Second Studio

 My first away from home studio was in Ybor City, the old part of Tampa in an old cigar factory. It was a very old building. I was on the third floor in a loft with a couple of other art students. There was no heating or air conditioning. The fold out windows allowed pigeons to enter the building, so there were droppings around the edges of the room where they roosted on the window ledges. I soon learned to stay in the middle of my space, away from the windows. The floors were wood planks. We froze in the winter and broiled in the summer. 

 

 

I loved that studio. it was vast with incredibly high ceilings. The rent was about 40.00 a month. We thought of ourselves as the elite of the art student world. After all, we had studios off campus. I remember that the entrance floor of the factory had mosaic tile laid in the name of the factory and it was so pretty. The neighborhood was Cuban and there were many shops and tiny cafes where you could get wonderful food for very little money. We loved to hang around there after painting sessions. There were also street bodegas where they sold deep fried crab cakes with hot sauce. They were the best I ever tasted and I long for them to this day.

Studios

 I don't think there is any place more important to a painter than their studio. My first studio was in the old closed in porch at my first house. I was eight years old. I did a lot of drawing and painting with tempera and watercolor paints. The ones in the tin box with the brush. I believe the brand was Prang. I set up card tables around the room and held classes for the neighborhood kids. My fee was a candy bar.

 We studied horses and flowers. We would go out in the yard and bring in flowers, limbs and acorns to practice with, and I had several horse books for reference materials. It wasn't far different than the classes I taught more recently the exception that I actually know how to draw and paint now. I believe that was the beginning of my life long career in art and my amateur role as a naturalist. My relationship to my studios is an important part of my life as a painter. 

Country painters love their studios….. 

Tired, But Onward

 It is easy to be too tired to right the world. I’ll be 72 in June. I do get tired. I take an afternoon rest now in between my working sessions. It restores me to go forward with my day. I work six days a week to run my own business. Most of my peers are retired, doing as they please. I’ll never retire. I like painting.

 It is very easy to be tired of the politics swirling around us. I no longer watch much of the news, as it is depressing for me. Politics wears us down into numbness. Left, right, or moderate, there are always going to be ugly politics. I would like it if more people studied history. I have learned that in every era of politics, there have been ugly, nefarious plots going on. There have been incompetents running the world since the cave men. I don’t think our thoughts and actions should be about our political persuasions.

 Instead, they should be about the business of being decent, honest and kind  toward each other. I have many conservative friends. We treat each other with respect, find common interests, and value our friendships. We find ways to improve our little part of the world together, without politics.

 It is easy to wring our hands about the ills of the world and do nothing. It is too easy to ignore bad behavior, instead of making an effort to behave honorably ourselves. Every kindness we extend matters. Every bit of respect and positive effort we give matters. Every penny we donate to positive and decent organizations matters.

 Protests look impressive, but I would rather use my energy supporting the natural world organizations, and the organizations who support human decency, than to stand around with signs. We cannot change minds with anger and hatred. We can change minds with kindness welcoming others into our circle. One day at a time, one friend at a time matters. I won’t let being tired stop me from using all my potential.

 Life is wonderful for artists…..

Partnership of Art and Food

 Some of you know that I was a professional chef for 13 years. I was raising two little girls on my own and needed a predictable income, though I still did art too.

That skill set has really helped me as an artist in terms of entertaining guests to my studio. My tea parties have thrived with fun eats and great tea.The most popular teas are cranberry blood orange, ginger peach, and blueberry green. 

I found two new recipes this week I am going to try out for the parties. One is sweet potato bread. The other is brie and orange marmalade baked in puff pastry. 

I'm going to make lovely cream cheese sandwiches with the bread. I regularly add good recipes to the parties. At one party, I served brownies, fresh fruit, and corned beef pate' on rye crackers topped with pickles and tomatoes. Lately I have been making charcuterie boards with genuine white chocolate bark. Another favorite with guests are my homemade chicken pot pies. 

In my view, food and art are a great marriage. People are tired of the wine and cheese thing. They want real food. I stopped serving alcohol at my parties about 10 years ago. No one seems to miss it. The best part of that decision is that the people who used to come only for the free booze and food, no longer come, wasting everyone's time. There was a guy who came to every art opening in town, never talking to anyone or looking at art, leaving after he drank free wine and food. He no longer comes to my parties. Lucky for me!

Artists have a wonderful life......

Our World Now

 We do what we are able to in difficult times. I think it is all important to keep a positive outlook in any circumstances. 

 

Finding small ways to succeed become more important than ever. I realized yesterday that we have been dealing with  Covid for nearly 3 years. Remember when that seemed unthinkable? We adjusted our lives to it and 1 million US deaths later, we still have hope for an end. We have learned to live with masks, no longer going places unless we need to. We see our friends and family on FaceTime and Zoom now.

