Sunflower Painting Party

Last night was a fun Painting Party.  I am always amazed by how well all of our guests do.  Especially the ones that have no prior art experience.  This just confirms my long held belief that everyone can learn how to draw, paint, etc. just by learning the techniques and rules.  Just like learning how to ride a bike or drive car, there are certain techniques and rules needed to be successful.

Earlier in the week, I spent about 2 hours prepping the canvases.  They required some texture.  I used molding paste and a couple of different stencils to achieve the dots and circles.  All I did was lay the stencil on the canvas, applied the molding paste over the stencil, pulled the stencil off and voila...texture!  If you didn't have stencils you could use your fingers, a palette knife, the end of a pencil, etc. to make texture.

Using molding paste on your walls could be very nice as well.  Imagine stenciling a damask pattern, stripes, checkers, etc.  Painting over the wall with color, then waxing it to make it shine.  Beautiful!

Anyways, the ladies seemed to like the texture on their canvas.  I tend to be a texture person.  I find that it's a great way to add interest to your canvas.  Your painting isn't boring, that is for sure.

We began with the background, which is typical for artist.  Working from the background to the foreground helps to create depth.  I showed students how to go from dark to light using three values of the blue and then blending them.  They started with a dark blue, added a tiny bit of white to some of the paint for a medium blue, and then finally more white for the light value.  Then they tackled the petals, painting the ones behind before the ones on top.  Basically we painted the petal yellow, added some white to show the light source, and some brown at the base.  I showed them how to use their brushes to achieve a point at the tip of the petal, and how to use the flat side of the brush to blend.  Finally, we created a green for the middle of the center (using black and yellow which I just learned about from one of my guests), then a light beige color was painted around that, and then dark brown/black was painted around that.  To blend those three sections we took the brown and beige together on our brushes, and pounced over the whole center so that we could still see the underneath colors slightly.  Then we took some brown and black on our brushes and pounced around the outer edge of the center.  Finally we added a touch of shiny pink to the center which added a little pizzazz.

I believe that the ladies all went home happy with their accomplishment and intend on hanging their masterpieces on their walls at home or give them as a gift to someone special.  This gives me great satisfaction knowing that the paintings are not put in a closet somewhere - never seeing the light of day.

The next Painting Party is scheduled for December.  It's Starry Night.  Can't wait!


Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 11:28-29

Week 4, Work with what's working, simplify, and expand.

“I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over.  Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center.” Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

This was a great week.  A lot more time, thought, and effort went into the painting, and it was satisfying. 

Week four was dedicated to bravery.  When faced with fear you have a choice of running away or facing it dead on.  Facing fear is a chance for growth in real life and in art.  Walk forward into the mystery of the unknown.    When you open yourself to the unknown, you open yourself up to all possibilities.  This, according to the instructor, is where the magic happens.

When faced with uncertainly and frustration, this is an opportunity to try something new.  The artist, at this point, has nothing to lose.   Why not do something wild, unpredictable, and totally out of your comfort zone.  Lean into your vulnerability, be brave and step out of your own way.  As the instructor says, “it’s quite possible that a great breakthrough is waiting patiently for you just beyond your fear”.

Definitely I was at a point where I thought that my piece was a disaster and I was ready to give up.  I was working on the face and couldn’t seem to get it to work out.  After a few hours on the face I finally moved onto something else when frustration overtook me.  This seemed to work as I was able to see it with new eyes when I went to attack it for the second time, and it just seemed to work. 

When beginning to work this week, the instructor suggested spiraling out to see what was working and “work with what is working”.  It could be one specific area of the canvas, color combinations, or using your fingers to paint, or stamping, etc.   For example if you like the stripes that you created on your canvas, make more stripes, if you like blue, use more blue.   You can add in new elements and let go of others.  Expanding upon what is working will help to keep the momentum and help you avoid getting stuck.

If you don’t believe anything is working then it’s time to add new colors, create new outlines, create new marks, simplify areas, etc.

This is the 'before' picture.  As you can see by comparing this picture to the picture up top, I did keep some things, simplified areas, and added new images.

 

And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling.

1 Corinthians 2:30

3rd Week of e-Course

"You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition.  What you'll discover will be wonderful.  What you'll discover is yourself." - Alan Alda

The third week of the e-course was about paying attention to your environment and realizing what it is that inspires you.  The instructor suggested that you need to go around your home, your neighborhood, etc. and find colors, shapes, words, objects, emotions, etc. that inspire you.  She suggested that as you walk you take a sketchbook and start sketching your inspirational objects and ideas, take pictures and collect objects that inspire you, collect books of objects that inspire you, and take a different route than normal when going places.

When you have a collection of things that inspire you, you can more easily attack the canvas having some possible ideas ready to use.  So with your paintbrush start outlining some of these objects on top of the painting you have been working on thus far.  Be loose in your strokes, relax, and play.  If you do not choose to use objects in your environment, she recommends just making random shapes.

The instructor spoke about spiraling in and out of your painting.  Spiraling in meaning wildly painting in response to your intuition and spiraling out meaning more thoughtful choices.  When you tend to get stuck, it's time to move back and take a look at the whole painting usually leading to a new idea that you can use.

I liked that she talked about the teenager stage.  The stage where you look at your painting and don't like it.  This happens to me all of the time.  I just want to take the piece of art and throw it out.  But I have realized over time, that if you stick to it it always tends to get better.

To better understand what inspires you, and to help you to make a list to help with ideas for your painting, she asked for words to complete these partial statements:

1. I am inspired by…
2. I collect…
3. ________ makes me feel alive.
4. I love…

The last part of the week, she showed us how to simplify areas, how to accentuate areas, and how to use contrast, and to continue to be loose while working.  This was the most time consuming part of the course so far.

And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Genesis 1:31