Blog
1/30/2018 9:54:42 AM
Ever since I returned from Italy in October I have had an image in my head that I have been itching to paint. The image comes from a photo I snapped of an elderly woman reading a letter. She was completely absorbed by it and her furrowed brow and slouched shoulders added emotional content.
I thought it would be interesting to tackle this image in watercolor - the medium with which I am least comfortable. Because I hate stretching paper, I chose the heaviest sheet from my watercolor paper pile and spent a couple of hours carefully mapping out the drawing. I thought I could do my usual painting with thin wet into wet washes using expressive brush strokes. Later that week I worked from a model and as my paint slid around uncontrollably and dried blotchy I realized the paper was 300 lb. hot press and my normal approach to watercolor painting was not working. I also realized that my drawing of the old woman that I worked so hard on was on the same paper and I had no idea what to do next.
Luckily the internet exists so I Goggled “painting on 300 lb. hot press.” There are artists out there who create beautiful images on this particular surface and I hoped to find someone who shared their process. Many references were to Susan Harrison-Tustain who generously shares her approach of priming the paper with clear water twice and creating an under painting in yellow. This meant that I had to soak the paper and stretch it (ugh!). Once it dried, I would have to completely wet down areas twice before “dabbing” in the color. This priming and painting wet into wet creates a smooth surface with soft transitions. So I soaked, stretched, primed and dabbed.
The result was lovely but I did not know how to approach the color layering. I needed an example to follow so I created the same image in oil using the same yellow under painting. Oil allowed me to experiment and become confident of the color palette. To match the oil palette in watercolor, I painted several scraps of watercolor paper yellow then experimented with glazes until I got the colors that matched the oil. Now I am layering in the color following my oil palette.
Oil painting
Color lay in
Close up
1st background wash
Will this painting turn out? I have no idea but the process sure is interesting. This is the kind of challenge that I love and what returns me to the easel with enthusiasm. The day I know exactly what I am doing is the day I retire as an artist.
1/23/2018 8:54:27 PM
When you take a workshop how can you know beforehand if it is right for you? If you are going to invest time and money into learning how can you be certain that the effort is worthwhile? While there are no guarantees every workshop will be life changing a little research beforehand can pay off.
First, find artists whose work wows you. The artists that I want to study from are those whose paintings stir something inside of me. I return to their websites again and again to marvel at their work. I will mull over the images and wonder “how did they do that?” A workshop allows you to ask those questions in person.
Identify what you want to learn from this artist? Do you want to loosen up, learn a technique, improve your drawing, or become better at composition? Sometimes you just want to try something different and have fun. Identifying your needs will help you sort through the workshop descriptions to find one that meets your requirements. It is important to be realistic, if your goal is to take a workshop from Robert Liberace so at the end of three days you can draw like him you will be sorely disappointed. If your goal is to focus on making stronger gestures then you can learn a lot.
Pay attention to the descriptions, if it is a landscape class then this is not the place to study figures, even if that instructor is a figurative painter. Check the skill level and be honest about where you are at. I had never painted plein air when I took a workshop with Kim English. We painted figures in the landscape and it was way over my skill level at the time. I had no idea how to set up for painting outside and by the time I got my easel and TV trays duct taped together the models were on to a new pose. The workshop was not a waste but I would have gotten more out of it if I had more experience painting plein air.
Research the artist thoroughly to get an idea of their teaching style. The best place to start is the artist’s blog. A blog is the voice of the artist without the filter of an editor. If their blog is full of information you find valuable then you know they can teach. Some artists are highly skilled yet unable to break down concepts or explain their processes. Watching videos can give you a sense of their teaching style and if you would feel comfortable with them. Finally, read reviews or ask other artists about the workshop experience. This will give you an overall sense of how the workshop is run, the amount of personal time you will have with the instructor, and if others felt it was worth it.
Workshops are not one size fits all. Identifying your needs and expectations, and then researching the instructor will help you get the most out of your learning experience.
Choosing a workshop that works for you
When you take a workshop how can you know beforehand if it is right for you? If you are going to invest time and money into learning how can you be certain that the effort is worthwhile? While there are no guarantees every learning experience will be life changing a little research beforehand can pay off.
First, find artists whose work wows you, then check to see if they teach. The artists that I want to study from are those whose paintings stir something inside of me. I return to their websites again and again to marvel at their work. I will mull over the images and wonder “how did they do that?” A workshop allows you to ask those questions in person.
