Next PSST Meeting September 10, 9:00 am, 1414 Wirt Road, Houston

As we head back into meetings after our summer break, here's an uplifting and timely blog post by Rich Nelson on being part of an art group and the value of working from life. "One of my favorite things is having an artist’s group which meets regularly. While most of us spend a lot of time alone creating art, nearly everyone is a social creature too. We naturally benefit from being around others." Read the rest of Let's Work Together.

And a how-to from Marla Baggetta on how to make your own pastel tray for home.

This short post is written from the heart, so talk along with me.

Have you entered a painting in our exhibition? No? I wonder why. The show is national and juried this year, but PSST is not well known. We may have a shortage of entries, so your chances of getting in are great.

"But if I get in, framing is expensive." Yes, that's the business side of your art career, isn't it?
"OK, but maybe my work is not so good and I will be embarrassed." No, just having your work hanging in a gallery setting is a huge morale boost. And when you put your best skills to work in creating art, there is no embarrassment; only a glow that says,"I did it."

What's the flip side: You don't get accepted. I have had 4 major rejections in the last 2 months; I know the feeling. It IS hard to accept, hard to smile when someone says you'll make it next time. My desire for a top acceptance is keen, but those rejections serve a purpose: they push me, they send me back to the easel. What can I do better? Where are the flaws? Which part is good? 

All of this to say, unless you consider your painting a hobby, treat it like a business, with goals. That first goal should be to finish one up, photograph it, and get it entered in a show, starting with Art of the Pastel. You have 2 days until the deadline.

This purely personal post written by Carolyn Hancock and may or may not be the view of PSST!