Charlotte B. DeMolay, Art Studio

Painting and Planning

2008-09-07T18:08:00.005-06:00

These photos are from my summer camp. I only had one this summer in order to scale down my "go away and be silent" commands to my two kids still at home. The camp was a ton of fun though.

Fall Session of Art classes starts this week. I've been planning, bookkeeping, studio organizing, supply ordering, and generally getting prepared. This session is going to be a good one!

I'm raising the bar on drawing skills. I tried quick "mini-lessons" at the beginning of each class last Spring that focused on drawing animals and I think it helped loosen up the kids and improve their skills. I plan to give each student a small sketchbook to take home and work on drawing starters and suggestions.

Class enrollment is great. I've got over 30 students with 3 full classes and 1 with only 1 spot left. I'm still having a hard time reaching older (grades 4 & up) homeschoolers but I imagine it will be like my afterschool classes and catch on by word of mouth. So if you know any homeschoolers or groups...pass my name along!

Big goal for before the end of this year....GET THE STUDENT GALLERY ON-LINE! I'm almost embarrassed to give parents my web release to sign considering I haven't put student artwork up in a couple of years. This is one of those monster projects that is taking me forever to do from scratch...but will hopefully be easy to update when it is up!

Fresh from the Easel:
Walking in the Dunes is a 10" x 10" acrylic from an old snapshot of my husband on our honeymoon. This was a bit of a warm-up for me to get back to painting dunes!

On the Easel:
Two more in progress from the Reflections painting. Pretty soon you'll be able to see why I call it "Reflections." I keep post all the previous in progress shots because I like the progression. I've snapped random "In progress" in the past but I'm being pretty good about capturing this one at the end of each painting session. Do you like seeing the work as it goes along? Should I start putting stuff like this up permanantly (like on my Facebook account)?

Desperately Seeking Inspiration

2008-09-03T21:19:00.003-06:00

*big movie voice* And now, Ladies and Gentleman, the long-awaited sequel to Inspiration Lost.

Fortunately, I'm not so hopeless or dramatic as the title sounds!

As I wrote before, I hit a period at the beginning of this summer of deep introspective about my life and art. Chaos was reigning in my personal life and I think I simply put art on a "business" auto pilot.

Although I painted subjects I was fond of (nature), I leaned everything towards "what people like" and "what people will buy." Needless to say, the "people" were a step behind in my agenda! I had decent yet disappointing sales this spring. I didn't understand..I did all the "right" things. I painted what "they" wanted, I painted smaller and created different "price points." I invested heavily into creating a set of prints from my most popular pieces. I marketed, I followed up, etc, etc.

Somewhere in the middle of all my business books and marketing plans, I lost site of my vision. In fact, I wasn't sure what my vision was or should be. I've done a lot of decent paintings over the past year and a some good paintings, but few great paintings. I'm capable of it, I have a few in my inventory, but as a long-time friend wrote to me one time, she can tell the paintings that I wanted to do and the ones I felt I needed to do.

So..how to create great painting? I, like many, many, many artists, can draw or paint about anything you put in front of me (in several mediums!), but can I make it a work of art? a breath taker? something you'll stop and stare at and say , "Wow!"? So in walks my "vision" or "inspiration." How do I paint what means the most to me?

I took a look at other artists..other wildlife artists. Many are animal rights advocates or work to increase for endangered species. Other coastal artists..many are environmental activists or, at the very least, LIVE at the beach!

So, I thought, where can I join in? Where can I throw my time, talent and money to what I love? Sheesh..how am I supposed to have time to take on a "cause"? I'm really busy all the time. I teach art classes to kids in my studio, I run my own kids to sports and Scouting. I volunteer up at the school and am active in the PTA. How can I possibly fit another activity into my schedule? Will I have to wait until my kids are grown and gone to have time for my "artistic vision?"

Now, normally I'm a pretty sharp gal and a quick learner. I have to admit that it took most of the summer for me to figure out this conundrum. How can I fit in time "create" an artistic vision in the middle of all my CHILD oriented activities. I LOVE my KIDS and all the work and volunteering I do around other KIDS too much to cut out any more time from them and the activities I do with them. Hmm..see a pattern?

I didn't need to create a vision or go looking for it. It was there all along. I'm first a stay-at-home mom, and then an artist. My user name on many forums is "mommyartist." I think I've been living my vision day in and day out. My favorite (and possibly my best) paintings include kids.

So..I'm heading down a middle path between my coastal art and my animal art. Some may argue (mainly moms and teachers) that animal art and child art is no different. They are probably right and may be why I love painting animals! I can guarantee you are going to see paintings of kids on the beach or kids with animals..but that makes sense, doesn't it?

On The Easel:
Reflections - I'm trying this painting with only 4 colors...Cobalt Blue, Cadmium Orange, Payne's Gray, & Titanium White. It is a play on warm and cool colors and the texture in the water. I'm still working on the direction lines of the incoming waves, but I'm pleased with how it's shaping out. There is a poem somewhere I start ed to go with this painting. Hopefully, I'll find it and finish it before thepainting is complete.

Virtual Studio Photo Tour

2008-08-28T11:10:00.003-06:00

Since all my Twitters and Facebook blurbs have been about cleaning the studio..I figured I'd show everyone how good it looks. Especially since classes start week after next..it won't stay this way for long!

