The Roots of Art

By

Linda Lover

Photo is my Granddaughter

There are so many ways that the desire to paint can be introduced into our lives. Some are born with the gift and it becomes as easy as breathing for them. Some have found their way through trial and error, sort of a labor of love. Yet, there are others who are influenced by someone or something, and simply gave it a try. It can be about color, self-expression, creativity, and relaxation or for many other reasons, but every painter has an artistic root that has been nurtured at some point and grows with time if they chose to make it so.

I used to think it was the crayons and stack of coloring books that were the beginnings of my fascination with art, but I’ve decided it’s far more intricate than that. Way back when I started kindergarten, we had to bring a rug to school for a rest period and I remember choosing mine for color more than softness or length. It had just about every color of the rainbow in it. Nothing could ever be too colorful for me when I was a kid. Even when learning to read from the “Dick and Jane” books in first grade, I was just as interested in the watercolor color illustrations as I was the words, maybe more so. It was always the best day when we had anything with arts and crafts, and that feeling followed me all the way through school.

Our old neighborhood had a park nearby that was supervised in the summer. For a nickel we could make a potholder or a lanyard. It was better than choosing candy from a jar to get to pick out our colors and watch a pattern form as we worked to finish the project. Sometimes the seed of art is planted with just such seemingly small incidences that can eventually grow to be the root of art in our lives. It’s a sort of day-to-day thing rather than a single event for most of us.

Have you ever liked a design but not the color or liked the color but not the design? It seems these two must be compatible for something to be fully appreciated. As a child, whenever I was ill I remember the quilt my grandmother would bring out to cover me with. It was like being on a treasure hunt to look at all the different patchwork squares of fabric, matching them up, comparing them, and looking at the patterns. There were some I liked much better than others and those were ones where color and design were both appealing to me. So this is something we also discover early on whether we distinguish the reasoning for it or not at the time.

I also recall the beautiful flowers my grandmother and our neighbors had growing in their gardens. Balsam was a favorite of my grandmother’s, as it grew wild where she had lived in Russia. She would bring them from her garden to church to have them blessed by the Eastern Orthodox priest in August, which was the Great Feast of the Dominion of the Theotokos.

Theotokos left behind an empty tomb, and when it was discovered, it was found to be filled with the fragrance of flowers. My grandmother loved the pure reds and oranges. In fact she favored red in most varieties of flowers. I remember her buying several small pots of geraniums to plant on graves on Memorial Day so, as much as she enjoyed them, she wouldn’t plant them in her own garden. They were set aside and meant to be special.

For those of us who garden or appreciate walking through one, we find our favorite flower might be because of the scent, a specific variety, or the color. So after all these years, I still find myself being influenced often by the flowers in the old gardens that I grew up around. I love to paint geraniums because of how special they were to my grandmother.

The woman across the street from us had sky blue morning glories and a neighbor two houses from us had every color imaginable in hollyhocks. My Aunt Annie had a blanket of lily of the valley and an arbor of beautiful purple clematis growing up the one side of the porch. My Aunt Mary had a bleeding heart outside her kitchen door and a yard lined with violet lilacs. Not only am I attracted to the colors of these flowers, but also when I paint them; I find the joy is also in remembering. Some of the earliest cave drawings are of flowers and some of the pyramids of Egypt were found to have seeds. Flowers have influenced our lives in many ways for centuries and very often in art.

The root of art continues to grow in yet other ways such as being able to capture pleasant memories or tell stories in paint. Currently I’m painting a series of snowmen. In the process I can’t help but be reminded of the wonderful times I had as a child outdoors in winter, then later as I played outdoors with my own children. Snowmen were always such a part of that.

So were the evenings when the full moon made a blanket of freshly fallen snow look like blue velvet. I also love windows lit up with bright yellow and orange on a cold evening reflecting welcoming warmth. It was always such a delight to get to go to my Aunt Mary’s after she had all her holiday decorations in place. The contrast of a night sky against the glow of the tree lights on her enclosed porch and the big Santa face in the window still bring a smile and have even inspired my paintings through the years. Even though we didn’t have a camera, it was moments like this that still remain very vivid among my memories.

How many remember a lazy day in summer, lying on the grass and looking up into a cloud filled sky? It was such fun to find shapes of things and watch them turn into something else as they moved along. This might have been my first introduction to impressionism. After all, impressionism is like visual effects over details, not being linear or having smooth blends but more the play of lights and shadows, darks and lights to create an image. You can see it in distant trees and other foliage as well. Though the detail is not clear, it’s obvious to the eye what it actually is.

Art is such a part of our lives in no many ordinary ways that it may even go unnoticed. This is true whether we paint or not. We see it all around us in nature, in architecture, in fashion and home décor. It might be the in the color of car we choose or the color of paint for a room. How often have you looked at something as simple as wrapping paper or a card that has to be “just right” in color and design?

Just about every day I find that I look at the sky to study the colors, the shapes of clouds and the shadows that change throughout the day. I take notice of the differences in all the evergreens in our neighborhood; some are dense while others are gangly and easy to see through the branches. Tree bark is not actually brown and some is scaly and some are smooth. I look forward to the flowers blooming once again. Each season is such a gift in beauty and offers the painter endless possibilities from which to create.

A Colorful Journey

A Colorful Journey Part 7
By Linda Lover
Each designer has their own story, their own experiences and their own way of dealing with situations and in completing this series of articles; these have been a small window into mine. Looking back on my painting years, there have been many changes in the industry as well as in my own life. That first published project was truly the beginning of freelance design for me. It was a proud moment to see my project in print in a national magazine, but it almost didn’t happen as I was very close to throwing in the towel. It seemed one rejection followed another and I began to question if I’d actually go anywhere with this. Finally I realized that two most important aspects in designing were patience and perseverance. I then made the decision not to give up so easily.
Occasionally I find myself reflecting on the days when painting seemed to have been at its peak. Thinking about it now, the trend seems to have lasted much longer than what has come about since, and I don’t think there ever was a program that superseded the popularity of One Stroke. I recall seeing the first instructional packet with the rose. It didn’t look like a classical rose, but it did look like an achievable rose. Though I never opted to take a One Stroke class I thought, finally, someone was making painting look easy. And it had huge appeal when you consider the extent of the classes and products.

