How to Hang a Show – Part 1

I have been asked to put up a show at a new venue for this month’s First Friday Artwalk here in Vancouver.  This opportunity came with little notice, but I was honored to be thought of as worthy for this “first” on the First!

My first challenge was to scope out the gallery space.  It is located in the sales office of The Parkview Condos in the Vancouver Center downtown at 601 Columbia.  This space is newly designated as an Art Walk stop and has never dedicated space to this event before.  Needless to say, the sales agents there, although art lovers, are not gallery directors.  So it was up to me to suggest what kind of wall space, lighting, hanging equipment, and traffic flow patterns would work best in their space.  Not to mention that the back half of this space is a working office!

Although not a dedicated gallery, the light and bright windowed space has a gorgeous view of Esther Short Park, and is located in the heart of downtown.  The office is open for business daily, so the art will be viewed daily, which I thought was important.  Much like hanging your work in a restaurant or a bank, this space is a great way to get your name and your work noticed.  The agents were very helpful and enthusiastic about the show.  They also offered to provide some wine tasting and a few nibbles the night of the opening.  They are also advertising the opening in their in-house newsletter, and will also send out the work in their e-mail blasts!  That coupled with my own advertising and email lists will hopefully bring out a crowd! I was also allowed to put up a poster about my classes and leave a stack of my business cards…a very generous offer!

After deciding that smaller works would work best for the front of the space, and that my largest landscapes would cover the back wall, I went home to inventory my paintings and decide which ones would work best for this show.  Getting your paintings ready to show is a very important step.  I gathered my paintings, and gave them a look over.  I noticed that some of the wrapped canvases needed a bit of touching up on the edges, and I double checked to make sure all of them were signed.  (Sometimes I forget to do that last step!)  I spent about an hour repainting a few edges, signing my name, measuring the paintings and writing down the inventory of the pieces I wanted to show.  Having an inventory is important since you will not be there the entire time the show is up.  It is also helpful to the “host” of your show to have a complete inventory of the works they will be responsible for.

 

 

 

 

I listed the works by size (12 x 12), medium (oil or acrylic), title “Venetian Gondolas”, and price…$120.  Since I wanted to price my work reasonably, I had done a lot of research on what other artists that painted in similar styles and sizes were charging for their works.  I tried to price mine accordingly.  I also wanted to offer a variety of work from small collages @ $35 to my largest paintings 4 feet by 5 feet @ $3000.   Hopefully there will be something for everyone’s taste and price range.

My next step was to decide if I would like to group certain paintings on certain walls.  I arranged and rearranged my paintings in small groupings.  Some I put together because their colors blended nicely, others I put together by theme.  Whichever way you decide to go, try to keep the sizes similar.

After deciding on which paintings to hang, and where to put them, what price to charge, and how many to show…I used my computer to make tags for each painting.  By using blank business cards from my local UPS store…I printed out a card for each painting with the information I mentioned above….size, medium, title, and price.  These cards will go directly under (or to the side) of the painting they refer to so that the viewers have all the information they need to help them decide to buy the works.

I also printed out an “artist’s statement”.  A brief paragraph or two about myself, what drew me to painting, my training, and my art goals.  I always think it is interesting to share your point of view with others.

Finally these paintings are ready to transport to the space and to hang them up.  More about this in Step 2!

Favorite Things

This weekend was spent mostly with grandkids and getting ready for my one woman show on Friday.  With  their Mom off to a military spouse blogger’s event and their Dad off to Reserve Military Duty…it was my turn to have the gkids all to myself!  Always one of my favorite things.

We started off the weekend with Olivia’s long-awaited participation in her first horse show at the Clark County Fair Grounds.  Her stable, Blue Moon, was well represented in the walker, trotter, jumper classes with students of all levels.  This being her first show, she was a bit nervous and a lot excited.  Freshly pressed riding jodphers, new riding boots, helmet and snazzy emblazoned jacket is impressive even on an 8-year-old!  Her stable horse was one she’d practiced on quite a bit, and a bit smaller to assuage her trepidation at being thrown off a much larger horse a few weeks before.  She gives new meaning to “getting back on the horse”! She rode in three events and garnered ribbons in all three….the last one her best showing with a second place.  We are all proud of her and we sent lots of pictures to Mommy…who had to miss the event.

