tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-290184412024-03-07T01:19:33.419-08:00Inner ArtistFollow my work as an artist inspired by nature, despite Mama's dire warnings about my career choice. I sketch, paint and draw the natural world (especially birds) around me whether I'm traveling afar or close to home. Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.comBlogger241125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-30561038498569217902016-09-26T17:35:00.000-07:002016-09-26T17:35:01.315-07:00Moving To A New Blog<br />
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<i>But if making art gives substance to your sense of self, the
corresponding fear is that <br />you're not up to the task...that you're not a
real artist, or not a good artist, or have no <br />talent, or have nothing to
say... Making art can feel dangerous and revealing...Making <br />art precipitates self-doubt, stirring
deep waters that lay between what you know you <br />should be, and what you
fear you might be. For many people, that alone is enough to <br />prevent
their ever getting started at all...</i><br />
~ David Bayles & Ted Orland <br />
Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xMZvn16g9yH-ZDF7RXGq3t-oN56Jzy-MXjaTFyi_TxqPgpyRLffVteHvxEkCrL3U35Msm6rEDWb3PVLMgTsS0xLjkHJ4j3eRt-SPDPxwdlShl9EwkZsHJwSH_bI4RfMCN4EJDA/s1600/paintbrushes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-xMZvn16g9yH-ZDF7RXGq3t-oN56Jzy-MXjaTFyi_TxqPgpyRLffVteHvxEkCrL3U35Msm6rEDWb3PVLMgTsS0xLjkHJ4j3eRt-SPDPxwdlShl9EwkZsHJwSH_bI4RfMCN4EJDA/s640/paintbrushes.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
In 2006, I posted my <a href="https://innerartist.blogspot.com/2006/06/illustration-friday-portrait.html" target="_blank">first blog post</a>. I was testing the waters of the Blogosphere as I tested my resolve to become a working artist. Here we are, 10 years later and a lot has changed. So much so that I don’t feel like this blog really fits me anymore. With much planning (and even more procrastinating and nail-biting), I’ve decided to “go public” with being an artist; put my name and my work out there, and see what happens. Having a new blog that better reflects where I am in my artistic journey is an important part of this next step.<br />
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To kick off the new blog, I'm starting a "30 Pears in 30 Days" project on October 1. Intrigued? Well, <a href="https://gsivitzart.blogspot.com/2016/09/welcome-to-my-new-blog.html" target="_blank">check it out</a>. <br />
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Along with the project, I'll still be sharing my latest work on the new blog and my thoughts on the art process and being an artist, but on a more regular basis. I also hope to do some video demos at some point in the near future, as well as linking my professional website with the new blog and offering artwork and prints for sale through my new Etsy site. Whether you've been with me from the beginning or came on board along the way, thanks for being here<i>. </i>I hope you'll join me on this next adventure. So it's not good-bye, but <a href="https://gsivitzart.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><i>see you at my new location</i></a>!<br />
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<span id="quote_book_link_187633"></span>Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-26563037695871423932016-08-23T14:14:00.002-07:002016-08-23T14:16:04.824-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." </div>
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~ Andy Warhol</div>
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I've really neglected my blog this year, I know. I'm currently working on a new artistic focus and format. I hope to be done construction and back to regular posts by mid-September, so stay tuned. Thanks for your patience! </div>
Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-16759308361213959652016-03-16T22:01:00.000-07:002016-08-23T13:17:01.254-07:00Still Life Stand"One always starts work with the subject, no matter how tenuous it is, and one constructs an artificial structure by which one can trap the reality of the subject-matter that one has started from."<br />
~ Francis Bacon<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfcOQv3vRgkumM46WDb8-HoJpHwgloqCW_5rPs3GkqDWtW8v76zVYrsfklsCkdM29PHLvVEhVNxaHOij8slciHTBl9aOLExvdUvCkodeWbv5Wkjnamg_mQkfW4ztxfM9WagXohA/s1600/still-life-set-up-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGfcOQv3vRgkumM46WDb8-HoJpHwgloqCW_5rPs3GkqDWtW8v76zVYrsfklsCkdM29PHLvVEhVNxaHOij8slciHTBl9aOLExvdUvCkodeWbv5Wkjnamg_mQkfW4ztxfM9WagXohA/s400/still-life-set-up-2.jpg" width="391" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My still life painting set-up in action. </td></tr>
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Other artists' studios are endlessly fascinating to me. How do they store their supplies? How is their painting area set up? What color do they paint the walls? What kind of lights do they use? I've spent many hours reading through blogs and articles getting inspiration for my own studio, so I thought I'd share a new still life set up I put together in my studio in the hopes that someone out there might find it interesting/helpful.<br />
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Up to this point, I've been using a desk near my easel to place my still-life arrangements on, so I've been stuck with my still life models always being at one height. I've seen many artists using stands with adjustable heights for their still life compositions and I've wanted to build one myself. I'd already worked with a tripod stand on my <a href="http://www.innerartist.blogspot.com/2015/03/have-paints-will-travel-part-i.html" target="_blank">DIY pochade box</a>, so I planned on using the same idea for the still life set up, but then my ever-practical husband pointed out that in this case I didn't need to be able to tilt the top of the tripod head (unless I wanted everything to slide off and crash to the floor. Could be handy when I get frustrated with a painting...), but I would need something pretty sturdy to be able to hold up the weight of my still life items and the supporting board. He suggested I use a speaker stand instead of a tripod since it would be strong enough to support the weight and would have adjustable height, but wouldn't cost as much as a heavy-duty tripod with all the bells and whistles. Brilliant! <br />
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So he found this baby* for me online for under $50. It can hold up to 100 lbs. and extends more than 6 feet tall. The supporting board is bolted to the head of the stand for stability (especially with a cat about the place. She hasn't tried to jump up onto the platform yet, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time.) Then I made a basic shadowbox out of foam core to sit on top of the board and control the lighting on the still life objects. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get into trouble? Who me? </td></tr>
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I'm really delighted with this set-up and have been putting in many hours at the easel.<br />
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*This is NOT a paid endorsement (although if the company wants to throw some money at me for this post, I wouldn't complain...), but if you are interested, the stand is a PylePro PSTND1.</div>
Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-75904673196403316192016-03-07T12:24:00.001-08:002016-08-23T13:17:21.214-07:00More Florals“It is the hours, the tenacity, the work, the hanging in and doing again and again just to understand some technique.”<br />
~ Daniela Andersen<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumk_KFhn-DIZlsCYN2lXaWGoYcjfndNrkR6D2br-0fYDxJ7fYcxBy1FIA-dZQ5E8hXoSGbX7S8-2yZPOMMZFWeL-RfiYohXiUWKV0AwreKqqUj4wwmrO6etinnlnWGtBSHyEshQ/s1600/tulips-painting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgumk_KFhn-DIZlsCYN2lXaWGoYcjfndNrkR6D2br-0fYDxJ7fYcxBy1FIA-dZQ5E8hXoSGbX7S8-2yZPOMMZFWeL-RfiYohXiUWKV0AwreKqqUj4wwmrO6etinnlnWGtBSHyEshQ/s400/tulips-painting.jpg" width="313" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10" x 8" oil on canvas paper. </td></tr>
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We had friends over for dinner Saturday night and they brought us a beautiful bouquet of tulips as a hostess gift. Having had pretty good luck painting orchids, I decided to give the tulips a try. I seem to be going through a floral phase. Could it be that I'm craving Spring? </div>
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The painting is in my usual palette of alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue, azo yellow and titanium white. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5ItQA5MWqkH1N1tbaQJTEY2U6HJLfDNARRaPxCsowDuVQX3loAi2g_8WOvx07WU1S0rW656bUqwW4Xmzu1-IxDW1gcuVWis-YDIT_NaufzRacqsVe_GjxEV7GfBTHqFBzqJKpg/s1600/tulip-set-up.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE5ItQA5MWqkH1N1tbaQJTEY2U6HJLfDNARRaPxCsowDuVQX3loAi2g_8WOvx07WU1S0rW656bUqwW4Xmzu1-IxDW1gcuVWis-YDIT_NaufzRacqsVe_GjxEV7GfBTHqFBzqJKpg/s400/tulip-set-up.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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of the reasons I like painting still lifes is because my subjects won't
move the way an animal or bird would. However, these tulips definitely moved
during the four hours I painted them. The blooms on the far left side of the
set-up didn't move much because they were already closest to the light,
but all the other tulips were steadily leaning more and more towards my light
source. </div>
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Last Fall I planted daffodils, and I've been anxiously scanning the ground for the first signs of growth, but nothing yet (except early weeds). Hopefully the daffodils made it through the winter. Of course I can get store-bought daffodils to paint, but it would be wonderful to paint flowers from my own garden. </div>
Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-27147633578756395922016-02-25T17:51:00.002-08:002016-08-23T13:22:55.393-07:00Practicing My Scales"When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else."<br />
