Paintings

The new year is five days away. Many of us look back over the year and reminisce about the events in our lives. The good and bad. That things hoped for that did and did not happen. We might be filled with regret, we might be filled with joy, but one thing is for certain: everything in the past 360 days is past. It’s gone. Only memories remain.

2016 was for me a good year. Writing and publishing went well. I sold a few books and gave some away. I started learning marketing, so I have hope I might sell more books in the future. I’m another year older and not deeper in debt — and that’s very good. And I’m loving retirement. Yes, 2016 was a very good year. Perfect? Nah. But it was a good year. I’m breathing air and not dirt, I’m in reasonably good health; there’s a roof over my head, clothes on my back, and food on the table. There is nothing I can legitimately complain about.

One of my joys, year in and year out, is that my wife, Raihana Dewji, paints what I think are wonderful, wonderful paintings. So I thought I would post a few of her recent paintings to close out this year’s blog posts.

The snow and cold are upon us in Minnesota; however, nothing can fetter the imagination. My wife hates the snow and cold. So her paintbrush creates a different world. One in which Winter is not coming. The snow might be blowing outside, but inside summer rules. I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I do.

As always, comments are welcome and until next time, happy new year, and happy reading!

Minneapolis - Art City

City Scene

Watercolor by Minneapolis Artist Raihana Dewji

Minneapolis and the Twin City area is a hot bed of artist activity. It’s no wonder our famed private eye, Justinia Wright, loves to call Minneapolis home. An accomplished painter in her own right, Tina loves the artistic atmosphere that pervades the city.

Minneapolis boasts two world class art museums. The Walker Art Center is one of the top modern art museums in the county.

The other is the superb Minneapolis Institute of Art, with over 89,000 works of art from around the world.

The New Entrance

The Old Entrance

Minneapolis is also home to The Museum of Russian Art, which houses a collection of 20th century Russian art that focuses on the Soviet era. In addition to its permanent collection, the museum hosts temporary exhibits with more general connections to the Russian-speaking world.

These museums are fabulous places to while away a lazy afternoon.

The Minneapolis College of Art and Design, which shares acreage that includes the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Children’s Theatre, is consistently rated by The Princeton Review as one of the best Midwestern Colleges, which is a rare honor for a visual arts college. The school has been recognized by I.D. magazine as one of the top ten design schools in the world and the school’s master in fine arts program is rated in the top fifty in the nation. All that in a little Midwestern city college!

The first weekend in August is the Uptown Art Fair. The second largest fair in Minnesota. Only the State Fair is larger. The three day event draws nearly 400,000 visitors to the Uptown neighborhood and upwards of $2 million in art is purchased. It is the place to see local, regional, and even nationally known artists displaying everything from leather goods, superb woodworking, pottery, sculpture, and paintings. For the art lover, those are the three most glorious days of the summer. One can also take in live performances and eat pounds of tasty artery clogging fair food.

Organizations such as the Minnesota Watercolor Society, Outdoor Painters of Minnesota, and the Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association provide artists a means of support, networking, and promotion for their art.

To see a sample of what Minnesota artists are doing today, take a look at these Pinterest boards: Art: Mn & Wisc and mnartists.org.

The art scene is alive and well in Minneapolis. It’s a good place to be an artist. And while Tina only paints perfect copies of other artist’s work, she’d have to agree: Minneapolis is near and dear to the artist’s heart.