As you come in the front door, I have a receiving counter with some of my binwork on it and in front of it. I use the cabinet to store supplies. I even cleaned out each drawer and cabinet this week! Next to the counter is Smokey the chinchilla's abode. He has been a family pet for over a year, but was getting lonely up in the gameroom. He has made an occasional visit to my students and loved the attention so now he will be a permanent resident of the studio.

Next view is of the incredible bin storage my husband and kids made for me a couple of years ago. This is probably my most prized possession in the studio! It is beautiful and holds and absolute ton of paper, matboard, artwork, frames, etc.

The desk and bookshelves are why this portion of the studio is still referred to as the library, even though I took it all over last year for art only. Yes, all 3 bookshelves are art (books or supplies) or education related. No, that is not all of my books by any means (can you tell I love to read?)! In this photo you can also see the cool drying rack my engineer husband and I devised last year while wandering Home Depot for several hours. This has been a lifesaver with the increase of students over the past year! No more artwork spread out all over the desk, counter and floor! Okay..sometimes it's still spread out everywhere, but not nearly as often. That computer is my secondary computer (ie..I'm not sitting at that one right now!) I use it to scan in my artwork and update my blog, but the monitor is not as good as the one I play World of Warcraft on..um.. I mean work on normally.

Next is the working part of the studio and classroom. You can see my worktables and easels. I generally have 2 or more paintings in progress on, under, or around the easels. Under the two tables is lots of storage for canvases and supplies. The table with the basket of paperwork is one of the tables my students use. The windows overlook my vegetable garden outside and the great north lighting is ideal for painting but not so much for trying to take a picture of this room. This picture was actually taken after I painted this morning instead of before so the painting on the easel doesn't quite match the next picture.

These are the other 2 student tables and another cabinet of supplies. I have it set up to where all students sit along the outside of the tables and face me while I teach. The blank wall behind the easel gets full of mini-posters about the lessons I am teaching and art examples. Between the 3 tables I've learned I can sit 7 kids and 6 adults comfortably with room to spread out supplies. During the Spring Session we always do acrylic self-portraits on 20" x 16" canvas and this project has been my guide mark on room needed!

I got to thinking about the lighting when I was describing the layout so I ran down and took this picture of the flexible track lighting my husband and I installed last summer. It is very bright and angled perfectly to be at either my easels or sitting on the outside edge of the tables. I do have issues at night when I'm trying to work from my usual inner side of the tables but I rarely sit down to work so it's not a problem often.

So there it is...my home studio & classroom. Feel free to ask any questions!

Clean Studio Leads to Painting in Progress

2008-08-27T20:19:00.003-06:00

That may be the last time I promise a post on a certain subject. Every since I said I'd post on how I regained some of my inspiration, I've been procrastinating on blogging...not a good thing!

Anyway..that post will come..its in my head! Until then, I need to get back to regular blogging.

My kids went back to school this week and I've been rearranging and cleaning my studio furiously all week. I finally cleared a path to my easel today and was able to work a little on Reflections. I forgot to take photos of the studio in the daylight, but I will tomorrow. It looks good!

Reflections is still very much in the beginning stages. I'm going to start posting a lot more "work in progress" so you, gentle reader, (who used to use that line?) can see how my paintings evolve. At this stage, I have primed the canvas with flexible modeling paste tinted with a little blue acrylic. I use a palette knife to create some surface texture. After allowing that layer to dry for at least 24 hours, I sketch in my painting with acrylic paint heavily thinned with water.

My goal at this point is to have the basic composition in the right place and all the major line up so I can see the direction of the painting's movement. Reflections has some corrections on it (hard for you to see though) because I didn't like some of the water lines that went straight across the background. I added some curves to the incoming waves.

Other news...my little art students continue to grow up! Last year I had a large amount of Kindergartners and 1st graders. Quite a few moved on up and my 2nd-4th grade students started to grow by word of mouth. Due to this shift in age, I've changed my Wednesday 3-4pm class from a K-1st to a 2nd-4th grade class. Class start in just over a week so contact me ASAP if you are interested! Click here for class schedule.

Inspiration Lost

2008-07-20T20:53:00.003-06:00

I've been mulling over this blog post for over a week now. It is deeply personal and if you are looking to read some practical business tips or soul-inspiring words of wisdom, this may cover both bases or not, doesn't matter too much..I still need to get it out. Why does deeply personal intersect with business? Because I'm an artist. This past year I have definitely forgotten the first part of that equation..the deeply personal or, as some may call it, my soul.

First, some background....

Hello, my name is Charlotte, and I am an artist. Like any form of addiction, admittance is the first step. I've been introducing myself that way for several years now and becoming not only comfortable, but proud. When I hung my shingle out for the world to see 2 1/2 years ago, I was determined to succeed. I had tried this shortly after college and right after I moved to Texas in 1996 and not done so well. (This is fodder for another blog..not today.) This time would be different! I was older, wiser, smarter, thicker skinned and prepared. I've read almost every recommended "art business" book out there. I've done my research, taken seminars, talked with numerous other artists, and web-searched an unbelievable amount of time.

Pieces started to fall into place almost immediately. I've been accepted into quite a few juried exhibits, won an award, been hired for commissions, and started showing into local juried art festivals. I've been doing the festivals for just over a year now with minimal success. I think this is where the trouble began. I could make this part really long but I'll skip the boring details and cut straight to the point. I have 2 separate bodies of work now (in reality, two separate 1/2 bodies of work!). I have my coastals and my southwest.

