Why do I make art? What is Half the Sky?

Why does a person become an artist? It's a logical question since most artists don't earn enough from art sales to support themselves. Many of us work other jobs to pay our basic bills. Some of us teach, some of us work retail, some of us are nurses, or computer techs, or tree trimmers. We all struggle with time management and sometimes it feels as if the making of the art is always at the bottom of the to-do list.

So why bother? I can't speak for anyone other than myself, but I have to make art. It's almost like breathing. If I am not working on an art series I carry around this nagging feeling of anxiety, as if something is undone, incomplete, unfinished. When I don't have very much time - as in several hours to be in the studio - I work on small pieces, usually in colored pencil - so I can accomplish something. I turn these small pieces into thematic series so they have a unified identity. I matt and frame them so that I can also do very small shows of very small work.

I am starting a new small series now, titled, "Half the Sky". The title is from a Chinese proverb which notes that "women hold up half the sky". I have been working on this idea for several months, trying to get the imagery just right. I will post some images when they are ready for an audience.