~ Georgia O'Keefe<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX82WxlcS5fUOvhzCvYbmL_g-3nzrbrD216SMfn4CxF34-6g_UJkMbuGNnp1KVRnFzd-fW_a8OEv_CrphAbsYUZuWGpqSIX0ISuwqjIhRYU6McdCJpQZ0e3fwFvtN-f5g4X6m0EQ/s1600/orchid-sketch.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX82WxlcS5fUOvhzCvYbmL_g-3nzrbrD216SMfn4CxF34-6g_UJkMbuGNnp1KVRnFzd-fW_a8OEv_CrphAbsYUZuWGpqSIX0ISuwqjIhRYU6McdCJpQZ0e3fwFvtN-f5g4X6m0EQ/s400/orchid-sketch.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
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Making art is definitely a juggling act. So many things to remember! Sometimes when I try to paint an entirely new subject, it's as if I've forgotten even my most basic painting skills. I don't remember back to taking piano lessons as a kid (except for hating to practice) so I wonder if when I tried a new technique, sometimes I forgot what I had already learned.<br />
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That's certainly what happened when I attempted to paint this orchid. We've had it for about two months now and I've been really admiring it. Last week I finally pulled out my moleskine sketchbook and did the pencil sketch above. Today, the afternoon sunlight slanting over the orchid inspired me to try painting it. I was so focused on figuring out the leaves and the orchid bloom that at first I forgot my color-mixing skills, and I botched the shape and shading on the cylindrical pot. Luckily cropping took care of most of the problem. It's one advantage of painting on canvas rolls rather than on a stretched canvas or canvas board! <br />
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It's just a little study, but I see elements that I'm surprisingly pleased with, given my lack of floral painting experience and I am eager to try again. I was not destined to be a piano player, but I don't mind this kind of practice! <br />
<br />Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-21413968916973488422016-02-10T12:55:00.000-08:002016-02-10T12:55:11.404-08:00Finally Something To SayYou have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself.<br />
~ Miles Davis<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJ-0bjgVc1YM0n5_8tA45pphQw8DjCKbZqU9BZmvzhoeQPjW9HrPsJLS-gXvV8fD14AfUhTa21mHRTA1leioXgUVJOo3SPi3W5mQFQQRHUaQsIjWKn-XoZsaaWOcqMe6mjwGxmQ/s1600/Tea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJ-0bjgVc1YM0n5_8tA45pphQw8DjCKbZqU9BZmvzhoeQPjW9HrPsJLS-gXvV8fD14AfUhTa21mHRTA1leioXgUVJOo3SPi3W5mQFQQRHUaQsIjWKn-XoZsaaWOcqMe6mjwGxmQ/s400/Tea.jpg" width="396" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Tea</i> - oil on canvas, 8" x 8" </td></tr>
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I can't tell you how many times in the last few months I've sat down at the computer to write a blog post and ended up just staring at the screen. I had nothing. If you are here now reading this, thanks for sticking with me.<br />
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Some of you may know that I collect Hall china, particularly pieces from the 50's and earlier, and use them in many of my still life paintings. I just love their styling. Two weeks ago I went to visit a friend at his antique store in town and he had a new Hall piece to show me - something I hadn't seen before: a Hall china <i>coffee</i> pot. I bought it on the spot, knowing that the color and shape would inspire many paintings. I've already done a few 5 x 7's of the coffee pot, and then a few days ago I got the urge to try a more elaborate and slightly larger painting.<br />
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Once again, I'm using a very limited palette - alizarin crimson, azo yellow, ultramarine blue and titanium white. All my other colors are mixed from those. I really like the harmony that a limited palette brings to a painting. Plus it's easier on the budget. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKC7Ij95i9JwkFwVQGA2PkJhH3O6KeaW4_UQUE2kzvTlTMKHHEvM_1sPAG-axG7OVRvP-P14BlF6eFHHlI-PCkpw-60_ilsIPIGnAQ1ird317ote2hi3orFBBjsVfnVeVHk84Glw/s1600/Tea-WIP-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKC7Ij95i9JwkFwVQGA2PkJhH3O6KeaW4_UQUE2kzvTlTMKHHEvM_1sPAG-axG7OVRvP-P14BlF6eFHHlI-PCkpw-60_ilsIPIGnAQ1ird317ote2hi3orFBBjsVfnVeVHk84Glw/s400/Tea-WIP-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I got to this point in the painting (above) last week and kind of lost interest. I was planning on just chalking it up to practice and starting over, but I let it sit for a few days and when I went into my studio this morning, I found that I had the desire to finish it. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSq1zTN3J_6JSDu8OSAR42Th1DYJKDsViXDq-JuuMu0Yfq0wVcU8cJTiQT5dP-KVwvIf4niUvT_5FC_JuxLdr4TrTxM5cwtw71RJkoNkrn7prQYWz8xLxekxZxBhPllOHacpiig/s1600/Tea-WIP-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfSq1zTN3J_6JSDu8OSAR42Th1DYJKDsViXDq-JuuMu0Yfq0wVcU8cJTiQT5dP-KVwvIf4niUvT_5FC_JuxLdr4TrTxM5cwtw71RJkoNkrn7prQYWz8xLxekxZxBhPllOHacpiig/s400/Tea-WIP-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nearly there! </td></tr>
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Although the china piece is a coffee pot, I was envisioning tea, especially with those two ceramic mugs, hence the title "Tea". <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73YBi-8eXhz7fetJAAcc06AGpAOpy0nCybIzEFLGsPKKEnilcMFLXuX5a9ABTtcvzYONEaLxSPOZ0knPd1vvz6K9QHDU_9j9oxeRured5OVu2Q9mvTgqoPq78B4-ianSM7DWxlg/s1600/Tea-WIP-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg73YBi-8eXhz7fetJAAcc06AGpAOpy0nCybIzEFLGsPKKEnilcMFLXuX5a9ABTtcvzYONEaLxSPOZ0knPd1vvz6K9QHDU_9j9oxeRured5OVu2Q9mvTgqoPq78B4-ianSM7DWxlg/s400/Tea-WIP-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished! </td></tr>
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Overall, I'm quite pleased with the piece. It's not the most dynamic of compositions, and I overworked a few things, but I'm glad I completed it. My ellipses are improving, and I'm really tickled about the rendering of the orchid bloom. The last time I tried to paint a flower it was completely unrecognizable as anything but a paint blob, so I'm thrilled to see improvement there. Now if I had just bumped it up to overlap the pot...Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-7764218961653289112015-10-23T12:28:00.005-07:002016-08-23T13:20:49.414-07:00Studio UpdateNever apologize for your studio. <br />
~ Denise Bezanson<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQqLZWhbWL4Zg_DDFHbIL7RahVTdrDR9qxoAZ8rcd1I4Pstpe_aRTnRIl_MBLFhABDteLmhHKEQXAXml5ZKTsnHhCUyy06w_K_3zDHf3taZbm3uhkfZ6opqBVLCj43jYm0HfKUw/s1600/Move-in-studio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidQqLZWhbWL4Zg_DDFHbIL7RahVTdrDR9qxoAZ8rcd1I4Pstpe_aRTnRIl_MBLFhABDteLmhHKEQXAXml5ZKTsnHhCUyy06w_K_3zDHf3taZbm3uhkfZ6opqBVLCj43jYm0HfKUw/s400/Move-in-studio.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before </td></tr>
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You may remember the chaos in my studio when we first moved into our house. This Fall I've been slowly and steadily working to make the space as user-friendly as possible. The studio isn't finished yet, but it's come a long way and I thought I'd share the progress. So, starting from the left
corner of the room and spinning around to the right: <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyotB-XFaOPBAfVJArmXoHMAKfo_bQcFKzZ4kbEihlQgomPvlK987WKZjRdI9xFHk6gy1tWV1wX9fvW1bkBE8iGbWZK422HGzRgT1MqHRxQigOYdUTor1BpBvuASd6ECO-fkqbQ/s1600/sitting-area.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyotB-XFaOPBAfVJArmXoHMAKfo_bQcFKzZ4kbEihlQgomPvlK987WKZjRdI9xFHk6gy1tWV1wX9fvW1bkBE8iGbWZK422HGzRgT1MqHRxQigOYdUTor1BpBvuASd6ECO-fkqbQ/s400/sitting-area.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
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This is the sitting area, with cat-friendly but not terribly photogenic coverings for the chair. The 1950's era built-in closet and drawers on the left provide lots of space to store big pads of paper and canvases. Plus I love all the natural wood. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidnkzhKQ5WNxxx9qv1J5TGK2yboCMqsgSH3Gr6TVUJH7zlS05QjkbHUqeVShpYXagbfnSjNFArSOc7FbGyhxCjEkMenyN5dvvdXeoT8qLuzjVZNjuir6jK8BJMCCWIheiYCJ8k3Q/s1600/Painting-area.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidnkzhKQ5WNxxx9qv1J5TGK2yboCMqsgSH3Gr6TVUJH7zlS05QjkbHUqeVShpYXagbfnSjNFArSOc7FbGyhxCjEkMenyN5dvvdXeoT8qLuzjVZNjuir6jK8BJMCCWIheiYCJ8k3Q/s400/Painting-area.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Painting space and work table. The cart to the right of my easel was designed for kitchen use, but it is perfect for in the studio. It's on wheels, has a drawer, shelves and room for my palette on top. Thank you, Ikea! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqfNKDyZGsstcCYNYG4aIDFEySlpD-uiHchzq4NKKurfdEntJZIRJQQWHaw8WYmVu0RaoEH1YxfyWTo33iYzyQgUrX7_CzdlDeo6jN3MS_C4audxPOosoI-MCNnvtMzMxj12gLIg/s1600/cat-area.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqfNKDyZGsstcCYNYG4aIDFEySlpD-uiHchzq4NKKurfdEntJZIRJQQWHaw8WYmVu0RaoEH1YxfyWTo33iYzyQgUrX7_CzdlDeo6jN3MS_C4audxPOosoI-MCNnvtMzMxj12gLIg/s400/cat-area.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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Shelves for still life stuff, and Tikka's look-out tower. I may extend the shelves along the top of the right-hand wall as well. It's great storage without taking up precious floor space.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzbcn0QDh8Sxr-HwphiEi3ox1LNBJbkG9LZLAOewxjbrhcaI5CGQb_NPKBSt6Zadvz_5s14ZUtlUsWFDmF53j8NQWMNpUGTi3dKBLeGX-VhNs-E1GAKooEtBCBKBTKREmZl5A4Q/s1600/computer-area.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzbcn0QDh8Sxr-HwphiEi3ox1LNBJbkG9LZLAOewxjbrhcaI5CGQb_NPKBSt6Zadvz_5s14ZUtlUsWFDmF53j8NQWMNpUGTi3dKBLeGX-VhNs-E1GAKooEtBCBKBTKREmZl5A4Q/s400/computer-area.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
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And last but not least, here's the area where I put on my graphic designer's hat. Tikka's food dishes are cleverly hidden under the printer stand on the right and her (enclosed!) litter box is to the left of my desk.<br />
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Wanting to squeeze a sitting area, work space, and computer area, along
with the cat's litter box, food dishes and cat tree into a 9' x 11'
space was challenging, but I was very motivated. For the first time in my 26 years as an artist, my paints and computer are not sharing a guest room/office with my husband,
or on the dining room table, or in the basement wedged in between the furnace and washing machine. At last I have a room of my own!
