Purple Palette Magazine

A Colorful Journey Part 6

2012-01-29T15:01:00.001-07:00

By Linda Lover

I remember the first time I came back from a painting show after losing my husband. That he was not at the airport to meet me with his usual big hug; I felt such an ache in my heart. It was a reminder of how much my life had changed. Each adjustment seemed huge and there were so many to work through. I’d always enjoyed being at the shows, talking to painters and seeing all that was new but, even still, I was always anxious to get back home.

At this point in my life, I felt no hurry. It had been a struggle to regain the enthusiasm for painting that I’d once had. I realized it was important for me to pull myself up by my bootstraps and get my mind on what I was there to do. It wasn’t easy but it was good in that it was something to push me in the positive direction that I so desperately needed. Gradually, I could feel myself regaining some momentum in painting but it was a slow process and one of noticeable change.

Though I continued to submit projects to magazines, they were beginning to fall out taking opportunities along with them. So timing couldn’t have been more perfect when I was given the opportunity to do a painting book. Even more of a blessing was that one book turned into a series. Since my self-published specialty brush book had been successful, I thought a follow up would be a good idea. However, the publisher felt that if the book was to have any chance of being picked up by a chain that the brushes needed to be traditional even though I could choose the brand I listed. He felt a follow up with specialty brushes would be better as a second book if the first book proved to be successful.
This turned out to be the best advice I could have received as the first in the series was picked up by a chain. I used traditional brushes but included the non-traditional methods that I’d developed for the specialty brushes, pressing the image to simplify applications. I also chose surfaces that most chains would carry.
Now I had the opportunity to work on a second book using the specialty brushes. This book did not do well despite the fact it was an improved version over the original. So it was a time of evaluation. I was very thankful that the publisher was willing to let me continue with a third in the series despite the results of the second book.

This time I chose a landscape theme using mostly traditional brushes. What a relief to know that it had sold so well that it went into a second printing. All of this helped me to understand the market a little better, something that is always a concern but not necessarily easy to figure out. Interest creates demand for one thing.

The first book came out when specialty brushes were new to the industry so interest was at its peak. As time passed, I noticed it was a challenge to interest stroke work painters in a unique brush; they were happy with their standard brushes and traditional techniques. Painters who purchased specialty brushes at one show returned with comments that they still hadn’t used them.
Though interest remained in seeing what they could do, the result was they weren’t buying more. Specialty brushes were usually offered at shows or through a few small shops, not chains, making them less available as well. About this time, I decided to continue to go with what I loved to paint most, landscapes. So I began to demonstrate techniques with deer foot and stencil brushes. Having always loved impressionistic applications, these were ideal. Methods were fun. A large sky could be finished in a short time with a stencil brush. Stippled trees or other foliage could cover a mistake or quickly create balance in a painting.

The demos were generating interest and at one show we ran out of stencil brushes. But again, loose painting isn’t for everyone, and so for those who liked controlled stroke work, it was a hard sell. It came to where I felt like just crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. It’s actually an impossible expectation to think that everyone will be interested in a new product or application.
The middle ground is the best to hope for but yet it’s important to remain up to the challenge to continue to pursue what seems an improbability.
When the fourth paint book in the series was published, chains picked it up, so all books did well except for the specialty brush one; most likely due to the fact they didn’t carry the product.
Because no matter what brand of traditional brushes are listed, the styles are readily available. There are key factors in doing a book and one is including products of the companies and stores involved in marketing the books.

It’s important to check and find out if surfaces will be available at the time of the book’s introduction. Colors and trends are always a consideration. An editor once told me that a project with colors that “pop” will get attention. A design can be great but if it’s lifeless, it will be passed over.
Trends are a factor and a designer doesn’t want to be behind, nor too far ahead. I learned about too far ahead the hard way. It was with a self-published book that used bright colors, namely red and black, and the theme was predominately chickens. At the time red and black were not “in” nor were chickens, so the book was a dud.

The previous book with lots of blues and greens and winter whimsical designs was a success and I probably should have continued with that, hindsight being what it is. However, I’d always liked chicken designs. About two years later, they were showing up in magazines and books, as were bright colors. I thought maybe my book might have a revival, but by then it was history. Designers who attend shows and have a booth or teach or have a website can generally carry their books much longer. I know of a designer who still sells books from twenty years ago.

Unfortunately, I found myself in a situation that I hoped had been resolved previously. It was difficult for me to understand how someone involved in the decorative painting industry in various capacities for thirty years could overlook a basic principal of copyright.

Before using the original work of another designer, particularly for commercial purposes, it’s necessary to seek permission. However, this can play out in two ways; a request has the potential to be refused. Or an acceptance could involve royalties or another shared financial arrangement for use. So by simply ignoring the proper thing to do, which was to ask, it avoids either probability. Instead, it creates an entirely new problem.

I found myself in a very similar situation once again with the same designer. It began when a friend attending one of the shows came across a notebook of designs and thought they were mine. It was revealed that these were an introduction for a future plan. This happened at a time when I was grieving the loss of my husband, and I didn’t have the energy to deal with it. After a while, I eventually contacted the marketing rep that didn’t feel that there was a problem!
Since no one had bothered to inform me that my techniques and designs were being used in such a way, I did feel there was a problem. I also wondered why this incident as well as the previous one coincidently occurred at times I was unable to attend shows. Though I hadn’t seen the notebook, I felt my friend had a keen eye and trusted her observation.
When I returned to attending shows, I was curious to see these designs, but they were not available and no one seemed to know anything about them. Naturally I found that odd. Not long after, I discovered that the material was being marketed in a commercial format benefiting this designer. To further complicate the issue, she had mixed her original material with my copyrighted material.

I was frustrated with the lack of respect for my work, having what was original to me being used in such a manner without my knowledge or permission. The loyalty I felt toward the company was a consideration and played a large part in a decision I had to make, even though I was disappointed that no one in the company had kept me informed. I guess this was the point where I began to sense a crack in what had been so important to me, and that was working as a team.
It’s difficult to understand the mindset of any designer who’d knowingly take the work of another, but it goes on.

I’ve heard of incidences from several others through the years, and two just recently. When SDP changed their copyright statement, it happened to coincide with a situation that might have otherwise involved their having to deal with an infringement. Companies and groups want to remain like Switzerland and I totally understand their view for neutrality.

They are in business to market product and issues between designers are simply that…between designers. What I don’t understand is supporting any designer whose ethics knowingly aren’t in tact. When a designer does address a copyright issue, they might as well know that they are on their own in doing so. This is why too often they move on rather than upset the apple cart.

For most designers, infringing is utterly impossible to contemplate, so it’s difficult to grasp how any designer might have no qualms about doing it. Once I decided to get into freelance design, I chose not to take classes in the hope that I could keep my style and discoveries original to me. As a result it does make learning to paint a much slower process but I’ve been pleased with my decision in the long run.

It’s helped to set me apart from other designers. However, it’s still somewhat of an asset to take notice of what others are doing and what seems to be generating interest in the decorative painting industry. But since freelance design is a commercial enterprise where selling designs and ideas is the end result, it’s a given that any work being sold by the artist should be original to them. The work shouldn’t be identical nor should it be so similar as to be mistaken for the work of the original creator.

A designer once shared with me that there are countless snowmen designs but each is original to the artist as long as they set it apart from something another artist has already done. I remember when apples were popular, and I was just starting out. At first I thought I couldn’t paint a red apple because it had been done. But it was what I did with that red apple to make it a unique design, that’s what it was all about. It’s the same with most subject matter…a daisy is a daisy and a bluebird is a bluebird, but it’s what the artist does with it that makes it an original to them. This is why, to be a freelance designer, creativity is the biggest part, and one can be inspired or influenced without copying. Originality is the biggest asset to designing and a key factor in its success.
To be continued…….

A personal message from Sharon

2012-01-29T14:43:00.006-07:00

I just wanted to take this opportunity as the new year gets underway to thank all of the people who have helped make this blog a big success! There are many hours of work that has gone into making this a wonderful, informative magazine for all artists all over the world.

Thanks to all who have visited my blog many times and who have supported our work with your presence. It is nice to see how many countries have visited us, sometimes it is overwhelming!

All the nice emails I have received saying how much they have enjoyed reading all the great articles that are here have been so inspiring, they make me want to continue sharing with you!

Once again thank you each and every one of you! I love to share my knowledge with you and if you feel you would like to be part of this magazine with an article or your artwork please feel free to contact me at: sforiginasl@comcast.net

May God bless you and your loved ones throughout the new year and may your creative endeavours all be fulfilled!

Your friend in Christ,

Water Reflections

2012-01-29T13:48:00.004-07:00

Painting reflections in water is a very important aspect of painting realistic water.

Below are some photos I took in Venice, Paris and in Utah. They show a variety of reflections .

VENICE

The reflection under the bridge is darker.

This shows the red and white poles in water that has slight movment, there is a few ripples so the reflections of the poles are not straight. These were taken from the Gondola I was riding in.

Look at how the building is reflected, there is a slight movment of the water so things looks a bit squiggly.

See how the light coming off the building in the background is reflected on the water.

This is one of my favorite photos, it is the reflection of the water on the underside of a bridge in the canal.

The red poles reflections are on a slant, opposite of what you see above the water.

The blue poles are straight up and down as the water is very still.

UTAH

These photos were taken at Deer Lake in UT a few years ago. We were sitting on a boat when I saw the beautiful reflections. Here is a rule: the tree you see in this photo that is leaning will be reflected just the opposite of the angle it is at.

The other reflections are very squiggly as they are where the water was moving more.

The tree and the deer are reflected straight up and down, a mirror image, notice the bands of ripples

HONFLUER, FRANCE

This was a beautiful little town, I loved how the reflections looked on this quiet water in the towns square.

Still water results in mirror reflections

20 Rules for painting reflections in water

1. Light objects reflect darker and dark objects make a reflection that is lighter.

2. Reflections of objects will be somewhat darker and diminished than objects seen directly.

3. The closer the viewer is, the less reflective the water becomes.

4. Calm water directly below the viewer reflects only faint images while the distant water reflects almost as well as a mirror.

5. The sky reflected on the surface of the water is usually a deeper adaptation of the sky above.

6. In muddy water close to the viewer, the general color of the water itself is seen.

7. In clear water, the rocks and objects under the water are easily seen.

8. The nearer the water is to the viewer, the less it reflects an image of the sky and earth.

9. Water in the distant is usually lighter than the water in the foreground.

10. The reflected sky in water close to you will look more blue-violet and greyer and darker than it does far away.

11. In completely calm weather, reflections will look like a mirror, and the upside down image of the objects will appear in a straight line below the objects themselves and will often appear darker and more muted than the actual object.

12. Where there is a slight breeze, the viewer will see some turbulence.

13.From a distance ripples will flatten our and extend out in wide bands across the water.

14. Speckled light will appear where the sunlight catches the ripples; the speckled light will appear very controlled within these bands.

15. If there is a strong breeze lines of ripples will appear to move in consistent angles in one area as opposed to another.

16. The waves on the water will appear flattened out by distance, but appear to contain varied patterns closer to the viewer.

17. Reflections of objects will be completely uneven and unrecognizable.

18. When the water is choppy the viewer will see that the color becomes more grey or slate blue.

19. You will see crests breaking here and there, the more distant ones will appear in rows and those nearby more at hit and miss.

20. Anything that is on an angle will reflect on the water opposite of the angle above the water.

Even though water might seem to be a disordered and multifaceted subject matter, its appearance has certain rules. Remember that the reflections will always appear directly below the object and possess a slightly deeper hue. It changes when viewed in different weather conditions and vantage points. At a distance the ripples will appear as bands the closer they are the less strictly controlled they will appear. Paying close observation and practicing will help the artist paint this mesmerizing subject matter!

Looking at your Painting!

2012-01-29T11:25:00.000-07:00

I always check my paintings to make sure they are well balanced and that they don't have any problems that draw the viewers eyes away from the focal point. Often we get caught up in the actual pleasure of painting and forget to check our composition. I draw directly onto the canvas and many times my paintings are something I created without the help of a reference.

It is vitally important to take a few moments to check what you are doing often so we can make corrections.

Looking at it using a mirror

I like to look at my work in a mirror. This will give me a new and fresh look at my work. The reflection reverses the image from left to right. Now it is easier to see the composition objectively. Now I ask myself:

1. Is my first inspiration still evident?

2. Is there a pattern of light and dark?

3. Is the light correct?

4. Is the focal point identifiable?

Inverted View

I often turn my canvas upside down, then I will stand back and analyze it.

1. Is the arrangement pleasing to the eye?

2. Is there anything that leads the eye out of the picture?

3. Is there a main focal point or are there several things competing for attention?

Next time you paint try this, you will really be suprised at how well it works! Things that are wrong will just jump out at you!

Time to Rant!

2012-01-28T14:22:00.001-07:00

I am tired of hearing artists repeat the same old thing…Realism in not art! You have to paint “painterly” to be considered an artist!

Really? Since when did Caravaggio, Giotto, Leonardo and Rubens become non artists!

They painted wonderful messages with extreme detail, are they not the master artists we all look up to today?

I am tired of reading articles on “How to lossen up”…I don’t want to “loosen” up, if I did I would.

I just love to paint details, and extreme detail is a lot harder than creating something with one stroke!

I love creating “reality” as I see it, if you see it differently fine but stop telling me that it is not art to paint tight!

Faux Photography: 43 Stunning Super-Realistic Works of Art

2012-01-28T14:04:00.001-07:00

Faux Photography

Take some time to look at these amazing works of art. None of them are photographs although you would swear they are!

All of them are part of the photorealism genre. The movement got its start in the US in the 1960s and 1970s, but since then, it’s taken on new forms. Some artists prefer to work in paints, some with computer graphics, and some use materials that are a little more unusual. Whatever media they use, these 10 artists elevate photorealism to new heights with their monumental talent.

They are all incredible!

To see them all go to:

http://weburbanist.com/2009/10/22/faux-photography-43-stunning-super-realistic-works-of-art/

This you have to see!

2012-01-28T13:57:00.001-07:00

23 years in the making....

"History Holds The Future"

4' x 8' Oil-Alkyd on Linen

Collection of Dr. Christine and Dennis Fisher--Hays, Kansas

Painting started in 1986 finished October 2, 2009

This wonderful painting took Bruce Burkholder 23 years to finish.

This is a perfect example of why I love "realism" in art!

To see the progression of this masterpiece go to:

http://www.bruceburkholder.com/historymural.htm

Photograph painting was taken from

Detail from painting......

10th Street 1886 Hays, Kansas

ARTIST STATEMENT

Bruce Burkholder

There is a time and place for all styles of art, from computers to the human touch. One fine Christmas morning in 1959, at the age of seven, I received a drawing set, and from that point on I mentally knew I was an artist. Even from my kindergarten days jumbo crayons would excite me. My art has always been. My life pursuit of art has never ended and my art will never end no matter what roller coaster ride comes my way. Being a realist painter the paintings take long tedious hours, months and years to complete. There are no short cuts for the way I paint.

I'm not into the quantity I strive for the quality of what I do. I work from my own photographs, with the exception of commission works. Those are done with what sources are supplied from me or from the client. Photographs allow me to study the subject over and over.

The photos are like road maps for the way I paint. It’s not always what we see, but what we feel when we see. Brush strokes are like musical notes or words in a book, misplaced or used incorrectly and the meaning is lost. Almost ever realistic painting I do is done from a photograph.

I let things happen as they are, I usually don't set up subjects for my paintings. I like to let the reactions to a certain subject take care it of itself. At times I rearrange the composition, but I like to stay close to the natural situation.

Every realistic painting goes through many abstract stages before the real illusion is reached. I find great pleasure in seeing things as they are, because sometimes the real things are so unreal. My direction is to reach the most people that I can with my work. To give people pleasure in what they see and feel with my art. The goal is to share my creative feelings so that others may enjoy my work and that the art can give life back long after the days I've spent on this planet.

We are all individual’s, as not one person on this planet earth can stand exactly where you stand at any given time.

We live in a rocking chair of time since we can see our past we can view our present, and try to catch up with the future.

When we close our eyes, our eyelids become movie screens for our dreams.

What an inspiration this man is!

New Book from Linda Lover

2012-01-27T22:20:00.000-07:00

New....

Paint these beautiful landscapes by internationally known artist Linda Lover!

This book is avalible at:

http://www.vikingwoodcrafts.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=87-13519

Book Nook

2012-01-26T11:31:00.002-07:00

Drawing with Children
by
Mona Brooks

Years ago I found this wonderful book and knowing that a lot of my students had trouble drawing I began using this to teach them how to draw.
If you really want to learn how to draw this is the best book I have ever seen on the subject.

Here is some info from the forward:

Today, child psychologists tell us that drawing is as spontaneous and innately human an activity as learning to walk and talk , and that the stages children go through in learning to draw are predictable. For children under the age of three, drawing is an extension of their observation of how things move. Young children are satisfied with scribbles that appear meaningless to older persons because they haven not yet learned to observe the differences between what they see and what they draw.

Drawing it a complex process that requires you to isolate discrete bits from a complex entity, with three dimensions, to reproduce those bits accurately, in only two dimensions, to relate then logically to each other and all the while to move your hand carefully. Children at age five or six can connect thee simultaneous process rather well and there drawings are often imaginative, inventive and detailed.

By the age of eight or nine children often drop out, their drawings become stiff and they frequently stop drawing altogether. The more astutely they observe the real work, the less accepting they become of their attempts to reproduce it.

Mona Brooke's method turns off the critical voice that says, "This looks wrong." It turns off the rational voice that says. "This is a square, not a thick line." It turns off the mature voice that leaned at a very young age to say, "I can't draw.'

Mona Brooks' way to teach drawing enables anyone to draw who is willing to try

Ann White Lewin

Found and Executive Director

The National Leaning Center/Capital Children's Museum

Washington, D.C.

This method takes you back to when you were a child and you start there and re-learn how to draw. Drawing is as natural to us as humans as speaking. If you want to learn how to draw buy this book! There are new and used ones on Amazon.

Here is a couple of examples of how Mona teaches you to draw.

She introduces you to the 5 basic elements of shape. The dot family, the circle family, the straight line family, the curved line family and the angle family.

Here is one of the first exercises she has you do.

If you take the five elements and arrange then in a particular order you will find yourself drawing a recognizable object instead of an abstract design.

Try is and see how easy it works!

Sharon Teal Coray

Easy Art Tutorial

2012-01-25T16:09:00.001-07:00

Set up your Still-Life

This shows an artist using the natural light from the window.

If you are going to paint from life here is how you get set up.

The light should come over the left shoulder if you are right handed and vise versa.

Decided if you are going to paint with natural or artificial light.

Stand or sit where you can see both subject and canvas at the same time without peering around the easel or over it. Leave room for you to step back regularly to assess your picture without tripping over your equipment.

Easy Art Tutorial's

2012-01-25T16:00:00.001-07:00

How to Hold your Brush

Hold your brush where it feels naturally balanced but not too near the ferrule. This limits movement to the fingers and encourages brush marks that will be monotonous and restrictive. Put an elastic band around the brush, it will serve as a reminder each time your hand slips down toward the bristles.

Remember that the brush is an extension of yourself. Don't restrict your arm movements and gestures if you are painting on a large canvas. Don't get too close to your work that you stab at it. The movement of the arm from the shoulder through the elbow and wrist should be fluid confidant and controlled. Experiment to find out what each brush will do.

Heard the Word.....Veduta

2012-01-24T19:13:00.002-07:00

veduta
A panorama, landscape or cityscape

A veduta (Italian for "view"; plural vedute) is a highly detailed, usually large-scale painting of a cityscape or some other vista.
This genre of landscape originated in Flanders, where artists such as Paul Brill painted vedute as early as the 16th century. In the 17th century Dutch painters made a specialty of detailed and accurate recognizable city and landscapes that appealed to the sense of local pride of the wealthy Dutch middle class.

An archetypal example is Johannes Vermeer's View of Delft.

Where did my creativity come from?

2012-01-22T20:19:00.003-07:00

Painting in my quiet studio today I started thinking about my creativity. Where did it come from, why do I love to paint instead of playing the piano or sewing or cooking?

When I was teaching I discovered that some of my students had a natural ability and things just came easier for them than others who struggled to learn to paint.

I always believed that it was a gift given to me from God, wanting to find proof of this in the bible I stated to research it. Is it possible that God gave us all a special gifts? Is that why some of us can be so good at one thing while others have to really work at it or can't do it at all? Let me share what I have found from Gods word.

