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Why do you work in the medium you do?

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My medium is Oil Paint

Why do you work in the medium you do? I was originally taught how to do oil paintings when I was young and I continue to learn. I found oils great for my lifestyle, I can come back to them after a day or more and they will be still workable. Studying a piece over days helps me to form an idea of what I want to do next changing the colors, lines and composition. Change is more easily accomplished. The medium allows for slower or faster drying times depending on the mix or additives put into it. Oils generally have deep rich colors and you can usually tell an oil from an acrylic. I really enjoy the creamy consistency and they way I can blend colors either on the palette or the canvas. Layering colors after they dry has a wonderful effect.

Painting Techniques and Styles

There are almost as many techniques as there are styles. Wet on wet or alla prima, palette knife, imprimatura, plein air, sfregazzi, sfumato, impasto or scumbling. Alla prima is a lot of fun and lends itself to plein air painting because it is usually completed in one session. Sgraffito is a technique where you can scratch through layers of paint exposing different colors underneath and adding texture at the same time. Sfumato is a technique of using very soft gradual transitions from light to dark. Leonardo Da Vinci has good examples of this. Impasto is thick paint applied that helps to catch light and shadows, sometimes built up for effect and usually done on stronger supports. Scumbling is speckled, broken color applied so color underneath shows through. This gives a painting a sense of depth and color variation.

This is an example of impasto.

This is an example of the scumbling technique.

Other Mediums

I have also always loved pastel chalks because of the light airy effects I can achieve. The colors can be bright and cheerful. Blending this powdery medium is a lot of fun as is layering. Softness is easily achieved and hard edges or lines are too. They are a bit messy though.

I have recently been exploring acrylics because of their fast drying times. I am hoping it will be a great new way for me to travel without wet oil painting when I do plein air. Oils have a habit of getting onto everything if you aren’t careful. It seems to travel where you don’t want it sometimes. Acrylic is more easily cleaned and water is safer and readily available. Other additives can be put into acrylics to affect the drying times and blending too.

Experimenting with oil pastels sounds like a lot of fun. I am excited that there is so much to learn and experience with my art questing.

Cyn

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My favorite piece of art?

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Monet

It is super hard to pick just one piece of art. So, I will pick a series done by Monet. My favorite piece of art is not a single piece, that would be just too hard to choose. The Water Lilies series is about 250 pieces of the same topic. They are at different times of the year, in different light and show how so many paintings are naturally different from each other. The studies are something I aspire to be able to do. They are impressionistic and sometimes abstract, showing a great breadth of seeing and interpretation. The painted water is varied throughout the series. Attention to composition is important here, therefore leading to better understanding. Examples of edge work are shown here. Controlling color to show atmosphere is here as well.

He is one of my favorite artists and I study his work still. This series is attacked at a lot of different angles and seasons. I wish I had such a beautiful landscape on my property so I could do the same. I would probably be as obsessed as him.

As an artist I could not narrow down my favorite piece of art in this group because I cannot even nail down my favorite color. There seems to be something to see or discover in each new turn.

Study these and it will make you a better artist.

Reflections on Claude Monet
https://www.claude-monet.com/waterlilies.jsp

My favorite Piece?

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My favorite piece

One piece I have done that garnered a lot of attention was “The Eye of God”. This artwork was based on photos from NASA. I have done several paintings based on what we can see out in the universe, but this is my favorite piece. I find those sights beautiful and otherworldly. Sometimes I feel like there is hope and a God when I look at some of these pictures. It makes me feel Small and filled with wonder. I realize there is more to what we see around us.

Comparable Images

There is a similar inspiration from the Eye of Sauron that was a symbol of the Dark Lord. It was featured in The Lord of the Rings and is known around the world. It is ironic that these two symbols, one representing good and one bad, are both are so similar. Like good and evil, they are juxtaposed against each other and yet sometimes have the same reason for their execution.

I have a lot of fun painting clouds and they seem to come out pretty good. That just naturally lends itself to star dust formations. There is a freedom to these as well.

I remember when painting these, there was a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment. It is great to get lost in them and feel peace because I think this a good thing. Even though I cannot actually go and see these formations in person I think they are beautiful. I can only imagine how it would feel to see them in real life. These formations are absolutely awe inspiring.

CYN

My Mom is my mentor!

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Passing on the Knowledge

My Mom is my mentor. Without a doubt it is my Mother. Sure, I had art teachers and other artists teaching me throughout my life, but my Mom was there through it all. She was an artist who went to school in N.Y. and she taught me almost everything I know. She had been in galleries and sold art for a long time. I often wonder where some of her pieces ended up. Of course nowadays there is even more to learn. The computer has revolutionized the industry, which it has for so many other endeavors. Advertising, networking, finding work and selling are all a new game. Creating art has also been changed by the computer age, it has opened the door to yet another way to make art.

My Mom was patient, waiting for me to show an interest, but it was more like living in that artist environment that had me soaking up knowledge like a sponge. It was there for when I was ready. We were involved, as a family, with local theater and did many shows. I did makeup, painting scenery, set up lights, sang and danced my way through my life. Both my parents were appreciative of varying different disciplines. Dad would take me to opera and orchestra also. Having my Mom as my mentor changed my life, and I did’t even hardly realize it.

Early Beginnings

My first painting was a study of feet, it was pretty awful and I hope it has been lost for good, I was in the third grade at the time. That scared me away for quite a while, but I naturally gravitated back to it. Now I know that not every piece turns out to be successful, so it is okay. But I hope it still never shows up. I don’t even know why that subject matter was chosen. I remember being a model for my Mom’s students and she taught me how and what to do. That was kind of fun. Back in those days it was sometimes common to barter services and I received voice lessons from a backup singer for Jim Morrison. I learned at double time. I remember asking this person if she thought he was really gone and her answer was a very simple yes.

So, I carry my Mom’s desire and passion, but some is my own and together it makes for some awesome experiences.


Why do I create art?

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Why do I Create Art?

I create because I have to. It is like an electrical current going down my arm and I have to release it. They say I am made in the likeness of God and as such we have the ability to create in numerous ways. Why do I create art? I create for several reasons, one of them being to obtain relief for myself and others from the daily stress, grief and fear. All around us there is an unending amount of stress. The political atmosphere, unhappy relationships, lack of money, worries about the future and lack of health permeate our lives. If I can provide anyone with a moment away from these things I will be happy. The more moments of release the happier I am. It means something that is hard to put into words, it is just something I do, like a flower blooming in the sun, it opens up my soul to more possibilities.

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The Rewards of Creativity

Creating art is an escape from the mundane, the daily grind of never ending chores or trouble. I can explore my emotions and challenge myself every time I try to create something therefore it helps me to grow as an individual. For me it takes courage and patience to paint or draw and in this way I help to teach myself these things. I hope to be an example to my children and others as well. It is a healthy outlet and pastime with many rewards. I would like some recognition for it too, creating art is a way to put myself out there. In every painting I am in it, it is an expression of myself. To show that is to uncover part of myself and open myself up to criticism whether it is something I should listen to or not is another story.

So there are many reasons I create art.