2023 Word

 Each year about this time, I think of a relevant word to use in my mind and my actions for the new year. I write it down as a reminder to myself each day to use the wisdom and action I possess for good. I tape it on my computer to see it each day while I’m doing office chores and tape it to my easel in the studio, as I work there as well. 

 My word for 2023 is STUDY

 It is a reminder that I have much to learn about history, science, the natural world, business, and painting. I have always considered myself an avid student of many subjects. I will enjoy exploring and growing in 2023. I believe the key to happiness is a purposeful life. Continuing to live with a learning mindset keeps me happy with what I have, not wishing for more toys.

 Life is wonderful for country painters……..

Blessings

 Friends,

Whatever your faith, I wish you the best holiday season. I hope 2023 will be the best year yet for all of us.

Blessings,

Linda

Workshops 2023

 Yesterday I enjoyed a breakfast tea party of eggs,bacon,toast,and fresh fruit with my best friend, Mary Jane Volkmann, artist extraordinaire! We caught up on life, families, and careers. We then got down to the business of planning three one day workshops for 2023. 

We will team teach two of these workshops in March and April outdoors. Our July workshop will be indoors, in my air conditioned studio. This is the first teaching I have done since March of 2020. I’ve always loved teaching one day workshops and I am looking forward to this series of three fun adventures. Each workshop will be limited to 12 students, lunch included. 

 More information to come from this Country painter…….

Winter Woods

  

 

 

Today I encountered a lovely site on Deer Woods Trail. A flock of wild turkeys were foraging along the trail in front of me. What lovely birds! They took off in flight at noticing me, so I was able to view their large wing spans. It took me back to my childhood days of being out in the woods with my daddy and his friend Mr Bailey.

 This time of year is my favorite. The leaves are slowly turning, and the grape vines are dotted with yellow and oxide colors. There is such a wonderful feel to the walk in the woods each day. I see the fields turning to wheat and rust. Some trees are silver and gray now, having already lost their foliage. There is an odd little grassy plant that grows in one section. it is a spiral of stems coming out from the root, looking like Don King's hair.

 I read an article this morning about the benefits of hiking in the natural world. I have often thought that being urban, away from the natural world was harmful and now I have proof. 

 "The researchers noted that increased urbanization closely correlates with increased instances of depression and other mental illness. Taking the time to regularly remove ourselves from urban settings and spend more time in nature can greatly benefit our psychological (and physical) well-being."

 Artists have a wonderful life....

Earth’s Palette

 I live for fall and winter in north Florida. It is a wonderful subtle palette for a painter of the earth. This palette reaches deeply into my core on many levels. I have spent much of my life on trails and in pastures. These colors bring back many memories of times when I was young, strong and agile, riding horses, running cross country, and of an active life of discovery. 

 

I’ve been watching the bright leaves beginning to fade and the grasses and sedges are turning to red iron oxide and pale ochre. The trees are silver and linear without their foliage, and the evergreens are deep and dark green in contrast. The afternoon shadows grow longer as the winter arrives. I see smoky blues and purples in the distant trees in early morning and late afternoon. The hickories are always the divas, showing off last in their golden robes, striking against the muted winter color. 

 

Country painters love the land…..

Life is Generous

 Hard times can bring out the best in us. It is all about our attitude. If you find yourself obsessing about COVID, politics, the economy, you might want to step back. If you are angry every day, you might want to step back.

 Our citizens have lived through terrible adversity many times in our history. I have been through many economic downturns. One of my gallery dealers once told me that hard economic times weeds out artists who are not prepared and not professional. I don’t know if that is true. I would not wish for failure for any artist. 

There are organizations who are putting in place aid to artists, for supplies and other needs. I am working on these projects with kind souls who wish to improve lives for creatives. There are wonderful people who want to donate to these plans. Blessings for them. Don’t give up your dreams.

 Life is generous for country painters....

 

Artisans Guild Gallery

 I love walking up the steps to the Artisans Guild Gallery. It is in the old Pleasant Street neighborhood two blocks from Main Street. The houses are quite old but in good repair. Most of them have lovely large front porches. 