One of the first recorded creative acts of man that God granted was for Adam to name all the animals. When he placed Adam and Eve in the garden he instructed them to do work which involved planning and decision making which are parts of the creative process.

Looking farther I found in Exodus 31:1-6

“Then the LORD said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills— to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you.”

So God gave the ability to these men to do the job he wanted them to do. In Genesis we see the beginning of music: Genesis 4:21 that “Jubal … was the father of all who play the harp and flute.” Also in Genesis there was the beginning of the forging of tools and building of cities the beginnings of human culture. This is when a man began use the creative gifts that God had given him to fulfill his task of ruling over creation into practice.

So it is not just something I believe but it is in the bible, God, the creator, is the source of all creativity. Creating man in his own image, he gave man gifts of creativity also. Wow that is some gift!

The “chosen’ reference in Exodus 31:1-6 makes my heart sing, I was chosen to do what I am doing and so were you! If you are good at writing or can play instrument, create things with your hands, grow flowers, sew or whatever and it comes easy to you then I think it is a good bet that these are your gifts God chose for you!

God the chooses which gifts to give to whom! He giver of all gifts!
So now we can understand why some people are good at music, and some at art, and some are great a basketball! God did not create everyone the same. Your special gift is exactly the creative gift He chose for you to have. It is are part of who you are!

So many times I have heard friends say they wish they had my creative ability, but then I look at what they do, They have gifts that are best suited for them that I could never do! God chooses to whom he gives gifts, and so we should not denigrate our own gifts from God, nor should we envy the gifts of others. We just need to trust that God’s wisdom gave us what we could do the best.

As I sit her writing this I am ever amazed how God works, I need to remember that I never should criticize my gifts. I should be ever thankful for them with a spirit of humbleness. I should never boast about them. I need to remember that if He has given them to me and that he doesn’t want me to hide them.

My thanks to God for these gifts are hard work to develop these gifts to the best of my ability and then use them in loving service others and bring glory to God in all areas of life.

James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father.”

Sharon Teal Coray

Colorful Journey Part 5

2012-01-19T21:51:00.001-07:00

Colorful Journey Part 5

By Linda Lover

Picking up from where I left off in the last article, 2004 was the beginning of a very difficult year that seemed to have no let up. Trying to live as ordinarily as possible was the goal, taking each day one at a time and cherishing every minute. Both my husband and I were doing what needed to be done to fight our cancers; mine was one of hope and his was not to be. We lived on faith and that helped us face each tomorrow.

One of the first things I did was to give up painting in the basement. I wanted to be close to where my husband was. I had a potting table on the enclosed porch and I brought that into the living room as the table downstairs was too large. Figuring ways to economize with a smaller surface now, I drilled holes along the edge to hold brushes. My husband built me a bookcase with wide shelves to fit the closet and it eventually held most of my supplies that I normally used. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in things that we forget to realize how precious time spent together is. After bringing my work upstairs I questioned myself as to why having more space downstairs seemed to matter in the first place. We never know what life will bring to our door, and cancer definitely reorganized my priorities. No matter how much time we have together, it is never enough.

I worked a little through the year, mostly with time spent on the 3 combined artists’ books. In fact each time I see those books in Michaels, I’m reminded of when I painted the designs for them and how life had been at the time.

Just in the few years of attending shows with the company, I became good friends with a few designers. You might even recognize the names and, though some are well known, they all were very humble. No egos, just people in the business of design who paint and promote painting for the sake of painting and to earn a livelihood from it.
Looking around at the industry in general, other forms of friendships were noticeable as well. Sometimes friendships evolved through working together, as in a business relationship. Some were used for advancement or because they belonged to a group. Others were just from familiarity like a “hey and how are you”. But the best was the old fashioned kind….you like the people you’re with, look forward to seeing each other and staying in touch from time to time. This kind of friendship between designers was rewarding in many other ways as well. It offered a mutual support system and a place where ideas and opportunities were shared freely because loyalty and trust were valued. It was the best place to find help with a painting problem or even one of life’s problems.

In 2004 I experienced the importance of having genuine, trusting friendships, people who watched out for you. Unable to attend shows, I wasn’t in tune with what was going on. Not that I’d given it much thought anyway due to everything else in our lives. I was able to complete a design for an easy make and take event for the designer who was to fill in for me.

Later that year I received a call from one of my friends checking to see if I was aware that a certification program was being presented using my technique and design applications for the specialty brushes. She’d seen the program advertised as a weekend class at a painting shop with a sign up fee of $300 per student. How could this be possible as no one had contacted me? I put my thoughts in order and followed up with a call to the company.

I was told they were aware of a program but had no details and that I should contact the designer with questions I had. I wasn’t feeling all that great from chemo but knew I shouldn’t delay. The designer tried to convince me that she’d created a great program with my work and I could eventually benefit from it, too, after I recovered from cancer. I was taken aback considering that this program was using my copyrighted material and without my knowledge or permission, plus it had her name on it.

One Stroke certification was popular at the time, but the marketing rep and I had originally discussed that any kind of educational program would definitely be affordable such as books, instructional sheets and inserts with brush packets. It would be easy enough that people would be able to learn from their own painting table. The issue in question was eventually resolved with the certification program being cancelled. I also requested to be informed if any of my material was to be used in the future.

Permission would not be necessary if something original was developed from using my techniques. However, if it came to commercially profiting from work identifiable to me then that would create copyright issues. Due to past experiences where I lost out because I didn’t stand up for what I’d created, I’d finally come to a point where I felt if I didn’t stand up for myself it’s a sure bet no one else would. Cancer brought out a new attitude. When you feel weak you realize that you have to find strength to get over the hurdles. In the process this began to carry over to other things in life.

The self-published book was still selling, but it had been out a while so sales had dwindled. When I felt like painting once again I started to submit to magazines. One of the editors requested a pink ribbon project but I felt another designer who’d battled cancer would do a better job and her design was fantastic. Ribbons and roses are two things that, no matter how much work I put into them, they never quite have the finished look I’d hoped for. I was able to resume traveling to shows again, but time away from my husband was really hard. The work was good for me and it also helped some financially.

Painting books were something I always enjoyed doing, even though they took a lot of time and creativity, but self-publishing was out of the question as painting had experienced a decline due to the scrap book market. Chains were changing their policy on how books would be purchased adding to the obstacles for distributors. Publishing was changing. One book publisher eventually put a temporary halt on doing painting books and another went to publishing every other craft but painting.

So in 2005 I talked to some of the book publishers that attended shows. Some were not taking any one new; others were putting designers on a list to be contacted should there be an opening and one I’d worked with before was having a change of ownership. But my faith in knowing how God seems to put me in the right place at the right time has always been steadfast. So I have given patience and perseverance a chance many times and, for me, connecting with a truly wonderful company was my reward. Up until now, I’ve done a series of 6 painting books and am now working on “Brushtiques FUNdamentals” where the focus is on fun to paint designs that can be done in a couple hours or an afternoon. Projects are easy to learn from, teach with, or paint for shows, shops and quick gifts.

In 2006 my husband had retired on disability due to the cancer and the effects of the chemo. His job was in machine repair and the illness had taken a toll on his physical strength but not on his mental strength. He never dwelled on his illness and his faith was a constant. He never let cancer stop him; he continued to live his life as if every tomorrow would be there. He was an amazing man. Since he was no longer working, I’d asked the company president if he could come to the shows with me. They said most certainly as it wouldn’t cause anymore expense for a room. We simply paid his airfare and whatever food or sight seeing we did. When things were slow at the show, they let me off early to spend time with him.

Their thoughtfulness was something I’ve always admired and appreciated. Our first show was Creative in Las Vegas where we enjoyed a few days of nice weather as compared to what was going on in Michigan in February. A lot of places were decked out to celebrate the Chinese New Year; especially beautiful was the red décor. The next show was SDP in Nashville and we drove, stopping at Mammoth Cave on the way. A ceramic show in Scottsdale was during the heat of summer, 110 degrees some days. After that show we rented a car, took time to see Sedona and then the Grand Canyon. We’d been there several years before when our children were young, but that’s one natural wonder that you never tire of seeing. By fall, I’d stepped away from doing shows and that November my wonderful husband took the hand of the Lord. I opted out of the shows at the beginning of the next year, as it was a time that I needed to get myself acclimated to all the many changes.

My creativity had been waning for a while and by now I could barely find any.However, then I wasn’t really trying as it was enough just to work through the grief. The Lord blessed us abundantly with a beautiful family and it gave me strength and reason to get back to living.

Little by little I began to think about painting again. I knew I had to find something to fill my time eventually. When I did start to paint, I found that I wasn’t painting the same any more. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why it felt so different but it seemed like I was working harder on something that had come much easier before. I wasn’t even using the same color palette and my designs seemed different in some ways.

There were days with such a lack of creativity or no creativity at all that I considered maybe my painting days were over. I talked to my close painting friends and they were such a source of encouragement. One designer had gone through quite a trauma and was having similar problems with the desire to paint. She wouldn’t quit and I decided neither would I. Having a book deadline in front of me was definitely a positive thing because it kept me motivated. It just took longer to complete a book than previously. When I gave a date for completion, I stretched it to where I knew I would be able to have it finished and ready for publication. This allowed me more time to create and that was where I needed the time the most.

Occasionally the company had me work on projects to be promoted to other companies they’d met at shows, however, cross marketing of products often is a hard sell. In fact, chains seldom promote cross marketing. As an example, I’ve always felt painters would scrap book but scrap bookers aren’t as willing to paint. The skill required is different and then there’s the issue of water. Paper crafters as a rule do not like to deal with water or paint. For brushes to be popular, they would have to be suitable to inks and powders, and once a brush is washed, it’s wet for a while, also a concern. Some companies have products that are more suited to a dollar market and they don’t really work combined with a product that is more costly.

There are many things to be considered in marketing products and among the first are to create interest to create a demand. In cross marketing products should probably be compatible in quality and cost and compliment each other. Most painters look for quality, how product can be used, performance and durability and cost can also be a factor. I’ve always found that you usually get what you pay for.

To be continued……

Art from the Heart

2012-01-15T20:54:00.004-07:00

Learn to Draw before you Paint!

When I was in high school I wanted to take some art classes, every year I signed up for every class I could on the subject. My dream was to become a fine artist.In my day they didn’t have the classes my granddaughters can take like painting and sculpture. We only had drawing and calligraphy classes, so I took them every year. At the time I didn’t realize that I was training my eyes to “see’ which is something an artist needs to learn. It enables you to cast a critical eye on your own and others' work, and to distinguish the visual processes in artworks.The theoretical art movement that is popular in some art schools de-emphasizes the educational approach to drawing, and instead concentrates more on the conceptual course of action involved in art-making rather than on developing the eye and hand in the conventional way. This works for abstract but not for realistic art.

If you don’t know how to draw how can you expect to paint realistically? One needs to know how to draw basic shapes and shade them to make them look dimensional.

The art of painting on a canvas realistically is really just drawing with a brush. If there is no basic drawing in the artist’s background it will be much harder to paint something and make it look real. For example: If you want to paint landscapes you need to know how to draw all the aspects of a landscape before you can paint it. Of course you could follow the way of Bob Ross and just paint “happy little trees”, but if you look closely at his artwork you will see a lot of errors with his drawings, the perspective is off in lots of places.

When you first start to draw, remember that all artists had to start from scratch. You are not alone. Lots of the old masters didn’t have the capability to draw easily, they had to work at it.

I have found that is best to make it a rule to follow your heart in art. Draw and paint what you love and what know, it does not matter what it is just "love" it! When you draw and paint what you love you progress faster.

Here are some tips to help you learn how to draw.Remember that developing into a professional artist takes talent, sacrifice, discipline and lots of hard work. You will need to increase your knowledge and skills. You need to be disciplined with drawing, practice actually “looking” at something you are drawing. Discover all the smallest details of it and capture it the best you can with your pencil!

Buy the best quality supplies you can afford. If you want to be a professional then you need to use professional quality art supplies. I love to use woodless pencils for shading and tracing paper to practice on. You need to actually "forget" what an object looks like and to concentrate only on it as a form in space. Don’t draw what you think it looks like, draw what you see.

Before you start ask yourself how wide is it, how tall is it, is it in the foreground or background. Is it dark or is it light. Finding these relationships and representing them is what figurative drawing and painting are all about.

Before you can produce a good piece of art, you have to warm up! I like to sit and doodle a few minutes before I start. This helps my brain get in the right creative mode.Start with loose, gestural sketches. Keep things simple at this stage. I like working on tracing paper so I can lay a new piece of paper over the first sketch and make the corrections without erasing. I usually have several drawings before the final piece is created.In this rough stage it is time to pay close attention to your composition.

Make sure that the viewers eyes are going only where you want them to go and the edges of your image are not distracting or leading the eye off the drawing.

Remember that improving your drawing skills take time and the more time and the more sketches you create the more you will learn and have the basic knowledge to move onto realistic painting.One last thing…. never throw older or bad art away. Keep everything carefully stored, so you can come back later and see how much you've improved. It's also good inspiration for the future!

Sharon Teal-Coray

New Year ....time to organize!

2012-01-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

One of my yearly resolutions is to get my studio in shape. I am sure there are lots of artists out there that want the same thing so here are some great suggestions and where you can get these organizers so you can really start the new year off on the right foot!

Revolving Brush Holder

This is the nicest way to get organized! I have several and keep like brushes together!

This holder revolves easily on ball bearings so your supplies are always easy to reach!

This has 6 separate areas on the outside and one in the center.

Holds lots of brushes, pencils, pens, scissors or whatever, for the painter or scrapper!

This has six outside compartments and on in the center and are deep enough to keep your supppies in place.

You can purchase this at: www.sharonteal-coray.com

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Wood Acrylic Paint Bottle Holder

This paint holder is avaliable at the address below. A great way to organize your paints!

ESTY SHOP OWNERS ROBIN AND DAVE

http://www.etsy.com/listing/86211785/wood-acrylic-paint-bottle-holder?ref=sr_gallery_2&sref=&ga_includes%5B0%5D=tags&ga_search_query=artist+paint+holder&ga_search_type=all&ga_facet=

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http://www.tole-expressions.com/bruceswoodworks/index.html

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Paint Rack

by Ginger's Cameo

http://www.amazon.com/Gingers-Cameo-C350-Paint-Rack-Paint/dp/B0032NZSF4

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Art Magazine holders

http://www.amazon.com/Classroom-Keepser-Magazine-Assorted-001327/dp/B002A2GGDG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1326596184&sr=8-2

A Colorful Journey part four

2012-01-09T08:58:00.003-07:00

A Colorful Journey Part Four
By Linda Lover
From the moment of being selected as a designer by the company I felt I would be part of a team with a common goal, to market product. I felt privileged to be part of such an equation, and though it was all new, I was aware that the product was the star of anything we would do. My job was to make it shine by giving it my best. After the first HIA (Hobby Industry Assoc.) show, other shows were now being scheduled through the year and it was the beginning of an entirely new adventure. Designers were gradually being introduced to our product; many were impressed and came on board to list the brushes in their published works.

At one of the first shows the marketing rep suggested that I contact publishers and editors and invite them to our booth. Though I wasn’t sure of the response, I sent out invitations to several for one of the shows that we’d planned to do. I have to admit I felt a bit out of my league contacting professionals on a personal basis, but the response was well received. There I was at the show introducing them to the marketing folks as well as the president of the company. It was an unbelievable moment to think I’d been able to accomplish this on the company’s behalf.

Attending those first shows, I was agog at seeing the well-known artists that I’d admired for so many years. When I had free time, I’d walk the show floor and even worked up enough confidence to introduce myself to Pricilla Hauser and Dorothy Dent, the first two decorative painters whose books I’d painted from. It still seemed like such a far fetched reality that I was among these painters. I was fascinated by everything and everyone I saw.
A first impression can be compared to viewing the decorative painting industry as a huge city, but later I could see it was more like a small neighborhood, a place where just about everyone knew everyone else. Each show began to feel like a reunion as time went on.

It wasn’t very long after joining the company that I was given what I deemed my biggest challenge in painting so far. I was handed the company’s newest product, specialty brushes which were to be top secret until introduction and had a patent pending.
Shapes were a shader, filbert and an angle but the edges looked like they’d been cut with pinking shears. I was intrigued but also baffled by what these brushes were capable of doing. This was truly an innovation in the decorative painting industry and eventually set off a trend as the company came up with more unique brushes and other companies followed with unusual styles of their own.

Up until then deerfoot stipplers, daggers, rakes and fan brushes were considered the less traditional brushes.
It seemed like 6 months that the specialty brushes lay on my painting table. I would glance at them from time to time apparently hoping for some sort of epiphany that would suddenly lead to an amazing discovery. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.
I mention 6 months because that’s when I got the call from the marketing rep saying that they were going to introduce them at the next show. Okay, no more waiting for the epiphany; now I had to get to work. But what to do; I had no idea. So I dipped the shader with the unique edge in paint and pulled the brush across paper…instant grass, very easy. Longer strokes…looked like weeds. Tap the brush on edge…little dots…looked like wildflowers. Next I curved the stroke and could see the beginnings of a leaf.

My next study was pressing the brush image, both flush and on side edge and it was instant petals and leaves without much effort. As I used the images singly and in combination, many types of leaves and petals were developing. The brushes were making painting easier for me and simplifying as well. Wood grain, basket weave, water and sky details were beginning to take shape and it seemed ideas were flowing endlessly. I followed through using the filbert and angle with enthusiasm as it was exciting to see all that was possible. I also wondered why I’d left the brushes sitting so long.
In the process of discovering what the new line of brushes could do, it was a personal discovery for me as well. I found being self-taught allowed me to think outside of the box; that there was more to offer decorative painting in addition to traditional stroke work.
One of the shows I recall was NET, New England Traditions, in October 2001, one month after the terrorist attacks. I remember the Detroit airport looking desolate, most shops were closed. I was one of only a handful of people to board a big plane. It certainly presented an eerie feeling. I eventually arrived in Providence to find that some venders and others had canceled due to a fear of flying at that time. Yet, it was a fairly well attended show and the only show where I taught a class showing what the specialty brushes could do.

We filled the chairs and even made room for a few more. The class was sponsored by the company to introduce the brushes, there was no charge and the participants received a very nice binder with product. We had a good turn out at the booth as a result. I’d felt sponsored classes were a great asset but they were not resumed again until around 2009 so that was the only one I did.
Another show that sticks out in my mind is when we had our 3 minutes of television fame. I’d written to several HGTV shows asking if they would be attending HIA and proceeded to describe our product. The one response received was from the Carol Duval show and they were interested in the new brushes. A representative of the show came around to check out the specifics and eventually the camera crew taped a demo and it became one of the clips on Carol’s show. We never did meet Carol though,and by the way, I found I have a terrible voice for tv!
Moving along, the company eventually brought in designers who had worked with another company so our team began to grow. The purpose was to hopefully learn more about the mechanics of the decorative painting industry.
My perspective had only been from personal publishing experience, much like a cottage industry working from home. These designers could offer valuable information on how companies worked with chains having been involved at a somewhat corporate level. Eventually it seemed to me like one of the designers was using the position as a stepping stone to other things. She was often away from the booth.

My objective was to promote product, rather than myself and I continued to do so as it offered plenty of exposure and rewards just as it was. I soon learned that designers have different ideas and approaches and not everyone strives for the same purpose. I enjoyed the camaraderie of teamwork where the focus was the product and how we could generate interest. After all, it’s the product that keeps everyone in business.
I kept my head in my work as I continued to find more to do with the brushes. A lot of time was involved in experimenting and creating, but it had such a fresh excitement to it.
Interest was growing and I was pleased to be a part of it. At each show, people stopped by to see if there was another new brush and what other discoveries had been made. That was one thing I loved about the shows, getting to visit with the people and talk painting. At the time they were learning new things from me, I was also learning from them. Questions they would ask and suggestions they would offer brought insight to what I was doing with the specialty brushes.
In the interim of this phase, I was seeing a few designers who were interested in the brushes publishing with illustrations exactly or very similar to those I’d been demonstrating. As complimentary it was in some ways, the downside was that I’d taken months to create and develop the techniques and applications. What I’d been hoping was that others could create original work by applying my newly discovered techniques. At this point I discussed the possibility of a specialty brush paint book. But the company was reluctant and I wasn’t ready to invest in self publishing after experiencing the situation where I’d only broken even.
So it continued until I saw that some of my illustrations had been published by someone else with a copyright attached to the material. I knew then that I had to get on the ball and began to investigate self-publishing and so I had a book published and introduced in 2003. To my good fortune I had connected with a generous designer who shared her publisher, photographer, and distributor information. All I had to do was put it together and find a way to finance it.

