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Every artist has that one thing or those MANY THINGS (as in my case) that he or she cannot function or live a fully artistic life without. Quite frankly, I probably could have added just a ‘few’ more things to this list, but for your sanity’s sake, I have narrowed it down to a list of 5. You’re welcome. 🙂 Let’s jump right to it! Here are my five things I cannot survive as an artist without – Camera – I live in beautiful southeastern NC, so there is no shortage of inspiration around me. As an artist, my eyes are constantly wondering around, scanning the scenes around me, looking for a muse for my next artwork (um, not so good when I am driving, just ask my husband!). Even if it isn’t my digital camera, I at least have my phone camera with me to capture that color combo or the bird that has caught my artsy-fartsy eye. Tablet – To display those images I have captured of something that caught my eye, I use my trusty tablet. I have it in a basic stand-up case (which is covered in paint, of course) and I constantly use it to not only display my reference images, but also to edit them. Google Music – Maybe I am weird, but I cannot create without noise in the background – that noise preferably being some great tunes or an interesting podcast. Google music offers both of these, and I can listen to it on all my devices. As for music, I am very eclectic in my musical choices. I listen to everything from hard rock to reggae. Lately, I have really been learning to appreciate the opera. And podcasts? I freaking LOVE podcasts. My favorite, and one I would suggest all artists to tune into, is Leslie Saeta’s Artists Helping Artists. GraphGear 500 Mechanical Pencil– I will be honest, I cannot keep up with a single pen or pencil to save my life. But my trusty old GraphGear 500 mechanical pencil? I have managed to keep up with that one pencil for about 4 years because I love and value it so much. Its great for rough sketching lightly on a canvas, to actually finishing a portrait, to field sketching in the park. Oh yes, and playing suduko, of course. Filbert Paintbrush – I use a filbert brush in all three mediums I work in. Grant it, they are each made of different hairs, but they are still filbert in shape. I also have different sizes for each medium. I have come to love the filbert brush because it is so versatile. They have a feathered top, so they are awesome for blending. Even better yet, they can be used to block in areas, and then used for detailing those areas. They just rock my socks, and you will always be able to find filbert brushes in my arsenal of artistic weaponry. And there you have it! The 5 things I absolutely as an artist CANNOT live without. So, what are the things YOU cannot live without? Shout-out and comment below!

When someone mentions painting  art, what is the first medium that pops into your head? For most, it is oils. Oils, as in the old-school, old-master, stinky, messy, traditional oils. As for me, when I first thought about painting in oils many moons ago, to say I was intimidated was a bit of an understatement. I was intimidated by the process of using them, the mediums for use with them, the messy aftermath, and of course, I loathed the year I would have to wait for the painting to completely ‘cure’. Now, keep in mind, I am mostly a self-taught artist. I read up on them, watched videos of artists working with them, and asked a few people about them. With the bit of knowledge I had gleaned, I went down to the local art store, armed with a small of list of supplies, and geared up to create my first small painting in oils. Yeah, about that – I am sure a lot of it had to do with the fact I was still unlearned, but I did not enjoy the whole process too much. And the clean-up and drying time? Okay, so I was a bit impatient. And honestly, the fact that I did not enjoy the process as I usually do, showed in my final product – the painting itself. I did not trash it, rather I have kept it for reference. Traditional Oils, My First Attempt (untitled) Maybe I did not give oils enough of a chance, I didn’t learn enough about them, I was already feeling negative before I began; it was probably a combination of all three. I pretty much walked away from oil painting after that. Fast forward to this year. After a great year of tremendous growth for me as an artist, I  have began to embrace the idea of change and growth. I know I must push boundaries as often as I can in order to become the best artist I can be – which is why when I came across the phrase, water-soluble oils, I decided to give oils another go. Once again, I armed myself with knowledge, (a bit more research this time) learned the basics, and set off for the art store with supply list in hand. That old fear and self-doubt of course hovered in the back of my mind, but I was determined to give it another go. As for the process of using water-soluble verses traditional oils, there are obviously some differences. You still get to use mediums, like linseed oil and sunflower oil, with the paints themselves, but they are labeled “water-mixable” to use exclusively with the WS oils. As for the paint itself, it is still buttery smooth like TO (traditional oils), and has that oil smell that I love. You can still use the traditional wood, acrylic, or glass for a palette. (I am personally using acrylic right now). In between color changes, I actually swish my brush around in water, dry it off on a paper towel, and we’re good to go. But here’s the kicker – no turpentine clean-up. Yep, I used good, old-fashioned Dawn dish detergent to thoroughly clean my brushes when I was done. I honestly don’t know if it was because I wasn’t as intimidated by the clean-up and drying time at the end, but I actually got into them this time – and fell in love with these oils. My Second Attempt at Oil Painting, this time using water-soluble oils My completed painting, “The Lost House”, was dry to touch within about two weeks. And the finish? Oh my, I love the luxurious look of oil paint on a canvas. I still have a long way to go, a lot more to learn (do you ever really stop learning?), and I am far from being a master, but I am definitely digging oil painting now. Don’t get me wrong, I still love my water-colors, acrylic, and ink, but I will be adding ‘oils’ to my list of mediums I work in. #watersoluble #traditionaloils #oil #oilpainting #canvas