Most of the latter has been painted this past year and in response to the positive feedback from my Chipotle Chicken. They are nice, some are great, most just would look good in your kitchen, but some I don't think I could stand to hang on my booth walls again. Several are..well..boring!

Why are they boring? Aha..now we come to the heart of the matter or, rather, the lack of heart in the matter. Since last fall I've been painting "price points" and "popular work" and "local color schemes." Don't get me wrong, the paintings, as a whole, are not bad..some are great! But none of them will I be upset to see go, unlike my precious Last Two Beachfronts, although I desperately want it sold, I'll go home and have a good cry about it.

So how did this happen? Why do I have a booth full of nicely-priced but good-mediocre art along side of high-priced, excellent art and neither gets sold? A couple of things..and this is where the personal kicks in.
1) I got greedy.
I wanted success too fast. Sales, any sales, was my goal.

2) I wore the business hat too much.
Most art business books accuse artists of the opposite..but all business and no muse makes an artist stale!

3) I'm trying to please the masses
What do chickens and beaches have in common? pumpkins and seagulls? Not a lot truthfully. Customers are confused by the subjects, colors, prices, etc. in my booth. I had quite a few people think they had encountered another artist's work when they turned around and looked at a different wall.

4) I've been looking down not up.
Art sales isn't necessarily a numbers game. I've been showing my art in the wrong places and to the wrong people. The same people who head for the local craft fair to buy the $20 pottery or $15 mass produced print are not the same people who are going to my my $2000 paintings on a whim. That's not to say I've not met some great people who I am very confident will be collectors one day..but wow..art festivals are an extremely expensive way to just "advertise" to a future customer.

5) I've had a rough year.
I know, this sounds like a cop-out..haven't we all had a rough year, decade, adulthood, life? I'm not whining (ok..maybe a little) but, as most who are close to me know, I lost a dear friend this past year. Not to death, thankfully, but the grieving process feels very similar. My oldest daughter decided she was an adult late last year and moved out into the big, bad world a bit too early. She's had her ups and downs and I've been bleeding inside with every step she has taken. My visit with my family this summer has helped heal some of my wounds and now I have the job that is harder than being a parent of a kid..being a parent of an adult. I know she'll find her way and eventually we'll develop an even stronger friendship, but, for now, I'm just trying to step back and let go a bit. Isn't she beautiful?

Ok..so where does this all leave me? Reread the blog title...Inspiration Lost..I feel that way about my art lately. My shows were so dismal this spring that I contemplated hanging it all up...packing it all away. The whole past year came crashing down on me in waves after my last show. I am so thankful for my patient husband and supportive friends here in Texas and my loving family and the healing powers of the coast back in North Carolina. Without all of that love, support, and sand, I think I'd have found a big hole and crawled in for a good long time. Is it the artistic nature or just human nature that makes us want to run and hide when it all seems to be not working?

Anyway, I haven't figured out all the answers yet but what I am doing is putting one foot in front of the other and trying to take each day a little slower. I'm currently reading Living the Artists' Life by Paul Dorrell and it is helping me feel "normal" with the bit of depression and frustration in my artistic pursuits. I'm still avoiding my art business a little more than I should, eating & drinking a little too much, sleeping too little, but I'm working on it...one day at a time.

Feel free to post a response or questions.

Next blog...

Desperately Seeking Inspiration...some revelations and questions about the pursuit of artistic vision.

Back from North Carolina

2008-07-09T19:13:00.003-06:00

I am back in Texas, rested, relaxed, and recharged! I had a great time visiting with my family and hanging out by the beach and on my parents' farm. First stop was Topsail Island, home of much inspiration for my paintings. I took another 600 or so photos to work on for this coming year!

I took a day trip up to Beaufort and went shelling on Shackleford Banks. I was privileged enough to spot several of the wild horses that inhabit the island, including #2, who was munching very close to the spot the boat picked us up.

After a week at the beach, I was off to Westfield at the edge of the North Carolina mountains . I enjoyed the quiet, being able to see the stars, and fresh-picked wild blackberries! I also met the newest member in my immense clan, my 2-month old niece who was incredibly sweet.

As usual with any extended vacation, I couldn't wait to be there when I left home and then I couldn't wait to be home by the time I left there! I did a lot of soul-searching on this trip which I'll share a bit of during my next post!

On Vacation!

2008-06-22T21:04:00.002-06:00

Well..I have really, really neglected my blog, my website, and my business in general the past month. Sometimes you think you have everything under control and..wham...life just hits you upside the head! It always totally re-affirms my belief in God and the fact that He has a sense of humor!

Most of the chaos from the last month can be attributed to some unplanned and last minute occurrences (ie..2 (vaccinated!) kids with chicken pox, not at the same time, of course; repainting a living room, excess heat, etc.). Anyway..life goes on and eventually I'll catch up with it!

I'm heading off to vacation over the next couple of weeks. I'll be relaxing either by the ocean or on the farm in North Carolina,both the source of inspiration for most of my paintings. Of course, it won't be all play and no work, I'll be taking photo after photo of references material while I'm there. Last year I believe I had about 600-800 shots, I'm hoping to surpass that this year. Although I have to admit, taking pictures at the beach or of farm-animals and calling it "work" really makes me LOVE my job!

