What Piano Taught Me About Painting

What Piano Taught Me About Painting

I am a music nerd. To the core. Piano lessons were the highlight of my seven year old life, and yes, I am often reminded by my piano-lesson-taking-sisters that I did hog the piano. 

The piano has been my friend, my disciplinarian, my therapist and my voice for many years. No matter how much time passes, I can still sit down with her and we have a beautiful exchange as all best friends do.

Read More

Carnegie Arts Center Show - Alliance, Nebraska

Carnegie Arts Center Show - Alliance, Nebraska

Gary and I will be doing a joint exhibition at the Carnegie Arts Center in Alliance from May 16-June 25, 2017. You're invited to a reception on Saturday, June 24, from 1:30 - 3:30.

The Backroads in Pixels and Paint

We love driving the backroads with our cameras on nice days, foggy days, even snowy days. Gary likes to shoot anything unusual especially old buildings, vehicles, rusty things, etc. I also gravitate toward this subject matter and I like looking for light and shadow with my camera. These photos are inspiration for when I get back in the studio with my paints. 

Read More

Art After Fifty

Art After Fifty

This is a new series on the blog for those over fifty who have always wanted to create ART. Is that you? I'm glad you're here. Truly. 

Art After Fifty

I was 54 when I picked up a paintbrush. It was something I have always wanted to do, but never made time for because of life – raising kids, business responsibilities, etc. Maybe it’s the same for you. If so, I want to encourage you. It’s not too late! You are in the prime years of your life. You may still be working full or part time but chances are your nest is empty and you have a little more time to explore art.

Read More

Painting With Oils - Part Four

Painting With Oils - Part Four

This is the fourth in a series about painting with oils, sharing what I have learned so far. You can read the first, second, and third posts here.

Applying Paint

In this post I want to write about the best part of painting – applying the paint! I usually don’t start with a white canvas, instead, I mix a background color (usually in the pinkish family) and dip my brush in mineral spirits to get it nice and thin. Then I brush this all over the canvas. Sometimes I mix a warm and cooler color and apply one for land and one for sky, it just depends. Drips happen sometimes, and I really like that, but I usually take a tissue and wipe everything fairly dry so my actual paint doesn’t mix with the mineral spirity paint.

Read More

Painting With the Masters - Edward Seago

Painting With the Masters - Edward Seago

I love this painting by Edward Seago. The grays are so delicate. There is a variety between cool and warm. And the horizon line with the buildings is beautifully painted in such close values. I love the contrast of light and dark - the standing water against the dark buildings. The sky is at once warm and cool and full of lively clouds. I just like the feel of this painting - it takes me there. These are the reasons I chose this painting to study. I have others from Edward Seago that I want to paint in the coming days. There is something about his style that I really like.

Read More

Painting With Oils - Part Two

Painting With Oils - Part Two

This is the second post in a series I am working on about oil painting. Here is the link to the first post.

Mixing Colors and Using Medium

This post is about mixing colors and using medium in your oil paint.

Nebraska artist Patty Scarborough had some great advice about mixing paint on her blog, she said (and I agree) the best way to learn how to mix colors is hands on experimentation – in other words - trial and error. There really is no substitute.

Read More

Painting With Oils - Part One

Painting With Oils - Part One

This is the first in a series of articles I want to write about painting with oils. Before I started painting with oils I was pretty intimidated. Tales of trash cans bursting into flame and toxic materials with strict handling rules kept me tiptoeing around them for sure.

But as I have continued to study master artists and great paintings that I really like, most of them are done in oil. So, a few years ago, I started learning more about the process of oil painting and while I certainly don’t know it all, I am happy to share what I have learned.

Read More

Painting With the Masters - John Frederick Kensett

Painting With the Masters - John Frederick Kensett

Here is another master painting study, a work by John Frederick Kensett titled Mountain Lake.

Kensett was a member of the second generation of the Hudson River School of artists. His work is associated with the American Art style of Luminism. I love this style of painting (along with Tonalism) and I look forward to painting more and applying what I am learning to my new pieces for 2017. 

Read More