Explaining SOTE

Somewhere Over the Easel

Well alright then! The title is colorful and everyone has had to read it twice to make sure they didn't read "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". Now that we've got that clear, let's talk about Somewhere Over the Easel.

I'm Christine. Human mom. Dedicated worker. Part time creative thinker. I also happen to be a little artistic and tiny bit business savvy. Tiny, very tiny. Like bread crumb on the floor tiny. I come from a long line of Human mom's, a slightly shorter line of dedicated workers and an incredibly, extra long (like the movie you wanted to leave an hour ago long) part time creative thinkers.

My home was always filled with my mother's latest crafty creation or small piece of art she spent the weekend making. Visiting my aunt's house, I was surrounded by a million hand sewn crafts including toilet paper roll covers and china dolls with handmade clothes that sat in nearly every corner of the house. At our family reunion, we found that of the 75 or so in attendance, every single one in our bloodline was artistically or musically inclined. The musical roots were the greatest gifts left to us all from generations before. 

I didn't ever think of myself as an artist. I took art classes all through grade school. Painting was my favorite thing to do. A few years ago I painted my first mural. My son wanted a Dr. Seuss room and a simple "Cat in the Hat: theme just wouldn't do. So I painted the first wall as "Oh, The Places You Go". That wasn't enough. Then we moved to wall #2 with "Horton Hears a Hoo". And while Horton was a Hoot to paint, two walls were bare and I just had to paint the Truffula Trees! At that point, I was completely hooked on mural painting. 

Then a friend at work asked me to do a little mural in her brand new 600 sq. ft. market in downtown Tampa, FL. She named the store Duckweed Urban Market because Duckweed is the smallest flowering plant in the world. And if you can imagine a 600 sq. ft. grocery store being the Only grocer in the heart of a major city, you can see why "smallest flowering plant" was an appropriate reference. My friend wanted a geometric design with her Duck logo painted on the walls of her Beer and Wine room. Yes, there's was enough space for a separate room just for alcohol. But I digress. It was referenced by in a newspaper article that these ducks were stickers. I took that as quite a compliment since I spent 18 hours hand painting them!That's precision baby. And no, I didn't use a projector to transfer the image. The store has since expanded to another location and isn't such a tiny flower any more. 

Once I painted my first official business, I knew I was on to something. But more so, my friend believed I was on to something. After many hours and days of talking me into 'doing something' with my talent, I decided she was right and that, if I was going to do anything, I needed a name. 

Today, I can't even remember all the silly things I came up with. I do remember Bandanna Brushstrokes because I always where a bandanna when I paint. (If it matters, I wear a bandanna to keep my hair out of my face without needing a headband. This reduces the headache I'll likely have otherwise). 

Somewhere Over the Easel came to me when I pictured my favorite artists. One in particular- Norman Rockwell. His Saturday Evening Post artwork were always entertaining and natural, quirky but easily could be anyone in my family. I love his painting "Self Portrait" where he is painting himself and he's sitting in the front of the canvas peaking over the easel. The Image he's painting is of a handsome version of himself and not exactly what's in the mirror.  I'm not sure why that one has always stood out to me, but it is my favorite. 

The other reference is the obvious "Somewhere over the  Rainbow" from the Wizard of Oz. There are 2 movies that I couldn't wait to see on TV the one time a year they came on. The Sound of Music and the Wizard of Oz. Their both such great musicals. And when you only get to see them once a year, you really treasure the nights with your family that you finally get to see it again. Recently I attended the 50th Anniversary Sing-A-Long to The Sound of Music at the Tampa Theatre. Thinking now, the last Sing-A-Long I went to was the Wizard of Oz. I guess I really do love those movies!

So, with my love of Normal Rockwell and The Wizard of Oz, that is how Somewhere Over the Easel was born! And I love it! Even if it makes for an extra long email address, I get a smile from everyone I give my email too. I can even hear them smile over the phone when I'm giving it to someone. 

Somewhere Over the Easel reminds me of my childhood. It reminds me of my gifts. It reminds me to look beyond the obvious. To think outside of the box and over the easel into the sunset. It reminds me to paint when I have time. I tells me that dreams do come true when I wish upon a star. It gives me a platform for so many interpretations. It reminds me that people believe in me. I can carry it as a badge of honor with my customers and friends. It reminds me to daydream. It reminds me to do something else whenever I can. It places me in a creative space. It leads me to a path I couldn't express for myself.

Somewhere Over the Easel is so many things to me, both creatively and spiritually. It brought me here to my first blog entry and led you to me.And to me, it's just beautiful.