The Artisans Guild porch is especially inviting. There is a large swing to your left, and small table and chairs to your right. The porch continues around the right side of the house where an old wooden easel stands as a symbol of the treasures inside. The front door is festooned with garland during holidays and has an old brass knob to turn. 

Once inside, the magic begins! Color, design, patterns, surround you in this dignified, timeless space. Beautiful wood floors creak slightly, reminding me of old family homes I have adored through the years. 

The gallery is masterfully curated by a team of two. The art, whether whimsical, traditional, or modern, weaves through the spaces, fitting into the old house making it cozy and inviting for you to stay as long as you like. You will find something you must have or must give to a friend or loved one.

Visit the Artisans Guild seven days a week, from 11AM-6PM at 224 NW 2nd Avenue in Gainesville, FL.

Country painters love a fine gallery……

Love Crows

 Most of you know that the crow/raven family are my favorite birds. I recently did some research and discovered that though they may look quite a bit different, magpies belong to the bird family Corvidae, a group that includes crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws and jays, as well as lesser recognized members like treepies, choughs and nutcrackers.

 Magpies are among the most intelligent family of birds recognized by modern science. I had not known that jays are related, but it does make sense with their similar behaviors. I’ve never seen a magpie but they are very pretty with their white on black markings. I also learned that magpies can recognize themselves in a mirror and their tails are long compared to crows and ravens.

 

Life is swell for country naturalists…..

Celebrate

  

 

 

Celebrate what you are! Your age, your looks, your station in life and your gifts. Be confident in yourself. I know so many who are unhappy about their aging, their looks and their talents.

 This is a waste of our precious time on this good earth. I will never be a master painter, but I have enjoyed the challenge of the masterpiece just around the corner for about sixty years now.  I look like a train wreck compared to my young self but so what? I am a lot happier and smarter than I was in my young, naive adulthood. With age comes a humble and open attitude, grateful for every day. 

 If you are obsessed with politics and the state of the world, don’t spend another minute. Support the causes you believe in with donations and leave the worry to those who can actually do something. Study history to understand that this generation of angst is only one of many since the dawn of humanity. Get out and vote and help others to get to the polls, but leave the worry behind.

This country painter is joyful for life……..

Out on the Trail

 I got my paint box filled and ready to paint yesterday. This morning I’ve been out on the trail for my first location painting of the season. I started with a five x seven painting. 

 It felt great to hear the birds sing and hear the rustling of small animals in the tall grass, while I enjoyed the beautiful October morning. 

 The field that runs along the edge of the trail is so pretty in October. The weeds are waist high, all blooming with tiny flowers, touched by morning light. I enjoyed being in front of my paint box again. This is my first outdoor painting in two years, due to my struggles with ongoing PMR. I consider this morning as a victory. 

 Painting outdoors is so different from the studio. It is much more primitive and basic, but fun. For a long time I was a plein air painter who also did studio work. I have evolved into a studio painter who also does plein air work. I enjoy both but I have always been a better studio painter. 

 Country painters love the woods…..

Helping Hand

  

 

These days can overwhelm all of us, but especially artists. We are in a precarious position in the best of times. As negativity increases, it is easy to begin to lose hope and turn to a “woe is me” mind set. 

 Now is the time to have faith in your own good, hard work. Now is the time to focus on your friends, nurturing them and nurturing your own artists’ communities. Avoid negativity and bad news. Enjoy a life of gratitude, that you have been given this rare gift of art. Reach out to an artist who struggles. A kind gesture goes a long way toward success for you both. If you love an artist’s work, share it on social media and with your friends who might be in the market for a painting. Tell friends about favorite artists.

 If you wish to help a beginning artist, lend him/her frames for an exhibition if you have extra. Most painters like me have a closet full of frames.

Offer to review their work and help him/her select paintings for a show.

Send a gift card to a struggling artist for breakfast or lunch or even coffee. Encouraging them might give them faith to soldier on.

 Buy small paintings from artists to help them financially and give them hope.

