Look on the Bright Side

"Look on the Bright Side" 8x8 oil on canvas

 

 

 (On hold for gallery event in November.)

Imagine all the people living life in peace.
You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.
I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will be as one. 

As some of you know, I sometimes look to Beatles lyrics for my paintings titles and inspiration so I wanted to note John Lennon’s birthday yesterday. Also the most enjoyable art event I've ever took part in was a John Lennon birthday gathering so October 9 holds a special place for me. 

Because I’ve been so busy painting for an upcoming show and nursing my foot injury that I’ve missed the last few DPW painting challenges which I love to do.  But, I couldn’t pass up this week’s challenge posted by one of my favorite DPW artists talented watercolorist Jo Mackenzie—Emotion was the theme. If you check out Jo's blog you'll see she was kind enough to answer my "what's on your palette" question for all my watercolor students and fans out there.

I started a mostly green abstract (since that’s probably my favorite color family) with the idea of envy—which I think is a fairly common emotion in the art world.  But then I remembered this strong light and shadow sunflower I had in my paintings “to do” queue which I’d really been looking forward to since sunflowers always cheer me.

Also, since my last painting had more of an autumn palette it was fun to return to some brighter, more summery hues.  Quick color tip: You know how you change out your wardrobe colors when the seasons change? I tend to do the same with my pigments. For example, my “fall” palette tends to have more earthy richer pigments like ochres (yellow and red), indian yellow and red, crimson, violet, etc. 

Last Saturday, I managed to hobble on downtown and got to see an amazing line up of three master oil painting demos at Gallery 1261 which is currently hosting a gorgeous Western Regional OPA show. Jeff Legg, Theresa Vito, and Quang Ho demoed a still life, portrait, and figure respectively.  It made for a long day (almost 8 hours) but  it was highly informative and enjoyable. Plus, I had the pleasure of meeting several of the artists in the show. I’ll have some pics and thoughts on that to post soon.  In the meantime, time for some hot cocoa and more painting.  In the meantime keep imagining!

The Sunflower is Mine

"Sunny Side Up" 8x8 oil on Linen Panel--SOLD--Thank you!

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The sunflower is mine, in a way.
Vincent van Gogh

Bon Lundi! Over the weekend I celebrated July 14 Bastille Day with a tasty "dejeuner" at one of my favorite French bistros in Denver--Le Central. Enjoyed a delicious sampling of chilled roses, a bistro salad, a crusty baguette and broccoli soup--yum. (FYI--Thursday is chocolate souffle night if you're in town!)

When I need a "French Fix" I head to Le Central

I'm not sure I believe in past lives per se, but I would not be surprised if I was ever told in lived in France once upon a time..

Le Chateau Frontenac in Quebec

It seems a bit odd to me now as a proud "Western" artist who loves open ranges, Georgia O'Keeffe, Maynard Dixon and spicy chile rellenos, but briefly Francais was my college major. My "big plan" was to move to Quebec where I could live a chic bilingual lifestyle. Le Chateau Frontenac in beautiful old Quebec with it's magical verdigris turrets is one of my favorite places to stay in the world.

Of course, that didn't happen and much like Georgia I headed West to find my artistic bearings but as an adult I've been lucky to paint in France a couple of times.  When I get a longing to visit France (as I often do in the summer) I sometimes and treat myself to an almond croissant, sunflowers (aptly named "tournesols" or "turn to the sun" in French), a fancy French lotion from L'Occitane, and an iced cafe au lait.

Quick "merci beaucoup" to my collectors at Daily Paintworks--I appreciate your bids and support! Thanks too to Carol and David for creating such a supportive art community and the best place to  buy high quality affordable art online.

Sign Me Up

"Sunseekers" oil on linen panel 8x8-SOLD

Happy April and Early Spring Everyone!

