Letter from Rosie

The Wonder of the Internet!

I wrote my first blog post in October of 2007. I was just beginning my life as an artist with no other job except enjoying living in Hawaii. Living on an active volcano, I explored ways to express the wildness and unpredictability of this amazing part of our planet. Over the years we lived there, I painted and repainted this theme.

In 2011 an elementary art teacher in Maryland, Holly B., found this image on my blog and posted it on her blog: blog:http://linesdotsanddoodles.blogspot.com/ She shares her lesson ideas for connecting art to many different subjects. I found her blog by tracking the traffic statistics of my own blog.I get hits through "lines and doodles" on a regular basis. I also get viewers from around the world

My web presence frequently brings attention to my artwork, and I get emails from people inquiring about a particular piece or commissions.

But this email really grabbed me.

Hello Margaret,  my name is Rosie and l am seven and live in Haddenham in England . At school we are looking at your pictures of volcanoes and I really like them. Please could you tell me if you have seen a real one and how you did your pictures so I can make my own just like yours. Thank you very much. From Rosie 

My reply:

Dear Rosie,

For a couple of years I was lucky enough to live on the "Big Island" Hawaii. That island is actually made up of 5 volcanoes. Kilauea is currently active. When I lived there 7 years ago, we watched the hot red lava go right into the ocean, which made such a red steamy sky. Here is a painting based on what we might see on an evening hike.

  

  

For the painting I think you've seen of mine, I started with acrylic ink which I would place on good heavy watercolor paper in line with generous amounts here and there then blow on the wet ink to move it up into explosive lines. That makes the horizon line. After that was completely dry, I would begin painting the sky and landscape. You must know that my work is abstract, meaning that it is what I want to see--what's in my head--rather than a literal interpretation. Sometimes I will add other papers (collage) to my work or stamps I've made.

If you use this link to go to my blogspot, you will see some entries I made while in Hawaii.

http://margaretgodfreyart.blogspot.com/search?q=volcano 

Two things an artist needs to be: brave and experimental. Remember, it's only paper you are working on. You can always get another sheet of paper!

So the internet presence is there for the long haul. It is used for really good things like sharing and teaching art. A little girl in England can directly communicate with an artist almost 5,000 miles away, to talk about painting techniques!  Wow!