Tag: art

Awaken to my first robin(s)

It is definitely spring here I saw my first robin this year well actually I saw my first eight or nine it was a whole migration of robins and a very hearty bunch of birds at that. I never seen so many before.

My life as an artist has been so minimal these days that I haven’t been able to write about anything. I don’t want to write about a bunch of stuff that doesn’t pertain to the creative process which I know. Athough I am doing a disservice to myself and what wakens me as an artist to not speak. Knowing sometimes it is the struggles in between that create great art.

The United States is at a very interesting time…and the media here is not reporting much. The world has a lot of goings on and their plans are already in the making. I read…and I am not surprised more fascinated as it all makes perfect sense as it is slowly unveiled like a novel. I love a good book! Murder, mystery, deceit, scandals, protagonists and antagonist the whole ca-bash.

A must read…The U.S. military shift comes as the so-called BRICS countries – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – seek to create a monetary system to rival and even surpass the West. While it received little U.S. media attention, last week at its fifth annual summit the BRICS group unveiled what it said was a new development bank aimed at breaking the monopoly held by Western-backed institutions. Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2013/04/is-this-why-obamas-responding-to-north-korea/#EPYJ4WbVGo2Rh1XH.99

Another article about Cyprus-Style “Bail-Ins” Are Proposed In The New 2013 Canadian Government Budget!
read more http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com/archives/cyprus-style-bank-account-confiscation-is-in-the-new-canadian-government-budget

So life goes on and I know that God/Jesus Christ is in control and his plan is playing out. whatever happens to the United State will be nothing that I can stop delay maybe…but not stop.

How many days does it take to finish a portrait?

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Day one: A friend of mine recommended me to someone who wanted a painting done of their cat. So I met them at Alterra coffee-house a neutral place where we could meet about commissioning a portrait of a cat named Bartholomew/Bart. We Looked at photograph’s, I said I could do this painting and then signed a contract I brought along.

Day two: I reviewed photos, did some sketches, e-mailed client back and waited for confirmation.

Day two: Confirmation from client, printed image and picked up canvas.

Day three: Did grid and started drawing on canvas.

Day four: Still drawing image onto canvas. This is a crucial part of the process getting everything right from the start although it all gets covered with paint.

Day five: I started with a basic under painting worked on background and went straight into the fabric.

Day six: I began with the eyes the most important part. I need to get the eyes perfect.

Day seven: Worked on the face of cat and whiskers.
Whiskers really helped painting.

Day eight: painted the ears.

Day seven: I needed to darken the pattern on the fabric. Darkening some fur shadows and added fluffy accents throughout cat giving it more shape and form so it looks like a 3-dimensional cat also filled in front of sofa.

Day eight: Worked on tail made it longer and changed background.

Day nine: Worked on the paws or the impression of the paw.

Day ten: Touched up shape of head and edges of fur.

Day eleven: Pushed more dark shadows and white areas.

Day twelve: Ears and ear hairs needed some work.

Day thirteen: I always keep coming back to the eyes.

Day fourteen: Worked on back leg, body shape and pattern.

Day fifteen: Finished. e-mail client confirm pick up date.

day sixteen: Went with hooks on back of painting/attached.

Day seventeen: Coffee shop 9:00 dropped of painting. Waitress walks by and says it’s brilliant. It catches me off guard. I laugh. They like painting. It was exactly what they expected.

A riddle wrapped up in an enigma

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I was working on a small postcard size sketch. It was a study more than anything. The interesting thing is now that I look at the pictures it is my natural tendency to turn the work on its side or upside down when I work. And even though it makes sense to me. For some reason when people come over and visit and it’s upside down they look at me and laugh and just have to ask why is it upside down? Of course I’m totally oblivious to the fact that it is until they bring it to my attention. As far as I can see it’s still in process so presentation is the last thing on my mind.

I learned this in school from one of my classmates. He would turn his work upside down to get a better perspective especially when something had to be symmetrical. Your mind could play tricks on you thinking it looked right but if you reversed the image you could see it in a new light.

Okay so it’s been a very trying week. There must have been some dark cloud hovering over effecting us all some way or another. I lost my muffler somewhere on the side of the road. The brakes on my truck went faster than I had hoped. My car definitely needed some new tires so we found this guy who would sell us some used tires for $40.00. Here he has another pair sitting there and said we can have those too for $40.00. We only had $29.00. He said you look like you could use them more than me and takes the $29.00.

I was just wonder how we looked? Were not poor maybe broke sometimes but not poor.

A riddle wrapped up in an enigma.

I need to start selling some paintings.

Keeping our liberty and art spirit alive.

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The object, which is back of every true work of art, is the attainment of a state of being, a state of high function, a moment of existence. We make our discoveries while in this state because than we are clear-sighted.