Be grateful to those who share your work or comment on your work. I am deeply grateful for my friends who help me in small ways as well as those who can financially support me with collecting. Lend equipment or give a tube of paint, canvas or brush to a struggling artist.Anything you do to further their career is a way to endure hard times. I have had many collectors assist me over my long career.

Most importantly, keep your attitude one of gratefulness and wonder at the beauty of being an artist.

 Life is wonderful for country artists......

Back on the Trail

 

 

I’m back on Deer Woods Trail. Each season I have a lot of clean up. I pick up debris one trail at a time. After the trails are cleaned up, I start trimming the tree limbs that reach too low and far onto the trail. I leave the limbs and debris on each side of the trail to gradually rot away. Since it is a private trail, I don’t have to groom it, as public land trails do. Someday I would love to have a controlled burn, but I would have to have professionals do that.

 

The mornings on the trail are gorgeous now. As soon as I am through with the hard work I will get my paint box ready to set up for the painting season.  I have already picked out my first scene. I set up my box on the trail and tie a large heavy black garbage bag over it. My tripod is metal. Then I move it up and down the trail through the season. It works great.

 

Country painters love the trail……

Time to Get Out

 It’s almost time to get back out on the trail for my fall-spring studies of trees and nature. I’ll set up my paint box and move it up and down the trail. I put a big heavy trash bag over the box, so it can stay out for months at a time, safe and dry. 

 My October series will be done with my favorite winter palette. I use cadmium red light, yellow ochre, ultramarine blue, Payne’s gray and titanium white. It is a modification of the Anders Zorn palette. I have loved this palette for years. I’ve always loved single primary palettes. Few choices and endless variations thereof.

 This palette gives a lot of subtle neutrals, but the cad red offers an intense choice if desired. The purples are subtle like the winter atmospheric quality of distant trees. My paintings are gradually becoming more neutral. I rely more on value structure than color saturation. I have a long way to go toward being a fine painter. I’m taking the slow and steady journey.

 Experimenting is swell for country painters.... 

Design

  

 

There are lots of important parts of painting, but the most important to me is design. I always call design, values, and color mixing the BIG THREE of painting. Without good design, the other two have little value.  Many artists use over saturated color as a crutch because they don’t understand good design and value relationships. The vibrancy gives them a feeling of shock and awe! I have seen many wonderful paintings with minimal color. 

 

I had a marvelous design teacher in my BFA program. He had the marvelous skill of using minimalistic subjects and limited palettes to teach design. His pieces were wonderful. Over the years I have studied design extensively as well as values, and Notan.

 

I would love to teach design again if we ever rid ourselves of Covid.  

 

Country painters love design…

Best of Friends

  

 

Now and then I have the privilege of spending a morning with a dear friend who is a professional full time artist. We have very different styles, different genres and different approaches to painting. This is a celebration for us. We have never allowed ourselves to be competitors, just friends. We have done many residencies and projects together along the way in our careers. 

 We get together and talk shop about our interests, our work schedules, and directions of discovery as painters. She is very sophisticated and a world traveler. I am a country painter. None of our differences matter a bit. We are in sync with our quest for discovery, painting, and love for the natural world. We have watched each other change and grow over the years. We share being a painter in the best way. 

 The thing I like the most about aging as an artist is that I no longer have to be good, or compete as a painter. Painting is so much fun. I never think about bad or good paintings. I just love doing paintings. I’ll never be as good as she or some other painters I know. I no longer see that as a disadvantage. Painting is truly the great equalizer. Someone will be more gifted, or not as gifted. No one will really care, because I don’t. I consider painting to be the great privilege of my life. How could I not like any part of it? Stepping into my studio each time is like going out for a hot fudge sundae! All of the angst of art school, the years of competitive art, galleries and openings, have faded out of my career. Only the joy remains of putting brush to canvas! I vow to keep it that way onward.

Commissions

  

 

I have a perfect commission collector. Those are hard to find. He brings me lovely vintage frames, and I do paintings to fit them for him.

He sometimes gives me vague subjects of interest and sometimes just tells me to do what I like. He never gives me a specific timeline and he never butts in,asking me to change the painting. When I show it to him, he says it is exactly right. What a dream collector! I’ve never had another like him.

