Procrastinate Tomorrow

I saw that motto recently, it doesn't describe me at all, I just like it.  Actually, I'm a doer.  I make lists & check them off.  Today I checked off two new paintings and started another.  I ordered new business cards, became a member of the Pencil Art Society and started painting my dining room table black (it's dark cherry).

This is my dining room/studio.  I was using a drafting table, but when I started getting shoulder pain, I switched to my dining room table so I could draw on a flat surface.  That's the buffet, converted into a computer desk.  And yes, those are golf clubs, an important part of my studio.  The painting on the wall was done by my husband's uncle, by the way.

My two new cityscape paintings are for sale here and here.

"Restaurant On Main" 5" x 7" $130 (unframed)

"Little Hills" 11" x 14" $300 (unframed)

 So, are you a doer or a procrastinator?

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?

To Watermark Or Not?

Ok, I decided yes.  I read a tutorial on Fox Hollow Cottage blog and it didn't seem very difficult.  I decided not to go back and put watermarks on all of my colored pencil paintings.  So, I'm starting with this one:

                                                        Old Courthouse, Old Glory 8 x 10 nfs

Not for sale, yet.  I'm entering it into the Midwest Color 2012 exhibition sponsored by the CPSA Chicago district Chapter.  This painting of the old courthouse in downtown St. Louis, MO. is a reflection in a nearby window. .

I've been taking photos all around the St. Louis area, for a series on local landmarks.  Here's my current work-in-progress:

I'm saving working on the Gateway Arch last - I want to make it stand out.  I fiddled with the watermark on this image, making it larger.  Do you use watermarks?

Three Art Galleries I Love

I just got back from Seattle (that's why I didn't post last week), visiting my kids and grandkids.  Great time, terrible weather.  But my daughter and I managed to drive out of the city to Edmonds.  This is such a darling little place.  Cute shops and lovely art galleries.  This time, we went to two galleries:  Semantics and Cole.  We visited Semantics last summer for a colored pencil exhibit.

                                                                   Semantics Gallery

                                                                    Cole Gallery

This time we included Cole gallery because Eileen Sorg has a special exhibit of her colored pencil works.  I'm blown away by the talent of these artists!  Excited, too, because she's offering a workshop in October.  Gotta try to go to that.

We also went to the Women Painters Of Washington exhibit, "Encounters".  I'm envious of this group and wish there was something similar where I live.  Their gallery is located in downtown Seattle.  There were various mediums, just one colored pencil piece.  I'm always thrilled to see other colored pencil work up close.

Have you been to any exhibits lately?

What's So Great About Blogging?

 I really didn't want to write a blog, because I thought I'd run out of things to write about.  It has happened a couple of times, but for the most part I do come up with ideas.  Blogs are easy to set up. You can even write your post ahead of time & set to publish whenever you want at a later date.  There are templates to choose from for the design, colors, fonts, you name it.  It's actually fun.  After I got the hang of it, I added widgets.  I just created a new banner - what do you think? 

 Blogs help artists reach beyond the canvas or the computer screen and make contact with other people all across the world.  Blogs provide any creative-minded individual the opportunity to share their work with the world. Blogging, combined with social media and online art communities offers artists a unique opportunity for self-promotion, expanded viewership, and ultimately, contacts with buyers.  Although galleries are still important, most folks realize that the internet is where it's at.  Blogs allow artists to show works-in-progress. You can receive feedback and criticism before the work is finalized, make changes, and contemplate new ideas and suggestions.  Blogging can help bring the world to your art, and your art to the world.

You're already reading blogs...do you write one?

                                  Two Cherries, 3 x 3 on miniature easel Buy this on Daily Paintworks

How Do You Sign Your Name?

 I've seen a few paintings that don't have any signature at all.  The last time a Monet exhibit was in St. Louis, I learned that the family signed for him.  I thought those signatures looked too perfect (they were a stamp)!  When I began doing my colored pencil work and framing them for the gallery I signed my whole name:

                           
                                                  Three In A Jar 6 x 6 Buy this painting on Etsy

Lately, I've been playing around with my signature.  I looked at a lot of other artists - wow, what an array of styles!  Initials only, last name only, first name only, you name it (sorry for that).  I thought about a qr code:

                                                 
How cool would that be?  But I finally decided on using my initials:

                                                 Blue Butterfly 8 x 8 Buy this painting on Etsy

How do you sign your name?

Best Free Art Exhibit Spaces You Haven't Thought Of

I just installed ten of my colored pencil art paintings at a local library, the St. Louis county library Daniel Boone Branch. for the month of April.  They were super nice and I love how my art looks among the book shelves!  The Greater St. Louis Artist Association has many opportunities for juried members to display their work in a variety of venues.

Call your local library to find out whether or not you can display your art - sometimes there is a waiting list, but they're very happy to have your work.