As a painting teacher, I’m often asked about signing a painting so here are 10 tips I’ve gathered to help you the next time you finish a painting and are ready to own up to it with you signature:

1. It’s not a legal contract but do sign your work. Legibly and on the front.  Today, I think signatures are more important than ever with our artwork having potentially an international audience when it’s shared across the Internet on websites, social media, etc.  
2. Your signature is a helpful design element. Along those lines, keep your signature in scale with your painting.  I’ve seen many petite paintings 10x10 or smaller with bold signatures that would be better suited on a 30x40.  A magnifying glass type signature on a wall size abstract is also unbalanced.
3. Your signature should “blend” stylistically if possible. You might want to practice a few different styles with brush on paper before you decide on one. For example, some artist’s signatures look really nice in cursive and others in block letters. Think clean and pleasing. Lately, I’ve been scratching with my favorite rubber “wipe out” too into wet paint (as seen in today's painting). I like that look as long as it’s fairly readable.
4. If you’re planning to frame or mat your painting, be sure to sign your piece after you’ve popped in a frame. I see many signatures that too close to an edge that end up getting covered by the frame or mat. Especially now that frame and mat styles today can be quite wide.
5. When I paint a larger abstract for example I can use my signature to add interest to a corner. Usually it’s the lower right, but not always.  I had a student who cleverly integrated their name into the painting (in this case on a wine bottle tag).  You don’t want to get too gimmicky, be we are artists and so consider creative solution when the opportunity presents itself.
6. Thankfully, I have a fairly unusual 8 letter last name so I sign only with my last name.  Many artists I know with short or very common names add initials. I think this is a good idea for more specific identification. Imagine trying to research a beautiful oil painting you find at a flea market signed “Jones” on the Internet.
7. What if you have are blessed with an unusual first name or your last name is very long or hyphenated? Then I think signing with your first name on the front might be a good option. Then you can add your full name on the back.  Same with initials or a “symbol” type signature-I would add my current legal name to the back or at least on a certificate attached to the back.
8. What about adding a date to your signature? I see this too quite a bit at galleries and festivals and personally, I’m not a fan. I think it’s OK on the back but I think the front of the painting begins to look cluttered with too much info. It’s a painting not your art CV.
9. Again, this may take some practice but you may want to sign in the same media you created the art in.  I’ll be honest I don’t always follow this advice. For example, I sign watercolors with Sharpies or pen and ink sometimes. But in general, it’s wise to have the signature be consistent and cohesive with your work for posterity.
10. I’ve read that Marilyn Monroe always signed her name using a red pen. Consider a way to make your signature unique. Ideally you want your body of work to have a fairly consistent signature that easy for collectors to identify you.  

Thanks for stopping by and happy spring painting everyone!

Painting Little Treasures in Paradise

"Sunshine in a Jar" 8x8 oil on linen

Florida--I miss you!! Back home today in my studio after a truly wonderful week of painting, beach combing, key lime tarts, and dolphin watching (sounds terrible doesn't it??) in beautiful Marco Island Florida. Can't begin to express what a great time I had in Dreama Tolle Perry's "Petite Treasures" oil painting workshop at the Marco Island Art Center for the Arts-- An ideal painting location--bright, open, modern with palm trees swaying outside the window. I could paint there every week!

Marco Island Center for the Arts

Painting in an all day workshop (especially one you've traveled a ways to get to) is exhilarating but can it also be exhausting as some of you may know so a big added bonus was getting to chill out after class just blocks away (thanks Jimmy!) in a lovely high rise condo overlooking Crescent Beach on the Gulf of Mexico.   

Crescent Beach (Marco Florida) from the balcony

It was truly one of the best painting workshops I've ever attended. My sincere thanks to Dreama and all the fantastic group of talented, friendly, and generous painting ladies for making my trip so enjoyable and memorable. I miss all your warm and sunny Southern accents already! It was a pleasure meeting all of you. I wish you all a very happy and colorful year of painting!

Marco Island Shells from AM jog (OK stroll)

I've admired Dream'as gorgeous oil paintings for a long time so getting to meet her in person and watch her demo several beautiful paintings just a few feet away (which you can see on her blog this week) was amazing. She makes you feel immediately at ease and her advice really does make a difference. I also want to thank Dreama for encouraging us to try lots of new colors that I wouldn't normally use like Cad Orange,  Sap Green (yes I used green from a tube!), Diox Purple, and Caribbean Blue--All in today's painting and I love them!   

Marco Workshop Painters--Working hard but having fun!

This was also one of the few workshops I've ever left with paintings I was honestly happy with. My painting today (photo courtesy of Dreama) was painted on the third and last day after the "musical easel" exercise. I can see why so many artists return to her workshops. If you have a Dreama workshop in your future you will learn lots and have a blast! 

I returned with a ton of photos and notes to sift through and I'll be posting more about the workshop this week. Quick thanks too to my students for letting me take a week break from the studio. I missed you all and look forward to seeing you all back in the studio in the upcoming weeks. Finally, my favorite advice from Dreama: Paint what you love. Now that's a souvenir. Happy painting y'all.