 

 

 

 

Thank Goodness her daddy was there to see her shine!

My son-in-law is a tolerant and giving man!  He is a great daddy and a general “do good things”  kind of guy.  He has helped me around my house any number of times so I like to pay him back when I can by cooking his favorite meals.  With a name like Volkman, you can guess that he likes German food…so as a bit of a thank you for all he does, I like to surprise him with some of his favorite dishes from time to time.  So for Saturday night dinner (before leaving for his duty on Sunday) I made him a German Feast!

 

My dad’s mom’s maiden name was Warren…an English/German name and she taught me a few German dishes.  I made Sauerbraten mit Spatzel (Roast Beef in Red Wine with Noodles) Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage and Apples, Green Beans with onion and bacon, and Apfel Strudel (Apple Strudel) for dessert!  It was a hit.  The kids loved the noodles with beef and gravy on top, and even ate a fair amount of veggies…surprising me by liking the cabbage dish!  It turns out ruby-red and has a sort of sweet pickle taste.   The Apple Strudel was served warm with whipped cream on top and was devoured in seconds!

But for me, the dessert came by way of the KU vs Ohio State in the Final Four match up!  I am an avid Jayhawk Alum and follow this basketball team like some devotees do gurus!  Worried that we were behind the whole game, I was ecstatic that KU pulled it out in the end to go on to the Big Dance.  UK vs KU…epic matchup!  Rock Chalk, Jayhawk, KU!  Go Big Blue!

I’d say everyone went to bed with a happy tummy that night!

On Sunday, Dad left early in the morning for his two weeks of reservist duty (in Hawaii, poor guy!) and Mom was not scheduled to come home til after 5.  What to do for entertainment?  Why art projects of course!  We decided to make Easter Baskets and Cards.  So amid the construction paper, scissors and glue, we wove baskets, cut and stamped out eggs, birds, bunnies, flowers, and chicks to our heart’s content.  I remember trying to do this with my own kids and worrying the whole time about making a mess and getting glue all over.  Funny how with grandkids all those little worries seem trivial compared to the absolute pleasure of  watching their imaginations go wild!  Cooper, who had on his favorite rock and roll tee-shirt decided to make himself into a ninja bunny complete with buck teeth!  Olivia was content to show me how they made pretty little round woven baskets at school and she made some beautiful collaged Easter cards for Mom and Dad.  Not to be outdone, Cooper and I launched into weaving our giant Easter Basket project that, according to Cooper would “hold more candy”….that boy is always thinking!

 

 

 

 

I was almost sorry to see my daughter come home…but she was full of news of the conference, her plans for new blogs and her gratefulness for having such great leftovers in the fridge!  It was a great weekend for all.

 

Spring Fling!

April is shaping up to be a busy time!  Hopefully you will find a painting activity that will entice you!

New Classes at Salmon Creek Studio start this week!  Acrylic and Water Soluble Oil classes are available on Monday evenings from 6:30 – 8:30 and I have 3 spaces available beginning April 2th  (No classes April 9th – Easter Monday)..  Also Friday morning classes are available beginning April 6th from 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM. There are 4 spaces available in that class.  These are fun, informative open studio classes in a group setting.  Paint from your own references or from one of my many sources.  Try out a new medium. Collage artists also welcomed.  4 weeks: $120, 8 week special:  $200.

Clark College Classes also begin again in April.  Join me for Beginning Acrylics on Wednesday evenings April 18th, 6:30 – 8:30.  or for Open Studio classes beginning Tuesday mornings, April 24 from 9:30 – 11:30.  Sign up for 6 week classes through Continuing Education at Clark.