I’ve always felt that decorative painting should be promoted at all levels with an open mindedness that includes applications beyond those steeped in tradition. When impressionism, for example, began to appear on the art scene it was not looked on with favor at first. Eventually it gained huge momentum. So as it’s always been, it’s the many differences in art that make it grow in interest and appreciation. Art is not a one size fits all.
However, uniqueness is not always embraced as it means change. For instance, there were times I thought it was the uniqueness of specialty brushes that made them difficult to market to certain groups of painters. Painting shows have almost always presented an atmosphere structured around painting and painters who moved in the traditional methods of both application and brushes. It’s just the way it has been.

When the specialty brushes were newly introduced at one of the shows, folks from SDP were invited to the booth to try them. Only one artist was daring enough to pick up a brush and paint with it. I wondered, if those who chose simply to observe, perhaps they felt a sense of vulnerability using something so unfamiliar to do something they ordinarily did so well. I remember how I avoided using the brushes at first myself, but what I would have missed out on if I hadn’t. To learn from something new, it’s best to set aside expectations in order to allow for those opportune moments of discovery, possibilities that might otherwise never have been found. That goes for any new painting product, paint, brushes, mediums, etc.

One of my basic goals has always been trying to keep what I do interesting and fresh. It could be a new application or creating something using a new product. I’ve always gravitated toward landscapes; it was like traveling without leaving my painting table or it could rekindle a memory. I’m usually inspired by everything that has always been around me, from childhood to present day. Flowers, especially, remind me of special people and places. My grandmother always had beautiful cottage gardens. She was never one to pick a flower because it would bloom longer in her garden. An aunt of mine had a hedge of lilac bushes lining the entire side of her property; another had a patch of lily of the valley and clematis climbing on a porch trellis every summer.

Whether we realize it or not, often in designing, we’re influenced by the things in life that also bring happy thoughts; at least I find that I am. It isn’t easy to continually search for something new because just about everything in painting has been done by someone before, so the key is to do it differently. It’s a challenge and you continually draw from that creative place in your head and they eye is your visual teacher that lets you know that what you’ve done is original.

Creativity and originality are the freelance designer’s roots as well as their bread and butter. It’s something that often doesn’t come easily, especially when it’s something that’s been done for years. It takes time and effort to make sure that you don’t repeat yourself or imitate something too closely that belongs to another, whether being a designer with a particular look or one who paints with change. For me, I’ve drifted around, having done whimsical, flowers, landscapes, and craft painting, most at a comfortable, achievable skill level.
 I’ve depended on my designs and sometimes my techniques to set apart what I do from others in this business in order to create my own signature. Anytime work is part of you, your discovery, your interpretation, and your idea, you want to share it with other painters with hopes they’ll enjoy what you’ve designed. This is probably the ultimate goal of any freelance designer as it not only keeps you in business, but it offers the joy of having others interested in what you’ve created.

Freelance designing is totally dependent on individual creativity and when those projects and ideas are published, they are meant to be painted and used by other painters. Infringements occur when designs or ideas are taken without the originator’s permission, generally with intent to commercialize in some way.
Copyrights should never make a painter shudder. There’s so much leniency for using published designs. If there weren’t, what would be the purpose? Designers would be out of business otherwise. Hand painted projects from designs can be sold, given as gifts, painted for personal use, and designs can also be taught in painting classes. For copyrights to become an issue it might be when a pattern(s) is mass-produced for sales by someone other than the original designer. Or someone commercially benefits his or her business recreating another’s original work or idea and assuming credit and financially profiting from it without permission.

Those first experiences with ideas and designs taken without my knowledge, I simply moved on rather than make waves, as I was new. However, at the same time this also deprived me of royalties or being recognized for my creative work. When this occurred in those first years of designing it was also a setback, considering one idea became a product of the year and another was sold as a kit on a national craft show and I received no acknowledgement for either.

As a designer, there’s a constant need to be on the creative edge and each original project or idea builds a resume, which can create more opportunities and income on down the line. Freelance design isn’t just painting for fun once it becomes a business. It’s a job even though it’s doing something you really like to do. Decorative painting is a creative industry, as well as one of art and is also competitive so ethics are an intrigle part. It becomes a complicated and difficult situation when a designer becomes aware after the fact that their work has been taken and used in the commercial enterprise of another. I know from experience as it happened to me twice with the same designer. This type of situation shouldn’t even occur, simply out of a mutual respect for other designers and their creative endeavors.
A couple of years ago, I decided it was time for me to go back to my original painting roots so I chose to give up being an exclusive designer to go strictly freelance once again. I like where I am now, working on my own ideas with products of my choice. I enjoy pursuing new opportunities and connecting to people who are interested and appreciate what I design. I feel I’ve come full circle and it was truly a wonderful journey.

I learned a lot, made some great lasting friendships, and came away with a better understanding of the industry. As a designer the only person I compete with is me, in trying to keep everything I do better than what I’ve done before. Not the end of my journey, just a new beginning.

Further Adventures with Jill

By Jill Smith

Since I last wrote to Sharon I have been on a very interesting journey. I decided to not take any classes at this time and to just study from some books I found at my local library.

I have been painting up a storm, it has been fun once I just put all my fears behind me and got out there and did it.

First I purchased some new oils that are professional oils and right off I could see a big difference from the cheap student brand I had in the first place. One question that popped into my mind was why on earth did the teacher at the night school tell us to buy such cheap oils? Hmmmmmm!

