Everything Works Out/Has a Cost

"Everything Works Out/Has a Cost"
Pen & Colored Pencil on Paper, 11" x 14"
by KK Remus (c) 2020

IT'S TRUE!  Everything works out, and everything has a cost.  These two truths hit me hard within this last year, but they changed me for the better.

The drawing above illustrates, if you will pardon the pun, that everything does indeed work out.  I began with no concept of how the finished product would look.  All I knew was that I wanted to build a composition around the two phrases, arranged in "crossword puzzle" fashion, with one shared letter between them.  I chose "R" as the common letter, but I could have chosen "S." That would have would have led to a completely different drawing, but it would have worked out!

I could give many more examples--gut-wrenching, heart-breaking, grief-inducing, potentially life-threatening examples--of how everything worked out this year, but I want to keep this short and focus on the drawing.  So, let's move on to the "cost" part of the equation...

The only real "cost" of making this peice was time. I already had the materials. I spent two to three hours per day over 4 days.  Maximum time: 12 hours. Each hour filled me with joy and freed me from distress.  

Furthermore, this time expenditure did not prevent me from doing anything "more important."  This was exactly what I needed to be doing.  If I got tired, or didn't know what to do next, I put the sketch book away, knowing that the next time I picked it up, I would know what to do. Faith and the love of art guided me.  

The benefits far outweighed any cost. The final drawing makes me happy.  I hope it makes you happy too!

 

Twelve Paintings in One

"Twelve Paintings" by Karen Kay Remus (c) 2018
5.5" x 7.5," Gouache on Paper

Here's my most recent painting, alternatively titled, "Twelve Dimensional Tic Tac Toe for Extra-terrestrials."

Last week, while working my (non-art-related) day job, I showed a client some of my artwork.  She said--and I've heard this at least a hundred times in my life--"If you can do that, why are you doing this?"

I answered, "Because the ability to create art does not directly translate to a lucrative career." This is the fundamental question and answer of my life.  

By the way, if you're just tuning into this blog, do not be fooled by the title.  I freely admit that I am just a pretend "genius-billionaire."  I chose the title simply because it was an outrageous claim that I found humorous.  I also chose it long before we had a POTUS who claimed to be both of those things.  

OIY!  This current POTUS is driving me and most of my fellow Americans INSANE.  He is anything but a genius, and I seriously doubt he's a billionaire.  Currently, I paint to escape the pain of living in this bizarro sociopolitical climate.

I have been paid for my creative work, but not enough to live on.  If you'd like to see some of my other artwork, please visit:  www.karenkayremus.weebly.com

Thank you!

Biggest Painting Ever!

"Big Blank Space," 5,280' x 5,280,' Oil on Canvas
By Karen Kay Remus Copyright 2013

How do you like my new painting?  It's 5,280 feet by 5,280 feet.  I was trying to get away from working small, and I believe I have succeeded.  Now I'm trying to find a buyer with enough money and space to really set it off. It would look great on a wall that was, say, 10,560 ft x 10,560 ft.  But you know what they say:  space is time, time is money, and money is space and time. They are idiots.

By the way, the universe is enormous, and it is expanding.  How do I know this?  1)  I recently took a cosmology course, and 2) I use a large chunk of  the universe as my art studio.  Heck of a tax write-off!!

Now accepting bids for "Big Blank Space."  Pay Pal happily accepted.

WHAT IS IT???

Painting by Karen K. Remus
Copyright 2013
Photo by Tom Ganzevoort

What is it?  You tell me.  You're the one with all the answers--you tell me!