Barbecue anyone?

Well it finally happened, winter came to Maine. For some reason the jet stream has been circling the storms around us and though we're usually dumped on for months at a time, it took until January to really see much of it this year.

Out in the cold.

I like this picture for several reasons. The most obvious is it's a visual oxymoron. The hot grill chilling out. A reminder of summer stuck in winter. (I could come up with a few more) Sometimes in Maine we barbecue in winter. Especially for football games. Use your imagination and place a Patriots helmet atop the snow covered grill and it bares a very close resemblance to #75, Vince Wilfork. Go Patriots! I smell Superbowl Champions...

Ok, now that I got that out of my system, lets talk about Out In The Cold. It's how I felt yesterday...

I recently joined facebook. I know I'm really late in doing so, but I had my reasons. I'm still trying to find my way around in it. Unlike blogging, I find it a bit confusing. I stumbled upon an artist and noticed his friend list was filled with a lot of artists. It was like hitting the jackpot. I like being connected to other artists, so I decided to start sending friend requests to them.

One artist, led me to other artists, which in turn led me to even more. Wow, I thought. This is pretty cool! What a great opportunity to meet lots of new artists. My mouse was running ramped, clicking on artists. A simple message, copied and pasted on each read, Hi. I'm an artist.

It was all that was needed. My mail box was filling fast with acceptances. As people returned to their computers, adding an artist wasn't a problem. Isn't that wonderful about artists? We are already connected and have so much in common. There's no hesitation when asked to be a friend to another.

Suddenly I was really liking this new experience. The excitement rushed through me. I was setting ground to meet and discuss with artists from all over the world!

And then it happened. I was sent Out In The Cold!

Facebook blocked me from sending anymore friend requests. And just as I was thinking it was a cool place to be... Not only did I get blocked, but all the pending friend requests were removed! I guess facebook doesn't understand that artists are fine with lots of artists friends. It seemed strange to me that the pending ones were removed. How can that happen if it's already in someone's mailbox? I suppose facebook thought I was spamming, but seriously if someone didn't want to be my friend, they didn't need to accept.

So just like my grill out in the cold, there I stood too.

The block is for 2 days. It's like being grounded or something. What a strange feeling. So next time I start clicking that friend button, I wonder how many it will let me send before it shuts me down again?

The sun is shining brightly here. I think I'll go paint before the big game tomorrow...

Impressionist

The Window

Original oil painting 14x18"

by Susan Roux

Don't you just love it when you're relaxed, just blogging around, and you come across a post that makes you want to sit down and write? You know what I mean. Those posts that put some idea out there that really gets you thinking and you're compelled to explore it deeper. That's just what happened this morning as I read Paint Dance.

Maryanne wrote, " I love impressionism. I am a little sad that it has not reached the level of popularity that we currently see in styles like representational realism." It was a lovely post with a John Singer Sargent's Breakfast in the Loggia pictured.

Loving impressionism...

Now there's a common thought among many artists. Put me at the top of the list! I have adored Monet's work for years and over half of my rather large art library is publications on him and the impressionist. I've read everything I could get my hands on about Claude. So much so, that in time I came to feel like we were close friends.

How I loved the dreamy strokes, dashes of color, that came together in amazing reality! The light the Impressionist captured drew so many of us into their world. I tingle just thinking about it.

I never tried to paint like Monet though. I was a firm believer that you needed to be true to yourself and paint in a way that felt natural to you. For me, that which poured out of my soul was a colorful fairly-detailed representation with an acute appreciation for light. Painting in my own natural style worked for quite a few years.

Then it happened.

I exposed myself to more and more art and fell in love with lots of it. So many soft dreamy strokes, laid on impasto thick, I wanted to pass my finger atop it and lick it like frosting. I was so drawn to this look, I wanted to paint like that too. How many of us have started out tight and then struggled to loosen our strokes? I think its pretty common.

So for years I pushed myself in this direction, never being satisfied with my work. I'm still there struggling with it to this day. But recently something has changed in my mind. Like my eyes have been opened anew. It goes back to my original way of thinking, how you must remain true to what comes out of your soul naturally. My thoughts go deep and many questions arise. Questions about improvement and pushing yourself in the direction you admire. It can feel like its coming from within, when with all our being, you love these works you see. But what's in the mind and in the soul are different.

Its been difficult for me to understand. In the past year, I feel like I've come full circle, painting in a way that resembles my original process. Yes, those years of easel time have improved my work, but to think how far I could be with it had I only continued with what poured out naturally.