Ok so let that one go, then I got some real canvas’ not just the canvas boards and again what a difference that makes.

My first attempt was one of a simple still life, I have to say I removed the paint a few times but finally I got a vague rendition of what I wanted to paint, it was in no way perfect but it did have some interesting qualities.

I loaded my brush with a lot more paint than I would have, due to one of the art books I read, and I started putting the strokes on sort of loose. I tried this technique for a few times but I found I did not like the results…..it looked like my 7 year old did it! Waaaaaaaaaaaaa!

OK, Ok, stop feeling so bad and pull yourself together……so the next thing I tried was to paint more realistically. I painted a scene from one of the books, step by step and this artist painted like I wanted to paint. Doing each step and letting myself just be creative started feeling really good. Wow I needed to get an artists beret! Yeah right!….. come on don’t get too out of hand here Jill!

My husband came home that evening and saw what I had accomplished and actually was amazed that I had painted it. What joy!!! Oh boy now I am on a roll……NOT!

The next day I started working and actually loved it, then my doorbell rang and it was my neighbor that I had gone to the classes with. She immediately wanted to see what I was doing as she had stayed in the night class and was painting a lot.

I could tell from her stance (Folded arms and head tipped) and the look on her face that she didn’t like it one bit. There was a lull while she eyed my painting, she finally opened her mouth and said “Jill you should have stayed in the night class!” That was all nothing more.

Now if it were turned around I would not have treated her differently. I would have lied trough my teeth and told her how great it was, no matter what I really thought, but she is not me and she has a different way of communicating which can be a bit offensive.

At first this really bothered me, I felt like a complete failure, I immediately started questioning my decisions… my confidence flew out the window!

Should I have stayed there? Did I make a mistake in quitting the class and going off on my own? Would I have been better if I had kept on with the nasty teacher who put everyone down? Is that what “suffering” as an artist means?

After she left I sat for a while looking at my painting and I just realized that I didn’t need her approval or anyone’s for that matter. I don’t need to question myself. I didn’t need to let someone make me feel bad. This was a great improvement from when I was in the class. I have been researching articles on standing up for yourself and not letting others rob you of your joy because they may have personal problems.

I have come a long way baby! I feel good about how quickly I bounced back from her put-down and I feel good about my art!

I am now working with more art books and learning about color mixing and composition from Sharon’s Color mixing workbook. I never knew there was so much to painting! I am happy I left that class and have found that you don’t need to have a teacher by your side to learn how to paint. You just need to have the desire and patience!

I also have learned that no matter what I am not the same person I used to be.

I am stronger and I don’t let things bother me like they used to.

Each day I get better and better at being who God meant me to be.

I will let you know how I move along…………….

Painting Tips

Painting Tips

by

Sharon Teal Coray

How should an artist sign his work?

I have found that most of my students worried about how to sign their finished work. It is so simple, just sing and date your work in the same manner that you would on a letter or document or develop a specific style to use only on your paintings. Remember to include the copyright symbol.

Keep in mind that it is a good idea to have the signature part of the design element of the painting in size, color and placement. Don’t just sign your first name. Keep it small and in the same place on each painting.

How do you reattach a brush to the handle?

Now What!

This is one problem that water media artists face a lot because lots of water is involved in the painting process. If the handle only wobbles but is not entirely removable, crimping with pliers will only distort the shape of the ferrule and make matters worse.

I have found that you can punch a couple of small holes with an awl into the opposites of the ferrule, the awl drives the metal into the wood and presto the wobble is stopped. Once you have done this it is a good idea to coat the holes with a clear lacquer or enamel paint.

If the handle is completely off, use an epoxy glue to reattach the ferrule.

One word of caution never let your brushes sit in water, this will not only ruin the shape but it will cause the handles to come loose.

Mixing Oils

When you mix oils make sure you don’t over do it, if you keep mixing and mixing your paint will sparkle and freshness of the color will diminish.

Repair a Canvas

I had a painting that got a small slash in it during an art show. Something must have hit it and damaged it. To repair it I simply took a small piece of canvas and glued it to the back of the canvas over the cut. Then on the painted side I applied a layer of white paint with Cobalt drier in it over the cut and let it dry, making sure that there were no hard edges. When it was completely dry I repainted the area. It cannot bee seen at all. IF I had been working with acrylics I would have used Gesso instead of the white paint.

Getting Oil out of your Clothes

If you have ever gotten oil paint on your clothes and didn’t know how to get it out here is a handy tip that my students and I used that worked wonders.

Simply spray the area with “Oven Cleaner” yes that is what I said! For some reason this works and never harms the fabric, and it even works on something that has been washed and dried in the dryer!

Prevent Oil Paint from drying on brushes

There have been times when I found I had to finish up painting and didn’t have time to properly clean my brushes. With oils this is not a big problem as the oil dries so slowly however, if you use a siccative then you will need to do something to prevent them from drying before you get back to clean them. I have found that if I dip them into my cleaner (I used Turpenoid Natural) and then place them in a plaice Ziploc and then into the freezer they will stay nice and soft until I get back to clean them properly. This also works for your palette if you don’t want your colors to dry out and your not going to be working with them for a few days, cover the palette with plastic wrap and place it in the freezer.

Keeping brushes organized

I used to have my brushes in one big container. They were all mixed together and when I wanted a certain one it was not easy to find. Now I use a smaller brush holder for each kind of brushes. One for Brights, flats, filberts, fans, and detail brushes. These have separate compartments so I can keep the different sizes together. They revolve so I can always find the brush I need.

This brush holder is avalibe at http://www.sharonteal-coray.com/

Want a big Palette?

When I paint with oils I need lots of room for mixing, I have found that using a large drawing board with a clip on the end and Reynolds Freezer paper works wonders! Be sure to get Freezer paper, which has a plastic coating not just butcher paper.

