Cultivating Change

I'm back in the studio working on several large oil canvases. I'm starting with very vibrant, chromatic under-paintings similar to using watercolor or fluid acrylics. I have lots of energy despite a nasty cold. Go figure!

While painting this morning I was thinking about my working method and how it has shifted, evolved, changed over time. I think that change has served the work. Even little things like using better paint, a variety of kinds of brushes, different surfaces has all pushed the work. I think we all have these ideas about the how the work should be done and with what tools, but cultivating a capacity for change is important, maybe even essential to success as an artist.

I used to think that you could only use bristol brushes with oil. Now I use all kinds of brushes; whatever does the job including house brushes and synthetic brushes. I also had the idea that since I was doing large canvases, that using less expensive large tubes of paint would be more economical, when in reality good paint has more chroma and goes further. I've also decided to wear gloves while working in both oil and pastel. I have done this only sporadically. So always questioning my methods and working habits to see if I can knock on another door is a good thing.

I'm enjoying mixing paint  and using brushes after spending the last two months exclusively on pastel.

On an entirely different note, today my mom brought me a Smart Wool undershirt that is kind of like an UnderArmor. It's thin and lightweight; perfect for keeping warm in the studio. What a thoughtful gift!! My mom is the greatest! She knows I'm always struggling to keep warm while I'm working this time of year. Thanks Mom!!!

New York, NY

I just spent three nights in NYC. Although the weather was somewhat challenging, I was able to get in a trip to the Met and a trip to Spainerman gallery, http://www.spanierman.com/In-the-Tonalist-Mood/top to see the show "In the Tonalist Mood" which was a priority for me thanks to Loriann Signori,http://loriannsignori.blogspot.com/. I was in love with the Twatchman winter scene! It was lovely to see this painting after having taught my Loosen-up workshop where one of the exercises is to paint using all tints. Twatchmans work was a masterful example of just that. They had many wonderful pieces in the show including  a piece by Charles Warren Eaton “The Edge of the Pines”. This is a piece that I’ve seen reproduced and is of course much more lovely in person. Birge Harrison’s “Sunset From Quebec” was another spectacular piece. There were several nocturnal pieces that were great to see. On the internet, the gallery list 61 works, but not all were hung while I was there, so a few disappointments. It looked like a fairly important Inness was not available when I went. Should have asked, but I was too timid. The gallery itself was beautiful and had a modern room that had quite a few pieces that I wished Mike had been with me to enjoy.

I also went to Bemelman’s Bar http://www.thecarlyle.com/gallery.cfm which is a classic piano bar in the Carlyle Hotel. This place could not have been more beautiful or romantic. Again missing Mike. The walls are decorated with murals from the Madeline childrens books. You wouldn’t think that would be so terrific for a bar at first, but with the amber lighting the effect was simply haunting.

This was only my second trip to NYC and a short one at that, but you can feel the energy and the history of the city. It’s oozing with that. I hope to get back there next time with Mike to really take in the gallery scene.

It's always inspiring to get out of ones narrow world once in a while, but although I had fun, I'm pleased to be back in the studio. Taking in the experience and beauty of NYC and keeping that energy in my studio work is what I hope to do. I'd begun several pieces before I'd left, so I'm anxious to get back to them and see what comes to the top. 

On my return I was immediately reminded of the beauty in my own backyard!! How great is this shot of this deer? Part of a family of deer that resides in the small greenbelt in our suburban neighborhood.

So, delight in what's near and far!!

Sweetness and a Red Stool

I've been spending quite a bit of time on the computer over the past few days and find I'm in a deficit mode. Working on the computer just lacks the sweetness of being in the studio. Again, my dance class gives me the inspiration for this posting. Thanks Britt!!

How do you find the sweetness in your life? What is that to you? Whether it be a delicious meal, the warmth of a cozy fire shared with a loved one, or a good book. For me, these are the meaningful and rich moments that make my life sweet. When you think of sweetness, what do you think of? My work is one of the things that feels sweet to me. I think of joy and inspiration. I think of work well done and the satisfaction of in delving into painting. Getting messy, seeing the color and smelling the paint. This is sweet to me.

It's sweet to me that the tools and objects that surround me in the studio, are soooo familiar; like home. I have a simple wooden stool in my studio that I've had since I was six years old. It's been painted pink, yellow, black, white, blue and now red. It is worn with use and marked with paint and ink. It is essential to the sweetness in my studio. It needs to be there. Although it's just an object, it can't be replaced. It has marked time and accompanied me to every home and studio space I've ever worked in. When I sit on it, I am humbled by my good fortune. So sweet! Some of you have sat on this stool and seen it many of the colors. I'm grateful for that too!

So tomorrow, I have the WHOLE DAY to PAINT!!! I'll spend a lot of time standing in front of my lovely easel working on a piece that is a canopy of yellow trees. This under-painting was done with airbrush acrylics on Wallis sanded paper. I will also spend some time on my stool and it will be sweet. I will be thinking of my fellow artist and blogger, Loriann and thinking healing thoughts all day. Please join me in sending positive, sweetness her way!!!!

