The Battle of the Birds Continues

  

 

The bird feeder battles continue. The crows are definitely the top of the food chain with the jays close behind. They are related, so that makes sense.

 The woodpeckers hang on to the pole underneath the feeder, catching seeds as they fall from mouths above. After the crows and jays get their fill, the cardinals arrive for the smaller seeds. The mockingbirds love the mealworms. After that crew departs, the sparrows and Carolina wrens arrive for the tiny seeds. The cardinals get a double dose of seed, as they and the gray catbirds get safflower seed on the sill of my studio in the backyard. That is fun to watch from the kitchen window. 

 If you don’t have a feeder, get one. They are so much fun to watch. I use the following: meal worms, mixed seed with sunflower seed, safflower seed, and unsalted, roasted peanuts. Squirrels won’t eat safflower seed.

 It’s all good fun for country painters…..

 I must say this feeder provides endless entertainment for me as I sit at my design table. It is a wonderful distraction from the art I am supposed to be doing.

Hard Times

  

 

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....

A Break

 February was way too busy for this old lady. I used to take two months a year away from all events, spending that time in my studio or out painting for myself. It was good for me. 

Somehow, I let that time go. It is time to take a month off from busyness and get back to painting only. I’m going to take May off this year. No appointments, no tea parties, no volunteer hours, just time in my studio. I am looking forward to it, it will be a time of discovery, having some fun developing color palettes I like and catching up on a few small commissions for a friend who has been patiently waiting. 
I’ve been working too much this year and I need a break. You all know how much I love my job, but I have become off balance with too much work and not enough play.
Country painters need to play…….

 

Paper Making Fun

 After learning about paper making for 3 years, I finally produced a batch of 12 papers without flaw! I was so excited!this batch is a lovely oatmeal color, made with white and brown craft paper and gold leaf lightly mixed into the last batch. 

 I figured out that as the batch progresses from thick at the start and thin at the end, I need to press more with the sponge on the thick paper, and to press less toward the end of the batch. Voila, beautiful full sheets, not ruined on the edges or to lumpy and unevenly bulky.

 Little by little I am improving the batches so I can focus on my color mixes and add ons now. I did one batch last week that was a light olive green with specs of dried flowers and specks of gold leaf.It is so pretty! One of my favorites. I never knew how much fun the science and art of paper making would be. I do love a challenge.

 Country painters have a swell time….

 

Fair Oaks Foundation Parties

 

 

The Fair Oaks Foundation weekend continued with rain on Friday night and dark sky on Saturday. My Saturday started with slicing and warming the cinnamon swirl bread with butter I brought on Friday for the artists and volunteers. My friend Ken brought Krispy Cream donuts and we served OJ and good coffee to all.

 My dear friend Ron arrived with canvases to give to the artists from the wonderful Gainesville Michaels Store . They kindly sponsored us with an in kind donation for our artists. We had a wonderful number of volunteers for the day. None complained about the weather. They were all troopers for us and I am so grateful! To them.

 I met many nice people on Friday night and Saturday throughout the day. The UF jazz band was wonderful and Tom Kay gave a marvelous speech to our guests. I had a few moments to talk with Tom about the new property adjacent to the Orange Lake Overlook. They are so excited to expand that preserve and so am I!

 Aside from the weather, it was a splendid day. I am so grateful to all who braved the weather to join us and support the Fair Oaks Foundation, Inc. The foundation welcomes your support on their web site https://fairoaksfoundation.org/donate/

 

Paper Making

 

 I have finally built up my stock of handmade paper enough to begin to sell it. My paper is 5x7 inches per sheet, plain, smooth, or rough in texture. It comes in packs of five sheets for 10.00 with free shipping. You can have all the same color or a variety pack of colors. This is the same paper I use for my collages and paper quilts.

 

Yesterday I tried another experiment. The couching sheets work for some time, but eventually they begin to fall apart, due to constant wetting and then drying over and over. I decided to use the old ones to make paper. The pulp had much more texture than the usual recycled paper. It was ok and the paper was good, but it was harder to work with. It might be interesting to use one couching sheet in a normal mixture of paper.

 

Country painters love to make hand made paper….

Story Board

 This is a painting story board to demonstrate the process of completing a painting from start to finish. I have divided the process into four simple stages. In reality, there are many more subtle changes in the process of painting.

