“What’s so great about easy?”

I have only really been in the "fine art world" for about 4 years now, you know the world of making a living and working full time as an artist. So far it has been a rollercoaster ride of adventure and discovery! The one major thing that I have discovered are all the great people in the art world. Over the past three years I have met some of the best wildlife artists in the world and I now call them my friends! Now with all these social media networks we all keep in touch almost on a daily basis, either talking about random things in the world to asking some advice on a current piece of art. I went kicking and screaming into Facebook but as many of you probably know by now, I communicate through Facebook almost every day. Back in April fellow artist Morten Solberg posted a "status update" referring to a statement that one of his children made about being an artist, the conversation stream was very meaningful. One of the comments was from my friend and fantastic artist Lyn StClair, She is one of the greatest people I have met on this journey. Below is Mort's "staus update" from April 16, 2010 and then Lyn's comment…

"Moutain Monarch" by Morten Solberg

Mort's status update…

"My children have often said to me "How lucky I am to have known from the beginning of time (that's how old they think I am) what I wanted to do." It must be very frustrating to not know."

"Coyote" by Lyn StClair

Lyn's response...

"If you ask my Mom, I knew I was an artist from the moment I could hold a crayon. There were no thoughts of becoming a firefighter or ballerina or anything else. I went "pro" at 11 doing portraits from life of horses and dogs (starting at a whopping $2, lol) The only shift was that I thought I wanted to be an illustrator like my Dad. A job as an illustrator when I was 18 changed that...I realized quickly that I didn't want to be told what to draw. At 19 I dove into the world of self employment as an artist and have never looked back. My art alone has supported me since I was a teen...I owe that to a combination of good fortune, boundless determination, a workaholic nature and an undying commitment to following my heart (and art) wherever it leads.

I have always said: being an artist has sometimes been a better life than it was a living...but it is a GREAT life. It is not...and never has been...an easy career. Then again, what's so great about "easy"? I far prefer challenge, exploration and dancing along the edge of the unknown.

If there were anything that would make me consider the idea of reincarnation...it is those people who have a passion for something from their earliest years. Are those the people who discovered their passion late in life last time around and are making up for it in this life, lol?... See More


Whether we knew we were artists from the beginning of time… or discovered it along the way after a detour or two… we are truly fortunate to have found this passion, PERIOD!"


I thought Lyn's words where very insightful and wanted to share them with you.


Continuing this rollercoaster ride, back in February 2010 in Tulsa, Oklahoma attending the Natureworks Art show & sale I had the foresight to bring along my video camera and was fortunate enough to capture some footage of friend and sculptor Paul Rhymer working on a piece in his hotel room along with commentary from Lyn StClair, Melanie Fain and Julie Bender. It's just a simple video capturing some creative people working (having fun) along with some quality time spent with Lyn's dog Newt!

Time with Friends at Natureworks 2010

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