 Most of my commissions go fairly smoothly, with minor changes along the way. Some are from corporations, some from interior designers, some from individuals. 

 I have been lucky to have only two commissions that were disasters. One lasted 18 months before the collector was satisfied. She expected many changes over the time line. It was finally finished. What a relief. The other went through three large canvases with no satisfaction to be found. I finally sent the client her deposit just to end the pain. She never thanked me or responded again. 

 Commissions take patience and understanding. It is always about the collector, never about the Artist. Leave your artist ego at home if you do commissions. 

 Country painters love their collectors…

Value of Art and Culture

 Sometimes people ask me why art is important? They think it is just decoration. Why invest in original art? 

Art affects every part of our lives. Our cars, furniture, kitchen tools, gardens, and almost all products are the result of art design. 
Without original art we have no culture, no refinement in our society. We have more civility with art, and that is sorely needed. Art and culture are the barriers against chaos and meanness of society. We must teach our children that all the arts are vital to their society in every generation. 
Art is not just for the wealthy or highly educated. It is for all of us. I still am stunned by the portraits of John Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and others. Artists are the historians of our own time on this earth. 
My collectors like to think of my paintings as vacations. They can go to that place and leave the stress of their day instantly, even if just for a moment. I have never believed in reproductions. I think they cheapen our art and encourage a throw away attitude about art. 
When a collector buys my work, they have exclusivity. No one else will ever have that painting if they wish to keep it and pass on to the next generation. Original art is special, and should be treasured. I have a large variety of prices for that reason. 
We should be teaching our children that art is vital to our society for every generation.
Life is wonderful for country painters.....

Clear Up

 It’s been awhile since I went through my older paintings in storage. I think it is time to clear up my inventory. Some of the paintings in storage are some of my favorites, so they are rotated into the studio inventory again in future. Others were part of my experimentation of palettes, brush work, and other elements of painting. There is nothing wrong with them but I have advanced beyond them and improved. 

 

I am thinking of filling my browse boxes and saving the frames for new work. I’ve not had a painting sale since 2018. Some if the smallest paintings will go into my free art gallery. It will be a fair amount of effort to sort through the work and put it in the sale bins, but it’s nice to give people a chance to own original art at a good discount.  It’s good for me to move them out too.  I’ll have them ready by September 1.

 

Country painters always need studio space….

Influencers

 I study marketing a lot, to enhance my career. Artists have to sell paintings to live.  There seems to be a thing now called influencer marketing.  It is all the rage.

I know several artists who depend on this scheme to make a living. The idea is that they must have thousands of social media followers to sell art. The necessary number is a hundred thousand +. They must post a certain number of times a day, follow celebrities, and other “influencers”, have the right hash tags, and many other requirements. They must use sales funnels and landing pages. These formulas will make them successful.

This idea is appalling to me. These are artists who will say that I just don’t understand. In my view, this is like going to a get rich quick convention. Whatever happened to being a real person who actually works hard in the studio every day, who actually cares about the people who follow and share their own lives with their favorite artists? If this is a turn off for me, you can bet it will be for art collectors. No one wants to be constantly sold to and manipulated with formulas.

I am admittedly old school. Most of my collectors are my friends. I actually care about their ups and downs, good and bad days. My collectors are real people with real lives, not numbers on social media. I’d rather have a hundred friends than 100,000 strangers following me because they think I might be cool or know someone cool. 

Life is real for country painters....

Painting Fun

 I’ve been practicing my acrylic skills this summer, first with small paintings on watercolor paper, and lately the 8x10, 11x14 and 12x16 sizes. I have slowed down a bit and pay attention to the stages of the painting. I think carefully about decisions. Hopefully I will be ready for the fall season of tea parties and my front porch show at The Artisan’s Guild on October 29th. It is all good fun!

 

Country painters have a wonderful life…

Exciting News

 

Back Light Fun

 I’ve been having fun with recycled unsanded wood panels. My contractor saves wood scraps and cuts them the sizes I use. I love the texture, lines and knots in the wood.

