Hunting season

Posted on November 18, 2012 | Comments Off on Hunting season

Deer hunting season started here yesterday.  This is with guns.  Bow season is a lot longer.  Lots of booms in the woods.  I stay close to the house, in the studio.  No biking for me for a few weeks.

When I lived in the city, I always felt sorry for poor Bambi being shot by the big mean hunters.  Since I’ve lived here in the country for over 25 years, I’ve had a total reversal of attitude.  The white tail deer was totally wiped out in this state and only reintroduced in the 1940s.  Without predators, the population has exploded.  No matter what your thoughts about hunting, something has to be done.  (NO, I do NOT want wolves to be reintroduced!)

Deer ravish the understory forest growth, decimating native plant populations.  They can jump any fence and are a huge concern for farmers’ crops.  Overpopulation make them susceptible to many diseases, some harmful to humans.  But worst of all are the significant road hazards they cause.  Rarely does our daily paper not report at least one deer vs auto accident.  Usually this time of year it’s two or three.  Between my husband and two sons, they have hit a total of six deer, once two at a one time.  Of course, that car was totaled but fortunately no one was hurt.

Venison is also a very lean meat.  All of the local hunters I know actually eat what they kill, or even take the meat to the local food bank.  I don’t know anyone around here who is a trophy hunter although there is plenty bragging when a big buck is bagged.

Our ninety acres is mostly a big park, not much of  a farm other than the garden and some fields we rent out.  However, we don’t like trespassers and only allowed limited hunting on the property.  Most city folks have no idea whose property they are on or whether or not there is a house behind that copse of trees.  We’d rather not take chances with armed (and often drunk) idiots.

Anyway, life in the country is not always bucolic or quiet.  It’s more often man against nature…and nature is winning.

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Open Studio Sale

Posted on November 3, 2012 | Comments Off on Open Studio Sale

You may have wondered where the heck I’ve been the past few weeks.  The truth is that I was preparing to have an open studio sale.  This is where you invite your friends, former patrons, even the public in general to come to your studio to buy some really great artwork at some really great prices.  In other words, to relieve you of the crap you’re stumbling over all the time. 

It dawned on me this summer that I can’t keep creating paintings without moving some of them out the door.  I used to do several art fairs a year and was pretty prolific at making work for sale.  Since I’ve had a full-time job for the past several years, I don’t have the opportunity to get out in the public to promote and sell my work.  Yes, I still do exhibits once in a while, but it’s difficult to sell the work and hold the job.  So…..

After being totally fed up with tripping over boxes of paintings, I decided that it was time to have an open studio sale.  I haven’t had one in several years so it took some planning and organization.

Generally I like to have the sale in the fall, well before the holiday season.  If you wait too late, then everyone is busy.  Autumn is pretty in my part of the world and everyone is still relaxed enough to enjoy a ride to see the trees.

I had my sale on October 20th but began promoting it at least six weeks earlier and planned for it even earlier.  I designed postcards, mailed them out to about everyone I could think of locally or within an hour’s drive.  This included co-workers, relatives, friends, patrons…just about anyone I could think who might be interested.  I mailed out about 160 postcards and gave away many more.  I promoted it heavily on my Facebook page, too.  The general rule of thumb is that 40% of the people you invite will come and about 20% will buy.  I’ve found that about 25% of the people I invite will attend but 95% will buy.  Nearly everyone bought multiple paintings, too.  It was a very good day.

I’ll add my back time list here soon, but generally, you need to plan back from the time of your event.  (This is what I do for my full-time job so it’s pretty natural to me.)  I began telling everyone the date as soon as I set it, even though I didn’t formally send out my postcards until about six weeks early.  Clean your studio.  Make your inventory.  And price your work as if you really want it to MOVE.  I put fire-sale prices on my work.  Yes, this was way cheaper than I would normally sell the paintings, but I asked myself, how much longer do I want to keep moving these around?  Also, there is the matter of stored paintings not being in the best conditions.  Do you want to let them sit there and mildew or do you want someone to actually put it on their walls and enjoy them?  I chose the latter.  Some people got some really great deals.  But I got a lot of cash and lots more space.  😉  Works for everyone.

