Maddie of M.A.designs has brought her artwork and clothing for a three week trunk show.Maddie has escaped the cold weather of Harwich Port, Massachusetts and is taking a vacation with her family here on the island. While she is in town, her heartfilled artwork will be in the gallery for you to purchase. She and I will be painting together on the days listed below. Come in the studio and meet her and get some of her wonderful cards, paintings and clothing. Hugs, Maggie PS to stay up to date and see more pics of what's happening in the studio, go over to my Facebook page and give it a like. I'll be posting pics of Maddie's paintings there. :)) Maggie Ruley Island Inspirations
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Fleming Street is the prime dog walking corridor in old town. It's so busy I think people must come from other neighborhoods to walk it.My lovely big studio windows look directly out onto it. I keep a bowl filled with water, so the dogs will stop and I can look at them. I see a constant parade of dogs go by. I know most of their names, the owners are simply known as Harley's Mom or Daschel's Dad. Now that we've reached the dog days of summer, I thought I should explore the following question with paint, canvas and brush. What do dogs do during the dog days of summer?Sirius, the dog star is in the summer sky and the days are long and hot. Here's how the real dogs are handling it. They play fetch with manatees. They sit in the grass with their toys, too hot to play. They sit inside on their owner's favorite chair, when the owner isn't home. They pose for their adoption photos.Dahlia brought her baby to her photo shoot, no way she's going to a new home without her.  Sweet Candy, a little Jack Russel mix, uses her "big eyes" pose to get attention.  Scruffy says, "Thank you for the rescue!""  I'd be glad to paint a portrait of your dog. Your furry friend deserves to be immortalized. I take great care to make sure their amazing personality shows up on the canvas so you can treasure it for years.
Here's how it works. I work from photos you provide. Email and text make that easy. I show you progress photos of your painting along the way to make sure you are happy with it. You have many sizes to choose from. Smaller sizes show head and shoulders only. To get your dog portrait started email me; maggie.ruleykw@yahoo.com Pricing: as of 8/28/19, prices subject to change small sizes Small sizes are of head and shoulders only. Smaller sizes are usually ready in 3 weeks 10 x 8" - $295.00 11 x 14" - $395.00 12 x 12" - $395.00 large sizes Larger sizes can be head and shoulders or full body. Added special components and/or multiple dogs or combining two or more photos or adding fantasy items and late stage changes will result in additional charges. Larger sizes are usually ready in 4 weeks. 16 x 20" - $795.00 20 x 24" - $1000.00 22 x 28" - $1350.00 24 x 30 - $1600.00 True Story
True fact: It's an amazing feeling when I'm paid for doing something I love, but luck's got nothing to do with it. Can anyone relate?
It's always rubbed me the wrong way when visitors to my studio tell me how "lucky" I am to be a working artist. I know that they mean it as a form of praise, but still............ It negates the dedication and the hours I've spent getting better at painting and the investment I've made to get better at connecting with people like them, who will benefit from having my paintings in their home. So one day when someone used the "L" word as they left the studio, I told them that I had worked "really hard" to get lucky. And oh man, I could instantly tell that I had hurt their feelings, and then I felt like a creep. And the truth is, I haven't worked "REALLY HARD" (that was me being a drama queen). What got me "lucky" isn't hard work, it's my fairly consistent action towards a desired result. I wanted to get better at painting, so I invested in courses, workshops, supplies and studio time to make that happen. And it wasn't hard at all, it was (and is) fun. I wanted painting to be my job, so I invested gobs of money, (worth every penny) in marketing courses and coaching to make that happen. And it wasn't hard at all, in fact it's been great to learn how much fun it is to connect with people who are potential customers. And how to treat everyone like a collector. The bad news is, because I was thoughtless, I've never seen that potential customer in my studio again, Good news is, I learned a lesson, and using what I learned in my marketing courses, :)) I came up with a response that acknowledges the good intentions of the customer, as well as, my journey to become a full time artist.
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| Self doubt is always creeping in and the fear that it's already been done (and done better) is a biggie and probably in the top ten. Maybe even #2 or 3. The artists here don't care that the flag has been painted a zillion times (take that, Jasper Johns!), they decided to do their own version in one of my classes. Congrats to them all! Our approach to the "its-already-been-done" hurdle, was, "so okay, let's do it differently". We decided to activate our flags, no straight edges, no perfect rows of stars, and to move beyond the red, white and blue color scheme. It was a fun class. Thanks to everyone who painted. hugs, Maggie |  |
Old Glory, Long in Peace may she wave
I did, for years and years. It was my coming of age town. #backintheday
And interestingly enough, I never painted a horse. (a staple in western paintings). Always wanted to, just never got around to it. Note: "just never got around to it" means "to scared to try" in artist speak.
Fast forward to now and I decided to suck it up and paint a horse. I had so much fun, I decided to paint another. My Tucson roots are showing in the rodeo themed painting. There was a great bar, called The Buckskin that had steer wrestling out back every Sunday and a great wooden dance floor. #cowboyslovetodance #goodtimesforsure
I think there are more horses in my painting future. (even if they don't fit the tropical profile)
And interestingly enough, I never painted a horse. (a staple in western paintings). Always wanted to, just never got around to it. Note: "just never got around to it" means "to scared to try" in artist speak.
Fast forward to now and I decided to suck it up and paint a horse. I had so much fun, I decided to paint another. My Tucson roots are showing in the rodeo themed painting. There was a great bar, called The Buckskin that had steer wrestling out back every Sunday and a great wooden dance floor. #cowboyslovetodance #goodtimesforsure
I think there are more horses in my painting future. (even if they don't fit the tropical profile)
| The young colt is named "Fireball" The saddle bronc and rider is titled "Hangin' tough" Both of these paintings are part of my Summer Sale Take a look now because the sale ends July 7, 2019 |  |  |
My show, Cottage Industry open February 7, 2019
The Studios of Key West
533 Eaton Street
Key West, Florida, 33040
Opening Reception
Thursday, Feb. 7, 6-8pm
on view Feb. 7-28, 2019
Blurb:
The history of Key West's charming cottages, historic homes, and island architecture is examined ad reimagined in this exhibition. Ruley's revisionist approach to painting our historic jewels blends the before and after with color and whimsy.
533 Eaton Street
Key West, Florida, 33040
Opening Reception
Thursday, Feb. 7, 6-8pm
on view Feb. 7-28, 2019
Blurb:
The history of Key West's charming cottages, historic homes, and island architecture is examined ad reimagined in this exhibition. Ruley's revisionist approach to painting our historic jewels blends the before and after with color and whimsy.
Show installation in the Zabar Project Gallery
To see the entire show online, CLICK HERE
All for now,
Hugs
Maggie
Hugs
Maggie