Moody Turkey Art
chalk art + my name change
I feel I should start with, “Oops.” But before I get to that, this is my second happy-mail in a week; what in the world?! I’ll explain. A few weeks ago, I updated my About page on Substack—the site on which I create the emails Happy-Mail I send to you. By the way, there is a lot of good reading in long form content on a wide range of subject matter on Substack. I often post short Notes on there, as well. The Notes are only accessible by visiting the Substack site. Notice there is a “Read in App” at the top of each Happy-Mail, should you like to see what that’s all about. It’s free, too.
Now for the “Oops.” When I updated my About page, I also changed the name of my Substack from, “The Backdoor Artist” to “Melanie Dorsey Artworks.” I did this to keep everything consistent and to avoid confusion. Recently, I was invited to schedule some workshops at a local art center and that also factored into the name change/consistency move. While I truly did come to art “through the backdoor,” that “door” was beginning to feel too narrow. In other words, I felt it was time to shut that door as far as a title or description for what I do creatively and for the topics on which I write. This is an excerpt from my About page:
No matter what I put my hand to - painting, journaling, gardening or baking bread, the creative process is the heart of it all. Art is what I make and Artful Living is my lifestyle—the joyous connection of heart and hand.
You can read more of my About page here. My “oops” is that I forgot to tell you about the name change and the reason for it in my last Happy-Mail, “Light in the Gaps.”
Ideally, I would have told you before I made the name change. Oh well. Can I just blame that on the hurricanes? One more thing—I’ve had several new subscribers lately. Thank you! Welcome!
What you might like to know about me in bullet points:
Christian
The Holy Bible is the basis for my world-view.
Conservative
Wife, Mother & Grandmother
Creative, Artist, Educator
Sometimes I write about faith.
If I have a recipe I think you’ll enjoy, I’ll share it.
Sometimes I share crafts or art projects for kids.
Occasionally, I’ll show you a décor idea or sewing project.
My comfort zone and confidence often come from being very prepared. But if I procrastinate until I feel 100% prepared, I'd never do the thing. And “done is better than perfect.”
Lastly, yesterday I decided to create some chalk art, thus the title, “Moody Turkey Art.” Occasionally, I put this framed chalkboard on a large shelf in my family room. Usually, I do this two or three times a year for the fall, Christmas, and sometimes the New Year. The chalkboard was made from a framed print under glass that a friend no longer wanted and gave to me. I painted chalkboard paint right over the glass. This is a good example of done is better than perfect. I could have worked longer on it and “perfected” it but since it’s temporary and will get wiped off before Christmas, I’m happy with where I stopped. Even at that, it took a few hours. In case you want to know, I use Chalk Ink Markers and Butter Stix “chalk.” Last spring we took a drive over to Myakka River State Park in Sarasota and I did some nature journaling of the wild turkeys we saw in the marshland. This was the inspiration for my fall chalk art. That and the sunflowers I sowed a few months ago that are now shining their faces brightly toward the sun! I wanted a moody, oil painted look for my turkey. Here he is.
Thanks for sharing some time with me!
Creatively Yours,
Melanie
I LOVED That Turkey! It would look great in my kitchen! Your art is amazing, and more amazing is I still remember when you first started creating your art!
The turkey is fabulous!