Or try one of my Saturday Workshops.  On Saturday, April 28, join me for a “Water Intensive“. from 9:30 – 3:30.  I will be demonstrating several approaches to painting still and moving water, waterfalls, and ocean waves.  The workshop also includes a break for lunch.  I generally provide soup or a main course salad, and everyone brings a dish to share.  This is an extended time frame to explore a theme, or just come and enjoy the camaraderie while you paint!  $75.  Only 5 seats available.

FREE!  Join me for the first Plein Air Painting excursion of the season!  Join this group at the Woodland Tulip Festival Saturday, April 21 from 10:00 AM til???. This is the 3rd Annual Plein Air paint out amid the tulips!  Beautiful scenery, festival atmosphere, craft booths, food, and the chance to buy flowers and bulbs…and paint the beauty that surrounds you!    We have been invited once again to paint at the test gardens at the Holland America Tulip Festival.  Bring your easel, your paints, and a picnic to share for a fun day in the gardens.  I will not be an instructor that day…just a fellow participant, but if you have questions or have never painted “en plein air” before, I will be happy to talk to you about it.

And last but not least, please join me for First Friday, April 6th.  I will be presenting a one woman show entitled “Spring Fling” at the newly designated Vancouver First Friday Venue at 701 Columbia from 5:00 – 7:00 PM.  This newest First Friday showcase has been set up in the Parkview Condominium sales office and will feature various artists in a month-long showings.  Join me Opening night for refreshments and an artist’s talk about my process.

See you there!

Saturday’s Collage Workshop

This Saturday our Collage Workshop was held at Salmon Creek Studio.  We had a sell-out class and had a wonderful day of cutting and pasting (bringing out our inner kindergartener) and painting up a storm.

It was fun to see the “treasures” that folks brought from home to include in their collages.  Everything from old photos transferred to tissue paper, a piece of someone’s favorite tapestry, old burlap, 3D stickers to sticks from someone’s yard went into the making of these great works of art.

Fortunately, the studio was a big enough space to spread out all our wonderful ephemera and begin the collage process amid all the ordered chaos!  One of the best lessons learned was demonstrated by one of our  group’s newest members, Karol, as she tried various techniques to build up layers of paint, ink, and paper to get the effect she wanted.  We watched her idea morph from fall leaves to abstract designs. She also cleverly demonstrated some new ways of attaching 3-D elements!  We all learned something new!  Notice that she did not limit herself to the confines of the edges!  We loved that!

Mary was the queen of photo transfers and she shared the process and results with the group.  Her pieces contained family portraits, copies of prayer cards, old world elements and much more to make 3 finished pieces.  We think Mary is  hooked on this process!  Jeanne and Gwen worked on spring themed pieces abounding with birds, flower faeries, moss-covered branches, and burlap for texture!  Great work, ladies.  Sharon composed an elaborate floral with tapestry elements, cascading florals and a bit of lace.  Gorgeous!  Donna was content to paint up a storm and finished two pieces in one outing!  Yea!

 

 

It was a successful day complete with a break for Cock-A-Leekie Soup (my Granny’s recipe) fruit salad, luscious strawberries, hummus, aged cheese, vegetable crackers, and a great bottle of Merlot!  But no one wanted to linger over lunch because everyone was excited to get back to their projects! 

The afternoon turned sunny and wonderful with paintings and collages drying outside in the warm sunshine with chocolate snacks and peach tea to encourage us!

Everyone had such a great time that we decided we must do a repeat performance in the near future!

An Open Letter to Kari Bales by My Daughter

This has been an extraordinary week in our family.  My daughter, Lori Volkman is also a blogger and a military wife.  This mother of two, county deputy prosecuting attorney, and wife of a Navy Reservist started her blog a couple of years ago when my son-in-law, Randy, first deployed to the Middle East.  It was her way of journaling about her experiences.