I found the freezer Paper at WalMart and if your store does not have it you can order it online

Artists Life Journal

by

Sue Helen

Your journal can be about whatever you’d like it to be regarding your art. You can add artwork and photos of your work from when you started until present, favorite paint colors, favorite brushes and other tools. It can have instructions on specific projects or articles regarding art that you especially enjoyed. You can list favorite or most helpful books about art or even favorite quotes pertaining to art.

You can make it your own and simply call it My Artistic Journey. Maybe you want to add some funny stories about things that have happened to you while painting or about some of the art you’d created that maybe didn’t turn out as planned. You know the ones….the “OOOPS” pieces.

I think it would be really nice to have a color mixing chart and a chart that shows what colors of glazes goes best with the colors in your paintings. How about a “wish list” of supplies you’d love to have, but have just never purchased them as yet. Even a list of your favorite art supply stores would be helpful. Don't forget to add tricks and tips you've learned on your artistic journey.

As for me it would help me a lot if I had photos of subjects I’d love to paint one day and links to web sites that interest me and go back to them often. Links to some of my own favorite artists would be a nice thing to have as well. Take photos of the art you’ve created and put them in your journal as well. You may have given some as gifts or sold some of your work so having photos in your journal would be great.

You can look back at them now and then and smile at all of your beautiful and fun artistic accomplishments. It will also be a wonderful tool of encouragement because you will see how much you’ve grown as an artist from where you were “back then.”

This Artists Life Journal/Journey could be so much fun and it could also be a personal challenge. I’m a very organized person and a very detailed person so this journal would be perfect….not to mention how it could challenge my creativity. Covers made from watercolor paper would be really nice and paint your own artwork on the front and the back of the covers. Pretty ribbon or raffia would be a nice touch for the binding of it. Make sections so you can have it organized and less chaotic. So many ideas.

A journal may not peak the interest of some, but for many I think you would find it a great project that you could keep going for years and years. You’re only limited to your own imagination and it would be a wonderful gift to pass down to others one day.

My wish for you all is that you have a long artistic journey and lots of artwork to fill many Artists Life Journals.

Happy journey!!

For more info go here:

http://www.stampington.com/artJournaling/index.html?gclid=CJqFu4PV064CFQV_hwodwVZxeg

Maintain a Positive Attitude!

by

Sharon Teal Coray

Here is the question of the day…how on earth do I maintain a positive attitude toward my creative self when I make mistakes?

Why do we think we can do something perfectly and when we don’t we are the first to criticize ourselves ruthlessly for deviations from our standards. All of us make mistakes and when we do why do they make us feel worthless?

Maybe we need to remember how our parents treated us when we made mistakes. Did our parents have sensible standards of performance? Were they forgiving of our misdeeds?

Where they very strict with their standards or were they very lax. Either way it can create a child who is anxious about any small change in their life therefore this fear and anxious feeling constricts the spontaneity and ability to take risks, as we get older.

Can you look back at your life as an artist and remember one particular time that you made a big mistake? I remember a student of mine that was extremely hard on herself.

She just came undone every time she made a mistake. She was so critical of herself saying how dumb she was and how stupid of her to make this mistake…by the time she stopped condemning herself she had lost all the creative power she had and would just sit there in class messing around.

If you allow this inner talk and call yourself names for making a mistake while painting you may end up feeling depressed and dejected for the rest of the day.

Your inner critic is operating hurtfully and has gone underground. As a result you feel miserable!

I remember a big mistake I made years ago, I wanted to paint a scene of hot air balloons, so we drove up to Park City early in the morning because they were having a big hot air balloon festival. As we were driving to the area that they were supposed to be I looked up and right before us were three large balloons coming down. I jumped out of the car and snapped picture after picture getting such great photos and being right there by them was a real thrill. I never expected to be that close!

I felt so excited and I knew I had some great reference photos to paint from. When I got home and opened the camera to get the film, I found I forgot to put film into the camera! Wow what a let down! Did I beat myself up for this? Well…. for a few minutes anyway but what was the point? Why not just forgive myself for being human and go on? Eventually my family and I had a great laugh about this!

I urged my students to look at their mistakes as learning opportunities, which in reality they are. If you are afraid of making a mistake you will never have the opportunity to learn anything new.

So to answer the question here are some tips I have used that have helped me.

1. Forgive..Forgive…Forgive.. Yes please forgive yourself for not being perfect! No one is!

2. Accept that fact…you are not perfect!

3. Remember that some mistakes can be incorporated into your final composition.

4. Remember that it is only paint and you can usually remove it or re-do it. It is not the end of the world.

5. Remember that many of the old masters have re-worked their masterpieces so many times and by x-ray this has been proven.

6. All of us make mistakes, so be kind to you!

7. Would you talk to a friend the way you talk to yourself?

8. Give yourself permission to fail…ok so you didn’t do the best work, so what! Move on!

9. Lastly please let your inner voice be positive…it is hard for some of us I know, but when you catch your thoughts of negativity creeping in just stop what you are doing and say to yourself, I am not perfect, and I do make mistakes but I also do some great things and concentrate on them! Start mentally listing them and eventually your inner critic will shut up!

Through The Artists’ Eyes

By Sue Hulen

As an artist I doesn't just look at something with my two eyes. I believe we artists have what I refer to as an “artists’ third eye.” It’s the eye that sees something that I can create and make my own. You know the one…the one that says “Oh yah. That’s it. That’s how I wanted it to look.” or “What a great subject to paint (or sculpt or photograph).” And then go about creating it through the lens of your third eye.

I’ve had people tell me that my idea of painting something specific was not a great idea. They couldn’t envision what I was explaining to them as to what the finished piece would look like. They are not artists and therefore do not possess the artist’s third eye. Once the piece was completed they liked it very much.

