Ten Days Without a Hair Brush
/We just returned from some wanderings up north through the beautiful fall colors of Wisconsin and Michigan. And yes, I did forget my hair brush and ..... delightfully..... it didn't really matter.
Read MoreArt + Such is a blog about painting and grateful living by Beth Cole of Beth Cole Art.
We just returned from some wanderings up north through the beautiful fall colors of Wisconsin and Michigan. And yes, I did forget my hair brush and ..... delightfully..... it didn't really matter.
Read MoreI have been listening to the Savvy Painter podcast on my 4 hour drives to see the littles. Have you heard of it? It is well worth your time. Host Antrese Wood skillfully interviews accomplished painters about how they got started painting, their views on painting and the artist’s life, and other really interesting topics.
Read MoreGary and I will be showing art and photography at the Schoolhouse Gallery in Brownville, Nebraska through the month of October, 2016.
Read MoreI have been wanting to show photos of the stages of paintings and I always forget to take progress shots. Until today. Here are a couple I have been working on.
I'm excited to be showing art (along with husband photographer Gary Cole) at the Schoolhouse Gallery in Brownville the month of October. The show opening will be 6:00pm-7:00pm, Friday evening, October 7th.
Read MoreI read a really good article yesterday by Nik Ripken about how we (Western believers) want to rescue our brothers and sisters who are suffering persecution. It is somehow as if we (collectively as a society) want to alleviate suffering firstly for ourselves and then for others in the perimeters of our lives. We believe it is the good, the best, the right, that people would not be allowed to suffer. And who could argue that?
Read MoreThe Valentine Art Guild sponsored a wonderful workshop with artist Rita Kirkman last weekend. She demonstrated life drawing and working from a grid. It was SO GOOD.
Read MoreMy favorite birthday gift of all is this beautiful ballerina sculpture, I call her my chubby ballerina.
I loved her the minute I saw her. I was with my daughter for a girl’s day, I think we were skittering around Village Pointe in Omaha. We admired her for a bit and went on our way. So my daughter who doesn’t miss a thing, later went back to purchase this beauty for my birthday.
Read MoreSOLD. This piece of our town went to the most loving home of my friend, Deb. I am beyond thrilled that it will receive the kindest love and care. Hooray!
I have been working on other pieces in this series. Here is one of the windmills that serve as a landmark for our town. It is called Wind Poets - 18 x 24 on a wood panel.
Read MoreI just read an interesting blog post, Drawing the Fine Line, by Kim Carlton on the Oil Painters of America blog where she said “I’m mostly unloving to myself as the creator of my art, but I want to change that.“
Read MoreThere are a few art happenings and opportunities coming up in central Nebraska the next few months, here's a quick rundown. Please share - hooray for art!
Read MoreGary and I are getting ready to share our art and photography at Kearney Art in the Park this Sunday, July 10th from 9:00 to 5:00. Also showing from our area is my friend, Alissa Millsap, she has lots of goodness to share.
Gary has been taking photography and metal art to this show for many years and we have met so many awesome people who love art. It is always well attended.
The temperature might be a little warm but there is lots of shade, music throughout the day and into the evening, and great food including shaved ice to cool you off.
If you are local, I hope you can make it to the show and be inspired by beauty, goodness and creativity. If you come, please stop by and say hi to us, we would love to see you.
The Dawson County Historical Museum in Lexington has been working very hard to create a beautiful display of vintage wedding dresses. The display is now open so if you are local, it would be fun to take in. Here is Crystal's interview on NTV's Good Morning program telling more about the display.
I painted six of the dresses in oil and pastel, they are also hung and ready for viewing. The show will be open through the end of August, 2016.
Enjoy the day my friend.
--Beth
I just experienced an amazing art retreat with the talented and generous Jeanne Oliver. My friend Alissa and I traveled together to meet her friend Jen and gather with 23 other like-minded souls to spend time soaking in God's goodness poured out through art and new friends.
Read MoreI have painted seven pieces to accompany the show. I struggled with whether to paint the full figure or just the dress, mannequin style. I ended up doing a little of both. There are seven pieces in all, four oil paintings and three pastels.
I am planning to host an online show for my newsletter subscribers. If you would like an invitation, please subscribe to my newsletter and let me know by June 30th.
We just returned from wandering the backroads of the scenic Palouse (WA) area. It is a mecca for photographers and the like. I loved the pristine farms, rolling hills and the culture of preservation of barns, granaries and history. Very cool. Here are some of my favorite shots.
Have a good week. God bless you dear reader.
--Beth
Soli Deo Gloria
I have been trying to paint at least three plein air pieces a week with the encouragement of my mentor, Kim Casebeer. I am one of several in her mentoring program. It is good to have company because it is challenging.
I wanted to share a little piece of my world, here's a short video from yesterday.
When the challenge is over, I will share the pieces I was able to paint.
I hope your day is full of something creative and inspiring!
Painting is hard work, yes? It doesn’t always go like you expect. Your paintbrush gives you a mudpie when you wanted fresh veggies. You know?
I had one of these paintings just recently. I got up super early to meet my plein air challenge of three a week. It was the morning after a rain. The air was crisp and still. The sun was just coming up but it felt a little stormy. I drove to the tippy top of the east table where I could get a good view of the valley. The sun was dancing magic on the fields below. The yellow grass in the foreground was lit up. The sky in the west began to get darker and darker, super dark blue. I heard rumbles. Saw the wind start pushing those clouds harder and faster toward me. The air was very still. And we know what happens next. Yes, we do.
I kept painting, painting. Praying for a miracle on the canvas. Praying for the rain to hold off.
Guess what. You guessed it.
The raindrops began to fall. I schlepped everything back into the car. Drove home. Unloaded and took the painting inside to get a better look. Sigh. I didn’t like one single thing about it. The view I saw really spoke to me but something got seriously lost in translation. I'm sorry I can't even bring myself to show it to you.
I could spend time on this one trying to resuscitate it, nurse it to health if you will. But. There is so.much.more.to.paint. Right? So I’m not going to beat myself up over it, there will be more lemons like this and hopefully, more like the ones I want to paint.
Be kind to yourself my friend. Here’s a little reminder by one of my favorite artists.
I can’t imagine painting without music. Seriously. How does one do that?
Hubby bought me the best Christmas gift last year, a JBL Bluetooth speaker. The sound is amazing. I don’t know if it has improved my art, but it has lifted my heart for sure.
Here are some artists I really love and play frequently while painting. It’s a bit on the eclectic side, but I like all for different reasons at one time or another.
So, what is on your playlist?
It happens almost every evening. I look up and see that beautiful, golden magic hour light streaming across the land that borders our home, the view when I look west, and our back yard. It almost always makes me stop for a minute to see. Sometimes it draws me outside to walk around and watch for a little while. And on the most special of days, it causes me to grab my camera real quick so I can capture what has gripped my heart. Oh how I love the beautiful light. Such a perfect and simple reminder of our Maker who has no dark side at all and who draws us out of the darkness into His marvelous light.