WACG FAll Show 10 '13

And there still more great art to see.....The Waccamaw Arts & Crafts Guild SHOW & SALE  goes through Tuesday, October 29th at the Seacoast Artists Gallery

 at The Market Common.

The color of the Arctic Sea 10"13

Art Glass Bowl by Kathy Turnauer

This has been a big week for us to add to our art collection.   My husband Bruce fell in love with this beautiful glass art bowl that took first place in the Seacoast Artists Fall Show for non-2 D artwork.  He said it reminded him of the Ocean in  winter.  Sure enough, the artist said she was thinking of the colors of the  sea around Iceland when she was creating this.  Now we sea is a part of our home

Keep it Simple 10 '13

Pawleys Island Marsh 7" x 5"

I love this this little  gem I purchased from Karen Margulis.  I have it hanging in a simple white frame ,on the white wall over the pastel workstation in my studio to remind me to keep it simple.

Nora Mackin Seascape 10"13

Nora Mackin Seascape 12"x 9" oil on board.

I fell in love with this beautiful Seascape by Nora Mackin the minute I saw it and had to have it.   Only  I had to wait to collect in  until the Seacoast Artists Fall Art Show was over so that the the work could have a chance at The People's Choice Award.  I voted with my pocketbook, and now it's a permanent part of our collection.

Creating your own sanded surfaces for pastel paintings. 10 '13

  I spent my scraps free time today creating my own home made pastel surfaces using  recycled 300 lb watercolor paper and Liquitex  Clear Gesso... and I love the results.

I had some partially painted water color paper practice sheets that had been sitting around for years.  I cut them into smaller pastel sizes (9x12, 8x10, 5x7 and aceo).  I used a 4" wide  foam brush to  put one coat of the gesso on  unpainted side of the paper, let it dry  ( about 10 minutes) then came back and added a second coat of gesso atop the first. The gesso stiffened the paper making it even stronger for pastel application, and the grit in the gesso gave just the right amount of  tooth to the surface for the way I apply pastel. I was so please with the results that I repeated the process over the colored side of some acrylic beach washed watercolor scraps.  Again.  It worked beautifully, allowing me to see through the grit to the colored paper.

I can't imagine why I didn't try this sooner

Liquitex Clear Gesso over unpainted watercolor paper

Well actually,  I do know why.  I love working on textured surfaces. ..  the more texture the better,  and have tried applying grounds etc. to make my own.   I usually find it all too messy and time consuming, so I wind up opting for more the convenient, albeit smoother, manufactures brands of sanded papers .  This is a classic example of what I meant when I confessed, in yesterdays post, that I tend to put off  all but the painting until later. I read first read about the Liquitex process over a year ago in Karen Margulis 9/12/12 blog post.  And I  heard about it again this summer  from another pastel artist in the Charleston art Guild.  Both said that it was a fast, easy, and inexpensive way to create one's own textured surfaces.  Even with those voices to recommend the process, I  took no action beyond purchasing the Clear Gesso .  I have been on a roll with my painting this year, and I wasn't about to let anything like the possibility of a better surface get in the way of expressing  my vision.

Liquitex Clear Gesso over recycled  beach wash watercolor paper

 Fortunately the universe has intervened with a mandate that I put off painting  for a short while... just long enough to force me to think through what supplies I will  need for my painting a day project I will begin next month.  In less than the time that it took me to write this post,  I was able to create all the  pastel paper I will need for  next month, and saved a lot of money in the process.   Sometimes you don't know what you're missing until it arrives on your door step.

What to do when the universe hands you lemons 10 '13

My husband and I are involved in a major real estate transaction that has recently developed some serious complications.  Getting all the crinkles ironed out is consuming both my time and my energy to the point that I have not been able to focus on any new paintings for the past week.  Worse yet, it may be weeks before the issues are straightened out and the transaction finalized.  I need long uninterrupted  periods where I can focus on the painting process,  or I lose sight of the original vision.  Right now the universe  just isn't providing the uninterrupted time in order to paint something worthwhile..What to do? 

My solution has been to prioritize my time to focus  upon the real estate, then use the time remaining to work on art business (at least the busy-ness)  tasks.

   Updating my business records in quick books, organizing my art storage, priming supports are all necessary  tasks.  

I seldom get outrageously behind  in the business duties,  but I admit  that  I usually do put these mundane chores off until last, and only tackle them after I have exhausted my passion for painting.   Fortunately,  they are the perfect activities for when  I don't have time to concentrate on a painting and still  want to stay productive.  I can work on one of them  for five,  ten, or twenty minutes, then stop to attend to something else, and come back and pick up where I left off without impacting the results.

The best part is that I know that once both the personal and art business chores are complete, I will be rewarded with all the more time to focus upon  doing what I love most.. painting

Art Party on Pawleys 10 '13

 

From left to right: Ann McLaurin, Annette, Karen

Spent an inspiring afternoon visiting with artist  friends Karen Margulis, Annette Going and Anne McLaurin  on the Pawleys Island Creek.
 

Anne, CC, Karen

 Sometimes hanging out on-site with other artists can be as motivating  (or more so)  than the scene we are looking at . All three  of these artists are incredibly giving generous when it comes to sharing their expertise.  

Karen discussing first strokes with Annette

 Karen  showed us her new travel equipment and volunteered to give us a painting demo

The cool thing about committed artists is that they can find inspiration even on a moody,   rainy day. Look at how much color, Karen is finding in the scene above.. I was impressed.

You can see more of Karen's beautiful work on her blog at   Painting My World