ArtWalk - June 29, 2013

I participated in the Downtown Tyler ArtWalk yesterday and was stationed inside the very cool Liberty Hall Theater. I shared the building with an extremely skilled artisan, Howard Thompson. He engraves intricate designs on whelk shells--in celebration of his Chickasaw heritage. You can check out his designs at www.1491clothing.com. 

I met many interesting people yesterday, sold several items and visited with my amazing friends and family (thank you all for coming!) And although I met a a lot of wonderful folks at the event--two people stood out from the crowd and touched my heart and soul. There was a sweet man, leading a beautiful woman around to each exhibit. She had impaired vision, and he was helping her experience the ArtWalk. She grinned from ear-to-ear as he described the art to her. He asked if they could pick up some of my pieces that were high contrast--and by all means I said yes! And then they came to my framed 16x20 print of lightning. She told me that lightning was one of her very favorite things. She explained that she was only able to see light and dark--and so lightning is one thing she really enjoys. It just goes to show you art can be enjoyed in many different ways. And that being said, it makes me rethink my direction. What if feeling the texture of a painting alone could create an image in your mind? What a concept! I think this is something I must explore further. Stay tuned!

Vintage Looking Silhouettes

For the longest time, I’ve wanted silhouettes made of my children, but I never took the time to try to make them myself. But with Mother’s Day fast approaching—I decided to try my hand at it. And they are surprisingly easy to do! So I thought I’d share how I created them in case any of you would like to give it a try. Or if you prefer, I can always make one for you. The charge is $15.00 plus tax.  ;-)

Materials:

iPad

Tracing Paper

Soft Lead Pencil

Eraser (just in case)

Black Ink Artist Pen (I use a 2.0 mm brush)

5”x7” Acid and Lignin Free Paper

And a Steady Hand  ;-)

Instructions:

1. Take a photo of your subject’s profile with your iPad or camera of choice. (Preferably photograph them against a solid, light colored background.)
2. Put a sheet of tracing paper on top of your iPad and carefully trace your subject’s profile with a soft lead pencil.
3. Remove the tracing paper  and place the image you just drew on it face down. Take your soft lead pencil and shade the back of the image with the side of your lead. (This will allow you to make a carbon copy of your image onto your 5”x7” paper.)
4. Position the tracing paper on top of your 5”x7” paper (with your pencil lines on the front and the pencil shading on the back), hold it steady, and begin tracing back over the lines you just drew. Remove the tracing paper and you’ll see the carbon copy image left behind.
5. Using your black ink artist pen, outline over your pencil lines, and then continue to fill in the inside of your drawing with ink. I generally use two coats of ink.
6. Step back and enjoy your finished work of art. Frame it for yourself or give it as a gift.

Have a wonderful Mother’s Day! Hope you all have as much fun with this project as I did.

The Progression of Ascend

I thought it would be fun to post blogs of my paintings showing the different phases it went through to get to the final artwork. So what better time to start than now! So here I go...

I was walking through Faulkener park a few years back and spotted these lovely yellowish colored vines creeping up an old tree. The colors of the leaves really popped against the dark gray tree trunk, and I HAD to stop and take a photo. Later, I realized it would make an interesting painting.

So, I started as I usually do. I pulled up the photo to reference and began by painting the background in various shades of gray and hints of black. My daughter also decided to break out her paints, too. So we had a little painting party that night.  =)

Then I added the curvy vines.

And then it was time to paint the leaves... with a little flair of texture.  ;-)

And then it was time to add detail to the vines...

and to the leaves.

Then I had to decide whether I wanted to stop here or just go for it and add a splash of more color. The original photo did have hints of orangey reds and greens on some of the leaves. I debated and debated. And then I just went for it.

And there you have it. =) Let me know if you enjoyed seeing the progression of this painting. I'd really appreciate your feedback. If I get a good response, I'll make an effort to show the "behind the scenes" of more of my paintings. Have a great weekend!

Art Walk - April 6, 2013

I participated in my first Art Walk yesterday! There were many things for everyone to see, hear and do. It was sunny... and windy, but it went really, really well. I sold several paintings and photos, received lovely compliments and met a lot of great folks. It was especially fun hearing other people's interpretations of my paintings. Some figured out what they were right away--others saw them differently. It was great! I definitely see more Art Walks in my future! 

And I want to take time to thank my WONDERFUL husband, Matt, for staying by my side during the entire event. And also a big thanks to all of my AMAZING friends and family who stopped by my table to visit and lend their support. You all are the best, and it was great seeing all of you! And last but not least a BIG THANK YOU to Ben and Lisa Rachel Horlander! Without them I would not have known about the Art Walk or had the courage to submit entries to the committee. For those of you who don't know, Lisa has been teaching me the art of painting since November. She is an excellent teacher and is an extremely talented artist. Go see for yourself: www.lisarachel.etsy.com

Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend. As for me, it's time to get back to work!  ;-)

 

New Opportunities

Hello Everyone--I know it's been awhile! EXCITING CHANGES ARE COMING! I have officially dropped "Photography" from my name. No worries though, I will still be taking photos. However, I'm shifting my focus more towards fine art photography and painting.

I'm still willing to take portraits occasionally, but the amount of time spent on shoots and retouching photos throws my work and family life out of balance these days. I had a lot more time on my hands a few years ago before my kids started school and extracurricular activities. You all know how that goes. ;-)

My new venture as a Visual Artist allows me to continue with my love for photography and explore acrylic painting at the same time. I hope you're all as excited as I am about this change. Be on the lookout for a new web address, updated website and updated Facebook page.