My Blog Is Moving

Hey, I hope you'll join me over at my new site on Weebly!  I love it over there.  You'll see my new colored pencil work on my website & the latest happenings on my blog.  I've loved talking with you here, look forward to seeing you over there:  http://www.susietenzer.com/blog.html  Thanks, Susie

What I Know Now About Art Festivals

This past weekend I was in an art festival, The Queeny Art Fair.  It's run twice each year by the local art organization, Greater St. Louis Artists Association.  I'm a juried member.  This was my fifth art fair and I'm learning a lot.  This time I was able to borrow a professional booth from my artist friend Jean McMullen. Thanks, Jean!

I think this made a huge difference in presenting my work to the public.  I did learn, however, to make better tags next time.  I printed short blurbs about each piece (with the price) and taped it to the panel.  The tape didn't stick very well, so I spent a lot of time putting them back up.  Next time I'll attach the tags with velcro (duh).  I loved this set up and wouldn't change a thing.

Talking to clients - I'm learning about that, too.  I feel much more comfortable selling myself and my work, now.  However, there were a few times I think I could have closed the deal, but I let the client walk away.

Talking to the juror - The juror was very nice and professional.  She only spent a few moments in my booth and asked me to describe my work (in a sentence or two).  Next time I'll have my "elevator speech" ready!  I don't think I did a terrible job but I can do much better and it may make the difference in winning an award (I didn't).

I'm looking forward to the next art festival!  What have you learned?

Summer's In Full Swing

Busy summer, actually.  My new grandson Eli (5 grandkids, now!) was born a couple of weeks ago.  My husband and I went to Seattle to help his brothers and parents.  We also took a few days off and went to Whistler.

I was glad I mustered the courage to take the ski lift - what fantastic views!

Back home, I was thrilled to find out I had won third place in the annual Colored Pencil Magazine competiton.

"Maryland Plaza", 11 x 14 

click here to purchase

I've been focusing on cityscapes & I'm gradually building a nice body of work.  I'm working on Duralar, a brand of frosted acetate film.  Several layers of pencil on the front and more on the back give it rich, saturated color.  Here's what I'm working on now:

This one is of a restaurant in a south St. Louis neighborhood.  I caught a waitress writing on the chalkboard outside, plus the fabulous light.  No title yet, but maybe "The Daily Special".  Any other ideas?

Try Having An Art Show At Home

I have an artist friend who I see a couple of times each year.  We taught at the same elementary school - I'm a retired teacher - and now we're friends in this new way.  She's a jewelery and fiber artist and she excels at both mediums.  We both juried into the The Best Of Missouri Hands, a non profit artists' organization promoting excellence in the arts.  We attended a conference together which was fun.  She has several small boutiques each year in her home and invites her artist friends to sell their work.  It's low-key and I've met some wonderful people.

Here are photos of her jewelry displays, plus fiber art on the wall.  She's been creating jewelry for quite awhile and has built a large following.

She does Nuno felting and makes scarves and wraps.  Her love of this medium has recently led her to try some wall art. We talk about our art techniques and the business side of selling art.  I've learned a lot & I hope she has learned a few things from me, too.

Here's my set up at her house.  I pulled a few original paintings as well as some prints and cards from the galleries I'm in.  Don't you think having an art show in a home is a great idea?    

Photo Finish!

Well, I know it's an exciting title, but I just want to show you what my finished painting looks like next to the original photo that I took.  I've been very busy painting landscapes lately and I love it!  I went to our local botanical garden last month and took this photo:

It's a building named the Linnaen House after scientist Carl Linnaeus.  The doors open to a beautiful indoor garden filled with gorgeous, fragrant plants.  The pools in front of the house are what caught my eye.  I love painting reflections:

                                                   Garden House 5 x 7 by Susie Tenzer

I keep all of my photo references.  I'll post them from time to time, along with the finished work.

What's In A Name?

I'm excited to have been invited to join a wonderful group of artists at a new gallery in St. Charles, MO, Missouri Artists On Main Gallery.  This is a great name for a gallery - celebrating local artists at a space at 321 Main Street in St. Charles, MO.  There are lots of mediums represented and I'm thrilled to be part of it!  St. Charles is a charming city, located on the Missouri River. Come visit if you're in the area!

I'm continuing to work on landscapes, pushing the values and incorporating deep shadows.  Here's my latest  painting, On The Dock (named once again by the woman who does my printing - thanks, Bridget!)

                                             Buy this painting on Etsy - On The Dock 5 x 7 $90

I love taking my paintings over to Bridget without a name & letting her do her magic!  What's in a name?  A bit of description?  Setting the mood?  How do you name your work?

My New Art Studio

I'm exhausted.  My husband & I had two of our grandkids stay this past weekend while their parents went out of town.  What a whirlwind!  So I'm having a quiet (ahhhh, no commotion, just silence) day.  Last week, before the grandkids came, I painted my dining room white.  It was a pale yellow, but I got tired of it.  So, while I was paintng, a thought occurred.  This room has such great light - I rarely use it - this would make a wonderful art studio!  I had all of my art stuff in a spare bedroom, an office/studio type set-up.  But I actually thought I'd love to be in this room every day since the bedroom is small & has a tiny window.  Here's the dining room before:

Here's my new studio:

I love it!  I'm still getting organized.  I'm going to take down the chandelier - I keep bumping my head on it since there's no dining room table!  The large painting was done by my husband's uncle, an artist.  Maybe this is a bit unconventional, but I think I'll be glad to get lots of use out of this room.  Here's what I'm working on right now, one of my new landscapes:

Have you repurposed a room?

I'm In A Mood

It's been one of those weekends.  My husband and I have been talking about some business decisions and I'm exhausted.  You know how when you're in one of those moods you just think about the same thing over and over?  Anyway, this book that I ordered arrived!  I've already read most of it..  I'm starting to feel better!

 

I've been thinking (over and over) that while my colored pencil paintings are good they're lacking in emotion. Watercolor and mixed media artist Gerald Brommer gets right to the point:

An artist who makes pictures that look good but express nothing is like a writer whose words sound good but have no meaning.

Cheers to emotion!  Meanwhile, here's my latest work-in-progress:

Any thoughts about how to communicate through art?