Get by with a little help from…
January 29, 2008
The week before last I finally made it back to life-drawing. Long ago I was a “regular” and I had become fairly comfortable with the drawing process. This time I found myself asking, “What the heck am I doing here?!”
Thankfully, a few friendly voices came to the rescue. (No, I don’t normally hear voices!) I heard Cheng-Khee Chee remind me to find the centerline of the subject and make sure I could fit everything I wanted on to the page. Craig Nelson’s voice told me to plot the basic shapes, measure distances and edges while getting the gesture correct. David N. Kitler’s voice reminded me to draw in circles and use his “hands of the clock” metaphor to accurately plot angles. Then I heard a chorus of voices say something about planning my value pattern (James, Mehaffey, Salminen, Das), and finally Jan Kunz reminded me to look for reflected light (thanks, Mom!).
Somewhere in all that I was exaggerating, simplifying and making it my own. For my first effort in a very long time, “we” did pretty well, and I had fun. Did I just hear a collective sigh of relief?
Thanks everyone!
~ Lynn
Free On Line Art Show
Here’s some great reasons to enter the show:
- It’s free,
- DVD certificates are awarded to top winners,
- By entering you can ask the juror to critique your work, and
- It’s a great way to show other artists what you’re doing!
It’s a win-win.
MIXING IT UP
January 21, 2008
We were wrapping up development of the Gloria Page workshop right before Christmas, and I had the pleasure to view and review the project several times! Gloria inspired me to give it a shot! I have had very little experience in the craft arts, but I decided to make gifts for a group of women friends with whom I exchange gifts. As long as I was at it, I decided I might as well try combining some of the techniques I had seen in some of our other workshops … in for a penny….
I purchased inexpensive note booklets, the kind with brown tag board covers. Using a hand carved leaf stamp, I used a burnt sienna colored stamp pad and stamped the covers with a repeated leaf pattern. Over that I spread clear gel medium, and into that I again stamped a leaf pattern. After the gel dried, I brushed the textured surface with a thinned wash of fluid acrylic paint which settled into the depressions more heavily. Much to my amazement, things were looking pretty good! Of course, everything looks better during the holidays with a touch of metallic paint. Soon the booklet/journals looked very different from the original booklet and the covers felt “leathery”. As Gloria would say, “How cool is that?!”
I was proud to give these to my friends and I think they liked them! In truth, the gift I gave was to myself. Sad comment, but it was the closest thing to “play” I’ve done in awhile and I had a great time! In addition, the project could be sectioned into manageable parts which I was able to sandwich between work, shipping, cooking and the many other holiday activities. There is a lot to be said for the craft arts! I just might be hooked.
~Lynn~
ART STAMPING INNOVATIONS with Gloria Page
January 21, 2008
Get ready to have Art Stamping become your new favorite medium! Expressive, innovative and very practical, art stamping can be everything from a simple gift tag to an elegant full page design. Paper, cloth, polymer clay… it’s all within reach!
Gloria Page shows you all you need to know to get off to an exciting start or push your ’stamping’ to a new level of creativity. She gives an overview of the possibilities of art stamping and an inspiring closer look at some very creative applications of the medium. Gloria discusses traditional and innovative carving surfaces, and the benefits of each. She demonstrates the best carving technique for accuracy and safety. She reviews inks and embossing products and shows how they vary when used on a different surfaces. You learn specific techniques such as bleaching and image transfers, and Gloria shows you design examples you can try at home. She even shows several methods to transfer images to express your personal style. Additionally, you learn applications for mixed media. Finally, Gloria demonstrates projects that are easy to make and look fantastic.
Gloria’s enthusiasm and great ideas are absolutely contagious. The workshop is fun, creative and stimulating. It will inspire your own design combinations and you will find yourself using your paper, acrylic textures, quilt embellishments, assemblages and collage pieces in new and innovative ways.
The DVD workshop includes a printable list of supplies to help you find these materials easily. And it includes instructions and a pattern for folding the traditional Masu Box.
This DVD workshop is 2 hours in length plus a gallery of Gloria’s work.
The Invisible SNARE
January 15, 2008
The allure of selling is both ego-boosting and economically reinforcing! If successful, the artist faces some less obvious consequences. Buyers and galleries expect consistency. This pressure has kept many artists from deviating from what they know sells. In the “long haul” it can thwart creative expression.
Part of what inspires me about Virginia Cobb is her dedication to personal growth. Although she “sells well” (she is the first to acknowledge that she is lucky on that score), she does not let “what is expected of her” keep her from changing and experimenting. She must first make herself happy, all else is secondary.
This conundrum will be or has been faced by many in the visual arts whether they know it or not. The “money” might be praise from a friend, critique group or spouse. We let THEM tell us what they think works. We need to consider our own motives in the mix of motivations.