It took me almost 40 long years to get here, but for the first time in my life, I am actively pursuing my passion of becoming a full-time artist. As I have grown older, I have come to realize my mama was right about a few things, including ‘with age comes wisdom’. It’s strange, but as the years have passed, my priorities have shifted. Once, like many others, I cared only about status – having a reputable job, nice car, nice house, and so on – all because I gave a crap about what others thought of me. Although I still fight daily with caring about what others think about me, I am not as bad about it as I used to be. I am fine living in a small apartment (I have a roof over my head), driving an old truck (hey! It gets me there), wearing the same old clothes – as long as I know I am following my passion to the fullest extent and doing daily what I love – being a full-time artist. No, I am not quite there yet, as many of you know, but I am working my booty off every long, tiresome day to get there. It’s tough, I am tired, I get grouchy, stressed, overworked, overwhelmed, fight ole’ ‘Negative Nancys’ and ‘Debbie Downers’ all the time, but I will keep pushing through, actively pursuing my passion. I am a big quote nerd, and I am constantly referring to quotes to help me get through the long days. I narrowed my extensive quote ‘go-to’ list down, and I would like to share with you guys, as a part of my ‘Favorite Things Series’, just five of my fave ‘pursuing your passion’ quotes. Hopefully, maybe one of these will encourage you to do the same. 1. “One of the things that may get in the way of people…is that they’re not in touch with their passion. If you’re passionate about what it is you do, then you’re going to be looking for everything you can to get better at it.” Jack Canfield 2. “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” — Steve Jobs 3. “The people who make it to the top — whether they’re musicians, or great chefs, or corporate honchos — are addicted to their calling … [they] are the ones who’d be doing whatever it is they love, even if they weren’t being paid.” — Quincy Jones 4. “Never continue in a job you don’t enjoy. If you’re happy in what you’re doing, you’ll like yourself, you’ll have inner peace. And if you have that, along with physical health, you will have had more success than you could possibly have imagined.” — Johnny Carson And last but not least, such a simple, profound truth that I have learned to be true….. 5. Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. — Confucius And with that last quote, I will continue laboring and working until the glorious day I am able to fully do art everyday, all day. #art #calling #marathon #career #artista #dreams #persistance #artistic #pursure #artiste #love #Artist #handmade #passion #artisan #follow

Hey guys! For my first favorite tool, let’s get back to the basics – drawing. Throughout the years as an artist, I have tried many,  and I mean TONS of different pencils to draw with. (as I am sure many of you have)  I have tried cheap ones, expensive ones, all graphite ones, ones made with wood, and even ones made with a heavy metal casing. But nothing can beat my GraphGear 500 PG257 mechanical pencil that I found in the drafting section of the art store! Seriously, love this pencil. I will be the first to admit,  I was a bit skeptical about using mechanical pencils. I have seen others using them, but for some silly reason, I didn’t feel like they could be better than the old-fashioned graphite pencil. Maybe I didn’t feel like they were ‘artisty’ enough, I don’t know. (Silly, huh? ) Boy, was I in for a big surprise!   I bought one on a whim, and have not looked back at my pencil stash since. I am the world’s worst for losing pens, pencils, my keys, my mind, and so on, but I actually have held onto my original GraphGear pencil for almost 3 years now – that is how much I enjoy using this baby. And now I have a few floating around so I can start sketching with this awesomeness when I feel the need. So, there you have it.  The GraphGear 500 PG257 mechanical pencil is just ONE  of my favorite things that I use daily as an artist. Have a favorite pencil or sketching tool? Comment and tell me about it! #art #sketching #favorite #best #tool #pencil #Artist #graphite #drawing #mechanical

