Behind door number 2?

"A Delicate Balance" 

by Scott Powers 

Copyright 2013 Scott Powers

While I was in Idaho last month at Scott Christensen's Workshop, as we came back from painting cottonwood trees, we stopped in this little tiny town to visit another artist's studio.  As we approached the door of this old worn building, Scott said something about "Scotty's Studio".  The  old wooden and stone weathered building was taller in front and sloped down to one story.  There was only small narrow horizontal windows in the front at street level- just the kind you expected to see lots of cobwebs in.  It would be perfect as a building that no one had lived in for a very long time.

The door was opened by "Scotty" and once I saw the art work I knew I was meeting another Rock Star of the art work- Scott Powers.  As 17 of us descended on his studio he was very welcoming.   He was working on "A Delicate Balance" while we were there.  He told us that he had recently decided to rework it.  After some cajoling he showed an iphone picture of it before he started to rework it.  With the exception of Scott Christensen probably, I think every other artist in the room would  have been jumping up and down with joy if they had painted something like that.  However when we looked at it versus the reworked version, you could see just how much better the reworked version was.  Part of being a rock star is not settling for good or wonderful but realizing there is a great and working toward it. 

Coming from Scott Christensen's very neat, spare and well lit studio to Scott Power's cluttered with interesting things everywhere and dark studio with just the painting area well lit was a contrast in the different environments artists' chose to work in.  I'm always fascinated to see pictures of famous artists' studios and palettes.  They both had full bookshelves or piles of books on the floor.  I could have spend days (weeks) just looking through them.

View of Scott's palette.  

We asked him about the big piles of old paint on his palettee- he said they were memories.  He could look at the pile and remember that color on that part of a particular painting.  Just how cool is that!

This is the link to Scott's website.  Hopefully it will inspire you to stretch even further to great!
Scott Power's website

And to all the artists who open their studios and let other people ask questions- Thanks for sharing a little of your art, process, and space!

How Artists are like Golfers... or Golfers are like Artists

Quiet Winter Night 

by Scott Christensen

copyright Scott Christensen

 There are a lot of amateur golfers who play every weekend and who golf plays an important role in their lives.  About the time they are ready to throw in the "club", they will hit a great shot.  That great shot keeps them going for quite awhile.

According to one site there is 61.1 million golfers in the world (and that was of 2003!)  Number of golfers in the world

There are a great many professional golfers that you and I never hear about it.  300,000 Professional Golfers

Then there are the handful of professional golfers who we all know their names- Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Nancy Lopez, ...   So how many of them are there?  less than 25, less than 10?

The degree of excellence in the game increases with each classification.  Their compensation and mystic increases from the amateur, to  professional, to the top of the game.

Artists in the world

Artists are in a similar situation.  There are 4.4 Million artists in the world.  Those artists can struggle and just when they are ready to turn in their paint brushes, they will paint a beautiful passage or a painting will come together almost effortlessly.

There are 600,000 professional artist in the world.  If you are someone who is interested in today's artists you would know some of their names.  But if art is not one of your main interests you probably do not know their names.

There is a much smaller group of artists that are household names.  And if you only consider live  2-D artists the group will be very, very small.)  The mystic of that much smaller group is similar between the golf and art communities.

At the being of June I took a class from of one of the "Tiger Woods" of landscaping painting- Scott Christensen.  It was incredibly intimating to even think about taking a class from someone with his expertise.  The class consisted of a broad range of experience from some who had never painted to people who were mature in their art careers.  Scott was very approachable- willing to answer any questions we had, talk philosophy, talk technique, do demonstration paintings, and critique our work.  Painting outside for 7 days in a row was something I had never done before and would love to figure out how to do on a regular basis.  The last day of the workshop Scott told each of us in the class what he thought we, individually, needed to work on to take our art to the next level.    It was a wonderful experience.

So if you have a chance to play with the "Tiger Woods" in your field - go for it.  It could be an opportunity like no other.

If you want to learn more about Scott Christensen, Brian Nehr did a great article on Scoot, his background, and techniques.

Brian Neher's blog post on Scott Christensen

HIgh Key, Low Key, Soprano, Bass

There are many similarities between various art forms.  Music and painting/drawing have similarities in a couple of ways.

