A Welcome Wagon to Myself

I draw, I paint, I sculpt, I sew, I create, I sing, I dance, I play with fire and bones. What I love most is I don't have to stick with just one thing- I can do whatever I feel like doing! (Within legalities 😎).

My favorite, aside from dancing, is working with skulls and bones.

I'm fairly new to it so I'm nowhere near what others can do but- I enjoy it and that to me is the most important thing about art. The freedom of expression, the various ways you can describe emotions and thoughts without having to use words. Sometimes you don't have to have meaning. That's the beauty of the freedom and fluidity that is art.

And what I love most, how different each individual perceives your art. Sometimes I make things just because I have an idea, not because there's meaning. But I love when someone comes along, sees one of my works, and describes how they feel and what they see. It shows me things I didn't see, it gives meaning to things I created without the thought of it.

My favorite way of painting I've found, is with a toothpick. Yes, a toothpick. It was once thought that to be an artist you must suffer greatly. What was meant by that varies person to person, to me it means my great suffering is always challenging myself. Whether it be emotionally, physically, mentality. Maybe even a little spiritually.

I created this piece soely because I wanted to see if I could actually do it. And truth be told a toothpick is a lot easier to use for tiny details then a brush, for me anyways. This piece now hangs in Everybody's Bar in Chippewa Falls, WI where it can be seen by anyone who stops in for a drink or to watch live music.

The project following is my largest so far. A simple bull skull, yes, but I intended to continue my toothpick madness.
(Can you believe some people can bead these entirely? 😵‍💫 I truly praise your patience and steady hands.)

For the first 5 hours I hated my choice. It wasn't really coming together like I wanted. It was taking so long to get absolutely nowhere I wanted to be.
But here comes the beauty of myself that I never give credit to.

Trust the process and keep going. Make it work. Art is fluid. You can make it work to what you want it to be.

So I'm going to continue- as this is my project in progress currently. And like I said, I do not just do this.

And I do not just do art.

I love life and live it with not only my fiance and son (whom I will not post out of privacy) but many furred friends. When art gets me frustrated I turn my attention, I find great comfort in them and appreciate that I get to share their lives and these memories with mine. I also love music and so much more.

So, that's that. That's a quick run down of Phantom. I suppose I rambled a bit, got off track- maybe even had no point other then to say I exist, I'm here, this is what I do. I hope it interested some of you and you follow along to watch my insanity unfold.

Sjáumst!