Creating, Sharing, and Promoting Art Is My Livelihood

May 20, 2013 / No Comments

Wava’s Story

“Crown Jewel” – Porcelain vessel. Juried into the 45th Annual National All Media Show 2013.

Crown Jewel by Wava Best. Porcelain vessel. Juried into the 45th Annual National All Media Show 2013.

What is my livelihood story? Creating, sharing and promoting Art is my livelihood. It started when I was about 4 years old: playing in a rain-soaked driveway, sitting in the mud, making little mud dishes. Little did I know that many years later I would become a painter, potter and songwriter. In high school my love for all of the arts never ceased as I was in choir, band, orchestra, and played the French horn. Although I didn’t start painting until after I was married and had two small children, the desire was always there. I have taken several college courses and many art workshops, but am basically self-taught.

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The Arts Are My Livelihood

May 13, 2013 / No Comments

Linda’s Story:

"Frida Kahlo Portrait" by Linda Garcia using Papel Picado

“Frida Kahlo Portrait” by Linda Garcia, Papel Picado (hand cut paper)

I find that life is best when there is a way I can express myself without words. It was so satisfying when I discovered that paint, form and content were all I needed to share the story of a life lived as a Chicana raised in Papillion, Nebraska.

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Photography Is My Livelihood

May 6, 2013 / No Comments

Pat’s Story

Boyd County Triptych

“Boyd County Triptych” by Pat James

An early definition of livelihood is “the quality or state of being lively.” When I am taking photographs in the hilly pastures of my family’s property in northeast Nebraska, I see the soft forms of the earth, the jagged lines of trees and grasses, and the changing textures and colors during different times of day and seasons. As I walk to the top of hills, climb down deep draws, follow cow paths, and push my way through thick sumac stands, I feel the sensations of the wind and the ground on my feet and face, in my lungs, and in the muscles of my arms and legs. Although I can see great distances up and down the Missouri River and across into South Dakota, I can be enclosed in smaller spaces under trees and in draws. I am separate and solitary, but I am also inside a larger spiritual whole and part of natural and human history. It is a place that I have come to love, but it is also a place that transcends my brief time in it. Photography connects me to the land and to the people who live there.

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