How you Look at Clouds may determine how you Paint them

"Vikeholmen Lighthouse , Skudeneshavn, Norway"  Acrylic on canvas

I once heard that unless your clouds are the center of interest, don’t paint what you see – paint what people expect and want to see clouds look like. In other words, don’t allow the clouds to “steal the show.”

I’ve had to work at clouds. Landscapes sometimes overwhelm me. I always do better focusing on portraits and close-ups of details. But I want to do better. I love to study cloud formations and enjoy their beauty.

What do you see in the shapes of clouds? I see teddy bears and turtles, and fat round babies. I see enormous faces from different places. My imagination depends on what kind of day it is.

Judy Collins saw things in the clouds around her (inspired by Joni Mitchell’s words):

“Bows and flows of angel hair and ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere, I've looked at clouds that way
But now they only block the sun they rain and snow on everyone
So many things I would have done, but clouds got in my way

I've looked at clouds from both sides now

From up and down and still somehow
It's cloud's illusions I recall
I really don't know clouds at all.”

If you want to catch Collins singing, watch this video. 

 

Is there a right and a wrong way to paint clouds? Some people think so. I did not get into a juried show once because the judge did not like my clouds. I've since tried to improve upon them.

"Beach Buddies II" 20 x 16 oil on canvas

Two different artists below show you two very different techniques. One starts with the “lights” and makes small circles, adding the darks later. The other starts with the darkest darks making odd rather than defined shapes. Both agree that the results should suggest transparency.

Tim Gagnon likes to create fluffy cumulus clouds.

Mark Waller, the artist below, believes that clouds should be made up of random shapes. Like Gagnon, he believes that paint should be applied gently and loosely. “Little circles” should come after not first, and be defined by the dark straight edged underpinnings.

"Vikeholmen Lighthouse, Skudeneshavn, Norway" a close-up view 20 x 16 acrylic on canvas

Contrast Reveals Truth and Clarifies what’s Important

Thinking back to grade school, the kids who stand out in my mind, are not the popular or good looking ones whose faces I have long since forgotten, but the ones who were different. Even in memory, I can see them clearly. Back then, I felt their pain and even imagined that I could feel their awkwardness and aloneness.

My sense of fair play demanded that I do something about it. I decided to befriend each of them in turns. I got permission from my mother to walk home with Gail to play for about an hour and then walk back home.

My parents were poor by most standards. At the time, we lived in an upstairs apartment over my grandmother’s home. My dad didn’t own a car. Each day, he walked to and from the Caterpillar Tractor store where he repaired and maintained rental machinery. In our small town, income levels were low, and most people lived simply.

Gail, on the other hand, had a house and a yard with a swing in it. Dirty gray stucco that hadn’t been painted in years gave the house a somber look. There were no flowers or shrubs. When we finally made our way inside, I was shocked at the barren rooms.

We looked through the cupboards for something to eat, but the shelves were bare. A dry piece of cake with mildew sat on the counter top. Gail’s parents were not at home and the house gave off an empty lonely vibe. There were no toys to play with except the swing outside so we ended up playing outdoors.

When I got back home our small apartment seemed like a castle. Cheerful colors welcomed me and the sound of my mother's singing while she cooked made me smile. The simple soup and bread we had for supper seemed like a feast after the barren offerings of Gail’s existence.

The contrast between our homes re-defined the word “poor” for me. Gail's home expressed a poverty of spirit and a shortage of amenities. I would never again view myself or my family as lacking in anything.

Over the next few weeks I went home with Alice, a student who had a visible disability. She was a polio victim as a toddler; as a result, her left arm and leg were shorter. Alice limped in a funny hop bounce way that made her arms bob with each step. Everyone made fun of her, except me.

She had six other brothers and sisters. It was obvious from the moment I stepped inside their large old fashioned home that she was loved. There were games, giggles, and a relaxed easy-going ambiance that made time fly. Alice’s life was already full. No wonder she was able to handle the nasty remarks from her peers. The wisecracks didn't shake her world.