We are a military family.   Her dad is a Viet Nam era veteran pilot of 26 years in the Navy, and as a military family, she had been indoctrinated into this way of life long before she met her (at the time) active duty pilot husband-to-be.  But after a few years, Randy went off active duty but has remained in the Active Reserves for the past fifteen or so years.  During that time, their kids were born, they started and ended a family business, changed careers, built their dream house and pretty much lived a normal civilian life.  He did his weekend duty, and came home to his family.  As he attained rank and seniority, it was a bit of a shock to the family when he was called up again for active duty service.

So for 18 months, Lori coped with the change by writing a blog called “Witty Little Secret” trying to keep her sense of humor and her sense of balance about his 18 month log absence from their “normal” life.  Somewhere along the way, it changed them both.  (How could it not?)  She wrote about how his deployment affected her, the kids, their friends, their church, their lives, understanding first hand what it truly means to be called to ”sacrifice” for your country, all the while trying to keep her sense of humor.  She is a great writer, if I do say so myself.   Coping under stress and prolonged absence became the norm instead of the exception. Lori started asking the question…”how do career military wives do this?”   She got lots of feedback on her blog and discovered the sisterhood (and now brotherhood) of military spouses who know what it’s like to have a loved one deployed, and what it’s like when they do finally come home.  Fortunately, Randy will not be called up for a second (or third or fourth) deployment.

So it seemed natural to reach out to another military family this week who is undergoing extreme stress.  The family of Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, accused of killing 17 Afghanistanis and wounding several others, stationed just a few miles from here.  Last Sunday night, we sat together over dinner discussing how Kari might feel, the problems she was facing and Lori decided to reach out in her blog to this beleaguered wife.

You can read her open letter and Kari’s response here:  Witty Little Secret

I am extremely proud of my daughter for this act of kindness.  We all pray for Kari and her young children as well as just wanting to let her know that she has a group of people who will not judge her by her husband’s acts.  Until more information is known, we caution people not to rush to judgement.  Whatever happened, we know that we will never understand fully, but wanted her to know she was not alone.  That’s what military wives do.

One Woman Show

Speaking of new opportunities…I have been asked to do a one-woman show for Vancouver’s First Friday Art Walk in April at the newly designated Parkview Sales Gallery at the Vancouvercenter on Esther Short Park.  The newly designated space is a chance for me to show off my recent work and to give this new venue a boost!

Esther Short Park
Photo by Dan Otten

 

 

My realtor friend, Shawn Sturos, whose company, Coldwell Banker, has recently taken over the management of this mixed-use community space  called just the other day to invite me to do this show and to entice me to put together a later group show of my student’s work at a later First Friday date.  What an honor!  I am excited because not only is the space beautiful, its location is an ideal addition to the gallery district downtown.  Ideally placed right on Esther Short Park, it also holds a prime spot in the midst of Vancouver’s Weekend Farmer’s Market crowd.  Great foot traffic here.

Now the hard work of deciding what to put in the show…and the more difficult part – pricing the paintings.  Most of my paintings are done on gallery wrapped canvases, so framing will not be necessary, so that won’t present a problem…but pricing…it’s every artist’s nightmare.  We are such bad judges of the value of our work.

My advice to all who are attempting to do this?  Go shopping.  That’s right, go out there and look at your competition.  Check out the local galleries, what kinds of paintings are hung in them?  Are they framed or unframed?  Landscapes?  Florals? More modern?  Mixed Media? How do mine compare? And the sizes…are folk buying up smaller works or going for big dramatic statements?  You can learn a lot by visiting galleries and boutiques in your area that are selling art.  Talk to the gallery directors and boutique owners, also ask dealers, experienced collectors, consultants, fellow artists, and agents what they think…tell them you are an artist and that you are working on your pricing.  Ask them what’s selling, who has a following, what their mark up (gallery fee) is…most of them will be happy to supply you with facts.  Armed with enough information, you can take most of the guess-work out of pricing.

You can also research what various artists around the country are charging via the internet, but keep in mind that pricing is local. I have found that pricing in Vancouver is quite a bit lower than in Portland…where there are a lot more buyers and lookers.  Also art in the Northwest will not bring as high a price as galleries in say…New York or Chicago or Boston.  Although Portland is making headway on that aspect.

