Small Beauty

 Yesterday my dear friend sent me an Autumn leaf in a marvelous, impressive card. The card was a quilled bouquet, original art, mounted to fine paper.  

I have seen examples of quilling now and then before. Now, after working as a collage artist for some months, I see the quilling with new and profound respect. This was so expertly made, that I can’t imagine learning such a refined technique. 

Each flower and leaf was exquisite! Each one had repeated patterns and shapes that were separate and perfectly done. I was truly in awe. My ADD personality would go bonkers trying to do this work. I am so glad there are artisans in the world with the skill to make beautiful art that so many of us take for granted.  

My time with PMR has blessed me with the opportunity to love and respect art forms that are not painting. Art is art! Whatever the medium one chooses. We should respect lesser glorified mediums and gifted artists, not just painters. I have learned humility and respect for many art forms this year, thankfully. 

 

Country painters can learn……

Pen Fun

 Now and then I like to do some drawing at my design table. This is a pen and ink drawing of a Belted Kingfisher. I was a drawing major in art school long ago. A couple of years ago I bought myself a nice drawing table. I would love to make a living drawing, but alas, drawing is on the very bottom of the food chain of the art world. To make money, you must be a painter. 

in my view, drawing is the most important medium of art. It is the skeleton of all skills in art. Even the most famous abstract painters knew how to draw. My collage work has helped to improve my drawing. I don’t use other templates or patterns. I don’t cut out pictures for my collages.  I draw every collage myself first. Drawing is crucial to all mediums and basic design skill. I keep working at it. 

Country artists practice drawing…..

Wholesale Attitudes

 Some artists have what I call a wholesale attitude about their work. These are painters who sell their work substantially below market value. 

 Their work tends to be formulaic in style. They have found a style which is easy to do quickly and is marketable to the pop culture we now live in. Often, they will line up canvases, painting all the sky, then trees, then grasses, with slight variations.

 They use tried and true palette colors, brushwork they are used to, and subjects they are sure will sell. This sounds like good business and financially it probably is. They sell lots of paintings with their production line assembly. They borrow it from Ford’s original idea. It is the same for artists who sell reproductions. To each his or her own. This is probably jealousy on my part.

 That is an easier way to make a living than for those of us who struggle with new and difficult processes we are unsure of. I am always pleasantly surprised when finishing a painting in good form. Many of my experiments are failures, but I learn from all of them. Constant study, changing brushwork, palettes, subjects, and mediums are risky. The rewards are vast!

 

Life is process and experimentation for country painters....