(Well, okay, I'm sharing with the cat, but technically it's mine...)<br />
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<i>Disclaimer: My studio is never this tidy. I <strike>cleaned</strike> moved stuff to another room for the photos. </i><br />
<br />Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-89413958142362686792015-10-16T11:38:00.001-07:002015-10-16T11:38:59.644-07:00A Bad Day of Painting Is Better Than a Good Day at WorkThe whole culture is telling you to hurry, while the art tells you to take your time. <br />Always listen to the art.<br />
~ Junot Diaz<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7uxLrAVV6KgifErDBwNeCeYkrM4KIEwdtPvHXJuzS3X0neeLJ2dG-FV4u05jbSKEeXq_Y2dUajQuksSFv0Fy08Cc_8Kmc4ZDBKHsh0Xcko8m9lnJuz6_YYKZUWnN9A_QCf95kaw/s400/painting-at-Rock-Creek.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The camera made the sky look more deep blue than it actually was. <br />It was still pretty darn beautiful though. </td></tr>
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What with moving earlier this summer and now work on the house, it's been too long since I've been able to get out and do some on-location painting. I was lucky enough to get a weekend to myself, and the weather report was telling me I'd have two calm and sunny days before the next system rolled in, so I packed the car with my painting supplies and headed out into the wilds. The fall color was stunning, particularly the groves of cottonwood trees along the rivers, and there were so many beautiful spots to choose from. I wasted a lot of time going from spot to spot, wondering if the next one would be even better. I told myself that at least I was scouting the locations for my second day out. (A quote from Yoda in <i>The Empire Strikes Back</i> jumps to mind "<span title="Source: Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back">All his life has he looked away, to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was, hmm?" - That pretty much describes me, too.) <i> </i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7GzOkUmJOkwmiR6k8gJEy0om1aETeUztmi3LO4Bnk1dqw5F7kdQJ6opVF5dI1UPrlBY-Q2hg3B2T6qel999nCxByMFD45u7zbfZbv-A6ZmyGsLHOiaPHf09M_rp3NE1BLfIdaxA/s1600/plein-air-painting-of-Rock-Creek.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7GzOkUmJOkwmiR6k8gJEy0om1aETeUztmi3LO4Bnk1dqw5F7kdQJ6opVF5dI1UPrlBY-Q2hg3B2T6qel999nCxByMFD45u7zbfZbv-A6ZmyGsLHOiaPHf09M_rp3NE1BLfIdaxA/s400/plein-air-painting-of-Rock-Creek.jpg" width="392" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cottonwoods Along Rock Creek - approx. 6" x 6", oil on canvas. </td></tr>
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Well, it turns out this was the only painting I managed to complete, as the weather reports lied and on the second day a strong wind was thrashing the trees around and rolling tumbleweeds across the roads. Some die-hard plein air painters would still work under those conditions, but I'm a wimp. So regretting all those "scouting" stops the day before, I sadly turned my car around and headed home with only one (not terribly successful) painting to show for my whole painting weekend. Then again, painting one mediocre painting is better than not having gone out at all. Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-87732368131279823102015-09-29T14:37:00.000-07:002016-08-23T13:23:33.223-07:00Painting Moon Snails in a Limited PaletteOn the sixth day, God created the artist, realizing no doubt that He had far from exhausted <br />
the uses of color.<br />
~ Robert Brault<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7ddWqQvRrWDOGZeme5kZjaVBOhG1jiM_G2SN6EwQEZ0zBc3WNlaPkPeVVNX_J5Ksvs1d8ygpAHVDAV51vdR_BTHTJ9Vm3UQ6YRY7MZcj0q2dKRtvJLLDPZ7KJ0tBdleBawnaEQ/s400/Moon-Snails.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moon Snails with Coral - 5" x 7" oil on canvas </td></tr>
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I've mentioned a few times over the years that I really enjoy working with limited palettes. Certainly I am often tempted to augment my colors when I see all the gorgeous paint choices at the art supply store, but I've managed to keep my palette hovering around 6 colors plus white for a while now. Generally I use a warm and a cool red, a warm and a cool yellow, and a warm and a cool blue to mix all the rest of my colors from. I've found that this method gives me nice color harmony in my work, with the added advantage of not having to dig through piles of tubes of paint trying to find a specialty color. I suppose I could also say I'm lazy in that with fewer colors, I don't have to remember as many combinations of which colors play nicely when mixed together and which tend to make mud.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqGy6muTgmFoWbyddaPHDQxAyjy8p_Oeu7EHiAUM6IccDSDACcnl8W3bKrgtRwoFwWW8x031qefnyfRyWF3t_ZT-lYcKUXBj_YYGaxhD6gUFkaAK1i9L1BkjdLzazveSBmlr-Cyg/s1600/moon-shells-WIP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqGy6muTgmFoWbyddaPHDQxAyjy8p_Oeu7EHiAUM6IccDSDACcnl8W3bKrgtRwoFwWW8x031qefnyfRyWF3t_ZT-lYcKUXBj_YYGaxhD6gUFkaAK1i9L1BkjdLzazveSBmlr-Cyg/s400/moon-shells-WIP.jpg" width="393" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blocking in the shapes and values. </td></tr>
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In this painting I only used 3 colors plus white to mix all my other colors from: alizarin crimson, winsor yellow, and ultramarine blue. This is certainly not a painting with a lot of flashy color; it's much more low chroma, but I like the subtlety. I plan on painting this set-up a few times, playing with different combinations of primaries to see how they affect the mood of the scene.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEAPlJ3nmEiVN79MWgyiPA22Lja23LSIZbXUky4Bsf7jEcxTSAqQd-9zMWECpcZP2F9SkRzkSlI9Huy461Y7yRJEO-7aJ0jWrGO38EaGmQs0TJ3JtERPB2nKg-acdc9qHhmQ9ew/s1600/Moon-shell-detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQEAPlJ3nmEiVN79MWgyiPA22Lja23LSIZbXUky4Bsf7jEcxTSAqQd-9zMWECpcZP2F9SkRzkSlI9Huy461Y7yRJEO-7aJ0jWrGO38EaGmQs0TJ3JtERPB2nKg-acdc9qHhmQ9ew/s400/Moon-shell-detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail from painting</td></tr>
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Moon snails (a carnivorous gastropod with a craving for clams) are found around the world, but the particular species in my painting live along the Atlantic coast. These two shells are from wintertime visits to the New Jersey coast with dear friends of ours. We love beachcombing in winter. The heat and the throngs of people are gone, leaving us a wild and beautiful expanse of sand to explore. <br />
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<br />Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-13638292992083679382015-09-21T11:35:00.000-07:002015-09-21T11:35:22.421-07:00Life Happens. Keep Painting. If you want creative workers, give them enough time to play.<br />
~ John Cleese <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpyTXVQyCoSSyPV1w2L7r_e4FGAJ2Kf-bqUk3GcJti1yLzkDWbF-wmts5njcqzPsWDMuF3XoW5Hb2xXLkZP-af5DrVFkVDvYkR_xTm9EmOW4-AN6tBilgb_ai05qt9RDgoo0-Zw/s1600/Handbell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpyTXVQyCoSSyPV1w2L7r_e4FGAJ2Kf-bqUk3GcJti1yLzkDWbF-wmts5njcqzPsWDMuF3XoW5Hb2xXLkZP-af5DrVFkVDvYkR_xTm9EmOW4-AN6tBilgb_ai05qt9RDgoo0-Zw/s400/Handbell.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Bell</i> - 6" x 6" oil on canvas panel </td></tr>
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Things are rather chaotic here at the moment while repairs are being made to our kitchen. It's amazing what you take for granted until you don't have it anymore. We have a mini kitchen (microwave, toaster, and dorm-sized fridge) set up in our utility room to get us through, but oh how I wish we had a sink in there! <br /><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghk-U79lqrYzR_5gi0F1GqGDIgaw5Z04hq8rsJTALFeLF_BPv7SWjPqEW0nUXPFYxr1P1LBHTDhen4KFOAfOvI3hyyCGRiE0yjtBXxypJjDCh07UiYZwe7qs-O56F-ncD8E0YOYg/s1600/glass-insulator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghk-U79lqrYzR_5gi0F1GqGDIgaw5Z04hq8rsJTALFeLF_BPv7SWjPqEW0nUXPFYxr1P1LBHTDhen4KFOAfOvI3hyyCGRiE0yjtBXxypJjDCh07UiYZwe7qs-O56F-ncD8E0YOYg/s400/glass-insulator.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Aqua Glass Insulator</i> - 6" x 6" oil on canvas </td></tr>
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Because I work from home, I'm the default on-site go-to person, so I
squeeze art and creative play in whenever there are a few seconds of
peace and quiet. This means I don't have time to set up elaborate still life paintings if I want to get anything done. Plop an interesting item down, adjust the lighting, and <i>go! </i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGv7eFqHc9161Q1h5bH9YIKJpLIJRAOFd1yPtXwRNeGDB5D4SsRqXxvowkjgF0JtXQPPoPYbbR4SiZIpngFqMLbad3-7aw0N4oaVAq8cZhi_ftiewzU904xWc3pVr3N6apFCWt1w/s1600/sand-dollars-on-dish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGv7eFqHc9161Q1h5bH9YIKJpLIJRAOFd1yPtXwRNeGDB5D4SsRqXxvowkjgF0JtXQPPoPYbbR4SiZIpngFqMLbad3-7aw0N4oaVAq8cZhi_ftiewzU904xWc3pVr3N6apFCWt1w/s400/sand-dollars-on-dish.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3 Dollars - 6" x 6" oil on canvas </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The other night I was painting some sand dollars on a plate and stopped in surprise when I realized
that instead of my typical cautionary inner voice guiding my painting ("<i>Not sure you should do that. It might wreck the painting.</i>"), a
much more curious and carefree voice was at the helm ("<i>Let's see what happens if...</i>"). I think the daily creative play may be influencing my more "serious" art work! <br />
<br />Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-19087621367093081772015-09-01T15:27:00.001-07:002015-09-01T15:27:47.424-07:00My Orange PhaseTo stimulate creativity, one must develop the childlike inclination for play...<br />
~ Albert Einstein<br />
<i>Bonus quote today!</i><br />
I don't grow up. In me is the small child of my early days.<br />
~ M.C. Escher<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-OYaZ6JwZAWBBgfRnvbG6T_B8hXAzkLePFf_4Zn1QwQI5sGV_i6kCLySi9XYfE3_BAxHcqUazcc40u9WqB8G8pw47i-RzlPME9chJ9_KWJDvFyqqX3DRYUsUQjSTKaqfTtoCeCg/s1600/orange-shell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-OYaZ6JwZAWBBgfRnvbG6T_B8hXAzkLePFf_4Zn1QwQI5sGV_i6kCLySi9XYfE3_BAxHcqUazcc40u9WqB8G8pw47i-RzlPME9chJ9_KWJDvFyqqX3DRYUsUQjSTKaqfTtoCeCg/s400/orange-shell.jpg" width="397" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Conch shell in orange - 6" x 6" oil on canvas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I am now on Day 12 of incorporating creative play into my daily life. A few days ago I realized my definition of creative play was much too narrow. I was still trying to keep it "practical", and in doing so I was putting myself on the path of early burn-out. My creative play doesn't always have to be in a 2 dimensional form and doesn't always have to be limited to visual art-related projects. Ideally it should engage more of my senses than just seeing, and get me into a child-like state of fun and non-judgement (Fingerpainting with chocolate pudding, anyone?) It's amazing -and kind of sad- that we have to re-learn how to play.<br />
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One day after this realization, I made sculptures out of the geometric-shaped cardboard pieces packed in an Ikea furniture box. Today I sorted through stacks of my reference photos and gathered together a bunch of images of orange things, including the painting above that I recently did, and the items below: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUocjDKa8YACciVhs7JKbwVdihoy-SdaS6g0rmlB8IijZoKhVVkrGUvY3T4U6u-KgReYqv4iwZhkrBWcmsNQzgPb3L3Bx0S8aoI-oxwp_eMvIQPPRE-20GKANkofeMh2PH65VUDQ/s1600/orange-anole.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUocjDKa8YACciVhs7JKbwVdihoy-SdaS6g0rmlB8IijZoKhVVkrGUvY3T4U6u-KgReYqv4iwZhkrBWcmsNQzgPb3L3Bx0S8aoI-oxwp_eMvIQPPRE-20GKANkofeMh2PH65VUDQ/s320/orange-anole.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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(Can you tell I was that kid who had all the crayons organized by color?) <br />
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Speaking of being a kid, I'm finding that one integral part of my creative play is thinking about what I loved to do as a child. Tapping into my memories has not only reminded me of some really fun things to do, but has also helped me to overcome my adult tendency to dismiss the importance of play to my art practice. When my adult mind is grumbling that my time would be better spent taking care of the dishes that need to be washed, I just pull up the memory of spending hours happily building little houses for the chipmunks and toads in my backyard, complete with acorn-cap plates and twig fences. My resolve to be "practical" dissolves pretty fast after that. <br />
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What did you do as a child that brought you hours of fun? As an adult, what do you do to get back to that state of creative joy?<br />
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If you want to see an artist really playing with a painting, check out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iulpr-Lpouk" target="_blank">this video</a> of Duane Keiser painting an ice cream cone. What delicious fun! Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-82902506350284933312015-08-25T12:36:00.000-07:002016-08-23T13:24:02.301-07:00The Mind is a Funny ThingI'm always thinking about creating. My future starts when I wake up every morning... Every day I find something creative to do with my life.<br />