So the thoughts in my head intrigue me. I feel there is something very natural and in control that wants to come out. I'm ready to embrace the representational part of me, that for years I tried to suppress. But somewhere in there I believe there is a softness too. When I go off to the art retreat in February, I hope to explore this concept further. I feel its at the tip of my brush and is ready to pour out. I only need time to devote to it. I think, or better yet, feel I have a balance of dreamy and tight and they will come together on canvas. I've fought the representational side of myself for so long. It feels good to get to a place where I can be comfortable accepting it.

Unlike Maryanne's statement, I've felt an embrace for looser work over representational work in today's society. I do however think impressionist of today feel its work done quickly. Capture that first impression with bold strokes in a limited time. But the real Impressionist only gave the illusion of it being quickly executed. Monet returned over and over to the same spot, in search of the same light, to continue his paintings. When the light wasn't just right at the same time of day, he would begin a new painting. He returned daily and would progress the one canvas that had the same light, never working it for longer than 20 minutes. If he didn't find the same light within two weeks time, he could no longer continue because with the orbit of the earth, the light had changed visibly for him. This made it impossible for him to capture that moment in time he devoted his life to.

So why is it, I wonder, that the impressionist of today came to feel it needed to be painted within a short period of time? If today's impressionist spent the same amount of time and energy on a painting as the original Impressionists, would they rule in popularity?

Posted: The Window will be one of the paintings in Saturday's exhibition at CMMC, Lewiston, Maine from 10-4 in the main lobby. You're invited to come. If you're around, please do!

Viewer friendly

Sunny Burst at the Fence Post

Original oil painting 18x14"

by Susan Roux

My view counter hit 10,000 this past weekend. Wow!

Thank you all so much. When I began blogging just 11 months ago, I never imagined the visibility I would get. At first I was lucky to get three to ten hits a day. Its amazing how these things escalate. I know I have a lot of faithful readers and many casual ones too. I love it when you stop by. I love it when you leave comments. I love having had the opportunity to meet and chat with you. I wanted to take a moment to let you know how much your visits mean to me. I hope you continue to return.

So I was wondering...

If a blog gets 10,000 in 11 months, does it continue to escalate at the same rate? 20,000 in 22 months? Or 30,000? I never made a conscious count at certain increments to be able to predict the rate my blog was growing. Do any of you know? I realize its a whole math thing and most of you visiting are creative. I don't need to remind you of the left brain/right brain thing. Of course, then there's Kevin who thinks he knows %'s, but whoever was his math teacher failed miserably. Seriously though, I am curious. So if anyone has calculated a growth rate, do tell.

Posted is Sunny burst at the Fence Post. I finished it with my Tuesday night class. For the most part I like it, but I struggled a bit more than I expected to. There's a tightness about it and it seemed no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't soften it. I can't put my finger on what. My brushstroke is about as blurry as my vision, so I'm assuming its not that. Could it be my color choices that give it a tight look? I'm looking for suggestions. Can anyone tell me why it looks tight? Of course the photo never captures the various tones as they really are, so it might be terribly difficult for you to help via the internet...

Suggest soon, because I'm ready to sign it. Its coming to my exhibition on Saturday. For those nearby, its at CMMC in Lewiston, ME at the main lobby entrance from 10-4. There'll be about 30 artists exhibiting, so lots of art to look at! Do stop in and say hi.

It took all day...

I bought a bushel of green tomatoes the other day from a local farmer who sells them cheap. In time when they ripen, I'll enjoy making spaghetti sauce for winter. That was my thought. Well in the heat of the house, "in time" came much faster than I anticipated! My boxful was turning redder every day. It became apparent, I needed to take time for my tomatoes.

I began by scrubbing them all. The skins were marred and scarred. Not your picture perfect specimens, but great for the pot.

I felt like painting. I mean I really felt like painting. The weekend had been filled with countless other activities and my paintbrushes were calling, actually hollering, to me. Fall duties had come to the forefront. Saturday brought a big family surge, bringing-in and stacking firewood. Now an overwhelming amount of tomatoes awaited. Somehow I felt like a squirrel preparing for the cold season ahead. I tried to remind myself how happy I would be, come winter, that all this preparation had been done.

I remember loving the process of making spaghetti sauce. This time it seemed a chore. Its a very tactile process. All the peeling and cutting with juice pouring between your fingers. The smells. Garlic, various peppers and fresh herbs explode with wonderful aromas. My chopping knife kept very busy...