Robert Henri-The art Spirit

We have a magic bullet it’s a  smoothy maker.  We did a combination of eggs and green peppers and well the eggs turned out green by accident so in the spirit of Dr Seuss’ birthday I said oh look we are having green eggs and ham for breakfast. The kids said no thanks. I said you can’t say no you have to say…I do not like green eggs and ham. I will not eat them here or there I will not eat them anywhere. Personally I wouldn’t eat them with a fox or in a box either note to self never do that again.

This year will go down in history, for the first time a civilized nation has full gun registration. Our streets will be safe, our police more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future.           Adolf Hitler 1935.

This is why Congress will not pass any gun legislation in the USA. We have the 2nd amendment for a reason. “When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.”                   Thomas Jefferson

Taking a break from painting the figure.

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Painted today. Taking a seriously needed break from painting the figure. There’s freedom in not having any pencil marks or guidelines to follow on the canvas. The pure artistic desire to just paint. Taking the time to figure out on your own where everything belongs, how it visually looks and how it all relates.

I always start with the under painting. I use raw sienna and prussian blue and a little white for a change basically establishing my value study as I covered the whole canvas with paint.

I am working from a photograph I took some time ago in North Carolina while we staying at the Hilton. It was a summer night and we would stroll down the boardwalk. The evening lights and water reflections were a delight to be around while we would watch the sun set and then stop at a nearby bistro for a local beer and southern platter. Our little get away from the party at hand. The ocean breeze was so warm.

“The boardwalk in Charlotte” I have a few other photo’s so this could turn into a series. When I finish this one I’m hoping to bring it down to the local coffee shop called Smith Bros located right along Lake Michigan/one of the great lakes. Some very interesting array of artwork is on display there and some by a couple of friends I have unexpectedly come to know by chance. My work is not on display at this time because I had a piece disappear with the owner from another coffee shop that closed it doors unexpected. Stolen in other words…we take our chances as artists not like it’s worth a million dollars yet. There are a couple of other galleries that have pop up in Port Washington lately I need to inquire.

Galleries set the stage with food, wine and music.

Galleries set the stage with food, wine and music. Inviting the public to participate as special guests as they mingle, engage in conversations and share ideas. And of course…meet the artist.
It’s a funny thing all the time and work it takes for artists to line up a show that when it comes down to attending the opening reception it’s a sudden…dreaded obligation. Personally I could never get comfortable with just hanging around and mingling with my family much less with a bunch strangers and I consider myself seasoned. The questions? Like what does one say at these things? What does one do? How does one look? If I dress modern I should have dressed more retro and if I dressed retro I should have played it safe with contemporary. At my last show I saw that we had some commonality of wearing tweed referring to the other artist that shared my show so I was thinking I was safe.  

Most artists that I encountered defy the stereotype that we know as unsocial and are usually eager to talk about their work and themselves as they stand in the fore front. I am so stereotypical when it comes to talking about my art. I can talk about anything even the weather for hours but when it comes to my work which I’m passionate about I’m short, succinct and all preparedness is nowhere to be found.So I was reading about some artists that go to great lengths of being late, or not showing up at all and or last having someone else show up in place of them. My first thought was why didn’t I think of that. I have to admit I was a half  hour late for my show only because a bridge was out and the road was under construction so I had to take a detour in a city that I’m not too familiar with anymore. Did I mention it was also raining. The other artist was fashionably late an hour. 

Most importantly what I discovered was that no one buys anything unless they have an emotional connection to it and that I’m the one that needs to make that connection happen for them. So some where and some how? I need to work on getting my passion across to the viewer and forget about sounding esoteric or elite.More often than not people want to see the artist only a few want to talk to them.
I want to conclude by saying I must have done something right aside from showing up because in the end I had finalized a couple of sales during my Danceworks showing in october 09.

I always enjoy a good mystery.

       Okay I was procrastinating and painting up to the last-minute until I had to pick up my son from preschool finally as I’m flying out the door I realize I can’t find the car keys. Now I always keep my keys in my purse but today we switched cars and one of the two sets of keys that we made broke so we are sharing one key until we get another one made.  So the key is not in my purse or on the key rack…where it always is.  It’s not on the island, the peninsula, the computer table or my daughters detective drawer. Now this is a desk drawer that my daughter secretly store things from time to time I have found many things Wal-Mart cards, Q-tips, money, jewelry and empty candy wrappers I was thinking and hoping it was a sure place but not this time 

 So in a panic I call my husband at work and ask do you have the car keys? Do you know where they are? Knowing that if my husband had the keys it wouldn’t have helped the situation anyways because he was a bit of a trout away. In bewilderment I said okay I’ll let you go. What are you going to do he asks? Calculating it was too far to walk there the only thing I can do call Mom. Not a hard choice just an embarrassing one. 

So next I call Mom and her line is busy I call again and busy still. So I call my sister who is staying with Mom at this time. Is Mom on the phone? Yes. I’ll have her call you back. No… I need to talk to her right away.  So I can hear in the background and she’s trying to wrap it up but still keeps talking so I ask my sister to talk to this other person whom we both know just for a while so I can tell Mom of my predicament.  As I quickly tell my story she says that my niece is here too. Great! Can she go pick up my son at school for me? I don’t see why not.