Anyway, my internet access will be very spotty over the next few weeks so there won't be any blogs updates or web updates for a little while. If you absolutely, positively, can't live without a painting or just need to talk to me..call me at 214-450-9800. I should have cell service everywhere..just expect to get voicemail first! If you are desperate for a piece of art before I get back, I'll have my people take care of you (yes..I have people!! what a neat feeling!)

Here's my latest masterpiece for your viewing pleasure. It is Making Friends, my largest acrylic painting to date at 60" x 36". This is a portrait of my son at when he was 5 feeding my parents' horse, Sugarfoot. This is also my first full-body figure painting in acrylic. Although it took right at a year to complete, I am very happy with the results.

I did something interesting today.

2008-06-11T21:28:00.004-06:00

I like to think of myself as a fairly techno-savvy kind of gal. I've been on a computer since my uncle introduced me to his Commodore Vic 20. Although my husband and I shy away from television and all its inherent (and expensive!) evils (ie. cable, satellite, tivo, etc.) we still have a few sci-fi shows we Netflix and love watching a good movie.

Well, today I had a taste of the future. Not so much a new techo-toy, but a new way of interacting. I called into a tele-seminar. The tele-seminar was authored by Peggy Klau s and hosted by Alyson B. Stanfield, a well-known art business coach and guru.

I basically dialed into a party line and listened to a fascinating hour long part-interview - part-lecture with a brief question/answer period at the end. I was comfy at my kitchen table and, truth-be-known, multi-tasking a bit by signing my new prints. But..the point was..I didn't shell out $4 bucks a gallon for gas, waste travel time, hire a babysitter, or even change out of my favorite t-shirt! With the skyrocketing cost of transportation, is this the classroom of the future?

What about art sales? Word on the street (via art festival participants all over the US) is that attendance is down and sales are even worse at art festivals this year. Many factors can be cited but transportation costs are one of the top. I recently participated in a festival that was moved this year in order to be near public transportation in the future (electric rail-line) but this begs the question..Who wants to transport a painting home via rail or bus?

What does this mean for artists, craftsman, and photographers who make a living at these festivals? Will consumers get used to the high gas cost and proceed as usual about their lives? Will they have any money left after filling the gas tank? Will art festival artists be able to afford to drive to festivals?!?

Will consumers turn to technology like I did for my seminar? Art sales are starting to rise on site like the infamous E-bay and Etsy. Will this be the future of selling art? How much do you buy on the internet and how do you feel about buying fine art over the internet. If you are an artist, how are you utilizing the internet?

For myself, I have this blog, my website, Twitter, Facebook, My Space, & LinkedIn. I am also researching how to sell my prints on E-bay and Etsy and/or putting a shopping cart type store on my site to sell my prints. Can I do more? You tell me....

Art News
My last show of the summer is this weekend at the Dallas CityArts Festival in Downtown Dallas. Click here for maps and more information. It is going to be hot but I have a great fan in my booth some come on by and see me!

My latest print in back from the print shop. Last Two Beachfronts is now available as 7.25" x 16" archival print on Somerset Velvet watercolor paper and priced at $65.

Class News
The deadline for Summer Camp registration has been extended until June 15. I can't accept registration after that date so let me know if you are interested! See the schedule here.

Artfest & Last Day of Classes

2008-06-01T22:06:00.002-06:00

Wow...I am so glad to see the end of May. What a month!

Last weekend was Artfest, which can be summed up in one word...HOT. Blazing hot, melting hot, sticky hot. However you can imagine hot..that was last weekend. I think more people came out in the rain last year than they did in the heat this year. Oh well..that's Texas! My booth looked good and although sales were scarce I did ok before and after the show with sales from my studio.

This week was also the last week of my Spring Session art classes. It should have been last week but my youngest child came down with the chicken pox (yes, she's had the vaccine!) and that threw me all out of whack!

We had a great week though, finishing up projects and having a little fun the last 15 minutes of class. We rounded out our study of animals and people portraits by turning ourselves into animals. I'm a giraffe in the first picture and a tiger in the second. As I painted myself differently for each class..I also became a flamingo, parrot and an owl. The kids were excited with the change of pace in our usual "serious" class and did a great job painting their OWN faces! I was only able to get group shots of 2 of my classes. Enjoy!

Prints are here!

2008-05-20T21:42:00.005-06:00

My first Limited Edition Prints are here! I'm very excited and my hand is a little crampy from all the signing..but it is worth it. I'm hoping to release 4-6 new prints per year so this is the start of a new tradition at Charlotte B. DeMolay Art Studio.

Each Limited Edition print will be hand-signed and numbered and will be accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity. Each print has a half-inch white border on all sides. The prints are not matted or framed but are fixed to a matboard with clear corners and placed in a protective sleeve.

Well-Seasoned: The Chipotle Chicken is limited to 25 prints sized at 10" x 10" with a price of $55. The original painting is still available for purchase.

Playing with Pink is limited to 25 prints sized at 8" x 12" with a price of $50. The original painting is still available for purchase.

Beach Bunny is limited to 50 prints sized at 9" x 12" with a price of $60. The original painting is not available for purchase.

Shipping is $5 regardless of the number of prints ordered. Sales tax (7.75%) will be charged to Texas addresses.

Busy week.paint..paint..paint!