Can you smell it?

I thought there would be time while it simmered to go paint or catch up on the ever mounting pile of laundry. No. There wasn't. I had a one-hour "go retrieve my son" break and that was it. It actually took all day. Beginning from: after blogging with morning coffee 'til supper.

At some point during the day, I began to embrace the process and enjoy it. Its hard to see and smell all this and not be affected. All my senses participated.

I've become increasingly obsessed with painting lately and anything that gets in the way seems so disruptive. I read about some of you with painters block, lack of inspiration, even toiling with the idea of quitting art all together. For me, its the opposite. I want to quit everything else! These days, filled with activities and duties that pull me away from our art, only add to the burning desire to paint. When the brush can be picked up again, watch out. Inspiration and desire to push paint around will be peeked!

Yes it took all day, but look what I achieved. Fifteen quarts in all!

... and a box of quickly ripening tomatoes! Yikes!

Pasta anyone?

Visiting

Work in progress 20x16"

by Susan Roux

I love how blogging can expose us to so many different techniques. It keeps my mind open and my spirit creatively stimulated. I awoke early this morning and quietly came to my computer with coffee. With volume down, I visited many of you, leaving little comments behind, while still allowing my household to sleep.

Its like finding a friend awake to interact with when no one home is...

I wanted to share one site in particular with you today. I visited and found a demonstration video that really excited me. The looseness and treatment of paint amazed me. It truly was watching the creative process in action.

Its a watercolor demonstration. Every stroke is a direct response of emotion towards what is emerging on paper. There is as much removal of paint with the brush as there is adding paint. It sent me off dreaming and for the first time, I would enjoy trying my hand at it. Oils have always been my love and I never desire to change medium, but after seeing this video, it would be fun to play...

The artist is Fabio Cembranelli. You may have already seen it seeing he has 496 followers! If you haven't, I invite you to stop by. Watching him paint is both lyrical and poetic. You'll walk away feeling happy and inspired.

Posted is my next experimental portrait. I began late yesterday and am approaching it a bit differently this time around. As you can see, I'm just in the initial block-in.

Now take a minute and go click Fabio...

The Wright Gallery

This is the gallery in Cape Porpoise, Maine that represents my work. I love the name.

The Wright Gallery.

I like to tell people that I'm in The Wright Gallery as oppose to the wrong gallery...

It continually gets me a few laughs and I'm always up for laughter!

The owner Charlie is a hoot!

He has a thriving business, even in this injured economy, and I think its due to his personality. People love to come in to see Charlie. Sometimes I wonder if they come for the art at all or solely for a dose of his humor! Either way, they usually leave with art...

There is wonderful art here. Artists who are represented stay on forever. A relationship with the cheerful owner grows until eventually, you become family. You do not find a yearly shift, but rather consistency between these walls. When Charlie takes you on, he puts you under his wing. I feel very comfortable and blessed to be here.

One of my favorite artists at Charlie's is Diane Leonard. She paints dreamy women and children at the beach. Her colors jump at you and the softness makes your mind drift off, as you place yourself in her paintings. It was to my wonderful surprise to find Diane blogging! We've never met. I'm finding her words as sweet, dreamy and wonderful as her art. No doubt she is pouring herself on canvas. When the art reflects the exact personality of its creator, you know the magic is happening!

I'd like to invite you to come see her blog. She is quiet in the blogging world, so few of you have found her. Come treat yourself to be a part of her "dream". And if you're ever in Maine, do stop by The Wright Gallery. You will not regret seeing her glowing art for real! (Plus you get to see mine too...)

Don't forget to tell Charlie I sent you...

Invite an artist

Rose's Colossal Delphiniums

Original oil painting 24x18"

by Susan Roux

I need your help.

As you know, I've been trying to recruit artists to join the blogging world. To some the invitation is casual. "Come check it out. You'd like it." To others, the invitation goes much further. They would truly benefit and are in need of the motivating support-circle we all share.

One in particular.

Her name is Jennifer. She's an artist whose devoted a great deal of time and energy promoting others, with little recognition. She goes out of her way to establish great venues to host exhibitions and invites artists, by the hundreds, to participate. Yet, she stands understated in the shadows. She thrives helping others get exposure in a quiet humble way, never stealing the limelight for herself. Life has been difficult at times. She's battled the difficulties and is a survivor.

Recently, we met for tea. I talked to her about blogging and we both agreed it would be good for her.

