I visited the library a few days ago in search of a landscape painting book by Edgar Payne. I hit a dead end with that book but in perusing the art section I found a couple other books to check out, one of which is all about the rituals of art. It is titled Daily Rituals: How Artists Work edited by Mason Currey. It is an interesting compilation of descriptions of daily routines of well-known artists such as Mozart, Beethoven, Hemingway, Updike, Einstein and the like.

How do you find your subject matter to paint? For me, it is my camera, whether driving down the road and snapping photos with my iPhone, or driving the backroads on foggy mornings with my big girl Nikon. I usually take shots of anything to which I am drawn. Many of them go into the trash bin, but I have found several keepers through the years using this method.

Thank you to all those who have already signed up for my online painting class, Earth, Water, Sky. I appreciate you and look forward to seeing the beauty you create in class.

I have been invited by artist Olga Furman to teach an online landscape painting class and I am excited to announce the opening of registration for the course - Earth, Water, Sky: Painting Atmospheric Landscapes.

Selling Your Art Online
by Beth Cole

We just finished our art club’s annual art and photo competition, whew! We displayed over 130 entries from around the area, what a beautiful exhibition. Especially fun was the interest from young people, we had lots of grade school age entries as well as those in the high school years.

Which brings me to what I am writing about today. I was asked by a young person and others as well, “how do you sell your art online?”.

One of the things I have come to realize on my painting journey is that painting is all about problem solving. When you begin to think of each painting as a puzzle to be solved, it makes the process less about you and your self-talk (I’m no good at this, I want to break this brush, why am I even trying…..etc. sound familiar?) and more about the painting and its potential.

Heartful Soul Collective Facebook Auction 

I'm excited to announce I have been invited to participate in the Heartful Soul Collective Art Facebook Auction happening August 1-3, 2017. In addition to "Light Show" (above), I will also offer these three pieces.