Each singer has a vocal range that is the lowest note the singer can sing to the highest note.  In a choir singers are divided up based mainly on this range.  So for women the categories are soprano, and alto  with soprano being higher range and alto being lower.  For male voices the categories are tenor and bass with tenor being a higher range than bass.  In opera or professional choirs the female and male voices may be divided into more categories.

Anyone who has every played in a band also knows about ranges - soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones

I am a lousy singer which is why I was in the band in junior high and high school- and yes I played sax.  So I'm on dangerous ground talking about voice ranges.

Understanding Vocal Range  has lots of great information on voice ranges and classifications if you are interested in learning more.

So let's make the connection with painting and drawing- we are going to go back to values.

Painter's sometimes refer to a painting based in higher values as high key and one's based in lower values as low key.  So just as voices or instruments have ranges with associated names, so do paintings or drawings- both of which are based being predominately higher or lower.

"Dancer" by Edgar Degas
Pastel on paper

This painting by Degas is an example of a high key painting.  There are no really dark darks.

This painting by Edward Gorey  is an example of a low key painting.  Although there are a few  highlights that are light, the painting is predominately in the darker values.

"Mile Becat at the Cafe des Ambassadeurs, Paris" by  Edgar Degas

However if we go to this painting, again by Degas, you can see that it covers the range of values of lights to darks  with fairly similar amounts of darks and lights.  This painting wouldn't be described as either a high key or low key.

There are other similarities between music and painting that I'll cover in the future.

In the meantime look at the paintings in your house or your favorite paintings - do you gravitate to high key or low key paintings?  Post an example of one of them.

Dana Brown- Artist of the Month

All art in this blog post is by Dana Brown 

(copyright by Dana Brown)

I'm pleased to introduce you to my artist of the month- Dana Brown.  I first heard of Dana as some one who started out taking classes from one of my instructors and gone on to be in major art magazines and shows.   I've  since gotten to meet her - she is a great artist, neat person, and wonderful friend to furry creatures.  

Twice a year Huntsville has a gallery tour when local artists open their studios for people to come visit.  When I went by Dana's studio during Gallery Tour, I was greeted by a room full of people walking around with cats/kittens looking at great art.  As people came in they were offered a cat/kitten to pet.  I'm pretty sure she was hoping for people to adopt the cats and kittens and buy art- a cool combination.  Fortunately I made it out without a new pet but did end up about 9 months later with a painting I first saw in her studio that night.

Today is also Dana's birthday.  So help me wish her a Happy Birthday!

 How did you get started painting?

I’ve always drawn and painted, as long as I can remember.  I always planned to be an artist and it was the only thing I was interested in.  I attended college, taking night classes, and art classes weren’t offered in the evenings.  So, I drifted toward doing things on my own that were affordable – always creating something whether it was sewing clothes, quilting, drawing.  When my children were in elementary school, I became a daily painter again

 What inspires you?

I’m inspired by the need to use my hands.  And color.  It’s very simple.  I look at the world in search of subjects and I’m inspired by great work by other artists.  But truly, the driving force is my need to make something.

Describe your techniques, favorite paint color,  and/or favorite thing in your studio?

I’m currently working in encaustic, painting with layers of encaustic medium (beeswax and damar resin).  My work is always layered with emphasis on warm and cool colors, and the interplay between them. 

Copyright Dana Brown

What’s the one thing you wished you know starting out or had learned sooner?

That’s a hard question.  I try to not hold myself responsible for decisions that were made with the limited knowledge I had at that time.  I wish I had persevered and gotten a formal art education but truly, I would have landed in a teaching job and might have made totally different decisions later about being a free lance artist.  I encourage young people to get a formal art education but I caution them to hang on to their love of art and their vision of themselves as an artist.

 If you could spend the day with any artist living or dead, who would it be and why?

I’d love to spend the day with Jasper Johns – but I know I’d lack the courage to ask him the questions I want to know.  And I would never take a day from a working artist.  Time is so precious and their gift of time to me wouldn’t be a good investment for them.  In fantasy, watching him work would be a gift, no doubt.

Copyright Dana Brown

The question that is usually expensive for me- What is your favorite art book or DVD and why?

Art and Fear always pops to mind when I think about art books.  I read it at the right moment and it influenced me greatly.  When I reread it now, I find I’ve totally internalized so many of the concepts in the book – to the point that I think they are my own ideas.

I enjoy  books that help me overcome my own insecurities and lack of confidence.  Ideas that get to the root of why we make art and simplify it -- those are the books that serve me best .