2008-05-13T13:41:00.002-06:00

This past Friday I attended the opening of the Aria Salon and Gallery in downtown Dallas. It was a nice gathering with perfect weather. There were two groups exhibiting, local artists and an on-line gallery that produces reproductions. I was a bit disappointed that the on-line gallery overshadowed the local artists a bit, but otherwise it was a nice show.

Yesterday I was back at the Arboretum painting again. It was sunny and bright for the first time and I really struggled with how fast my acrylic paint was drying. I got a bit frustrated but was able to tweak my paintings today in the studio. This is definitely pushing me out of my comfort zone with painting..both painting outdoors and the subject matter! Do you have any idea how much green there is outside?!? Definitely a lot more than I ever gave Texas credit for!

Also, the Artist's Proofs came in for the paintings I'm doing Limited Edition prints of. They look awesome and I'm getting very excited! I'll post all the nitty, gritty details soon.

My Spring/Summer postcard went out last week, if you have not received a card with a painting of String of Fire on it, please let me know and I"ll add you to my snail mail list.

Paint Out at the Dallas Arboretum

2008-05-05T21:21:00.003-06:00

During the month of May the Dallas Arboretum is sponsoring a Paint Out for artists. For a modest registration fee, artists' can come and paint all month long at the arboretum. In July, artworks created during the paint out can be submitted for jurying into a show in September at the arboretum.

I signed myself up as well as convinced my friend, student, apprentice, slave, (oops..did I say that out loud?) Mindy to sign up with me as well. I went for the first time last Thursday to check things out a do a dry run and also because it was actually officially May and I was bursting at the seams to do this!

I have never painted en plein air with acrylics before but I was very excited to try. After loading up my stuff and trudging around and painting in the arboretum for about 3 hours I learned some valuable lessons:

1) My stuff is heavy..not at my studio or by the van...but after an hour in the garden..its heavy...really heavy.

2) A lot of people go to the arboretum.

3) Every single person mentioned in point 2 walked by me while I was painting and looked at my canvas..some more subtly than others..but they couldn't resist looking!

4) Children are the best ego boosters in the world! They all though I was great! Even when they had to ask me what..exactly..I was painting..I was still great!

5) Using acrylics outside is easier than I thought!

Mindy and I went today and she enjoyed it as much as I did. The garden was far less crowded today but that was probably due to the drizzle we were painting in. The dampness didn't affect my paintings but her pastels had a little added texture from Mother Nature.

These photos are from last Thursday. I'll update photos from today as soon as I can find the camera in all the art stuff. One painting I liked..one I'm going to keep working on. But I am learning lots and that's the point!

Pet Portrait Commission - Harley

2008-04-29T22:05:00.004-06:00

I wanted to share a pet portrait I was commissioned to paint earlier this year. It was a gift for someone so I had to keep it hush-hush. It has been presented to the recipient so I can now post it on my gallery.

Harley is a beautiful 10 year old Great Dane. She came to visit me in my studio twice. The first time was to get adequate photos of her to paint by and the second to was do some touch ups on her coloring in person near the end of the portrait process.

Harley is truly a "gentle giant." She patiently sat through my 30 or so clicks of the camera from all sides and angles and then later let me position her head to double check dots, spots, and coloring.

I was very pleased with the outcome of the portrait. She is a very lady-like and regal dog and the formal portrait suited her personality very much.

Bath House Show was Great!

2008-04-25T23:50:00.002-06:00

I've been asked many times this week.."How did your show go?" Well..it was GREAT! Friday night was short and sweet, Saturday has a great crowd, Sunday was slow but ok. I sold a few of my new horse paintings which was ego gratifying as well as financially good! To the left is a shot of my booth. I had a great spot and many thanks to Enrique for a great show! Although the show was inside, the scenery outside on White Rock Lake was wonderful. Look for these sailboats in a painting sometime soon.

To those who follow my bog or visit my studio, you've seen the giant canvas on my easel for almost a year now. Well, I've been working on this painting recently as my goal is to have it done for my May Artfest show. Check out my progress so far on Making Friends.

Bath House Spring Art Mart

2008-04-17T21:28:00.002-06:00

My first show of the 2008 season is this weekend!

The weather is looking pretty decent for a Texas spring so head down to White Rock Lake and stop by and say hello to me at the Bath House.

All the important details:

When: April 18-20

EXACTLY When: Friday, 7pm-9pm..the wine and cheese crowd..sounds like a nice Friday night date!

Saturday, 1pm - 8pm ... This cover all bases..past the kids' ball games, before date night..no excuses! Come see me!

Sunday, 11am - 6pm... Ok..I maybe you had a good excuse for Friday and Saturday, but I'll forgive you if come see me today!

Directions: Click Here

I've had horse fever this spring so you can check out the resulting 7 paintings ranging in size from 5" x 7" to 24" x 18". Spring Fever (above, 6"x12", acrylic) is a sneak peek of what I have been busy with this year.

There will also be a Silent Auction benefitting the Bath House and its activities. I've donated Fresh, a 6" x 12" acrylic. I painted this still life from some luscious looking produce I picked up from my weekly veggie lady in Wylie.

Getting ready for Limited Edition Prints

2008-04-08T22:08:00.002-06:00

I'm very excited about my newest venture in the art studio. I'm currently working with a printing company to produce limited edition prints of some of my paintings. I've selected 4 paintings that I will print in an edition of 25. These prints will be roughly 1/2 to 1/3 of the original size. Obviously, I'm doing prints of some of my larger paintings.