I will note one thing is that I didn’t put everything I have created for sale.  I kept back my best or newest work.  Most of the work I sold were older pieces or what I call my practice pieces.  These included many of my plein air pieces, too.  So now I can buy more art supplies to create more paintings!  Yeah!  I also recommend actually removing your best pieces from your studio as I had people digging through my storage of things I didn’t even have out for sale.

In general, this is what I do for an Open Studio Sale.

  • Plan ahead, set your date at least three months out.
  • Create, order and mail your announcements.
  • Clean and organize your studio; decide exactly what you want to sell.
  • Create your inventory list, be realistic about rock bottom. prices….really, how much longer do you wish to look at this work?
  • Plan for some food.  I do homemade minnestrone soup, bread, cookies, and lots of wine.
  • Get some help the day of the event.  Enlist a friend, spouse, or child to help greet guests, wrap paintings, write up sales or restock supplies.
  • At the end of the day, have a glass of wine (or two), sit back and enjoy the warm glow of all the people who love your work enough to buy it.
  • Update your inventory list.  Mail thank you notes.  Get ready for more fun.

I’ll come back soon to put up my actual check-off list. 

Good food and beverage is always an enticement. The wine and coffee were outside.

Display in the front studio.

Display in the back studio. Notice the extra light. That really seemed to help.

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How to combine watercolor and a pen and ink drawing

Posted on October 6, 2012 | Comments Off on How to combine watercolor and a pen and ink drawing

Cats at Grandview, watercolor over printed pen and ink

Recently I received a phone inquiry from a young man in New Jersey about how to apply watercolor to a pen and ink drawing.  Basically I have done this two ways.

One way is to do a pen and ink drawing , then add the watercolor on top of the drawing.  In this case, you must first make sure that the ink is waterproof.  I like to use traditional India Ink with a dip pen.  But there are also several waterproof, fadeproof pens that will work well for this.  The ones that have worked best for me are:  RoseArt Superview, Uniball Deluxe, Uniball Vision Elite.  I have tested these in the direct sunlight of a south-facing studio window and they have held up without any fading for at least ten years.  Some that have NOT worked well are the Zeb Roller and the Sharpie Fine Point. 

I use a rag watercolor paper, either cold press or hot press, of at least 90 or 140 pound weight.  After I draw the sketch, I let it dry at least a day to ensure that it won’t lift at all.  Then I paint over the top.  See the examples.

The second way to combine watercolor with pen and ink is to do the watercolor painting first, then add the details with the ink on top.  I used this technique for years when I created house portraits for clients.  I would first do a pencil sketch, paint the picture, then add the ink.  This allows the artist to paint very loosely and then add details which seems to be very popular with clients.

Nest, pen and ink printed, watercolor added

One neat technique is to scan your plain ink drawing into your computer, then print it on watercolor paper with black ink.  Then you can paint on top of that with watercolors after it has totally dried and set.  Allow at least a day for this. This only works with the black printer ink which is archival.  Again, I have tested this in my studio window and it has not faded in ten years.  To do this, you will have to trim your paper to fit through your printer and only use a weight that will go through the printer, probably 90 or 140 pound paper.  You’ll have to test this with your own printer.  Do NOT try to do this with the colored inks from your printer as those will definitely fade over time.  Again, I have tested this.  I have only used this with a regular home HP printer.  If you have access to a full-size art printer, you will have to run your own tests.

Nest, detail

Using the latter technique will allow you to scale your drawing to many sizes and is especially nice for note cards, postcards, and small works on paper.  I am also assuming that you are using only high quality, non-fugitive watercolors.  As a side note, nearly any watercolor will fade over time so they should never be exposed to direct sun for long periods of time.

I welcome any comments or questions about using this technique or any others that I have discussed in this blog.

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Country living, the good and the bad

Posted on September 22, 2012 | Comments Off on Country living, the good and the bad

If you’ve been following my blog then you know that I live in a 130+ year old

Seckle Pears, also called sugar pears

farmhouse in a county that doesn’t even have a single stoplight (and they’re proud of it.)  This is a big change from the megalopolis that I lived in 25 years ago where I had to fight three and a half million people to work every day.  Yippee for rush hour!  Now my drive is about 25 minutes of beautiful rolling countryside.  Yeah, the weather can affect that which is why I have 4 wheel drive.  It’s a necessity out here.