To say it was a huge investment would be an understatement, but the company provided the advertising and about a year and a half later I broke even and eventually doubled my investment. When the first edition sold out, I took a leap of faith to finance a second publication. It was one third of the original cost because they already had the material ready to go. This time it took longer to break even and longer to double the profit.
I could see where this was headed and it was too risky to continue so that was the end of the book when it finally sold out. I even lost out on the last few books I had, as in good faith, I allowed a vender to sell them and pay me later; apparently when he went of business he didn’t feel compelled to honor his commitments.

It was just another one of those lessons. The best thing that came out of my investment in the long haul was that I have a copyright on my techniques and design work from that book. This actually turned out to be extremely beneficial when dealing with subsequent issues along the way.
In January of 2004 I was diagnosed with breast cancer, our youngest son had been deployed to Iraq, and by May my husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It was the worst year ever and to make a long story short, it was in God’s hands and we took each day as it came.
I called the company and said I might need a year off, but I’d understand if they wanted to terminate my position since they had other designers who could step in. However, they were kind and generous and continued to keep me employed as their in house designer. That was as much of a blessing as a relief as I truly enjoyed working for them. In fact, I was able to attend one more show in Dallas before surgery.
The marketing rep had me show one of the designers how I’d been using the brushes so she could fill in for me.

That same year, I was contacted by a book publisher to work on a combined artist series of paint books for paper, glass and metal. I explained my situation and they still wanted me to do work for them. The deadline was months away and since it was a combined artists series, only a few designs were necessary for each booklet. I welcomed the work as it took my thoughts elsewhere when creating and painting, and believe me I needed that more than ever.

To be continued

How to Paint Fur

2012-01-08T15:46:00.001-07:00

NEW Book and DVD set by Sharon Teal-Coray

CD Book and DVD Set
This is a new book on CD and a DVD showing how to paint fur with the Shining Feather Soft Stroke brush. See how Sharon uses her brush to create beautiful realistic fur.
The book is 52 pages and includes up close photos of fur in all colors.
Sharon's favorite colors for fur using oils and acrylics and two full instructional patterns to paint that includes fur.
One is a still-life and the other is a long haired cat. This is a complete book on how to paint all types of fur!
The DVD actually shows Sharon painting fur using her brush. You will watch her build a beautiful piece of fur plus how to load and use the brush properly to achieve gorgeous fur!
Anyone can paint fur with this set and the Shining Feather Soft Stroke brush.
To purchase go to:
http://www.sharonteal-coray.com/
Special price on brush when you buy the set!

"You Can Paint Fur"

Artist of the Month....Andrea Pozzo

2012-01-06T20:10:00.004-07:00

Born in Trento in 1632 and showing a talent for art, he was sent by his father to work with an artist; Pozzo was then 17 years old (in 1659). From aspects of his early style this initial artistic training came probably from Palma il Giovane. He then went on under the supervision of another unidentified painter from the workshop of Andrea Sacchi who taught him the techniques of Roman.

He entered the Jesuit Order as a lay brother on 25 December 1665, In 1668, he was assigned to the Casa Professa of San Fidele in Milan, where his gala decorations in honor of Francis Borgia recently canonised met wide-ranging approval. He then started training in Genoa and Venice. The deep colors, and realistic chiaroscuro techniques were influenced by the Lombard School.

He painted the Life of Jesus while in Genoa which shows signs of being inspired by Peter Paul Rubens.

Many of the Jesuit churches were built in current decades and were devoid of painted decoration, therefore he was employed by the Jesuits to decorate churches and buildings such as their churches of Modena, Bologna and Arezzo.

His first large fresco was the interior of San Francis Xavier church in Mondovì.

In this church one can already see his later illusionistic techniques : faux gilding, bronze-colored statues, marbled columns and a trompe-l'oeil dome on a flat ceiling, people with foreshortened figures in architectural settings.

In 1678 he painted the ceiling of the Jesuit church of SS. Martiri in Turin.

Unfortunately, he frescoes progressively deteriorated through water penetration. Luigi Vacca replaced them in 1844 by new paintings. Only fragments of the original frescoes survive today.

Pozzo was called to Rome in 1681, by Giovanni Paolo Oliva, Superior General of the Jesuits. Originally he was used as a stage designer for biblical pageants, but his illusionistic paintings in perspective for these stages gave him a reputation as a expert in wall and ceiling decorations.

The first Roman frescoes he painted were in the corridor linking the Church of the Gesù to the rooms where St.Ignatius had lived. Here he painted his trompe l'oeil architecture and paintings depicting the Saint's life.

For several generations, through out Catholic Europe his masterpiece, the illusory perspectives in frescoes of the dome, set the standard for the decoration of Late Baroque ceiling frescos and are a remarkable and emblematic creation of High Roman Baroque.

On the flat ceiling he painted an metaphor of the Apotheosis of S. Ignatius, in breathtaking perspective. The painting, is devised to make an observer, looking from a spot marked by a brass disc set into the floor of the nave, seem to see a lofty vaulted roof decorated by statues, while in fact the ceiling is flat. The architecture of the trompe-l'oeil domes seems to erase and raise the ceiling with such a realistic impression that it is difficult to distinguish what is real or not.

In 1695 he was given the prestigious commission, after winning a competition against Sebastiano Cipriani and Giovanni Battista Origone, for an altar in the St. Ignatius chapel in the transept of the Church of the Gesù. This extravagant altar above the tomb of the saint, built with rare marbles and precious metals, shows the Trinity, while four lapis lazuli columns (these are now copies) enclose the colossal statue of the saint by Pierre Legros. It was the coordinated work of more than 100 sculptors and craftsmen, among them Pierre Legros, Bernardino Ludovisi, Il Lorenzone and Jean-Baptiste Théodon. Andrea Pozzo also designed the altar in the Chapel of St Francesco Borgia in the same church.

In 1697 he was asked to build similar Baroque altars with scenes from the life of St Ignatius in the apse of the Sant'Ignazio church in Rome. These altars house the relics of St. Aloysius Gonzaga and of St. John Berchmans.

He continued painting frescoes and illusory domes in Turin, Mondovì, Modena, Montepulciano and Arezzo. In 1681 he was asked by Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany to paint his self-portrait for the ducal collection (now in the Uffizi in Florence). This oil on canvas has become a most original self-portrait. It shows the painter in a diagonal pose, showing with his right index finger his illusionist easel painting (a trompe-l'oeil dome, perhaps of the Badia church in Arezzo) while his left hand rests on three books (probably alluding to his not-yet published treatises on perspective). The painting was sent to the duke in 1688. He also painted scenes from the life of St Stanislaus Kostka in the saint's rooms of the Jesuit noviciate of Sant'Andrea al Quirinale in Rome.

In 1702 he moved to Vienna.There he worked for Prince Johann Adam von Liechtenstein, and various religious orders and churches, such as the frescoes and the trompe-l'oeil dome in the Jesuit Church. His most significant surviving work in Vienna is the monumental ceiling fresco of the Hercules Hall of the Liechtenstein garden palace, an Admittance of Hercules to Olympus, which, according to the sources, was very admired by contemporaries. Some of his Viennese altarpieces have also survived (Vienna's Jesuit church). His compositions of altarpieces and illusory ceiling frescoes had a strong influence on the Baroque art in Vienna. He also had many followers in Hungary, Bohemia, Moravia, Slovakia, and even in Poland.

Pozzo published his artistic ideas in a noted theoretical work, entitled Perspectiva pictorum et architectorum illustrated with 118 engravings, dedicated to emperor Leopold I. In it he offered instruction in painting architectural perspectives and stage-sets. The work was one of the earliest manuals on perspective for artists and architects and went into many editions, even into the nineteenth century, and has been translated from the original Latin and Italian into numerous languages such as French, German, English and, Chinese thanks to Pozzo's Jesuit connection.

He died in Vienna in 1709 just as he was planning to return to Italy to design a new Jesuit church in Venice. He was buried with great honors in one of his best realizations, the Jesuit church in Vienna.Fresco with trompe l'œil dome painted on low vaulting, Jesuit Church, Vienna, Austria.

Self-Portrait

Fresco with trompe l'œil dome painted on low vaulting,

Jesuit Church, Vienna, Austria

Andrea Pozzo's painted ceiling in the Church of St. Ignazio.

The illustionistic perspective of Pozzo's brilliant trompe-l'oeil dome at Sant'Ignazio (1685) is revealed by viewing it from the opposite end

Altar of St Ignatius Loyola

Allegory of the Jesuits' Missionary Work (detail)

Heard the Word......quadrattura

2012-01-05T21:56:00.006-07:00

Quadrattura

A type of trompe l’oeil (illusionist) painting.
Quadratura, a term which was introduced in the seventeenth century and is also normally used in English, became popular with Baroque artists. Although it can also refer to the "opening up" of walls through architectural illusion, the term is most-commonly associated with Italian ceiling painting. Unlike other trompe-l'oeil techniques or precedent di sotto in sù ceiling decorations, which often rely on intuitive artistic approaches to deception, quadratura is directly tied to seventeenth-century theories of perspective and the representation of architectural space.

Due to its reliance on perspective theory, it more fully unites architecture, painting and sculpture and gives a more overwhelming impression of illusionism than earlier examples.
The artist would paint a feigned architecture in perspective on a flat or barrel-vaulted ceiling in such a way that it seems to continue the existing architecture. The perspective of this illusion is centered towards one focal point. The steep foreshortening of the figures, the painted walls and pillars, creates an illusion of deep recession, heavenly sphere or even an open sky. Paintings on ceilings could, for example, simulate statues in niches or openings revealing the sky.

Illusionistic ceiling painting, which includes the techniques of perspective di sotto in sù and quadratura, is the tradition in Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo art in which trompe l'oeil, perspective tools such as foreshortening, and other spatial effects are used to create the illusion of three-dimensional space on an otherwise two-dimensional or mostly flat ceiling surface above the viewer. It is frequently used to visually suggest an open sky

Examples of illusionistic painting include:Andrea Pozzo at San Ignazio in Rome and the Jesuit church in Vienna. He wrote the standard theoretical work of his artistic ideas in the two volumes of : Perspectiva pictorum et architectorum Andreae Putei a societate Jesu (Rome, 1693–1700).

Color Predictions for 2012

2012-01-05T21:40:00.004-07:00

For all artists and designers who paint to sell and need to know the colors that will be popular here are Pantones predictions for 2012

Adventures with Jill

2012-01-03T21:05:00.008-07:00

I would like to intoduce Jill Smith, she has a great story and has agreed to let us follow her as she makes her dream of becoming an artist come true!

I came across this quote and it fit my day!

"Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no ones definition of your life. Define yourself."~Harvey Fierstein ~

I was trying my hand at painting again and came across this blog. I love reading all the great articles and have really enjoyed how much information is here and how much I have learned. I emailed Sharon about what I have been going through and asked her for some advice and she asked if I would consider writing about this problem for her blog.
I love to write and feel it is a great creative outlet and a wonderful opportunity! I have wanted to get back to painting for a long time and just recently got started. I took many classes in high school but that was all, I was told I had a real talent.
I told my friend that I was considering taking a night course in painting at the local high school and
this inspired her to join me. I was really happy to have a partner that knew as little as I did join me on this adventure. The happiness stopped here.
The first class was a little stressful for me as I am sort of an introvert, and for the teacher to come around and start to critique what I was doing the first class sort of knocked the wind out of me. I told myself that I needed to keep going if I wanted to do this great endeavor I had longed for, so I pushed on and tried not to break out in tears when he came back to tell me that the painting was not going so well and maybe I should re-consider being an artist.

This man had the manners of a jackass, but hey what did I know I thought he was right, after all he “was’ an artist and teacher.
So the next week I dreaded the class, but like a little trouper I went with a heavy heart. My neighbor on the other hand was delighted and couldn’t wait and she loved it, of course it seemed that it just came easy for her.
So once again when he reached my easel he started picking everything I had done apart, not in a nice helpful way, but in a nasty” attacking me” way.

I felt like he had something personal against me. He was not that way with the other students, so why with me?
I was so intimated by this man that by the third lesson I was literally shaking inside as I walked into the class. I had been working on a simple still-life and I mean simple, three lemons on a table with a simple vase. Once again he was there with his cruel remarks, telling me that I really just didn’t seem to be the “artistic’ type. I just sat there and said nothing everyone looking at me.
The next week I stayed home.
Then the holidays came and we had some entertaining to do for my husbands business and at one of these occasions there happened to be a well-known local artist that had done business with my husband. After I met him and realized who he was I took a very bold action and asked him if he would take a look at my painting and give me his honest opinion.

After all if I was “creativless” (my word) then I might as well find out now!
He studied the painting and then told me that is was just beautiful. He said I had a feel for the application of the paint and a good sense of design and color and that I should keep studying. I sort of told him a short rendition of what had happened in the class I took and he said he knew the teacher, and that he was generally known as a has-been that never made it.

His art was considered by the locals as mediocre. The best he could do was teach at night school so I should not take his remarks to heart. He had the reputation of bullying artists in his class that looked like they could be better than he was!
After talking to Sharon and getting some info about her experiences like this I felt better and now I am looking for a new class with a teacher who will teach me without attacking my talent because he feels a little insecure. I let this man put me in a box, telling me I was not creative, I was his victim in that class and he knew I would not speak up….how do people know who will stand up for themselves …do we have it written on our foreheads?

“You can bully me, attack me and embarrass me and I will not say a word”

Not only am I going on with my dream to be an artist I am also reading up on how not to be a meek doormat, plus I am putting what I am learning to work.

I will never allow anyone to bully me into silence or define me. I will speak up if someone tries to do this!

Thank you Sharon for the opportunity to tell my story! It is good to get it off my chest!

I will let you know what happens next..........

Jill Smith

A Colorful Journey Part three

2012-01-02T09:24:00.003-07:00

Colorful Journey Part 3
By Linda Lover

Through the 1990’s I’d been working from home, submitting designs to magazines and having a fair amount of success. I’d accumulated almost three hundred published projects and authored over 20 sole and combined artists painting books by now. Occasional requests came in from various companies and editors for specific projects as well. I began to feel like I’d reached a plateau and this might be where I’d reside indefinitely as a designer. It was a comfortable place and one to be grateful for. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder at times if there was more to be found.

You’d probably have to be an “I Love Lucy” fan to relate to this. In an episode where she was given a movie part with no lines, she sees it as her moment to be discovered. Someone will see her, and in her Lucy Ricardo quest for fame she’d hear “that face, that face, get me that face!” And her long, awaited career in show biz would finally materialize. After all the published projects I’d done, there was always that eternal hope that one day someone might say “that painter, get me that painter!” So far it hadn’t happened. Having experienced situations in the past, like the company that commercialized from my ideas with their in house designers receiving recognition, I wondered if it would ever be a possibility. Besides the flaw in ethics, I couldn’t understand how a designer’s work could be so appealing, yet there was no interest in the designer. It didn’t make sense, but usually it comes down to profits or royalties.

Though there have been moments since when I’ve wondered if things might have turned out differently had I stood up for my work and myself. But it’s water under the bridge, and when designing remains what you want to do, you take the lumps along with the kudos and chalk up the downside as an experience from which to learn.

As freelance designing goes it seems to create an inner drive that always keeps one looking for more….more designs, more work, more recognition and, yes, more money. After all, those are the components of being self-employed. To achieve this, creativity and a certain amount of skill are necessary to a degree. By that I mean a designing decorative artist can be adept in fine art or simply self-taught, but they must present a style that can create a demand. Even if it looks easy, often it’s not.

Much time and effort are usually involved in the creative process. Sometimes the simpler the design, the more work might have gone into it to make it stand out among complex projects. As for designers, some become known by their style, a specific look, while others are recognized by their techniques, diversity, or use of specific products. And some designers soar above to become household names in the industry, due to their business savvy, entrepreneurial or painting skills or sponsorship by a manufacturer to represent their product. Who doesn’t think of Donna Dewberry without thinking of Plaid or of Sue Scheewe without thinking of Martin/F. Weber. Occasionally it can even be about timing, simply being at the right place at the right time.
In my case, my accidental leap into the industry came about as a result of timing. It was my simple doable looking projects that caught the eye of a company’s marketing rep. I thought this might be what I’d been hoping for remember…. “that painter, get me that painter”? Actually it was a call to the editor of “Crafts” requesting my contact information.

In May 1999, I received a letter from the marketing rep saying that they were looking for designers to create project and instructional sheets for their product line. They had liked two recent published projects, one on the cover of “Painting” magazine, the other in “Crafts”, and there was interest in working with me. Enclosed was a catalog of their products with samples and a request to let them know if I was interested in working with them. Out of the blue, someone was finally looking for me; I could hardly believe my good fortune. I had no idea where such an opportunity like this might lead but it certainly was an honor to be chosen out of so many other published designers. Many who painted much better than I did; also ones that were more well known. I explained that I was self-taught and not very familiar with artistic fundamentals.

The marketing rep eased my concerns saying they were looking for projects to promote to children and beginners; so basic fundamentals weren’t pertinent at the time.
So here it was, a new opportunity that had found its way to me. To take the offer meant leaving a company I truly enjoyed working with for almost 15 years. The designer liaison was very understanding and supportive. We both realized how important it was to take advantage of an opportunity that might provide growth and she wished me success.
To move out of a comfort zone and venture into something totally unfamiliar is exciting but at the same has an element of apprehension. I would go from using a well-known brand to one I knew nothing about. There was the possibility that this could end up a dead end for one reason or another. I was also giving up a generous endorsement fee for anything published. However, the risk in taking a chance outweighed any negatives. I was eager to get on board with a company who’d been around for decades and was now eager to compete in the decorative painting market.

One of the first advantages, I was now in a position that allowed me to be a designer who could represent and promote product for a company. Though this was such a fantastic opportunity, it was a bit scary to think in those terms because of the possibility of failure to meet expectations in the long run. I had to shake those negative feelings and concentrate on what I had the potential to do and hope that it would all work out. I didn’t want to disappoint the company or give up on myself.
My first job was to create simple projects with basic painting, no floating or highlighting. I remembered what a struggle it was to teach myself those techniques and now I wasn’t going to use them. The challenge now was to come up with ideas that would be very easy using a little stroke work, and had the potential to generate interest. As I mentioned, simple made to look great is often more difficult than painting something with a little more skill involved. I remember when the first tri-fold brochure came out, “Learn to Paint with Shapes and Strokes”, “crafts designed by Linda Lover”.

The company liked the projects, which was a relief. Following the brochure, my designs were featured in ads in painting magazines to introduce their products to the decorative painting market. These ads meant more than any I’d previously done because my name was now associated with a brand; it became more than just about the design. I also picked up the level of painting for the magazine project ads and put a little more into the stroke work. As a result, the ads were beautifully done and I had quite a sense of pride being part of this company as well as gratitude for the visibility of my work.

It was almost two years before I met the folks from the company. In that time they had used my designs frequently in magazine ads to promote their line and I began to feel my own exposure expanding. I was still designing and submitting projects to magazines; that part of my life was the same. Though now I was listing the company’s brand and without an endorsement fee, which eventually was put into place later on. In the back of my mind, I knew this was a small sacrifice to what might lie ahead. I had a feeling there was going to be more at some point because they had a quality product and a determination to be recognized in the decorative painting industry.
I remember words to the effect that I’d said to my husband, that maybe one day I would travel to shows to demo product. It didn’t seem like a far-fetched possibility; I just wondered how long before it would happen. However, I knew I wouldn’t travel until our youngest was out of high school and he would graduate in 2000.
It was HIA (Hobby Industry Assoc) 2001, a new millennium and new possibilities when we finally met at the convention center in Anaheim. This is where we got to put a face to a name. Upon seeing the enormity of the show floor, it was more than anyone could possibly take in. The craft and hobby industry was still at its peak and just about every industry brand was represented, not only from the United States, but from abroad as well. Areas were sectioned to represent art, paper, fabric, ceramic and a multitude of others.

