PineShoreStudio/Paintings by Helen Harris

I just spent most of today setting up my Squidoo lens. A what? I invite you to check it out http://www.squidoo.com/squidoo . I am learning to navigate all its features and there is a learning curve. You might want to revisit my site to check out the changes I make to this mini web site. My direct link to the actual lens is http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/HelenHarris . It's amazing how much is available for free on the internet. The need to learn how to market my paintings on line has sent me in search of many art marketing sites, such as www.ArtBizCoach.com Alyson Stanfield's efforts to get out the word on the importance of blogging had enough impact to spur me on to launch my blog. I highly recommend her new book and site of the same name www.IdRatherBeintheStudio.com A special thanks goes out to Marsha Robinett http://www.marsharobinett.com/ . I was visiting her blog http://theextraordinarypencil.blogspot.com/ and was introduced to Squidoo. You just never know the impact...

A suggestion from my art rep has opened up a new subject for my work. Florals have never been an interesting subject matter for me. It does not have the wide expanse of landscape. It lacked the variety of textures that I love. That was the "story"that I have told myself for so long. Now, after a week of playing, not with a particular flower form but rather the idea of a floral compostion, I think I have found an enjoyable image. I've painted a number of variations of a similar composition and I'm still interested and not bored. A playful splash of color, a textured pot and an exhuberant spray of greens has actually proved productive! Working in a small format has now expanded to a fuller size with great expectations. This couldn't have come at a better time .Spring is just around the corner and I'll have plenty of inspiration to look forward to from my gardens.