Moonlight Beach Art Bash! One Day Only! Sept 29th!

 

MOONLIGHT BEACH BASH! 

 FLASH SALE  -  %30 off all paintings - One day ONLY!

''Full Moon over Moonlight'' 8x10'' - Sale Price $255

 

"Remembering Shellie" - 8x10 - Sale Price $255 

"First Blooms" - 11 x 14''  Sale price -$330

 

 

 

''Swami's Sunset'' - 9x12'' Sale Price $295

''Cardiff Beach Break'' 8x10'' - Sale Price  $255

 

 

''Lilacs''  8x10'' Sale price $255

''White Egret'' 12 x12'' - $290

Many more to choose from, prices starting from $45!

"Dream'' 8x8 - Mixed Medium $75

''Banana Flower'' 6x6'' Oil - $65

 

 

Learn New Tricks - At any age!

Leucadia Art Walk 

 Sunday, August 26, 2018 - 10-5.

Hwy 101 & Leucadia Roadside Park. 

Now, for something new and fun...

I will be exhibiting 40 new and exciting paintings using the technique of fluid acrylic painting.  Some of the pieces have additional artwork, images, and hand painted embellishments. If you live in San Diego, I hope you'll come and check out my booth, as well as the many artists along Hwy 101 in Leucadia,  Sunday August 26, 2018. 

 

This was a surprisingly satisfying and fun series to undertake, as I have been focused on oil painting all my life.

Picasso has his 'Blue Period' and many artists have crossed the boundaries of their usual oeuvre to discover new techniques and styles.

Why not try something new today?  It might be a fruit you never tasted, a walk you haven't taken, a person to talk to on the street, or a new article of clothing you hadn't dared to try?  Go for it...Life is Precious.

All the best,

Carole

ps. My town's motto used to be "Leucadia, Keep it Funky".  It sure has up-scaled over the years to something 'new', too!

Not-So-Secret Tips for Painting Success

Not-So-Secret Tips & Collected Quotes

What 'draws' you to compelling compositions?

Find designs and images that catch your eye immediately.  

Talk to your choice by asking what is the emotion or feeling that you relate to?  

 

Write down in words what you like about it before you begin to sketch....and consider some of the expert's advice:

1.   A Line is a Dot that Went for a Walk ~ Paul Klee

2.  Squint at your subject and Squint at your Painting often. Squint for Values,

      Open eyes for Color.
3.  A Painting is: Passages of Light and Shadow, and Abstract Shapes of Colors
4.  Paint Sensations, not Objects!
5.  Design is Everything ~ William Merritt Chase
6. Think more, paint Less ~ Sebastian Capella 
7.  If you don't know What to do, Just do Something ~ Helen Van Wyk

All the best,

Carole

Concepts to Actions!

How do Concepts End and Actions Begin....?

#1.    You have started sketching in a journal or sketchbook.   You have begun to express your feelings and impressions, objects on your desk, table, out your window, or favorite scene from vacation, with a pencil, pen, charcoal, or paints.

#2.    Create a folder with other artists' paintings, magazine photos with colors and shapes that catch your fancy.  (Pinterest makes quick sources for reference materials of all kinds.)

#3.  Do your preferences lean toward bold shapes and colors or soft indefinite edges?

Are you happiest looking at landscapes, animals, people, abstract designs, or your very own view from the window of your mind?  You have strong opinions.

#4.  Start anywhere.  You have the tools at hand!

All the best,

Carole

Surrender To Win!

What will you surrender to achieve your 'personal best'? 

 

 

''Time is the coin of the realm. Only you decide how to spend your life.''

In the last post, I hope you were moved to begin sketching simple things, apples, shoes, your hand, or a flower, in a sketchbook or on a canvas.  

To move from sketch to finished piece, you dedicate lots of practice to understand simplified shapes, values and colors.  (You can read my on my website.  The link on the Books page takes you to Blurb to preview it free!)

