GOT ART? Get a creative "fix" this Saturday at the 9th Annual Spring Arts Festival!www.CindyMorawski.com |
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| New Painting: Peaceful Waters by Cindy Morawski |
Thursday, February 28, 2013
9th Annual Spring Arts Festival this Saturday
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
ART NEWS from the Alamodome to my Studio
Dome Show
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| Friday Art Demo from photo of Lake Chautauqua |
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| Maria Aguirre's Pastel Paintings |
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| Mary Lopez, President of the Texas Pastel Society, Saturday's Art Demo |
Texas Pastel Society's 2013 Home and Garden Show
by Cindy Morawski
Look out for that rogue red-tailed hawk! Getting a break from my art booth at the Alamodome's 2013 Home & Garden Show, I attended Sunday's 1:00 p.m. Birds of Prey show. Well-trained falcons, buzzards, and other birds of prey starred in the show. I even fed a dollar bill to one of the birds. He gently took the money in his beak and flew over to the donation box and carefully placed it into the slot. What a good bird! However, when the trainer and his assistant brought out the red-tailed hawk, the audience was stunned when the hawk proved he had a mind of his own. The hawk flew from the trainer's arm with the sound of a high-pitched whistle. Higher and higher, the bird flew. Oops! I looked at my friend Anna. Was the hawk supposed to go that high? Looking down at us, I could almost hear the hawk snickering to himself. Fooled that guy. I'm not coming down until I get a real bird. Not that dumb fake one on a string. The assistant started to look a little flustered. The big bird flew across the stage and then landed on the metal railing in the second tier of the Alamodome's stadium seating. Ha! The hawk's head bobbed up and down. He looked from right to left. Nope. Not coming down! The trainer blew his whistle again and again. The bird flew higher. I could see a hawk re-training class in his future! That is, if he ever came down to the stage again.
I looked at my watch. Paul was taking care of my booth for me. I had to return and be a responsible artist. No more bird show for me. But, I kept wondering about that hawk. Was he the one that got away? I heard later from a customer who had also attended the show and stayed till the end, that the MIA hawk finally returned. NO treat for that guy! The assistant hurriedly placed him back in his covered cage. NO more Home & Garden Shows. More training. More fake birds flying around his head. More high-pitched and annoying whistles. So much for being the STAR of the SHOW!
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I wanted to say THANKS for my friends who came out to the Dome Show this past weekend. Thanks also to those who supported my art with purchases of cards, prints, and framed paintings.
My next art show is this Saturday, March 2nd, at the Zion Lutheran Church's Community Center's~~ Spring Arts Festival, located at 1604 and Braun Road in San Antonio. It starts at 10 and ends at 4. I'll have my new season's artwork ready to show and sell. I'm located inside~~ Booth #4. Hope you'll join me! The Youth Groups are serving breakfast and lunch. Shopping can be lots of fun when you have creative choices. There will be a variety of artwork and arts & crafts to pick from this weekend. Again, hope to see you there! Please support your local artists.
Studio: 210.522.0706
Commissioned 36x44 Painting,
Ready to be shipped to Pittsburgh, PA
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Obsessed with OWLS . . . Four Paintings and a Story
Giving a HOOT for Owls
by Cindy Morawski
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Little Burrowing Owl
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| Portrait of a White Spotted Owl |
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| Great Horned Owl |
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| Eyes Wide Open, Short-eared Owl |
Obsessed with Owls:
Four Paintings and a Story
It all started with the purchase of an owl art souvenir on a long- ago vacation. I was finally on my own after college. I had a teaching job that gave me some spending money. And, I had begun spending some of my hard-earned money on summer vacations when I wasn't teaching. Deciding that I needed souvenirs to prove that I actually saw Florida, California, Europe, and so on, I focused on one of my favorite birds, the OWL. My collection began innocently enough. But after awhile, my family and friends got in on it. "I noticed you have a whole shelf of owls. You must like them, Cindy," my Mother reminded me. Pretty soon I was getting them for birthdays and holidays from my family. After that, my friends joined in. They didn't just ask me what I wanted for Christmas. They just assumed I'd want another owl.
In my small duplex in South Carolina, where I had one of my first jobs teaching English to rural high school kids, the owl collection was seriously taking over my living space. When I moved to England five years later, I boxed up the owls and didn't even look at them again until I moved back to the states three years later. Landing in Texas, my owls flew with me to San Antonio. I thought I'd sparingly decorate with them. However, the spartan life of collecting just wasn't meant for me. I took up my owl collecting again with a renewed passion, only to acquire more boxes filled with owls in my new Texan home's attic and closets. I was beginning to have a Love/ Hate relationship with them. Obsessions can be like that!
Finally, I put an end to it. I had a serious withdrawal for awhile. I'd see an owl in a gift shop that looked so-o-o cute. Its big eyes gazing at me. Hoot! HOOT! Take me home! It was terrible!!! I'd cringe and stalk quickly out the door of the store. No looking back. I'd say to myself with a new resolve.
Well, that takes me up to the present day. I had almost forgotten about my old owl obsession until I heard an owl hooting a couple of months ago. The window was open one night to let in some cool, dry air. I had a restless night of crazy dreaming. I rolled over and sat up in bed. What was that? Hoot Hoot! I got out of bed and made my way in the dark to the window so I wouldn't wake up my husband Paul. The soft sound of an owl hooting from a tree down the street called my name. Hoot. Hoot. There was another owl calling back from further down the street. Must be mates, I thought. Standing by the bathroom window, I strained to listen again. The owl's call grew louder. It sounded like the owl was right in my backyard. I crept to the bedroom window to get a better view of the yard and deck. I heard a flutter, saw a shadow, and strained my eyes to see into the dark. Staring right back at me, a great horned owl sat calmly on the railing of our deck. Its head seemed to turn the whole way around. I love the way owls do that. We looked at each other one last time before it flapped and cruised silently out of sight.
The next day, I knew I was hooked again. But, this time, I went upstairs to my studio and started sketching. My first of four paintings started with the great horned owl. Since then, I have enjoyed photographing owls in museums, at the zoo, and a taxidermy shop. Reading up on owls has been a hoot as well. As long as I live, I know this about myself. I'll always give a hoot for owls.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Love,
Cindy
Monday, February 4, 2013
Remember the Alamo! Art Showcase at the Emily Morgan Hotel
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| Art Demo at the Emily Morgan Hotel. I started at 5 pm and painted for about an hour and a half. I also began with a presentation about my medium-- pastels. |
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| History came alive near the Alamo for the Emily Morgan's Grand Re-Opening on Jan. 31st. |
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| I used a reference photo and painted a 16x20 pastel painting for my demo. I wasn't finished with it at this point. |
Remembering THE ALAMO with a Painting Demo
by Cindy Morawski
January 31, 2013, marked an exciting event for me. I had the opportunity to do a painting demo at the Emily Morgan Hotel as part of their art showcase and grand re-opening. I started at 5:00 and wound down around 6:30 p.m. I appreciated my audience of friends, patrons, and fellow artists that night. They were attentive and asked good questions. They kept me on my toes!
South Texas History was part of the Emily Morgan's celebration. There were period costumes, firing of cannons, fireworks, live music, and great food and drinks. The hotel closed off Houston Street, giving guests room to roam. There were lots of surprises. It was a night to remember!
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