Rheumatoid Arthritis and Renoir...

There were a few artists with debilitating and chronic health issues. One such artist who painted regularly even when his hands were deformed from arthritis and he had to have his brushes tied to his hands in order to paint, was Renoir.

(Frida Khalo is now thought to have suffered from Fibromyalgia, and painted from her bed).

When you see these towering artists who set examples in their dedication to their craft, it makes our daily trial and tribulations seem like trifles. Who is your art hero who painted or sculpted on despite personal troubles?

As always, if there is anything you want to know about an artist, wikipedia.org is always a great jumping off place.

________

"For me a picture has to be something pleasant, delightful, and pretty - yes, pretty. There are enough unpleasant things in the world without us producing even more." ~ Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Master Monday: Movement with Vincent

I have had the wonderful opportunity to visit the Van Gogh Museum some time ago. When viewing so many of this talented and troubled man's work in chronological order, you can't miss his strong use of line, and brush stroke. He invokes such energy and visual movement throughout his paintings so effortlessly.

(I confess he isn't one of my favorites, this Master Monday is brought to you in honor of @chancetrouble, who loves Master Vincent).

_______________________

Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.
Vincent Van Gogh

Color theory 101 with Jan (Van Eyck)

Jan is considered the father of oil painting for perfecting the medium, yet I wish to examine his use of bold and contrasting color to manipulate the viewer and compose a painting.

With the use of colors Jan can tricked the veiwer's eye into moving throughout the painting. The eye wants to travel from primary color to primary color and is fooled into following the lines of the browns, yet he uses darks as anchors that always bring you back to the start or center of the composition.

The greatest art school we have is the legacy left by those who came before. As always a great jumping off point to learn more is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_van_Eyck

What artist do you admire for their use of color?

__________________________________

Painting is a form of profound creative release. - Jan Van Eyck

Delivery Dread...

Its time for the part of making art that I dread the most. Delivery of a commission.

Nothing fills me with more dread and fear (except maybe the thought of stepping on a slug barefooted) than delivery of a commission.

What if they hate it?
What if they run screaming from the room?
What if they are merely disappointed or its not what they wanted?

This and a zillion more absurd thoughts run thru my head until the moment of unveiling.

And I'm coming up on another delivery this week. There is that cold dread in my stomach which is completely unfounded because EVERY SINGLE commission I've done has been loved, up to and including making the patron cry happy tears.

Thanks for indulging my moment of angst. What artistically makes you procrastinate, or fills you with fear and dread?


____________________

The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won't. ~Henry Ward Beecher

Do you know Durer?. . .

Durer... I love to look at his work endlessly and I always learn something from his paintings and prints. He is the first artist known to have done pure landscapes. A master print maker, philosopher and artist.

His print of a rhino, created from an inaccurate verbal description was used in science text books into the last century.

As I mentioned in my post last week, one of the best ways to grow in your technique mastery as an artist, is to study artists that you admire. And to take the study of their works to another level, copy a work.

Durer was the son of a jeweler. He was meticulous in detail and skill. To remake one of his works teaches the artist that there is no corner cutting and pushes one to the next level of detail and observation.

The Wiki article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albrecht_D%C3%BCrer

If you know Durer, what work would you study? What artists are you compelled to study?

Next week's Artist: John Singer Sargent.

____________________________

"As I grew older, I realized that it was much better to insist on the genuine forms of nature, for simplicity is the greatest adornment of art."
Albrecht Durer

Bustin' your creative slump...

What are your tips for overcoming creative slumps?

I don't have specific things I do... what DOES help though is looking at other artwork and visiting the museum.

And during a slump, I once doodled this image in a few minutes with only office supplies (sharpie, yellow highlighter and ball point pen).

The one thing I know and try to keep in mind.  A slump is usually more of a "chrysalis", rather than a "slump".  While I'm not creating, something is gestating inside and when I do resume my work, it is always stronger for the break.

I really would love to hear from you all about your tools, or opinions and feelings about your slumps.

____________________________________________

“Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow.”

Mary Anne Radmacher

Contagious Client Enthusiasm....

I found the past week that after the ramp up to the show, and the great turnout for the show, that I was going thru "post-show blues."

I do have several commissions lined up and one is due and I am completing the work. I emailed the client to ask if I can hang the work and look at it for a couple of week. It gives me a chance to step back and observe the work. Sometimes I find small things to rework and others I just enjoy the work.

The response I got in my email box was positively jubilant. She explained how excited she was and also how much she'd been talking about me and the portrait of her dog Buck, and as I read how excited she was for the work and my art, I found that my blues were lifting and her enthusiasm for the work transferred to me.

Not only was one email from an excited client a great way to shake off the blues, but it put creative wind back in my sails.... If you are an art lover, please send an email to an artist that you really enjoy and let them know. Even if you aren't a patron, there is no better feeling (for me at least) to have people I don't know give me positive feedback about my work... (and thank you to all of you that have done that).