This painting is an example. One of my favorite landscape situations are

 

strong backlit trees. They are more difficult for me than frontal or side light. Getting that halo around them is difficult to do without exposing too much of the texture. It is easy to do flat dark tree trunks but they look fake. Getting just enough texture in the tree trunks, and variety in the light behind them is the challenge. This one is pretty abstract but it was great fun!

Country painters love to learn……

Studio Tour Review

 The studio tour was a huge success for me. A good crowd came on Saturday. Lots of sales! Sunday was calmer, with fewer guests but a more relaxed day with old friends. It was excellent in every way. I hope the tour includes me again next year.

This week I’m working on some commissions and trying to catch up so I can get back to my experiments with palettes, my summer project. I’ve worked through three tetradic palettes and now I’m using my favorite long time palette of cadmium red light, ultramarine blue, cadmium yellow light, Payne’s gray and titanium white. In the winter I substitute yellow ochre for the cadmium yellow. This is a no risk palette. You cannot mix a bad color combination with this palette.

Country painters love to experiment…..

Gainesville Fine Arts Studio Tour

 This week I’ve been preparing for the studio tour on this Saturday and Sunday 10 AM - 5 PM. A shout out with kudos for Deb and Wes Lindbergh, who did all the hard work for this
event. 

Due to a resurgence of Covid, I will be wearing a mask on both days. I urge you to wear one too. My studio assistant won’t be joining us due to a Covid infection.  So sad! My sister will lend a hand, so please do come. I will keep the studio sanitized during both days. 

I’ll be serving hot dogs, potato salad, Cole slaw, fresh fruit, and chocolate bark. We will enjoy a cup of tea or soft drinks. I know it is hot, but my studio is air conditioned. If you want to avoid the afternoon showers, come morning through lunch time.

I’ll have lots of paintings to show in sizes from 4x6 inches to 40x60 inches. Don’t forget my free art gallery too. Ya’ll come!

Country painters love their friends! 

Farms and Ranches

 

 

For the last 20 years or so I have focused my work on agricultural land in Florida, Alabama and on occasion, North Carolina. I taught painting at the folk school in NC for a few years, and my daughter went to college in Alabama, so I had good painting time there as well.

 I grew up around agriculture, farming and ranching. My daddy’s best friends were farm and ranch men. I tagged along with him and studied the fields, woods, and pastures with great interest. We had horses and a cow or two out here. I would say farming and ranching is in my blood. I know a lot of farmers and I am a great admirer of them. They put in long days of hard labor and they are true environmentalists. They manage their land with great skill and protect the wildlife who live on their land. Many of them have invasive plants removed regularly, so that their lands are truly primal Florida, the Florida I grew up in. They are naturalists and have great knowledge of the rhythms of land. 

 Many Florida painters focus on the coast, beaches, boats, tourist towns, and what most people think of Florida. Few tourists understand that the real Florida is something else entirely. Kudos to our farmers and ranchers. 

 Life is wonderful for country painters.......

Paint Endlessly

 Long time painters are hot wired to paint every day or often. I produce hundreds of paintings every year. My methods change throughout the years, due to interest and health, but the habit of painting every day stays with me.

 At one time I only painted out doors. That lasted about ten years. I began to see that my technical skills declined considerably. I realized that plein air painting by itself was not the answer. I also learned that outdoor observation was far more important to my knowledge of the natural world.

 Now I spend most of the year painting in my studio, paired with a lot of time walking and observing the natural world from my trails. I do most of my studies at my design table on 4x6 watercolor paper, and paint in the studio two or three days a week. I paint out on the trails in the winter months, when it is cool and pleasant. 

It doesn’t matter what method I use as long as I am working every day and learning as I go. 

 Country painters have a wonderful life…..

Relentless Pursuit

 

 

I’ve been in the art business for many long years. One of the common denominators for successful artists is relentless effort on all fronts. You cannot hide in your studio and succeed. You have to keep painting and marketing whether the market is good or poor. 

