Blogging
Let me say this to all that have seen my website. I have learned that I don’t ‘blog’ enough. So I am going to try and get a new page going that not only helps artists with technique, but talk about my everyday life as a painter. And I do apologize for the ‘educator’ in my home page description. My son says it’s so cumbersome a word. “Why not just say artist/teacher?” Anyway, today is July 14, 2014 and I am about to embark on a ‘blog’…
I hope it will be of value to anyone who comes across it.
Hmm…where to start? I am not going to give advice on how to market your work or find a gallery, because I am still working on doing this for my own work. But if I discover the magic formula, I will share it with you.
Create every day……..I do this most of the time, when I have enough acrylic paint and canvas. Last week I did three paintings on 24×30″ primed canvas. I will post the images when I get them photographed.
On how to start: Get yourself a space away from the family! Or the dogs! Find a nice enamel tray and use it for a palette. Working with acrylics, just submerge the palette in water and the paint will come right off. Some of the ideas I might give you are basic, but just in case you haven’t been reading all the how-to books, I will mention.
Tools: I don’t just use brushes as you might imagine from looking at my paintings. I use squeegees, brushes, rollers from my printing press, and palette knives. I have a squirt bottle filled with water if I want to jazz it up and go for spontaneity. I lay colors out on the tray and begin with the knife, spreading it on, then squeegeeing the colors together. These become transparent shapes and I use opaque shapes to create depth in an otherwise flat surface. I use Liquetex acrylics mostly, but others work too. My sort of painting, from the inside out, is something I have worked on for many years. I found a book helpful, by Prof. Dean Nimmer. You can find it online.
This is my first day blogging. Please give me suggestions on what you might welcome as information.
Your attitude is refreshing, Carole, and very welcome. As an artist working in another medium (words, not paint), I am continually frustrated by the unwillingness of so many in my own community to share useful advice. By useful, I mean specific. “Advice” is usually extremely generic, thus not much help. I make a point to freely share what I charge, how I find work, why I don’t query, and of course my writing techniques. Most people won’t follow even the best advice anyhow because it’s too much trouble. If they are willing to do the work, more power to them.
Love it, Carole. So very like my own, except I move from medium to medium like a true ADHD, so always have something to make things of! Very fun blog. May you get many followers who will share with their art loving friends. Susan
I really like your work. I don’t like all of your titles. Don’t we spend enough time with idiots who try to “see” something they recognize in an abstract? I’m sure that when you were painting, you often weren’t visualizing something concrete, correct? Then why play this insidious game yourself? Your forms and colors speak for themselves, you don’t need to try to “interpret” them for a viewer. This is not true of all of your titles, some are magnificent, without trying to visualize something “real”.
I’m glad you like my work. However, I’m not playing an ‘insidious game’ when I discover a form that takes on a concrete icon, something I often discover myself after the painting is done. Yes, I know that the forms and colors speak for themselves, but while painting is my passion, I am not opposed when someone sees something that is referential to them. Thanks for liking some of my titles.