Obviously larger paintings will sell for more than smaller ones, but don’t get caught in the temptation to figure out square inches or cost of supplies and time….because what might be a labor of love for one artist, can be knocked out in one afternoon by another.    If, for example, your typical work of art measures 20 by 30 inches and you base-price it at $1000, and you consider one measuring 40 by 50 inches to be more significant, you might price it at $3000.  Similarly, you might price one measuring 8 by 12 inches at $400 because you consider it to be less significant, all else being equal.  In other words, pricing is subjective…as in all things it is “what will the market bear”.  Do your homework, and pricing will become clearer.  If you are a first time exhibitor….you might price things a bit lower than an established and well-known artist in the area.  But don’t go too low just to try to get a sale.  If you don’t value your work, no one else will either.  It is hard to raise (or lower) your prices abruptly without very good, explainable reasons.  If you start out with a fair price, and raise prices only when they get a bit dearer…people will respect your price.

Hopefully my “homework” will pay off and I’ll have some nice sales in April.  If you live close by, please join me for an artist’s reception, Friday, April 6th in the gallery at 601 Columbia St. in downtown Vancouver, WA.  Love to see you there!

Happy Painting!

 

 

New Opportunities

Now that Spring is almost here (March 22 officially) the summer opportunities for outdoor art fairs are sprouting up right along with the weeds in my garden.  Here’s a preview of things to come:

50th Anniversary Show of SWA (Southwest Washington Artists)  May 16 – 20 at the Harley Hall Building in Hazel Dell.   The show is open to all artists 18 years or older.  Entry day will be Tuesday May 15.  Daniel Ng will be the judge.  A reception and Awards Ceremony will be held on Saturday May 19 from 6:00 to 8:30 PM.

Last year’s winner was Katey Sandy with “Fractured Landscape”

 

Art in the Heart

Vancouver’s Downtown Association and the Art on the Boulevard nonprofit art  gallery host the annual summer Art in the Heart art festival. For two days in June,  downtown Vancouver art galleries, restaurants and businesses  join in the festivities, including street art vendors, musicians and dancing.  Stroll through the main streets of downtown and visit the 13 participating art galleries, or peruse the displays and sidewalk art tents throughout downtown. Sit down with a drink in the beer garden, listen to one of the  musical performances on the festival’s eight stages or grab a bite to eat at one  of the participating bars and restaurants.

5th Annual Art and Wine Fair at English Estate Winery, 17806 SE 1st St., Vancouver, WA on July 14 & 15th, 2011

 

Image courtesy Waymarking.com

Each summer, the winery presents the Art and Wine Festival. Browse through the  works of more than 50 local artists offering  artisan wares. You will find  jewelry, pottery, photography, metal art, paintings, flowers, sculpture, textile  art and more. Musical performances, food booths and children’s activities round  out the festivities. Don’t forget to attend a free wine tasting at the event.  The winery specializes in estate-grown pinot noir.  For vendor information, check their website here.

These are just a few of the festivals coming up this summer.  Many more can be found throughout the region.  With Portland’s Saturday Market just across the river, there won’t be a weekend go by without the opportunity to view and perhaps purchase some great local art!  Or try your hand at producing some of your own!  Entry Forms are available! At Visual Voyages…we support our local communities!

If you are visiting this Summer, please stop by and say hello! 

Happy Painting!

 

Collage Workshop

Sorry to have been offline for a while. Sometimes my life gets complicated (doesn’t everyone’s?).  I’ve missed you all.  Hopefully I am now back to a normal posting routine.

Thought I’d start us off again by sharing with you my preparations for my Saturday Collage Workshop on March 24.  I have several regular studio students who are wanting to branch out a bit and try something new.  Collage is the perfect antidote to get you back to art making!  Collage is a lot of fun and for many a lot less stressful than straight painting since you can use ready-made images to convey your artistic vision!

On Saturday, March 24, I am hosting a collage workshop.   In class we will be talking about what makes successful collages, the materials used, and how to put together a  good composition with such disparate materials.  Here is a preview.

