Having Too Much Fun!

A huge hug to those of you who asked if my blog was MIA this Friday...thanks for noticing!  Truth is I was having way too much fun to even remember what time it was let alone know the day of the week.
I got a surprise last-minute invite to fill in for a travel buddy that was missing her companion for a cruise.  Did I want to come and see the Maya Ruins of Tulum, Mexico?  I was packed in a NY minute.

As a past student of Diana H. Gessler, I took the opportunity to keep a visual journal of our voyage. Check out the link for a far better example of how to do a travel journal, but Fay and I had a ball working on ours during down time while at sea.

Here is another sample: a Key West dive called B.O's where we had delightful fish sandwiches and a page about the Hemingway House which I had never visited before.  I was so glad to have my little paints and journal with me...it made it fun to share the trip with others, and the notes brought back a lot of laughs we shared.  Thanks Diana for your patience in teaching this (I took the class twice!!)

Also on the fun list was an afternoon creating "office art."  My darling in-town daughter-in-law was promoted to her own office and decided it needed some sprucing up.  She loved an abstract piece she saw of wild colors and I convinced her that with a little paint and time she could produce an original.  When she appealed for help I jumped at the chance.  She brought over the colors and canvas and we got to work.

Thank goodness they were not your typical office hues of brown and gold with a touch of navy blue: blah!  We were painting to match a smart rug she had purchased and a pencil holder she loved.  Did I also mention her requirement was cheery and lively??  Oops, I may have gone overboard...

Here's a sneak peek at the unfinished pieces...The one on the right will be titled "Joy" and the left one (still a ways to go) will be titled "Serenity."  And yes, they will hang in the same room...That way she can look up and balance her day by choosing whether she needs a dose of joy or a moment of serenity.  The power of art!!  And the fun of collaboration....she definitely had her hands in the yellow piece....it is so full of texture and movement that it may take days to dry fully.  I may even have turquoise in my hair today.  Worth it however, I loved the time with her.

So despite a couple of looming deadlines (art festival and holiday sale: more soon) I don't hesitate to smell the roses along the way...there are so many ways to enjoy art and art creation that rarely a day goes by that I cant find a way to further my interest and hone my abilities.

Wishing you a passion,
Cindy 

What Does Your Office Say (about you)?

Don McGee has worked for over 25 years as a Wealth Advisor at the Melbourne offices of Merrill Lynch.  He is a real ‘cracker’ and counts fishing, hiking and camping as just a few of his favorite past times; oh, and he plays a mean game of tennis as well.  Don contacted me a couple of years ago regarding a painting for his office so I thought it would be interesting to collect his thoughts on art in a place of business.

Whether one acknowledges it or not, clients are always gathering subliminal data from office décor.  Don, what does your office say about you?

Because this is where I conduct business, I hope it represents me as a serious professional but I also want folks to get some information about my personality.  I hope they conclude for instance, that my family is very important to me and that I am a true Florida boy.

What made you hang original art in your office?

The art I choose represents what I like and who I am.  I think of myself as an outdoorsman and my collection represents this.  I specifically wanted a Florida landscape of yours  - I have always lived in Florida (four different cities) and I have vacationed in every corner of the state; the landscape I selected reminds me of the sights I saw all my life, the scenes I grew up loving.

And the watercolor mangoes?

Yes, by another local artist.  It’s nostalgic also.  We had a very large mango tree in our backyard growing up.  My brothers and I build our tree fort in it and it became the gathering place for all the kids in our neighborhood.  That painting has the ability to take me to that tree fort anytime I look at it.

Have your clients ever remarked about the art in your office?

Amost every single one of them has!  It gives me the opportunity to talk more about common interests as well as to brag on the artists.

We often spend more hours a day in our offices than we do our homes, does this make you want to add more work to this environment?

Oh yes, I am always looking to make the office more comfortable and interesting so I’m definitely on the outlook for additional pieces.

Any suggestions for a professional thinking about art for his or her office?

Keep it simple; chose art that you personally like and that will give visitors a chance to get to know you better.

Anything else?

Well, when purchasing anything I find it important to support local interests, regardless of whether it is artists, craftsmen, businesses or services.  My hope is that my loyalty to local interests will come back to me in some form.  Those of us who live and work in this community need to be sensitive to supporting it.  It makes for a win-win exchange.

Thanks, Don.  Sorry I didn’t get around to asking for some financial advice…maybe another interview!  If someone wants to contact you at your Merrill Lynch office how should they?  Send me an email at Don_mcgeejr@ml.com and I’ll contact them.  (that’s an underscore between the first and last name.)