likes to pick three. Narrowing it down to just one seemed impossible to me so I chose three as well.

The first word that actually came to mind was FOCUS because I'm trying to narrow the focus of my work. I seem to be all over the place painting commissioned portraits, non-commissioned figures, plein air landscapes, studio pieces of surfers and even small abstracted work. From everything I have read about art marketing, this is not a good idea if I want to get taken seriously by galleries and collectors! How do you other artists with multiple interests handle this?

My commissions bring the most income, while my non-commissioned work is most personal and adds to my resume by getting accepted into shows, but hasn’t found a solid collector base even with awards garnered!

The plein air work is essential to my growth as an artist, because it hones my skills of observation and painting directly from life. I learn so much from it, it forces me to get outside,  it’s time spent with other artists and an added bonus to my vacation time. Fortunately, I have also had sales from these outings.

The surfers…ahhh…the surfers! I never grow tired of spending hours on the beach taking hundreds of photos, watching wave after wave, the interaction between humans and  the ocean, the light, color, sounds, smells…it’s a kind of meditation to me. The resulting paintings receive wonderful comments but have been harder to sell than I expected, even out here in California.

And then there are the little abstracted paintings that are such a needed break from the high pressure work of commissions! They allow me to just play, throw around some color, not worry about achieving a  likeness or even getting correct proportions. I find myself drawn to abstract designs found in close ups  of natural or manmade objects and have hundred if not thousands of reference photos. I’d love to spend more time on these and even produce larger ones.

But since there are only so many hours in a day I have to be selective about how I spend them. In what direction should I go moving forward? How do I bridge the gap between earning an income and creating work that is most meaningful to me? And what exactly is it that brings me most meaning since it seems to alternate between all the things listed above?

So, in order to attain FOCUS I first need to have the CLARITY to know what to focus on, so that HAD to be the first word! I also will look at that word to remind me of my priorities in regards to my daily to-do list and interactions with others.

The next word is DO, as in Nike's "Just do it", to remind me to procrastinate less. Again it wasn’t the first  word that came to mind (that was the word ACTION) but it seemed a little daunting.  I am looking to simplify my life as there has been too much action in it at times and I struggle with overwhelm, which leads to nothing but INaction! DO is a much gentler way to nudge me to get things done right when they need doing, whether that’s to go for a run, schedule a check up, start or finish a painting, file that paperwork, get that newsletter out, make that phone call, follow up on a lead, clean out a closet or make time for family and friends.

Last, but by no means least, is FAITH, in all areas of my life! Faith that my kids will be just fine, that my relationships will continue to thrive, that my work will be well received, that my finances will be enough, that my health will sustain me, in short: Faith that ALL IS WELL IN THIS MOMENT, which is all that truly matters.  Seeing that word will also  remind me to make time for my spiritual practice, which will bring me full circle back to the word CLARITY, because that springs out of my spiritual connection.

I will make two signs with those three words, one each for my home and studio where I can see them throughout the day and stay focused on my goals for this New Year.

If you’d like to share your goals and plans for 2014, please leave a comment below or on my Facebook studio page. And if you have any insight on how to narrow my focus, I'd love to hear it!

Wishing all of us a healthy, happy, creative and prosperous New Year!