Painting 18 is titled “Escape to your dreams” and is doing double duty today. First of course it is part of the 30 paintings in 30 days challenge and second, this painting will be part of an exhibit in Orlando Florida to help raise funds for The Center for Contemporary Dance Special Needs Classes. You may have heard of it, it’s referred to #TwitterArtExhibit. I’m so excited to be a part of this. I think it’s a great cause and hope my painting sells.

Hundreds of local and international artists are expected to participate. Postcard art entries will be displayed and sold at a price of $35 each on opening night, Thursday March 20th, 2014, at CityArts Factory, Magic Gallery, through April 11th, 2014. Online sales will be available to the public after opening night. All proceeds benefit The Center For Contemporary Dance, Special Needs Students. This event is FREE to attend and open to the public. See their site here.

So a little about this painting. I’ve known about this for so long but being the natural procrastinator that I am, I have put it off. I kept changing my mind on what I wanted to paint. I finally decided on a crow since that is kinda my thing. But which kind of crow? I at first thought of a close up with a smug look and a hat but it just wasn’t doing it for me for this project.

Today as I finally decided to sit down and take the time to mark this off my list of things to do I began to think of who this would benefit. The money raised will fund special needs people to dance. I love to dance, only mostly in the privacy of my own home since my spirited skills at dancing are worthy of a Seinfeld episode.

I decided to paint a dancing crow. I’ve got him in my mental list of crows to paint so why not for this.. perfect! Right?! wrong. I sketched it out in my sketchbook and had it looking pretty good but it just didn’t seem right. I snapped my sketchbook closed and remembered a scene from this past trip to Florida. It must be written in the stars. I started to think of how dancing is escaping from your everyday troubles and problems and that led to me day dreaming of the ocean and my crows and flying and dreams and well you get the picture.

I quickly mixed my paints and painted my vision of a crow flying away from the dark and dreary weariness of frustrations from everyday life and soaring for the light which is where the dreams are. I didn’t want to get caught up with tedious brushwork and details so a silhouette seemed perfect. He is just leaving the picture already partly in his dreams… wings and heart open wide. I thought that symbolized nicely what I was trying to say. “Escape to your dreams” is a moving and moody piece to me and I’m happy with it. I love it when dreaming sparks my mind’s eye and I’m able to capture it. I hope you enjoy it, too.