The stereotypical-reclusive-moody-artist who has always felt like they never quite fit in? Yep, that pretty much sums me up from the time I was a kid until this past spring. That is quite a long time to be on the search for a tribe, for a crew of like-minded people who just get you. All throughout school, at work, and even in my own family, I have always felt like I didn’t quite belong or cut it for the circles of people orbiting all around me. Many times in my desperation to fit in and in my desire to belong, I tweaked my personality, suppressed my interests and passions, essentially changing who I was just so I could manage to squeeze into any small, available space I could find in one of those coveted groups. Sadly enough, this sick game of charades didn’t even end with high school, it has continued to be real life everyday for me with some of my family still and even currently at my job. I just wanted my very own tribe. I mean, who doesn’t want to find THEIR people? THEIR group? THEIR crew that appreciates him or her for the things that others tend to overlook? A circle of peeps that make you feel instantly at ease and yet can push you out of your comfort zone to reach the highest possible goals? I pretty much gave up on finding said elusive, fantasy crew – I mean, c’mon, I’m nearing 40, and if I haven’t found them now, there’s no way I will find them later. I had resigned to wander around lonely, with no tribe of my own – that is – until I met a certain gal who happens to own a certain marketplace that houses a certain group of the most eclectic artisans I have ever had the privilege of getting to know. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the centerstage and into my life, the eccentric crew of Seaglass Salvage Market. I won’t lie, I was honestly a little scared about my first market with them in the past spring of this year. I mean geez, it was my first public sharing of my artwork, and my first time working with everyone there. Remember how I said earlier that many long for that circle of people that makes him or her feel instantly at ease? Well, that is what these crazy cats did right from that first day of the market and still do until this day. I don’t know how to describe knowing that that they were my crew – other than in my soul, I just simply knew. So, what has finding my tribe meant for me? I have found a group of like-minded individuals who have been important keys in my own journey to finding my creative and life purpose. I have discovered a group of kindred, creative spirits who engage and support me, and have helped me grow tremendously in the short amount of time that I have known them. They have cheered me on and pushed me, which has in turn helped me push myself harder than I ever have in my life. They nourish my soul from the outside, while I am actively working on nourishing my soul from the inside. They have inspired me to push my creative boundaries, and to step confidently out of my safe, introverted, reclusive limits. As I sit here mulling over the past few months, I am honestly amazed at how much I have grown since I have began this journey with this beautiful group of people, and I am truly thankful for that. I know that with my tribe’s wealth of advice, their laughter, their unfailing acceptance of me, and their endless encouragement to be my authentic self, I will only continue to grow in my artistic and life journey. And on that note my friends, I can say I that I am home. I have found my creative fam, my circle of peeps. I have finally found my soul tribe. #art #circle #laughter #friendship #inspire #soul #seaglasssalvagemarket #creative #belong #encouragement #friends #love #fun #Artist #family #group #tribe #NC

Please take a moment to read this story (written beautifully by Kelli, her step-mom and owner of Seaglass Salvage Market) , and find out how you can help. A Moment in Time – http://wp.me/p4QEIs-Hq

Happy Monday evening! (are Monday’s ever associated with the word ‘happy’?) I just wanted to let you guys know what has been going on in my little art universe! I will be entering some some artwork into the “Expressions of Local Art Contest and Exhibition”, which is being presented by Going Local NC, a new gallery located in downtown Wilmington, NC. The actual presentation itself is on Oct 28th, and this will be my first Artwork at Going Local NC I am also excited to say that I will be joining ‘The Feast of Pirates’ in downtown Wilmington on Oct 8th and 9th! Once again, being that I have never set up a booth or tent to sell my art in, it will be a nerve-wracking first! Any advice you guys have would be wonderfully appreciated 🙂 If you are interested in checking out this fun event, here’s a link with all the  information. As for where you can currently find my artwork, I now have a few select artworks in Going Local NC in Wilmington, as well as at Seaglass Salvage Market in Leland, NC. I also have an Etsy shop, Terry Ganey Art. Alright guys, wish me luck with all these adventures, and I will share the Terry-Tales as they all unfold!

Hey guys, just wanted to share a few new pieces in my “Sailin’ the Ocean Blue” series I currently working on… Introducing, these jammin’ jellies….. and these pretty little ones…. These are all done on watercolor paper, and I am still  working in mixed-media; recently I have been using watercolor paints, along with India Ink. To me, this style gives my art an almost fantasy-like, illustrative look, which I am really into right now. These pieces have really been a lot of fun to create, and I will continue to create new, fun pieces for this series over the next month. Stay tuned!

Once upon a time, there was a girl, who grew up near the ocean blue, who wanted to be BOTH the pirate and the mermaid…. I still would like to be both of course, but since I can’t, I have decided I can at least bring them to life through my art. This week, I started working with various pens, inks, and watercolors to make some colorful pieces that revolve around the deep ocean blue. I enjoy working with this mixed media; using the crispness of the black lines to weave through the flowing tide of gentle watercolors is a bit like weaving the fantasy of the mermaids into the real life of the constantly moving ocean. Each piece that I create over the next couple of weeks will soon be available in various print sizes, as well as in a set of greeting cards I am working on. I won’t lie, I am getting pretty excited over how these lovelies are turning out! But what does every mermaid need? Alas, a pirate! I guess my work is not yet finished – I will have to create some ruggedly, handsome pirates to keep these beauties in line. Arrghhhh….. it’s a pirate’s life for me.