Last year I had an exhibit of my work at a local nursing home, Brooking Park.  This was also for one month.  The residents enjoyed seeing original art.  Many visitors came through the show as well as staff members - all potential buyers!  I was able to leave business cards and information about my custom house portraits.

I displayed my paintings in a local coffee shop for a month.  Unfortunately this one wasn't satisfactory for me - the owner took my paintings off the walls to put up another artist's work without telling me.  My paintings were sitting on a back shelf with the coffee for two weeks.  Ugh.  I still think this is a great idea, though.  I'm looking for a little restaurant or cafe next time.

I just heard an idea about showing art in a home - creating a private exhibit - on the Artists Helping Artists radio show with Leslie Saeta.  Sounds like fun, maybe wine and cheese?

So...think outside your art exhibit box...

Sold!

                                             ACEO  "Two Cherries"  Susie Tenzer on Etsy

Underpainting: Get Your Glow On

I love using an underpainting. Sometimes I use a yellow wash of colored pencil before layering other colors.  Here's an example of a recent painting of green apples which I began with yellow:

Apple Juice, 11 x 12 

See how the yellow shines through the layers of color to create a glow?  I've used this method with other colors as well.  If I'm not sure whether or not it will work (or look good after a lot of layers) I use a scrap piece of paper to work out the order of the colors.  I write down the names of each color so I'll remember what I did in case I stop and come back to it the next day.  Give it a try, I think you'll like this technique.

I want to thank the folks at the Greater St. Louis Art Association for having me present a workshop this past week.  It was a pleasure to speak to his talented group of artists.  I gave them my top tips for selling online as well as some of my favorite colored pencil techniques.  If you're in the St. Louis area check out their juried Art Fair at Queeny Park, March 30 - April 1

Blue Butterfly And Other Things

I went to the Missouri botanical garden's butterfly house last week because it's March Morpho month.  They had 3000 blue Morpho butterflies!  It really was spectacular, they were everywhere.  I had a hard time taking photos of them - none wanted to land for the perfect shot.  I did manage to get enough photos to begin a new painting filled with shadow, light and bold color:

Busy month, actually.  I'm getting ready to give a workshop on colored pencil technique to the Greater St. Louis Art Association this week.  I'm getting some pieces ready to hang at the Daniel Boone Library in Ellisville, MO. for the month of April.  One of my favorite paintings, Dancing Peppers was accepted into the Art St. Louis exhibit "Food Glorious Food":

I don't want to forget to show you my dining room!

 It's finished and I love it.  Don't mind the paint cans.

Painting Inside And Outside The House

I spent the weekend painting inside and outside the house.  I saw this lovely dining room on Houzz:

So I decided to do it in my dining room.  Wood Icing Gallery, where I sell my colored pencil paintings, also sells wood refinishing products.  I decided to use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint.  Everything I've heard about it is true, I didn't sand or prime (I did wipe it down, but that just took a minute).  I did the first coat in about an hour.

I'm on to the second coat today, then the wax.  I'll show you the finished dining room next week.

I also did a house portrait, a lovely home with spring plantings.  I enjoy doing these house portraits!  If you're interested in having one done of your house or a special place (maybe the church where you were married or the your childhood school), you can order one here:

                                Custom House Portrait 5 x 7 $170 8 x 10 $250 But It On Etsy

Playing With Paintings And Children

Ahhh...the sound of silence.  I love my grandchildren, don't get me wrong, but after a week of preschoolers, I'm happy about my silent house.  My two grandsons from Seattle visited over the Martin Luther King holiday (no school) and when they returned home, it snowed (no school again).  My daughter turned her house into a mini art studio!  They painted on the glass patio doors and made cookie crayons.  So adorable!  I think they had a great time playing with art.
Meanwhile, I'm playing with my own painting.  Awhile back I took a lot of photos of ducks and koi fish at the Missouri Botanical Garden, so I had one enlarged.  I usually try to take excellent photos and pretty much draw what I see.  This time, though, I'm changing things around because the photo is awful and I think I can do better.  I cropped it so it will be 10" X 10".  I'm kind of into the square format lately.  I want the water to be grayish blue (not yucky green).  I'll make one bright orange fish as the focal point.  The two ducks are Mallards, but I'm making them male (mating season) so they have more color.  I found some nice reference photos online so I can get the colors right.

                                        I'm using my photo (above).  Here's my drawing (below)

                                             

I tend to work all around the paper, doing some background, then some of the focal point, adjusting values along the way.  So far, I've done a bit of the upper left corner of the water, with some of the orange fish.  I've laid in some blueish green for the Mallard's distinctive head.  Back and forth it goes.  What's your process?  I'm off to check my inbox, maybe there are more photos of my grandkids playing with art...