Theresa Otteson

A Bit of Reflection

6/26/2021 2:33:38 PM
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Painting of colorful marbles

Sometimes I Lose My Marbles, Oil

The other day I was asked a question along the lines of, what good or important thing has come out of Covid for you. I didn't even hesitate with my answer. I have had to get out of my comfort zone and change how I approach my business by learning how to use technology. Any of you who know me, know that occasionally my computer makes me cry so this is a big deal. It's not that I'm incapable or incompetent, it's just that technology can stress me out.

This past year, I was asked by the University of Utah Lifelong Learning Department to teach color theory classes for them. I was very excited and happy to have this new opportunity. I love teaching. Then Covid. My class got cancelled then I it got rescheduled... online. First, I had a melt down then I pulled myself up, modified my class to fit an online format and learned how Zoom works. I've taught for the University twice this year. There were a few technology hiccups but I everything went well and I'll be teaching color theory again next year.

I asked my students how they felt about learning online since I felt that they did not have the benefit of one-on-one learning that the classroom can provide. Good news for me. They liked being able to sit in the comfort of their home. They were happy with the class and felt what they learned was beneficial and improved their artwork.

So now I'm learning how to teach online in other formats. I ordered a switch box so that I can use multiple cameras and connect them to my computer for live streaming on Facebook Live and YouTube. It should arrive this week. Once I learn how to use the streaming software and how to edit, I will able to offer more online classes in formats that will enhance online learning. There may be some more crying as I learn how to do everything but I'm excited to be able to have new ways to share and teach my passion with others.

Two things now:

First, I am curious as to how Covid helped you grow this year. I think there are some surprising and interesting answers to that question and I'd like to know your answer.

Second, I would appreciate the opportunity to benefit from anyone who has experienced online classes whether as a teacher or student (I'm also happy to return the favor). What did you like or dislike? Any tips or tricks you can pass along? Anything I should avoid or beware of?

If you are willing to share your answers to either or both of these questions, please leave your comments below.

Thanks,

Theresa Otteson

6/26/2021 2:32:59 PM
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Sunshine Makes Me Happy, Oil

I sold several paintings recently and I got to thinking about my wonderful collectors, the people who have made purchases of my work. Especially the people I was fortunate enough to be able to meet and learn why they made the purchases. One that came to mind had a big impact on me. A few years ago, a woman bought one of my sunflower paintings. The gallery owner told me that when the woman first saw it in the gallery, she cried. She left and came back with her family and they all made the decision together to purchase it. It was their first purchase of an original painting. My first reaction was utter surprise that something I created had that kind of impact on someone. Then the owner went on to explain that this woman's mother had passed away and that this woman had fond memories of going out in fields to pick sunflowers with her and they would take them home, put them in a pot, and place them on the kitchen table. I later got to meet this lovely lady in her home and visit with her and she told me how much that memory meant to her. That story brought tears to my eyes and made me feel such joy at the thought that something I created could mean so much to someone.

I have heard other stories from other people about paintings that speak to them, not necessarily my paintings. I got thinking about paintings I have purchased or just viewed and what kind of impact they have on me. I can't think of any that have evoked such a powerful feeling that I cried. What I can say is how amazing it is that someone can take something simple such as pigment, brushes, and a surface and create something beautiful, thought provoking, or just plain interesting. That feeling of amazement and appreciation for the artists gift, along with the enjoyment I feel when looking at art, are what make me hang paintings in my home and visit museums as much as possible.

Art is more than something pretty to go with your home décor. Art makes our life richer. It is memories. It is a one of a kind creation that comes from the mind and heart of the artist. It evokes emotion. It surrounds us with beauty.

6/26/2021 2:32:14 PM
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Sisyphus was the king of Ephyra. He was punished by the ancient God's for for his arrogance and deceitfulness. As his punishment, everyday he had to push a boulder up a hill only to have it roll back down at the end of the day. This was his task for eternity. So a reference to a Sisyphean task is one that is laborious and futile.