~ Miles Davis<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzVEwo1JFij78b9fq3cPg9iKNgEkGJZeripdxy9hCYJsaROEPmlK7ZfChVasfshfPQLoJ0Qs-1dl3mR7EeZWf3BBsOp0hgBJviURD1iqRM3AGEUdNr8XtndADMt0IRnQb6e0N3w/s1600/blue-sea-stuff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdzVEwo1JFij78b9fq3cPg9iKNgEkGJZeripdxy9hCYJsaROEPmlK7ZfChVasfshfPQLoJ0Qs-1dl3mR7EeZWf3BBsOp0hgBJviURD1iqRM3AGEUdNr8XtndADMt0IRnQb6e0N3w/s400/blue-sea-stuff.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Blue Sea Stuff</i> - 6" x 7" oil on canvas</td></tr>
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Because I'm still in the process of setting up my new studio after our
move, there's not space for my easel yet, so I've been painting on my pochade box instead. I'm still trying to put into practice everything I learned from that recent color workshop I attended. I'm pretty pleased with this piece. Not the most elegant title though. <br />
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I'm now on my 6th day of daily creative play. You'd think it would be easy. What could be easier than playing? Especially when the play involves what you love. But the mind is a funny thing. As soon as you put a label on something - "you have to do this every day." - it can become just another item on the to-do list. Or the play becomes burdened with expectations. Judging sets in. It starts to feel forced, not fresh. I have to stay very aware of what's going on in my mind and keep my thoughts from heading in that direction!<br />
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Here are a few of the results from my creative play:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8KLD4QV-WwTJhYnlDighUd-3XJxHLTSADJ_jvA5vthKp024EGJsM3Cv1tmFzdqGf-CdtpS5Lp3K41tnWWGEsF1BE38xDTT1DLV-bBjh-Htp0KYb7rHf4xvAEl6u08FACetZdZw/s1600/Creative-Play-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8KLD4QV-WwTJhYnlDighUd-3XJxHLTSADJ_jvA5vthKp024EGJsM3Cv1tmFzdqGf-CdtpS5Lp3K41tnWWGEsF1BE38xDTT1DLV-bBjh-Htp0KYb7rHf4xvAEl6u08FACetZdZw/s400/Creative-Play-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creative play - ink & watercolor</td></tr>
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This one I really had fun with: <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCObj5q-bXJ2faamJ6Bx30lVTUr95ykjkhBDXYmGV5cFfhCcRUwxbxej4KlQCT6G3l9jM08SY2gIi4Pk0FH7Xa61SGgyklfTffzlUSCxa2rC3dM-iwiCYvuXZ2wCQMIcDIZsR1g/s1600/Creative-Play-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXCObj5q-bXJ2faamJ6Bx30lVTUr95ykjkhBDXYmGV5cFfhCcRUwxbxej4KlQCT6G3l9jM08SY2gIi4Pk0FH7Xa61SGgyklfTffzlUSCxa2rC3dM-iwiCYvuXZ2wCQMIcDIZsR1g/s400/Creative-Play-3.jpg" width="380" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creative play - ink</td></tr>
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I was googling about creativity and found some exercises designed to spark one's creative mind. One of the exercises involved pairing random adjectives, nouns, and verbs together and then illustrating the resulting phrase (I'm embarrassed to admit I don't remember the exact source/website for this exercise). My phrase was "Tall flower crying."<br />
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(During my online research on creativity, I also ran across <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" target="_blank">this article,</a> "<a href="http://www.newsweek.com/creativity-crisis-74665" target="_blank">The Creativity Crisis</a>" from 2010 in Newsweek that talks about the need to teach creative thinking in school. Fascinating!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim313rTAn1Ih4WbX0C9spxgiyDhYATpywt5yI0DcaZcI4sw1LnvQLmgsiTNkvLCPANDZXdGAMe4SSqnZwQYALoSEKlj_ArBetsEdd0bNyUFoJt1M6HkyWh5f4q7eNF8hsyxwxmOw/s1600/Creative-Play-3-detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim313rTAn1Ih4WbX0C9spxgiyDhYATpywt5yI0DcaZcI4sw1LnvQLmgsiTNkvLCPANDZXdGAMe4SSqnZwQYALoSEKlj_ArBetsEdd0bNyUFoJt1M6HkyWh5f4q7eNF8hsyxwxmOw/s400/Creative-Play-3-detail.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail</td></tr>
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Those mean little flowers! Even the bug is getting in on the teasing! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqEr1DOOyGFU-3YiOyN25WJ-yFdOp3IzZGG4bH4DV7OMd6xxU7a2wdhjNFDVWUJb6lnhjOV89MZd14Yq9m0XK4gnoXlaPilY4PCnVf_yVTMFzML5cLQ7DSX5qkljv2jqJRrW-tQ/s1600/Creative-Play-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBqEr1DOOyGFU-3YiOyN25WJ-yFdOp3IzZGG4bH4DV7OMd6xxU7a2wdhjNFDVWUJb6lnhjOV89MZd14Yq9m0XK4gnoXlaPilY4PCnVf_yVTMFzML5cLQ7DSX5qkljv2jqJRrW-tQ/s400/Creative-Play-4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creative play - monotype print</td></tr>
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While I was looking
for something else the other day, I found some of my printmaking
supplies. <i>Play time! </i></div>
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I think my biggest challenge to sticking with this daily creative playtime is going to be getting over the idea that I'm not doing anything worthwhile. It is amazing to me how hard it is to break free of that ingrained work ethic and just allow myself to experiment and explore! </div>
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<br />Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-91732964688498632142015-08-19T12:49:00.001-07:002016-08-23T13:24:35.898-07:00The First Day of the Rest of My LifeA life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. <br />
~ George Bernard Shaw<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkl-lUeHWYlXhoYT7QTVHwK2v8TcSWHff2auh5tmC2rEexpBNQod_WTFt_5qwcUuP63ROUvxbVzbT9N-c2r2nA0uh2CXDCDyRVOobYHBTbvWkqJ5JD3H6huHlYWKPT_yexb_ssw/s1600/Creative-Play-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfkl-lUeHWYlXhoYT7QTVHwK2v8TcSWHff2auh5tmC2rEexpBNQod_WTFt_5qwcUuP63ROUvxbVzbT9N-c2r2nA0uh2CXDCDyRVOobYHBTbvWkqJ5JD3H6huHlYWKPT_yexb_ssw/s400/Creative-Play-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Creative Play #1</td></tr>
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Okay, so it's kind of a cheesy title for this post and not terribly original. There's a song, there's a movie, and who knows what else. But somehow it also felt appropriate for this post. Yesterday was my birthday, and it happens to be the year before the big mid-century mark. I had expected next year's birthday to be a bit of a cage-rattler, but turns out I got a preview this year. Woke up with a headache and it went downhill from there*. You know: the whole questioning what I've done with my life thus far thing. <br />
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I've been continuing to ruminate over what I talked about in my last post, and all of your comments have given me lots more food for thought. (Thank you so much!) Last week I also had an idea floating around in my head about wanting to have more creativity in my life. Not the serious "must paint something worthy" type of creativity, but more the kind I seemed to have an endless supply of when I was 13 or 14, before it became buried under the chaos of growing up. Remember creative play? Creating for the sheer joy of it? (artist Belinda Del Pasco just happened to talk about creative play in a very timely, beautifully articulated post last week on her blog <a href="http://www.belindadelpesco.com/2015/08/watercolor-interior-2.html" target="_blank">here</a>) Seems that we have to give ourselves permission to play as adults. So I'm giving myself permission. <i>Every day. </i>And I will be posting the results on the blog, perhaps not every single day, but certainly more often than I've been posting lately.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXe994xXmdPgU20pOGFOjdHaH14WvYns6T2m43W_IpppOxRE2h5Lpk1Lofi75k4NLEQVJHnhNuxGun__MfI0KxNyoX6hYKsgYfJvEVaAbstFZxOjIaPwZswjHvtt7Kt_FIdQfdFA/s1600/Detail-from-Creative-Play-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXe994xXmdPgU20pOGFOjdHaH14WvYns6T2m43W_IpppOxRE2h5Lpk1Lofi75k4NLEQVJHnhNuxGun__MfI0KxNyoX6hYKsgYfJvEVaAbstFZxOjIaPwZswjHvtt7Kt_FIdQfdFA/s320/Detail-from-Creative-Play-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail </td></tr>
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So this first play session, completed today, was simply a matter of asking "What if?". What if I put watercolor on Bristol paper instead of watercolor paper? What if I add some india ink? What if I scribble the paper with some clear wax first? What if I blow on the ink and watercolor before it dries? Some may say that it's a waste of time to play and this piece will never be fine art, but through playing and exploring I found effects I really like that I could recreate in a "serious" piece later. Plus, and much more importantly, I had fun and the world could sure use more fun.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifmACtPcDbw5vOHbJGLUfQHlz8NP0J8JEHsJruNm04wuEFqU3JTasV4kj_VK3-bMGPtHiUaKaTPCEbjRXglwWxce1ikknvpYHkBFkBbfbkrzLejtCHPBTSIVkx4yJy25TWxzW4Ig/s1600/detail-2-from-Creative-Play-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifmACtPcDbw5vOHbJGLUfQHlz8NP0J8JEHsJruNm04wuEFqU3JTasV4kj_VK3-bMGPtHiUaKaTPCEbjRXglwWxce1ikknvpYHkBFkBbfbkrzLejtCHPBTSIVkx4yJy25TWxzW4Ig/s400/detail-2-from-Creative-Play-1.jpg" width="342" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another detail</td></tr>
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Hopefully after a year of play, when the big Five-O rolls around,
I'll wake up that morning thinking 49 was the best year yet, and eager
for more. <br />
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*I should note that my birthday was not a complete let-down. My husband took me out for dinner to one of my favorite restaurants and we tried their chocolate layer cake for the first time and oh wow! Gooey, chocolaty and huge; this thing should be illegal! I felt much better after that. Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-75992791969467877662015-08-12T12:58:00.000-07:002015-08-12T12:58:08.453-07:00Bison Color Study and Thoughts About BloggingI never met a color I didn't like. <br />
~ Dale Chihuly<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdfBTRWmnUsvLvSXtHyFQxrVF_-_r_-kTmGRlJmHsklXdn6istyt_Qhr7CLk5iVe7pjrHRY3-tYUSrJ4Pw8bPFSL-pfE8zu8qDw5RVWLCytINk_frmHXMdcLAxINaYThT-qpN7A/s1600/Montana-at-dusk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdfBTRWmnUsvLvSXtHyFQxrVF_-_r_-kTmGRlJmHsklXdn6istyt_Qhr7CLk5iVe7pjrHRY3-tYUSrJ4Pw8bPFSL-pfE8zu8qDw5RVWLCytINk_frmHXMdcLAxINaYThT-qpN7A/s400/Montana-at-dusk.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bridger Mountains as seen from Bozeman, MT at dusk</td></tr>
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Oh dear, I have been neglecting my blog. Partly it is Life zooming along at breakneck speed, but also partly feeling less than inspired about what to post. Back in late April I attended a fantastic 4-day color workshop for oil painters in my beloved Montana, so you'd think that would give me some blog-worthy material to share with you, but the writer's block has remained stubbornly in place. We also moved across town to a new home, which has provided endless excuses for me to procrastinate. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMUesYIKdKFY49KUgbp_uQVPCZGGZX8CzBL9YxeABOuzFRrPcu89ZXyLMWHUY99JGmRMUgGmaNLGbeGfedElh0NnkZCHJIquw0htq5xfioOopR2r6sAgcCRqOGbtx6MTJNzwMwFw/s1600/Move-in-studio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMUesYIKdKFY49KUgbp_uQVPCZGGZX8CzBL9YxeABOuzFRrPcu89ZXyLMWHUY99JGmRMUgGmaNLGbeGfedElh0NnkZCHJIquw0htq5xfioOopR2r6sAgcCRqOGbtx6MTJNzwMwFw/s400/Move-in-studio.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new studio space is clearly a work in progress. <br />Can you spot the cat sleeping peacefully amongst the chaos? </td></tr>
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I've been feeling very restless artistically, and went through a couple of months of wondering what my artistic purpose/direction was. I don't know that I've really sorted that out yet, but at least I'm feeling more energized about art again. However, I'm still not clear on my focus for blogging. </div>
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Back in 2006, I started a blog to be able to participate in<a href="http://illustrationfriday.com/" target="_blank"> Illustration Friday</a>, and then in 2009 I used the blog to track the 100 Painting Challenge I undertook with support from Laure Ferlita over at <a href="http://paintedthoughtsblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Painted Thoughts</a>. At that point the blog became the "Inner Artist", to reflect my journey in reclaiming my long-buried artistic soul. However, 6 years later and "Inner Artist" doesn't seem to fit me any more. I'm certainly not saying that I don't still struggle with self-confidence and fear, or that I've "made it" as an artist, but I think I've moved beyond the original intent of this blog. So now what? </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirBEPu0fAGULyK5Wt7Np8-T_oQfVRG-QMUbWNYXNTpq9QYpGrzpMHGe_CbgVvQIsulAAA9EKjQkMyAbt42st_rxeK7doceHLU0qlPUwd3t4R4H13jkrK5ZFj9SWSwx2MB_KCkG5g/s1600/Bison-color-study.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirBEPu0fAGULyK5Wt7Np8-T_oQfVRG-QMUbWNYXNTpq9QYpGrzpMHGe_CbgVvQIsulAAA9EKjQkMyAbt42st_rxeK7doceHLU0qlPUwd3t4R4H13jkrK5ZFj9SWSwx2MB_KCkG5g/s400/Bison-color-study.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Workshop color study with blue-violet and yellow-orange as my main colors. The middle column of color <br />is made up of the neutral shades that were mixed from those two complementary colors. </td></tr>
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Blogging experts say that you should figure out your niche, what makes
you unique amongst other bloggers and focus on that. I'm not sure
exactly what my niche is, but one place to start is to consider what in
this blog has been successful. What is it that people come to my blog
for? Looking over my blog statistics, the most popular <a href="http://innerartist.blogspot.com/2009/07/oregon-head-at-hug-point.html" target="_blank">post</a>
of all time was about a weird rock formation I saw on the Oregon Coast.
