My New Painting Mantra

 

"This Magic Moment"     Oil Pastel and Gouache, 8x6" 

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This is truly one of those times when I wish I could show you the painting in person...because this is one of those times when the photograph just doesn't do justice.  The whole painting is much smoother than it looks here.  The scanner just seems to increase the contrast and make everything look too mottled.  Oh well... I'll try to get a better photo at a later time.

I have a new painting mantra.  The non-artist Watchers among us may not know this, but every painting goes thru some real ugly stages.  As a painter, you have to kind of get used to seeing those stages.  As I painted this one, I found myself using the mantra, "This is not the painting, this is not the painting..."  It really helped!  

This is the painting, but this photo is not really the painting :)  But I've been working hard at all the controls I can find in Photoshop Elements and Picasa, and I'm kind of over it for tonight.  I hope you will understand...

I am somewhat captivated by this image, and have painted it before, but just didn't show it to you.  I plan to use this one again, larger, perhaps in the form of cut and folded paper one day, when I learn how (see this post if you want to know what I'm talking about).

And thanks for Watching!

Sunset Over the Next Ridge - Oil Pastel

"Sunset Over the Next Ridge"       Oil Pastel, 6x8"

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Here at "Paint Like Nobody's Watching," I have been showing paintings I did awhile ago but never blogged about.  In a comment about the painting on my last post, my friend Carol asked, "How many others are you hiding away?"  I just loved that comment!  Because I am having fun showing work I've been keeping to myself.

I plan to paint again this coming weekend.  Last weekend, my art time was spent at an assemblage workshop with Leo Monahan.  I have mentioned Leo before.  He is quite the phenomenal artist.  His main medium on his website is cut and folded paper, but he also works in collage and assemblage.  Assemblage is "art in boxes," made with found and saved objects.

Leo's students are taking a series of workshops on design thinking, and later on color, eventually making us worthy of learning the techniques of cutting and folding paper.  I have to tell you, I am realizing that far more important to me than the subject of the particular workshop with him is the opportunity to observe how Leo thinks as an extremely creative person.  What a privilege to spend time with this amazing artist!  You want to see someone get a group excited about an old, run over, rusty car part, spend some time with Leo!  Not kidding!  :)

Check him out www.leothecolorman.com

Oh, almost forgot, about my own painting above!  This is a scene from my own neighborhood!  The true, blue ridge...

Thanks for being here... 

Another Oil Pastel Painting

"Splendor"      Oil Pastel with Gouache underpainting   6x8"

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Show and tell!  This is another one I painted a long time ago and failed to blog about.  Painted from my own photo, I really enjoy the combination of oil pastel on top of gouache and plan to do more with the same method.

Stay snug, everyone :-) 

Pieces I have Never Blogged About

"Tree in the Field"    Oil Pastel, 6x8"

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I have a lot of pieces that for various reasons I never blogged about.  Now that I am on a blogging roll, I thought I would show you some of them while I am continuing to work on the ones in progress.  At least, I think I didn't show these.  Memory may fail here!

This one was painted some time last year.  I had painted it years ago in soft pastel, then again in colored pencil, and this time in oil pastel.  I used the soft pastel as the reference for the other two pieces, and the soft pastel was painted from my own photograph.  

If anyone can think of a better title for this piece, please let me know.  I have always thought of it as "Tree in the Field."  There might be something a little more creative that would work!

Our marketing guru, Leslie Saeta, says all pieces of the same size need to be the same price, because it is too tough to explain to the public why different pieces of the same size may have different prices.

So I'm going to explain to you.  I am going to find it easy to explain.  The "art world" may think I am unjustified charging more for this one, but I feel quite justified.  Because: I am attached to this piece.  I've had it for awhile, and it's going to take a little more to get me to feel good parting with it. 

As the artist, I think I need to feel good :)   Feel free to disagree with me and tell me why you think I'm wrong :)

Love you guys....Meredith