__________________________________________

“Enthusiasm is excitement with inspiration, motivation, and a pinch of creativity.” Bo Bennett

And the critics say...

The BEST part of my opening, was listening to people discuss the work amongst themselves when they didn't realize that I could hear. To listen to their honest take on each piece was invaluable.

I also adored seeing so many emotional responses to the first "sight" of certain works. There were lots of giggles for instance to "And...?", the yawning Siamese.

All the things I internalized in the creation of this show were verbalized by my guests.

1. When I am insecure about a work, be it the "I'm afraid I'm going to mess it up and should stop now", or the "I don't like the direction this work is taking"... it shows in the line and the energy of the work.

2. (I am paraphrasing Picasso) If you want an exact like-ness, thats what a camera is for. Art is more and goes beyond photo realism. I need to take that next step and listen to my instincts--be bold with line and color (see 1.)

3. I do great with the eyes and expression and when people look at my work they feel "something". (this is the highest compliment I think I can get, and lets me know that I'm on the right track).

There was much more feed back these where the top and what I hope you take away from this is, listen to your gut. If you look honestly at your work, you will see the areas for growth. And then get a group of strangers and friends together and listen to how they respond to your work... at the end of the day that is why we do it, isn't it?

__________________________________________

“The public is the only critic whose opinion is worth anything at all” Mark Twain

Lessons from an opening...

Lessons Learned last night:

1. Make a huge sandwich board and position your most charming and outgoing friend at the door to invite timid folks in. Most people thought it was a private affair and didn't enter until invited.


2. Hound the media to post your press releases.

3. I said this before, plan twice as much time to complete tasks AND complete anything you can ahead of the event. (in my case also plan half as much food)

4. Baked brie is a favorite and while I brought WAY too much food the brie was wiped out even though I brought 2 wheels of it.

5. Ask for help. I did, and I have amazing friends.

6. Thank your gallery, treat them to goodies if you can, and thank your guests and gallery staff (in my case they all stayed 2-3 hours past their normal shifts to allow for my show).

7. Even when another event in the same area calls and give you unkind verbiage during your show, maintain your grace and good humor. (I just chalked it up to having good work if the other artist felt threatened enough to stop her show to call me and complain that my show was infringing on her attendence).


8. If you like the venue and the show has gone well, don't be shy about asking to come back next season/year etc.


Tomorrow I will post what I learned from the amazing criticism I received. (feedback IS a gift).

___________________________________________________________

“What distinguishes modern art from the art of other ages is criticism.” Octavio Paz

Finishing for opening tomorrow...

If it were not for the last minute and deadlines, I wonder how many works of art would not exist.

"The Cats Who Keep Us" Feline Fine Art opening, during First Friday in June at:

The Cat Hospital of Portland Gallery
8065 SE 13th Ave.
Portland, OR 97202

June 5th, 2009 from 6-8pm

You are invited, bring a friend.

_______________________________________

“A goal is a dream with a deadline.”

Napoleon Hill

Readin' and Tweetin'...

Alyson Stanfield has made the call for an art reading group on twitter (details here --> http://www.artbizblog.com/2009/05/read-de-kooning-with-us-this-summer.html).

I've never been a fan of de Kooning's work, however I was very interested in the discussions that can spawn from a bunch of artists and art lovers micro-blogging on twitter about a Pulitzer Prize winning book. I picked up the last used copy at Powell's Books and just started perusing the introduction.... well, I can't put it down, and I may have the entire thing read by the time the group kicks off on June 8th.

If you love art and or reading please check out this group and join us on Twitter with #dekooning

________________________________________________________

A wonderful thing about a book, in contrast to a computer screen,
is that you can take it to bed with you.
~ Daniel J. Boorstin

Looking past next week....

June 5th is the opening for "The Cats Who Keep Us", my first show, as you who have been following me know already and for those who haven't, please feel free to drop by. Details are listed at http://www.flickr.com/photos/patricedeavila/sets/72157616827506311/ If you know people in Portland who might be interested in First Friday and the show, please feel free to forward this link/invitation to them as well.

Once the dust settles after the weekend, then I will finish up Buster, the gorgeous Standard Poodles', portrait and move on to June Bug, the Chinese Chin. I'm really looking forward to the contrast in stature and structure. I did a portrait of June Bug's sibling, Pablo, last year. So this will be a fun reprise sort of.

I am astounded that both of this magical creatures share a common wolfish ancestor.

What are your next projects and what is it about their individual challenges that you are looking forward to most?

__________________________________________________


“The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.” Winston Churchill

Odd Nerdrum...

IMHO this is the world's greatest living painter at this time. His name is Odd Nerdrum and here is his main website http://www.nerdrum.com/ you can google him and learn much more of course.