Had nothing to do with art.The other most popular posts were of some
daily sketches early on and a few posts from the 100 Painting Challenge.
Looking these over, I am not finding any clear cut niche that these
posts reflect.<br />
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Okay, so maybe figuring out my niche is going to take some time. Perhaps I could think about this from another angle and consider why I blog. Certainly one of the reasons I blog and read other artists' blogs is to be inspired by and connect with other artists. Blogging is a wonderful way to participate in an artistic community for people like me who live far away from cultural centers and resources. I definitely want to continue to have an artistic community. However, with more and more demands on my artistic time, it is becoming very challenging to make a regular habit of commenting on other artists' blogs. This seems to be a common problem that a lot of artists are running into, so at least I don't feel like I'm the only one dropping the ball, but it is unfair and unrealistic to expect people to comment on my blog if I'm not commenting on theirs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoxj9Fzf-JRgXHoQr6v80is50gSMQq37yDCCoCcEunqI-HDl6BdKWnnvCnf8djCPr5FC7ZDAhqZcnD7d8EeFFdPG3gOp3-7JJdbJRVzjmgX7Dbt9RbNM-WzqcVw5eaFkdWl66_nw/s1600/Bison-study.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoxj9Fzf-JRgXHoQr6v80is50gSMQq37yDCCoCcEunqI-HDl6BdKWnnvCnf8djCPr5FC7ZDAhqZcnD7d8EeFFdPG3gOp3-7JJdbJRVzjmgX7Dbt9RbNM-WzqcVw5eaFkdWl66_nw/s400/Bison-study.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Workshop final project - Bison painting using new color knowledge</td></tr>
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Ideally I also want to blog as a way to reach potential customers and direct them to my website or an internet shop where they can purchase my work. Again, living far away from cultural centers and resources means I have very limited options for trying to sell my work. The internet could be a lifeline for me, but again, what's my niche? What would make me stand out amongst the thousands and thousands of other artists out there? It gives me a headache to think about.<br />
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So if you are still with me on this long rambling post, thank you, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on all this. What brings you to my blog? What kinds of posts have been the most interesting or helpful here? If you are also a blogging artist, what have been your challenges with blogging? Did you figure out your niche and if yes, how? If you leave a comment to this post, I promise to be more conscientious and leave one on your blog, too.*<br />
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<i>*Obviously obscene, mean, or spamming comments will be ignored.</i> <br />
<br />Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-63253322582404865112015-04-09T10:36:00.000-07:002015-04-09T10:36:03.727-07:00Have Paints Will Travel - Part IIAmong famous traitors of history one might mention the weather. <br />
~ Ilka Chase<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Safety Tip: Wait to cut and glue the wine corks in place until you've sufficiently recovered from the wine. </td></tr>
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At the end of the last post, I was contemplating the need to drink 4 bottles of wine. (I know, I know; you all feel very sorry for me.) The resulting 4 corks would be perfect for holding up the palette insert in my DIY pochade box. However, the idea of this DIY project* was to keep costs down and 4 bottles of wine could get a little spendy. Luckily friends of ours (who also happen to have excellent taste in wine) decided to throw a dinner party just in the nick of time and I was able to procure the 4 corks without undue strain on my budget or my health.<br />
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Through this project, I also discovered that you can use sandpaper on wine corks - even the synthetic ones - to smooth them down to a nice level surface. <br />
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I had a local glass company cut a piece of plexiglass to size, with a little notch in the corner for easy removal. The plexiglass sits on top of the 4 corks...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqREuc_vzj_eNqcZ2w11jtQPg8fqrI7ehRrzPiy_MAOfetLOEe6yJcq140qKIpLHKdkYkf9aCpNNYiNKErKWC_Aa8B5k_piZS8jbHYSCeABc0RfYriEelx-5JjRtAPqvuYQWl0w/s1600/pochade-box-2.3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZqREuc_vzj_eNqcZ2w11jtQPg8fqrI7ehRrzPiy_MAOfetLOEe6yJcq140qKIpLHKdkYkf9aCpNNYiNKErKWC_Aa8B5k_piZS8jbHYSCeABc0RfYriEelx-5JjRtAPqvuYQWl0w/s1600/pochade-box-2.3.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shameless product placement. </td></tr>
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...leaving just enough room underneath to store my tubes of paint, or a spare canvas panel. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7XvZ9eA6KzK0FtbYXKjewIif_x81esKH43FCIrAlZGLHensX7eXLx3xdK-kJAI34Li9Z-lvVW3xbKqywyBR_1rkD6f3hpswnltApcDw8UTEsvfcE_5HxXZHvP-g_CwpmILSnFvQ/s1600/pochade-box-2.4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7XvZ9eA6KzK0FtbYXKjewIif_x81esKH43FCIrAlZGLHensX7eXLx3xdK-kJAI34Li9Z-lvVW3xbKqywyBR_1rkD6f3hpswnltApcDw8UTEsvfcE_5HxXZHvP-g_CwpmILSnFvQ/s1600/pochade-box-2.4.jpg" height="400" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to go! </td></tr>
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I added some Velcro dots to the inside lid of the box, and then corresponding dots to the back of my canvas panels to keep the panels in place while painting. I also used an S hook suspended from the notch in the plexiglass to hang my solvents from. Now I was ready to get out and paint on location! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winter's not over 'til it's over. </td></tr>
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However, the weather had other ideas. A wet messy snow was falling and the ground was muddy and I gave it up for another day. <br />
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* For more ideas on DIY pochade boxes, check out <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2014/11/your-diy-pochade-easel-designs.html" target="_blank">this</a> inspirational round-up of designs on James Gurney's great blog "Gurney Journey". <br />
<br />Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-63702997951010966432015-03-18T13:36:00.000-07:002016-08-23T13:21:33.362-07:00Have Paints Will Travel - Part IEverything that is painted directly and on the spot has always a strength, a power, a vivacity of touch which one cannot recover in the studio... three strokes of a brush in front of nature are worth more than two days of work at the easel.<br />
~ Eugene Boudin<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6IeqvGNaUJr9oZMJw3C4W0YATpp-MJKaXc-QZ26otgfnVaQlUum4Qo36BVg3zs6wpzd4ClYfTa7ZehNZCpJZVhv1nLiU0AWCWAufVQryV5j2AHSIRJAac7eQDSR6qtZo138ddA/s1600/Tulips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6IeqvGNaUJr9oZMJw3C4W0YATpp-MJKaXc-QZ26otgfnVaQlUum4Qo36BVg3zs6wpzd4ClYfTa7ZehNZCpJZVhv1nLiU0AWCWAufVQryV5j2AHSIRJAac7eQDSR6qtZo138ddA/s1600/Tulips.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A hopeful sign of spring</td></tr>
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Despite my resolution to get out and paint in the field this winter, I utterly failed to do so. However, I'm happy to say I've had a bit more success with my other goal; build an inexpensive compact pochade box. As the first day of spring approaches (at least according to the calendar) I'm putting the last finishing touches on my DIY pochade box and getting excited to take it out for a test-drive. Here's how I built my portable easel:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheDEDFfPSC7TwJTGQQ0w1VBkB36WiGnBVpo-6SR9wW0epnZb8gD_pJA3W_E6SiMLYYAE1NREgvuVNI8ycu-bnLqrld-gER56S7wp6oCsssgvkQUsUQQrQAxoGEqqbQPH7OSripnA/s1600/buidling-materials-for-pochade-box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheDEDFfPSC7TwJTGQQ0w1VBkB36WiGnBVpo-6SR9wW0epnZb8gD_pJA3W_E6SiMLYYAE1NREgvuVNI8ycu-bnLqrld-gER56S7wp6oCsssgvkQUsUQQrQAxoGEqqbQPH7OSripnA/s1600/buidling-materials-for-pochade-box.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I found this wooden box at a second hand store. The inside of the lid can accommodate up to an 8" x 8" canvas panel, which is more than enough room since I typically work on 5" x 7" or 6" x 6" canvas boards in the field. I had looked into using a cigar box for this project, but the hinges and latches on the cigar boxes I found were very lightweight and would have needed to be replaced. This box had heavy duty hardware, which saved me a step. <br />
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I found the scrap wood in the shed, left over from some previous tenant's long-forgotten project.<br />
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I glued a strip of the scrap wood between the hinges for the top of the box to rest on while it is open.<br />
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Because the bottom of the box is made of fairly thin wood, I glued the bigger piece of scrap wood to the box to make something a little more substantial to bolt the tripod mount to.<br />
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To protect my tendonitis-prone wrist, my thoughtful husband stepped in at this point to drill through the bottom of the box and the piece of scrap wood and then attach the tripod mount to the box with a bolt. Now the whole box can be attached to a tripod, and my wrist is uninjured and ready to do some painting. <br />
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I'm so thrilled to see this looking like the perfect little pochade box for me, but I can't get out and paint yet. I still have all the inside details to complete. In <i>Have Paints, Will Travel - Part II</i>, I'll show you why I had to drink 4 bottles of wine in order to finish this project. <br />
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<br />Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-43306296844797678412015-03-10T20:12:00.000-07:002016-08-23T13:25:15.963-07:00Once More With FeelingYou must aim high, not in what you are going to do at some future date, but in what you are going to make yourself do today. Otherwise, working is just a waste of time.<br />
~Edgar Degas<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJEZGHkql3b4oGIGLa2Fct3yKYxSXWSIw7Tb7cbtND2wumeijwNJEP4qc7N7bnaKfzsRpXvgWPSbiAwJQA124DAxhoikCQi9mP_8leuVHEc0WiZyx8tvnfqOTPonS_X61qnM06A/s1600/2-Laughing-Gulls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJEZGHkql3b4oGIGLa2Fct3yKYxSXWSIw7Tb7cbtND2wumeijwNJEP4qc7N7bnaKfzsRpXvgWPSbiAwJQA124DAxhoikCQi9mP_8leuVHEc0WiZyx8tvnfqOTPonS_X61qnM06A/s1600/2-Laughing-Gulls.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laughing gulls watching the surf. Or are they waiting for a bus? 5" x 7" oil on canvas board.</td></tr>
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I have two little paintings to share with you. I worked on this painting of two laughing gulls last week, but I'm not entirely happy with it. While I am pleased with how I captured the light, the painting's subject matter seems a little static. The gulls look like they're just standing around doing nothing, and that doesn't make for an interesting painting. Every time I look at it, it bugs me. Today I decided I needed to improve upon the theme. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcr_vx9HyoFfgi_KmQOU4bAy13nqtxQP36tnaJYDh9WXRfeX86kuF1LlVljV2_ZWDVoiIgzlN0XVXncggHU8bPu1KuTMWhcQo3QcHro71sO3OshYmxztaupx_ADUzyk7b-9AbKmA/s1600/Laughing-Gull-oil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcr_vx9HyoFfgi_KmQOU4bAy13nqtxQP36tnaJYDh9WXRfeX86kuF1LlVljV2_ZWDVoiIgzlN0XVXncggHU8bPu1KuTMWhcQo3QcHro71sO3OshYmxztaupx_ADUzyk7b-9AbKmA/s1600/Laughing-Gull-oil.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is MY beach. Go find your own. 7" x 5" oil on canvas board. </td></tr>
