Why I Like It Wednesday - Quote

"IT'S NOT THE LOAD THAT BREAKS YOU DOWN

IT'S THE WAY YOU CARRY IT"       Lena Horne

I've had this quote posted in my studio(s) for a long time now. It just makes me think. Everyone has struggles. Everyone. If it's not money, it's health. If it's not friendship, it's career. If it's not a sound mind, it's love. If it's not one struggle, it's another. It reminds me that I am not alone in my struggles. We don't necessarily choose the conflict but we choose how we'll carry it. Will I bear it well like my grandmother did? Or will I cuss, complain, and cut out on life? What makes me a stronger person is the better choice.

When I read this I hear in my heart - Carry It Well. That's why I like it.

Art Talk Tuesday - Small Works

Basic Training Tuesday is just a little art talk. 

SMALL WORKS

artwork no larger that 144 square inches (about 12" x 12")

works usually in the range of 4" x 6" (24 square inches) through 10" x 12" (120 square inches)

though some works can be as small as 2" x 3" (6 square inches)

These art pieces can show a single small item (like a marble), a complete landscape, or a portrait. Some of the miniature small works need a magnifying glass to view the detail. These artworks are a nice entry level for the beginning collector. 

My small works (8" x 8") are viewed under Mini-Monday.

Mini-Monday Blue Gumball Painting

Finally!!    8"  x  8"  oil painting

We're closer to having the auction working

Free-for-All Friday Slug Bug Red Painting

Thanks to - Allen, Leila, Dacia, Jessie, Chelsea - for the collaborative painting.

Here are the words - slug bug red, laundry, snow, star, sorry. Here is the painting.

Terrible photo. Used an old textured board that I don't much like. But, it's done.

16" x 13.5 "

 

This morning I was a little disappointed (that no one posted a word) but relieved (that I didn't have to do a painting) because today's Friday thing was something I've never done before. I told Allen and then he decided he was going to post something. I said, "No, it's past the time. Now I don't have to do a painting." He said, "It isn't past time because you haven't started." We went back and forth. He posted. I don't know why it made such a difference that it was posted but it feels more 'real' that way. Then I had to do it. When I read his word I laughed. He looked around the studio and saw my VW bug collection. Then there were a few other posts. And of course they weren't late because I hadn't started yet. So, the slug bug 'face off' was Allen and I going back and forth. Then we've had discussions of who is which slug bug? And who won?

Remember Friday Painting

REMEMBER - FRIDAY DEC 26 @ 9 AM LEAVE ME ONE WORD - EITHER AN IDEA OR OBJECT - ONE WORD @ 9 AM (central time zone) IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. I'll LEAVE IT OPEN FOR 30 MINUTES. I WILL TAKE YOUR OBJECT OR WORD (ex: impulsive, love, giddy, box, string, tulip, etc) AND PUT IT INTO A PAINTING I DO THAT FRIDAY. LEAVE YOUR FIRST NAME. WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS & I WILL POST THE PAINTING AT THE END OF THE DAY. (OR AS FAR AS I GOT) PASS THIS POST ALONG

Why I Like It Wednesday

Manger Scene  38" x 34" oil on copper plate

It's Christmas Eve day and so I thought I would post some of Carl Bloch's work. His religious genre of depicting the life of Christ is beautiful. I have seen the Healing at the Pool at Bethesda (in Utah) in person. At about 9 feet by 10 feet it is impressive. I believe there are about 25 such paintings around that size in a Denmark church. Scale, brushwork, color, content, complexity - Amazing! That's why I like it.

http://www.carlbloch.com/php/index.php

Art Talk Tuesday - Impasto

Van Gogh

IMPASTO

[im-pas-toh, -pah-stoh] n. pl. im·pas·tos

  Itallian origin 1775–85; n. deriv. of impastare to impaste

Thick paint. The application of thick layers of pigment to a painting surface. Painting that applies the pigment thickly so that brush or palette knife marks are visible.

Usually only referred to when thick pigment is applied over a majority of the artwork. It often draws you attention so much so that it may become the focal point. Impasto is tactile creating texture to the touch. The raised paint reflects light differently than a flatter surface and it takes a very long time for the paint under the surface to dry throughly. 

Mini-Monday Always Know Painting

Always Know                   oil painting     8"  x   8"

This is today's mini-monday ptg - Always Know. Ideally I would auction this but that's not set up so..... All my pricing will be done in a couple of weeks. That's the plan anyway. So, for now this is great skill building for me. Fun to do the reflective surfaces. (silver clothes pins) And I love the colors. I miss my husband so that's probably why the content. He'll be home tomorrow.

Free-for-All Friday

Free-for-All   definition ~ situation open to anyone or everyone, usually without rules, that is disordered, impulsive or out of control

That is definitely not how I run my life. Well, most of the time. That's why this will be good for me. On Free-for-All Fridays I will do whatever whim comes to mind. This day will be experimental or out of the ordinary. I will try different styles and collaborative methods. I already have several ideas that I am excited to try. 