Copyright Dana Brown

Where can we see your art- galleries, website, etc.?

Currently:

www.danabrown.net

River Gallery

Blue Spiral Gallery

Huntsville Museum of Art

The artist featured this month is Pamela Blaies. All of the art work feature in this post is hers. This year I had the pleasure of purchasing one of her following works:

"Three-for-Tea" by Pamela Blaies

copyright of the artist

How did you get started painting?

I discovered my passion for painting soon after starting a family. My small children were sad about their recent move, so to lift their spirits I began to create murals on their bedroom walls. I found myself anticipating each morning filled with painting. Compelled to explore this newly discovered part of her, I began to experiment with painting on canvas. These first steps were just the beginning of my lifelong commitment to the pursuit of painting.

What inspires you?

I love to paint from life. Being right there in the moment and seeing what you might not think you would see. I am inspired by the effects of light and shadow in the world around me. Light flowing through colored glass, Reflections on metal and ceramic objects – those types of light effects are intriguing to me. Backlighting is especially fun for me when doing oranges and grapes, because I love the colors light produces through the fruit.

Describe your techniques, favorite paint color, and/or favorite thing in your studio.

I use the alla prima technique. With alla prima painting, a work is completed while the paint is still wet. Using this wet-on-wet technique, I often employ thin, transparent washes along with impasto texture which add depth and interest to my paintings. The time limitation of this technique motivates an energetic pace to my work and helps to keep my inspiration fresh.

Black paint is not part of my palette. I use color mixes and complements for shadows and lowering color intensity. My limited color palette offers a virtually infinite color range and helps me to organically achieve color harmony. Right now, my palette includes: titanium white, Cad Yellow Medium (sometimes Cad Yellow Light) either Quinacronone Red or Alizarin Crimson (depending on the subject,) Cad Red Light, Burnt Sienna, Raw Umber, Sap Green, Cobalt Blue and French ultramarine Blue.

My studio was just constructed in September of 2012, so it still feels new to me . I love my studio! It feels like a refuge – no computer, almost like the outside doesn’t exist. It is a very comforting and inspiring place for me to work. My favorite thing in my studio would probably be my sound system. I can create whatever mood I want for the day.

"Time for Tea"by Pamela Blaies

copyright of the artist

What’s the one thing you wished you know starting out or had learned sooner?

Since I started painting a little later in life, regret is something I try not to think about. I see artists that started out young and I sometimes think about how much farther along I could be if I had started painting ten or twenty years earlier. But, I realize that is not productive thinking. If I had gone on another path in life than the one I’ve taken, I wouldn’t be who I am today. So, I focus on enjoying today and making the most of the gifts and blessings I have been given.


If you could spend the day with any artist living or dead, who would it be and why?
Wow, that’s a tough one. But if I had to choose one, I would definitely say John Singer Sargent. I’ve heard others say his brushwork wasn’t pretty, but that is exactly what draws me to him. I would LOVE to have sat and watched him paint! If you had asked for the second artist it would be Richard Schmid. I don’t know – maybe it’s a tie???

The question that is usually expensive for me- What is your favorite art book or DVD and why?

The number one book would be Alla Prima by Richard Schmid. Thinking about it right now, I should probably read it again. I am reading a book right now by John Carlson: Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Painting. It is about landscapes, but is chock full of great information and instruction! He makes me want to paint the landscape! I also have several of Daniel Keys videos – he is also amazing and I have picked up so much from his videos! He also gives a lot of practical ideas for canvas choices and brush care.

Where can we see your art- galleries, website, etc.?

My website: http://pamelablaies.com/works

Physical Galleries: Dallas, Texas at the Dutch Art Gallery and in Georgetown, Texas at Stinger Studio

Online at www.ugallery.com, www.dailypaintworks.com

I also have about 6-10 exhibits throughout the year in and around Texas. I post my upcoming events on my website http://pamelablaies.com/events

"Early Spring Bouquet"by Pamela Blaies

copyright of the artist

You can also check out her latest you tube video at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWh-_ov_PzU

Anything else you want to share?

Thank you for taking the time to interview me! What a treat to be included as one of your artists of the month!

Watercolor Society of Alabama hosts the 72nd National Watercolor Exhibition

The exhibition contains 110 paintings from artists from 20 states.  The juror for the exhibition was Richard Stephens of Hot Springs, Arkansas.  I don't relish his job.  I didn't come up with a single painting that was in my mind the best in show.  Instead I  found several that were incredible, with a wide variety of subject matter and technique. (So please don't ask me to pick!)