There were companies with sequins, stationery, big kilns and wood working tools, silk flowers, candles and feathers. Whatever you could think of, it seemed to be there. Buyers were looking for product and companies were promoting product. It was a hive of activity for most. We were the new kids on the block, and our booth was set up beautifully, looking like a high-end kiosk in a fashionable mall. Yet, we were relegated to the very back of the show floor, near the doors that were continually being opened and closed. California was unseasonably cold that January and for the venders in the Arctic zone, we were sadly being passed over. Because where the room began to get colder, folks were turning toward the warmth rather than to continue in our direction.
I remember one of the marketing reps, an older gentleman with years of experience, commenting on not ever having seen such lack of traffic. But it was only evident in our frigid zone. It was a huge expense to attend this show; merely the shipping of the booth from one coast to the other and back was a small fortune besides the cost of the booth itself and travel expenses. I wasn’t sure how this would all play out. However, the company decided it would be worth a second try and they signed up for the following year. This had been somewhat of a learning experience for all of us. They knew what to look for the next year beginning with an improved location.

It was quite an experience to share with my family when I arrived home. Even the plane trip was awesome, getting to see the Grand Canyon from the air, Lake Mead, the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. It was an understatement to say that I anxiously looked forward to the next show. I also realized, being more introverted, I’d have to work on getting my heart out of my throat when talking, concentrate on eye contact and kick up the volume in my voice as well.
When painting at home, it’s being in your own world, and the only thing demanding attention is the project in front of you. Promoting a product in a show atmosphere requires being a good spokes person exhibiting a strong self-assurance and salesmanship. It’s necessary to draw people in and create and hold their attention as well as having confidence and knowledge about the product you are showing.
to be continued……..

A Colorful Journey......Part two

2011-12-14T16:25:00.000-07:00

A Colorful Journey II

by Linda Lover

Painting has been more to me than color and expression, though these were its roots in the beginning. Over time, they branched into learning, discoveries, meeting new people and making new friends; also getting a glimpse of the mechanics of the industry. I continued to extend myself beyond those first opportunities once I overcame a preconceived notion that I would be rejected before I even asked. I quickly realized that was a sure fire way to stifle any possibility for growth and advancement. I decided to just let the chips fall where they may. It wouldn’t be the end of my painting career if I heard the word “no” or “not interested”.

Michigan boasts the world’s largest Christmas store, and when our kids were little it was an annual trek to see the lights, decorations and my favorite, ornaments. With an interest in painting, it was only natural to be drawn to the hand painted ones and never did I imagine I could be part of that at the time. I still remember the butterflies when I called to make inquiries about painting for the store. The person I talked with happened to be the one with the answers and an appointment was set up. When the day arrived, I’d put together 24 hand painted glass ornaments with various landscapes. Despite pre-jitter nerves, the meeting went fine, better than fine. I received an order for 12 designs on 600 bulbs. I was ecstatic but soon after my head was swimming over all that I had to put together. I found myself searching for a manufacturer and after looking on bulb boxes, came up with Krebs. Six hundred fit their minimum order. The next step was finding a company to buy boxes with an open window; once again a huge minimum order. It involved a little more exploration on my part to find gold stickers that spelled out “collectible”, also a requirement. It was all about the total package….presentation, which I learned was an important aspect to any form of marketing. Once everything was accumulated, I painted all that summer to meet a fall deadline. We had no air conditioning and my hands would sweat, and by the time I completed the order, I had pain radiating up to my shoulder from gripping the bulbs. I was painting whenever I had a free moment, even into the wee hours. If it hadn’t been for the window by my painting table I’d have missed seeing most of summer. But it was a fine day when I got the check and a follow-up order for the same. I was propelled by the desire to earn money toward a family vacation out west that we’d planned for the following year. After filling the second order, I decided I’d met my goal and this was more than I bargained for. I began to feel like I was missing out on life. As much as I liked to paint, it wasn’t my priority. It was taking too much away from family time. I even began to feel unfulfilled as a painter by the assembly line production of painting the same design repeatedly. In addition, it turned out I was getting about $4.50 a bulb even though I was getting $10 for each. Apparently the excitement of the moment of having my work accepted had over shadowed what I would put into expenses for bulbs, boxes and stickers, and also the fact that one third of my earnings was already going to go for taxes. And the store was getting $10 plus sales tax. Life is a classroom and the learning experiences never quit and this was one of those lessons. Experience is a great teacher, and in this instance, it taught me to analyze an opportunity more thoroughly before I go chasing after it. Yet, it still had a positive outcome as I had a sense of pride having my work in such a grand store. It also helped with our trip, which was fantastic as we toured the national parks. And it turned out to be a stepping stone to my next adventure in painting.

An unexpected opportunity presented itself midway through our western vacation that year. It was 1991 and we’d stopped at Carmel, CA on our way up the coast to eventually reach Vancouver. Near the restaurant where we ate, I could see a gallery sign stating “the largest folkart gallery west of the Rockies”. I could hardly wait to get inside the door. The paintings were amazing. I quickly noticed a miniature, about 4” x 2” glued to a velour background that was much larger and with several mats to bring the finished frame size to about 16” or more. It was selling for several hundred dollars, and I could see that it was painted in a relatively short amount of time. I struck up a conversation with the owner/artist and mentioned that I painted folkart miniatures and added that I’d sold hand painted bulbs commercially. So there it was, the experience had been helpful for a resume. I asked if he might possibly be interested in seeing photos of my work. I’d explained that we were on vacation and I could send them after I got home. He said that would be fine but there were no promises as he gave me his business card. As for me, thinking that I’d even asked about having my work in a gallery in Carmel was a giant step in confidence. I followed through after getting home, and to my surprise, he picked up my work. I actually was able to sell large framed, one of a kind folkart landscapes and this is when I learned about the importance of location. Because after 3 years, he moved his gallery to a coastal town in Oregon, retired and sold it. Sales were never the same after the move, and when the new owner had health problems, the gallery was sold again and no longer was folkart oriented.

Whenever we were on vacation I’d scout out shops and tourist areas seemed to offer the most. I sold lighthouse designs in shops on the east coast and around the Great Lakes but nothing compared to the gallery in Carmel. Later I directed my interests toward juried shows. I’d attended a few and, after the revelation about location, it followed that well attended juried shows would be better than the random church and elementary school bazaars. And they were. But it seems over saturation, a change in trends, and lots of pre-made decorative items in stores caused sales to drop more each year. I found I was making more products every year to achieve the same level of profits. I could hear more and more complaints about sales from other artists and crafters as well and could see the writing on the wall; it was time to move on again.

Every opportunity in thirty plus years has culminated in making painting the interesting journey that it has been for me. One door would close and another would open, sometimes quickly and sometimes so slowly that I wondered if any work would come along again. This is where I came to understand the description of “feast or famine”. Yet, all the experiences were letting me grow and learn as a painter. I was meeting more people, and like a sponge, I was soaking up a wealth of information. I saw many ways decorative painting fit into our lives and how it was being promoted by companies and individuals. It was much broader than I’d anticipated but it was also challenging and competitive.

It was great to be a freelance designer most of the time and make an income doing something I enjoy; one of the best perks is working from home and scheduling your own time. However, even doing something you enjoy can still be work. When creativity takes a vacation, it can be a real struggle. Giving up plans to meet a deadline isn’t fun. Redoing a project, sometimes more than once, is frustrating. Sometimes a submitted project is left in limbo for an indefinite period of time and eventually returned after having counted on the income. And one of the more difficult times is not finding any work available and not knowing when the next job might come along. And though it’s infrequent, sometimes a manufacturer might wait for months before sending out an endorsement fee. So one thing you can count on is that you can’t count on anything until it’s a done deal like a signed contract or a check in the mail box.

As my children grew and the youngest was in high school, I had more hours to paint. But I felt I needed to focus rather than go in so many directions, so I decided to put my energy into submitting designs to craft and paint magazines and let go of shows and shops. Increasing articles is a benefit in that it can give a designer the recognition of being prolific. But you have to take into consideration that in the ‘90’s there were dozens of craft and paint magazines and many had special and holiday issues included. It wasn’t uncommon for one designer to have 3 or 4 published articles featured in various magazines in one month’s time and just as many in a single holiday issue. It wasn’t uncommon either for editors to contact designers and request specific projects or ask for a design to be painted on a particular surface.

When craft and painting magazines were at their peak, so were endorsement programs and these provided a large percentage of income for a published project or book. Fees could range from $10 to $500 for listing product(s) along with a project(s) in magazines and paint books. This was in addition to the fee paid by an editor or book publisher. With the decrease in the painting trend, some companies have continued to retain their original program while others have downsized or removed them entirely. Some companies will only pay out to a select few designers, others offer product or mix product with a fee. Earnings from books can depend on if the book is self-published by the author or done by a publisher for the author, also whether it is a single or combined artist and distribution is also a consideration. Then it goes to the size of the book, color verses black and white pages, quality of paper and amount of projects. Some publishers will pay a single up front amount, others may include royalties after a certain quota is met. Some publishers pay a specific amount on each book sold. And some will require their expenses paid from profits before any profits are given to the author. If the quota is not met in this kind of arrangement, then the designer is responsible for any remaining costs. So there is risk at times, risk for the designer and the publisher both. The best scenario is to be able to sell a book through a publisher and/or distributor and also through a home based business as well as having a booth and teaching at major shows.

Contacting companies in regards to freelance work offers additional potential for the designer. I’ve been able to do pattern sheets for chains and ads for a particular product or surface. It all helps toward opening a few more doors and for building a resume. Though often these jobs are a one time opportunity, the visibility has the potential to go beyond that, and is one of the most important assets you can create for yourself. A designer needs to continually discover ways to keep their name and their work current. You can’t depend on what you’ve done in the past. Constant visibility in magazines is what caught the attention of a marketing rep around 1999. Out of the blue, I received a call from the editor at “Crafts” magazine and she said a company was interested in promoting their product. The marketing rep had seen a few of my projects in their magazine and liked my style and would it be alright for them to contact me. How quickly could I say “yes” to such a welcome opportunity? Pretty quickly! The information was passed on and I received the call and it was explained that the company was interested in entering the decorative painting market and would I be interested in doing some projects for them for a brochure. This would mean leaving a product I’d been using for 15 years, giving up a good endorsement program as well as a quality product and enter into an unknown. Despite not knowing, I also wondered what this might potentially offer to the future. I thought back to the seminar in regards to not burning bridges because you never know when you might meet on that painted road again. I called the designer liaison I’d worked with and explained the situation and that it would mean I’d have to change product. We talked a short time and I said it was difficult to leave but that this seemed like such a great opportunity and one for possible growth as a designer. I was so relieved to get such a warm and encouraging response from her. She said that she understood the importance of going after an opportunity and, if ever I chose to return, I would certainly be welcome. She also wished me success and thanked me for all I’d done with their product. I was so impressed, even to this day, by her congenial attitude in business. As later I realized this is not always the circumstance. This had been my first real experience in comprehending how important ethics are in business. Managing situations with integrity and honesty leave a good impression and business friendships in tact; this is an invaluable asset to maintain. When dealing with an individual or company where this might not always be the case, it can create difficult situations which can result in misunderstandings or hard feelings. It’s always best not let personal feelings interfere with business and that’s another lesson learned.

To be continued……

Sue's Views

2011-12-13T11:09:00.000-07:00

Tis The Season For Giving (Of Self)

By Sue Hulen

My son called me a couple of nights ago and we were discussing the holidays and days gone by from his childhood. He’d mentioned that he and his girlfriend are not buying nor accepting any Christmas gifts this year. When asked why he said that he and his girlfriend were taking the money they would normally spend on gifts and donate it to local Food Pantries. He lives in MI and they’ve been hit awfully hard with this Recession. So many, many people out of work, homeless, hungry and desperate. It’s heartbreaking. This Recession has hit everywhere and it’s hurting more and more people every day.

What they’ve decided to do is the right thing to do. Their decision has really put things into perspective. This is a time to show compassion and love to those less fortunate than ourselves. Being sensitive to the needs of others and offering what we can is a wonderful way to show we care. It’s not all about Santa Claus and the beautifully wrapped packages beneath the Christmas tree. It’s about giving…..of ourselves.

What it must mean to a family to have a meal of substance as opposed to whatever is left in their almost bare cupboards. It must mean so much. It’s not just the food they can receive from local food pantries and soup kitchens, but the knowing that others care enough to help them in their time of desperate need. To know that they are not forgotten or invisible. It must fill their hearts with such gratitude.

It saddens me to think that there are so many who are going hungry or need help with utility bills, gas for their vehicles or other needs that they, themselves, cannot meet. My heart breaks for them. A warm smile and a gift that shows you understand and want to help can do wonders for them in their day to day struggle to survive. They don’t need our judgments, they need our support.

If you can’t give money or food there are other ways to help the less fortunate in our own area…not just at Christmas time, but all the time. We can visit nursing homes and visit and read to the elderly, help with transportation to get people to the stores or wherever else they may need to go, take them to doctor appointments or to the pharmacy to pick-up prescriptions, do in-home visits, offering them clothes that you would normally take to Salvation Army or Good Will. Maybe even give them a gift certificate/card for a fast food restaurant or some other extra that they have been sacrificing due to the situation they’re in.
Connecting and showing compassion and kindness to others means so much. It lifts spirits and gives hope and promise to so many. It shines a light where there’s darkness, fear and dread much of the time. And let’s not forget to pray for those in need and ask that their needs be met. The simplest gestures of kindness can mean so much. To give anonymously is a beautiful gesture as well. So many in need right now feel embarrassed about asking or receiving assistance because so many have never been in this situation.
Sending Merry Christmas wishes to you all who celebrate this beautiful Season. Spread some joy and hope wherever you are. Sometimes just a smile can make someone’s day brighter.

Hebrews 13:16 ESV

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Happy giving!!

Sue Hulen

Shoshanna53@kc.rr.com

Cropping your Artwork

2011-12-12T15:50:00.000-07:00

I am going to show you how you can "crop" a couple of paintings I have done for one of my books. Sometimes you can take a photo or a painting and crop it to look different, maybe you don't like what you see or maybe you just want a few different views. It is easy and fun to do, but it takes some practice as you need to have a little knowledge of composition to do it.

Here is the original

Here are some ways you could crop this picture to make different views.

Here is another original

Crops

Even if you have never tired this it is fun to experiment! Give it a try and see what you come up with!

Sharon Teal-Coray

Artist of the Month Maxfield Parrish

2011-12-10T21:48:00.002-07:00

I love Maxfield Parrish. His colors are so bright and dazzling that you can get lost in his works. I have this painting hanging in my home. It was given to us by some friends that moved into our neighborhood from Holland. This was in their apartment when they got here and they just didn’t care for it and knew that I would love it.

The Rubaiyat 1907

If you are not familiar with Mr. Parrish I hope this will introduce you to his work and you will become a fan as I have.

He was and American painter and illustrator, born in 1870 and died in 1966.

He started drawing for his own enjoyment early in his life. From there he moved on to a wonderful career that lasted for many decades.

Genderless nudes in out of this world settings were an a theme that was repeated often.

His work was featured on posters and calendars.

What I love is his use of color, it is dazzling and luminous! He is known for his “Parrish Blue” which he accomplished by means of a special technique involving several coats of oil and varnish applied to his paintings. Because his work was truly original it is virtually impossible to categorize it. Maxfield Parrish was the most popular American artist from the turn of the century until Norman Rockwell succeeded him in the 1940’s

I absolutely love that this wonderful artist continued painting until he was about 90 years old and died at age 96.

What is interesting is that each new generation rediscovers him and his prints now sell of thousands of dollars.

Here is the process in which he captured his vibrant paintings.

First Preparation

The panels were treated with linseed oil, then dried before painting. After they were dried he would outlined in pencil before the first strokes of his brush would touch the surface. Then he would apply an undercoat which would be a transparent color that was strong enough to be the dominant color in that area.

Next he would lay the canvas out in the sun to dry, the under painting had to be completely dry before he could move on. If it was not dry there was always a possibility of a “bloom” which is a cloudy white haze that is caused by moisture.

Next he would apply a varnish that was heated up all over the canvas. Once again he would let it dry and then he would lightly rub the canvas with a dampened cloth dipped in fine pumice stone. This would remove dust particles clinging to the surface and it also allowed the varnished surface to have a slight texture in which to hold the layers of color to follow.

Now he would wash with a wet cloth, after it was dry he could start to apply the glazes.

Painting

He built his colors up with thin layers of glazes. He used a small palette knife to thin the paint to the appropriate transparency. He used a regular paint brush to apply the glazes and he used linseed oil as a thinner to keep the layers of glazing as thin as possible.

Between each layer of paint he applied an equally thin layer of varnish. The varnish kept the underlying layer from mixing with the following layer and added the gloss that increased thetransparency and the brilliance of the original oil color which dulls on drying.

To create smooth gradations between two colors he used a stipple brush.

He would also use blotting paper, this was used to create the texture of rocks and cliffs.

He would use Cheesecloth to wipe his brushes and areas of glaze that were not perfect and to break up strong textures.

Then he would apply a thick layer of varnish.

Because the drying process was very lengthy he often worked on several works at a time.

The main thing to remember if you want to try this is that you need to use only pure, transparent color, and isolating each color between layers of varnish, allowing the varnish to dry completely, before proceeding with the next color.

Looking at his masterpieces I can see that the many steps he took is the reason he got such vibrant, luminous paintings.

Sharon Teal-Coray

DINKEY BIRD" - 1905

ECSTASY

MOONLIGHT

"DAYBREAK" 1922

PRINCE

WATERFALL

1920s TRIPTYCH

"HILLTOP" * "LUTE PLAYERS" * "MORNING"
This is a very rare edition

LUTE PLAYERS" - 1924

Heard the Word....Pochoir

2011-12-03T22:33:00.001-07:00

A stencil and stencil-brush process for making muticolored prints, and for tinting black-and-white prints, and for coloring reproductions and book illustrations, especially fine and limited editions. Pochoir, which is the French word for stencil, is sometimes called hand-coloring or hand-illustration. Pochoir, as distinguished from ordinary stencil work, is a highly refined technique, skillfully executed in a specialized workshop.

Studio Tips Hand Sanatizer

2011-12-03T22:13:00.003-07:00

A few days ago I was working on a project and I had applied a base coat of black and had the design on with a coat of gesso. I looked at the design and definitely hated it !
So spending after a couple of hours working I was not liking what I did and seeing the design was on an expensive object I got a little sick as to what I was going to do.
Then the light bulb went on...I remembered a conversation I had with my dearest friend Kay Quist. She told me that she uses Hand Sanitizer to clean her brushes with when they have dried. She also said she keeps a little pile of it on her palette to run her brush through before she cleans it in her basin. She said it removes the toughest paints! So I grabbed my large refill bottle I bought at Sam's Club and applied a thick coat of it all over the surface. I then waited about ten minutes and took paper towels and presto all the dried paint came off with no damage to my surface. Whew...........
Since then I have found it will remove acrylic paint from my clothes too!
What an inexpensive fix!
Sharon Teal-Coray

A Colorful Journey

2011-12-01T18:52:00.002-07:00

By Linda Lover

In this series of articles, I’d like to share my journey from learning to paint to turning it into a part time job that I thoroughly enjoy most of the time. Like any job, freelance design has its ups and downs. Someone once suggested the best way to describe it was “feast or famine” and that was definitely not an understatement. Decorative painting has given me many opportunities over the years and it all began with that first step, to pick up a brush and just try. Even with the excitement to discover what painting had to offer, it was accompanied by frustration. But persistence won and, as I began to see small shreds of success, that’s all it took to keep the momentum going. It seemed the more I taught myself, the more I wanted to discover and, even after all these years, the learning never stops. I think that is the allure of painting. Having done the paint by number canvases early on, it was interesting to see how color played out, how darks and lights created detail, shadows and even the mood of the painting. I’d always felt pretty observant when it came to nature and things that surrounded me, but as I grew in painting so did my visual perception. Tree bark wasn’t brown, grass was many shades of green, skies never looked the same, and simply the time of day or the season changed everything. Discoveries are endless, and I came to realize that even though theory has its place, nothing is written in stone. Everything is open to interpretation by the artist and the viewer. A sunflower painted by a child can be every bit as appreciated as one painted by Van Gogh. Individuality in painting is a gift to embrace and encourage.