Today's free-for-all is a gift for my pregnant sister. (She never checks my blog.)  She is due in the coming weeks. So this is a painting of my new niece's name. It was fun to do. And I also used more paint and didn't worry too much about it being 'perfect'. 

Next week's Free-for-All Friday will be a collaborative painting. This is the idea: on FRIDAY DEC 26 @ 9 AM LEAVE ME ONE WORD - EITHER AN IDEA OR OBJECT - ONE WORD @ 9 AM (central time zone) IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. I'll LEAVE IT OPEN FOR 30 MINUTES. I WILL TAKE YOUR OBJECT OR WORD (ex: impulsive, love, giddy, box, string, tulip, etc) AND PUT IT INTO A PAINTING I DO THAT FRIDAY. LEAVE YOUR FIRST NAME. WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS & I WILL POST THE PAINTING AT THE END OF THE DAY. (OR AS FAR AS I GOT) There will probably only be 3 of us that leave a word of an object or idea but that will be okay. I'll use those 3. I am excited to see what happens. This will definitely be out of my control and impulsive. And fun.

Think About It Thursday - Women Allegory

Think About It Thursday will be a post that has something for you to think about and comment on. I like to hear what other people see and think. It has been interesting to me to have people comment on my paintings and see what they are thinking. Perry Family posted some great concepts in the comments a couple of days ago for the Boyfriend's painting. Today is your chance. I had some specific thoughts on this painting. But, other people who have seen it come up with entirely different things. Let me know what you think. This isn't a quiz so let 'er go. 

sorry the image isn't good, i'll do better next time

Why I like It Wednesday - Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion Magazine

I've liked this magazine for years. I don't know how long I've subscribed to it.

I like it because

• it has her illustration work throughout the mag
  
• she includes a little print of one of her illustrations
• she gives a paper doll page as well, I just think it's cool
• it has great home decor, colorful and imaginative
• she has a section on the artist's workshop where she has artist's featured - out of the ordinary artists (my work is too traditional but that's ok)
• there's a section called 'the art of business' again featuring an artist
• plus there's arts and crafts
  

It's just an all around creative magazine and it inspires me. That's why I like it.

Art Talk Tuesday - Grisaille

Basic Training Tuesday will be a day where I add just a little art talk. I'll add vocabulary, news, or something interesting as it applies to some basic art principles. 

GRISAILLE

[gri-zahy, -zeyl; Fr. gree-zah-yuh ]

1. monochromatic painting in shades of gray.

2. a work of art, as a painting or stained-glass window, executed in grisaille.

Origin: 1840–50;

After the grisaille underpainting is completed a layer of color is then applied over the top leaving some of the underpainting to show through. I liked this as it was. I've left a few paintings in the grisaille stage because i've liked them so much. 

Mini-Monday Boyfriend Painting

8"  x  8"    oil painting    Boyfriend

After viewing many artist's 'painting a day' blogs I was hooked. But in reality that's just not what I want to do - a painting a day. But I like the idea of small paintings - just do it and be done. Especially after painting so large all the time. So I have compromised on the idea. I will do Mini-Monday. So, every Monday I will do a small painting. That way I get to do a small painting but don't commit to my time that way everyday. The idea is to sell them online. But I haven't set that up yet. So it will just sit here for awhile. Besides I kinda hate selling this one.

PIP - Lawyer Leila

Painting In Progress = PIP          75% done      oil       grisaille underpainting    30"  x 24"

she's a lawyer - depicts her as a contemporary Lady Justice

spheres symbolize justice and mercy 

spheres above her hands represent the elusive nature of the task of balancing justice and mercy

stone represents the foundation of law that creates order

the opening (outline of the porsche emblem) symbolizes her husband (a gonna be porsche owner) 

he stands as a support behind her

roman numerals are the year she passed the bar

8 medallions represents the 8 children in her family

should be done in a week or so, depending on if I paint on it of some other project, which I have a ton

Art Presentation - Sam's Class

I did a class presentation about artwork at my daughter's school yesterday. The class was a delight to talk to and they had great questions and showed a lot of interest. Thanks to the students and teacher. Also, thanks to Sam for the photographs.

Painting - Merry Christmas

This is a painting I did after a painting Carl Bloch did. So it is a copy of his work. I copied it from a little 5"x7" print so some of the details are not as he had them. I wanted to see how he did what he did. I learned much and throughly enjoyed doing this painting.

It is a timely message for December to behold the little ones. I hope everyone's holidays are meaningful. Merry Christmas.

Studio

Well I am busy this week cleaning up and finishing up some of the studio details. There is a national magazine and a tv show that might want to use my studio space in their respective media outlets. The tv thing looks more promising than the magazine but we'll see. I have to do a video this week to send into the tv producer. I don't want to say the names now so that it doesn't mess up what they do. I won't be a major player in these things but they are big enough that I am cleaning my studio.