 My palette for this painting is:

 Cadmium Red Light

Cadmium Yellow Medium

Ultramarine Blue

Paynes Gray

Titanium White

 Stage one is the simple stage of toning the canvas with ultramarine blue. It is actually a pale stain of paint rather than fully applying the color. I use one color to draw in the simple composition. I let this dry for a few minutes before proceeding.

 Stage two is a simple application of the colors that might work for the composition. There is no real detail at this stage. I use big flat shapes of the basic colors of my palette. I work all over the pai ntin g adding paint to set the painting. I still have plenty of time to change whatever I wish to in my colors, the composing and values of the painting. Values mean the dark, light and mid tones of the composition.

 Stage three begins to become more permanent in the composing, values, and color selections for the land, trees, clouds and sky. My mind is made up at the end of this stage.

 Stage four is the embellishment, finishing stage of the painting. Thicker paint is applied, and refined brushwork and details are added. This stage pays attention to the crisp and softened edge work and clean non muddy finishing. Smaller brushes are used. Highlights are added to the lighted areas and deeper shadows are added under the trees

I hope you enjoyed this.

 Country painters love projects……

Fair Oaks in Evinston, FL.

 I have spent 15 years on and off at Fair Oaks in Evinston ,FL. Eight of those years were as an artist in residence, painting weekly, and staying in the old house for a week each year. 

 Fair Oaks is like no other place. It is a view of old, natural Florida at its best. There are no livestock at the estate. Invasive species of plants are removed constantly and the 160 acres are managed with care and love by the steward. He likes to say that no one owns Fair Oaks. It owns all of us who treasure it. 

 Please join us on Saturday, February 11th for a day of fun and exploration at beautiful Fair Oaks in Evinston, FL. There will be yard games, a bounce house for your kids, a food truck to feed you, hay rides, a talk by Tom Kay at 1PM, the UF Jazz Band performance and six of Florida’s finest artists under the tent. A percentage of their paintings sales will go to Fair Oaks Foundation,Inc. Purchase your tickets for a day of learning and fun at: https://fairoaksfoundation.org/garden-party-2023/

Root Vegetables

 I just love root vegetables. When I was a chef in my catering days, I used to grow them in raised beds. I grew turnips, parsnips, beets, rutabagas and carrots. I used them both for cooking and for food garnishing. These vegetables make incredible flowers. There is nothing lovelier than a silver bowl on a tray surrounded by beet and turnip roses. My years in art school served me well, not only in painting, but in sculpture too and food design. As any true foodie knows, food is as much about art as it is about eating. Most anyone can learn to do basic cooking, but truly wonderful food needs an artist to create it. I always wanted to work in a test kitchen. That would be so interesting to me to develop recipes for restaurants or the food industry.

 

I would like to start teaching a food garnishing class again some time. What a great way to have people come into your business who are already interested in your product. Once I was invited to do a cooking class/demo for a kitchen cabinet shop. it was really great. They had a staged kitchen set up and I went in to cook and do a tasting. It was great fun. I can't let my love for cooking and baking go, even though I am a full time artist. I love cooking and all things foodie. Cooking is art after all.

 Country painters are foodies too….

 

Don’t be Concerned

 I think a lot of artists are overly concerned about how others in the art community view them and their work. In my youth, that was all important to me.  I rested my future on the opinions of others, my peers, art professors, gallery owners, and museum directors.

 

I was missing the whole point of being a painter. It really isn’t about any of those people. It is only about me, what I am willing to learn so I can grow. None of those people make a living for me. Yes, I have shown in many museum exhibits, galleries, and occasionally sell to folk who run the art community, but the people who support me regularly, don’t publish art magazines. My supporters come from every career path. They love nature. They love the agricultural and primal Florida that I am devoted to.

 

Abstract is king to the current movers and shakers of the art world. A few years ago, plein air was the big deal. Many artists change genres like their underwear, trying to be on the latest trend. Some succeed. Many don’t!

 

Those of us who don’t much care about the art communities’ tastes and trends tend to be pretty happy with our careers. I go on my way, experimenting, trying stuff I’ve never done, combining experiments, painting stuff that is hard for me, often failing. There is enormous freedom in not caring about what “important” people think.

 

Experimenting is swell for country painters....