I love synchronicity. You know: when, for instance, one day you regretfully open your last jar of homemade rhubarb chutney, and the very next day somebody gifts you with a big bag of fresh homegrown rhubarb.
Synchronicity feels powerful. You know it when you see it.
It’s a nod from the heavens that you are swimming with the river instead of against it. And it seems like the more you watch for synchronicity, the more it happens.
So three days ago I completed a new painting, “And Bring Home Tulips,” created entirely with Coloursoft pencils. I test drove these pencils at a workshop last summer and loved their soft, smooth texture, so I recently popped for my own set. They arrived and, like a kid at Christmas with a new toy, I decided to create a piece using just these pencils. And I really like how it turned out.
Now here’s where it gets good: in my inbox this morning, a completely random notice shows up about an annual art competition in England: the Derwent Art Prize. It sounds like a high-end show. And guess who makes Coloursoft pencils? Yep, Derwent.
Of course I plopped down my £10 and entered. And if “Tulips” makes the cut, then it will be shipped off to England to be in the show and have a chance at some prizes.
Synchronicity says, “No worries on that count, kid. This is why I alerted you.” Accepted pieces announced in June. Fingers crossed!
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I’m just busting at the seams to tell you: this piece, Rustic Blues, was selected for inclusion in The Pencil Box section of the February 2016 issue of Color magazine. This is the premier magazine for colored pencil artists, and I am massively honored — pinching self! — to have “Rustic Blues” included. Next stop, the centerfold! <titter>
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