Gwendolyn Bragg- Autumn Dogwood II

(copyright of the artist)

Johanna Littleton- Esfahan Remembered

(copyright of the artist)

Dean Mitchell- Reservation Wall

(copyright of the artist)

In this exhibit, there were several powerful portraits.  Again in very different styles and highlighting different emotions.

Dashuai Sun- My Friend

(copyright of the artist)

This painting is much more powerful in real life.

Kathleen Durdin- Nefertiti Shopping

(copyright of the artist)

Terri Shows- Injured

(copyright of the artist)

Jean Seymour- Pontificator

(copyright of the artist)

Link to the Exhibition website

The Exhibit is at the Hartselle Fine Arts Center  and runs from April 7th through May 26.  Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday 9 am- 5pm, Saturday 10am-2pm and Sunday 1-4 pm.     (Hartselle is just south of Decatur)

If you can make time to see this show, its worth the effort!

American Watercolor Society Traveling Show- 2012

A few posts ago I talked about one of the smaller gems of museums that we are fortunate to have.  There is another one that has recently gotten a total transformation into a beautiful restored house and gallery space.  The Tullahoma Fine Arts Center, located at 401 S. Jackson St. in Tullahoma Tennessee is one of only 7 galleries to have the traveling show of the American Watercolor Society.

The show is a wonderful mix of traditional and abstract watercolors.

It was easy to pick my first choice.

Market Street by John Salminen

 (copyright of the artist)

The way he created the texture in the background buildings and lacy tree branches is incredible.

After that it was much harder.

In terms of telling a story,

Lost and Found by Daniel Vangeli

(copyright of the artist)

is the painting in the show.    You can create your version of the story.

Another painting that I thought was particularly wonderful is 

Morning Gallop by Joseph Zbukvic

(copyright of the artist)

You can almost feel that mud getting kicked up.  This painting is right as you come up the stairs.  So you just might miss it.

Lastly is one that highlights the traditional  transparency wonderfulness of watercolors.  

Connected by Shadows by Irena Roman

(copyright of the artist)

Although these are my four favorites each of the paintings in the show has merits.  Unfortunately the show is only in Tullahoma for another week, through May 11, 2013.

The Tullahoma Art Center hours are Tuesday through Saturday 12:00-4:00.  I hope you get a chance to see this great show.

The Captiviting Armor of John Petrey at the Tennessee Valley Art Museum

Genevieve by John Petrey

Tennessee and Alabama have some wonderful art museums- some large and well known, others small and tucked away.  I am amazed at the quality of exhibits some of the smaller art museums have.

The other Sunday afternoon a friend and I went to the Tennessee Valley Art Museum in Tuscumbia, Alabama.  I had gotten an postcard announcing a new exhibit and it seemed to fantastic to pass up.  We were fortunate to be there when the  Stephanie Qualls, the Curator of Exhibitions was working.  She gave us a wonderful tour with interesting facts about the artist and his work.

John Petrey, a Chattanooga artist, works in found and repurposed materials to create fabulous sculptured metal dresses.  Genevieve is a stunning dress made from copper that for the bottom and train is cut into leaves with a red patina.  The copper shows through the patina looking like veins in the leaves.

Carina is a dress made from aged steel rod, wire and vintage ceiling tiles.  The dress is 54"x33"x12" that hangs from a hanger.  Think Tim Burton movies and you'll get the idea.

There are small dresses some made from bottle caps, others from the nails with the plastic disks that roofers use to nail on the tar paper.  Lainey is 27" x 15"x 16" and is made from embossed aluminum and red bottle caps.  There was a Japanese feel to this dress but  it also reminded me of Rosie from the Jetsons.  Another one reminded me of Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz or one of the Mom's from that certain era of TV when the women of the house where all dress impeccable with peter pan collars and pearls.  However that dress was made from roofing nails with blue discs and metal ovals.

Melissa by John Petrey

Video about John Petrey and his work.

The exhibition, “John Petrey: Captivating Armor,” is open through Friday, May 10. Hours at the museum, 511 N. Water St., Tuscumbia, are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and 1-3 p.m. Sundays. Admission to the exhibition is $5 adults, $3 students, free to museum members and free on Sundays.

