paint process

Here's an example of my painting process. I started these paintings in Florida during Spring Break. There are 4 separate paintings that make one long picture. I began with a layer of oranges, knowing I would be using a lot of blue for the ocean. I love how underpainting with complements can make the final product more alive.

Next I started layering on blues.

Then I added reds where I thought I might be using green for foliage.

I was ready to begin details. I used a pallette knife and gel medium to use some thick paint for the waves, trees, bird, boat, etc. I'm not even close to being done yet. I'll try to post the finished paintings soon.

creeping phlox

After work I went outside and painted the creeping phlox in the front yard. Once again I've posted a picture the wrong way. The painting is sideways- sorry, you'll have to just turn your head until I figure out how to change it. I've also posted a picture of what I was looking at. Unfortunately, one bug got stuck in my painting! I have 2 more canvases ready to paint what's in bloom. Hopefully, I will get one more done this week.

Well, here is my first successful picture post! Hooray! They are right side up! This is the bush in my garden and my painting. I picked a couple of stems and put them in a vase to paint them. The vase looks pretty stylized. Maybe I'll work on it more...

business cards

Did I say business cards would be a quick, easy thing to do? I was wrong! I tried at home on my Dell. I don't have a program with quick, easy templates for that kind of thing like I have at work. I tried using my daughter's Mac but I'm so slow with it because I'm not used to it. I tried looking around on the web, messed around with a few websites- time flew- hours later I had accomplished nothing! I'm learning!
Next day at work I tried a few templates, added pictures of my paintings, came up with something that looked good enough. It's fast for me at work because I am used to the computer and the programs. I can't print in color at work, so I thought I would just email it to myself at home... it was too big to send through the school email.
My solution- I burned a CD to take home.
At home- my computer at home won't open it because I don't have a compatible program. I looked around for something on the web to open it, but I don't know enough about what I am looking for so I give up for now. I'm stuck for now. This is taking too much time. More time than I wanted to spend on it. I'll figure it out later though. I want to have cards by this weekend.
This probably is funny to all you tech saavy people. See how hard it is to have not grown up in the computer age? Let me remind you that I learned to type on the old manual typewriters in High School. I never worked on a computer until I had been teaching for awhile- and that was back when the computer screen was black with white letters! I think they were commadores or something like that. I really can't believe what we can do now, it really is great to have so much available to us!

details about the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair

Finally a picture made it to my blog. It took a while, but here it is- upside down. Remember this is all new to me! I don't see a place to turn it over- I'll figure it out later. Maybe I have to turn it over before I browse and pick it up to post.

Anyway, our bleeding heart bush is in bloom. In honor of the occassion I painted this picture on Monday. This summer I will be in my very first art fair, so I need to be really productive.

This is my first big attempt to sell my paintings. The Ann Arbor Art Fair will be July 18th - 21st. I will be on the corner of Liberty and 5th streets. It is by the Post Office and across from a restaurant called "Afternoon Delight". The Guild sponsers the show, and they generously offered a booth to art teachers. Art teachers had to submit 4 professional slides to be juried. I was thrilled to be selected. I will be sharing the booth with 4 other art teachers. Each artist works in a different media, so I think it will make a good display. There is clay, glass, pencil, oil, and I work in acrylic. I can't wait to see more of everyone's work. This is quite a challenge for me!

posting picture trouble

My new blog goal is to get some pictures posted. I have tried several times and the dial just keeps spinning and it won't take the picture. I want to show the progress of the pictures I started in Florida on Spring Break... I'll try again later.

first art fair meeting and first blog

I have never blogged before, so here it goes....
Today I went to the first meeting for the Ann Arbor Art fair teacher's booth!
The Ann Arbor Art Guild offered to help some teachers to show at the fair, so that we in turn could teach our students what it is like to be a professional artist. It was a terrific opportunity. The Guild members were providing the space, the tent, the display panels, and best of all- advice! Booths run about $700.00, and it is very difficult to get into this Art Fair. It is one of the most lucrative shows in the country.
About a month or so agoI sent in slides of my art work to the Guild to see if I could get juried into the show. I received a letter saying I was selected and to come to this meeting to find out more details. The initial meeting date was post-poned because President Clinton was going to be in Ann Arbor for the U of M graduation, and there would be too many problems with security and parking, so anyway, we met today.
There were 4 other teachers selected to share a booth. There is one glass artist, one clay, one graphite, and one other painter. It will be a 10x10 booth, so it will be tight. I think the other teachers will be fun to work with. I love their art work, and I'm proud to be displaying with them! I'm sure I will learn a lot. Right now I'm feeling like I have so much to do! I need an artist statement, business cards, labels, fliers... and I need more paintings. I need to have prints made, and I have to get a vender's liscense. I need to remember to bring a chair, and a table, and a money box, and stickers for the back of my paintings. I need curtain hooks to hang my pictures on, and more things that I've already forgotten- but I wrote it all down.
Tomorrow my goal will be to do one thing. Maybe I'll try to get the business card done, that seems like the easiest thing on the list:)