I often have people say to me, How can you stand to be so far away from everything?  Don’t you miss the services in the big city?  What about shopping?  I just give them one of those are you kidding me? looks.  So…I have satellite TV.  I have satellite internet which is faster than my high speed internet at work.  And, well, UPS delivers.  I’m only about an hour from an international airport but I live in the middle of my 90 acres.  Taxes are low.  I can’t see even a single neighbor from my house.  And those neighbors that I have, I actually know.  As an aside, did you ever realize that when you are packed in like sardines in the city, that you often don’t even know your next door neighbor?  How sad is that? 

My mailman will actually bring a package to my door and, if I’m not home, just stick it in my studio.  My husband exchanges recipes with the UPS guy.  If you need help, you just call someone.  People actually show up!  And much of the payment for services might be a basket of pears or some fresh eggs.  Or an I’ll catch you later. 

In case you’re looking for your own place in the country, I can tell you that property is usually much cheaper.  My 90 acres isn’t in the heart of NYC or LA.  It’s not actually enough to make a living on unless you’re doing some intensive farming, but it’s a nice place.  In Texas this would just be a big back yard.

So, what are the disadvantages of country life?  Well, you know those friendly neighbors?  They really do want to know all your business, or at least seem to.  I’ve always contended that it would be easier to hide in a city with a million people than it would to be in a place with a million acres.  People out here notice things.  Not in a bad way necessarily, but if your cow is out, they’ll stop and tell you.  Or bring you a pie when you are sick. 

There is also that shopping thing.  When I run out of that essential ingredient for a recipe, it’s a long way to town if the local mom and pop store doesn’t carry it. (You learn to improvise a lot.)  And restaurants tend to be a little more countryfied.  You probably won’t find that goat cheese pizza at Sally’s Truck Stop.  The wine offerings at Wal-Mart are certainly limited and the clothes down at the J.C.Penny….well, let’s just stick to basics.  On the other hand, think of how much money I can save from impulse buys! 

A trip to the city usually involves a good part of a day and lots of stops.  I find myself saving up all my shopping for a single trip.  Also, there is a constant list on the fridge of what I need to buy next time I go to the big city.  But art supplies, books, even tractor parts can now be purchased on line at often cheaper prices than at the stores so what is wrong with that? I’m saving money on two fronts, i.e., not shopping as much and doing more internet shopping.

One really big advantage of living in the country is the stars!  I just love to stand out in the dark gaze at all that magnificence.  And just wait for a meteor shower!  Wow!  There are also the critters, for better or worse.  Possums and skunks, rabbits (there go my new expensive perennials), squirrels, and chipmunks.  Deer are pretty but very dangerous to vehicular traffic.  We’ve had run-ins with seven of those rats with antlers, one resulting in totalling a brand new car.  Coyotes running the creek beds on a frosty night will send shivers up your spine and make you snuggle deeper under the covers with their howls and yips.  Whipoorwills are nocturnal and blasted persistent if one happens to take up residence in a tree outside the bedroom window.  And very occasionally a bobcat which sounds like a woman screaming.  OOOOooooooo.  

But overall, the country life is the life for me.  I love the peace.  The decompression on the way home at night.  I love the change of the seasons which seem so intense. I love picking fresh vegetables from the garden or fruit from my orchards.  Yep, green acres is the place for me.  (I can’t believe I just said that.)

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Posted in country living, garden, old house, opinion

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On being an Amazon Vine reviewer

Posted on September 9, 2012 | Comments Off on On being an Amazon Vine reviewer

Amazon Vine reviewer

Several years ago I received an e-mail from Amazon inviting me to participate in a brand new program called Vine.  What the heck is that, I thought.  In their e-mail they said that they would send me FREE books!  I got to KEEP the books!  So what’s the catch?  I had to read and write a review for the books.  Okaaaaayyy…..  What’s the real catch?  So I called them.  Yes, it was true.  This was a brand new program.  They were inviting me to participate.  Yes, I could keep the books.  At the time there was some nonsense that I had to keep ALL the books they sent to me.  Yeah, right.  Do you have any idea how quickly those pile up?  (BTW, that changed recently. I guess they got some complaints from hoarders about the number of books piling up.)

Anyway, I’ve been a Vine reviewer since the inception of the program.  Now if you’ve read my previous posting about my addition to books, you know this is like asking an alcoholic if it would be OK if someone sent him free booze every month.  Heh heh heh.  And the answer to that question would be?  Heck, yeah!

So the way the program works is this.  Twice a month I receive an e-mail notifying  me that a new posting has been made in a special compartment of the Amazon website where I get to choose a certain number of books.  They mail them to me.  I get to read and write a review about them.  That’s pretty much all there is to it.  Since the beginning of the program, it has been expanded to include all kinds of products, not just books.  Food items, vitamins, toys…you name it.  Whatever Amazon sells.  I’ve received some really terrific stuff.  Aside from the books, I’ve received some neat food products, earphones, a flat bed screener, computer programs, toys….I can’t remember everything.

The big misconception by the public and what I’ve read online is that the Vine reviewers have to give everything a good review.  That is definitely NOT so!  I have been very frank when a product has been a real stinker.  And some of them have been.  I actually do try to read and review every book but they do pile up which is the big downside of this program.  I’m a reader and have a whole bunch of books that I want to read for ME, not just for Amazon.  But who’s complaining? 

Are all of the reviewers as conscientious?  I couldn’t say.  I only know that I read at least a couple of books a week from the program, not counting my own, or considering that I have a REAL life.  I’m not even in the top 1,000.  Do the top reviewers real ALL the books they review?  I can only speculate.  If you rely on the reviews for Amazon or any other website, at least be a bit skeptical.  I would say that most of the reviewers do a great job but there might be a few who take shortcuts. 

Anyway, thank you Amazon, this is a great opportunity. And, for you curious people out there, I use a pseudonym, not my real name so you won’t be able to track down my reviews.  It’s better that way, don’t you think?

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Posted in books, opinion, Uncategorized

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How do you know when your painting is finished?

Posted on September 1, 2012 | Comments Off on How do you know when your painting is finished?

How do I know when my painting is finished?

That is a question I often ask myself.  For me, the answer is when I can’t think of one more thing to add.  Then STOP!

I’ve noticed that when I’ve taught a class, particularly a watercolor class, that sometimes the participants keep messing with their paintings until …well, they’re a mess.  Stop!  In the case of watercolors, leave some white space.  Leave some space, period.  When I’m working in oils, that is a little more difficult but I always try to avoid the overworked look.  With oils, I stand back and just LOOK.  It seems the closer I get to the final product, the more time I spend looking.  Sometimes it is even best to put it away for a while.  That advice is often offered to young artists but it’s true.  Sometimes after you’ve come back to your work with a few weeks off, the errors will jump out at you.  Other times, you’ll realize that you’ve nailed it.

I ask myself, what am I aiming for?  What is my message?  Despite painting in a realistic style most of the time, I am not aiming for anything approaching photo realism.  If you want it to look like a photo, then take a damn picture!  I’m looking for the message.  What struck me most about this subject?  What am I really trying to convey?  When is enough enough?

Wolf Eyes, detail, oil on canvas

This is a close-up view of a painting that I’m working on right now entitled Wolf Eyes.  I’m just about at the point where…there’s nothing left to add.  Time to set it aside for a while.  I’ll put it on my website when do finish it.  The message that I’m shooting for is the young man in his prime, he is oozing with virility and he knows it.  Wolf Eyes.

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Books. Books. Books. My secret addiction.

Posted on August 31, 2012 | Comments Off on Books. Books. Books. My secret addiction.

When I was a little girl and first discovered the wonders of reading, I vowed to read every book in the world.  I can’t tell you how old I was before I actually realized the impossibility of that.  But I’ve been trying ever since.

I’m not quite sure why I took to reading so well.  I wasn’t a particularly precocious child.  I didn’t have parents who pushed me to read at age two or anything.  But I did have a parent who read to me every night and we always had books around the house.  We had a three-volume anthology of children’s poetry and stories, plus my father had a complete set of the classics.  You know the kind.  The ones all bound in red.  Probably one of those order by mail deals. 

When I finally learned to read for myself, I was off like a horse at the Kentucky Derby.  I haven’t stopped since.  I had my first library card at the town library. These were the days where you were issued one of those cardboard cards with the numbered medal plates that made an impression on the card in the pocket of the book.  After I’d gone through most of the children’s section, I was given the privilege of moving up to the adult section of the library.  This was a really big deal to me at the time.  It was a very old library of many floors with steam radiators, high ceilings, dusty corners.  Later in high school, my friends and I would haunt the study rooms in the overheated atmosphere.  Yes, even before computers. 

In college, I actually had a campus job of working in the library which was wonderful.  I could cruise the stacks, get first dibs on the newest selections, and really learned how to research.  By the time I graduated, I had been promoted to the reference desk.  Sigh.  What fun! 

Just a small part of my secret addiction.

In the past many years, my interest in reading has only grown.  It continues to amaze me to realize that we can still share the thoughts of people who have been dead for centuries.  It’s as if they are still here, whispering to us. 

My interest in acquiring books has never waned either.  I still want to possess them.  I love the tactile feel, the smell of the ink, the heft and weight of the books.  I love to see them on my shelves.  Most of the online booksellers know me very well, as well as many of the used booksellers.  I love to cruise bookstores, both old and new, and often ensure that I locate the nearest bookstores when I’m traveling. Going into a bookstore for me is akin to an alcoholic visiting a bar.  It’s a very dangerous (and expensive) proposition.

But what about electronic books, you say.  They take up much less space and are easily transportable.  Humph!  My son bought me a Kindle for Mother’s Day.  Well…..it has its uses.  I can download nearly any book in the public domain and can often read a book for much less than the price of the “real” book.  But it just isn’t the same.

And then to further feed my addiction, several years ago I was invited by Amazon to participate in their Vine program.  I’ll write about that another time but the jist of the program is that they send me free books every month and all I have to do is review them.  I don’t even have to give them a good review!  How cool is that?!

So, thank you Ms. Kuhlman way back in first grade for teaching me to read.  You probably didn’t realize the path you set me on then.  And I’m really sorry I stole that Little Golden Book from the classroom library.  It was my first and only foray into crime.  I think I’ve more than made up for it since in the many many books that I’ve donated to libraries wherever I’ve lived.

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Using a limited palette in oil painting

Posted on August 25, 2012 | Comments Off on Using a limited palette in oil painting

Limited palette: Clockwise from Titanium White, Cerulean Blue, Cobalt Blue, Alizarin Crimson, Cad Red Med, Burnt Sienna, Cad Lemon, Naples Yellow

If you have been tempted to load up on all the pretty colors when you visit the art supply store, don’t give in.  You can create nearly any color from a limited palette.  Most experienced artists find this gives their work greater cohesiveness.  Learn more on my How To page by following the link.  https://my90acres.com/artwork/using-a-limited-palette-in-oil-painting/

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Posted in art, oil painting, painting instruction, plein air painting

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Handmade bricks

Posted on August 20, 2012 | Comments Off on Handmade bricks
New - old sidewalk

New sidewalk from very old brick

This old house is at least 130 years old that we know of and, we think, about 30 years older.  The front half is log, yeah, the REAL old logs, and we think it was part of an original land grant in these parts. 

Even though we’ve lived here for over 25 years, we are always uncovering surprises.  This summer, my son who was home from college, decided to replace the brick sidewalk we had in front.  (All without any prompting from mom.  Thank you, Ben!)  A few years back we had the old metal roofs replaced (subject for another post).  In the process, it was more expedient to take off the old chimneys which were no longer used.  That pile of bricks was behind my studio.  So…my son took it upon himself to clean off all the century-old grout from the bricks.  Upon examining them closely, we realized that they were all handmade.  And if we looked really closely, we could even see the fingerprints of the maker.  That person is long gone but his legacy lives on. 

This is why I often feel the history of the old place.  Many times we get caught up in our own little immediate problems but they don’t seem so big when put in the perspective of looking back over a 150 years of births, deaths, droughts, storms, wars, and all manner of other “immediate” problems.  Makes ya think, doesn’t it?

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Posted in country living, old house

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Plein air painting at Monkey Hollow Winery today

Posted on August 18, 2012 | Comments Off on Plein air painting at Monkey Hollow Winery today
Monkey Hollow Winery

Monkey Hollow Winery, 11 x 14 oil

I went out to Monkey Hollow Winery today with the plein air group, Runaway Artists (www.runawayartists.com).  If you’d like to see  the painting demo, again on a toned canvas, click on the link to take you directly to the page.

https://my90acres.com/artwork/plein-air-at-monkey-hollow-winery/

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