I make the necessary phone calls arrange everything and a half hour later my son gets a ride home. Words and thoughts are exchanged and my niece explains why she is home and confesses of being under a lot of stress about something and so we talk for a while and I listen.  

Not long after my husband suddenly arrives home probably because of something I said. Together we search the whole house from top to bottom and as we are looking we are trying to recall who drove the car last, where did we go lately and basically trying to decide who’s at fault here. I know we’re terrible. Our search was futile no key found.

Although were befuddled we still have one last hope our daughter who is still at school. We pick her up and on the way home ask the proverbial question. Did you take the keys? She responds positively with yes I seen those keys. I’ve never seen her bee line to anything so fast and so sure. I was so relieved and silent all I could say was awesome. How they got there I didn’t care. What was important was the mystery was solved. I always enjoy a good mystery.

Looking back before taking that leaping forward.

    As a passionate or most times obsessed artist I always have to reflect back on what I painted in the past and relate it to what’s on my plate now.  I earnestly try to strive for a higher level of execution or thought. Having said that  I still believe that ‘ I myself do nothing the holy spirit accomplishes all through me.’ William Blake. I went back to 2010 in an earlier blog but felt the need to go back one more year to 2009. Great things happened that year sometimes it never hurts to relive and relearn. I started the year out working on some portraitures. My top 10 for 2009. 

1)   Oil painting portrait 24″ x 36″  ‘Deana and Reid’

2)   Oil painting portrait 24″ x 30″  ‘Jeff and Gloria’

3)   I lined up an art show at  ‘ The Dance Works gallery’ 

4)   Grava gallery: put on display “Layla” throughout the summer.


5)   Co-written and published 1st e-book.

6)   Finished a nude figure painting in oils 30″ x 40″ for sale $2,500.

7)   Worked on series for up coming show: Started (2) large  paintings 24″ x 30″ called soul-searching and finished up the 11″ x 14″ smaller version of soul-searching.

8)   August/pool party at The lighthouse: Displayed and delivered portraitures.

9)   October: Gallery night opening at The Dance Works art gallery. 

10)  Flew to North Carolina for a wedding stayed at the Hilton. Took a lot of photographs plan to do a large painting of the boardwalk. I have new ideas about flying. Thank God it was only an hour flight! 

 

My top ten paintings a year in Review 2010

1)    The year started out with the sale of two paintings at The Dance Works art  gallery. The show started in October and ran through the beginning of January.

2)  Reworked ‘The Lilly’

   

3)   Started taking my photography to a higher level.

4)   I started preparing for my artist video. Release date will be in 2011.

5)   I scheduled to do a speaking engagement at the local elementary school on career day. It was very enlightening.

6)   Displayed art work at The Smith Brothers Coffee shop in Port Washington.

7)   Also had work on display at The Last Drop of Coffee in Shorewood.

8)   Worked on getting the Zazzle store up and running.

8)   MIAD had an Art Sale for alumni/faculty/and students.

9)   Most important completion and delivery of portrait called ‘GRANNY’.

10) Started preparing three new canvases.

Why you should frame your art.

There are two reasons why we have art frames on paintings. They can protect art, of course, but most importantly they can aid to their attractiveness on display.

Since the very early days of painting, frames have served to enhance the visual beauty of art. Pictures were hung on walls and they became furnishings. The first frames were often works of art themselves. They were large and elaborately carved and decorated wooden frames. There was a practical reason also. The frame framed the picture. In other words, it created a boundary that enclosed the image and separated it physically from the surrounding wall.

As the idea of paintings as furniture began to spread, the frame became such an essential element of the entire package that the art was not considered complete until it was framed. The frame often time was more art than the painting itself. The framer was an artist in his own right. One part of his art was the carving and decoration of the frame and another was the matching of frame and picture to create a harmonious whole.

Framing changed dramatically with the introduction of lithographs and prints. These were either original works or copies of works printed on paper rather than actual paintings on canvas. Little was understood about preservation at first and although the art prints were being framed in a similar fashion to oil paintings at first, it was soon realized that certain protection was needed. It also became common to use colored matting to frame the image inside the wooden external frame.

As the lithograph or print became more and more popular, the art of modern framing was developed. The external frame became more than just a frame for the image, but also the platform that allowed glass to cover and protect the image and matting to enhance and create an inner frame. The use of matting inside the outer frame became another art form. Colors in the mats themselves were matched to colors in the art work to create a unified visual image. The mats, the image, the glass, and even protective backing and mounting material was all held together by the frame.

Today, the major reason for the use of frames with art is still the original one. The frame isolates the art from the surrounding environment making it a unified piece. With prints, the frame still serves as a platform for the glass, backing, and matting. Of course, the major reason for a frame from a practical point of view is that we have become so used to them that no hanging picture would look natural without one.

Aazdak Alisimo writes about art framing for ArtFramingGalleries.com.

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visit my website at http://www.cedarlodgeportraitstudio.com