As a young mother I sometimes felt I led a Sisyphean life. Every morning I got up, cleaned house, made meals, and chased children telling them, "no, don't touch that," "please don't stick your hand under the door when I'm in the bathroom," and "food doesn't go on the sofa." Don't get me wrong, I was and still am a mamma bear. I love my children fiercely and have never regretted being a mother. I just got tired of well, being tired. Every night, I would go to bed and think about how I had to get up in the morning and do the same thing all over again and I wondered if it would ever end. Thankfully life changes.

Lately I've felt like I'm leading a Sisyphean life again. I go to bed at night thinking about how the world feels like a place where traits such as empathy, kindness, and thoughtfulness are eroding and I have to get up in the morning and deal with it all over again. It's wearing and there have been a few times where I didn't know if I could get up and function for the day. But then I talk to a friend who has positive words to say. I read the paper and hear stories on the radio about people who are trying to do their part to make the world a better place. People who are kind and thoughtful. Then I remember that I have the ability to make the world a better place by being kind and thoughtful as well. Then I remember that I don't lead a Sisyphean life.

6/26/2021 2:31:45 PM
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Last Saturday was a day of firsts for me. I taught an art class (Color Theory) for the first time for the University of Utah's Lifelong Learning Department and because of Covid 19, I taught for the first time online. It was a rewarding experience that I get to repeat in the fall.

New experiences can be stressful and rewarding. Those new experiences are important because through them we stretch ourselves, learn, and then realize we are okay at the end of the day. I learned how to use Zoom. I stressed and about had a breakdown over how to set up my studio and do demonstrations. I worried about my students being able to hear me well, especially when I turned away from my computer to do the demos. As usual, sometimes much to my annoyance, most of my problem solving occurred in the middle of the night, Through it all, I had the support of my wonderful husband who got on his computer multiple times and played student on Zoom while I figured it all out.

I love teaching art. All the preparation and stress is worth the satisfaction I gain when I hear my students say that something clicked and made sense, that they want to start a new painting, that they feel a new sense of confidence. I love when they stay in contact with me and send me pictures of paintings they did on their own. All these things bring me joy and let me know I'm doing what I'm meant to do.

The University will still be holding classes online in the fall so I'll be teaching from my studio again. While I prefer teaching in person, I feel excited about being able to teach my passion again.

6/26/2021 2:30:56 PM
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I'm not writing about visual art this time. Instead I'm writing about culinary art and art of family. My cousin posted a picture on Instagram of sourdough pancakes she made from my grandparents recipe. When I saw it my first thought was "I loved those pancakes!" I didn't think about them again until last night when I couldn't sleep. I usually do my best, or worst thinking during the middle of the night depending on what's on my mind at the time. I started thinking about how good those pancakes were and how I don't think I've ever tasted better ones. They were really good but I think the memory of those pancakes are flavored with memories of my grandparents. That's what makes them so exceptional. I remember the large jar of dough sitting in the back of their fridge and grandpa adding new ingredients to it after using some. My grandpa belonged to the Lions club and during the Art City Days Celebration in Springville, Utah, he would make pancakes at the Lion's booth at the park. They tasted best there. I don't remember my grandma cooking much. I asked grandpa once when I was young why grandma didn't cook much. He told me it was because she wasn't a good cook. He looked serious when he said it. After that I wasn't so sure I wanted to eat grandma's food. Thinking about it now I don't know if he was joking or he really meant it.

As I laid in the dark, my mind kept wandering over memories of my grandparents. Most are about grandpa. Some are very vivid. Others are ghost like. Hard to hold onto. One of the most vivid is about the times grandpa irrigated his yard. He had a large yard and as he pulled the doorway in the canal that allowed the water to flood his lawn, my brother and sisters, my cousins and I would run through the water laughing and trying to scare each other by saying we saw snakes. I still see the arcs of water spraying out from behind our feet and how the drops of water sparkled like magic diamonds.

Another vivd memory is my grandpa working in his lapidary shop behind his house. At that time Bolo Ties were in style and he would make them and other jewelry. I was always amazed when he would cut open a stone and I could see the ugly outside shell and the beautiful colors and patterns that were hiding inside it.

I remember grandpa rescuing me after I tried to climb over the white picket fence in his backyard. My pant cuff caught on the pointed top of a picket and I hung upside down calling for help for what seemed an eternity before he found me.

