Bipolar artist hits half-way mark in year long blogging project

Press Release Summary: Six months ago bipolar abstract artist Lynne Taetzsch promised to make at least one drawing or painting every day and to write about it in her art blog. The commitment has not been easy, but she is determined to complete her project.

Press Release Body: Can she keep it up? Six months ago, abstract artist Lynne Taetzsch made a commitment to make art every day for a year and to write about it in her art blog at ARTBYLT.BLOGS.COM. She promised to make at least one drawing a day, and so far has completed 194 days without missing.

When she travels, Taetzsch brings along her art pad and colored pens so that she can make her drawing first thing in the morning no matter where she is. At a motel room in Canada in July, she had to work quietly in dim light so she wouldn’t wake up two grandchildren sleeping in the same room.

“When I feel pressured for time or ideas, I use smaller sized paper,” says Taetzsch. “It’s not as threatening as a larger piece.” Simplifying her palette to black and grays also helps her focus, and provides a break from the bright colors she typically uses in her art.

Blacks and grays also show up in her work when Taetzsch is feeling depressed. She is bipolar, and finds that making art provides an outlet for her up and down moods. The dark moods add intensity and depth to her art, while the lighter moods inspire playful improvisations.

When Taetzsch is hypomanic, she has loads of energy and ideas. That’s when she started the drawing-a-day-for-a-year project. New challenges are stimulating and help maintain her “up” feelings. The day-to-day execution, however, often falls short of such excitement. “There have been many days,” Taetzsch says, “when I felt like chucking the whole thing.”

Taetzsch created her own art website nine years ago, learning as she went along, and working continually to improve it. Today her site has over 12,000 visitors a month from all over the world. She started an art blog two years ago, and has found a slow but steady increase in readership. Today her blog receives over 1800 page views a month.

“Knowing that people are out there, waiting to see my drawing for the day, helps keep me going,” says Taetzsch. “I made it half-way. If I can do that, I can go the distance.”

Web Site: http://artbylt.blogs.com

Contact Details: Lynne Taetzsch
ARTBYLT.COM
3 Snyder Heights
Ithaca, NY 14850
607-273-1364
Lynne@ARTBYLT.COM