I have been interested in the idea of intention for years. It indicates focus, committment, and drive. I have not thought of it as an agent of growth before though. I have been looking back over the history of my website and blog this month. It’s my 9th year of blogging, and my 10th anniversary of the website. I am amazed, looking back, that I stuck with it. When I first began, I was lucky to have 10 viewers per day. Those statistics went on for over 5 years. I rarely recieved comments, and facebook was not  a phenomenon.

Now, 9 or 10 years later, this blog and website sees an average of 500 views per day! That is not much, compared to some of the huge sites out there, but it is progress! I’m still mostly interested in keeping it up as a record of my thoughts and intentions for my art. I love looking back over the changes I’ve made through the years. I am able to search for dates and events when I need them, and revisit inspiration that sometimes comes up again in a new way.

My intention for the blog and site continue to be one of the strongest drivers of my business. It is both a record for me, and for my collectors. The blog also serves as a reference for my students. Though it hasn’t gained as much ‘traction’ as it could have, I’m pleased with its progress.

I invite you to help me celebrate this anniversary. I’m planning a blog post to thank readers of Art is Truth. Send me your image of a painting, either one that you own or one you’ve made. Let me know the title, media, etc. and I’ll post a gallery of readers later this month. You can use the Contact form to send the information.

Intention is also interesting to me because of the content of artwork. I’m always interested in the difference between the artist’s intent and the viewer’s perception. In abstract art, especially, the two can be very different. What fascinates me, is how often viewers get it right, given very little information.

Sharing My Intentions and Inspiration

I taught 3 workshops this month, and time after time, those watching my demonstration paintings seemed to intuit my feelings about the works in process. I’d like to thank Sitka Center for Art and Ecology and the Astoria Art Loft for hosting me as an instructor. I felt supported and encouraged to share my work and methods with students. And they were very enthusiastic!

Here is one of my recent paintings that resulted from one of those demonstrations. I’m interested in your comments… and please feel free to share with your favorite social channel.

“Last Day with Eagle” ©Ruth Armitage, Acrylic on Paper 9 1/2″ x 11 3/4″

Finally, I’m celbrating my acceptance into two shows:

“Effigy” has been accepted to The National Watercolor Society’s Annual International Exhibition in San Pedro.

“Jump” will be included in the San Diego Watercolor Society’s International Exhibition.

I’m so pleased and humbled to be included.