At the time my own interest and skill was growing little by little, the decorative painting industry was going full steam with dozens of magazines, countless books, SDP was at its peak, classes were easy to find and little independent shops dotted the painting map. More companies were coming into the industry so more paint products were showing up. Programs were beginning and craft chains were entering the scene. As I browsed craft and painting magazines, I was feeling enough confidence to give magazine submissions a try. At first the rejections came one after the other, and just as I was about to throw in the towel, PaintWorks accepted a miniature four season landscape. That’s all it took to get me started and I was on my way to freelance designing. I found a thick skin is necessary because learning to take rejections is as important as enjoying the successes.

Around the mid’90’s the Society of Craft Designers was formed, and what a wonderful organization that was. It brought manufacturers, editors, publishers and designers together, opening up the opportunity to network and make industry connections. However, it quickly merged with HIA and soon after CHA, Craft and Hobby Association. The biggest loss in the exchange was the educational seminars that offered valuable information on how to navigate the industry. The only show I attended was in Pittsburgh one year. It was the who’s who of designers and I truly felt out of my element. Some designers were walking around with what looked like a volume of their published works and I had left the few tear sheets I had at home. However, at one of the seminars, the speaker said that editors, publishers and manufacturers were not interested in what you “had done”; they were interested in what you “could do” for them. That turned the key for me and some of the apprehension I’d been feeling evaporated. I met with the designer liaison at Delta at the Pittsburgh seminar and it eventually resulted in having the opportunity to author several books with Suzanne McNeil’s Design Originals.

As a freelance designer working strictly from home, I continued to explore opportunities and take notice of trends and new products. I was pretty much on my own at the time since I didn’t attend shows or network with other designers. I also discovered that I was quite naïve to the negative side of the decorative painting industry and was caught off guard when it managed to find its way to me. Imagine my surprise when I noticed one of my projects on television being done by another artist and also marketed as a $25 kit. The design was originally on one of my paint books. The next insult was a magazine project I’d done with a unique application that was turned into a kit and commercially marketed to sell a company’s products. Imitation is not necessarily the best form of flattery when a designer is denied recognition for their work. However, feeling like a relative novice yet, ringing in my ears was a statement I’d picked up at SDP, “don’t burn your bridges if you want to work in the industry”. I took this as meaning complaining will get you nowhere. So I chose to let it go and chalked it up to a learning experience, though I felt such a lack of consideration toward designers was very unprofessional. Shortly after, I noticed a series of snowmen I’d done for a published project had shown up in an advertisement flyer. Someone had taken my design and had it licensed with the only changes being the color of the scarves. Before I could get to the root of this situation, it was a holiday item and gone. Much later, I heard stories from other designers who had experienced similar. One had every project in her book licensed by a gift company and, when she looked into addressing the issue, had found that she needed to have filed an international copyright. Another designer has had line work and directions copied. While yet another designer has had her innovative products reproduced or imitated by others for commercial gain without benefit of credit or royalties to her. Too often designing is not taken seriously enough when it’s viewed as doing something a person is good at or enjoys doing, like a hobby. In reality, it is every bit as much of a business as any other business in the industry. There are companies that truly appreciate designers and value their talent while some other companies look upon designers as being a dime a dozen and easily replaced. For some designers, their work is their livelihood and for others it’s supplemental income. Even if it’s only a hobby, there are still ethical approaches to using the work of others. Most often it just comes down to giving credit where credit is due; it’s as simple as that. The problem arises when someone commercializes on the ideas copied from another without permission in order to gain profits for themselves or their business.

So where is the line between addressing an issue of copying or just letting it go in order to not make waves? This is often a dilemma as to which road to take because in addressing such a situation, the designer stands alone. Most will pick themselves up and move on, relying on their creativity to come up with the next new idea. Given enough incidences of this sort, a designer may eventually take a stand to protect their work from those who choose to use it unethically. The decorative painting industry, including SDP, chooses to remain neutral when it comes to issues of copyright infringement and the offender is usually only known to the parties involved and generally never becomes public knowledge. On behalf of companies and organizations, I can understand the reasons for remaining neutral in such situations. However, what is puzzling is when knowing a designer has infringed, they continue to support that designer with opportunities to market products or teach. It seems unfair to all designers who are ethical.

Creativity is a gift for some and a labor of love for others. I find myself in the second category. Creativity is also the backbone of designing. Sometimes I wonder if I can paint one more landscape with a barn that doesn’t look like one I’ve already done. I question how many other ways can a snowman or a poinsettia be painted. Creativity produces many challenges in color, surface, design and perspective. There’s a sense of accomplishment in a finished project but also to be considered is will it appeal to other painters, an editor or a publisher. This is probably the most difficult challenge. I’ve heard editors say that choosing designs is not easy. There are so many that are top notch but only just so many spaces. The choice may come down to originality, color, how well it will photograph and even consideration over the surface. The design has to “pop”. With so few magazines now odds for having a project chosen for publication is even more limited. Sometimes designs can also be accepted to promote a new product or if a design fits in with an advertisement.

Self publishing was another experiment in growth for me. By the time I chose to do this, I’d authored books with Plaid and Design Originals and thought I had a handle on things. I knew how to write directions and do line work but there was still important information missing that I knew I should have. I decided to attend HOOT as an observer and talk to designers and publishers. Asking question is the best information highway and learning from the experiences of others is invaluable. The basic advice was to find a good publisher and one that had a good channel for distribution. It was the only way to have a book in shops, chains and possibly major shows. Well, I felt that if I didn’t give this a try, I’d never know. The result was good news and bad news. The first book was well received but not the second. So the first book paid for publishing the second and I broke even. It was a lot of work to simply break even but I was happy just not to be in the red. I had to take a step back and re-evaluate the situation. I’d actually liked the second book better than the first so it had me question my judgment on color, theme and surface. I couldn’t understand how I could have missed the mark so badly. I didn’t self-publish again until several years later.

To be continued………

Kindness...

2011-11-28T19:50:00.006-07:00

During this stressful season try Kindness!

Today I bent the truth to be kind, and I have no regret, for I am far surer of what is kind than I am of what is true. ~Robert Brault

If you haven't any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble. ~Bob Hope

Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up. ~Jesse Jackson

A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget-me-nots have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on marble. ~Charles H. Spurgeon

It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice. ~Author Unknown

Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine he sees all day. ~Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Treat everyone with politeness, even those who are rude to you - not because they are nice, but because you are. ~Author Unknown

What this world needs is a new kind of army - the army of the kind. ~Cleveland Amory

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. ~Dalai Lama

During my second year of nursing school our professor gave us a quiz. I breezed through the questions until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was a joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Before the class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our grade. "Absolutely," the professor said. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello." I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy. ~Joann C. Jones

I always prefer to believe the best of everybody, it saves so much trouble. ~Rudyard Kipling

Don't be yourself - be someone a little nicer. ~Mignon McLaughlin,

The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966

There is no greater loan than a sympathetic ear. ~Frank Tyger

Never miss an opportunity to make others happy, even if you have to leave them alone in order to do it. ~Author Unknown

A fellow who does things that count, doesn't usually stop to count them. ~Variation of a saying by Albert Einstein

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see. ~Mark Twain

Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness. ~Seneca

A kind word is like a Spring day. ~Russian Proverb

There is one word which may serve as a rule of practice for all one's life - reciprocity. ~Confucius

Don't wait for people to be friendly, show them how. ~Author Unknown

The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway. ~Henry Boye

When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people. ~Abraham Joshua HeschelIf

Life is mostly froth and bubble,Two things stand like stone,Kindness in another's trouble,Courage in your own.~Adam Lindsay Gordon

How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these. ~George Washington Carver

You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you. ~John Wooden

Kindness, like a boomerang, always returns. ~Author Unkown

Sue's Views

2011-11-27T12:11:00.003-07:00

Meditation and Creativity

By Sue Hulen

Being raised with an extremely anxious mother, I have the residual effects. Anxiety has plagued me my entire life. Worrying about everything is something I’m quite good at. It had taken a toll years ago. Actually, I hadn’t realize I even had a problem with anxiety. It wasn’t just my mother who helped create the anxiety beast as I’d had other traumatic experiences as well. PTSS (Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome) is real and it affects many millions of people in this country along. You don’t have to be a soldier returning from war to have PTSS. Trauma is what causes it.

One day I had been doing Google searches and somehow came across a site that dealt with meditation. It made me chuckle as I thought of hippies and those who would be on drugs and meditate. It captured my attention for a reason. It was where I needed to be at that moment in time.
The more I read about it the more fascinated I became. It took me from one link to yet another and another. It was as if I couldn’t stop reading about it. In one article after another they discussed anxiety and how meditation could help create peace within the person who was affected by anxiety and PTSS.

The more I meditated the better I began to feel. I couldn’t believe it, but I was actually, at one point, in “transition” from inner chaos to actual peace, if only for a few minutes or few hours at a time. It was a true gift.
Loving meditation as much as I have I decided I would try meditating before I would sit down to paint. Hey, if it worked to help ease my anxiety it may just help me be relaxed while painting. I’m usually at peace when I paint, but the distractions would get me upset. I needed to be able to deal with the distractions and not get so upset by them.

I kept meditating before I would paint and after a short while the difference was very noticeable. Not only was I not getting upset by the distractions and interruptions, but I was being more creative. “How fascinating” I thought. But then, I thought maybe that it was just in my imagination. I continued meditating before I would sit down to paint. The beautiful relaxing music and the breaths were just what I must have needed……..yet again. How could something so simple be so valuable and positive in my life?

It truly was the meditation that had helped me be more creative. One day I hadn’t meditated before painting and I felt awful. I didn’t feel “centered” and just couldn’t keep my “monkey mind” under control. I actually felt scattered and noticed internal chaos. It was so obvious.
From now on I meditate before painting. I’m not sure what I would do if I couldn’t meditate. It’s so freeing and peaceful. To rest my mind for a while each day is a gift I give to myself. Give yourself a gift and just try to meditate before you paint. See how it goes.

I wish for all of you creativity and peace!!!

Sue Hulen
Shoshanna53@kc.rr.com

Hand Painted Guitars by Sharon

2011-11-27T11:34:00.001-07:00

I have been around guitars all of my life, my father, started playing the guitar when he was a young man. Then my brother learned and became a very good artist. Next my two son's came along and they had the gift too.

My first born James, now has his own business building Pedal boards for other musicians and my second son John has his own Rock a Billy band in Kentucky. They have toured all over the US and have three CD's out now.

It was inevitable that I did something with a guitar loving them as I do, I can't play them but I can paint them!

Here are two new ones that I have for sale now.

" The Lily" $125.00

"Pony Up" $75.00

"Three Feathers"

To purchase go to: http://www.sharonteal-coray.com/

Here are some of the ones that have sold:

Sold

Brush Holder

2011-11-22T21:46:00.004-07:00

Product Review

In my search for getting my studio totally organized I ran onto a great brush holder. It is a great size and holds many of my brushes. What is really nice is that it is on ball bearings and it easily turns around.

I can always find my brushes. I now have one in my scrap booking room it is great for special pens and scissors.

I also have one on my desk for pens and pencils! It is made of study plastic and comes apart to clean. It is small enough to use for your conventions and classes!

It is not expensive at all, on Sale now for only $14.95 with FREE SHIPPING in US.

They make great gifts for your artists friends!

Shining Feather Originals

www.sharonteal-coray.com

Guest Artist Jenn Avery

2011-11-16T15:22:00.007-07:00

Our guest artist is Jenn Avery, her gourd art is just beautiful and I am so happy that she has shared it with us!
Jenn was born and raised at the Jersey Shore and now lives with her husband in Lancaster County, PA Amish Country.
Jenn met her husband while at art school in PA. He used to paint beautiful large landscapes, but has been on a painting hiatus for 10 years now! He always says he only went to art school to meet his wife! Well that worked, since Jenn stayed with him! Jenn hope’s he will someday find his love for art again. They have one daughter; who is not all that impressed with gourds! However, she is very creative in her own way; she is a musician (violin and Irish fiddle) a writer and loves to act in plays.

Jenn say’s “I was practically born with a pencil in my hand. Always drawing and sketching little illustrations of stories I would make up; my mother would frequently ask me to draw her something, a way to keep me occupied with something constructive when I was bored. For that I am thankful for it gave me lots of practice.”
Jenn is not the only artist in her family. Her mother used to draw and paint, she is now a quilter. Her father is a woodworker. Her grandfather on her mother’s side was a cartoonist and her grandmother on her father’s side was an avid crafter and painter.

Her time at art school was originally to train to be a children’s book illustrator however, she soon discovered illuminated manuscripts and she has been smitten with them ever since. They influence much of her work. At the time her medium of choice was watercolors and oil paint. It wasn't until more than 10 years after going to school that she was led to my her medium, gourd pyrography.
Her grandmother being a calligrapher was the person who first planted the seed of becoming interested in medieval manuscript. She introduced her to calligraphy and wood burning. She gave Jenn an old burning pen to experiment with on gourds.

Jenn say’s “the only thing I ever did with the burner at that time was burn my fingers! “
After getting hooked on gourd art, she joined the American Gourd Society. From there, she began a chapter here in PA. It has since grown from 15 people in 2003 to over 100 currently. In June the PA Gourd Society holds a Gourd Festival at a local Amish gourd farm. Many of the gourds Jenn uses is grown on the Amish farms.

Jenn say’s “I am inspired by God’s creation, stories and songs. I am at heart, still an illustrator. My work is generally telling some sort of a story, or a frozen moment in time. My subjects might come to me from song lyrics, or an old fable, or seeing a certain bird dashing across a trail while I am hiking in the woods. I cannot imagine not doing some sort of artwork. It is what I must be called to do, since it is how God “wired” me up. I only hope that I can glorify Him in doing the very best I know how and developing my skills, being honest in my work and never cutting corners.”

There are two recurring subjects in her work, which she is always trying to find ways to make them work together. Jenn has an affinity for animals and wildlife, and she has been smitten with medieval art, especially the art of the illuminated manuscripts from such sources as the Book of Kells and Lindisfarne Gospels. Sometimes she will focus on one or the other, but her favorite pieces are the ones when she can marry the two in one piece of art.

Her research for the wildlife involves taking many photos of animals and birds. She will do lots of drawing from those photos; she also draws from her own live models, 2 cats and a house rabbit. Ever since she was a little girl she loved watching animal shows on television (a favorite was Marty Stouffer’s Wild America) and reading all kinds of animal books. She still loves this!
Jenn looks at reproductions of ancient texts for the medieval and Celtic art she creates. Of course, she likes to visit museums where you can see these things up close, under glass, but finds this a bit limiting. She finds it more advantageous to use the Internet where she has the ability to find many texts where she can turn pages and zoom in on certain areas so she can see the tiny details she needs for her art.

This has all been internalized and what comes out of her pen is her own creations, of course there are going to be similarities,that cannot be helped, but she tries to make every piece unique.
Jenn say’s “I would not say I am doing any technique that is different from anyone else, but I can say I did arrive at this level by the grace of God. I took no classes, did not learn it from anyone, just trial and error. I began working on gourds by painting them, and doing little borders with the wood burner around the paintings. Slowly I began doing more burning and less painting, and eventually I came to burning. My technique is to burn slowly, and not to rush. That is all, very simple.

My “studio” is more of a storage space. I prefer to work not to be isolated from my family so I work, when I can, in the living room or the kitchen. The only exceptions to that is carving; since that makes a lot of dust, that gets down outside; and dying, which can be very messy, that gets done in my “studio”.

Jenn teaches several classes at gourd festivals. She has taught at the PA Gourd Festival and has also taught with the Maryland Gourd Society.
These are generally done on one day and she only has about 4 hours to teach. Therefore, she must teach a project that her students can finish that day, and hopefully they will learn enough technique that they can take that to their own work in the future.
She enjoys teaching and meeting her students and loves how everyone interprets the same project a little differently,” it just demonstrates to me how unique and special God has made every person, even how they approach their art.”
At this point, she has not had the opportunity to travel teach but says she is open to that if it is not too far from home
In addition to gourd art, Jenn does crochet and needle felted animals. “Having varied creative outlets helps in not becoming “burnt out” excuse the pun!
I have been teaching myself Irish fiddle, and Irish tin whistle. My Daughter helps me with it, when she isn't frustrated with how bad I am! We also home school and are involved with our local home school group.
This probably makes me sound a bit busy, but the truth is, we do make time to relax, and to be still and be refreshed.

To reach Jenn:
http://www.jragourdart.com/
http://www.etsy.com/shop/JRAGourdArt

The Gourd Society:
pagourdsociety.org

"Hare's Lament"

Pyrography, scene continues around gourd

"Celtic Cats"

(Maine Coon, side 1 of 3)

Pyrography with Tiger Eye gem inlay

Celtic Cats Purse

Pyrography, inlay, cloth strap

Yellow Bellied Woodpecker

The Hunt"

pyrography, carving, inlay

Pyroengraved (wood burned) gourd bowl, with crushed stone inlay on the animals. The Hound chases the Fox, the Fox chases the Rabbit and it goes round and round

Selkies....the shapeshifting creatures in Celtic folklore, seals in the sea, women on land.

Four Evangelists

This scene was inspired by many evenings out on a boat watching the wildlife of the lake. This gourd vase entitled King Heron is subtly and delicately pyroengraved (wood burned) by hand.

Ornament

Dolphins Purse" is made from a sturdy, thick, organically grown canteen (hardshell) gourd.

Little shelf sitter gourd, completely intact. Shake it- it rattles! The seeds are still inside. Lovely little gourd will look nice on a bookshelf or a desk. The Rose is delicately freehand drawn/pyroengraved (wood burned) on the gourd, with gold metal leaf in the background.

"Iris Purse"

Pyrography, gilders past

Freehand drawn and wood burned (pyrography) Celtic knot. Has been referred to as a "lover's knot" because of the heart shapes the knots create (though historical evidence does not support this!)

Isaiah 11:6 Peace on Earth" view "

Pyrography

"Spirals Bowl"

Pyrography and Coiling

"Twister"

Coiling

Preparing gourds for crafting

Jenn Avery

By Jenn AveryGourds are closely related to cucumbers and melons। They grow on a vine that can reach upwards of 100 feet long। Interestingly enough, most varieties are not edible. However, God had a different plan for these vegetables.

For the hardshell gourd, Lagenaria Siceraria, with white flowers that open at night; a curious thing happens to them. In time, they will harden and turn brown, they actually resemble wood and can be used as containers; and as many creative people throughout the centuries discovered; many other items as well, like birdhouses and musical instruments.

In order for these gourds to go through this transformation, they first need to be cared for properly. Gourds will grow profusely during the hot summer months; you can actually watch them grow. As lovely as they are, they must not be harvested before the appointed time.

They will continue to gather nutrients and mature through the fall, and only until the vines are completely dry; usually after the first hard frost; can they be cut from the vine.

After this, they can be allowed to dry. Gourds are 95% water and will take 6-10 months to dry. Keeping them outside is a good idea for their outer skin which acts as a waxy barrier on the shell, will keep the water trapped, thus as the skin deteriorates will develop mold.

Rain and snow falling on them is a good thing, it will make it easier to clean in the spring. An alternate way to dry the gourds is what is referred to as green cleaning. This is a process that I have just begun having success with, but it is a risky business. After the gourd is mature it is possible to scrape the skin off the gourd, thus allowing the water to evaporate much easier and faster.

This will sometimes cause the gourd to shrivel. However, when successful the gourd will dry within 3 weeks, and to a creamy yellow/brown color. When the gourd is dry, it will last as long as any piece of wood. It’s danger of rotting is now passed.

Only when a gourd is completely dry can it be crafted. You can tell it is ready by the weight, it will be very light, and the seeds inside may rattle. The color will be brown, no longer green. This is where the fun begins! If the gourd has been left outside to dry, it will have to be cleaned before use. Cleaning the remaining epidermis and mold and mud off the gourd is a dirty job, however it reveals the beauty of what lies beneath. Patterns will be uncovered, which were caused by that nasty mold.

Now that the outside is clean, the inside must also be cleaned if it is to be used as a container. Of course, it can be left whole and uncut if desired. To cut, safety measures are taken as the gourd dust can be harmful to lungs. I use a small hobby jigsaw to cut my gourds.

If you have ever carved a jack-o-lantern you know of the mucky mess that is inside. Imagine that same mess now, but all dried and hardened. This is what you will find inside the gourd. It takes a bit of elbow grease to get that out, I use special tools and some household utensils that I claimed for my gourd cleaning toolbox. Once the inside is scraped, I sand with a course sandpaper, and then with a finer sandpaper.