To insure the uniqueness of the Limited Edition, I will not do another print (with the exception of notecards/postcards) of the original except for the possibility of a print that is the same size as the original painting. For example, if the painting is 36" x 24" and I do a Limited Edition print in the size of 12" x 8," I will not do another print of that painting unless it is 36" x 24" (with the exception of notecards/postcards). All prints will be hand-signed and numbered by me.

The first print I am working on is Well Seasoned: The Chipotle Chicken. The original painting is 30" x 30" priced at $925. The print will be either 12" x 12" or 10" x 10" (still in conference with the printer) printed on velvet watercolor paper, and will retail for $50 - $75. Print numbers 1 and 2 have already been sold so if you know you want this print and you have a favorite number..reserve it now! I'll be offering a "pre-show" discount for about 2 weeks after the print is in production...look for an e-mail soon! I'm hoping to have these in my hand within 2 weeks.

Early Christian Art Exhibit at the Kimball

2008-04-02T21:39:00.003-06:00

Last week I was fortunate to visit the Picturing the Bible: The Earliest Christian Art at the Kimball Museum of Art in Forth Worth. I've had an interest in Christian art since I taught a History of Christian Art lesson in a Sunday School class several years ago. Don't get all excited about seeing it because Saturday was the last day of the exhibit...I just procrastinated and went at the last minute. You can read about the exhibit here although I'm not sure how long that link will work.

The time period of the artifacts on display was from about the 3rd century after the death of Christ through the 6th century. There were photographs of art from the walls of Roman catacombs, carved sarcophagus, jewelry, silver bowls and plates, illuminated Bibles, & more. The sheer amount of articles was impressive in itself.

The most memorable part of the visit to me was the early depictions of well-known Biblical stories, both from the Old and New Testaments. We all, no matter what level our church involvement, have heard of the typical Bible stories, Jonah swallowed by a whale, Jesus performing miracles, etc. Seeing these stories illustrated on silver or in stone over 1700 years ago really opened my eyes to how much we have "modernized" our views of Jesus and the Bible.

In the Greek translation of the story of Jonah, whale is not mentioned, it is a ketos or "great fish." Greeks also associated this word with sea serpent, so all of the imagery illustrating this story depicts Jonah being swallowed by a large sea monster resembling a fantasy-like dragon. Sort of levels the playing field between Christianity, Judiasm and mythology a bit.

Another point of interest to me was in the earliest imagery of Jesus . In several instances, Jesus is holding a wand to perform his miracles such as multiplying the fish and loaves to feed the multitude and to raising Lazuras from the dead. Unfortunately, since I waited till the last minute to see the exhibit, I can't easily pull up examples. If you Wiki 'depiction of Jesus' it discusses early imagery of Jesus with the wand as well.

Now, keep in mind this was just simple observations on my part. I know there is a lot of history I'm leaving out (such as how much early Christian imagery borrowed from Greco Roman art..hence the sea monster) and I would like to research the development of Biblical imagery further but for now I'm just reporting my initial reactions.

Why..what is my point? Jesus didn't always sport a beard and Jonah wasn't always hanging out in the whale's mouth. The images evolved and changed over time. Sometimes we get so ingrained in how something is supposed to look or how we've been told its looks..we forget to go out and look for ourselves.

I've got another tangent side note on the Biblical/Christian/Fantasy I'll go down another day! Yes, I am a Christians..just some of my own beliefs are a little unconventional.

For now...get out there and look at the world through your own eyes!

Risk...can you handle it?

2008-03-22T23:29:00.002-06:00

My husband, my two youngest kids, and I went to San Antonio this weekend for Spring Break. Our main event was a day-long visit to Sea World. My husband, being the moderate adrenaline junkie he is, dragged us to a roller coaster as soon as we entered the gate. He was using the "we're here early so the line will be short" excuse but I firmly believe he was just excited about the rush.

This was the first roller coaster ever for our 7 year old and the first "real" roller coaster for our 9 year old. They were quite reassured by Dad that they'd love it so they waited with increasing excitement during the short (yes, he was right) line. I, on the other hand, was getting more and more nervous.

As a kid, I LOVED roller coasters...the badder the better. Maybe it was the adrenaline rush..maybe it was the knowledge that I was making my mom cringe in fear for me. Whatever it was..there was no roller coaster I wouldn't try...and then hop back in line to do it again!

So why was I getting nervous? I'm not sure. I was thinking about it as I stood in line, fanning my flushed face furiously. I think as we get older, we get more concerned about risk. Risk is defined differently for each adult though. My husband, who has bungee jumping and sky diving on his "do before I die" list won't spend over $100 without a full 3 months of research. I can loosen the purse strings a little faster but I won't even consider jumping off anything higher than the side of the pool.

What struck me as peculiar is how often, as adults, we avoid risk in our daily lives...and the profound effect it has on our future. Consider how many people who are dissatisfied with their jobs..but won't take the risk to find another. How many people have a dream of running their own business...but can't imagine being without a guaranteed income. How many budding authors have never put their ideas on paper..or worse yet..have written it..but hidden it away in a drawer. How many artists have stacks of paintings stacked in the studio..never to be seen by an audience? How many dreams do we not fulfill in order to avoid risk?