Identify what you want to learn from this artist? Do you want to loosen up, learn a technique, improve your drawing, or become better at composition? Sometimes you just want to try something different and have fun. Identifying your needs will help you sort through the workshop descriptions to find one that meets your requirements. It is important to be realistic, if your goal is to take a workshop from Robert Liberace so at the end of three days you can draw like him you will be sorely disappointed. If your goal is to focus on making stronger gestures then you can learn a lot.
Pay attention to the descriptions, if it is a landscape class then this is not the place to study figures, even if that instructor is a figurative painter. Check the skill level and be honest about where you are at. I had never painted plein air when I took a workshop with Kim English. We painted figures in the landscape and it was way over my skill level at the time. I had no clue how to set up for painting outside and by the time I got my easel and TV trays duct taped together the models would be on to a new pose. The workshop was not a waste but I would get more out of it now as an experienced plein air painter.
Research the artist thoroughly to get an idea of their teaching style. The best place to start is the artist’s blog. A blog is the voice of the artist without the filter of an editor. If it is simply a posting of paintings and a description what they painted then they may not be great at giving instruction. Some artists are highly skilled yet unable to break down concepts or explain their thought processes. If their blog is full of information you find valuable then you know they can teach. Watching videos can give you a sense of their personality and if you would feel comfortable with them. Finally, read reviews or ask other artists about the workshop experience. This will give you an overall sense of how the workshop is run, the amount of personal time you will have with the instructor, and if others felt it was worth it.
Workshops are not one size fits all. Identifying your needs and expectations, and then researching the instructor will help you get the most out of your learning experience.
1/15/2018 1:53:40 PM
I love to paint, but I struggle to title my work.
Creating a good title feels like a hurdle to cross before you can call a painting finished. It is the “i” that needs dotting and the “t” that needs crossing before the painting can be marketed. A good title not only explains the concept behind the painting but also catches the interest of the viewers.
Often I go for the obvious, I name a predominate object or color then affix the words shine, glow, or sun to it. If it is a portrait, then the name of the sitter is usually included. My daughter chides me about a string of paintings where she was the model. She refers to them as Anna doing this or that, which are correct but uninspired descriptions.
Plum Shine
Anna Turning North
Sometimes I like the title to represent an action that represents a moment in a story line. “Pause” and “Gratitude” both fit into this category.
Pause 
Gratitude
My favorite titles are based on word play – a twist on a common phrase that captures the concept of the painting. “Koala Games” and “Boats in a Row” are examples of this.
Koala Games 
Boats in a Row
I just finished a large still life which I had posted in this blog as “Shine On.” At the time of the post I felt that neither the painting nor the title was complete and continued to work on it after the holidays. When the painting was finished I posted it on Facebook and Instagram as untitled and hoped a comment would inspire a fitting title.
This painting got a nice response and I kept hearing from how much people liked the blue vase. My response to one comment was, “It’s all about the vase. “
And a title was born. "It's All About That Vase" 20x30 Oil
If you would like to view a link to the video that inspired the title visit this video by Post Modern Jukebox "I'm All About the Bass"
1/8/2018 8:49:19 AM
Holidays are busy and studio time gives way to visiting and catching up with those I love. On Christmas day my husband surprised me with Richard Schmid’s beautiful landscape book.
Looking through the pages I got the itch to paint and decided I could sketch while talking.
A photo of a white farm house in Sleeping Bear National Seashore caught my eye. It is a place that I have painted often and love the simple lines of the home. The light spilling across the side of the building made for a strong design that would translate well into painting. One morning I announced that I needed to be excused for an hour to paint a pastel of my sketch. I was happy with the painting but as the festivities continued I could not get the house out of my head.
I decided to do another pastel of the house but change the palette to represent a moonlit night.
Next I played with watercolor and acrylic gouache and enhanced the palette pushing the light to more yellow and the shadows violet-ish.
The fun part of this series is that the design is worked out ahead of time. The drawing and value relationships are the same - the only thing that changes is the color.
Each one of these took only an hour or two to create. It was a good exercise to scratch my artistic itch in short bursts of time. I am going to continue this series in different palettes and mediums to see what I can learn. I will share them with you and have a sale at the end of the adventure.