 Many artists only work at marketing or funding initiatives when they are selling well. I think the time to market is when you are not. If your sales are flat, invest in your communication, use your mailing list and social networks to get word out about yourself when sales are slow. Don’t give up.  Diversify your painting techniques and subjects to reach a wider audience. Take on commission work if your work is appropriate and change your sizes and price points to include a wider collector base. 

 Make friends with non-artists. Too many artists spend all of their social time with other artists. Too many artists invest their resources in contests and marketing that appeal to artists, not collectors. Artists are fun to know, but collectors and friends help you pay the bills and remain solvent. Most of the people I spend time with are collectors and friends. They add diversity to my life and new ideas. If you are not selling, find new outlets. Learn new techniques. Keep your work fresh and new. Don’t be afraid of change.

 Country painters have a wonderful life……

 

---

Studio Progress

 My contractor is through with the upgrade to my studio. Now it is my turn to put it all together again. Re-do has been harder than taking everything out. There are more decisions to make now. I am being more discriminating about what I place where. I have left out a few pieces of furniture that were really unneeded. There are a few pieces I can’t find, like my tea kettle. I’m sure it is there somewhere in all the piles of things. 

 

I think I can finish it up tomorrow, then I’ll sweep the floors and pick up the actual studio room where I paint and make paper.  My plan is to begin painting in my studio again on Saturday morning. I am very excited to see the old place looking so grand. I am to pick up a donated antique chandelier on Sunday afternoon for the big room. The chandelier I bought for the little alcove room looks fabulous. The joint has never looked so good. I recommend that all painters have their studio painted gray. The paintings look so good against the walls now. Next week the studio will be available for tea parties again. Schedule one for yourself with friends.

Country painters are so lucky… 

Natural Science

 As you all know I am a keen student of upland nature and science. I saw this part of an article from the Science Daily web site: 

 

The Paleozoic era culminated 251.9 million years ago in the most severe mass extinction recorded in the geologic record. Known as the "great dying," this event saw the loss of up to 96% of all marine species and around 70% of terrestrial species, including plants and insects.

 

The rate of present-day global warming rivals that experienced during the "great dying," but its signature varies regionally, with some areas of the planet experiencing rapid change while other areas remain relatively unaffected. The future effects of climate change on ecosystems will likely be severe. Thus, understanding global patterns of environmental change at the end of the Paleozoic can provide important insights as we navigate rapid climate change today.

 

It made me sad to read this as I know we are headed for dark times, unless world leaders begin to take climate change seriously. Science is real, not an inconvenience to corporate, developers, and big business interests. Sadly, it is my grandchildren who will suffer from our neglect of Mother Earth. It seems like we are going backwards toward fascism now.

 

Country painters love our planet......

 

Having Fun

 While my studio is under construction, I’ve been having a swell time painting 4x6 acrylic paintings on watercolor 140 lb cold press at my design table. I always forget how much fun it is to do paintings on paper. I started with watercolor but soon tired of that. I like doing pen with watercolor but plain WC, not so much. It always seems bland to me and I don’t have the patience to wait for drying between layers. It is just not my game without the ink too.  Opaque is my game and it always has been. I love oils,acrylics,and casein. I don’t mind gouache but it is not my favorite.  

 

Waiting for my studio upgrade is hard. The studio is quite empty and unusable. I know it will be worth the wait, but I sure miss standing in front of my easel, listening to my WW2 and other history podcasts while I paint with joy. It has to be finished by July 14th. Fingers crossed! If not, I will have to put the old studio back together for 2 days. I would rather not do that! I’ve been thinking some about changing some things around in the room when I move back in. 

 

New spaces are fun for country painters…… 

Which Path?

 I’m at the stage of life and career where I need to make decisions on my studio space future. My home town art dealer moved to St Augustine and I do have paintings in his gallery, but no longer have paintings in my home town. 

 I’ve been going back and forth on whether to rent a town studio space or to make gradual cosmetic improvements and stay put in my own studio/gallery space. These decisions need to be made carefully.