We can envision the colors and composition. We feel what we’re painting and our spirit is one with the subject we’re creating. It’s created out of love and imagination…creativity and inspiration. The subjects we paint can give us a tremendous amount of inspiration as well as excitement. How many times have you said to yourself “I cannot wait to start painting that.”?

My third eye is always open seeing what can be created or even re-done in a different way after the piece is completed. When my eyes see a branch of cherry blossoms, my artists’ eye, my third eye, sees only a section of a single branch with just a few blossoms nestled together and a few single blooms sharing that piece of the branch. My eyes will see a single flower, but my third eye sees how I can paint that flower in watercolor or acrylic and make it look a bit different.

It becomes our own.

We could show ten artists the same photo of a flower garden, a field of wheat or an herb garden and they would all see and paint something quite different from one another. Some would use watercolors while someone else would acrylics or oils. Some would use very bright colors while others would use more pastel, almost transparent colors. Fascinating!

Almost everything I look at now I see it with my third eye and how it would look if I painted it. I notice colors and shapes; design and composition. It’s fun, exciting and so uplifting being an artist. No need to compete with one another as our work would be different nine out of ten times anyway.

Try to be mindful of your own artists’ eye (third eye) and see just how often you use it. You’ll be very, very surprised. Make a journal of what you see and how you would like to interpret it from your own artistic perspective. I’ve not done that, but I think I should. We forget to easily the things that we’ve seen and would love to paint. Our minds tend to move a mile a minute when we see “subjects” of interest. With all that mind chatter we can forget what our intent was.

Spring is in the air, can you smell it? Lots of beauty will soon be popping out all over. Allow your artists eye to capture that beauty and let your brushes go wild with your own interpretation.

Have a wonderful spring.

Sue Hulen

Outstanding Artists of Today

Being an artist for so long I have a very large collection of Art magazines. Looking through some from way back I found some delightful artists that I want to share with you.

The first one of the series is;

Linda Stanton Moore

I have loved Photo-realism all of my life, and I know that some consider this type of work to be impersonal and inferior to other types.

They are certainly entitled to their opinions but I know it is harder to capture the tiny details in a painting like these rather than painting with big broad strokes. It takes a lot of talent and patience.

So here I will share some of Linda's outstanding works and what she has said about her art.

Linda has the ability to depict objects of beauty with such character as to make the viewer want to touch them to see if they are real. For Moore, the longing to touch is the ultimate confirmation of a work’s authenticity.

In her world the viewer is welcomed as an active participant. They are drawn into her paintings. She carefully arranges her still life compositions subjects one at a time taking into account the textures, contrasting hues, direction of light, that will be pleasing to the eye. Her wish is to bring the viewer closer to take a look at her details.

It is slow work for her, she once timed herself and found it took one hour to paint one square inch of a crystal cruet on canvas. It may take her up to two hundred and fifty hours to complete a complicated painting but she feels it is truly worth it.

Here is her original set up for the painting below. She spends hours searching out her objects.

"A Job Remembered"

Copper,Tea and Shakspeare

 The challenge of capturing and transmitting this sort of art of intricacy is clearly what attracts Moore to realism. As she admits, "I love painting the way I do; it's such a discipline. I am intrigued by intricacy such as the pile of a carpet, or the way the surface of a cranberry shines, or the glowing flame inside a lamp"

Sharon Teal-Coray

Tips and Techniques

Common Oil Painting Techniques

by

Sharon Teal-Coray

Blending

To blend your oils together keep you paint thin. Join the areas of color with a clean brush moving in the direction of the original strokes you painted. 

Apply a Wash

Some artists like to start off with a layer of thin paint called a "wash"

Thin the paint with your turp, this is so thin that it may run but that is how you want it.

Rubbing it in

This will be a thin application but not as thin as a "wash". This the paint and just rub into  the surface vigorously.

Impasto

This term is used to describe a think solid application of paint It is usually reserved for the highlights. You can use a brush or a knife for this application.

Lay it on!

You can use a knife to apply a broad sweep of paint. Use it for textured backgrounds.

Scumbling

This is the techniqueof applying a lighter semitransparent color over a darker hue. It creates an optical illusion that the two colors are mixed



"Brush Smarts"

Let's get to know the Basic Brush Shapes!
by
Sharon Teal-Coray

The artists of today have thousands of brushes to choose from. However, there is really only a few that are basic shapes that have been used for centuries.

The American Indians used a brush made out of a Yucca plant to paint their pots; they may have used sticks to paint on the canyon walls. In Europe you can find examples of old brushes made with hair and feather quills.

Our modern brushes are made out of wonderful materials using age-old skills. The best and most expensive brushes are still made by hand. The brush maker will choose the hair and then gently manipulate them to create a perfect brush.

Then he will choose the perfect handle and dip it into a resinous substance.

The shaped bunch of hair is then attached around this tip and secured with a metal ferrule that covers up to two-thirds of the hair, leaving only the final third to paint with.

Quality

How can we distinguish between a high quality brush and one that is of low quality? The first clue is the price, if a brush is hand made by an excellent brush maker and well balanced is will cost more. If you see a brush at prices that are too good to be true…be aware that you are probably going to get a low quality brush.

You can actually test a brush to spot a low quality one. The manufacturer will dip the brush into a mild starch before it leaves the factory. So a bad brush will look as good as a high quality brush. To test it, push the bristles down as if you were painting with fair pressure. Notice if the bristles “spring” back into shape or do they remain bent. It is best to do this by wetting the brush to remove the stiffener.

If what you are holding is a quality brush it will spring right back when wet and retain its point and shape. On the other hand it looks like a formless ball of hair don’t buy it. It would be great if we could all afford tons of the best brushes on the market because they are the most important tool we use, however that is not the case so what should an artist choose.

