What Catches My Eye..

                                       "Going Wild", 10x12" oil Available through Studio Gallery

I ventured out to paint with a friend a couple of weeks ago. We decided to return to a gem of a park in Breckenridge, full of subject matter. We had painted there before and returned to paint some of the historic homes there. 

The proliferation of the flowers in the garden there caught my eye and all plans of painting architecture were forgotten. The light hitting the stones and lighting up the flowers all begged me to paint them. Above is the result. 

I was amazed at the resilience these plants showed on a sunny morning, enduring the very dry weather mixed with high winds and smoke from the fires in our state. Nature will survive and adapt. I saw that as a lesson these gardens were sharing with me. 

This painting will always remind me of that beautiful morning in the midst of everything swirling around us. It was an oasis of beauty. Nature gives us these lessons...we just need to stop and look for them.

Road Trip!

 

                    

                                              "Pop Up", 16x20" oil., $1250. Available at Two Old Crows Gallery,

                                                                   Pagosa Springs, CO. Two Old Crows Gallery

A couple of weeks ago I returned to Breckenridge, CO to make a trip down to Pagosa Springs, CO. My trip was for two reasons: to bring new work to the gallery and to make a painting trip of it too. My buddy Tricia Bass and I had a great time painting as well as relaxing in this beautiful part of the state.

We also enjoyed bringing new paintings to this gallery where we have such a wonderful friendship with the owners as well as the managers and other artists there. Relationships with a gallery are important. A gallery that represents an artist hopefully believes in their work and promotes it to the right collectors. It is a match making practice. Good gallerists work hard to earn the percentage they make from the sales of the work.

I also find that galleries have to constantly change their methods of selling art. Collectors can easily find an artist through the internet, so the old practice of not sharing collector information with the artist is no longer relevant.

Galleries now advertise in other ways such as facebook and other social media and some still advertise in magazines. Many offer newsletters that keep their collectors aware of new work as well as events. They often host special demo days as well as other educational events that also showcase their artists.

There are of course galleries that do not do much except to have their doors open. Many of these galleries are now struggling to survive and many have closed. Those that are surviving are also offering services such as hanging the work,shipping, payment plans, and bringing a selection of work to a site.

                                     My painting afternoon last fall at Breckenridge Art Gallery.

I hope these thoughts have been helpful!

Amy

When Life Gives You Lemons

 

                                                " The Water Will Rise", 14x11" oil , plein air

As many of you know I am living with one foot in Colorado and the other foot in Georgia and South Carolina. Our plan was to spend a lot of the winter in Edisto, SC since the harsh winter no longer agrees with my health.

Our plan was altered with the cancer that took our daughter in law and left our son with two young daughters to raise. We now spend a lot of time in GA helping with a 9 and an 11 year old. 

I have created a painting area in our small apartment that is very close to our son's house. I found our Margaret's old french easel that I had given to our daughter in law after Margaret passed away and bought an art cart for my paints, etc. We now live in my studio. I joke that it looks like the facebook joke plan of a studio..the studio area is most of the living room.

I am using my Cobra water miscible oils so there are no mineral spirits to deal with.

I am using a lot of my references and doing studio pieces when I can't paint outdoors. I also am painting florals from life.

Painting takes me away from the sadness of losing such a dear person as well as my daughter Margaret.

The changes? I am not able to submit to many shows due to my travel schedules and the timing of shipping work, etc. I also am limiting my teaching schedules due to the same issues.

I am concentrating instead on just painting for the joy of it. That is really why I paint..for the joy of it.

Painting with Purpose

 

                                                Painting at the Old Post Office and Bailey Home.

                        My 11x14" plein air painting of the creek area and the remnants of an old bridge.

This past Friday I was invited to paint with the South Carolina PAPA  ( Preserving A Picturesque America) group along with the Edisto plein air group to paint at a  historic property on Edisto.

The goal of this painting opportunity was to gather information for paintings of this property to support a future show. The proceeds will help the Edisto Island Open Land Trust in the restoration of the two historic structures on the property.

It was a perfect day to paint on this beautiful property and I did complete two paintings as well as gathered reference material for some future studio pieces. 

. My focus is on painting outdoors as much as possible to learn from my subject matter . Painting from life is the best way to really see and to capture the feeling of a place. Some of my paintings end up being worthy to frame and name, while others give me information for studio pieces. I find my work is stronger when I rely on my memory and my references.

I do love to paint at events that support a worthy cause or have a purpose such as capturing in paint a place that may not exist in the future. Paintings often enable us to see the beauty of special places that need to be protected.

It was fun to meet other artists who also share this mission. There were about 15 artists on the site and I look forward to seeing their work in the future show.

Thoughts about a Lagoon

                                                       " Chilling Out", 14x11" oil.

This subject has been wanting me to paint it..if I had not stopped to look at this beautiful lagoon I would have missed this heron waiting patiently for his lunch. 

I love the cool shadows and ripples in these lagoons. The colors are rich and varied in the reflections and shadows. I feel calm and the coolness to be found in those shady spots. 

Painting this memory brought back those feelings and mood. Always refreshing to look at on a warm morning.

To Plein Air or Not…

 I have been painting outdoors aka Plein air for many years. I was first introduced to painting outside of my studio when I moved to Denver and studied at the Denver Students Art League. I knew about painting from life and that was part of my art degree studies. 

I fell in love with being outdoors and learned quickly that it is no romantic exercise. Weather is just one complication.

Now there are Plein air conventions, hundreds of competitons , a variety of Plein air equipment, and many Plein air organizations. 

I rarely participate in Plein air competitions any more. I still paint outdoors but also rely on my outdoor studies for larger studio pieces. 

I do still advocate painting outside. We learn to really see when we paint outside as well as paint from life.Photos do not give us enough information to truly paint the essence of a scene. We gain so much from being out in the field…we feel the scene and often make discoveries that improve our work.

Finding a group to paint with also is rewarding. I have  friends who I have been painting with for over 25 years. We organize painting trips which of course include good food and conversation.

Soooo…get out and paint and do not think you have to be a part of a Plein air competition to justify being a Plein air paintier. Painting is a practice…and the more you paint from life the better your work will become.