An Island for Two
30 Thursday May 2013
Posted Art Blog Categories
in30 Thursday May 2013
Posted Art Blog Categories
in26 Sunday May 2013
Posted All About Color, Art Blog Categories
inAs a painter I can’t get enough of reading about the meaning and emotions attached to colors. Here is a great blog by Michael Michalko on the color to emotion attachment.
THOUGHT EXPERIMENT: Imagine you are an artist. You are asked to paint the dress of the girl in the illustration above.You have before you an array of colors:
1. RED
2. PINK
3. YELLOW
4. ORANGE
5. BLUE
6. PURPLE
7. GREEN
8. BROWN
9. BLACK
10. WHITE
You are asked to use a color to convey an emotion or feeling. (Write your answers next to the question. The answers follow at the end.) As an artist, which of the above colors would you paint the dress on the stick figure of a little girl to convey:
1. A sense of home, serenity and comfort?
2. A strong self-esteem and youthfulness?
3. A sense of strength and power?
4. A sense of calming and healing?
5. A sense of spirituality and creativity?
6. A sense of depression?
7. A sense of harmony with nature?
8. A sense of sensitivity and…
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17 Friday May 2013
Posted Art Blog Categories, Being an Artist
inTags
abstract landscape paintings, abstract painting, art advice, beginning artist, beginning painter, how to become a painter, painter, painting advice, starting out as an artist
When I was first starting out as a painter, I would reach out to other more established painters for advice and feedback on my work and on just being an artist in general. Many times the only feedback I got was “keep painting” with a smiley face emoticon. This “feedback” would irritate me so much. I wasn’t a child looking for a pat on the back and a star sticker placed on my work, I was already in my 30’s, an adult, looking for concrete adult level comments and advice. Of course I was going to keep painting, I wanted to be a painter!
Well, now that I have emerged as an artist, am well into my 40’s and much further along in my career, I’ve realized that advice to “keep painting” wasn’t all that bad. It was definitely lacking in substance, but I can at least see some value in those words. But I really want to build on those words and hopefully offer more useful advice to artists just starting out. (I promise to leave out the smiley face.)
Yes indeed, keep painting, but keep painting your paintings and create whatt seems most natural to you. Once you learn the basics of painting, push yourself to get better and develop your own style and voice. Review other artists work and understand what you like about their work, what draws you in and inspires you. This is a great way to get to know yourself as an artist and the direction you want your work to go in. Also, this will not only set you apart from the pack but it will help you market your work when you need to talk and write about it.
When I decided to be a painter, I was first drawn to the plein-air painters method and experience. I was enchanted by the act of throwing on a backpack and hiking out to some remote gorgeous area to paint small paintings in 1 sitting. This was an amazing experience, I visited some wonderful locations in New England and met some interesting people that would pass by and chat. It also taught me so much about the natural light and colors in the the local landscapes. But after doing this for several years and having all these small paintings done, I hit a point where I knew it was time for me to graduate to something else. My inner voice was asking, “what’s next, where do I want to go from here”? I knew I had a gained a solid knowledge base about things like mixing colors, paint application techniques, and how colors interact with each other, so I was ready to listen to that voice and headed into the studio.
Moving from the outdoors and into my studio is where I really developed my own voice as a landscape painter. I took more time with each piece, building up the layers of color and texture. I let the pieces guide me and worked off of my instincts instead of what I saw. I also transitioned from using oils to acrylics and developed my own natural way of painting and using the medium. And I pushed my work to be more abstract, eliminating details and let color define the light and the mood.
This self evaluation and the willingness to listen to my inner guide has led me to create some of my best paintings to date. They are unique and true to who I am as an artist and I am always excited to see what will get created next.
So please “keep painting”, but remember to paint what is right for you. Listen to and trust your instincts. If you want to paint kittens and puppies, then paint them. But don’t paint kittens and puppies because someone told you to. You truly know what is right for you and what your inner artist needs to express and create.
13 Monday May 2013
Posted Art Blog Categories, Upcoming Events
inTags
art events, art exhibit, contemporary art, douglas michigan, emerging artists, glass, lake michigan, mi, michigan, mixed media, paintings, sagautuk, sculpture, summer 2013, water street gallery
Water Street Gallery, located on the coast of Lake Michigan in Douglas, MI, has published their art exhibit line up for this summer. The contemporary gallery displays the work of both established and emerging artists and includes paintings, mixed media glass and sculpture.
Summer 2013 exhibits include:
“Who’s That?” runs from May 4th – June 5th and is featuring new artists such as, Christina Body, Tracey Easthope, Amy Falstrom, Kevin Hunter, Janet Kelman, John Merigian, Justin Teihet, David Westerfield, Jim Wolnosky, Pier Wright and James Zwadio.
“Food For Thought” runs from June 8th – July 2nd and will display Thought Provoking Images from artists, Patricia Aaron, Judy Campbell, Tone Doilney, Byron Gin, Jacquie Gouveia, Thimgan Hayden, Karen Haynes, Melanie Parke, Jaye Schlesinger and Marsha Staiger.
“Watch Your Step” which captures Movement in Art will be on display from July 6th – July 31st. Artists included in this show are, David Adix, Jim Garrison, Tim Garvey, Walter Horak, Julia Katz, Maryjo Lemanski, Karla Tye, William Tye, Mary Pat Wallen, Val Wolly and Dewy Blocksma.
“Are We There Yet?” will be a Landscape Show and will complete the summer from August 3rd – September 4th. Works by artists Terrance Gasca, Margo Burian, Martha Ceccio, Jeff Condon, Anne Corlett, Richard Kooyman, Angela Saxon, Jane Schmidt, Brian Smith, Christopher Strunk and Russ Havard will be the main attraction.
For gallery hours, location and contact information, visit there website at www.waterstreetgallery.com