As I stood their gulping for air and fanning harder and harder, I realized that this roller coaster was going to be difficult for me..but it would be over in about 90 seconds (my engineer husband timed it while we were waiting). My art career is also going to be difficult..but I'm ready to ride it for the rest of my life. I'm going to have some ups and downs, some incredible highs, some sickening drops...but I'll get off at the end knowing ...I DID IT!!

Paperwork is killing me!

2008-03-13T23:06:00.002-06:00

"Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life."
-- Confucius

Confusius was obviously never a small business owner. I am DEFINATELY doing what I love. I'm creating art...I'm teaching kids..work-wise..it doesn't get any better than this. But I'm working..all the time!!

Unfortunately..teaching and creating is only about 30% of the time. The rest is paperwork..paperwork..paperwork. Taxes, web crisis..you name it..that's been 2008.

I recently posted a "Fresh Off the Easel" on my home page . It is a small 7" x 5" painting. It is a cute painting..but that is the only painting I have completed this year..and this is March!! I'm behind on a pet portrait commission..I have 3 incomplete horses..and a ton of ideas not anywhere near the canvas yet!

Before I sink myself (and my dear reader) into a pit of depression...I will note..I'm still doing what I love!!

Web crisis? yes..but that was a big nagging to do that is mostly done now! I love the new website and I'm excited by the technology used and the ease of updating. It took a lot of my time to get it up and running..but the time I'll save in easier updates will be made up before the end of this year.

Taxes? I learned that I'm now in the black! How exciting..my dream is actually making money! Not that I'm going to be buying the Taj Mahal anytime soon..but to not go in the negative is a wonderful milestone for every small business!

Paperwork? Yep..I've got a lot more..basically because I am getting more and more 'successful.' This past Winter Session was my largest ever..32 students!! Spring is almost as large and enrollment is not over! On the art side, I'll have grossed more in the first quarter of this year than all of last year (had some great sales so far!). So success=busy..hard to complain too much.

So..I brush off my frustration and look at what I HAVE done so far in the first 2 1/2 months of 2008 and instead of crying..I'm giving myself a little pat on the back!

Steven Covey talks about perspective in his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (which I WILL finish one day!!). When you are feeling overwhelmed..change your perspective. I have definitely had to practice this but I feel it working. I'm not drowning in paperwork but riding the high of a successful business!

Feeling overwhelmed -----> feeling successful ------> feeling more confident -----> feeling more creative---->creating more work------>getting more business------>rinse, repeat!

It will all come full circle in the end!

New Website & Spring Enrollment

2008-03-02T22:38:00.002-06:00

As most of you know by now..my new website is up and running. Same web address..totally new look. I have to send out a big thank you to my husband, Russ, and our good friend, Blake, for all their help on my new site. I had a vision of what I thought technology should be able to do and their engineering brains made it work for me! Blake sat at my computer for 5 hours with me beside him saying.."I was thinking the gallery could do this.." and he'd make it happen..over and over again!

They are both still on call as we work out the vision of the Student Gallery..don't worry parents..it won't be long!

As the saying goes..when it rains it pours and the work is pouring right now in the studio. I have commissions to work on..lessons to plan..schedules to finalize...and on and on.

Enrollment is currently underway for Spring 2008 classes for kids. This year I'm adding a twist to the annual Portrait Study..Animal Portraits! Don't worry parents..we'll still do our 20" x 16" acrylic self-portrait! I have to say I have had so much fun with the kids' classes this past year. I've been really blessed to have a great (and very LARGE!) group of kids and we've done some awesome artwork! My only complaint is that the time is going by so fast! It's already time to plan for Summer Camps..where is the time going?!?

I'll be updating an adult schedule soon..in the meantime there are still 2 collage workshops available. Please let me know if you have an interest. I"m still experimenting with the right amount of days & times. To the right is an 18" x 24" watercolor completed by one of my students in the Feb. 20th Watercolor Workshop.

Acrylic Demo in Mesquite

2008-02-14T09:02:00.003-06:00

The Acrylic demonstration on Monday with the Mesquite Creative Arts Group went very well. I have to admit I was pretty nervous at the thought of standing in front of a group painting and teaching for close to two hours. I've painted before where people come and go and, of course, I've taught before; but this kind of focus on me was a little intense!

Fortunately, I have the gift of gab and a love of what I do so after about 5 minutes of nervous stumbling..I picked up a paintbrush and all went well.

Since each painting takes me much longer than 2 hours, I had to do a little prep work beforehand. I took 3 canvases with me. 1-primed with my texture mixture; 2-basic sketch and colors blocked out; 3-partially painted..background mostly finished.

Using Canvas 1, I demonstrated how I used a variety of photos to create a composition. Then I sketch out the basic shapes..in this case..sky, tree line, large tree, and horse. Then I use the medium value for each area and "block-in" or paint in the shapes as one flat color. (See photo where I am taking the canvas off the easel.)

Using Canvas 2, I started adding more color working from the back to the front. After doing the sky and the treeline, we took a break.

Returning from break, I realized that I was running out of time and needed to do some work on the horse. I stayed with Canvas 2 and talked about the light and dark and painting of animals in general. I did not get finished with any of the pictures but I feel I gave an overall view of how I begin and work on a painting. (See photo of horse painting alone on easel)

I ended up not painting on Canvas 3 at all, but the foreground was much further along in that canvas so I was able to use it to show some of the painting techniques that I was discussing. (see photo of me holding the canvas)

I took my friend and student, Mindy, with me both for moral support and to take pictures and run the video camera. I did record the entire demo but I haven't quite had the nerve to watch it yet!