Lorraine was a bed wetter who sometimes had accidents in class, especially when she was listening to a story. In the silence of the room her accidents sounded like raindrops on our wooden floor. The janitor was quietly invited to our room and mopped up without noise or distraction. The teacher (my grandfather), continued the story without dropping a beat. The intrusion went unnoticed.

Lorraine was embarrassed, of course, but she never said a word. If she could have stopped wetting her pants, she would have. Most of her classmates felt sorry for her. A few twittered and teased, but most accepted her as she was.

Diane was taller than most girls her age which made her feel ugly and conspicuous. She hunched her shoulders in a grotesque slump to make herself appear shorter. Eventually her posture became permanently cemented for life.

Diane was funny, friendly and likable. It was easy to overlook her rounded shoulders once you got to know her. I was posture conscious. My grandfather had encouraged his granddaughters to walk with books on their heads and their backs straight so Diane’s rounded stance was a constant irritant to me. Her mother never said a word about it knowing it would make her feel even more self-conscious. Her unsightly hump made me want to stand even straighter.

When you are different from others life can be cruel. My heart goes out to those children who are bullied or made fun of because they stand out.

In a painting, contrast defines and highlights the center of interest. The differences in shape, value and color makes the objects jump out at you: dark against light, round against rectangular, bright against dull. A composition becomes interesting or impressionable because of these contrasts.

It’s too bad we don’t view people in the same way. The ones who catch our eye, or are unique would be seen as beautiful rather than nonconforming or odd. The differences would be viewed in a new way; much like a highlight or an unusual shape catches our attention and pulls us into a painting.

"Raccoons at Sunrise" (the last drink before bedtime), 20 x 16 acrylic on canvas

Holiday Art – Lucrative or too Competitive?

Many artists and crafters enjoy creating gifts and cards for each season or celebration. Although sales are high for retailers and wholesalers, the competition is keen. Commercial retailers that mass produce at low prices are difficult to compete with unless the artist can duplicate originals and print them in bulk.

I've experimented, but never been drawn to this arena. Our small local art league thought we had the nearby hospital gift shop locked up for our cards, but later discovered that we were dealing with a power hungry novice pretending to have authority which she didn't.

I had produced a shoe box filled with a variety of my own cards for that appointment. Later they sat in my closet and waited for the right time to sell. All that colored ink for the printer and money for inventory. I learned that it's not wise to spend money in advance of sales. More small businesses lose money by stocking too much inventory than through any other means.

I had a friend some years back who was an avid fire truck collector and admirer. He started selling framed photographs of old firetrucks and was doing a great business for a while.

Then his ego got the better of him and he started advertising in national magazines, taking out full-page ads to display his wares. He not only could not keep up with new demand, but he had spent his capital on advertising and had none left for product or inventory. The business quickly spiraled downward.

If your overhead and advertising costs are greater than your profit, you won't be able to dig yourself out of the hole you've made for yourself.

My husband and I decided to change out our kitchen chandelier, a Tiffany-like lamp that did not match our décor. I put the light fixture on Etsy after it had been weighed. What we hadn't anticipated is the size of the box required after the lamp was secured in bubble wrap to protect it from breakage.

The cost of mailing was almost equal to the cost we had charged for the lamp less $35. Of course, our time and the gas to and from the postal station was also not included. We shipped to our loyal customer and sucked up the rest. Lesson learned!

Some buyers may demean an artist's skill and time as they quibble over price and shipping. The hours devoted to learning a skill are dismissed and the professional expertise of the artist are belittled in an attempt to haggle over price.

Once an artist’s reputation and name are well known, they have reached a point where they can produce more in less time. But this doesn't make the cost go down. The cost of professionalism goes up when the artist's work is more in demand.

Whether you decide to focus on the seasons and holidays in an effort to grow your business or not, the most important element in considering to participate or not is to figure out what it costs you for materials and shipping, and what the competition is charging. 

Undercutting may get you a sale, but does it give you a profit? If you're pushing yourself into a box in order to make a sale, it may not be worth your efforts.

"Parasailing Roseate Spoonbill"

The Unbroken Wild West Still Invites Exploration and Adventure

I grew up in what is sometimes called “The Wild West.” We went camping and traveling throughout Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Washington and Oregon. Parts of the West are still as they were when Lewis and Clark and the early pioneers traveled for the first time over this rugged terrain.