Artwork in this post is the copyright of John Petrey.

Robert A. Johnson- On Becoming a Painter

In case you haven't figured it out, I'm a book-aholic.  Its been pointed out to me that all chairs in my house (with the exception of the kitchen chairs- sometimes!) have a pile of books and magazines next to them.  Never want to be to far from reading material and never have enough time to read as much as I would like.

Today I want to highlight an art book that is both a book for an artist in terms of philosophy and a book for anyone who enjoys looking at beautiful art.  The book is Robert A. Johnson's On Becoming a Painter.

Robert A. Johnson is a member of the Oil Painters of American and Allied Artists of American.  He has won numerous awards and is represented by several galleries.  He has the credentials to talk about art philosophy. The book is 222 pages with 100 color images- several of them close up of brush strokes in larger paintings.   As with most books full of luscious color images it is not inexpensive.  The copyright is 2001. The forward is written by Senator John Warner of Virginia who has been one of Johnson's students.

The book is available on Amazon.  It may be available from your local library or art organization.  I have my art book collection out on Goodreads and if you live in or around Huntsville I'll be glad to loan an art book to you.

Pansies by Robert A. Johnson

14"x 18" oil painting

"While painting the vibrant, colorful pansies can be a delight- as this was- the real power of the painting comes from the high value contrast and the wide range of edges from completely lost to razor sharp."

 In this book Johnson asks and answers what is takes to become a painter like those whose works hang in Museums and whose works stand the test of time.  In his quest to become one of these type painters he is following the path of the old Masters- Vermeer, Rembrandt, etc.  To aid in this goal, he has become a copyist at one of the Washington D.C. museums.

The extreme close-ups of some of his brush work highlight how even representation art is made up of abstract shapes.

At the same time I watched "In the Studio with Robert A. Johnson- Azaleas and Oranges".  The DVD is produced by Liliedahl Video Productions.  The Liliedahl videos I have watched have been consistently high quality with good lighting, close up shots, etc.  The video is geared to artists as it takes a painting from start to finish.

Azaleas & Oranges

by Robert A. Johnson

Video Copyright 2007

Troy Crisswell - Artist of the month

Every month I am going to feature an artist whose work inspires me.  I want to learn their stories and share them with you.

The artist featured this month is Troy Crisswell-  all of the art work feature in this post is his.  In 2010 I had the pleasure of taking a workshop he taught at the Huntsville Art League.  That's when I first tried the two color value portraits featured in my last post.

I don't have one of his originals yet but I do have a copy of his book- "Thoughts on Painting".  Both the art and philosophy are very interesting.

"Self-Portrait" by Troy Crisswell

 How did you get started painting?

I first started like most people as a kid with crayons, then started again at about 10 or 12 drawing strange and hideous faces and heads with pen and ink, moved on to painting and peaked out at 18 or 19. I started again at age 26 for real, teaching myself how to do things “right”. Now, at 60,  I know there is no “right”….

What inspires you?

Mostly figures, but not necessarily.

by Troy Crisswell

Describe your techniques, favorite paint color,  and/or favorite thing in your studio.

Well, now the techniques are in my book, plus, there ever-changing…not very helpful, huh? No favorite colors – monochrome is as good as anything to me. No favorite “thing” either, but I would like a natural human skull if anybody out there has one to get rid of.

What’s the one thing you wished you know starting out or had learned sooner?  It’s the same thing – everybody is taught by parents, school and society that there is a right way to do things – anything…that’s garbage folks.

 If you could spend the day with any artist living or dead, who would it be and why?

None, really – I would probably get on their nerves, and they on mine…I admire many artists work, but not always their different quirks and personalities – mine included.

The question that is usually expensive for me- What is your favorite art book or DVD and why?

Once again – I own many art books , but no favorites – I wouldn’t lock myself into such a thing…I do like certain painters though – Rembrandt, Manet, DeChirio, Picasso/Braque Cubism, Dali, Maxfield Parrish, Winslow Homer, Hopper, and certain illustrators of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s.

Where can we see your art- galleries, website, etc.? 

 www.troycrisswell.com  

In Huntsville, I’ll be at Monte Sano Art Show in September – bring any wealthy art collector friends along.

(He also teaches a weekly class at Alabama Art Supply in Birmingham)

Check out his music video at 

Troy Crisswell

Anything else you want to share?

 Well, plenty….watch for the next book.

by Troy Crisswell