Here's where your help comes in...

When life isn't always grand, motivation to start something new is often lacking. My request to you is simple. Here's a pre-written letter to her. Would you please paste it into your mail, fill in the few blanks and send it to this address? It would be wonderful if the art-world finally gave back to her...

gulfislandart@yahoo.com

Imagine her surprise if everyone who reads this, sends it to her? It gives me happy chills, just thinking about it! Thank you in advance. I know I can count on you.

Hi Jennifer,

I'm . I'd like to invite you to start blogging at www.blogspotcom. I understand you're an artist too, so we're bound to have a lot in common. I look forward to getting to know you and share in your creative works of art.

Please come follow my blog: and let me know as soon as you start your own.

I look forward to following yours too!

Sending you smiles,

------------

You're all so great. Thanks for your help!

Special photos

Waves

Original oil painting 16x20"

by Susan Roux

Are you like me?

I take so many photos. More than I will ever paint. More than I could ever paint in my lifetime. Among them are those special ones that jump out and grab your eye and you know for certain that you will paint them, but you never do...

I'm not sure why. Maybe there's a pressing deadline or a feared-fleeting desire to capture a momentary whim. Your special photos are so striking that you could be stimulated to paint them at any time. There's no need to jump into them instantly.

But time goes by. Perhaps even years and those grabbing photos never become a painting...

I love this whole blogging thing. I keep pushing other artists to try it. There's an art exhibit at your fingertips whenever you want! Its my selling point, aside from the grand camaraderie, of course... Well this morning my cup of coffee was shared with your lovely art show. (thank you, by the way...) Much to my surprise, I found my special photos had come to life on your canvases!

How cool is that?

Well maybe they weren't my exact photos, but so similar and so well painted! You might just have inspired me to finally tackle my own. Carol Schiff's Ocean Sunrise and Tatiana Myers' Poppies were my found inspirations. It was such a treat to stumble upon you today. Two of my special photos in one day! It must be a sign that the day will be good and possibly filled with unexpected surprises... Hope yours will be too.

Posted is the painting from last night's class. Its very close to done. My students will return next week to tweak theirs and though last night, I thought I was finished, I can see a few changes to make. A few unopened buds would love to break the halfway plane of the canvas and carry rose color towards the bottom left.

Interesting how we see it differently after we've taken a photo. (yet another perk to blogging...)

Keep your posts coming, everybody. Your inspiration to all of us is greatly appreciated! (did I mention that I love how you're all here???)

Comments or no comments, thanks for stopping by... Be like LuLu today and go dance in front of your easel!

Such a "Dub"...

If there's a fruitcake award, please give it to me quick!

I just wrote this post about my painting problem. As I was writing, I decided to fix it and post the finished version at the bottom. Unfortunately in my haste and a cup of coffee short of awake, I failed to photograph it prior to fixing my problem... So now I have this post written about a painting issue, without a photo to go along with it! Sorry... You may want to stop reading now. I even joked about deleting this post. Maybe I should.

I'm finally back in front of my easel! Being everywhere was fun, but getting back to painting feels like me.

The past two days, I've been working to finish up this painting. I'll be delivering it to the Blue Heron Gallery in Cape Cod, in another week. The pressure is on. Pressure to finish up some lingering canvases. Unfortunately my best work isn't executed under pressure...

As I was painting my figure, I was happy with the results. She appeared very striking. I ended by doing her reflection and deepening the bottom water. My brush danced around in juicy shades of purple and blue. (I just bought three new blues and playing with new mixtures had me overjoyed, like a child with new toys!) The oranges were dynamite and sang among the darks. Playing was fun...

Did I get carried away with my new found colors? Did I fail to see what was happening? Maybe I was just away from the easel for too long? Luka Bloom was singing in my ears and I felt so relaxed and happy. My brush was on automatic... You know that's when your true spirit is releasing itself on the canvas. Your deepest self is being exposed. Revealed. Its the recipe for your best work. So why didn't it work, I wonder???

The bottom overpowers the figure. She no longer seems to capture the attention. She's fighting with the reflection and your eye doesn't know where to go. I stared at her for a long time last night, trying to figure out (no pun intended...) how to fix it. What does it need? When I crop out the bottom, she pops out perfectly.

Such a dilemma...