I am not a snob where “motive” is involved. Painting to make someone else happy is valid and can be very rewarding, graphic designers and illustrators do that all the time. What I’m saying is you can save yourself a lot of consternation when you make that decision consciously. Think about who you are painting for and why. When you’ve answered that question, many other things will fall into place.
Here is an extended quote from Virginia:
“People ask me of a painting ‘what is it about’, but a painting is not about something or necessarily of something…it IS something. It must stand on its own without words to explain it or it has not succeeded. I want my paintings to make people ask questions of themselves, not of me… to respond in some way to the image.”
We are the luckiest of all people… we create our own stage and the set, we are the actors and the audience, the story is ours. Painting is an act of faith, it requires us to believe in our ideas and thoughts and choices. Far safer to walk along the shore of what has already been done, but if you have the courage to step out onto the clear surface of the unknown the possibilities are unlimited. Every painting is about that.”
~Lynn ~
VIRGINIA COBB DVD workshop is here!
We are delighted to offer another NEW Creative Catalyst Productions workshop. You can now Pre-Order! Virginia Cobb’s ACRYLIC ABSTRACT PAINTING: The Evolving Image.
You will find this a bit different from the standard ‘how to’ workshop. In this workshop Virginia demonstrates the PROCESS or APPROACH to problem solving she uses to make her paintings a personal statement. Virginia paints three paintings, each based on a different element of design: form, line and texture. Her “no holds barred” handling of the media is eye opening! She does whatever it takes to achieve her goal; a satisfying end result. Virginia’s process keeps painting interesting, challenging and a growth experience. She intentionally “pushes the envelope”. Much of her thinking is expressed in the 37 minute interview, also included in this DVD workshop.
I found this workshop to be one of the more thought-provoking and inspiring of any we have filmed. I caution everyone, this it is NOT for the beginner who is content to struggle with technique alone. However, it IS perfect for any artist who is looking for a way to think about design, artists who are ready to be challenged, and acrylic painters who wonder how to achieve texture, depth and mystery in non-objective work. It’s a “must see” for non-objective painters and collage artists of any media…. in my humble opinion.
The workshop is 1 hour and 44 minutes plus the interview.
THE INDUSTRY OF ‘MIND’
January 8, 2008
I’d like to begin 2008 by cleaning up still another ‘typo’…. well not exactly. It is what happens when one relies too much on spell check. In my last article I was saying that successful artist’s asses their paintings continually… and the spelling ‘assess’ somehow slipped past all the proof readers… okay, Jim (Susan did not get to proof read this one). I received some cute notes from a few of you, but I hope I didn’t offend anyone. It was an innocent mistake. Now, on to a new year….
Sir Joshua Reynold’s DISCOURSES ON ART covers an interesting variety of subjects regarding art. Some feel outdated while others are as true today as they have ever been. One comment of his brought to mind a comment made by Virginia Cobb. Reynolds says, ‘I wish you to be persuaded, that success in your art depends almost entirely on your own industry: but the industry which I principally recommend is not the industry of the hands, but of the mind.”
One way to get a ‘mind’ fully engaged also helps clean up loose ends… which is coincidently one of my New Year’s resolutions. That is to FINISH MY PAINTINGS! I have a stack of less than satisfactory attempts where frustration got the upper hand. I quit before resolving the problem that drove me away.
As Virginia Cobb would say; use those going-no-where paintings as a learning opportunity. Put MIND to work. Think of your options or try something completely new. Learn what works and what does not by TRYING IT. Either way, you come out ahead. Either you’ve improved the painting and learned something or tried something new and learned that it doesn’t work. You are now able to toss out the painting, making room for a new effort. In any case, it’s a win-win!
Virginia goes on to say, “Why is it only in watercolor that there is so much pressure to have every painting be successful? Where does learning take place if not in the trying of something new? If you never take risks, how do you find out what the possibilities are?”
~ Lynn
A new title at Creative Catalyst: Jane Paul Angelhart’s WATERCOLOR PORTRAIT
January 8, 2008
We are pleased to add add a NEW DVD Workshop to our “From Other Production Company’s” list, THE WATERCOLOR PORTRAIT by Jane Paul Angelhart (portrait of a young boy).
Her approach to watercolor portraiture is paced and cautious. Her goal is to achieve a likeness of her subject; a small boy that is vibrant, clean and transparent. The workshop is divided into four sections.
1) You begin with the introduction which also acts as a gallery of her work.
2) She reviews materials.
3) Presents an exercise to help you become familiar with your pigments.
4) Finally, you join Jane in the main body of the workshop. The image is already drawn on the paper. After a quick discussion on how she uses a computer to enlarge her reference photo to show more information, Jane begins by painting the child’s features.