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I'm much happier with this painting. I feel that the bird's pose is much more engaging than the previous painting. I'm also really pleased with the thicker paint application and more purposeful brush strokes (I've been trying to work on that). I just wish I'd made the bird a wee bit smaller, or had a wee bit more canvas at the bottom to give a little more room between the gull's feet and the end of the canvas. I was so focused on the painting process that I didn't pay attention to the placement of the bird. It's always something, isn't it?<br />
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<br />Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-34168393278275261982015-03-03T00:30:00.000-08:002016-08-23T13:25:43.402-07:00Fun With Color Charts "Take time learning new skills and principles... Knowledge acquired quickly, flies out the window. In art the tortoise wins. <br />
~ Harley Brown<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhO0Ldf-kHC-nFeBwhJadWCuVrTRIsxrgGcDYI3ANl4EbDNx9V_47X7wM6fG2rlWQboGU4BtgrtPHprHHydUXly98F_UzGWCCTETjzvgxLbgRkN5efMziBOFasnsekc9hTAbxlg/s1600/color-chart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLhO0Ldf-kHC-nFeBwhJadWCuVrTRIsxrgGcDYI3ANl4EbDNx9V_47X7wM6fG2rlWQboGU4BtgrtPHprHHydUXly98F_UzGWCCTETjzvgxLbgRkN5efMziBOFasnsekc9hTAbxlg/s1600/color-chart.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Color chart using Napthol red as the base</td></tr>
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I added a new color to my palette recently: Napthol red. I needed a warm, bright red to go along with my workhorse red, Alizarin crimson. To explore how this new color would interact with the rest of my colors, I painted a color chart for reference. Starting on the left, I used Napthol red mixed with Yellow Ochre and then added white in increasing amounts as the column goes down. I continued to do the same thing across the chart with my other colors: Azo Yellow, Chromium Oxide Green, Phthalo Blue, Ultramarine Blue, Raw Umber, and Burnt Sienna. <br />
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This particular type of color chart is based off of the color charts in Richard Schmid's book <i>Alla Prima: Everything I Know About Painting</i>. If you don't have the book, David Gray has a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMNk_OdXc6M" target="_blank">video</a> on YouTube that will take you through the process. I know some people find making color charts boring and tedious, but for me it's like playing. <br />
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After I completed the color chart, I saw a lot of colors I was itching to use in a painting. I had a little antique Hall teapot - creamer? hot water? I've read a lot of different identities of this piece - that seemed the perfect subject to try out all these new red colors on. What fun! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLvkvZ8sNT11oGNeDRq04WGeVYDs5OOUgi8CzI_62qa_KlSCeIM1J7AYWcY_PsTqPxGbSkR9jMFIKo1zE-wB_hHBbXyi6J1lupW4FlTCC5QfqXyS15YUJN2yDEOEF2vCMR3KkGLA/s1600/Hall-teapot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLvkvZ8sNT11oGNeDRq04WGeVYDs5OOUgi8CzI_62qa_KlSCeIM1J7AYWcY_PsTqPxGbSkR9jMFIKo1zE-wB_hHBbXyi6J1lupW4FlTCC5QfqXyS15YUJN2yDEOEF2vCMR3KkGLA/s1600/Hall-teapot.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still Life with Hall China - 5" x 7" oil on canvas board</td></tr>
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<i><span style="color: red;">- Argh! I misspelled "naphthol" in this post. My apologies. </span></i>Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-1608837699227873122015-02-24T11:12:00.000-08:002016-08-23T13:26:18.157-07:00Summer Storm - Eastern Kingbird"As practice makes perfect, I cannot but make progress; each drawing one makes, each study one paints, is a step forward."<br />
~ Vincent van Gogh<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKXWQi_YZMJaRHrHvfxf3qVJCLxyHn3MxkJ_D0zyfV8sp7T_Am4Eh23Oetpwhd3x1al1LwZWmHSgGfdK8iD9a7Bbql5L67vH9bimTyQVV5FxRGgSLXKveCwQ7CSPTxyNP2pYoKgQ/s1600/Summer-Storm-kingbird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKXWQi_YZMJaRHrHvfxf3qVJCLxyHn3MxkJ_D0zyfV8sp7T_Am4Eh23Oetpwhd3x1al1LwZWmHSgGfdK8iD9a7Bbql5L67vH9bimTyQVV5FxRGgSLXKveCwQ7CSPTxyNP2pYoKgQ/s1600/Summer-Storm-kingbird.jpg" width="287" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer Storm - 16" x 12" oil on canvas</td></tr>
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I enjoy working on my little almost-daily 5" x 7" and 6" x 6" pieces as I continue to explore oil painting, but sometimes it is so satisfying to jump in the deep end and take on a bigger piece. I've used this bird in other paintings and drawings before, but it keeps inspiring me. It's from a photo I took a few years back at the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge in Stevensville, MT. Eastern kingbirds just say "summer" to me. They were such a common sight on barbed wire fences all over Montana, as were thunderstorms on summer afternoons. It's a nice memory to savor as we're slowly plodding along through February. <br />
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<br />Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-54558125130085265692015-01-30T16:50:00.000-08:002016-08-23T13:22:03.471-07:00Philadelphia's Murals"Art is a nation’s most precious heritage. For it is in our works of art that we reveal to ourselves and to others the inner vision which guides us as a nation. And where there is no vision, the people perish.”<br />
~ Lyndon Johnson<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiessR9zRMsiC7eWqvZR_WT0P5240wXlQYq4XijIZjgExd90xr7uJqKvlhO3D2_q7N4DafHKEIGRZWpLrsmwEy6bcWDss5ZVlRv64c5-sZVEJP_kj8cIu7BVjj46a-1QI9qkstUzA/s1600/Independence-Hall.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiessR9zRMsiC7eWqvZR_WT0P5240wXlQYq4XijIZjgExd90xr7uJqKvlhO3D2_q7N4DafHKEIGRZWpLrsmwEy6bcWDss5ZVlRv64c5-sZVEJP_kj8cIu7BVjj46a-1QI9qkstUzA/s1600/Independence-Hall.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Independence Hall - Philadelphia, PA</td></tr>
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I lived in Philadelphia for 19 years and I took a lot of things for granted when we lived there. Now I look forward to trips back and immersing myself in all of the cultural opportunities the City of Brotherly Love has to offer.<br />
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In the last couple of years, I've started to "collect" photos of the amazing murals that fill the city. Started in 1984 as a way to combat urban vandalism, the Mural Arts Program (the largest public arts program in the US) now boasts over 3,000 murals scattered throughout Philadelphia. <br />
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I'm not going to go into detail about the symbolism of these murals, or the collaborations between artists and neighborhoods that went into their creation, as you can find that information elsewhere (a good place to start is the Mural Arts Program <a href="http://muralarts.org/collections/featured-murals" target="_blank">website</a>). I just wanted to share some of these beautiful works of art with you. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVySGLdE09t4QDPyn-NzPqmyjrCw8EapUZq9RT9xVoNlaMhTE6rawxl_qN7ZmWIACED2mnv2PC9V9Xi0tB_lltKPsI2XRadGLMRW_xzPw8SPZU8I2adfHfbesYeqRWCTo7jP_lQ/s1600/Building-the-city-mural-Philly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVySGLdE09t4QDPyn-NzPqmyjrCw8EapUZq9RT9xVoNlaMhTE6rawxl_qN7ZmWIACED2mnv2PC9V9Xi0tB_lltKPsI2XRadGLMRW_xzPw8SPZU8I2adfHfbesYeqRWCTo7jP_lQ/s1600/Building-the-city-mural-Philly.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Building The City - Michael Webb <br />
12th & Moravian Streets</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaUVp9679CH8VKbIXmCXvjvIvK8FE3vsbfgj-hIT3kmqvzQ_0S4XgYca4_nTHirvBPxZCy6l1_7wBUxWP1IaRCmIJG80cZTFmxtEuDgT4cqTrc0ye_ujeQgTlnREe7eusRpB8NLA/s1600/Legacy-mural-Philly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaUVp9679CH8VKbIXmCXvjvIvK8FE3vsbfgj-hIT3kmqvzQ_0S4XgYca4_nTHirvBPxZCy6l1_7wBUxWP1IaRCmIJG80cZTFmxtEuDgT4cqTrc0ye_ujeQgTlnREe7eusRpB8NLA/s1600/Legacy-mural-Philly.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Legacy - Joshua Sarantitis<br />
707 Chestnut Street</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Sometimes the shadows from surrounding buildings made photographs a bit tricky, which is a shame especially in this case because this mural was not painted - it's made of glass tiles! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhar8Hij6y77NlSEx2WNPsM4GoUMM639FP0p5i6fa3_3weYP_ojn_5s1nad5vZNCc6_PGX9FhprLTqPH_uetfzIyMiMga5L0X6h_4YERb_z-WSmTVGn15jedEtXEBD0b8iyHa6IWg/s1600/Peoples-Progression-mural-Philly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhar8Hij6y77NlSEx2WNPsM4GoUMM639FP0p5i6fa3_3weYP_ojn_5s1nad5vZNCc6_PGX9FhprLTqPH_uetfzIyMiMga5L0X6h_4YERb_z-WSmTVGn15jedEtXEBD0b8iyHa6IWg/s1600/Peoples-Progression-mural-Philly.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A People's Progression Toward Equality - Jared Bader<br />
S. 8th & Ranstead Streets</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7XNs3K-0cevIehGPSmkaZM2D9mw4Y5DPCBb1MQzE5grlEEQIhyphenhyphenRKljBrzoB5cZAa4AS9IE9GiklqJ9QA9-8aCp_mTAp_5lwI9bquhw2bTevtANk4frTLtR1ldcETLl44vYrU7Qg/s1600/Tree-of-knowlegde-mural-Philly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7XNs3K-0cevIehGPSmkaZM2D9mw4Y5DPCBb1MQzE5grlEEQIhyphenhyphenRKljBrzoB5cZAa4AS9IE9GiklqJ9QA9-8aCp_mTAp_5lwI9bquhw2bTevtANk4frTLtR1ldcETLl44vYrU7Qg/s1600/Tree-of-knowlegde-mural-Philly.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tree of Knowledge - Micheal Webb<br />
N. 13th & Market Streets</td></tr>
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So if you are planning a visit to Philly, along with trying a cheesesteak and seeing the Liberty Bell, check out the city's murals. There's even a two hour guided mural tour you can take. And let me know which murals were your favorites. <br />
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(In my research, I've sometimes found conflicting information about the
exact location or the title or artist of these murals, so if you notice a mistake here, let me know in the comments.) <br />
<br />Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-22488084311960326182015-01-12T10:05:00.001-08:002015-01-12T10:05:50.596-08:00More Shell Paintings"To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow..."<br />
~ Kurt Vonnegut<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit-8TvQ-rvGthBo6bUHHow2OaIGPtbEbShqIjSOtfntFjEr89JVsH7M19QBWS6F2kEWEhpEVKREuhiI6vdxjp3NRigzoAOvyYTY3Nb1eKunOmlSjtKN7c_OLS42AXNSVdAk_2w3A/s1600/conch-shell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit-8TvQ-rvGthBo6bUHHow2OaIGPtbEbShqIjSOtfntFjEr89JVsH7M19QBWS6F2kEWEhpEVKREuhiI6vdxjp3NRigzoAOvyYTY3Nb1eKunOmlSjtKN7c_OLS42AXNSVdAk_2w3A/s1600/conch-shell.jpg" height="281" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Conch shell - oil 5" x 7"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggU_mkIaQyrauV3p-w_igHhEr6pbTXwaan8IpW-W5QlsoSyHbpmUfU90QwWoi5mgqo3dWTgSsEivltA4TI0wJhjh7UJaKTDiJX1IeFSfEjBxK3dj7pDixJbMQQnKwr9N5T6TBmZg/s1600/shells-and-ink-bottle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggU_mkIaQyrauV3p-w_igHhEr6pbTXwaan8IpW-W5QlsoSyHbpmUfU90QwWoi5mgqo3dWTgSsEivltA4TI0wJhjh7UJaKTDiJX1IeFSfEjBxK3dj7pDixJbMQQnKwr9N5T6TBmZg/s1600/shells-and-ink-bottle.jpg" height="400" width="287" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shells with ink bottle - oil 7" x 5" </td></tr>