In our travels, one of my favorite places was Taos / Pueblo, New Mexico. I still have a turquoise necklace I purchased from a Native American artist for $50. I fell in love with the artist community and the prolific galleries that dotted the streets. My dream was to return to live and work there. But you know how that goes.

According to a travel guide: “Taos is art. Art is everywhere: on the walls, in the streets, in the landscape and architecture. There are more than 80 galleries, museums, two major art festivals, several film fests, a Poets and Story Tellers festival, and four music fests.”

The grandeur of the mountains invites tourists and artists in summer and fall, and skiers in winter. The history of Taos is replete with Native American lore, an actual Pueblo village, and details about famous artists such as Georgia O’Keefe, Ansel Adams, D.H. Lawrence, John Marin, Andrew Dasburg and many others.

The broad sweep of rugged hills and jagged mountains provides year round recreation that has increased both the size and scope of Taos along with a rise in the cost of living. But a visit is well worth the experience.

When the word “wild” comes to your mind what does your imagination conjure up? The word itself makes me think “feral, uncontrollable;” not a good thing if you’re trying to harness your skill to describe in words or artwork what you see. 

Writers and artists must think in images. If you can’t visualize your subject matter, you can’t describe it or illustrate it.

Wild is one of the reasons people throng to Taos. Uninhabitable spacious vistas go on and on for what seems like forever. The color, the fusion of value and space is intoxicating.

I have a love affair with deserts. Teeming with life and color in the springtime and then withering to prickly dry sagebrush and cactus through the scorching heat of summer. Tumbleweeds blow across the roadways and line fences with woody entwined growth. They roam across the desert orchestrated by the wind in a primordial gracefulness; rolling and tumbling, following least resistance.

Taos gets under your skin. The brilliant sunsets, Native American colors and sounds, the howl of a wolf or coyote, the fresh air caressing your skin, filling your lungs. Prickly cacti needle you into submission. The stalwart saguaro look almost human in the evening shadows.

This lovely verse from the Poet Society’s Jillena Rose describes it well:

Taos
by Jillena Rose

Bones are easier to find than flowers
in the desert, so I paint these:
Fine white skulls of cows and horses.

When I lie flat under the stars
in the back of the car, coyotes howling
in the scrub pines, easy to feel how those bones
are much like mine: Here is my pelvis,
like the pelvis I found today
bleached by the sun and the sand. Same
hole where the hip would go, same

white curve of bone beneath my flesh
same cradle of life, silent and still in me.

(Poem copyright ©2011 Jillena Rose all rights reserved)

Self-Taught Artists Emerge after Grueling Hard Work and Physical Pain

"Cafe Costa Rica" 20x20 acrylic on canvas (SOLD), Prints available

As a self-taught artist myself, I wanted to shine a light on the anguish and healing that many of us share in common. I’ve chosen a few artists that are famous and well-known, and a few who never got above the sad circumstances of their lives until long after their deaths.

Many artists were driven to art in the process of mending from a long-term illness or accident. Once they tasted the sweet wine of creation, they found the healing balm of discovery and newness of life. While their minds and hearts were caught up in the rapture of creativity, they forgot about self-pity and pain and unleashed it instead upon paper, wood and canvas. 

My own early beginnings happened after a painful divorce. Remarkable magic occurs when emotions travel from brain and heart through the arm, into the fingers, down the brush and onto a blank surface. Explosions of the mind keep you focused and stayed on what’s happening before your eyes. The smoothness of paint encourages experimentation and afterward, you are never the same.

Frida Kahlo was born in 1907 and died in 1954. In 1922, she entered the National Preparatory School with the intent to study medicine and medical illustration. Three years later, she was in a near-fatal bus accident, which left her with many broken bones, including her legs, ribs, back, and collarbone. While recovering from the accident, she began to paint.