I coat the inside with acrylic paint to seal it. The gourd is now prepped for the art. When I have my design ready, which generally means I have some rough sketches in my sketchbook and a clear idea in my mind; I will draw my design directly on the gourd with pencil. Then I use my wood burning pens to burn in my design, erasing as I go, and if there is any carving to be done I usually do that last. Although, there has been times when I do everything backwards!

If I decide to add color or dyes, that will be done and then I coat with several layers of polyurethane. The type I use is formulated to shield from UV rays, which can fade the burning if left unprotected. Even so, I caution my customers not to display their gourds in direct sunlight.

A question frequently asked is “How long does it take to finish one of your gourds?” And it is a tough question to answer. If you take into consideration the growing, drying, and prepping time, and then add to it the time for the concept to come into fruition, and the actual art work, they can take up to a year.

For the art itself, it generally takes about 10-15 hours on a medium size gourd with a lot of burning and some carving. It really depends on how intricate the design is and how many techniques are employed in one piece.

Each one is treated a bit differently because each gourd is unique!

Portrait of MJ

2011-11-12T11:05:00.001-07:00

Since Michael Jackson was a little boy I have been one of his biggest fans, I love his music and think that he was one of the most talented artists ever. I have been greatly saddened by his passing. He had a very sad life as a youngster and as a result he had many problems in his older years. Sue Hulen sent me a link to a site that featured many artists who have painted him. These are just beautiful and a wonderful tribute to him. I hope you will enjoy these and if you want to see many more go to this website;
http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/06/an-artistic-homage-to-michael-jackson/

Meet the Eckman's

2011-11-08T16:27:00.020-07:00

A friend sent me a video of some wonderful artwork to look at because she knew I would love it, and I did! The work looked like some I had seen in a gallery I was in a few years ago in Sedona AZ. I contacted Patty one of the artists and asked her if she was in the Gallery and sure enough it was her and her husbands work. She gave me permission to write about her and her husband.
When I first saw the work in person I could not get my mind around how someone could create it, it was so elegant and simple। When I was told it was made out of paper that is where I just had to stop short and take another look at it। It was just wonderful! The gallery was the Golden Gecko, and it was in a very exclusive area of Sedona. As I reflect on it, I feel so very blessed to have been part of a gallery that had such great art in it. It was truly one of my many blessings I have had.So now I would like to share with you some of this gorgeous work.Patty and Allen Eckman met and married while attending college. They both were taking art classes and had a passion for it.After raising three children and working in a small advertising company they decided to set out on their own and whole new career path. This opened up a new and exciting adventure for both of them.What they do is called cast paper sculpture; it has been around since the 1950’s. Don’t confuse it with papier-mâché’. The two mediums are completely different.The Eckmans are the inventors of this process. Eckman Method® of Cast Paper Sculpture is a proprietary trademark. Since 1988, Patty and Allen have developed and perfected the medium of cast paper far beyond any other artists in the world. Their work is considered by many critics to be the premier of the industry. Since the paper is acid-free, the sculptures are all museum quality. “We have really enjoyed the development of our fine art techniques over the years, and have created a process that is worth sharing, said Allen Eckman. “We believe there are many artists and sculptors who will enjoy this medium as much as we have.”Allens interest lies in the American Indian's materials, physical and spiritual culture.“From the western expansion, through the Civil War and beyond is of great interest to me.” Eckman has expanded his work through all these subjects and time periods. In harmonious contrast, Patty has a great interest in wildlife, birds and flowers in particular. “Ever since I was a child I have had a great appreciation of wildlife, said Patty. “I can sit for hours and watch the birds come to my feeder. When I look at a flower I don’t see just color, I see form and grace. Wonderful shapes that the color tries to overpower.” Patty also has a deep interest in the Native American culture, and since the year 2000 has been sculpting beautiful Indian women and children. On large complicated and detailed works the couple often works together, both signing the piece when completed.
Allen and Patty Eckman now offer educational services, including: conducting classes in workshops; DVD and other course materials in the field of creating cast paper sculptured art, and distributing course materials.
Sit back and relax and look at this beautiful art!

To see more art and read about these artists go to:

http://eckmanfineart.com/category/allen-and-patty-eckmans-work

What Colors Mean!

2011-11-04T20:19:00.026-06:00

It is so important to understand color. Not just because you are an artist but to help understand yourself. Color is an vital component in our daily environment and in fashion. Not only does it communicate emotion and create a mood, it also has the power to influence our energy level. Colors evoke personal emotions and experiences. We all react to colors in a different way. Just think of how you feel in a room painted red, or blue? The colors you surround yourself with makes you feel a certain way.Every color can have a different effect on you.
Most of us have a specific color personality and we have had it since childhood. Some of us often change this maybe more than once during our lifetimes, while others never change.
A good way to determine what your color personality is to take a look in your closet. Look at the colors you choose to wear or decorate your homes with. If you see one or more colors often then these will reflect your personality and genuine needs.
It is interesting that the colors you like or dislike can be reliant on your life experiences.
Sometimes we have negative or positive feeling about colors due to something in our past. My mother loved purple, she died when she was only 44, I can remember her bedroom all decorated with purple, I love sitting in there and I have fond memories of that time of my life. As a result I love purple. I have found that if I surround myself with the colors I love or wear them often I feel more empowered and happy and at peace.
Ask yourself what is my favorite color, be spontaneous with your answer, don’t think about it or analyze it just say the first color that comes into your mind.
This choice will tell you a lot about how you function in life and how others see you.
It can help you understand your character traits, your emotional and mental states. It shows you things about your behavior and spiritual beliefs.
It will show you where you are venerable, what your weaknesses and strengths are and what you deepest needs are.
A color you wear all the time does not have to be your personality color but it is usually your favorite, you are drawn to this color and it is exciting for you and makes you feel good when you wear it. If you have two equally favorite colors you need to understand both colors to completely understand yourself and what motivates you.
You may not show signs of all the character traits of your personality color, you will find yourself somewhere in the description. You may also find you exhibit some of the negative traits, mainly when you are stressed.
　
Red: This is the most dynamic color. a person may decide to wear red one day and this may indicate they are ready to take action, they may need to feel powerful, or they may be passionate about what they are going to be doing that day. People who are angry are known to wear red. Wearing red tells others you are confidant and mean business.
Red is a dominant color, full of excitement and, in some cases, a little danger. It’s associated with Stop signs, emergency equipment, and of course sports cars. It can be hot, aggressive, or passionate.
Bright Red: exhilarating, authoritative, hot, sexy
Burgundy: rich, classy, older, luscious, chic
Brick Red: down-to-earth, warm, urban
Terra Cotta: hearty, warm, rustic, hospitable
Fuchsia: dazzling, sensual, stimulating
Bright Pink: cheerful, feisty, childlike, popular, untamed
Light Pink: dreamy, soft, womanly, babies, fragile
Dusty Pink: restrained, comfy, shadowy
Mauve: passive, over-romantic, calm

If orange is your favorite color, you love to socialize, you need people around you and be received and valued as part of a group. The color orange is the color of communication and optimism. You love physical and social challenges.
Orange is closer to the fire of Red than Yellow, a lot of products are packaged in yellow. Autumn is associated with orange as is Halloween. Orange is invigorating and full of life.
Bright Orange: capricious, innocent, happy, radiant, harvest, luscious, tangy, energizing, welcoming, loud, entertaining
Peach: fostering, soft, luscious, sweet, engaging, downy
Yellow: is very happy, warm, and outgoing. Yellow helps stimulates the intellect encourages confidence and hope. If you love yellow you are a very logical person in life. You desire to be able to express your uniqueness by using your logical mind to create new ideas. Yellow is the color of intellect, however you may be impatience and critical. It is also the color of cowardice. Yellow is happy color that reminds us of light and sunshine, yellow makes us feel good.
Bright Yellow: sunshine, cheery, sociable, power, shining
Light Yellow: happy, supple, sun-drenched, warm, sugary
Golden Yellow: reassuring, buttery, harvest, prosperous,
Greenish Yellow: fruity, tart, lemony, sharp

Green represents nature, expansion, vigor and profusion. It is very harmonizing, curative, and serene.
If green is your favorite, you need to be accepted and have acknowledgment for things you do for others. You need to feel like you belong, have a great need to love and be loved and have a safe place where you feel secure. You are very self-reliant and caring.
Green is the color of all nature and growing things. It brings to mind all the vitality associated with the wonderful outdoors and springtime. It can evoke thoughts of “little green men, and envy” It is also connected with money.
Dark Green: conventional, money, peaceful woodsy, dependable,
Olive: traditional, military
Bright Green: spirited, spring, clean, foliage, Irish.
Light Green: comforting, vigorous, minty, tranquil.
Bright Yellow-Green: garish, cheap, artsy, intrepid oily, nauseating.
Lime: revitalizing, sharp, tart, spirited, fruity

Blue is associated with spirituality and meditation.
It is calming, therapeutic, soothing, and relaxing. Lovers of blue are seekers of internal peace and truth, they are likely to live their life according to their ideals and beliefs without having to change their inflexible viewpoint of life to satisfy others.
Blue is the color of loyalty, integrity, conservatism, trust and peace.
Blue is cool, both in temperature and temperament. Blue has been a favorite shade of mortgage companies and banks for its dependable and trustworthy associations.
Navy: traditional, conventional, power, professional, nautical, serene
Sky Blue: soothing, happy, true
Light Blue: peaceful, water, sparkling
Teal: exclusive, chic, delightful, rich
Turquoise: tropical, ocean, exotic
Aqua: cool, fresh, liquid, therapeutic

Purple: represents nobleness and self-respect. It is often related to a sixth sense and spirituality.
If purple is your favorite color, you need perfection in all areas of your life, including your spiritual life. Emotional security is a deep need for you. You like to take part in humanitarian projects often being the initiator. You are always helping others.
You have a wonderful imagination and are very creative.
Violet is a deeper relative of Red, with slight similarities with Blue. It is mysterious, elegant, dependable and thoughtful, It has been used by crowned heads, religions, and political movements for dependability .
Red Purple: creative, distinctive, sensual, ostentatious
Blue Purple: spiritual, advanced, supernatural
Deep Plum: expensive, royal, powerful, stylish
Lavender: fragile, reflective, floral, sweet

Pink: is gentle, calm, tranquil, composed. It also symbolizes love and romance.
If your personality color is pink you have a deep need to be accepted , nurtured and loved unconditionally. Pink can also be immature, outlandish and girlish.

If Turquoise is your favorite color your genuine need is to create emotional balance in your life, you may be idealistic but need to be able to express your hopes and dreams no matter what. The color meaning of turquoise is communication and clearness of mind. It can also be impractical.
Brown is unwavering, down-to-earth, grounding, dependable and relaxed.
I you love brown need a safe, protected, clear-cut and comfortable existence with encouraging family and friends. The color brown is a solemn, down-to-earth color that relates to security, security and material wealth.
Brown is earthy, warm, and rich. Its dependable and secure ,wholesome, woodsy, durable, secure, rustic, warm, rooted
Brown may not seem like a dominant color at first, but connotations have helped make UPS a household brand in America.
Earth Brown: Chocolate: rich, scrumptious
Cream: smooth, soft, delectable, typical, warm, neutral
Taupe: realistic, eternal, quality, basic, neutral
White represents clearness, purity, cleanliness, purity, trust, and openness.
If white is your personality color, your deepest need is for straightforwardness in your own life and to be self-governing you don’t want to depend on anyone, you are very self-reliant. White is the color of purity, innocence, wholeness and finishing pointGrey is neutral, tranquil, and quiet. It is traditional.
With Gray as your favorite color, you are cool, conserved, self-possessed and reliable. You tend to conform just to keep the peace. You often won’t take sides, but prefer to take the middle of the road attitude.
Black connotes sophistication, authority, security and stylishness. It is also introspection and mystifying.
Lovers of Black have a need for power they are often insecure and need to be in charge in order to protect these emotional insecurities.
Black is the most influential and classic of all the colors. It is mysterious and magical.
It denotes expensive things, status, elegance, and moderation. It is a heavy color, and adds strength, courage, and immunity to what it represents.
Charcoal Gray: specialized, sophisticated, rock-hard, mature, long-term, expensive
Neutral Gray: cool, commercial, sensible, quality, timeless, quiet, ethereal
If Silver is your favorite, you are intuitive and perceptive and have a strong relation with a higher spiritual guidance. The color silver has a feminine power; it is related to the moon and the ebb and flow of the tides - it is fluid, mysterious, poignant, and sensitive.
If your color is Gold, you emit charisma, individuality and uniqueness, making others feel relaxed and valued in your company. Gold is the color of achievement, accomplishment and victory. Gold is also linked with prosperity, abundance, extravagance, quality, status, elegance, material wealth, extravagance, sophistication, and affluence.

Trusting Yourself

2011-11-02T18:43:00.007-06:00

Trusting Yourself

By Sue Hulen

Have you ever heard a little voice telling you “No you can’t.”? Or maybe it was saying “You know you’re not good enough to do that.” It’s that nagging negative self-doubt that keeps us from trusting ourselves. It seems to rear it’s ugly head at some of the worst times.
I’ve always had a problem with trusting myself. Trying something new wasn’t always easy for me because I didn’t trust myself to do it good enough or do it right. My own distrust of “self” has kept me from doing many wonderful things. There has been things I’d love to try (like flower arranging), but my self-doubt has kept me from even making the attempt. Being a bit of a perfectionist doesn’t help.
There have been times that I’ve not listened to my distrust of myself and just jumped into new territories. I’d always thought I couldn’t paint. I’d think “I can’t paint. I wasn’t born with the talent or the creative mind that it takes to be an artist.” Always loving art I thought “Why not give it a try?” And so I did. I looked the tiger in the eye and not only tamed the tiger, but won the battle by trusting in myself. There’s much for me to learn about painting, but I’m getting there and I’m loving all the mistakes and all of the accomplishments along the way.
If we could just trust ourselves and have faith in ourselves there’s no limit to what we can accomplish. Trust that you will make the right choice. Trust that you can accomplish whatever it is you’ve set out to do. It may not perfect for a while, but you’re giving it your best shot.
Trusting in self will take you places you never thought you’d go. It will give you courage to do other things that you may have shied away from in the past. It can place you on a path to something/s that you never even considered before. If we can’t trust ourselves, who can we trust?
So, when that little voice tells you that you can’t do something, you just replace that negative self-talk with something positive like “Oh, yes I certainly can.” The only thing holding us back is ourselves. We can fight ourselves or we can be free of self-doubt and soar.
Think of something that you’ve not made an attempt at doing, because you’ve held yourself back, and just do it. Just do it. See what happens and see if you can tame that tiger of self-doubt. Love yourself enough to trust in yourself. I think you’re worth it.
Have a wonderful week and enjoy the beautiful palette of colors that nature has given us this time of year. It’s just gorgeous.

Give yourself permission to trust in yourself!

Sue Hulen
Shoshanna53@kc.rr.com

Artist of the Month Raymond Teal

2011-11-01T16:47:00.002-06:00

The Artist of the Month is my Father Raymond Teal. The post was too long so I made a special blog just for him. You can see his art at this site:

http://rtealartist.blogspot.com/

Heard the Word Fresco

2011-10-21T23:16:00.006-06:00

Fresco

A mural painting using pigment mixed with water on a wall previously coated with lime-plaster. The name derives from the Italian word FRESCO (which means "fresh")

The Pazzi Crucifixion (1494-96) at Santa Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi, in Florence, by Pietro Perugino, an example of fresco

Raphael, The Betrothal of the Virgin

Studio Tips Getting Organized!

2011-10-21T22:57:00.001-06:00

Today I was passing through my studio on my way out to sit in the sun for a few minutes on my patio, I looked at my painting area and was literally shocked at how messy it looked. I hadn’t been in there for a week and I think the best way to describe it is that it looked like I had been robbed! I guess when I am sitting there caught up in what I am doing the sloppy part of me takes over, it does not even register at the time! Before long I have paints all over the place, brushes littered on the easel and table tops. My palette looks like a cyclone has passed over it. With a palette like this it is hard to keep my paints from getting muddy. I can’t tell you how many times I end up searching for my knife or a certain brush.
My home is not like this, I have things organized and in their place but in my studio things just sort of transform into a big mess. I ask myself what in the world is my problem.
I know that is a good idea to start out each painting session with a clean and organized palette and working area. I usually spend an hour doing exactly this, and what a waste of precious painting time this is!
I put on my thinking cap and remembered a lesson sheet I used to hand out to new students. I dug through my many files and finally found it and after reading it decided I needed to take my own advice, which is often the case!
So for all of you out there that find yourself in the same predicament here is the lesson I wrote many years ago, I am going to try to follow it and maybe it will be of some help to you too!
First organize all of your paints and brushes so they are in easy reach. Only keep the colors you use the most close to you. Don’t surround yourself with tubes and bottles of colors you have never used. If you haven’t used them recently you probably won’t.
Have a place for clean brushes and only have your favorites in that place.
I like to have a duplicates of my favorite brushes near by so I don’t have to stop and clean as often when changing colors. Looking at my painting area I bet I have over 200 brushes, and I only use a handful! Talk about inefficiency!
Have your water basin and any extenders or mediums you use close by.
The one thing I need to figure out is where to put the dirty brushes I am using. I don’t like to put them upright when they are wet as the water runs down into the ferrule and that will damage it eventually. I tried putting them on a paper towel but they often roll off the table! I don’t ever leave them in the water so I am working on a place where they can be put until I need them again.
Use a Masterson’s wet palette for acrylics and a large clip board with waxed freezer paper clipped on it for my oils. I tried using a plastic palette but found that it was a real hassle to clean it every time I stopped painting, with the freezer paper I can just throw it away. If I have a lot of paint I don’t want to waste, I transfer it to a flat Rubbermaid container with a tight lid and place it in the freezer.
I have been in the awful habit of just squirting out the colors in no particular order but in the lesson sheet here is what I recommended:
When you lay out your palette you should get into the habit of laying out your colors the same way every time you paint. This is just good practice and keeps the painting procedure flowing properly. I especially like to put compliment colors across from each other and my whites and neutrals on one end.
Don't be afraid to squeeze out a good amount of paint, especially your whites, arrange them along the edges of your palette u will have a lot of space to mix on. By putting out enough paint in the first place it will save you time and you will be more productive if you don’t have to stop and squeeze out more paint every few minutes Try to include all of the colors you think you will need to complete that session of painting and always ]replace the lids right after you use them. Then put the paint back were it belongs!
That is one of my hardest things to do…sometimes I find myself surrounded with so many tubes or bottles that I have no room for anything else!
Instead of plopping out puddles of paint, squeeze them out in long lines. This way you can take the tip of the line with a knife onto your mixing area without contaminating the rest of the line. Make sure to wipe you wipe your knife off each time you change colors. Use your palette knife to mix colors with, A palette knife can be wiped completely clean so there is no chance of your colors becoming contaminated. Your brush is made for painting and not mixing, using a brush to mix with can shorten the life span of your brush if you are repeatedly mixing with it.
Good Luck with your endeavors to keep a tidy studio…I hope I can so the same!

Sharon Teal-Coray

Sue's Views

2011-10-21T12:22:00.000-06:00

Paper Marbling

Paper marbling is an artform I've not experienced. One day I would love to try it. The design patterns you can get from marbling is endless. The "peacock" design is probably my favoite although there are so many beautiful designs it's hard to pick and choose only one favorite.

Peacock Designs

I'd love to marble curtains, linens, Tshirts, placemats and other items. It would be beautiful. The effects that marbling gives backgrounds on papers is fantastic. Notecards are especially beautiful as well. Since most of my artwork is my own East meets West style of Asian art, I would love to have marbled backgrounds on my paper that have an Asian flavor to them. Having the Chinese watercolors in the background would be just goreous. What a unique touch.

Besides the beauty of this artform, another attraction is that there are few supplies necessary and you don't need much work space. It amazes me that you can produce such beauty is such a small area. Who would have thought?

Stone Marbling

Used for background

I'm adding a link to a You Tube video of someone who is showing you the marbling technique. It would be gorgeous on silk. What I would give for a marbled silk scarf or marbled silk shawl. WOW! Maybe you could come up with some marbled designs for some things you'd like to have marbled as well. It's only as limited as your imagination.

You Tube link: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=paper+marbling+technique&aq=3&oq=paper+marbling There are lots of videos on paper marbling here.

