New painitng is a book cover

Hello all! I have just completed a new painting for a civil war novel cover. "A War between the States" is a play on words because the protagonist is a woman impersonating a man as a soldier. It did happen far more than people realize! Kellie Doyle is the author and she spent over four years in the research and writing of this wonderful story. I am so pleased she loves the cover!

The next painting is a gunea rooster named Jessie, of all things! Should be fun.

Delphic games

USA NATIONAL DELPHIC COUNCIL
Linking Arts & Cultures

I am the new executive director for the USA National Delphic Council. We have a great vision for the role that the Delphic Games can play on the world stage. We would like you to be a part of helping us create America’s team.
The Delphic Games were first instituted in Greece along with the Olympics. The difference being that the Delphic is for the Arts: literature, oratory, drama, music, painting and sculpture. They had such a high priority in ancient times that even wars and conflicts had to stop during the time of the games.
One hundred years after the re-launch of the Olympic Games of the Modern Era, the International Delphic Council (IDC) took place in Berlin in 1994 to start off the Delphic Games of the Modern Era. The IDC arranges for the Delphic Games and the Junior Delphic Games to take place within a four-year period on a two year rotating basis.
This competition of spirit will vitalize and enlarge the cultural development, preserve the cultural heritage, strengthen the cultural diversity of people and serve understanding and reconciliation with a globalised world. The Delphic Games of the Modern Era are a forum for peaceful dialogue of all cultures. The continuous founding of additional national Delphic Councils in all continents is strengthening the cultural network and the chance of a peaceful world. ”
The USA National Delphic Council wants to develop America’s role and in order to do that we must foster awareness and support. We need volunteers and sponsors. Our list of priorities include: fundraising for our staff and administrative costs, an artistic and functional website, promotion and education. There is a photographic exhibition and presentation which features the highlights, success and beauty of the last games in Korea where 40 countries and 3,000 participants competed. This one day event will help us launch the games in our country with the long term goals of full USA participation in all categories and eventually hosting the international competitions. The presenters will come from Germany. We have a host family to house them and are looking for a venue for the show. The dates we have in mind are September 25th, October 2nd or 9th evening with time for set up and take down. The event will include light food and drink.
Next year’s games will be the Jr. Delphic’s cycle. Talented young people will be sponsored to participate in them. I invite you to look at the IDC website: http://www.blogger.com/www.delphic.org%20 or http://www.delphic.de/ .For more information and to volunteer email me at mpowellusandc@gmail.com.

Know your place

I am busy working with the Firnew Artist's Circle show for May. We are doing alot of work inspired by our friend Tucker Hill, who passed away suddenly this year. He was a kind and generous person and we will miss him and his beautiful work he would bring in for critique.

I think I will include some of the Italian landscapes as well as Virginian ones for this show. both places have become a part of my soul.

I'm also gearing up to take my portraits to the Farm Market in Culpeper again. I'll be doing Remembrance days in Culpeper at the end of April and some Medeival festivals over the summer. More on that as it happens

Artists are workers too

Ya know with all this talk about the economy there is a strong debate on funding for the national endowment for the arts. Artists have few advocates in our society. Artists are perceived to be somehow part of the elitist class when truly we design the clothes, car, houses, movies, games, etc. that everyone enjoy and make life more appealing. We give visual identity to businesses large and small. We teach the children that they are more than widgets turned out by public school factories. We remind people of the wonderful deep things of being human.

Beginnings;paintings, portraits, and spirit

Hello all,
I want to introduce my artwork and I hope you will go to my website http://www.artistpowell.com/ to see the work I do. I have done portraits since I was twelve and did horse drawings prior to that, as so many little girls do. My art has taken on spiritual signifigance for me as I realize more and more that art is in essence a communication from one human being to another. I also teach art, which is part of that same contiuum. I want my students to think more deeply about their lives. I want them to see the world through "art eyes", which makes the everyday things something special and new. When you draw tree in your back yard it somehow becomes more vividly real to you. When you sit and look in the mirror at your own eye, then draw it, it becomes a far more intimate excercise. It doesn't really matter how well you draw, just that you draw, slowing down to truly perceive what is in front of you. So draw, paint, dance, sculpt everything and anything- animals, plants, landscapes, people, cities, houses, the very air and light of the sun and moon. There is alot of joy to be had.

That was more wordy than I had thought to be. There is so much to say, isn't there? This is my first attempt at a blog. I have a feeling this can be very cool. My niece kept one during her trip to Australia to study.