“As an artist, you’re always trying to reach a new height, do something new, try something you haven’t done before, and push your boundaries. ” – Eric Balfour As an artist, I have always pretty much stuck to working in a few mediums – acrylic, pencils, and inks. Occasionally, I have dabbled in some watercolor and even tried oils, but I guess I have always been comfortable working with what I have known since I was an young artist. Recently, however, I have just been hungering for more art – in any form, any way, and any medium. I have also been hungering for growth as an artist, and change. As with anything in life, to change, you must be challenged. And the challenge that I chose this week is working with soft pastels. I chose pastels because number one, I like how portable they are! My daughters and I went to one of our local beaches here, and I decided to bring along a small box of pastels and a pad. I liked the fact that all I had to pack up was just the pastels, a gum eraser, paper towels, and a pad of paper. I really enjoyed drawing the lovely scene with those simple, rectangles of vibrant color! And yes, I kind of liked the fact that I could use my fingers to help create the art and blend; to me, it was like finger-painting for adults (and there we have another reason I chose to play with pastels). After my first attempt at pastels (which did not go so well, I might add), I decided I might have to read up a little on pastels and educate myself on actually using them. I went to our local art store, lucked up and found an instructional book on pastels on clearance (what artist doesn’t love a bargain?). The book I found is simply called, ‘Pastel Painting’. (written by Margaret Evan, Paul Hardy, and Peter Coombs) I did some reading of the basics, which included how to layer to create certain colors, how to blend, and how to add details. Armed with the help of this book, and some of the basics, this is my first pastel painting! My First Pastel Landscape It was a lot of fun to make, and I think I may be adding pastels to the list of mediums I like to use. I have a lot more to learn, and more challenges with this medium to meet, but I know that in the end, it will only help me grow more as an artist. I look forward to sharing more finished pastel paintings with you guys in the future! And if pastels is your favorite medium to work in or even if you have used them in the past, please let me know about your experience with them! Any tips, tricks, or advice is most welcome. I want to continue to challenge myself and grow as an artist by adding this medium to my art arsenal! #Impressionisim #fineartist #Paint #Mountain #Fineart #Pastelpainting #artisan

Get the scoop on my weekend at Seaglass Salvage Market- a wonderfully eccectic community of artists and artisans in Leland, NC. Source: Weekend Update with TGA

Starting last  Friday, my past weekend was crazy, crazy and even more crazy! My art wall at SSM This is the first time in my art career I have actually displayed my artwork in a venue – I honestly have never been comfortable talking in front of a lot of people, especially to people I don’t know on a personal level. Since I have been displaying my art with Seaglass Salvage Market, I have definitely learned that not only am I quite capable of speaking with complete strangers, but it actually comes effortlessly if I am talking about my passion for art. As a matter of a fact, I thought a few times this past weekend, “Geez, I can’t shut-up about my art”. I guess it’s true; when you are truly  passionate about a job, a cause, or anything in general, it shows. For the wall display at the market this past weekend,  I added a couple new pieces to the wall, one that was sold just before the market opened (‘On the Rocks’); the other, ‘Through the Window’, that sold right before the close of the market. The first piece, ‘On the Rocks’, is acrylic on stretched canvas, and was a lot of fun to paint. Okay, so it wasn’t very fun at first,  just frustrating, but then I found my groove, and the fun began. On the Rocks, acrylic on stretched canvas The second painting, called “Through the Window”, is acrylic on stretched canvas. Lately, I have been obsessed with the look of reflections in windows, flower boxes in windows, and doors framed by colorful flowers. They are just aesthetically pleasing to me and make me feel, I don’t know, happy. My art wall at SSM Besides adding the two new pieces to my wall, I also added a line of greeting cards. I am slowly learning to get over my anxiety and fears that ‘it won’t work’ to begin branching out, and growing my art. As for being in the market Friday and Saturday, I really loved talking to anyone who was interested, about my art, and basically why I created each piece. I especially enjoyed it when someone would ask me about my art techniques, or what my favorite medium to work in is – acrylic- or even which piece was my personal favorite. BUT, I have to say, the highlight of my day was hanging out with an young lady named Rylie. Rylie and I learning about art together. Apparently Rylie had been watching me draw from afar. She kept venturing closer, and I finally coaxed her into joining me at my easel with her little chair. I spent the rest of the day talking to her about art, hers and mine, how it makes me feel, and how much fun it can be. Spending that time with her, sharing my love of art, seeing her excitement, validated that I am on the right path with my life, transitioning into a full-time artist. It also reaffirmed to me that I just really enjoy sharing everything I can about art, with anyone and everyone, from  the old to the young.  It just made my heart smile the whole day. Thank you for that Miss Rylie! All in all, this was another great weekend at the market, and I look forward to the next one in July!