I have many more memories. In fact when I looked at my clock while I lay in my bed, I realized that what had started as a thought of sourdough pancakes had turned into an hours worth of enjoyment as I remembered my grandparents. These memories are what I meant when I wrote the phrase the art of family. I hope you and your family are creating your own art at this time. And I hope that some time when you are laying awake in the middle of the night you get an hours worth of enjoyment out of those memories.

6/26/2021 2:30:26 PM
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A Flash From the Past

A Flash From the Past, Oil

Love and hate are two sides of the same coin. I have a love hate relationship with my computer. Sometimes it's a technological miracle and other times it just makes me cry.....literally. At the end of 2009 I got a job at a gallery. A big part of my job needed to be done on the computer and my computer skills were nearly nil. I think I got the job anyway because I had another skill set that was needed. For the three weeks before I started, I spent hours almost everyday learning how to do the things I needed to do. By the time I started my job I was considered the office computer expert. If the printer or someone else's computer was glitchy I had the mojo. I think one of the most valuable things I had learned during that three weeks was the first thing to try when having a problem is to turn things off then back on. I think it worked 99% of the time. I kept my mojo by not telling everyone the reboot trick for awhile.

Fast forward to January 1, 2020. I was putting together a handout for a workshop I was to teach. I needed several pie charts divided into twelve sections to use as color charts. I went to Word and easily made my pie. I divided my document into two columns, added a pie chart then copied and pasted the seven more. I thought I would have it done in a matter of minutes. Wrong. My charts were different sizes no matter how many times I copied and pasted the same chart. On top of that they would not line up. My husband came in and suggested I add a new page, create a chart, then copy and paste my pies. That way they should all line up. I tried to create a chart but as I pulled the lines across the page they would disappear about half way across. I was determined not to let those pies get the better of me so I kept trying to make it work. Two hours into this handout I found an image of a pie chart like I needed online and put it into InDesign. It took about five minutes. As I went to the printer to get my handout I realized that operator error was my enemy. That table I tried to create kept disappearing because I forgot to turn the columns off in Word so the lines ended where the column ended.

So again I repeat. I have a love hate relationship with my computer.

6/26/2021 2:29:53 PM
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I recently read a blog by Clint Watson called "Dance At The Edge Of Incompetence." It was a timely blog for me. I had just gotten back from an artist retreat where we did plein air painting. I'm not a plein air painter, I'm a studio painter. I paint in layers and I'm slow. Plein air painting is a different animal, it's done on location, is done mostly in one layer and it's painted quickly. All opposites of what I do. I enjoy going outside and painting with my friends, at least when the weather is good but the quality of those paintings leave much room for improvement. Mostly that's okay with me. I'm there for the enjoyment factor and I know that time and practice will make me better. This time though I felt agitated about my painting. When it was done, I looked at it and knew I could have done better. I was agitated days later.

That's when I read the blog. In it he described how he played racquet ball at a local community center. The players were in divisions labeled A, B, C, and D. The players could climb up the division by winning games against those in a higher division. He was a D player. He moved up slightly but not much. He asked the A1 player to play with him unofficially and over time he got much better. He then noticed that those who played the players close to them in ranking didn't really progress, they just kept changing places. So the point of the blog was that by continuing to stretch and challenge ourselves and "dance on the edge of incompetence," we improve.

That blog reminded me to take the advice I give my students. There is a learning curve to everything. Learn and push yourselves and over time you will get better. So (when the weather is nice) I will continue to paint with plein air painters who are better than me and I will learn from them. I will take workshops and over time I will improve. I'll just be a bit incompetent for awhile.

By the way, the image above is one of my successes and I painted it in three hours.

6/26/2021 2:29:20 PM
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At the beginning of each year many of us set goals and then as time goes on our good intentions fade away. For a few years, I quit making goals because I knew that was the annual scenario. This year I want my business to grow so I gathered up my wishes, desires, and good intentions and got busy. I knew if I was going to be successful, I needed to find a way to organize my goals. I looked at business planners for artists and finally found one that looked like a good fit for me, The Makers Yearbook. I had to order it from England. My planner is an import.

