Cowboy's Sweetheart

“The Rebel” © Deb Trotter ~ “Cowboy’s Sweetheart” Artist

I confess. I am a rebel. I guess many artists fall under that category – but I come by it naturally.

I don’t generally adhere to rules. Don’t like to be told I can’t DO something. Don’t like to follow the crowd – the latest trends – the “you MUST have one of these” hard sells.

If the latest trend is orange – and I don’t look good in orange, don’t like the acidity of orange juice, and would rather be put out to pasture than paint my bathroom orange – then no one or nothing is going to manipulate me into thinking I should put orange in my house.

In fact, I am so stubborn about this that I would probably even refuse to place a bowl of luscious navel oranges on my kitchen table just to be cool.  (Not unless I could stamp “Rebel” on each of them as a graphic “Deb Trotter” statement.)

I supposed that’s an odd admission for someone who licenses to manufacturers. And I’ll admit, when I’ve worked really hard on a design full of rich earth tones (duh – what did I just say about orange?) – and a client tells me that they want pink and purple instead – it’s kind of hard to take. Especially when the art is Cowgirl related.

It’s hard to wrap my head around the idea of a vintage cowgirl wearing a pink cowboy hat and a purple rawhide skirt. But I’ve learned to deal with it – and have come to realize that the challenge really stretches my creativity – and helps me think outside that tooled leather box where I store my pencils and paintbrushes.

So imagine my surprise – when finally getting the A-Okay from my ever-so-careful-with-money hubby, John – that at LAST I can  remodel our house … and design a new Art Studio …. that I find myself embracing the latest color trends. Turquoise.

I’m head over heels in love with the teal-to-turquoise insanity that seems to have taken over every single remodeling/decorating magazine I see these days. I find myself dreaming of a couple of contemporary turquoise chairs – tucked into the corner of a living room inspired by the fabric on a Pendleton rocking chair that John fell in love with last summer …

I love this fabric because right there – in all their glory – are all my beloved browns, golds, and tans – and then, there are these wonderful hints of gray-green. In the early morning, the gray-green appears as a pale green. By noon it’s simply gray. But in the late afternoon – bathed in western light – it takes on a light turquoise tint … and that’s where the turquoise chairs come in.

Light turquoise chairs this color – like you see here on Houzz.com

And then a western-inspired arts & crafts turquoise chandelier I discovered at Lone Star Western Decor, which will hang over the kitchen table adjacent to the great room with the turquoise chairs and Pendleton rocker.

There’s a time-worn appeal to turquoise. I collect real turquoise, after all. Have been for years. Turquoise never really goes out of style. It’s a color I love and can live with. It goes with everything.

So I don’t feel quite so manipulated admitting that I am embracing a “trend.”

It’s A-Okay with me. Me – the world’s greatest rebel.

And for the Art Studio – I’m seriously considering going (mostly) all white.

Perhaps I’m losing my mind. But we’ll talk about the “white studio” idea next week.

If you have a trend or a color story you’d like to share, please leave a comment or email me.

And don’t forget to come back tomorrow for Wild West Wednesday. Put on your Cowgirl Boots and hat and join me as I create my very first Coreen Cordova layered necklace – “Deb Trotter” style!

Deb Trotter ~ Cowboy’s Sweetheart Artist