My thought has been to darken some of the top left. However, my intensions weren't to have a dark painting. I was fighting with myself. What to do? What not to do? Blogging is great, isn't it? As I sit here evaluating it for you, the solution I seek reveals itself. I have also been annoyed by the interrupted bands of white. Did I need to connect them somehow? No. I don't think so. I think my problem lies in the contrast of the reflected skirt with the dark water. Though I think its lovely, its also what's pulling the eye away from the figure. No need to darken the top. By dulling her reflected skirt, it will solve the "white blotch" problem at the same time.

Funny how its so easy for me to see what's needed with my students work, but often difficult with my own. It has to be that passion. That attachment we get with every stroke and color we painted. Ideas we tried to execute. Though failures at times, are hard to abandon. I'm happy to see dulling her skirt is all I need to do...

Knowing that, I could delete this whole post and go fix her quickly. But I think its better as a learning tool to post her as is. (Such a Dub...)

On the bright side, I was very happy with the colors dancing around her feet. She's looking down and I just want to watch her splashing feet too!

(My sincere apologies for botching this up... Its amazing you actually read to the end. Thank you for putting up with my stupidity.) Sometimes we just need to laugh at ourselves...

Posted: "Carefree" Original oil painting, 36x12" painted-edged gallery wrapped canvas by Susan Roux

Treasure hunt

Combarro

Watercolor by Fernando Artal

I'm really enjoying blogging. Not only is there the fun of letting out some of the many things in my head, but there is the adventure, the scavenger hunt, of exploring all the wonderful things that you have put up to share. Wasted moments sitting at my computer have been transformed into explorations.

You stimulate me. You encourage me. You inspire me.

Somedays I find myself going to paint so I can have something to show you. I suspect the same is true for some of you as well. Especially those who've signed on as daily painters. Wow, its a huge commitment and I admire the dedication it takes to accomplish this. As someone who doesn't paint daily, much less finish a painting daily, you inspire me to go to my studio.

Yesterday I did just that.

My painting is well on it's way. In shades of yellow and blue my model dances at the beach. I'll share her later when she's done. This one is not a child.

...am I keeping you in suspense?

While breaking for tea, I visited your blogs. It helps to keep my painting energy at its peek, even in my down time. I came upon Fernando Artal's work. I was very taken by it and I wanted to share it with you. He is from Spain and his blog is in spanish. Fortunately for me, most of his posts are paintings, so the language is not a problem. He has 23 followers. I suspect many of you have not found him yet. Therefore, I've decided to share my treasure hunt find with you. His watercolors are unlike anything I've ever seen. I tried to leave a comment, but it malfunctioned. He doesn't know I'm posting about him...

I want to return to work on my beach dancer. I left her skin half finished yesterday and I really want to complete it with the same colors...

Thanks for keeping me stimulated on my down time. Keep creating, posting and blogging. We all benefit from each other!

Welcome

Welcoming Flowers

Original oil painting by Susan Roux

I've been blogging for 46 days and this is my 45 post. I remember when I started, I had no idea where this would take me. In my own words, "I was up for the ride..."

Its good when you try something new.

New ideas develop from it. In this case, new acquaintances, emerging friends, stimulation, daily art exhibits to view and participate in and lots and lots of helpful information. I was unaware of the connection, the large web of interaction, bloggers have. As I asked a lot of questions, this supportive family patiently explained it to me. So now a month and a half into it, I'm seeing the picture and I like what I see.

I've even encouraged new people to start blogging! I don't have intensions of stopping anytime soon. Another delightful surprise was in recording my journeys, it forced me to really remember details that I would otherwise loose. Now I've preserved them. They will remain here for myself and others to reread at anytime.

When I began, Jamie Haney wrote me a lovely email answering my questions and more. In it she talked about her favorite type of blog. They were the ones that included both art and writing. She said, "I like a blog that is like coming into a friends house and sitting down at the kitchen table with a nice glass of iced tea and having a chat and learning more from this new or old friend."

Wow. I really liked what she said. I wrote it down so I'd remember. It left me with a wonderful feeling. At the time I didn't quite understand how it could be like visiting a friend, but there is something about continually returning to someone's blog that is now resembling this for me. I know in time these connections will grow and I'll be richer for it.

I keep finding out about followers who never identify themselves. If that's you, come join in the fun. There is much more to blogging than what sits on the surface. It isn't until one begins that this magical connection of supporting people comes to light. Take a look around. You'll find many different types of blogs. Maybe one will inspire you to start...

Welcoming Flowers is a painting I did with one of my art classes. Its at my front door. I thought it appropriate for this post. I'd like to invite you in.

Would you like a cup of tea?