Weekly Show ‘n’ Tell

Our weekly show ‘n’ tells are important. It’s an opportunity to share works in process and get a little critique. It’s also interesting to see how the paintings compare to the reference photos. Our differences are interesting, too, because Nan McCarthy is a photo realist, it’s important to her to match her painting to the photo, whereas I use the photo as a reference only and don’t try to match my painting exactly to the photo.

(Photo is the progress of my latest pastel painting "In the Still of the Coming Dawn." Still have work to do. Thank you to  Jackie Stetser for the original reference photo.)

Like me, though, she works from lightened copies of the original reference photo. Often the original photos have dark areas (which is what draws me in) but trying to see what’s going on those dark areas to fully get the nuances in the painting is difficult if I can’t see in there. The lighter versions show us better details, but it’s still important to look at the original photo, too, because those darker nuances help to make the scene more intriguing… and are often the reasons the scene draw us in the first place.

I know I get so caught up in the print I’m working from in the studio, I forget to look at the original on the computer. The originals are always darker, deeper toned. I need to bring the two versions together to make the painting really pop.

Another good point in show ‘n’ tell is another set of eyes can pick up something missed. I get so involved when working on a painting, I miss some aspects like an important detail, a point of light or a darkened space which would add more contrast to the area. It’s kind of like that old saying, “Can’t see the forest through the trees.” Plus, while painting, we are so close to the work, it can sometimes make us a little narrow minded with it. (Not quite explaining this how I want to.)

But Nan agreed. Our eyes and mind will focus on certain things, and we’ll not see other detail. Another set of eyes may see those details. I find it funny because, once those details are pointed out, I see it. How did I miss that?

Also, looking at other artists’ work, even those working in a different medium, can help us learn and evolve in our own work. The sharing and discussions are like a breath of fresh air when we’re feeling stuck in our painting progress. I am so grateful for these opportunities.

Unable to go the Last Mile

Wanting my paintings to sell but not having the energy to set up at shows and run all around…

I’m having a dilemma with my paintings – the cost of getting them framed and not having them sell. If I’m not showing and selling, I’m wasting money… which I really can’t afford. But I don’t have the energy, stamina, and the wherewithal to go that last mile of setting up at shows, running around delivering, etc. Not at this age and having to do it alone.

My paintings look much more stunning double matted and framed, but it’s wasted money when the paintings don’t sell. I only have so much room on my walls. Last year I had a few sales, but this year is dismal even though I’ve participated in half a dozen shows.

It’s the same thing with my books. I get them written, then stall in the end. My brain just won’t wrap around the expense of publishing and all the effort of marketing. It’s heartbreaking. I could cry just thinking about having to do all that. I put so much into these efforts then I can’t mentally and emotionally deal with marketing – making deals, finding the best venues, doing the legwork, not knowing who to trust, etc.

It eats at me emotionally, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. I love most of my paintings and the books I have written. To think that it’ll all be trashed when I die is so sad, but then, I’m the only one who cares about it all. I’d love to sell, but the creative drive to produce is what makes me feel alive whereas the marketing aspects crush me.

When I moved here to this house in 2015, I threw away a lot of older charcoal landscape drawings – matted and framed – which meant a lot of money was lost. It still bothers me, but I just don’t have the room to store a lot of paintings. I try not to think about it. My heart still aches over it, though. So much hard work thrown in a dumpster. Heartbreaking.

The call to create makes me feel alive – painting and writing. It takes up a lot of my time, especially mentally. My mind is on fire… until the flames burn out, and when that happens, I’m drained. I pour it all into the colors and words, then I’m done until the next day when the fire ignites again.

I’m kind of at a loss on how to handle this. I can’t not paint and write. It’s who I am. And, as long as I’m doing a few shows a year, I have to mat and frame. Maybe I shouldn’t mat. Not all pastel artists do. But the paintings look so good matted…

Oh, the dilemma. Maybe I should try a couple not matted and see how it goes.

Trying Something Different

Last week I watched a paint-around where two of the four artists worked on black paper. I’d tried a couple times before but didn’t like the paper texture. I decided to try the black paper again. I had the start of a dunes scene which had been sitting on the easel for a while (original photo on the right) and figured doing this scene two ways would allow me to compare.

Yesterday, I cut a piece of black Art Spectrum Colourfix paper and did the initial layout for the painting in vine charcoal using the same original photo as the WIP painting. Yeah, this paper has a rougher surface than the BFK Rives paper, which I prefer for its smoothness. I moved the sketch to a studio table easel and started adding some color.

I noticed the layout with this new one is not the same as the earlier start. The horizon is higher, but as I work freehand, it doesn’t matter.

Today, I moved this to the DT easel to work both paintings simultaneously bouncing back and forth between them. It’s interesting to experience with how the pastel goes on each one.

River Dunes ion BFK Rives                                    Winding Dunes Trail on black Art S

The sandy areas are a challenge. I’m kind of experimenting in how to get them to look right. I am thankful I’m not trying to recreate the photo exactly. It’s interesting how the colors lay on the textured paper. I’d intended to try an alcohol was (which many pastel artists talk about doing), but I just dive right in painting and couldn’t stop… until my feet said, “Enough!”

 

Finding Buried Treasure

Some of my favorite programs to watch are “Expedition Unknown” and other history shows about buried treasures and shipwreck loot. I enjoy them because it’s about history and I love learning about history. Of course, I realize “Expedition Unknown” highlights events that happened previously, and they make it more present-day to make the show more interesting, as if Josh Gates, himself, is right there on first discovery. But who doesn’t like a treasure hunt… even if it’s not totally in the present year.

The episode this week was of John Ashley, a gangster/pirate/bootlegger, living in the Florida Everglades, who supposedly buried a lot of money in the swamp. (Of course, they never find the real treasure.)

It got me to wondering again… all these buried treasure tales from the Aztecs, the Dalton Gang, Jesse James, John Dillinger, and anyone who’s ever been said to have buried treasure, and more – is it really possible there’s ALL that treasure/money out there that’s never been found? When people have been searching for hundreds of years? I even watched some episodes a year or so ago about a train car full of Confederate gold supposedly sunk in … Lake Michigan … I think it was.

I vaguely remember a few years ago a couple in California found some buried treasure while out hiking but that doesn’t happen often. (Or, if it does, no one talks about it.) I don’t know how that outcome was.

If there’s all that treasure still buried, why hasn’t it been found with today’s technology? Is it because it really isn’t there? That someone might have already found it? Could the money have already been dispersed by the gangs? That it’s just people keeping the legends alive for publicity’s sake?

I wonder, too, what would happen if you found a stash of buried treasure? Do you turn it in? If it’s viable money, do you keep quiet and spend it? And, what would happen if you turned it in? Would the authorities just keep it? (And did that happen back in the day? Kept quiet and kept the money for themselves?)

I ask myself that question, too. If I found a treasure, would I turn it in? I totally believe in being honest, but in this kind of a case, I’m not sure what I’d do… because I don’t trust anyone. I suppose it depends on the treasure. If it’s something history-museum worthy, I’d definitely turn it in, but if it’s spendable/useable in today’s markets, would I keep quiet no matter how exciting it’d be to find treasure?

Imagine what it’d be like to find buried treasure. Then again, I can go out in my yard and find a new flower blooming or a pretty stone and feel like that’s treasure. But goodness, an honest-to-God, real treasure?

What would you do?