Overall, it turned out to be a very good experience for me and one I hope to repeat! I was invited back by their president to do a demonstration in Pastels so it must have gone well from their perspective as well!

New Adult Workshops

2008-02-08T09:35:00.001-06:00

Adult Workshops

Due to my scheduling conflicts and the busy lives of my students (and student-want-to-bes) I'm going to try a workshop format with the Adult Classes instead of a longer-commitment on-going classes.

Below is my schedule from now until Spring Break. After Spring Break, I'll reassess, add more, and also add an "Open Studio" time.

Watercolor Basics - 2 hours - $35, all supplies provided
This class will provide an explanation of basic watercolor materials and techniques. Class time will be divided between experimenting with some techniques and completing a small, watercolor painting.

Night class: Tuesday, February 19th, 7-9pm
Day class: Wednesday, February 20th, 10am -Noon

Collage Basics - 2 hours - $35, all supplies provided*
The class will provide an explanation of collage techniques and basic design principles. Most of the class time will be spent creating a collage.
*student may wish to bring some supplies (photos, poems, etc) from home

Night class: Monday, March 3rd, 7-9pm
Day class: Wednesday, March 5th, 10am -Noon

If you are interested in either of the above classes and the day or time does not work for you, please contact me anyway. I am experimenting to see which days are available to students.

Workshops also make a great ladies night out! If you wanted to bring in your friends and make an evening of it, we could stretch the time a little longer to allow for a snack/break during the workshop.

All classes are taught in my home studio/classroom in Sachse, TX.

Acrylic Demonstration

2008-02-06T21:17:00.000-06:00

Next Monday (the 11th) I'll be at the Mesquite Arts Center demonstrating my Acrylic Painting technique through some horse paintings. The demonstration begins at 7pm and runs (with a break) until about 9:15 pm. Guests are welcome, you do not need to be a member of the Mesquite Arts Group.

Details:

Acrylic Painting Demonstration
Monday, February 11th, 2008
Mesquite Arts Group
Mesquite Arts Center
1527 N Galloway Ave, Mesquite, TX 75149

I'm currently working on a new schedule for Adult Workshops. I will be offering Watercolor and Collage first. Details will be posted this week.

Getting some Press Time

2008-01-30T20:15:00.000-06:00

The owner of a new local news site e-mailed me a little while ago about doing an article about me. He sent the questions this weekend and posted all my responses as well as some pictures on his site.

I'm a little on the talkative side..but hey..who's surprised by that? Overall, the article looks pretty nice.

Check it out here at www.wylietoday.com

Blank Canvas...woo hooo!

2008-01-17T14:01:00.000-06:00

Why am I photographing blank canvas? Because I'm EXCITED about it..that's why!

When I got my art supply order in this morning, I felt like a kid at Christmas. I opened boxes and slung packing paper and bubble wrap everywhere! The I opened the box of blank canvases, then another box..it was beautiful! When I see a pure, white, unpainted canvas..I feel excitement and inspiration. My brain starts to trip over itself in imaging all the possibilities. All the ideas I've kicked around in my sketchbook or in my photo reference box start bubbling to the surface as I start sorting sizes and groupings of canvases. It takes all my willpower put the canvases in a safe storage place instead of ripping off the shrink wrap and getting started.

I didn't always feel excited. You know that feeling you used to get in school at journal writing time? The teacher gave the ambiguous "write in your journal for 20 minutes" command, you obediently open up to a fresh page of blue lined notebook paper, and felt your brain go as blank as the page you are staring at! Many artists and writers are struck immobile by this feeling. Is the pressure of what is expected? ruining the the page/canvas and wasting money? a complete lack of imagination? or just plain and simple fear?

It actually took my "business hat" to get over my own feelings of intimidation years ago. I had ordered a some large, watercolor sheets in bulk to get a better price, but each sheet was still expensive nonetheless. At least I felt it was expensive when I paid for it...about $4 a sheet. I taped one sheet down on a board and very....very lightly proceeded with a sketch to paint. Then I erased it. I drew again..then I erased it. I was so concerned that if this picture wasn't a "masterpiece" that I was wasting what precious money and materials that I had then. After many false starts I slowly and painstakingly began a watercolor painting. I was tentative and hesitant each step along the way. It would be an understatement to say I didn't enjoy painting during that particular piece.

Some time towards the end of the painting, I realized that the amount of time I spent agonizing over making a mistake was gone..unproductive and just gone. I could always buy more paper. Heck, if I ran out of money, I could soak down the paper and just start a new painting. But I could never get back that worrying time. As we all know (well..those of us over age 22 or so) time is the most precious asset we have. No amount of money brings it back.

When I understood that my time was much more valuable to me than the $4 sheet of watercolor paper, the fear disappeared. It didn't go away overnight and I can't say I never worried again (trying using an $8 - 1 inch stick of green pastel for the first time!) but the worry passed in a matter of seconds..not days, hours or even minutes. Over time, squelching the fear became so second nature that I even started to get excited about new materials. Now..its like Christmas morning!

Oh..what did I finally paint on that precious sheet of watercolor paper? I have no idea! Must not have been my "masterpiece" after all!