Regina Calton Burchett – Drawings & Pastels

We have a week before Father’s Day, but I wanted to post this now while it was in my thoughts.

I think Father’s Day should be renamed Men’s Day. Not all men of worth are fathers, either by choice or by circumstance. And I’d like to celebrate the men in my life – my husband especially, and my fathers, my step-son and grandson, my brother and brothers-in-law, my nephews, son-in-law, male friends….

One of the things I like about men is their gentleness. When I see a man holding a baby or taking time to be patient with a fussing child, I admire their maturity and their generosity of spirit.

Another thing I admire is their bravery. They are brought up with the expectation that they must protect those they love and stand in the face of danger, even at times when this instinct may not come naturally.

I love their smell. After working outside or playing sports. (But not on a really hot day.)

I love their manners. A few decades back, I was walking down the street in Austin and an older gentleman tipped his hat to me in passing. It made me feel honored. And recognized, in a way. I’ve been a feminist since the 60’s, but I love for a man I’m with – or even better, a young man I’ve never seen – to open a door for me. I do the same for them, if the situation merits. It is just a kind thing to do. And respectful.

I love that men try. They try to understand what women want. They try to be thoughtful and to live up to all of the myriad things expected of them. They try to change with the times, knowing they are giving up some things and hopefully realizing they are gaining more options also. We expect them to be strong yet tender, respectful of our opinions, intelligent and funny while being good listeners, attractive and ingenious lovers but always faithful, to excel at sports plus be great at their job. A lot is expected of men.

And I’m grateful for them – for their similarities and their differences. Young and old, white and black, straight and gay, poor and rich. I think we don’t say it enough – we appreciate you for all that you are. Happy Men’s Day.

My friend Diana Weems is great at painting most things, but especially antique cars, bikes, trucks, motorcycles…. things I have attempted and quickly gave up on. We met many years ago and I bought a wonderful bicycle painting from her. She has such a great attitude and an amazing family, and here are a few samples of her work:

Pearathon now has 55 diverse and lovely pear paintings!! If you are an artist who loves to draw or paint pears, send a link to anjou@pearathon.com !

Jo Castillo Pears:

Jo Castillo Pears

I posted this a while back, and was thinking of it today while I looked at all the green around me right after the wonderful rain we had. Trees give us so much, we can’t help but be grateful.

Bastrop Pines on a Cloudy Day

We lived in Bastrop County – in Cedar Creek, Bastrop, and Smithville – for many years and loved the beautiful Loblolly Pines there and the rolling hills. It’s a lovely and friendly area just east of Austin.

Sunflowers at 100 Congress

I wanted to paint last Friday while at a week-long show at 100 Congress set up via Real Gallery, and didn’t want to take messy pastels to an impressive granite lobby… so I took a small container of my pastel pencils. I have Derwent pastel pencils and Bruynzeel pastel pencils, and like them both. I heard a while back that you should never sharpen your pastel pencils with a regular pencil sharpener, as it twists the lead, and that makes sense.  I use a nice little utility knife that my husband gave me, and it works great. The Bruynzeels are somewhat softer than most other pastel pencils I’ve tried.

It was so much fun, and not messy at all. You can create a lot of interesting effects with the pastel pencils – I used them on their own, and also along with my regular pastel paintings for details or a line.

I started this in the Claudia Seymour workshop, and have added as much of a self-portrait as I ever intend to do…

Mango Still Life

Raining Up by the Barn

I painted this today on some new paper that my sister-in-law gave me. It is print-making paper (4/20/10: Stonehenge paper). I wasn’t sure I would like it because I’m so stuck on sanded paper (Ampersand or Art Spectrum), but it took layering well and blended nicely.

I’m going to put this up on my mantle in the living room, so I can walk by it all week and see if I still like it after a the first flush of being in love with a new painting has passed. It helps me to see the things that bug me, that need to be fixed…

A group of artist friends had a discussion last night about the slow or non-existent art sales in our area. Our general conclusion was that unless you are one of the few artists whose work is considered an “investment”, then a slow economy typically means slow art sales. And an ongoing fight for us against getting discouraged. But is not being an artist even an option? I think it is something you can not escape, once you have discovered your need to create.

It can be very frustrating to continue to work at something you love, even though it is not bringing you a financial reward. And while you may get words of praise or encouragement, you generally must make money at this endeavor – for food, shelter, or just more art supplies.

But you can view the need to continue with your art as a way to build up your inventory for future sales, and a way to keep improving as an artist. And even if your backlog of work just keeps on growing, I think for every piece of art, there is someone who will love that particular piece. And once they have it found it, that work of art will make their life happier or more reflective. And that’s one of the good reasons to keep doing what we do.

My friend and fellow pastelist, Jo Castillo, will be having the ribbon-cutting for her new studio and gallery in downtown Bastrop, Texas next Friday, April 23, at 1:30, with a celebration from 1 to 3pm at 1009 Main Street.  She is a very generous person, both in her personal life and in sharing her knowledge of art, and I wish her great success and fun in her new endeavor!  These are two of my favorite Jo Castillo pieces, and you can see more for sale at her Website: