Newsletter Drawing

This month's newsletter drawing winner is Ellen Finch.  Congratulations Ellen and you will receive six notecards with the image Florida Tangerines.  This image can be seen on a previous blog,
so check it out.  We would have done this live but David is still learning how to use our new camera.  Gee how I miss the old days when you just turned something on with a click, it worked. 

I would also like to thank everybody who has signed up for the newsletter and if you haven't, do so. You don't want to miss out on my "thoughts."  Somebody said after reading my last Thoughts From the Crone's Nest, "It's a great place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there." I guess I spend too much time thinking about how we learn.  It's a professional hazard resulting from teaching for over thirty years and understanding that deer in the headlights look.  Keep painting and keep reading.

Newest Painting

Busy, busy, busy and I know I'm not alone.  Everyday on Facebook it appears a lot is going on with my fellow artists.  For me, I'm moving at full speed.  Well it feels like full speed.  I just finished a new painting with all the things I love--kitchen stuff.  This one I'm calling "Baked in Tradition."  Remember the metal flour sifter used before our bags of flour were presifted.   Also included is one of three of my cast iron skillets.  The glass milk bottle comes from my great aunt's dairy farm from years past.   Those that have already have seen this painting have asked how I painted the red checked fabric.  I would love to tell you but I will save that for my workshop in the fall (Oct. 22-26). 

                                                                   Baked in Tradition
                                                                   16X20 oil on linen

Information for this workshop is on my teaching website www.dbelmquist.com and click on workshops.  If you have any particular questions, don't hesitate to contact me.  If you have signed up for my newsletter, you should have received it yesterday.  For those of you who signed up today, I will send you a copy.  Drawing for the special gift will be Saturday around 2 o'clock.  So if you haven't signed up, be sure to do so.  The gift this month is one of my original Small Gem oil paintings. 

Newest Painting

The drawing posted earlier is now a finished painting.  This image is showing on the warm side because of the lighting but in real life is much cooler.  These items come from my great aunt's dairy farm.  The meat grinder is like new but is as old as the milk container.  Lots of fun with painting metal.  Amazing how ordinary objects can be so captivating. 

                                                                   "ROOTS"
                                                                     18X24

Just Thinking

I had an aha moment the other days after a written conversation on FB with a fellow artist.  The topic was about method.  For me method has been an issue because for a time I was trying to discover the "right way."  Then, as you can read in earlier blog posts, I researched different methods for beginning a painting.  I was again looking for the best method.  As in life, I discovered I was asking the wrong question.  What did my FB friend say when asked why he painted in the method he did?  His response was, "my method supports my strengths AND my weaknesses."  He didn't elaborate further but since he has many videos on line, I was able to see his strengths.  I can only guess at his weaknesses.  I can't detect any.  So the question, in my opinion, should be. . . what method best takes advantage of my strengths and helps any weaknesses?

Now here is where a discussion, if one can be truly honest, could really be helpful.  Do most artists paint in a method because of this strength/weakness issue?  For example, if you love drawing and are really good at it, will you choose traditional images over painting non-representational?  And the opposite . . . if you can't draw well but have a talent for color and color harmonies, will you gravitate toward strong color possibly with a more impressionistic style?  There are many more examples I could come up with but you get the idea.  Besides strengths and weaknesses, do we as artist gravitate toward a particular style or method based on our personality when it comes to the time it may take to complete a painting.  I heard one painter say, "if I can't finish it in three hours, I'm not interested."  Couple this with an artist who takes three months to finish a small painting.  Maybe the statement that art is an expression of self is really about our personality, strengths, and weaknesses.

My strength is drawing.  I love not just sketching in the underdrawing but bringing it to a very finished rendering.  The drawing insures that my painting will be accurate (another thing I love).  Here is an example.

Weigh in with your thoughts.  I look forward to hearing from you.