Whether you are painting from life or from a photo on your computer, your ideas will evolve from line drawings, color notes, and eventually arrive at a unified whole.  

Surrender to the wonder of what will evolve.

 

Surrender the 'finish', in the beginning of any artwork.

Give yourself the gift of patience.  

 

My dear teacher, mentor, and constant inspiration was the late, undisputed master from Spain,  Sebastian Capella, who's motto was:

 ''ONE STROKE PER OBSERVATION''

Slow down.

Surrender to Love of the Moment 

 

 Surrender to your inner voice.

  Play the game to win!

 All the best,

Carole

Does Art Imitate Life? True or False?

Does art Imitate Life?  True or False?  

 

 Why it's more false than true.....

 

Art investigates possibilities in life

 Art invigorates passion for life

Art interprets the context of Life

Art inspires expansion in Life 

Art instigates creativity in Life

Art increases scientific observations of Life

Art inscribes both sacred and profane records about Life

Only highly representational artists attempt to imitate Life, so what about the rest of us? 

 

Every person is an artist.. there, I said it

How, you may ask, do I tap into the dream side of my brain and explore?

It's so easy!!

1. Sit for 5-10 minutes with eyes closed to let thoughts settle down...then grab an idea or   picture that is floating by. 
2. Put that image into a few words on paper -  perhaps write a poetic concept of your vision.. use your non-dominant hand to write without censoring yourself.

3. Take a photo of a shape, object, or texture, to help hold the idea in place..

 

4. Keep writing - imagine 3 ways you could describe this emotion you're having on the paper or canvas.

5. Now grab a pencil, pen, fingers, or paint and begin with a baby step...

 ( a giant step is ok, too)

and MAKE SOME MARKS on paper.

 

''Come! There's a field beyond good and bad!  I'll meet you there.'  ~ Rumi

Next time, I'll guide you in the next step to express more of your Self. 

Happy scribbling, doodling, and getting in the flow 

of color and shapes.

All the best,

~

Carole 

ps. The only time is NOW! 

Ready, Aim, Higher!

Do You Want to Make Worthwhile Fine Art and Thrive? 

 

What choices help a person to become a professional career artist or remain a professional 'art student'?    

1. Professional artists today who have gallery representation, win awards, have clients, contract for commissions and private sales, seem to have one thing in common:  

They approach their life work as a job they love having!  

Their attitude is ''The Best or Nothing'' (Thanks, Mercedes Benz!):  They strive to be the best they can be and make necessary practices to gain mastery of the mind, heart, and hands.  For instance in China and Russia, many art academies require attendance 6 days a week, 14 hrs a day,  for 6 years!  There are no magic sales seminars or tricks to become an overnight success without a consistent body of work.
 A professional artist visualizes paying rent or mortgage, and expenses through selling art.  If self-employed, one has to be mindful to set up their own health insurance, retirement, and savings plans, often in addition to sustaining a family, as there is no corporate golden parachute waiting!  

2. A 'professional student' is often found in the stratosphere of hopes and dreams, without a clear assessment of their skill level. (see #1).  A lack of disciplined training may still show. Their productivity and voice may not be loud enough to make their art identifiable in less than 5 seconds to viewers online. Even a great love for making art may still need a viewpoint, or direction to show a well-defined oeuvre.  Making conscious decisions about harmony in subject, series, themes, are good choices. 

What if one has missed out on a solid foundation or apprenticeship? What might propel us forward to make a quantum leap at any point in our life: 

*Give up all self-sabotage talk like, 'not enough time', 'too old', 'not good enough',  or 'I haven't got the talent'. 

*Zero in on what you would love to express. 
*Focus on your best skills, then put in more hours than you thought.  
*Prepare by studying from the best schools and teachers you can find,  then practice exactly what you want to perform, like a karate master or concert violinist.  
*Be positive that the hours of preparation, discipline, and goal-setting will surely be noticed and rewarded.