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My first post and first paintings for 2015. The shells are all from my father-in-law's collection, and the lovely antique ink bottle was a gift from a dear college friend. I just love that color blue. <br />
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Happy belated New Year, everyone! Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-38195145229738949042014-12-10T10:23:00.000-08:002014-12-10T10:23:15.827-08:0050 Ways to Paint A Nautilus<div style="text-align: center;">
"She said to me </div>
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The answer is easy if you </div>
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Take it logically</div>
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I'd like to help you in your struggle </div>
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To be free</div>
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There must be fifty ways..."</div>
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~ Paul Simon</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil3NdFVTxJxxlOhhQAI4vEy0Hgzulm04Ee9bzJZKh8wRRkDhVPsXoWrxFmdofU-aoKi7NsatHkZ6olkK__kCZU7HlfM74E8JoxKrSe4j0SjMBJchNfwSP4FpL5iBnCPHW4YwRB6w/s1600/Abandoned-painting-I.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil3NdFVTxJxxlOhhQAI4vEy0Hgzulm04Ee9bzJZKh8wRRkDhVPsXoWrxFmdofU-aoKi7NsatHkZ6olkK__kCZU7HlfM74E8JoxKrSe4j0SjMBJchNfwSP4FpL5iBnCPHW4YwRB6w/s1600/Abandoned-painting-I.jpg" height="320" width="319" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An early attempt at a still life with nautilus. <br /></td></tr>
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Beautifully rendered paintings don't happen overnight. So many beginners (and some more advanced artists) give up on art because of the overwhelming frustration of not being able to produce what they see in their heads. It is incredibly discouraging when it doesn't go right, when you start to question why in the world you are torturing yourself like this. Good art takes practice, perseverance, and many many mistakes. Typically we don't get to see the mistakes of other artists though, only the final perfect piece which looks dishearteningly effortless. I think this adds to the unrealistic expectations we have of ourselves. So I'm going to share a whole series of abandoned and what I would consider sub-par paintings that I've done while attempting to render a particular subject to my liking. <br />
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You may remember my slight obsession with the seashells that my father-in-law gave me this summer, particularly a beautiful chambered nautilus. It sits in a place of honor in my studio and often calls me to draw and paint it. It turns out a nautilus is a challenging shape to render.
It's not a circle, yet the brain - or at least my brain - keeps jumping to
conclusions and I find myself constantly having to reevaluate the shape as I
paint. This leads to overworking the painting and making the edges of the shell too hard; then the shell either ends up looking flat or like a cut-out. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbxi_UNBA4lJwc4TjE-oXWrlVTaPcLxD12aGu8cCvl2VHYdoxtObLpfd8haYXuDoKEIJnhBRafj8hzezQ2xSrnYwa5Hq8tdb87rpmNMzouDdMgIRGwnKmvzej-Tp2zrnHpoVu55Q/s1600/_Abandoned-painting-II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbxi_UNBA4lJwc4TjE-oXWrlVTaPcLxD12aGu8cCvl2VHYdoxtObLpfd8haYXuDoKEIJnhBRafj8hzezQ2xSrnYwa5Hq8tdb87rpmNMzouDdMgIRGwnKmvzej-Tp2zrnHpoVu55Q/s1600/_Abandoned-painting-II.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Attempting the stripes on the shell</td></tr>
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And then there are those darn stripes! The painting above had potential, but I got intimidated by the stripes and quit. The stripes have to follow the shape of
the shell, not only in direction, but in value and color saturation to
match the shell's curvature and shadow. If the shadow part of the stripe
doesn't match the shadow part of the shell, it won't make sense to the
eye. Eeek! I was so nervous about messing up the stripes that my hand was shaking as I tried to paint them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDO-aWaUNsfvSYcAt0CRKCZr9LjTJFP8IipuZ11LNieg5ZsQk1D6qVOTuss11wBc6Utudb2p0spEwxROfxOpst7Q8AV7zcY8lb-vg6TS5SW3_Dq5PfStVlTLVE_5jhEvowMer44w/s1600/Still-Life-with-Nautilus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDO-aWaUNsfvSYcAt0CRKCZr9LjTJFP8IipuZ11LNieg5ZsQk1D6qVOTuss11wBc6Utudb2p0spEwxROfxOpst7Q8AV7zcY8lb-vg6TS5SW3_Dq5PfStVlTLVE_5jhEvowMer44w/s1600/Still-Life-with-Nautilus.jpg" height="320" width="317" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another attempt at a still life with nautilus. </td></tr>
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Here's another try at the stripes. Before I added the stripes the nautilus shell itself had pretty good form, but I didn't get the values right on the stripes as they curve and go into shadow. Too many attempts to fix the problem muddied the colors and created too many sharp edges and the shell ended up looking fairly flat.<br />
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I got some very helpful critiques from other artists and what they said made sense; I just couldn't seem to put their advice into practice. At that point, I just wanted to abandon painting the nautilus. I painted many other subjects in-between, but that nautilus mocked me every time I went into my studio. It would catch my eye as I painted other things. It fascinated me and called to me. I wanted to paint it so badly! Maybe I needed to take a deep breath and approach this in a different way; be logical about it, since I was so emotional about it. There's a reason all those Master painters did study after study of things, before they even started on a full-blown painting. And so I broke down and painted the nautilus again. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJnHTtO067Xt1tvYQ5_omdf9ilp0U08GTaH4haKjvyZYTkQD5Y1R2RbcBGnarZ2k3tkTMxLLW1mfVhJT9Bc91ZqgqXV-yWzTUBDtlxlyvf2N0VJB2PLMZXQGhoC91xwBRkR-eKw/s1600/nautilus-painting-sketch-I.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmJnHTtO067Xt1tvYQ5_omdf9ilp0U08GTaH4haKjvyZYTkQD5Y1R2RbcBGnarZ2k3tkTMxLLW1mfVhJT9Bc91ZqgqXV-yWzTUBDtlxlyvf2N0VJB2PLMZXQGhoC91xwBRkR-eKw/s1600/nautilus-painting-sketch-I.jpg" height="307" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nautilus study I</td></tr>
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And again...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGiSeq_7eFEpbEqcyN4LXGMk2416QuTMjj3gGvThHmORfZYB1pw81OpY78EpAdmS7u0QbF00Bgo3G5CruHVFyDc0WA3fdHB4axQ5IF_Cu5gGOD_TrIaNoL1kXRNPGZ_D2GyFJ-_g/s1600/nautilus-painting-sketch-II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGiSeq_7eFEpbEqcyN4LXGMk2416QuTMjj3gGvThHmORfZYB1pw81OpY78EpAdmS7u0QbF00Bgo3G5CruHVFyDc0WA3fdHB4axQ5IF_Cu5gGOD_TrIaNoL1kXRNPGZ_D2GyFJ-_g/s1600/nautilus-painting-sketch-II.jpg" height="320" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nautilus study II</td></tr>
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And again...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6axHK_tNoMx4Zfs6cwKIMeOZTW2rPVtatq1ITk8Glj1PpgJI5tiuKwMA6YedfAErEP4PIe0Qo2BJHg4ALisHrIxOMZE3rA1fFqde-Yjoa94-ZcHMqn2LnmE-_Eq7j93MEZBk_A/s1600/nautilus-study.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6axHK_tNoMx4Zfs6cwKIMeOZTW2rPVtatq1ITk8Glj1PpgJI5tiuKwMA6YedfAErEP4PIe0Qo2BJHg4ALisHrIxOMZE3rA1fFqde-Yjoa94-ZcHMqn2LnmE-_Eq7j93MEZBk_A/s1600/nautilus-study.jpg" height="320" width="316" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nautilus study III</td></tr>
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This last study, in which I took a deep breath and added the stripes, is the closest I've come to what I want, so far. I even managed to get that sense of mother-of-pearl on the interior of the shell. I now have hope that I can successfully include a nautilus in a painting after all. There are definitely things I can still do to improve it, but that thrill of accomplishment, the sense of victory after so many defeats, is a bit intoxicating and probably is what drives us to do this crazy thing called art in the first place. <br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody></tbody></table>
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Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-109505347267006042014-11-30T12:48:00.000-08:002016-08-23T13:26:55.634-07:00Sketching From Life"It is only by drawing often, drawing everything, drawing incessantly, that one fine day you discover to your surprise that you have rendered something in its true character."<br />
~ Camille Pissarro<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_xt5P4U-JMhugi4pIGDHLknzsBpVZoBALmcMiQc53txo7I603i6je8QtrXrQFIfnVvdV4YyJObNy-L6ddWXKKRmV_Z4fZb7sG1oE4Nhvq7A2o-enrWEfje9uIxWU-EzZRNQpsgw/s1600/figure-sketching-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_xt5P4U-JMhugi4pIGDHLknzsBpVZoBALmcMiQc53txo7I603i6je8QtrXrQFIfnVvdV4YyJObNy-L6ddWXKKRmV_Z4fZb7sG1oE4Nhvq7A2o-enrWEfje9uIxWU-EzZRNQpsgw/s1600/figure-sketching-2.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5 minute sketches done with Pigma Micron brush pen</td></tr>
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In the last six months or so, it seems like I've been suffering more from writer's block than artist's block. Occasionally inspiration will strike, but more often that not I sit down
to blog and just stare at the screen wondering what to say. So this post is going to be made up of random thoughts about some sketching I've done recently.<br />
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Our local art center has a weekly live model session that I've been taking advantage of. I much prefer the quick sketches rather than the long poses. Having only a few minutes to draw helps to prioritize what to draw; I don't have time to become obsessive over picky little details. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5W8pPAS7yGA8ZobLz4VjMol8CjSP2ACNlCiVLXLfZmdoQJjHHPO5BP1x23w4ysATc3hbjC5ttjmMVjWPCkapq84HL_psmH5v_CdXkZhbeO0iVyk7PA7URK8NdcyScUeqnD2YkSA/s1600/Figure-sketching-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5W8pPAS7yGA8ZobLz4VjMol8CjSP2ACNlCiVLXLfZmdoQJjHHPO5BP1x23w4ysATc3hbjC5ttjmMVjWPCkapq84HL_psmH5v_CdXkZhbeO0iVyk7PA7URK8NdcyScUeqnD2YkSA/s1600/Figure-sketching-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5 minute and 20 minute sketches done with Pigma Micron brush pen</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0VwiE4guj44YgUjWOlJMNpQTYNJ_V0SztIERcydX5-ZNsd-vbhx40tMutN1LgH_eB6LYR5OuEMkH8hNRK34uaGL011hyphenhypheng6jsP_p261CQtd6keUTXqAsqevk8qLBk4XT48noO35Q/s1600/Tracy-Aviary-watercolor-sketches-II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0VwiE4guj44YgUjWOlJMNpQTYNJ_V0SztIERcydX5-ZNsd-vbhx40tMutN1LgH_eB6LYR5OuEMkH8hNRK34uaGL011hyphenhypheng6jsP_p261CQtd6keUTXqAsqevk8qLBk4XT48noO35Q/s1600/Tracy-Aviary-watercolor-sketches-II.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watercolor sketches from the Tracy Aviary</td></tr>
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I also love sketching at zoos, aquariums, and the like. It can be
downright maddening when a place is crowded; people stepping in front of
you or bumping into you, and the noise level can become distracting,
but if you can find an area where you are mostly alone, it's great. I've
also had some wonderful conversations with people who were brave enough to risk interrupting my work to talk to me. I especially enjoy talking to kids, hoping that my example will encourage them to do art. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watercolor sketches done at a coffee shop</td></tr>