For one thing it will depend on the medium you will be using and the type of painting you will be doing. If you are an easel painter that paints loosely then you may need long handles, but if you are a realistic painter you may fined short handles suit your needs better. The basic rules that I taught my students was to buy the very best they could afford, maybe they can only have a few but it is better to have a few very high quality brushes than a handful of cheap ones that will not last or do the job! 

One way to tell if the manufacturer is producing high quality brushes is to look at the handles; they should have a high gloss on them. The metal ferrules should be one piece, not joined at the seams. I have had brushes that I thought were high quality come apart while wiping the paint off of them, the hair has just come right out of the ferrule, the actual bristles were too short so I could see that they did not embed them down into the ferrule.

This is a way for them to save money but what a waste my time and money! ! Now I am very fussy as to what brand I purchase. Being in this industry for over 35 years and selling supplies in my art academy and having a son who owned an art store, gave me the opportunity to test just about every brush manufacturer on the market.

Unfortunately, there are many brush companies out there that produce quantity instead of quality. The old adage of “you get what you pay for” is especially true in the brush industry.

Here are some photos of the basic brushes and what they can do.

The first photo is Bristle Round Brushes for oils

This stiff medium length holds a lot of paint and is great for texturing. Hold it upright and pounce the surface and you will get dotted strokes you can use for pointillism. Hold it at an angle and the dot becomes an oval. Pull the brush and you will get long, tapered strokes

The Second photo is the Bristle Bright for oils.
I use these a lot because of the springiness of its bristles . It is one of the most popular brushes for oil painters. It is great for blocking in large areas, blending, making lines, and if you turn it on its side you can create very thin lines. It is also great for making short fat strokes.

The last photo above is the Filbert for oils

This is like having a cross between a round and a flat. It produces strokes with tapered ends. It makes smoothing your strokes easy. I Love this brush for portraits, I use it for modeling and shading. I use a short filbert for scumbling.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

This first photo below is a Sable Round for watermedia.

It is a plump round that is a mainstay for water media work. By changing the angle and pressure on the brush you can create a variety of shapes. You can also use this for washes if you hold it at an angle close to the paper. Dry is a bit before you apply the paint and you will get a drybrush effect.

The Second photo below is a Sable Flat for Watermedia

This has a very crisp edge and is used by decorative painters for "One Stroke" Use it on it's edge for very narrow strokes. It is a very versatile brush!

The last photo above is Sable Rounds for any medium

The small sizes are used for details. These are used in miniature paintings. They often come with a short handle and for tight control you will hold them close to the ferrule.  

Taking care of your brushes

Because you have spent your hard earned money on them you need to take the time to clean them properly. I use my Shining Feather Soft Scrub Brush basin to clean them and have found it is the best way to get the job done.

Ref. Photos The Artists Magazine 1988

What Being Negative does to Creativity?

by Sharon Teal Coray

If you are the negative type of person who is always finding fault with others or putting them down, this will have a very negative effect on your ability to be truly creative.
This sort of behaviors will sap all the creative juices right out of you. So what do you do to stop this nasty cycle?
First realize what you are doing, if your self-talk is filled with hate or negative thoughts be aware of it and each time it happens try to think of something pleasant.

I have found that when this happens to me I say “ It is what it is, therefore, I will let God handle it”
This helps me so much. I am able to let things just slide off me and be at peace. My creative self returns and I am capable of just letting go of the negative things that have threatened to destroy my inner peace.
It’s important to pay attention to your own needs and feelings. Don’t ruminate about negative things or people. This will only let stress and negative emotions build up. Realize that in this world there is a lot of negativity and some very negative people who will stop at nothing to make another person feel worthless because in doing so they build themselves up!

Just remember that the way you behave and think towards others seems to have a big, big effect on how you behave towards yourself and think about yourself. If you judge people more, you tend to judge yourself more. Be more kind to other people and help them and you tend to be more kind and helpful to yourself. The more you love other people, the more your love yourself. If you love yourself and others you will be more creative!

If you find yourself in a state of “poor me” negative thinking... STOP!….. think of others who are worse off than you. Focus your mind on helping people and being kind, focus on the positive things in yourself, your life and the people around you.

When you are content to be simply yourself and stop judgeing, compareing or competeing, everybody will respect you.

As you learn how to be more positive about yourself and others you will see how much you have grown, what you have achieved and what progress you have made towards your goals of creating beautiful artwork. Negativity just steals that joy away from you so why go there?

Researchers have found that people are more likely to have a creative breakthrough if they were happy the day before. Creativity is less likely to be present with negative emotions such as fear, anger, sadness, and anxiety; it is positively associated with positive emotions such as joy, love, and curiosity.
According to a 2006 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, positive moods can increase your ability to think creatively.
According to Dr. Adam Anderson, senior author of the study, "If you are doing something that requires you be creative or be in a think tank, you want to be in a place with good mood." Focus on eliminating negative thoughts or self-criticisms that may impair your ability to develop strong creative skills.

Sue's View's

Dust Off That Sketch Pad…..Spring Is Almost Here
By Sue Hulen
For most of us I think this will be known as “The Winter That Wasn’t.” So many of us have been blessed with a really beautiful winter. After the past two winters this has been a real pleasure.
We have a bird feeder close to the house and I so enjoy watching all the birds feeding and listening to their chirps and their singing. They’re so free and seem so happy. They must know that spring is almost here, too.
Since the weather has been so friendly I believe I’ll dust off the ol’

sketch pad and sketch some winter trees before the new buds begin to appear on the branches. There are fruit trees, like our apple tree and ornamental, Bradford pear trees like the ones in our neighbor’s yard. They are beautiful.