1.  The first thing to do in composing a collage is to decide on a theme.  What is the collage going to be about?  Some popular themes are:  travel, nostalgia (childhood or Victorian images), oriental, nature, (gardens, florals, birds, etc….think still life), and landscape.  You can also make a very nice portrait using collaged materials.  You might also want to think about the main color scheme of the collage, the size, and what kind of backing and adhesive you want to use.  More about those later.

2.  Once you’ve decided on a theme, you need to gather your materials.  Besides your regular acrylic paints, colored pencils or crayons, you might want to look through old magazines for images that catch your eye.  What you find can sometimes suggest a theme or color scheme if you are stumped.  I also like to gather things from antique or second-hand stores when I find them.   Some things lend themselves to glued-on  surfaces. Things such as old postcards, maps, old photos, greeting cards, pages from old books – especially foreign language ones for interest.  I also look for old stamps, coins, buttons, lace, screening, wire, even nuts and bolts if they are small and fit your theme.  A great find might be old watch works…or an old wrist watch you can take apart for the findings inside!

There are also some ready-made collage papers, colored or white tissue paper or semi-transparent papers, and other “ephemera” (the technical term for “stuff”), usually found in the scrapbook section of your craft store.  There are good possibilities there, such as yarn, ribbon, dried leaves, raffia, burlap, rubber stamps and something called “findings”…which are usually small flat metal charms…I’ve found dragon flies, hearts, ladybugs, tiny scissors, and even tiny paintbrushes which adhere fairly easily!

3.  After you have gathered your materials, you next need to determine your surface.  The best surfaces are rigid.   You can build your own, or there are framed 1/8 inch hard board panels that come pre-gessoed for convenience, or you can use canvas boards if you frame them immediately (otherwise they will warp from the glue). You can also use wrapped canvases if they are fairly small.  You can also use mat board or other art board if you like a paper surface.  This works great for works that are mostly pasted paper, but if you want to paint on them too, you might want to coat the surface with gesso to seal them first.  Beware of loading too much onto a paper surface as it is not rigid enough to hold heavier 3-D objects.

4.  The type of adhesive you use can also vary widely.  Plain white glue will work for paper cutouts but a heavier adhesive is needed for more 3-dimenisonal objects.  I recommend  an acrylic gel medium for heavier objects (Matte finish) or Matte Medium for gluing things down and giving them a protective coat.  You can also use heavier paste if things are very heavy or thick, but be aware that the paste will dry opaque white (however it’s paintable), while the gel and medium will dry clear.  I do not recommend tape unless you are making something quite lightweight, like greeting cards or postcards.  Even then, you will get a much more professional finish by using gels or mediums.  Be sure to keep your brushes clean after each use because if the gel dries in your acrylic brushes, you will never get it out!

4.  After you have arranged and glued down your collage to your liking, you might want to enhance the design by adding a bit of paint.  You can “stain” papers by using a thin glaze of acrylics (watercolor consistency) to add or enhance color schemes.  You can actually paint in objects or backgrounds, or use paint instead of ink with rubber stamps. You can also “highlight” 3-D objects by dry brushing over their surface.  You can also write or draw on your collage with permanent markers, sumi-e ink, chalk or colored pencils (be sure to seal them with spray or glaze so they don’t erase easily), or crayons.  If you use water colors or water-color pencils…you will need to glaze over them or spray them(make them permanent) so that they do not reconstitute when you add the next layer.  You can stamp surfaces with rubber stamps or impress designs into thick paste or gel for a 3-D effect.  Some artists like to use metallic paints or gold or silver leaf to enhance designs.  The sky is the limit here…whatever your imagination can think up…it can be added.  The trick is to make sure everything is sealed afterwards.  I generally “varnish” my finished work with a coat of matte or gloss medium when I am finished to make sure everything stays in place.  A few artists have also begun using beeswax or encaustic paints to ”seal” their work when finished.  This is a bit tricky but gives a gorgeous deep finish.

