First, I love how the blog prompt in this platform suggests I share my "wit, ideas, and talent" with you all. That's funny to me for some reason. My mother once read a book entitled "The Wit and Wisdom of ________." I won't say who the author was because he was a political figure, but when she was halfway through the book, she said, "Well, I haven't run across any wit yet, and I'm still waiting for the wisdom."

Anyway, here's what I have to share—a painting of mine was selected for inclusion in the Cold Wax International Juried Exhibition, an online exhibition sponsored by Cold Wax Academy. Out of 839 paintings submitted, 79 were selected by juror Dan Addington. In addition, my piece was awarded an honorable mention. I am thrilled.

The painting, titled "Afoot and Lighthearted," recently sold in a retail space in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. More on that in another post. It's obviously done in cold wax and oil, and it's an 11x14 wood panel framed in maple.

Here is what Mr. Addington said about the painting:

There is an odd, quiet poetry present in “Afoot and Lighthearted” by Robyn Martins. This Honorable Mention painting presents itself as a dreamy, atmospheric landscape. The figure, if that is indeed what it is, (ironically revealing no feet and feeling anything but lighthearted to me) emerges up from the lower, darker tones of the composition. Delicate textures and suggestively scrawled writings invite the viewer to come in close and, with the figure, dwell in the intimate mystery of this piece.

The scrawled writing is actually excerpts from Walt Whitman's poem "Song of the Open Road." Some of those lines include—

Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road, Healthy, free, the world before me, The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.

My female character here is for sure on a journey. Her feet are obscured by her full skirts and the rocky path, but she's going regardless.

Please take a few minutes to click through to the exhibit. There are so many amazing paintings there, and I am inspired by them to keep working.

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#ColdWaxInternational #ColdWaxAcademy #DanAddington