In the front of the planner, I started out by writing down how I want my career to look in the future. Putting words to my dreams and looking at them in black and white was surprisingly empowering. I looked at each of the accomplishments I wanted to achieve and I wrote out each one as separate goal, So far so good. Then came the feeling of doom. So much to do and I didn't know how to make some of it happen. I almost put the planner on a shelf but as I looked at the book in front of me I decided I couldn't let an import go to waste. Strange motivation but it worked.

I have spent a lot time breaking down each goal into small steps and identifying obstacles that could get in the way, including a simple lack of knowledge on my part. I also identified wishes that won't happen because circumstances just won't allow it. So I took a step sideways and kept going. Now, at the beginning of each month, I decide which goal gets the most focus and I break it down into doable parts. Each night, I write down three things I will work on the next day.

Problem. Good intentions need action. Sometimes for some reason or another that action doesn't happen. A few weeks into my new process I missed several days of progress on my three daily tasks. I was frustrated. I saw my progress stalling and falling. There were some stressful things happening in my life and discouragement crept in. One morning I read a short article that pointed out that accomplishing goals is a skill and that skill has to be learned and practiced. That was a revelation to me. It made me realize that a setback is not a failure and so I kept going. Now, when I don't get my three tasks done I forgive myself, move them to another day and keep working.

I don't know what this year will bring. I don't know if I will accomplish all of my goals but I am already seeing the fruits of my labor. Good things are happening. I feel good about myself and what I am doing. Now when I look at the future I tell it to get ready because I am empowered, I have a plan, and I know how to use it.

6/26/2021 2:28:52 PM
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Trier, Oil, 26 x 30

Trier, Oil

I like to listen to NPR (National Public Radio) as I'm running errands. I enjoy the news, reviews, and interviews. I feel like they give me a window into the world I don't get otherwise. Recently, a TED talk came on, "How Art Changes Us." It was originally broadcast on 11 November, 2017. I was only able to listen to the first 10 minutes but I found it so interesting, when I got home I listened to it on my computer.

The premise behind the show is that art evokes emotion, starts conversations, helps us understand history, and helps start debates about our past, present, and future. Five artists were interviewed. Each uses their talents to change peoples perceptions of themselves and their communities. Each focuses on creating change around the world by creating beauty in slums, crossing cultural barriers, helping people find connections to their surroundings and having experiences that speaks to our hearts and changes us from within. I'm not going to give a review of the artists. I could never do them and their contributions justice in this format so I encourage you to listen to the talk yourself.

As I listened to them, I couldn't help being a little envious of their ability to reach so many people at once. Perhaps some day I will be able to do the same. Right now I hope that my art brings joy and reminds anyone who views it that there are so many beautiful and fascinating things to enjoy in a sometimes ugly and frightening world

6/26/2021 2:28:13 PM
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Orange poppies

I'm In Heaven, Oil

I love gardening. I love the smell of the earth, getting dirty, and watching the plants grow and mature in all their splendor. I have a spectacular hibiscus plant that is about 3 feet high and about 4 feet across with deep crimson colored flowers. The other day the last blossom faded and died. I looked sadly at the shriveled up petals that resembled a small lump of something indefinable. It means autumn and winter are coming and my garden will be asleep for several months.

I have painted a lot of flowers. However, I took a hiatus for over a year from them. I got sick of painting them. Yup, you read that right. I was sick of them. I had two floral exhibits at two different galleries just months apart and by the time I had created enough paintings for the shows I couldn't paint one more petal. I tried but my attempt was banished to a pile of unfinished paintings waiting for me to go back to work on them again sometime in the future.

In June I stood in a field of orange red poppies. I looked at the beautiful deep colors all around me, the turns and twists of the petals, and the wonderful velvety dark centers. I was immediately over my mind freeze. How could I not paint something so heavenly. I could hardly wait to get to my studio to work. For the last year I have been collaborating with my good friend and artist Sherry on a project that I have found very satisfying but the other evening, when I went through all of the photographs I took of this year's garden, I decided to squeeze in several small florals while I work on the project.

So this fall and winter, when you look at my Instagram and Facebook posts and check my website, you will see the fruits of my garden inspiration. I am looking forward to next years flowers already.