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There are plenty of opportunities for me to sketch in everyday situations, not just classes or special trips. Although I felt a little self-conscious at first, I've learned to really enjoy sketching at coffee shops. Easy access to sweet hot beverages + doing art = bliss. Bonus points if the coffee shop has interesting mugs or tea pots to draw, as the one above did. </div>
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I hope you enjoyed this little tour of my sketchbooks while my writing muse is off doing something else for a while. Hopefully she'll return soon. </div>
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<br />Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-73193137548214402052014-11-07T11:22:00.000-08:002014-11-07T11:22:01.810-08:00Getting Out of Your Own Way"The longer you look at an object, the more abstract it becomes, and, ironically, the more real." <br />
~ Lucian Freud<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit8xafVax4orIVwOry5QXlbnoTNLW-1vIzqf46aI97JkmUoO6y0xHMfVCvWlbEY6q6gB4acAk3y40HnCWlXy3kk9TVtQRWphAsfuCWrtHF_VBNFDNh4_EVeBNpIh-x4O2zIPr4fg/s1600/Apple-exercise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit8xafVax4orIVwOry5QXlbnoTNLW-1vIzqf46aI97JkmUoO6y0xHMfVCvWlbEY6q6gB4acAk3y40HnCWlXy3kk9TVtQRWphAsfuCWrtHF_VBNFDNh4_EVeBNpIh-x4O2zIPr4fg/s1600/Apple-exercise.jpg" height="400" width="396" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Apple Phase <br />(although a lot of them could get stand-in parts as red peppers.)</td></tr>
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As many of you know, I switched from painting with acrylics to oils this summer and that I am over the moon in love with my new medium, but in these first giddy months of our relationship we're still learning a lot about each other. That's why I ordered Carol Marine's new book <i>Daily Painting. </i>(I should note that much of this book could apply to any medium, but I was partially motivated to get the book due to the author's medium being oil.) It arrived on Tuesday, and I spent the rest of the afternoon totally engrossed in it. Wednesday I had some other obligations so further reading had to wait, but on Thursday I woke up early in anticipation of being able to devote the day to <i>Daily Painting</i>. <br />
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I decided to do an exercise in the book called <i>Ten Minute Apples</i>, in which you paint an apple 8 times*, but you only have 10 minutes to do each painting. The idea is to concentrate on values and form, and not fuss over every little detail. I had a shiny apple (and I mean <i>really</i> shiny. How much wax did they coat it with???) ready to go. I set up my palette and my lighting, had some energetic tunes playing** and I dove into the exercise. Then some interesting things started to happen. <br />
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What many of you may not know is that my undergraduate degree is in Psychology. I wanted to get a BFA, but that was not considered "practical" so I went with my other interest - why our brains do what they do. (Don't get me started on how unpractical a BA in Psychology is, but it was more acceptable than a BFA, so I did it and just took as many fine art electives as I could and spent the next 20 years feeling like an artist wannabe. Thank goodness for getting older and not caring so much about what other people think anymore. But I digress.) So I noted my mental state and what was happening on my canvas during the exercise with interest.<br />
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After about the third apple painting, part of my brain started screaming with boredom. "It's an apple. I get it already. Do we<i> have </i>to paint 6 more?"<i> </i>Then a funny thing happened. As I continued with the exercise that part of my brain checked out. And when it checked out, suddenly I was painting much more intuitively, my apples started to look more apple-like in a painterly way, I was making interesting color choices and figured out problems that had been baffling me on the previous 3 paintings and I wasn't rushing to finish in 10 minutes. Then on the 9th painting that part of my brain checked back in. I guess it had been secretly keeping track and knew this was the last painting. Sure enough, that painting was one of my weaker ones and I didn't finish before the timer went off. Fascinating...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apple #5 - or the apple that said "apple" </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apple #7 - or the apple in which I finally figured out that <br />the waxy sheen on the bottom half of the apple was light blue</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Those of you who are familiar with Betty Edwards' book <i>Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain</i> might find this scenario reminiscent of her descriptions about the shift from left brain to right brain. It sure reminded me of that. Whether or not that's truly what was happening in my brain I don't know, but I found the <i>Ten Minute Apples</i> exercise very useful. I feel more confident in my mixing and handling of oil paints. And although the stated purpose of this particular exercise itself did not include tapping into a more creative way of painting, the take-home message I got from the exercise (and from the whole book) is that a lot of the roadblocks I run into with painting can be solved by me just getting out of my own way and allowing myself to experiment, explore, and play without worrying about the results. I can definitely see myself doing this exercise over and over, although that one part of my brain may get pretty sick of apples. <br />
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<i>*My canvas divided up evenly for 9 paintings, so I did an extra one.</i><br />
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<i>**I am rather partial to Rodrigo y Gabriela in the studio. Upbeat classical guitar with no lyrics to distract me. </i>Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29018441.post-13705800511321904742014-10-23T12:46:00.000-07:002014-10-23T12:46:14.256-07:00Lessons from the Field"I'm still learning that there are no mistakes, only discoveries."<br />
~ <span class="footstyle">Fernando Ferreira de Araujo</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidumF0_OQPuzv2POJ0z1RD5evefs4UQyO1dUn27_7Arq2LNhI6JWqwvgsbo9xeLmoH_EAdtOEXrd-R3c16Ac5h-nQnvd0TJq-1v4czXdhvZHuBlzMEzBVH9F99FBlJGgGHGgXOuA/s1600/painting-on-location.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidumF0_OQPuzv2POJ0z1RD5evefs4UQyO1dUn27_7Arq2LNhI6JWqwvgsbo9xeLmoH_EAdtOEXrd-R3c16Ac5h-nQnvd0TJq-1v4czXdhvZHuBlzMEzBVH9F99FBlJGgGHGgXOuA/s1600/painting-on-location.jpg" height="371" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="footstyle">We've been blessed with a long, beautiful Fall this year and I am trying to get out and paint in the field as much as possible. Yesterday I packed up my supplies and headed to a state park near us and spent the day painting on location. I found that the park had thoughtfully supplied me with plenty of convenient picnic tables near scenic views. A good thing, since I have yet to get an outdoor easel. </span><br />
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<span class="footstyle">I spent the morning at this lovely spot next to the river. A single loon kept me company, floating and diving in the river right around my vicinity. It called once; that hauntingly beautiful wild call that nature sounds relaxation CDs have made so cliched. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn3IXTCxqOWN8HTcGcOhIeTrZjgmkCo4nlJkXiRkyTd1z-RWlDMTVDT1J7ZtdI8BwcE_DrIBUuFxjZ5ERN9FAgfSE43RgeZ_c401Dxm_wL3xPCBndXb__2HOoPYmI-Nqs6q3dlfg/s1600/lone-loon.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn3IXTCxqOWN8HTcGcOhIeTrZjgmkCo4nlJkXiRkyTd1z-RWlDMTVDT1J7ZtdI8BwcE_DrIBUuFxjZ5ERN9FAgfSE43RgeZ_c401Dxm_wL3xPCBndXb__2HOoPYmI-Nqs6q3dlfg/s1600/lone-loon.jpg" height="243" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span class="footstyle">I also spotted a coyote wandering around in the rocks and scrubby junipers across the river from me (too far away for a picture). The paint flowed from my brush onto the canvas almost effortlessly. I was brimming with contentment. If only I could do this every day! </span><br />
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<span class="footstyle">After lunch, I scouted out some other spots with painting potential and ended up being inspired by this group of boulders in the afternoon light. The rocks were a dream to paint, with delicious purples and rust colors. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My models. They were wonderful at holding a pose for a long time.</td></tr>
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<span class="footstyle">As I drove home, I was so proud of the little paintings I had done and so filled with bliss from the day. I unloaded the car and put my pieces in a prominent spot where my husband couldn't miss them when he walked in the door. </span><br />
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<span class="footstyle">After I unpacked everything, I glanced at my paintings again and did a double take. They looked nothing like what I'd done in the field! The colors were very pale and washed out, the values in the boulder painting were flat. What the...? Oh, crushing disappointment! I was so tempted to hide the paintings, but I bravely showed them to my husband anyway. He was supportive (of course) and we discussed what might've gone wrong. Best we could figure, my eyes were tricked by the intensity of the light. After a little research on the internet, I found that this is a common problem for beginning plein air painters. Suggestions ranged from getting an umbrella, to turning so that your canvas and palette are in the shade, to toning your canvas so that you aren't staring at a blindingly white surface while trying to figure out colors and values. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What happened to all the yellow ochre and earth tones I thought I used? Why is this SO green? </td></tr>
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We also thought that perhaps wearing sunglasses had affected my perception of the scene, but last week I did another painting with sunglasses on and it came out just fine. Maybe I should name that piece "<i>Beginner's Luck</i>". </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beginner's luck</td></tr>
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Today it is overcast and blustery, so I can stay inside with a cup of tea and contemplate the challenges of painting on location, as well as fritter away more time surfing the internet trying to decide which of the hundreds of plein air painting set-ups I should get. So many choices: Pochade box or French easel style? Traditional easel legs or tripod? The wooden set-ups are so beautiful, but also way more expensive. The metal ones seem more compact for carrying, and more rugged for outdoor terrain, but they are not lovely. The internet is also full of artists with DIY pochade box instructions (just google "<i>make your own pochade box</i>" and you'll see what I mean). If you have any experience with outdoor painting, please leave your opinion on a potential easel in the comments section for me. You can also tease me about my newbie mistakes in the field. Thanks! </div>
<span class="footstyle"> </span>Gabriellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13110316253802545811noreply@blogger.com0