I have always believed that the best art teachers are those who do what we strive to do. To emulate them and look at their work and then try to take it even further. (If you've followed my work thus far, I am thousands of miles short of his work, however I keep striving and growing).

Who is the giant who's shoulders you wish to stand on?

_______________________________________________


The dream begins with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a sharp stick called "truth." ~Dan Rather

You're Invited. . .

Being an artist truly is actually being a business person. More and more of my time is spent on mailing lists, marketing plans, reading books on art law and studying advice from various sources who have gone to the places I have on my goals list.

I'm filling out and mailing the invitations to my opening, "The Cats Who Keep Us, today (approximately 200).

So, food for thought for you, as these things are on my mind of late...

What do you need to do to reach your definition of "success"?
What are your goals and are you taking small steps to get to them,
What is your marketing plan and are you working on marketing every week?
Are you following artists that are at a level professionally where you'd like to be?

(next on my marketing plan, after the show, is a dedicated web page... what's your next goal... I'd love to hear)

If you are in the Metro Portland area, please come enjoy First Friday all the details are here on my flickr sets page, and you can see a digital image for those of you who can't make it to the show http://www.flickr.com/photos/patricedeavila/sets/72157616827506311/

And please let all the collectors and animal lovers know that 25% all sales (including booked commissions) from this show goes to help animals in need.

_________________________________________________

I am thankful for the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends.-Unknown

....ever onward... Luxuriating in the sun...

_________________________________________________

“Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.”

Buddha

A look back-Medusa...

A painful lesson in painting life... always document your work visually.  Sadly, due to a variety of poor choices, bad luck and timing... this is the best image I have of this work.  

_________________________________

“Sculpture is the best comment that a painter can make on painting.”

Pablo Picasso

the other part of your art career.... You know, the non-art stuff....

So I finally got enough confidence in my own work and ability, to actually pursue art on a professional basis... but wait!!!  School never prepared me for, writing a press release, keeping inventory, writing a contract, maintaining a mailing list or building clientele.

I toyed with the idea of getting a rep, but the idea of paying a percent to a rep and a percent to a gallery and after art supplies, I was running in the red, made my stomach turn.  Thanks to the internet, I stumbled upon http://www.artbizcoach.com/ and her book ... "I'd rather be in the Studio".

I think the few dollars I spent on this book were the best monies I've ever invested in my art career.  Its all there, every single thing that was lacking in my college training.  

I'm not getting any kickbacks, and as you can see, I've not linked to Amazon to sell this.  It's just a great wealth of information and support from the business end of building your art career and I wanted to share Alyson's amazing wealth of information with you as well.

My show starts on May 1st, so I have many works in progress.  I will be making short sweet blogs of in-progress works over the next two weeks.

_________________________________________

“Painting is easy when you don't know how, but very difficult when you do.”--Degas

As sunny on the inside as on the outside....

Here is the painting of our elder statesman of the house, Zoot. He posed for me the other day, and I am off to finish more before my show in May and June. This post is brief, but it's only because I'm back to the easel..... see you soon.

This is a pastel painting over stretched canvas, and measures 16x20".

You can see a easily viewable gallery of my work at http://www.flickr.com/photos/patricedeavila/ and if you scroll down 4 postings, you can see what this looked like when it was started.


_______________________________

Cat Haiku from Loki and Pet at www.Orangecatblues.com

i iz an oranj cat
az sunny on the inside
az on teh outside

(they do great, funny, creative stuff, and they do lots to help anipals in need, check them out when you can).

Abominable Snow Bubba.....

Well here he is, in his winter-esque glory.   And after all my discussions about contrast, I actually toned it way down in this painting.  I had my sweet heart along the way given very valuable observations, and he much prefers photo realism over my style of work and I do say that in this portrait, the subtle contrast of the teal and the yellow highlights gives that just snowed quiet atmosphere to Bubba's pensive pose. (His full name is Sherman Tank, but it's Bubba to his friends, and Mr. Tank, to his veterinarian).

If there is a day or two between posts, don't be alarmed, as it's more painting and less blogging.  I got the contract back from my client so I have less than 90 days for his portrait, and I have less than 60 days to my show.  Very heady stuff, this creatin'.....

What a difference a day makes.... (Winter, Almost)

...getting there....(and I may keep the title "Winter: The Abominable Snow Bubba"), who knows.

Thanks to my sweetheart, in suggesting significant lightening of the background, and other little observations. I still need to add a couple layers on the legs and stomach... there are some "flat" spots that I'm not quite content with.

It is at that stage where I have it hanging on the wall and I'm looking at it and digesting the final bits... and the coward in my if a bit fearful of screwing it up now that I'm this invested in the image.... there you have it.

_______________________________

“You are a coward when you even seem to have backed down from a thing you openly set out to do” Mark Twain