 

When we are hit by ill health or big changes to our lives, we adjust. I try to do a little work every day at my desk. I do little drawings and paintings at my design table, and make paper collages, though I’m not able to paint as much now. I always know that I will find my way back to my beloved routine. 

 

Keeping a work schedule helps me avoid despair. A purposeful life is the most important thing I can do. Now that we are in a new year, we must move our minds forward to a purposeful place as well. We all have influence in our circle of friends. Let’s use that wisely in positive ways.

 

Life is swell for country painters.....

Tree Love

 Ya’ll know how much I love trees. I have been studying and painting them for many years. I have taught many a workshop on painting trees in my career. Yesterday I read this in my Science Daily report:

 

 

“A new study involving more than 100 scientists from across the globe and the largest forest database yet assembled estimates that there are about 73,000 tree species on Earth, including about 9,200 species yet to be discovered.The global estimate is about 14% higher than the current number of known tree species. Most of the undiscovered species are likely to be rare, with very low populations and limited spatial distribution, the study shows.

That makes the undiscovered species especially vulnerable to human-caused disruptions such as deforestation and climate change, according to the study authors, who say the new findings will help prioritize forest conservation efforts.”

 

I think this is good news for trees, though they face many challenges. People have the idea that trees are just like statues. In fact they have fascinating lives. They have communication skills with each other and are highly adaptable to their position in the natural world. They provide us with shelter, shade, the oxygen we breathe and have been witness to every occurrence throughout history. I only hope they can survive our careless disregard.

 

Country painters love trees…

Etsy Fun

 I opened an Etsy last week to show my bird drawings. I’m having some fun getting started. It is complicated and has a learning curve but I am working on improving it a bit each day. The biggest problem I have is the photos. I can’t figure out how to get them positioned correctly in the thumbnail slots. They often show the middle of the bird instead of the head. It is weird. 

 

The shop is called BlondheimBirdArt. If you get a chance, check it out. I had two sales in the first week, so I’m pleased. I raised my prices to 22.00  to cover fees. I will see how the shop goes for awhile. It is fun to try new things.

 

 

 https://www.etsy.com/shop/BlondheimBirdArt

Bird Art

 I’ve had a growing interest in creating bird drawings this year. I reorganized my design studio to incorporate my drawing table in a better position. 

I decided to open my Etsy shop again. It is Blondheim Bird Art. It is a way to expand my bird art followers. I will keep the Etsy drawings separate from my web site just because it is easier for me to keep track of sales. Etsy works well for selling small art.

 I am getting more excited about my bird work now, so it seems like a good idea to promote a bird only shop for bird lovers. I’ll never give up my landscape painting joy, but I love birds too. It seems that online shopping is here to stay, now that Covid never ends. It won’t hurt to have a second shop. 

 Country artists like to experiment……

Cartoon Doors

 I have been doing these cartoons of studio doors for about 50 years. It has been a long theme for me. I think it became an icon for me because I have always felt great love for studios. They are places where magic occurs. 

I’ve had about fifteen different studios in my long career. I have visited hundreds more, owned by other artists, interior designers, industrial designers, graphic designers and food designers. 

All are special to their owners. Having a studio is a privilege. We each have our own tastes. I am a minimalist by nature. I like white walls, plain floors, very little ornamentation.  It is pretty industrial in feel. I keep my studio tidy for the most part. My palette and brushes are ready to use every day with no messiness left over from my last session. 

I had a ceramics friend years ago. Her studio was an absolute mess and yet her pieces were delicate, atmospheric and finely crafted. Some fine work is produced by very messy artists. Each artist’s personality is reflected by their studio. It is a safe and happy space in a sometimes frightening world. My cartoons remind me of the wonder of our studios and my imagination makes that secret space as fun as can be.

Country painters love their studios……

Interpretations

 I have observed that artists definitely see differently in regard to value and color temperature. My good friend MJ and I have had many discussions on that observation over the years, as painters. 

 I have a warm temperature bias in my work. Most of my work and preferences are warm temperatures. I like earth colors, warm blues, oranges, greens, and yellows much of the time. 

 My value range tends to be full range, from the lightest light to darkest dark. Seldom do I stay in the middle value range. Contrast is my middle name. When I view other artist’s paintings I often think they have missed the light. This could be due to my value bias. Many artists are more comfortable with close middle value relationships. 

 It could also be a bias for me due to many years of Notan study. I tend to group my values into five families only. Light, half tint light, mid tone, half tone dark, and dark. 

Years of plein air painting has also formed my love of light and contrast.

 These observations are important to understand for artists. “Know thyself” comes to mind. I have learned to use my biases to become the painter I am. I don’t try to be anyone else, even when their work is better or more popular than my own. As my daughters like to say, “you do you”.

 

Country painters enjoy painting…..