In 1928, she sought out Diego Rivera, a Mexican Rivera, for advice on her works, and would later marry him. Her paintings were surrealist. She used bright colors, and often depicted Mexican folk themes. Her first one-woman art show was in New York in 1938. In 1953, she had her first solo show in Mexico. Her work began to gain more attention in the 1970s, and many of her works are displayed in her former residence. Her bright outdoor scenes and bold self-portraits continue to amuse and delight us.

(Henri Rousseau -- Fight between a tiger and a buffalo)

Henri Rousseau was a post-Impressionist painter who was born in 1844 and died in 1910. He worked for a lawyer and a toll collector to support his mother and wife. It was his job as a toll collector that would earn him the nickname "Le Douanier" (customs office.) Ridiculed during his lifetime by critics, he came to be recognized as a self-taught genius whose works are of high artistic quality.

Rousseau began to paint in his early 40's and would retire at 49 to focus on painting full-time. He taught himself by copying art displayed at the Louvre, but would go on to establish his own style of painting. His paintings are noted for their flat style and great imagination. His most famous works depict jungle scenes, though he never saw a jungle. Several of his paintings are on display at the Louvre.

Winslow Homer was an American landscape artist who was born in 1836 and died in 1910. He was mainly self-taught and spent 20 years as a commercial illustrator before taking up oil painting full-time. He would open his own studio in New York City in 1859 and started to take classes at the National Academy of Design. By this time, he was already producing a great number of works. His early paintings often depict rural farm scenes. Later paintings would display marine subjects, such as fishermen and boating. He would later become best known for his paintings with marine themes.

Riet van Halder is a Dutch housewife who began to draw and paint at the age of fifty-nine after a voice urged her to do so while she was vacuuming the house.” Her family found it strange to see her suddenly become absorbed in painting. In the Netherlands, she had easy access to a vast array of ink, paint, and other media, which she explored in her art. She preferred paint applied with a multitude of implements on a variety of high quality paper and linen. Fittingly, she used a varied color palette. Her paintings are often densely populated with swirling, free form human and animal figures, which have predominately benevolent expressions.

“Her drawings are a response to an imagined world that is revealed, dreamlike, in the act of drawing and painting.” She explained that after finishing a work she was as captured by its beauty and mystery as a first time viewer. In 2004, her ability to create was ended abruptly by chemotherapy, which she received for a melanoma on her ear.

Woodie Long grew up in a family of twelve in a racially mixed sharecropping community in Plant City, Florida. As a young man, he worked as a sharecropper and itinerant laborer. He told me that he had picked just about every crop that existed in the southeastern US. Most of his life, Long was employed as a professional contract painter. This work took him as far as Saudi Arabia, where he met his wife, Dot. Long said that there he became acquainted with the Prince, now King, while painting the Palace and other Royal buildings. Dot and Woodie subsequently traveled for a year in Southeast Asia before they settled in south Alabama to be near family.

Long began his memory paintings in 1988 while recuperating from a respiratory illness brought on by long-term exposure to oil paint. 

He was a great storyteller, and was often encouraged by family and friends to recount his own experiences. He saw his wife’s hobby watercolor set as a good way to record his memories. Long certainly knew how to handle a brush and during his career had experimented occasionally with painting figures. He told me that on jobs, he often created a large image on each wall before painting over it.

Melissa Polhamus was born in Ludwigsburg, Germany. She is the adopted daughter of a U.S. military serviceman and his wife and grew up in several different East Coast military towns. She earned a degree in history from Virginia Polytechnic University. “In 1989, she began to draw from her own imagination while recuperating from depression suffered in the wake of an automobile accident.”

Polhamus is self-taught as an artist. Her undiluted watercolor and ink drawings are characterized by intense, densely fragmented compositions. “She has described the process of creating these works as entirely spontaneous and intuitive.” They have a dreamlike narrative quality in which convoluted environments are typically inhabited by cartoonish clothed figures as they carry out various activities that are alternately mundane, mysterious, or sinister, through a labyrinth of interconnected spaces. “Her drawings often include peculiar vehicles, weaponry, musical instruments, stylized vegetation and jaggedly geometric patterns that contribute to a pervasive sense of anxiety.” They are mysteriously compelling and consistently original in style. From a distance, the palette and patterns of her work may resemble certain Mexican Folk drawings.