Here is a couple of links to see some beautiful paper marbling designs as well as materials.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnacsyen/with/2783852543/
He even has information on book binding that's really interesting and very informative.

http://marbleart.us/Examples.htm

Sue Hulen shoshanna53@kc.rr.com

How to Paint with a Knife

2011-10-20T22:27:00.001-06:00

I have always loved painting with a knife, it is one way to loosen up and feel free with my art. If you are getting a little board with what you are painting

knife painting can add a fresh approach to an artist's painting technique. If you want to do this first you need to know the difference between a painting knife and a palette knife. Though these terms are often used interchangeably, they are diverse

tools. Both knives are characteristically made from stainless steel and have a wooden handle. But these tools serve different purposes and so they fluctuate somewhat in shape or design.

To put it simply the palette knife is used for mixing paints or scraping paint off the palette whereas a painting knife is used for placing paint on the canvas. A palette knife is not planned to spread paint on canvas. This tool is designed for use on the palette itself.

It is perfect for mixing paints and mediums on the palette or it can be used to scrape up paint off the canvas or for cleaning the paint off the palette.

On a palette knife, the tang is typically straight and flat where it leaves the handle. The flat blade is similar to that of a spatula. It will often be tapered with a rounded tip or it is long and narrow.

The painting knife is the right tool for painting. It’s used in place of a brush for applying

paints, medium, or pastes onto the canvas. The tang where it leaves the handle is

rounded and usually has a bend in it just below the handle. This angle keeps

the fingers high enough so that they don’t drag through the fresh paint. The blade itself is flat; however, there are numerous different interesting shapes and sizes.

The blades will differ by sharpness of the points, angles, lengths and flexibility the most common shapes being the trowel, pear, diamond and the multi-sided angles.

Each shape makes a different mark with the paint. I think that the first one to try if you are just starting out is the trowel shape. It is very versatile and easy to use.

To make your first purchase look for a knife that is made of high quality steel. They should be light in weight with a slight stiffness but with a good spring or bounce to it. It should feel like it is well balanced in your hand. Be sure that the edge is not too sharp, it should not cut the canvas as you apply the paint!

A good knife may be a bit expensive and I have found ones that are made in Italy are the very best, but remember they are really economical because they usually last longer than brushes.

Here are some ways to use a knife:

To paint thin lines load the edge of the knife and drag it along the canvas or tap the edge down sharply.

Dragging the loaded blade lightly along the canvas can create beautiful strokes in the paint as it is spread. This can create a nice texture to a stroke. The paint can be flicked or hit down against the canvas quickly to make small dabs of color. Knives are great for scumbling.

The painting knife can be used to push or cover the paint around to create detailed shapes. Paint can even be squeezed straight onto the canvas and then moved around with the knife.

If painting a whole painting with a knife is not for you try using it with a brush, it will offer a chance to see how it feels to use the knife and give your paintings a new look.

Remember to pick up and spread paint is by lifting paint on the underside, not the

top side of the blade. A painting made with painting knives looks very different than one made with paintbrushes. Painting knives are great for putting on thick layers of paint quickly. They create wonderful impasto work. With a little practice you can learn how to skillfully apply the paint to create a wide range of beautiful textures and marks. Think of the palette knife as an extension of your hand as you work. Use your forefinger to direct the blade.

As time goes by and you become more comfortable painting with a knife you will be able to create more detailed images. If you can paint something with a brush you can paint it with a knife.

Please remember to clean your palette knife when you finish painting for the day. Just wipe the paint off with a cloth, making sure that you wipe off all paint.

Here are some painting th are done with knives you can use.These are just stunning!

Knife Paintings by
Jean-Marc Janiaczyk

Some knives you can use

By Sharon Teal-Coray

Artist of the Month Kaziah Hancock

2011-10-13T22:01:00.002-06:00

This month I want to introduce you to Kaziah Hancock. This lady has an incredible story. She has painted over 900 portraits of fallen soldiers in the Iraq/Afghanistan wars, and given them as gifts to their families.

Meet the woman behind the paintings in the award winning documentary that delves into Kaziah's life in polygamy, her escape to freedom and achieving her dreams of becoming an artist and raising her precious goats.

Having received civilian awards from every branch of the U.S. Military, Kaziah Hancock has caught the attention of Barbara Walters and The View. A woman with a mother’s heart, who has overcome adversity in her own life, extends her strength and courage to the families of our fallen soldiers. Armed with a paintbrush, Kaziah is out to help heal the wounds of the war by painting portraits of U.S. Heroes, our fallen soldiers, as a gift to their families. She has been invited to participate in The View’s Memorial Day show in which she will personally deliver her 865th portrait to a fallen soldier’s family.

An acclaimed artist, Kaziah’s work sells for thousands of dollars on the market but she put that aside when she heard about the death of Staff Sergeant James W. Cawley, the first fallen soldier from Utah, and has been working to preserve the memory of our precious fallen soldiers through her art ever since. Her non-profit Project Compassion, with four other artists, has completed over 3,000 portraits. http://www.heropaintings.com

A survivor of polygamy and cancer, Kaziah’s true personality is portrayed in the recent award winning documentary "Kaziah the Goat Woman" http://www.kaziahthedocumentary.moonfruit.com

Her numerous speaking engagements include West Point Military Academy where she was the only person asked to speak to the cadets on 9/11 2008 and the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado where she was the inspirational speaker to cadets over a three day period.

Kaziah’s core belief in freedom drives her spirit to paint these heroes, who have died to preserve our greater freedom, so they will never be forgotten. She summarizes her painting as “a simple act of kindness from one American to another.”

ERICK A. HALVORSEN

Chief Warrant Officer

Vermont

SCOTT JAMAR

United States Army

Texas

AARON J. CONTRERAS

Captain

United States Marine Corps

DONALD WALTERS

Sergeant

United States Army

TODD J. ROBBINS

Sergeant

United States Navy and Army

To read more and see more paintings go to:

heropaintings.com

Water and Oil don’t mix! Now they do!

2011-10-11T22:07:00.002-06:00

Artisan Water Mixable Oil Colors has been specially developed to appear and work just like conventional oil colors. Hazardous solvents are not necessary for Artisan Oil Colors‘. Now artists can enjoy a safer painting environment, making it perfect for artists who are bothered by regular thinners, share a work space, or paints at home.

What is really the best thing about Artisan and regular oils is that you can thin them and clean them up with water.
Artisan oils consists of 40 beautiful colors and 11 Artisan solvents if you choose to use them instead of water.

The choice of raw materials, formulation and manufacture of Artisan colors reflects Winsor Newton’s 175 years of experience in making some of the finest oils.
They have formulated the linseed oil and safflower oil to allow the color to accept water which creates a stable emulsion while retaining the same working characteristics of conventional oil colors.

They also feature a high a high proportion of single pigments for brilliance of color and clean color mixing
Combined with strength of color, single pigments provide a wide color range in themselves and offer cleaner, brighter mixtures with countless hues.

They are the buttery consistency that all Winsor Newton oil colors offer, they have been carefully mixed to create a balance between the pigment and the oils used in the formulation.
All Artisan colors are rated AA or A and are recommended as permanent for artists' use.
When Artisan is thinned with water, the water evaporates from the paint film fairly rapidly, leaving behind a conventional film of oil that dries by means of oxidation. The different drying rates of Artisan colors are due to the different reaction of each pigment when mixed with oil. Winsor & Newton formulate each color individually to optimize its drying rate, helping artists to avoid the problems of slow drying under layers. However, the following list is a guide to the likely variations:

Fast drying (around 2 days)

Prussian Blue, Umbers.

Medium Drying (around 5 days)

Cadmium Hues, Phthalo Blue (red shade) and Phthalo Greens, Siennas, French Ultramarine, Synthetic Iron Oxides, Ochres, Titanium White, Zinc White, Lamp Black, Ivory Black.

Slow drying (more than 5 days)

Cadmiums, Permanent Rose (Quinacridone), Permanent Alizarin Crimson.

Sharon Teal-Coray

Painting from life and Photos

2011-10-11T21:34:00.000-06:00

I love to work from life; it is a enjoyable experience to set up a still-life using some of my possessions that I treasure. I especially like painting from flowers from my garden. However, sometimes you can’t finish a painting because the flowers wilt or the fruit goes bad. This is when I find it useful to take a photo of the still-life at the beginning of the painting, so when this happens I will have a trustworthy reference to follow.

I find it important to shoot my photos at this time because if I have set it up by a window I need to have the light exactly the same as it was when I first started painting it.

If I am taking photos in my garden it is best to shoot in the morning or late afternoon hours. These times of day will provide me with the very best shadow angles. I love to take lots of close-up photos of the flowers, the leaves and stems. Move in on anything you think will help you paint and take a photo!

Photograph flowers from all angles so you will have a nice variety to paint from. You can pick and choose which ones will make a beautiful arrangement.

I have plastic photo storage boxes where I store all of my reference photos. I put them into categories so they are easy to find.

The only problem is that painting from a photo often gives results that are not the same quality as you get when you paint from life. To do so you need a lot of experience of painting from life, you need to know how to render something with the basic values under various lighting conditions and get accurate color, then you can fill in what is missing from the photos.

It is hard to make something on a flat piece of paper look 3D. It is much easier to do this from life. Your only reference being photo will not be accurate, so you need to draw on your experience and imagination,

I have found it actually much harder to paint from a photo than life. The photo will distort varying degrees of the drawing, the values and colors will not be accurate, they may look good but not actually how the human eye sees it.

Often the depth is lost and so you have a hard time deciding what things are in front of what.

If you only have a photo to paint from then you may have no alternative, but if at all possible choose to paint from the actual subject rather than a facsimile of it, in the end you will have a much more lively painting!

Sharon Teal-Coray

Product Review Da Vinci OIls

2011-10-09T23:05:00.001-06:00

I have been using Da Vinci oils for many years, I also carried them in my Art Academy so my students could use them. They are highly pigmented and very buttery. They are offer many gorgeous colors and are so fun to paint with, plus I like buying from a company that makes thier products in the USA and also because they are from Italy where some of my ancestors came from. If you have never used these oils you should try them out. You will find them to be superior to the other brands and less expensive.

Da Vinci paints are made in the USA, in the Da Vinci factory in Irvine, California. The story of Da Vinci Paint Company, Inc. began, however, over 75 years ago in Padova, Italy. Marcello Dworzak, an Italian chemist and artist, began formulating his own artists’ oil colors while working in a paint factory. With an understanding of the composition of colors and an entrepreneurial spirit, he left Italy in 1936 for Lima, Peru. Seeking work opportunities in the paint industry, he was first hired to analyze and formulate paints and then invited to join a reputable paint manufacturer. His experience led him to open an art store featuring his own artists’ oil colors, opaque watercolors (tempera), varnishes, and mediums. As part of his promotional efforts, Marcello would occasionally provide small paint samples to local artists at a nearby park who met every Sunday to paint. Artists quickly recognized the quality of the paints and enjoyed the low prices Marcello had in his store. The Da Vinci reputation for providing high quality artists’ products at a value had begun.
Success with the art store enabled Marcello to purchase the paint manufacturing plant that had hired him upon his arrival to the country. As new owner of the paint company, he focused on the research and development of high quality paint formulations. His drive to produce high quality colors is a practice that continues today. All Da Vinci colors are permanent, either lightfastness I or II, which means that they have the highest resistance to fading.

Marcello’s son, Rodolfo Dworzak, took over the business when his father passed away in 1968. Rodolfo’s education in engineering and many years of working alongside his father enabled him to fulfill his father’s commitment to producing high quality artists’ materials. Rodolfo moved his family from Peru to California in 1975 and founded Da Vinci Paint Company, Inc., named after the renowned artist and scientist for whom Marcello and Rodolfo shared a profound admiration. At Da Vinci, Rodolfo combined his father’s philosophy with new technology and drove the company to be a leader in permanent artists’ colors. Under Rodolfo’s direction, Da Vinci achieved milestones such as being the first manufacturer to formulate a permanent Alizarin Crimson alternative. It is currently the only manufacturer formulating its entire collection of colors exclusively using ASTM International approved pigments for artists’ quality. ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) International is the century-old group of 30,000 technical experts whose standards ensure the consistency and high quality of products. Da Vinci’s use of these approved pigments in its paints helps ensure the high quality of its colors.

To see a color chart go to:

http://www.davincipaints.com/dyn_prodlist.php?k=85217

Sharon Teal-Coray

Heard the Word! Fiammingo

2011-10-09T22:45:00.001-06:00

Fiammingo:

Related to a group of Flemish (Fiammingo) painters settled in Italy.

Here are some examples:

Jan van Eyck

1436

Madonna Lactans (Lucca Madonna)

Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt

Rogier van der Weyden

1460-1463

Entombment of Christ

Uffizi, Florence

The Medici inventory of 1492 records this painting hanging in the Medici villa in Careggi, which was built by Cosimo de'Medici. The figure of Nicodemus, dressed in expensive clothing and gazing out towards the spectator, has been identified as a portrait of Cosimo.

Cosimo also owned Rogier's small panel of the Virgin with the Child and Four Saints, painted in 1450, the year Rogier visited Italy, though there is no direct evidence that Rogier ever visited Florence.

The work follows the Entombment of Christ from the predella of Fra Angelico's San Marco Altarpiece, painted around 1440. Fra Angelico's influence is evident in the display of the dead man, shown almost standing, with Mary and John holding his arms one on each side, and more particularly in the hill with the tomb in the rock, unusual in Flemish art.

The San Marco altarpiece was itself an important piece of Medici patronage.

The Grand Canal looking west with the Scalzi and San Simeon Piccolo

c.1726-7

Canaletto

Sharon Teal-Coray

Critique Corner

2011-10-08T19:36:00.000-06:00

It is time to take a look at some paintings that have some glaring mistakes. We learn from critiquing art so let's take a look at some things we don't want to do.

Here are two paintings of Tigers, which one is more appealing? The general rule is to use as odd number when painting. Isn't the one tiger much nicer than the two? Yes it is much more pleasing to the eye, three would have been much better than two.

This is a beautiful composition, the artist used an odd number of ducks, he pulled the brown colors in the barns and trees into the foreground. He added a tiny bit of the color of the ducks feet and beaks into the foreground. There is blue in the ducks and the snow. This is called "Unity", it pulls the painting together. I also like how the eye follows a path, first you look at the ducks, then the buildings, the the trees on the left and back to the ducks, this is directing the eye of the viewer. It is very clear what the focal point is in this painting.

This painting is beautiful but I find the composition a bit static..I am not sure what the artist wants me to look at..the large ship or the lighthouse. What is the focal point here? The ship or the lighthouse? The ship in the distance on the right side looks like it is not in the water but on top of the water.

Here is a great painting, we can tell what the focal point is, the sailboat. Look at how the artist has introduced the orange colors in the sky, in the sail and the water creating unity. The darks against the lights create "Visual Impact".

This would have been a nice painting except for the tree almost in the center, it is very distracting. Picture it on the right of the canvas…much better composition, well balanced.

Oh no I am tipping… it looks like this is heavy on the left with all the large subjects placed there. This gives the impression of a tipping canvas. If the artist put the green tree on the right side it would be more balanced and more pleasing to the eye.He also has even number of trees in the background on both sides~

I love the way the artist has balanced the painting, there are objects on both sides. He has captured depth by keeping the colors and detail brighter and sharper in the foreground. The background is grayed down and the edges are softer. The eye looks at the flower, bird, tree trunk on right, mountain and back to the tree on left and the flower again. Great way to keep the viewer looking at your painting!

This at first glance is really nice, then I noticed the fence with no opening. This is something you don’t want to do, lock out the viewer. The eye stops at the gate instead of going in on in down a path to the focal point, the barn.

This painting is divided in half….the castle is on half and the tree is on half the canvas. This is really unappealing and then notice how the branches lead the eye right off the canvas. Never paint something going off the canvas!

Once again we see the trees placed too close to the center. Move them to the right just a bit add another tree to have an odd number and you have a nice composition.

These two light houses are smack dab in the middle, this is OK for a still-life but not for a landscape.

Sharon Teal-Coray

The Art of Sumi-e Painting

2011-10-07T09:09:00.017-06:00

By Sue Hulen

I've been a sumi-e artist for almost 5 years now and before sumi-e I was primarlily a Chinese brush painting artists. Chinese brush painting was a branch off of sumi-e. It should show the chi (life energy or life spirit) of what the artist is painting.

The Philosophy of Sumi-e
The sumi-e philosophy is harmony and also contrast. Showing simple elegance, but also beauty. The yin-yang symbol below expresses opposites that actually connect in perfect harmony and balance. The dot is the symbol of integration of the two.

Sumi-e is a way and means for the artist to show and express his spirit. His soul. Showing the spirit of what the artist is painting is more important than the actually subject of the painting. Anyone can paint a subject, but without the spirit of the subject the painting is less effective and not as authentic. It would have no soulful force.

There is a beautiful Chinese quote regarding brush painting that goes like this: "From heart, to arm, to hand, to brush, to paper." How perfect. It all begins with the heart, but we also need to see the brush as a teaching tool. It should teach us patience, focus and self-discipline. With those qualities will come balance as well as harmony that is so very important in sumi-e. Concentration is a must, as well. There are many wonderful lessons to be learned that will help us in other areas of our lives as well. Using chi/energy is important as is using restraint and not over-doing the subject.

Sumi-e and brush painting are also called "sitting meditation" because of the rythem and how relaxed it makes you feel. Even grinding the ink is meditative. Moving the ink in a circular motion going the same way all the time has a rythem to it and can help us feel relaxed. It's the repetitiveness of it that is relaxing. It can make you a more patient and grounded person. It's important to be relaxed and meditative while painting. A stiff painter will make for a stiff painting and will not represent his best work of art.

The tools that a sumi-e artist uses are also called "The Four Treasures or The Four Gentlemen." The ‘Four Gentlemen’ are represented by four very beautiful painted plants depicting the unfolding of the four seasons:
The orchid (spring), bamboo (summer), chrysanthemum (autumn), and plum blossom (winter).
When painted in a group they're always known as the Four Gentlemen of Chinese brush painting. They've been used since the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

They are essential and very important. The artists consider these the most important tools they have because their work depends on them. The Four Gentlemen are:

INK: Sumi

A warm brown-black permanent liquid ink.

Vermillion Ink

THE GRINDING STONE: Suzari (the water reservoir is called "the ocean"and flat part of stone "Land")

BRUSH: Fude
The first one is the Idea brush and the second is the Happy Dot Brush

PAPER: Kami

Sized Silk

Sized Shuen

The ink is actually a formula combination of burnt pine wood soot and lamp black mixed with camphor and glue. Thus, the ink will most always have a bit of a strong odor to it. They then can mold the ink into the ink stickes which are used to grind into the ink for painting. It takes about 20 minutes or so to grind the ink on the stone until it has a creamy texture to it. When it's creamy and has some bubbles in it, it is ready. Dipping the end of the ink stick into the water in the reservoir of the ink stone is what will help make it creamy. The stick is ground in a circular motion in the same direction until the ink is ready to use. The time it takes to grind the ink stick into a creamy texture is time that the artist takes to get ready to paint. He's thinking about what he's going to paint, how to paint it and feeling the spirit of the subject he will paint.

Ink Sticks

There are specific brushes used in sumi-e. There are hard brushes, soft brushes and a combination of hard and soft. They are made all made of animal hairs. Brushes are the most important tool the sumi-e/brush painting artist has. Because it's brushstroke work, it's vital that the brushes be the right ones and be in good condition. If the wrong brush is used or a worn out brush is used, his work will not be the work of a master.

The paper that is used in sumi-e and brush painting is rice paper. Papers are most always handmade paper. Xuan paper is the nicest as it's absorbant, soft and very white. Paper that is not soft will be hard on the brushes and will not allow the brushes to move across the paper smoothly. It would be too rough. Now days, many artist not only use rice papers, but also other papers such as Bristol board which is white and is smooth and accepts inks and paints nicely.

Brush painting evolved from calligraphy strokes in Chinese calligraphy. Bone strokes and other strokes are used when doing the Chinese letters. It's a help to learn calligraphy, but a must. Artists should at least know how to sign their own name to their paintings. Many paintings will have a lot of calligraphy on them that is a poem and their name as well. Some poems are very long and some very short. Some paintings (many) will have no poetry at all on their paintings. Because the calligraphy strokes are also used in brush strokes it is considered "Twin Arts."

It can feel very awkward when using a brush painting brush for the first time. It's help perpenicular (straight up and down) with your last two fingers behind the brush. The brush will lean on the ring finger, which is behind the brush, and the pinky finger can brace itself on the paper or just do whatever it wants...maybe just hang around. It feels very awkward, but in time, you get used to it and it becomes second nature.

