Monday, October 22, 2007

On The Drawing Board: Cold weather

I had thought about doing a tropical Christmas theme, but I really wanted to do a snuggly winter piece. However it's been very hard to put myself in that frame of mind since we have been having temps in the 70's for a few weeks and today it's supposed to be near 80, about 20 degrees warmer than where we should be at this time of year in Massachusetts. For a change I have been looking forward to the cooler weather and except for a day here and there it's been unseasonable warm.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Michael,

Worm and wonderful.
How about a special bottle of red Christmas wine and two glasses half full, all on the window sill.
I can feel the wormth !

Dick

Anonymous said...

Whether with the Carribean color or the idea you started above I think you will probably do better with one similar to the winter scene (above). It might be welcome because we have had so much warm weather and when I spent my Christmas Holiday in Lauderdale the spirit wasn't quite there. So as much as I love those Carribean/Mediteranean colors I have to admit the card above brought some Chrismas spirit to me for he first time. Also sales will be much better, if you end up doing the traditional wintry setting. Just my opinion but that is a beautiful and festive piece above. I liked the fact the one which showed one guy reading to the other in the other sketch you showed, as I love I when I am dating someone and we read to each other. It is romantic and shows that even us gay guys do sweet things with each other, it's not just sex and leather and drugs. Great work and you must work so many hours a day! I hope you get a great vacation at least once a year... with your output you need it! I would skip the wine but that is only because I think there is too much alcohol involved in the holidays but that is a personal issue and rather unfair for me to say but the book and having hands on other body ares is a nice thing. Gee, the holiday spirit that was injected in me just then brought the romanatic out in me. Go for it, whatever you create will be yours and I would love to send cards like that also to family. Enjoy the weather, it was cold this morning by the lake here so I lit the wood stove... now I have the ceiling fans spinning, it got warm so fast!
Keep up the great output!

Art of Breyette said...

Hi Ron,

The wintry scene like you said might sell better, but I never know and I no longer try to guess what makes one work more popular than another. I also never approach a piece with 'sales' in mind. It's difficult since my artwork is my income but I strive to keep my artwork separate from my business and just draw what I want and worry about selling and marketing it afterwards.

As far as vacations go, Edward and I along with our friend Jenny are going to Ireland soon. We leave on my birthday November 4th. It was Jenny's trip originally and she said we were invited to come along. Edward and I had airfare vouchers from giving up our seats on a previous flight so the flight is free. I've been stashing away a little money for the past 8 months to cover the rest of my share of the trip. I am really looking forward to it! I am curious to see what inspirations I come home with.

Anonymous said...

Good work ethic, but also what is appealing to the eye is usually what will sell! That is great that you put your passion into the creation and not the return.
So fellow Scorpio, November 5th here, you will love Ireland. If for nothing else for the color that you see and don't expect. Hundreds of acres of field with sheep and really green grass and then this cottage with a thatched roof painted a vibrant blue, pink, yellow, every color but nothing garish. They say they paint the houses like this because it is gray so many days of overcast skies that it cheers them up. Another thing is there are no restaurants, per se, all are pubs and they serve the meals in the pubs. The people are so friendly, diverse and I must admit very attractive young set. Especially in the cities, Dublin is so Cosmopolitan. They have a ferry from the west coast of England that comes to Dublin often and people come to spend weekends to have fun in Dublin. Most of the streets are blocked off from traffic and they are so friendly. Gay clubs and no prejudice (in the bigger cities) but the cities of Dublin on the East coast, Londonderry in the center and Belfast in Northern Ireland are really beautiful. Museums, art galleries, I never imagined much more than red haired, freckled folks herding sheep through green fields. There is lots of that but the Cliffs of Moher in the North are comporable to the cliffs of Dover. You can go right up to the edge and look over and they are several hundred feet over the ocean. The castles are amazing, some are still in good shape, like Blarney Castle where you must kiss the stone, and beautiful architecture in the churches which are everywhere, especially in the Republic or Ireland. When I went 5 years ago we had to change currency from the Euro to the British Pound and I think that might still be the same. The diffeence is the US dollar when I went was worth 1.50 in the Republic and I can't remember in the North. Now the US dollar is weak compared to the Euro. Either way it is worth it. I left there swearing I could buy a country cottage one day if I struck it rich. We went in August and out of 10 days had one day where there was a "bit of the mist" as they call drizzle. The other must is "Top of the morning to you" and you reply "and may the rest of the day be yours." Hard to believe we have been a country for a couple of centuries and their history goes back to Kings and Queens. Victoria was a terror in Northern Ireland and it is amazing to see the walls and barbed wire still stand separating the north and south and the now abandoned border crossings. There are security camera all over the north but it is so beautiful it is just past history. So check out all you can, the Botanical Gardens in Belfast is beautiful and the flora that grows on the south west coast is amazing, palm trees, bouganvilla, all kinds of tropical plants because of the warm air jet stream that comes up the Atlanatic. The east coast (Dublin) is cooler as they have the Irish Sea there. The food was average unless you went to a hotel that was specifically for tourists and they tried to mimic gourmet cuisine. A must do is the Ring of Kerry, a peninsula you drive around and the road is right on the coast with beautiful views. It is one of my favorite vacation spots, although I do like Jamaica and Copenhagen and Amsterdam. Bring a camera with a large memory card as I ended up taking over 600 pictures. Even had a policeman (Garda) stand for me for a shot as he was so hot in his uniform. Enjoy, I think I just wrote you a guide book.

Art of Breyette said...

Hey Ron,

Thanks for the info. We are sticking to the Irish Republic, landing in Dublin then after a couple days we are driving to the east coast and the Cliffs of Moher stopping in the south at Cork for a few days along the way.
Being November we'll probably have a few more days of mist. We are doing the Ring of Kerry and the Ring of Berra. We're staying in a manor house in Lahinch near the cliffs. Looking forward to the food, countryside, and beer!

Anonymous said...

Yeah, the Guiness was a tonic that made the trip even more enjoyable. You have a lot of beauty ahead of you, even with the mist it is nice and usually mild. Watch out for the haywagons on the road, those country roads are like narrow paths! Your accomodations sound nice, there are some gorgeous estate type places and this sounds like one. Enjoy the handsome Irishmen!!