We have a walnut tree as well. It won’t be long and our Concord grape vine will have its new leaves and the lilac trees will have buds. Already our peonies and lilies are growing their leaves and they are about a foot tall. Amazing. My lavender plants are still in the dormant stage right now, but I’m so looking forward to seeing if I get some blooms on them this year.
Last year I grew so many herbs that I won’t need to plant as many this year. I had a large harvest of many different herbs and some of them I use a lot of so will plant more again this year. I want to sketch the herbs this year. I kept saying that I was going to sketch them last year, but just never did. Such a shame, too, because they were so beautiful.
Just think about all the beautiful sketches you can make once the blooms start coming on the plants. The gorgeous iris, lilies, peonies, roses and so much more. Are you getting excited about spring? I love spring because everything is brand new and so fresh and clean. It’s like new beginnings.
Maybe I will even make an attempt at sketching birds. We have so many sparrows, cardinals, snow birds and doves. We even have a beautiful barn owl, finches, humming birds and hawks. Lots of birds to choose from should I actually make the effort to sketch them.
Have a peaceful week and take a deep breath. Spring is in the air….just take a moment to smell it.
All is well in my world and I hope all is well in yours.
Sue Hulen

Artist of the Month

John Howard Sanden

In the middle 70's I purcahsed a book that has been like a painters bible to me. It looks rather worn now but it has been my teacher for many years. This book is "Painting the Head in Oil"

by John Howard Sanden

I also purchased the paint kit he developed and love using it.

Next I became a member of his Portrait Institute.

If you are serious about learning how to paint beautiful portraits I highly recommend you pick up one of his books. He now has many new editions plus videos!

Below is his Bio that is off his site. It is interesting to see what this man has accomplished in his lifetime. I think he is one of the most prominent portrait painters in our lifetime.

ProMix®

John Howard Sanden, noted portrait painter, author and teacher, developed the ProMix® System of flesh and neutral tone oil colors. It allows the artist to obtain delicate variations of skin tones quickly and consistently with reliability and control. Non-toxic. The set contains all 10 specially formulated Professional Oil Colors (37ml each), ProMix® System Color Chart and Mixing Guide and The ProMix® Color System "Color Mixing for Portrait and Figure Painting" book.

With this set of oils John develped you don't need to worry about mixing flesh tones!
John Howard Sanden Pro Mix® Portrait Color System Manufactured my Martin F Weber

Created by John Howard Sanden, world-renowned portrait artist, this set of colors, palette, and full color instructional material is an ideal item for catalogs, Internet resellers and retailers.

The ProMix® Color System consists of a set of ten specially formulated flesh tone colors, thirteen standard palette colors, (37ml size) Original Permalba® White, (150ml) and a thirty sheet disposable palette 50cm x 40 cm (20” x 16”) with colors diagram printed on the cover. The ten Pro Mix® Colors are used in combination with the traditional palette of standard colors to produce a wide range of clean, exact, flesh tones.

Included in each set is a detailed full-color instructional booklet that quickly teaches you how to create a full spectrum of 78 easily repeatable color combinations. The 32” foldout color-mixing chart is used to record the color mixtures for ready reference.

 Bio

"The critical year in John Sanden's personal history was 1969 — the year he decided to leave the Midwest and a long career in Christian art, and try his hand at New York City and the world of portrait painting. Within months of arriving in New York, he was appointed to the teaching faculty of the Art Students League, had become affiliated with the city's principal portrait brokerage, Portraits, Incorporated, and had established a nationwide portrait clientele of the famous, wealthy and influential.

Sanden thereupon launched into an ambitious teaching career. He founded The Portrait Institute in 1974 and began touring the nation, teaching his ideas and techniques to thousands, who came out to hear him in classes as large as seven hundred at a time. Those who could not come in person studied through one of the national correspondence instructional programs, which he created. In 1979, Sanden launched the National Portrait Seminar, which grew to be the largest art seminar program in America. An annual lecture series at the Art Students League was presented to standing-room-only audiences there for twenty-three years.

John Sanden is the author of four books on portraiture: Painting the Head in Oil (Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, 1976); Successful Portrait Painting (Watson-Guptill, 1981); Portraits From Life (North Light Books, Cincinnati, 1999); and The Portraits of John Howard Sanden (Madison Square Press, New York, 2001).

With all of these demands on his time, he has managed to complete more than five hundred portraits of prominent figures in American public, professional and business life. His client list reads like a Who's Who of American education and industry.

Profile, the magazine of the American Portrait Society, said, in a 1984 feature article written by the Society's president, "John Howard Sanden may well be the best known name in contemporary American portraiture." Popular columnist Pete Hamill, writing in the New York Post, August 15, 1991, said "John Howard Sanden is the closest we have in America to fit the old role of court painter."

On May 29, 1994, the American Society of Portrait Artists presented their first John Singer Sargent Medal for Lifetime Achievement to Sanden. On September 30 of that same year, Houghton College awarded him the Doctor of Fine Arts degree."

To see more of his work and to purchase his products please go to:http://www.johnhowardsanden.com/

 

Sharon Teal-Coray

Are you pinning to Pinterest? Caution!

My Friend Linda Lover just sent me this info and I thought I would pass it on.............

Pinterest has gained a lot of interest lately however, if you are a professional artist you need to read their terms of use!

If you pin your original art please read this, it tells you exactly what the owners of Pinterest can do with your art!

"We may, in our sole discretion, permit Members to post, upload, publish, submit or transmit Member Content. By making available any Member Content through the Site, Application or Services, you hereby grant to Cold Brew Labs a worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, royalty-free license, with the right to sublicense, to use, copy, adapt, modify, distribute, license, sell, transfer, publicly display, publicly perform, transmit, stream, broadcast, access, view, and otherwise exploit such Member Content only on, through or by means of the Site, Application or Services. Cold Brew Labs does not claim any ownership rights in any such Member Content and nothing in these Terms will be deemed to restrict any rights that you may have to use and exploit any such Member Content."

They may not do anything like this but this gives them the right to do whatever they wish  with your own work! They can sell, modify, adapt or sublicense your work!

If you have posted your work I would highly recommend that you take it down.