Here are some examples of sumi-e. Some are older paintings I'd done and one of them I had just finished this week:

Grace

Rainy Day Bamboo

Baby Bamboo

Asian Orchid

First Lady of Spring

I hope this has been an informative and fun explanation of sumi-e and brush painting art. I love it and really does take me to another place when I paint. Maybe one day you, too, can try sumi-e and feel the spirit of the subject, within.

May you have many Chi' moments of your own.
Sue Hulen
shoshanna53@kc.rr.com
To see a video on Sumi-e painting go to this site:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUTWpXgAXHc

Andrew Loomis..............brillaint artist and teacher!

2011-10-03T17:17:00.005-06:00

Many years ago my son John was into drawing, his Grandpa saw he had interest and talent so he gave him a couple of books that he had used as he was a wood sculptor. The two books were Figure Drawing for all it's Worth and Drawing the Head and the Hands by Andrew Loomis.

I have the two books in my art collection ever since and I have used them extensively for the study of the human form. I can honestly say that both books have been very helpful instruments in my education of painting portraits.

Andrew Loomis was born in 1892. He studied art in New York at the Art Students League under George Bridgman and F.V. Du Mond. When he was 19 he went back to Ohio where he grew up and continued his education at the Chicago Art Institute

He painted commercial art most of his life but was also a great teacher. He was a great inspiration to artists for many years and still is! I don’t understand why they have not re-printed his books, as they are timeless and filled with so much information. While looking for him on the Internet I found a site where you can download some of his books free!

http://escapefromillustrationisland.com/2010/01/07/free-andrew-loomis-art-intstruction-downloads/

If you are into drawing or painting people please go to this site and sit back and enjoy his teachings. You will be amazed at how he teaches, and you will learn a lot from this man. If you are lucky enough to find a first editions of one of his books it may cost a bit. I was surprised to see them for over $100!

I sure didn't know I had such valuable books in my collection! I have collected art books since 1970, I have a lot of out of print books and so many have been my way of learning how to paint!

I would never sell them as they are like old friends; each is like a little treasure to me!

Here are a couple of pages from his book!

The Aging Process

This is so helpful when you are painting an older person. Click on the photo to enlarge.

Construction of a baby's head

Mr.Loomis says to draw a ball and plane with the facial plane much shorter. Put the brows on the halfway line. Divide the face from the brows down into four parts. The eyes touch the bottom line of the top division. The nose touches the bottom line of the second division. The corners of the mouth fall on the bottom line of the third division, and the chin drops slightly below the fourth or bottom division. The ear is under the halfway line.

UPDATE:::: Amazon says this title "Drawing the Head and the Hands" will be released on October 25, 2011.

Heard the Word Cross-hatch

2011-09-30T21:23:00.001-06:00

Cross-hatching:

Using fine overlapping planes of parallel lines of color or pencil to achieve texture or shading. Used in traditional egg tempera technique; drawing in pencil, chalk, pen and ink; and engraving, etching, and other printmaking techniques.

Guest Artist Susan Smith

2011-09-30T12:20:00.002-06:00

Hello everyone !
My name is Susan Smith .
I am an American citizen since November 27th, 2006.
I was born in a small English town and grew up in the lovely lush countryside of Warwickshire. After schooling was finished the family immigrated to South Africa where I lived for many years.

We lived in a small town there too and I spent just about every weekend in the Game Reserves, which was great fun and very exciting.
I've lived in Argentina, Germany and Mexico and I loved all those places and remember well the many adventures we had there.

Here in South Alabama, my husband and I have the most spectacular and unique swampland scenery I've ever seen.
The feeling I have when exploring the swamps is nothing short of magical. It is truly a little bit of Heaven.
My daughter lives in Mobile, Alabama. She and her family are new immigrants. It took eight long years to get them here but now all is well.
You might ask what inspires me to paint and draw. I don't really know the answer to that except to say, "I love drawing and painting".

It is natural to me to draw what I see. I want to put it all down on paper to look at for years to come. I guess photographers must feel the same way about taking pictures.
I paint landscapes, seascapes, house portraits, people's portraits but baby animals are my favorite things to paint. I adore them all and try to capture their innocence and sweet expressions. We have two cats and a puppy so I paint them plus I have many photos and sketches of my friends pets plus all the photos of wild animals and their babies to choose from when I plan a painting.

You see here little miniature paintings of kittens and puppies, which I painted with Neocolor ll water-soluble oil pastels. These are wonderful artist quality archival crayons. The effects you can make with them are endless whether for landscapes or my favorite baby animals.
I also love drawing with colored pencils, pastel pencils on different papers and boards. Sanded papers are very good fun to use and so is suede mat board.
Painting with acrylics is also a joy for me. Their colors are marvelous and they are easy to work with and mostly non-toxic which is a must for me.
I don't have studio .I paint in the kitchen part of our living room. My table and two easels are an extension of the kitchen counter. This way I feel part of the home. The open plan living room makes for an easy, laid-back and comfy life. I have our cats, Sophie and Nunu ( Zulu for insect) and Lola our dog to keep me company all day.

We are on the hummingbird emigration route so we see them arrive in February and depart on their long, arduous flight South in late September.
I love birds and in the swamps we have the spectacular Snowy egrets, and Great Egrets. I paint them with acrylics by blocking in the basic shape then thinning the paint to make many layers to paint the feathers.

The Neocolor ll crayons are perfect for painting all animals too. Being able to push the color around makes it easy to work with and you can add water, dab it off, remove color until you get the effect you're looking for. They dry hard but not waterproof and do not smudge easy.
You can frame them or keep in a firm plastic sleeve like a sport cardholder.
I love my work and if I can help you at all you have only to ask.

Thank you so much
Susan

Contact me at: jazmin112@bellsouth.net

Baby Porcupine

Baby Raccoon and Flowers

Baby Raccoon on Stump

Baby White Persian

Bullfrog Colored Pencil

Fluffy Kitten Blue Eyes

Darling Odd Eyed Kitten

Egrets in the Swamp

I learned a bit about the Bauern-malerei folk art in Munich but am not an expert by any means. I painted our old black shutters with the style and the chairs.

Egrets

Mr. Woods House

Kitten in Pink

Live Oak Landing

Mother of the Church

The Mother of the Church was done from a poor photo of the deceased lady. Her family wept when they saw it so I must have done something right ...

The mural is also for their church..that was fun and I learned a lot..they all kept coming here each day and commenting it was great fun. They discussed the christening in the river..I thought they wanted a picture of a font like where I was christened...what a learning curve this was for me.

Darling little Kitty

Raccoon on Stump

Product Review Fredrix Canvas Products

2011-09-27T20:01:00.000-06:00

I have had students ask me often how to choose a canvas. I have a favorite brand and that is Fredrix Canvas by Tara. Since 1868 they have been making unparalleled quality and they offer the biggest selection of artists canvas available anywhere.

So here is some info about the canvas I love.

For still-life, landscapes and seascapes I would recommend Fredrix Red Label Canvas. This canvas features finer quality medium textured, duck canvas. It is double-primed with acid-free acrylic gesso. It can be used with acrylics or oils. The canvas is stapled onto the back of the stretcher bars so I can paint all the sides and hang it without framing it.

For portraits, floral’s and fine detail I would say to pay the extra charge and go for the Fredrix Blue Label, it is made of superior quality, with medium weight blended PolyFlax/cotton duck. It has a very fine texture and I use it with both acrylics and oils. It is triple primed with acid free acrylic gesso. It is also stapled on the back allowing me to paint the edges and not have to frame it.

For the artist who can afford pure Belgium linen Fredrix Green label is for them. It is a fine, pure medium weight canvas, with a pronounced texture and acrylic titanium double-primed with acid-free smooth ground for use with oils or acrylics. The canvas is stapled onto the back of standard stretcher bars. Paint on all four edges and hang it with or without a frame.

One of me favorites is the Pro Series, it is more expensive but it is developed for the professional artist who is in galleries. It is their finest cotton duck and features the famous Dixie canvas. It is stretched on kiln dried stretcher bars in standard and gallery wrap and deep styles. It is good for oils, acrylics and alkyds.

Gallerywrap Canvas is a medium-textured canvas made of cotton duck with superior quality. It is double primed and acid free. The canvas is mounted on 1-3/8" heavy-duty stretcher frames for double the standard thickness. The canvas is stapled on the back to allow painting on all sides. It can hang with or without a frame.

Fredrix Creative Edge Canvas is double primed with acid free acrylic gesso. This staple-free edge stretched canvas is made with 100% cotton duck canvas with tongue and groove adjustable standard stretcher bars. A vinyl spline holds the canvas snugly in place. Paint on all four sides so it can be hung without a picture frame.

Float™ Canvas is an innovative stretched canvas product exclusive to Fredrix®. Float™ Canvas features a unique design with steeply angled stretcher bars that enhances your art with a dramatic floating effect when hung on the wall.

Fredrix Convexo Oval Canvas is made of 100% medium texture duck acrylic primed. Popular for fine arts paintings or crafts. Good for acrylics, oils and mixed media.

Fredrix Canvas Pads contain genuine artist canvas, primed and ready for use with any medium. Each pad contains 10 sheets. These are wonderful for beginners, they are inexpensive and easy to paint on.

Fredrix Archival Cotton Canvas Board is a professional grade, archival painting surface with medium texture canvas mounted on an acid free board. Good for acrylic, oils and mixed media.

Choose from Belgian Linen or 100% Cotton canvas stretched over NatureCore™, a proprietary blend of vegetable based and recycled components. Paint Boards are lightweight, durable and easy to transport. They are available pre-primed with acid-free titanium gesso, ready to paint.

Go Green................

Belgian Linen

Mixed Media

Sharon Teal-Coray

Original Ideas..... where to they come from?

2011-09-26T22:58:00.001-06:00

By Sharon Teal-Coray
Do you ever wonder how an artist keeps fresh, with new original ideas? It is so important for the artist to do this but sometimes it is just not that easy. Here are some things that I do to help me when I feel like I don’t have a clue as to what to paint!

No matter how talented you are and how skillful you are, if you don’t have some original ideas that talent and skill is futile.

I use an art journal to sketch or record random ideas. When I used to go to art shows and auctions in other states I always took the journal because as we drove I would see things that sparked ideas and often the skies and sunsets we saw would be so beautiful and I wanted to remember them when I got back in the studio so I would record the colors I saw. I am not worried that my art journal looks real pretty and organized it just has to have the pertinent information I need.

One really great place to find ideas is right in front of your eyes. So many times I have gathered up things in my home to set up a still-life. There are so many props around that you can use in a still-life, just look around and you will see what I am talking about. Maybe you have copper pots in your kitchen or beautiful glass vases in your dinning room. What about some items you may have that are family heirlooms, they are great for a still-life. A refrigerator is a great place to look…veggies and fruits are really fun to use! Put them with other things from your kitchen and you have a still -life!
I have often just taken a walk around my neighborhood with my camera, there are so many beautiful flowers growing all over and no one cares if you are just taking photos!

Many years ago I had a wonderful friend, her name was Diane and she was such a great artist, we would hop in the car and drive around in the county looking for barns and old sheds or fields of flowers anything that would make a good painting. We got a lot of ideas together, things I didn’t see she would and vise-versa. We spent many hours driving, hopping out of the car, laughing and just having a great time looking; unfortunately she passed away a few years ago but not before she created some beautiful paintings and sold most of them and a lot of them were from the photos she took on our outings.

I need to back up here a bit; I think you cannot get any ideas if you don’t know what you want to paint, so you have to sort of decide what your subject matter will be. I love a lot of different things but some artists only paint one subject, which is fine, plus you can create a series from variations of one subject. There is ways of painting the same thing over and over, use different colors, different angles and different lighting, just don’t be afraid to take a step out of the box! If your not sure what you like paint all subjects at least one time, you will soon find your niche and your passion.

I have found I can get inspired by looking at the old masters and studying their methods. I also love to look at old fabrics; I have seen some in Venice that were a real inspiration for me and I got quite a few ideas from studying them.

I know that we all feel at home when we put the paint on the canvas the same old way and use the same brushes, but try using bigger brushes or smaller brushes, a different palette- get away from the same colors you always use, or try a different medium to get some great new original ideas brewing in your mind.
There are so many ideas out there if we just take the time to look for them.

* Always be a first- rate version of yourself, instead of a second- rate version of somebody else.
( Judy Garland)

Free Pattern from Linda Lover~

2011-09-26T18:54:00.000-06:00

September Pumpkin and Sunflower

Linda shares this beautiful pattern with us to paint for fall!

Loew-Cornell Brushes

#2 Round

#8, #12 flat shader

1/4” angular
DecoArt Americana Acrylics

Antique White (similar to a beige white)

Golden Straw (similar to light gold)

Butterscotch (similar to a light yellow orange)

Wasabi Green (similar to DA Jade Green)

Plantation Pine (similar to a dark but earthy green)

Bittersweet Chocolate (dark brown)

Cadmium Yellow (bright yellow)

Persimmon (close to burnt orange)

Buttermilk (off white)

Surface

Optional (approx. 11” x 8”)

Misc. Supplies

Sea sponge

Paper towel

Water basin

Tracing paper

Transfer paper

Pen, pencil or stylus
Optional to sponge alternating Butterscotch, Wasabi Green and Antique White
Note: Sometimes it might be easier for you to switch to a smaller or larger brush to cover an area.

Directions

1. Paint the stems and green leaves first. Use a #8 flat shader and Plantation Green to basecoat leaves. Paint again with Plantation Pine, wipe brush, pick up Golden Straw to highlight. Blend as needed. Dry brush randomly Persimmon. Double load the #2 liner with Plantation Pine and Golden Straw, paint stems.

2. Paint the flower centers using the corner of the ¼” angular and Bittersweet Chocolate. Now go on to the petals and return to the center when those are complete. Depending on the background, a basecoat may be needed, do that with a light yellow or off white. Use a #10 shader or 3/8” angular. Load the brush with Cadmium Yellow and touch a corner in Persimmon, paint each petal. Touch up with either or both of these colors. The darker color should be near the center and wherever the petals should be shaded such as at the bottom of if they are overlapped. Finish the center by double loading just the corner of the ¼” angular with Golden Straw and a Bittersweet.

3. Basecoat the pumpkin Persimmon with a #12 flat shader. Double load the #12 flat shader with Golden Straw and Persimmon, paint and highlight curve. Use the brush corner and Traditional Burnt Sienna to shade the groove. Paint the stem with a double load of Plantation Pine and Golden Straw with a #4 shader.

4. Leaves are painted with any of the autumn colors using the flat shaders.

By Linda Lover

Sue's Views

2011-09-26T10:17:00.001-06:00

The Art of Self-Discipline

One thing I’m not, but would love to be, is self-disciplined. I’m an organized person, but not near as self-disciplined as I’d love to be. I procrastinate about some things and don’t take other things as seriously as I should.

The most disciplined people I've ever seen are Asians. The Japanese and Chinese are extremely self-disciplined and the work they do, be it art or anything else, shows it. They’re raised to be that way. They know how important it is and how it leads to efficiency and order in their lives. Smart people. If our homes are unorganized our lives usually are as well. If our homes are chaotic our lives will be too.

There’s actually a lot of artists I know who are also self-disciplined. They don’t even own a computer. Can you imagine that? No computer. One of them told me that she doesn't own one because it would be a huge distraction. She is very self-disciplined in spending at least 8 hours a day on her art. She paints part of that time and the rest of that time she’s promoting herself and her work to businesses in her area. She feels that if she were to get on a computer it would take time away from that which is so important to her and she would not accomplish near as much as she already has. You’d be amazed at how many artists don’t even have their work online and no one even knows who they are and yet their work is beautiful.

Too many of us are of the opinion that if we’re not on the computer and we’re not promoting ourselves on the computer that we would be lost. The short sided Mindset of some artists who are promoting themselves online assume that if you can’t “Google” an artists name and have it come up that the artist just doesn't exist.

Let me tell you that I know more artists who have computers and still do not promote themselves online than I do those who do. Their work is truly amazing, but they just don’t feel comfortable allowing people all over the world to view their artwork. They’re not shy, but rather cautious. They choose not to put their work “out there” as they've heard so many horror stories about other artists who have had their work stolen from online photos. It’s too bad they feel that way and even more sad that other artists are ruining it for the honest, hardworking artists.

Being self-disciplined doesn't mean you can’t be on a computer, but it does make you realize that there just wouldn't be enough time to be on the computer as often as some people are (myself included). I’m not on the computer much and I’m on it much less on the weekends.

Let’s be honest….we all know some people who are online who would be much better served by taking that time and putting it into their art. Maybe their work isn't bad, but they are! They spend too much time trying to create chaos, hard feelings, and stir-up trouble where there shouldn't be any. Do you know people like that? Just imagine what kind of art they could create if they’d just spend that time creating beauty as opposed to things so negative and destructive.

Starting today let’s make a pact with ourselves to be more self-disciplined for just one week. I've heard many times that it only takes doing something for 21 days for it to become a habit. Maybe I should try the 21 day theory. Hmmmm. Ok, ok, ok….maybe not 21 days. Not for this lady anyway. I’ll start out with a week and see where it takes me. I sure hope it takes me to a place where I’m not procrastinating so much. That would be something. If there were pills we could take to be self-disciplined I want some. I want a whole lot of them. Shoot, give me a truck load of them puppies.

Enjoy this gorgeous Fall weather and don’t forget to stop and meditate or do some Tai Chi. We just need to chill sometimes.

Sue Hulen
Shoshanna53@kc.rr.com

Tips for Aspiring Artists

2011-09-23T17:48:00.000-06:00

I want to share some things I have learned from being in galleries and owning my own Art Academy for over 30 years.
If you are really serious about being a professional artist you need to get the best education in art that you can. There is no way you can rely on your natural talents and abilities to get ahead.
You have to know the all the basics and fundamentals of art before you can get anyplace.

The person who has knowledge will have the power.
When I first started painting in 1970 I took some local classes where we all painted the same thing on our canvas. We just followed along never knowing what we were doing or why we were doing it. Because at the time I could not find an art class that taught the basics and not this way I started to read and teach myself. If you do find a class you want to attend make sure that they will teach you all the basics you will need. You will want to

to learn the fundamentals of the visual arts, tones, values, line drawing, use of color, proportion, and the use of light and shadow. Talk to your instructor and ask them how they go about teaching the basic principals of art.
Take all the art lessons you can, go to seminars and see what other artists are doing. If you have done this then the next step is to find someone who is a great artist and have them tutor you. Just learn and practice all you possibly can!

Once you have reached the stage of getting you’re at out there, don’t let the fear of “rejection” scare you.
The fear of rejection can literally stop you in your tracks if you let it. I have seen my students reach the point where they were ready to take the plunge but thought that their worked was not “perfect” yet. Perfection rarely happens and if you wait until your work is “perfect” you may be dead before that happens.

You need to build a thick skin so insults will just slide off your back. You will have to deal with art critics who care nothing about your feelings; it is all about the art to them and nothing more.
Accept that some people will love your work and some will absolutely hate it! Just remember that every one does not like the same things, you will never win over everyone.

The ones you need to watch out for are negative people that you will encounter and believe me you will meet them! I have found that a lot of these people are miserable and they like to drag others down with them, you know the old saying “Misery loves company” Some of these people will tell you to your face that they think your art stinks! Nothing holds them back. Then we have the ones who are great at giving you back-handed compliments, they think they are subtle but you will know them when you hear what they say, it does not take a genius to know when you have been put down!

I once struggled to capture the irregular edges of some Anasazi pottery I had seen in Mesa Verde, a lady walked up to me at a “one women show” and said, “ I just love your art, the colors are just so beautiful, did you mean to make that bowl so uneven”? There is nothing like the passive-aggressive person!
If I caller her on this she would look surprised and declare innocence and probably say I was over reacting, or she would try to say she was “just kidding”, some people think they can say anything and follow it with “just kidding” and get away with it.

If you find yourself around these people just get away from them as fast as you can, just know that they are lonely unhappy people and let it go at that. If it is a family member just refrain from talking about your art in their presence. Remember you are trying to be a good artist, not impress your family. The most important thing is to learn how to not take it personally.

The only critique you should listen to is your professional painting instructor. If he or she is a good critic they should also be showing you have to improve your work.

Sharon Teal-Coray