Jane uses what she refers to as “circus colors”. Collectively the colors make an energetic portrait, perfect for her young subject. Jane tackles small areas in an unhurried manner. You have a very clear view of every move she makes and there are frequent insets of the subject photo. The DVD is 98 min. in length.
Creative Catalyst Newsletter January 7, 2008
A new title at Creative Catalyst: Jane Paul Angelhart’s WATERCOLOR PORTRAIT
We are pleased to add add a NEW DVD Workshop to our “From Other Production Company’s” list, THE WATERCOLOR PORTRAIT by Jane Paul Angelhart (portrait of a young boy).
Her approach to watercolor portraiture is paced and cautious. Her goal is to achieve a likeness of her subject; a small boy that is vibrant, clean and transparent. The workshop is divided into four sections.
1) You begin with the introduction which also acts as a gallery of her work.
2) She reviews materials.
3) Presents an exercise to help you become familiar with your pigments.
4) Finally, you join Jane in the main body of the workshop. The image is already drawn on the paper. After a quick discussion on how she uses a computer to enlarge her reference photo to show more information, Jane begins by painting the child’s features.
Jane uses what she refers to as “circus colors”. Collectively the colors make an energetic portrait, perfect for her young subject. Jane tackles small areas in an unhurried manner. You have a very clear view of every move she makes and there are frequent insets of the subject photo. The DVD is 98 min. in length.
Notes from the crew:
We know it’s been awhile since a new release has come out, but that will soon change. We have a very exciting line-up in 2008, plus new features on the CCP site. Stay tuned!
THE INDUSTRY OF ‘MIND’
I’d like to begin 2008 by cleaning up still another ‘typo’…. well not exactly. It is what happens when one relies too much on spell check. In my last article I was saying that successful artist’s asses their paintings continually… and the spelling ‘assess’ somehow slipped past all the proof readers… okay, Jim (Susan did not get to proof read this one). I received some cute notes from a few of you, but I hope I didn’t offend anyone. It was an innocent mistake. Now, on to a new year….
Sir Joshua Reynold’s DISCOURSES ON ART covers an interesting variety of subjects regarding art. Some feel outdated while others are as true today as they have ever been. One comment of his brought to mind a comment made by Virginia Cobb. Reynolds says, ‘I wish you to be persuaded, that success in your art depends almost entirely on your own industry: but the industry which I principally recommend is not the industry of the hands, but of the mind.”
One way to get a ‘mind’ fully engaged also helps clean up loose ends… which is coincidently one of my New Year’s resolutions. That is to FINISH MY PAINTINGS! I have a stack of less than satisfactory attempts where frustration got the upper hand. I quit before resolving the problem that drove me away.
As Virginia Cobb would say; use those going-no-where paintings as a learning opportunity. Put MIND to work. Think of your options or try something completely new. Learn what works and what does not by TRYING IT. Either way, you come out ahead. Either you’ve improved the painting and learned something or tried something new and learned that it doesn’t work. You are now able to toss out the painting, making room for a new effort. In any case, it’s a win-win!
Virginia goes on to say, “Why is it only in watercolor that there is so much pressure to have every painting be successful? Where does learning take place if not in the trying of something new? If you never take risks, how do you find out what the possibilities are?”
~ Lynn Powers
More from Lynn in the CCP BLOG
Rolling Out New Flash Previews
We began offering previews / trailers of all of our workshops years ago. In order to give all computer users access, we encoded these in two formats: QuickTime & Windows Media.
We are now rolling out a single preview system using Flash so that you can play them on your PC or Mac. At this time, you will find the “Flash Previews” on many of the DVD pages. A few are listed below.
We invite you to help test the new system by trying a few of the Flash Previews and let us know how you like Flash compared to the QuickTime or Windows Media versions (which you will still find on our Previews page). Be honest, your comments will help us develop a more user-friendly site.
Below are a few Flash Previews links to get you started. You will find more on our site. Click a link below and then the “Play Video Clip” button you see. Thank you for your help!
Claudine Hellmuth
Cheng-Khee Chee
John Salminen
Traci Bautista
-Jim Powers-
In This Issue
Please share your painting/drawing/art resolutions! Perhaps we can help one another stay focused… at least through January!
Acrylic artist Toni Young wrote to share her tip. Instead of tossing out old phone books, use their many pages as a place to wipe off your brush in clean up. Collage artists may find they have created new raw mate rial for another college. It works for oil artists as well.
Thanks Toni!
I got a quick question from Frank V. regarding mixing brands of paint in watercolor.
In watercolor, it’s fine to mix brands of paint. The important thing is to know exactly what to expect from any pigment you have on your palette. Many artists have told us they ‘live with a pigment’ for a while before they make a decision to make it part of their permanent palette, or toss it out. They save a few paint wells in their palette for just that purpose!
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