Almost any thing can be used within a collage except oil paints or oil pastels.  Although technically, you could add a layer of oil painting OVER the acrylic, paper, and glue, you cannot use it UNDER or WITHIN the work…as it will not mix chemically.  But many beautiful surfaces and effects can be used with all types of other mixed media.

I hope you will try your hand at collage and let me know how you did!

Happy Painting!

 

 

 

Dream Painting

No…not that one wonderful painting where you finally got everything perfect…not that you ever could, really.  No, what I am talking about is painting in your sleep…well your imagination, maybe.  Lately, my art world has come together in unexpected ways reminding me of how all the serendipitous meet ups with other artists, idea gems gleaned from stimulating conversations, inspiration from a trip to an art gallery or museum, or the discovery of a body of work on the internet that you’ve never seen before all begin to gel in your unconscious mind…so much so that you start creating things even while you sleep.  I call that dream painting.

It’s one of those crazy things that happens to artists from time to time that keep us addicted to this fickle work.  It doesn’t hurt that this week it’s been a crazy weather week.  Barometric pressure bouncing up and down.  Sunshine and 60 one minute, pouring rain and even thunder the next…now the weatherman is actually saying we might get a dusting of snow.  My arthritis barometer is on overload…waking me in the middle of the night with various aches and pains and interrupting my normally predictable sleep pattern.  Oh, and did I mention it’s a full moon this week?  My Scottish granny would tell you it’s all connected.  And true bairn of me granny that I am…I’m inclined to perceive that there is a little bit of magic going on.

Night and her Train of Stars by Edward R Huges 1912

For the past few nights, just before waking up with one of those achey knees or sore shoulders in the middle of the night, I’ve been dreaming that I am painting.  Sometimes, I can’t remember what I’ve been painting, but a few of those times my memory manages to catch a glimpse of me holding the brush, the rich buttery paint gliding effortlessly over the canvas, and grasping at a snippet of a memory of periwinkle blue…or Alizarin Crimson, maybe…I can’t quite remember.  Strangely enough, I seem to be able to resume the dream as soon as I have gulped a swallow of water from my night table tumbler, or made the obligatory quick potty run before snuggling back into the depths of my down comforter.  Yet when the morning comes, I am clueless as to what I was painting. But I am left with that wonderful sensation of having accomplished something great!

This first started for me when I was a kid.  I would wake up and try to describe the fantastic images of my dreams to my parents only to have what was so clear upon waking disappear in a whiff of smoke as I tried to bring it to the light of day.  That bothered me for quite a while until my granny explained that nothing ever escaped our imaginations…that those images and ideas were all still inside me, but that it was my job to rediscover them after I was awake.  That was really the beginning of me trying to put some of those ideas on paper (or canvas or clay).

No one I know has dared to try to decipher the mind of an artist, and lots of very brainy people have written about the creative process.  What I know is that we artists have this strange way of looking at our world to begin with…don’t get me started on our imaginations….or our dreams.  I am a big believer in dreams and I try to pay attention as to what significance they are trying to convey.  What has begun to poke through my consciousness with these dreams is that there are not enough hours to paint all the wonderful things I’ve thought up in my imagination.  So I better get to work.

Saturday Workshops

Many of you painters (Past and Present) are also worker bees and don’t always have the time to commit to a weekly class, so I have been offering what I am calling Saturday Workshops now for the past several months.  Here is an opportunity to paint together one Saturday a month for a long enough stretch of time to start and actually finish a work of art.  This idea was born in December when several students asked if we could have a “catch up” workshop (not a Ketchup Workshop…that would be gross!) to try to finish up some projects you had planned to give as Christmas gifts.  That workshop was 6 hours of fun, food and festivities, and we got a lot of painting done, too!  Yea!  As a matter of fact, it was such a good idea that we all decided to continue the practice…hence Saturday Workshops were born!