Thank you to the following Gallery for providing these bios and paintings:

Thrifty Aftists are Thinking Outside the Box and Reducing Costs!

(Might be messy, but it's easy clean-up and safe for toddlers --
They can even taste as they go!)

If you want to know how the economy is really doing, take a look at how artists are surviving in a climate where the buyer's focus is on necessities.

Giulia Bernardelli from Italy paints with food: the ice cream that drips from a cone is used to create mini portraits; coffee is splashed onto a sheet of paper or a canvas and imagination visualizes the scene hidden within the brown watercolor. Preconceived notions are cast aside as the artist tries to see what is there. These inexpensive materials are bringing Bernardelli recognition for the artwork’s unusual and entertaining qualities.

LINK:  Painting with Food

David Zinn, a Michigan artist is using chalk on the sidewalks and construction sites of the city to draw attention to his artwork. Of course, the weather could wash his drawings away, but he seems not to worry. Residents look forward to seeing his comic scenes and they will remember who he is. If you haven’t seen his work, you’re in for a treat:

▲ Creation David Zinn

David Zinn is an artist from Michigan. He runs around all day 

in the streets of Ann Arbor,  with street construction, cracks, 

etc. on the road with chalk to create a lot of street fairy tales.                                                      

David Zinn's most famous creation was undoubtedly a little 

monster called Sluggo. Sluggo has a green body and long,

round eyes, it and its partners have also become a small

street in Ann Arbor unique scene.                                                     

___,_.___
More food art:

Please share your ideas on reducing costs of artwork while publicizing your skills.

Who will stand when the time comes? To the brave go the glory!

What happens when societies crumble, when civilized peoples turn into depravity and violence? In the absence of experience or history to guide them, do  people tend to devolve into unschooled savages?

The author of Lord of the Flies, William Goldberg, seems to think so as do many anthropologists and historians. But it doesn’t take a doctorate or a Ph.D. to come to this conclusion. The average person through his or her own experience and education would probably agree.

I recall a science fiction show many years ago about how modern society had been obliterated through their own excesses. The few who remained had no books or knowledge to chart their course. Information was being withheld. There was no recorded history to make comparisons or to avoid calamity. There was a void of ideas, thinking, and motivation.

The wisdom of the ages had been destroyed. There was no compass of thought or inspirational examples. No past record to shed light on the passage of time and the future ahead. Only one person remained who held the key to rebuilding civilization. Why? Because he remembered; a flicker of light in the darkness set a chain of events moving that powered and re-invigorated the hunger for freedom that exists within each human being.

Now we have Isis that is ravaging brick by brick, stone by stone, the ancient antiquities of Iraq, Mosul and the entire Middle East. Ancient history, holy to many, is being crumbled, desecrated and soon-to-be-forgotten by the ages.

Biblical history is being wiped off the map and replaced with savage violence and destruction. Hatred-wielding thugs are seeking power and carving up the Middle East into bite-sized gulps, devouring the past and filling their bellies with blood and gore. The antiquities of history that gave this region some semblance of stability are being erased.

War mongers are single-minded when it comes to their ravenous power-grabbing intent. Their goal is anything but preserving history. Their enemy is tradition and rational thinking. They seek to change and eliminate the cherished, the courageous, the stalwart and strong that will not bend their knee without a fight.

Those who are unwilling to comply are crushed beneath a mindless authoritarianism. The valiant few struggle to protect the weak. They try to salvage and preserve the treasures of their civilization at all costs for the benefit of future generations where they will be designated heroes and heroines. But they are few and far between.

What about us? Who will arise to save our sinking society – our world? I doubt that they will be politicians who value votes and power far above culture and dignity. Where are the men and women who sense danger and see the signs of its progressing onslaught? Will they be people of faith, doctors, mathematicians, scientists, philosophers or artists? Will they stand up when others stand down?

When our ship of sale is sinking, will we have the courage to stand up and be counted? 

Watch as Isis destroys precious artwork, sculpture and the antiquity of the ages that go back to Biblical and historical times.