Thumbnails & Studio Habits

My new article is now out in Pastel Journal! This article extols the benefits of thumbnail sketches. I'm totally in love with them! I do them all the time; in my studio, on the couch at night, in an airplane or at the airport when I'm traveling. You can pour all your ideas out in a sketchbook. It is so cathartic! I love it when I've filled a page. It shows many variations of an idea quickly. I can easily see the best solution at a quick glance of the page. Besides, they are beautiful when I've filled a page. I feel so accomplished to have done it. It's just like a great workout at the gym; like I've broken a great sweat!!

Honestly, I treasure my sketchbook more than my finished pieces, which is very funny, since by themselves each thumbnail is not precious at all. It's the collection over time that makes a sketchbook precious. They are as much journals as they are working tools. I've scanned my sketchbooks into my computer because I'm paranoid about loosing one. I travel with them and would absolutely HATE to loose one. My husband who is a fine draftsman/artist lost a sketchbook filled with urban scenes done with watercolor and ink. We both still ache a bit over that loss occasionally. If you find it, please send it along!! Note to self; put address in all sketchbooks.

Sketchbooks, viewfinders, value scale!

Thumbnails in ballpoint

I love to do paintings from a  tiny black and white thumbnail and put aside any other reference that might have contributed initially. This mode of working gives me an incredible amount of freedom with just enough of a structure to get me going. As I said in the article, I've built a playground for myself by doing a thumbnail. I don't work this way all the time, but opening the sketchbook and choosing a thumbnail and going for it is pretty liberating.

I rely on a thumbnail and often a color study when I'm painting plein aire. I really think it's pretty overwhelming to paint outdoors and so easy to get outside oneself, literally. I need the thumbnail to help me with my drawing and the scale of the elements. Besides, I love to tape the thumbnail into my sketchbook and make a little notation about my experience painting that day. Back again to the journal aspect!

I'm totally hooked on using a ballpoint pen to do my thumbnails. A ballpoint can get really, really dark. Darker than any pencil lead. And you can achieve the whole value scale by varying the pressure you use. The most wonderful thing is that you can always find one anywhere you go! I do prefer the black ones over the blue ones, though.

Check out the article when you have a chance. Here is a link to the Pastel Journal site. It has some  examples in addition to what appears in the article. Nice!

I'm posting some thumbnail/minis on my website and ebay store over the next couple of months while the article is out. I usually keep most of these for reference and just because I like them in my studio, but I thought it would be fun to share.... Check them out. I'll have them up within a day or two.

Finding My Diva

Today when I went to my dance class, (NIA), we danced to a routine called "Diva". I thought it was fitting for the day since I was in a particularly sassy mood. Flirting with my feminine side was a great reminder of all the roles I have and how to tap into them. I like the idea of practicing this, just like practicing piano or yoga. Kriszti compared it to putting on a different shirt. Practicing gets you ready for the times that a particular role is demanded of you or needed from you, whether that be the diva, the mother, the teacher, the caretaker.... you name it.

I also like to think of my work in this way. I have many different working modes and moods. Some people might call them "styles" but there is a common thread coursing through all of them. That thread is me. Some pieces may be more quiet where others, more bold and gestural. If every piece was the same in it's mood and process, I'd be bored stiff. Variety, it turns out, is the spice of life.....

I did all of these pieces last year. Each has a different quality and as I think about doing each of them I can actually remember what it felt like while I painted them; how I was feeling when I put down those marks. Tapping into that is powerful stuff... Happy Painting Everyone. I hope the New year is off to a great start for you!!

Seeds to Plant

"Summer Solitude" 15x15 on Wallis w/watercolor under-painting

With the New Year here, I'm thinking ahead about what seeds to plant for the year, what to leave behind and what to be grateful for.

I'm so grateful to be an artist and that each day I'm fortunate to do something creative and try to bring forth beauty and occasionally, peace. As a teacher, I help others do the same. What could be better than helping folks tap into their creative energies? When people are painting, they are getting at the best in themselves, so I'm honored to be a small part of that for a few people. I've been incredibly blessed with continued good health this year and so I try to work toward this every day with a mind toward healthy food, dance and moderation in all indulgences. I'm grateful that I have people. People who love me and wait for my returns. Not everyone is lucky in this way.

I'm planting the seeds for a less stressful year, having a bit more confidence in myself as an artist by way of reflecting on past work and accomplishments. I want to make the most of the resources and skills that I already have rather than trying to reinvent myself this year. The actionable piece of this is putting together a comprehensive marketing plan for the entire year instead of doing it haphazardly. I'm pretty good at the marketing piece, but how would it feel to actually plan ahead? A novel thought!! The other part of this is concentrating on the work. No amount of savvy marketing will sell an inferior product, so it always comes back to the work. What enchants me will likely enchant my viewer....

I'm very ready to leave a few things behind, like my copyright lawsuit,(more on that next year). Even though I won, it was a huge drain of resources, both financial and physical energy. Protecting your work, it turns out, is quite the full time job. I'm also ready to leave behind a bit of my grueling schedule and opting for a lighter schedule closer to home in some cases even if it's not as profitable. Last year I found myself in a few airports too many. Concentrating on a more local market also makes sense from an environmental perspective; less travel, less shipping etc.  I've already streamlined my schedule a bit with the goal of making more time behind the easel.

Happy New Year and Happy Painting!!!