January saw us working on winter landscapes, and February had a definite LOOOVE

Treasure Map

theme, so in March, I was scratching my head to come up with a new theme for the day, when several students asked me to do a demonstration on collage….or mixed media work.  I have always loved mixed-media and have done many such projects in the past.  I have worked on large works on canvas and board  for friends and for shows, and lately, I have experimented with small wooden backed “plaques” for the gift market.  I was inspired a couple of  years ago to dabble in encaustics, and my small plaques have grown into a combination of collage, paint, and beeswax that has been a lot of fun.  So I decided to share what small expertise I’ve accomplished in this medium in my next Saturday Workshop.

 

The most important thing to remember about collage work is that it is based on good design principles.  Working in a more abstract manner can be a challenge for any artist.  What do I do first?  How do I combine all these elements? To refresh those Design 101 memories…here are the basic elements of good design:

The elements of good art and design are the  VISUAL LANGUAGE of art.  By using some or all of these elements, an artist devises a way to communicate their ideas.  Here are the main elements to consider in composing a good piece of design.

1.  The Use of LINE…a mark with length and direction (vertical, horizontal, diagonal, straight, curved, thick, thin)….you get the idea.   Often it defines a space, and may create an outline or contour, define a silhouette; create patterns, or movement, and the illusion of mass or volume.   It may be two-dimensional (as with pencil on paper), three-dimensional (as with wire) or implied (the edge of a shape or form).

2.  SHAPE - an enclosed space. In painting, the shape may take on the appearance of a three-dimensional object when it is actually just the way you have depicted the shape.  Examples of simple shapes include squares, ovals, triangle, rectangle, etc, which can be painted to appear to have dimension when seen as fruit, flowers, buildings, and various objects.  If the shape is actually three-dimensional, it is called a form.  Painters often start a design by focusing on the large shapes or masses in a painting and try to depict them as a form (3D).  In collage, the artist has the opportunity to include actual 3D forms into the work by using small objects, wire, lace, buttons, etc.  A good design would include examples of both types.

3.  VALUE:  how light or dark something is.  A standard value scale helps measure value gradations and usually consists of the 10 steps the human eye can readily distinguish. 

Sometimes, beginning painters have more trouble seeing value in colors than in black and white and shades of gray.  Looking at your work through a red vinyl sheet can often times aid in determining value shifts when bright colors are involved.  As a general rule, most critics agree that works are most pleasing when they contain 5-7 value shifts within the artwork.

4.  TEXTURE refers to the surface of the artwork.  It can refer to”visual” texture…a paint treatment that implies texture, or actual three-dimensional texture applied to the surface such as adhering objects like straw, thread, yarn, screening, etc.  In collage, this element can be quickly overworked if not used in a balanced manner.  Many collage artists like to use a combination of 3-D objects such as buttons, lace, wire, letter tiles, etc. while also employing simulated texture, such as marks made by impressing screening or fabric into the surface of the paint.

And last, but not least:

5.  COLOR.  Choosing a color scheme is very subjective.  Some artists like bright (high value) colors while others like pastels.  Some use mono chromatic schemes (shades of the same color) or analogous (next to each other on the color wheel) schemes while others might rely on triadic (3 main colors) or complementary (colors opposite each other on the color wheel).  This is where an artist creates a scheme that most clearly communicates a feeling or mood in a painting or illustrates the kind of conversation the artist is trying to communicate to the viewer.

Sometimes collage making is very intuitive, and although each artist should keep the main elements of design in mind, it is only when the work is nearing completion that we begin to check to see if we have applied all the design principles that will allow the work to communicate.  I don’t start out saying, “I have to include these things”….but I do end by checking to see that the elements I have decided to use communicate what I want.  If I am not satisfied with the work I’m doing…I find it is a good time to stop and check to see if I am perhaps missing a design element, or that I have not clearly expressed one or more of these elements.  It’s a good way to check yourself.

Any good artist will tell you that rules are made to be broken, but it is always a good idea to know what the rules are and do it purposefully!

Let me know how your design projects turn out, and I will post pictures from our collage workshop in March!

Happy Painting!