 I am not that far out of town, and my friends don’t seem to mind the trip out to my studio. Most of them love being out in the sticks and in the cool months, they enjoy my walking trails. I love having a separate building behind my house and being able to paint whoever I want to. Endless Covid is an issue as well. People know that my studio is a safe Covid free space. I have set it up so visitors sit at one table and I sit  at a different table for safety. 

 I have in mind to have the tea party/gallery room painted a pale gray, charcoal gray baseboards and new laminate gray wood floors installed in that room. Art looks wonderful with gray walls. I don’t need to do the other rooms. I use a smaller room as my working studio space, the hallway and utility room can stay as they are.

I think my current studio is where I belong. I’m saving up for this project. Happily, my contractor told me yesterday she will be able to complete the upgrade before the July Studio tour by GFAA. My theme will be an old fashioned hot dog picnic, with fixings, and veges for my vegan friends. 

 Country painters have great studios…..

Do you

 There are more and more formulas written by so called experts and coaches for selling art, especially for social media. Not a day goes by that I don’t get unasked for advice on how I can become a great influencer and have tens of thousands of followers. I just have to pay them for their advice, or promote soap, underwear or food products. 

 

Then there are the trenders in the art world. Let’s all paint abstracts, street scenes, kids on beaches if we want to sell art. Let’s make sure we are using the Pelatone color of the year. If one artist is using good ideas for marketing their work, we must do that too. Let’s not come up with ideas that work for our own needs. 

 

I say do what is authentically you. Ignore the trends, ignore the new trending color, ignore what the popular artists do, unless you happen to love their colors or style. I have gone my own way through my career. I often stop and check whether an art venue works for me. I do let my emotions guide me. 

 

Most plein air painters in Florida have forgotten that  Cheryl Ritter and I produced the first paint out in Florida and Hope Barton and I started the Epcot Center WDW paint out. I was the project manager for that event for 10 years, and I consulted on the Forgotten Coast, Winter Park, Jax Arboretum, Evinston, New Smyrna Beach, and Wekiva Paint Outs. David Johnson and I created Plein Air Florida.  Yet, a time came when I knew paint outs were over for me. I left that world behind. It did not ruin my career, it was just time to go. 

 

Country painters have a swell life…

Observation

 I have long been fascinated with atmospheric qualities of the landscape. I credit that interest to all my years as a hobby naturalist and years of observation as a professional painter.

I like to think of a canvas as three basic planes of the landscape, distant, middle, and foreground. I am ever aware of those basic planes. They can be adjusted up and down the picture plane, but they are ever present. 

The key is thinking in the way we actually see. Unlike a camera’s photo, everything is not crisp and clear in our natural view. We tend to focus on one area of our view. The painter has the ability to put the focus on a plane, either distant, middle or foreground.  Inexperienced painters make everything sharply focused or everything blurred. They make everything highly saturated or bland, middle range in values or too contrasty. A good painting has variety. 

The painter’s job is to create a beautiful or interesting scene, not to copy nature. We must lead the viewer into the painting and keep them there as long as possible. If everything is the same focus, color saturation, sharp or carelessly finished, it becomes predictable. 

Painting is hard for country painters……

 

Stay Aware

 One of the most important things and artist must do, is to periodically analyze their activities and to be aware of changes in their career. Many artists get into a rote pattern of doing what they have done before just because that is what they always do. I see this very frequently.

 

I constantly think about an event and evaluate its potential for me for sales and marketing. Am I really getting anything out of it besides a few hours of fun? Is the event wearing on my body, my time and resources without return on investment? Am I doing an event because all of the "brand name" artists are going to be there rather than because it really helps me in some way? Does this event take me away from my own market, my studio time, and cost money instead of creating ROI?

 

 Many artists use the excuse that events are fun, so are worth the cost and time management issues. Frankly, I can have fun with a real vacation without the stress of working through a paint out or other event. Why not spend a few hundred dollars to go on a real vacation, where you are free to enjoy all of the fun?

 

 Every artist has to go their own path to success. I'm not suggesting that everyone should analyze the ROI for their time. I am a business woman, not just an artist, so my time must be used wisely as often as possible. 

Country painters have a wonderful life…..