Also there is a lot of confusion as to what you can legally pin...is it copyrighted? To make sure you don't infringe go to their site and read their "Terms of Use"

Here is the link:   http://pinterest.com/about/terms/

Sharon Teal Coray

Art from the Heart

by

Sharon Teal-Coray

Today I have been updating some of my websites I created and manage and thinking about the next projects for my new book that will be coming out the first of next year. I find it interesting that when I am doing the creative work on websites my brain starts thinking of all sorts of ideas to paint. I guess that is because I am totally into my "right" brain.

I am so thrilled about this new book, as I am going back to my fine art roots and it will be with oils and the subject will be the southwest, two of my great loves! It will be more instructional which I love!

The last few years I did some books on Decorative art that really were not what I loved as much as my fine art but they did pay the bills! So I cannot complain one iota! I was paid for something I love doing, it can't get any better than that!

However working on wood with acrylics has never been my true love. I need to feel the canvas under my brush and mix the oils with my knife to get the feeling of really being in the "moment" of creating.

Working with my publisher is great and it is nice to be so valued in this industry as to keep having my books printed at no expense to me.

To be mixing colors again is so refreshing and makes me wonder how I have gone so long not doing so.

Things have changed in the Decorative field as now you only make so much on each book. When the first book I had come out with Leisure Arts I was paid a royalty up front for over $3,000.00 plus 7% royalties on all sales. The second two was over $2,000.00 for each one plus the royalties. This industry has really changed, so has the fine arts gallery industry.

It is harder to get into a gallery now and harder to sell a painting for thousands of dollars.

I am happy to say that I have had the great privilege in my life to be in those beautiful galleries and sell a great deal of my paintings when things were better in this country.

What a great opportunity that was for me!

In the end, I look at it this way, I really didn't do anything alone, I had the help of God who used me as an instrument to create paintings.

I count my many blessings every day!

One of my favorite things that happened to me one day at the Park City Arts Festival in Park City Utah, is when I was sitting in the gallery where my work was hung, I was finishing a painting of a southwestern still life, a man came up behind me and watched me paint for about 20 minutes, then he asked me "How long has it taken to paint this?" My reply to him was "Oh about 20 years!" He had a good chuckle and then I explained to him that in reality that is how long it took for me to get that far, to perfect my art and ....to be able to paint that well!

So tomorrow will be my 51st wedding anniversary (I was 9 when I got married! LOL!) I will spend it in my studio painting...what a glorious way to spend the day! Then my sweet hubby will fix us a beautiful dinner.....could it get any better?

Thank you God for all your blessings!

Always be thankful for the gifts God has given you!

"Brush Smarts"

Favorites Brushes

by

Linda Lover

As I was looking at the dozens of paintbrushes on my art table and deciding which to write about next, the angular bristle caught my eye. However, before I begin I want to thank Sharon for continually coming up with great ideas and informative articles that inspire and encourage. Also for her generous invitation to painters of all levels and interests to contribute to Purple Palette Artists Magazine.

When I started out, I quickly went from practicing tole strokes for painting flowers to folk art landscapes. I’d always admired the works of Grandma Moses, an artist without formal training and who painted with house paint. I liked how her paintings all seemed to tell a story and record her own personal history. It’s amazing how many paintings she was able to create just from her region.

With my newfound interest in landscapes, I was also using techniques that were new to me and, along with it, adding different styles of brushes to a growing collection. I went from worn scruffy brushes for stippling to using brushes created specifically for this purpose.

The first was a deerfoot and through the years others have been introduced in different shapes. I’ve recently started using the angular bristle. The shape of it easily defines evergreens due to a flat edge, whereas, the deerfoot is broad and round. I begin by using only the corner toe of this brush for the top small boughs and increase both pressure and amount of bristles while forming the larger part of the tree.

I keep the stippling slightly irregular for a more natural look and often use a very slight pull of the tip for variety in texture. Boughs can be turned up, down or cropped close together as for arbor vitae or the slim trees in Tuscan paintings. Placing the edge of the bristle lightly over boughs is another option when it comes to painting evergreens that have large gapping open areas.
When highlighting snow, I generally only load the brush with paint on the toe bristles if an evergreen is small. For larger ones, I double load keeping white on the toe and green on the heel, so that when the color is stippled in, it will automatically blend into the tree. This brush also pulls grasses nicely so it works well for pine needles on large boughs, too.
What I find really neat about stipplers is that they are not a single purpose brush.

Pouncing is only the beginning of what they do; there is much more to these brush styles. I’ve used them for blending strokes in skies and water, pulling grass, sketching bold leaves and flowers and scrubbing pathways with them. The pressed image of the bristle angel creates the instant shape of a pussy willow bloom; can’t get much simpler than that.

The bristle angel can be used wet, damp or dry. Using thicker paint loads or a more wet brush offers heavier and more solid results while a dry or damp brush with less paint will offer airiness to foliage or fine grassy effects. The amount of bristle being used also gives more variety to this brush. It can be used on the brush toe, heel, flush or on the side.
Scrubbing can be done keeping the brush tight to the surface with more pressure and less paint. Loads can be single or double, or one color can be layered over another for highlights and shading. I’ve pulled the brush on its heel (shorter bristles) to give softer blends to clouds with pressure basically applied to the heel. Free form sketching can create ruffled leaves or petals and the brush works best if bristles are wet (not drippy) as paint needs to move smoothly.

As for how I hold the brush, it’s generally where ferrule meets handle as I would hold a pen or pencil. Pressure plays an important part in results as well. More pressure will push and blend paints where a lighter application will create an airy look or blush of color.

As for bristle angel sizes, I have a 1”, ½” and ¼”, and it often depends on how large my surface or subject is as to which one I will choose to use. And one thing about brush sizes is that it’s easy to paint something bigger with a small brush than try to paint something small with a big brush.