Sunday, August 24, 2008

stuff on my shelves




I have interesting and not interesting thing laying around, but have taken time to practice drawing and painting with these things. Add a flower or two and a even a plain pitcher can look ok on paper...( having an old coyote skull on the shelf does help add interest to a painting)...the angle, the lighting can all help make what is just hanging around the house, turn in objects for still life paintings
here are a few to share.

Monday, August 18, 2008

award winner picks



the following five blog sites are my picks to award the Arte Y Pico Award

Tilly Strauss
for: Come out and play in wax paper.
http://tillystudio.blogspot.com/
http://tillystudio.blogspot.com/2008/08/come-out-and-play-in-waxed-paper.ht

Brenda Yarborough
For: her blogs about painting on yupo.
http://www.amberridgedesert.blogspot.com/

Peter Dimmock
For his watercolors.
http://paintingsuk.blogspot.com/

Trine Meyer
For: Blue underwater abstract.
http://mtv65.blogspot.com/

Sarah’s Playing with paint
http://www.upsidedownsarah.blogspot.com

Friday, August 15, 2008

Arte y Pico award

I have been surprised with an award: the "Arte Y Pico" award, for my blog Building an abstract.

"Arte y Pico" is a blog from Uruguay whose blogger has come up with this award, arteypico.blogspot.com.

I was awarded this from Randy Carboni

"What is the meaning of the expression: And basically, ironically, it translates into a wonderful phrase in Mexico, “lo maximo.”
The blog that started the award is in Spanish. I don't know Spanish but the information above is from another blog award winner. After accepting this award I be awarding five other blogs the same award based on their creativity, design, and art.
Plan to see the sites I pick in my next post:)

A hard way to learn

August 11, 2008  the day my first "solo" show was planned to hang, ended being one of the best learning experiences I had had yet in art. The show was canceled.
I found out a week before, that the site was ending the art programs they had been supporting for the last 5 years.  Michigan is going through so tough economic times and that is being felt in a number of areas.
   Instead of hanging art the 11th, I helped other artists take down work that had been up.  The feelings that day were varied, to say the least.  But I decided to look inward, instead of letting what I could not change bring me down, go on and just plan for another.

  What I learned I thought I would share....and today is tip one: 
Take some time on a regular basis and sort you work. 
   Look at what you have old and new, spread them out and compare.
Then ask your self questions.
Has your style changed?
Do some older paintings still look compatible with newer ones?
Does your work have a theme that is consistent?
Is there work you have been saving just because, at the time you painted them they were favorites?
If so are they still that important to you now?
  Now find a location where you can hang your picks up and see how they group.
I used a stairway hall.
Let them hang together for awhile and re-evaluate the again. 
I have newer plans and ideas, and think the future will only get better...amazing for me ...a good change,
generally I am not an optimistic person.