Champagne Thursday info:

Monarda 

(detail of a work in progress)

by Susan Roux

As many of you already know, I'm getting prepared to leave for a week on an Artists Retreat. It'll be a mad week of marathon painting. We don't take phone calls. Laptops remain turned off in our bedrooms. Basically we leave all typical daily interruptions behind. The order of the day, every day, is to paint. After awhile with such intense focus, one becomes elevated to a form of a trance. It's like reaching that wonderful painting zone and remaining there full-time.

Oh, it's a wonderful feeling and I can't wait to get there.

Champagne Thursday is our only deviation, but oh what a night it is!

The roster of invites continues to grow. We may have gone a bit overboard this year, but who cares, it's just one night. I've been amazed at the confirmed list of guests. We have some wonderful prominent art figures planning to attend. If you're anywhere in the area, please don't hesitate to come join in the excitement!  A bottle of champagne and a nibbler is your only entrance fee. It's an instant party filled with stimulating art conversation among a multitude of fresh-off-the-easel art. Come tour this amazing mansion we spend the week in. You won't be disappointed you came!

CHAMPAGNE THURSDAY

February 23rd at 5:00 p.m. 

Last house on Shore Drive

Freeport, Maine

Entrance fee: Champagne and a nibbler

See you in just over a week!

The above painting is a close-up detail in an unfinished painting titled 

Monarda.

Monhegan Island

Step back in time 100 years.

This is what Monhegan feels like..

Monhegan is an island ten miles off the coast of Maine. It's known as the Artists' Island and for good reason. Artists have been flocking here for years. So what's the draw? What makes Monhegan so exciting? Why do I see artists gathered at every turn?

You could ask this question to many and get lots of different answers. It's inspiring to say the least.

Foot power is the mode of transportation. Only a few trucks inhabit the island and they're used for deliveries - your baggage to your rental and supplies to the local residents. Oddly here, vehicles have the right of way.

One of the things that struck me most, especially as a landscape artist, was the strange atmosphere. Aside from the west coast, our weather, the clouds in the sky approach from having come over land. On Monhegan they approach from traveling over ocean. The island is so small, it's as though it isn't there and doesn't effect the passing clouds. You wouldn't think it makes much difference, but the sky and conditions here blew me away. You'll experience cloud formations and sky colors you've never seen. You're there to paint the island, but somehow the sky captivates you. I was in awe.

Photos can't do it justice. The look here on the blog is a simple gray. But the light here is nothing but a simple gray. The fog that rolls in is saturated with glowing warm light. The sun burning through, or just attempting. It renders the island a magical look. The air is fresh and you fill your lungs with the moisture of salty goodness. You walk at a slow pace, visually taking everything in. Quiet. The sound of quiet with the rhythm of ocean waves crashing on the rugged Atlantic side hums continuously. The only place it can't be heard is in the dense forest. It feels healing here.

Your creative soul is at peace. Clarity...

There's no schedule on Monhegan. Artists can be found from the crack of dawn, capturing the incredible sunrise that makes Monana glow, until dark for the orange sunset. Monana is the tiny island across the harbor seen in the top image. It helps protect the island creating a quiet cove, good for fishing boats and the ongoing ferry.

Nearly everyone you meet is an artist. The locals are artists. Beautiful artistic artifacts, sculptures and gardens adorn your walk. You can't help but sense an artistic power in the air. If you have artists' block, this is your hospital of cure. It's impossible for an artist to come to Monhegan and not paint.

This coming weekend, I'll be arriving here. 12 artists will share a large house on the ocean facing Manana for a week of painting and good healing. We'll unplug from life for a brief while and see what our creative souls conjure up. Awhhhhhh... I'm relaxing just thinking about it.

Step back in time 100 years. This is what Monhegan feels like..

Time

Tassels

Original oil painting 28x22"

by Susan Roux

Where does the time go? I feel as though it's whizzing by!

I think I'm trying to do too much. I'm running on exhaustion lately and still have plenty of things I'd like to get to. Energy. Lack of energy and a tired body slow me down. I heard this could (would) happen with age... Don't you just hate it when they're right?

Thoughts usually ricochet in my head like the silver ball in a pinball machine. Creative thoughts, imaginative thoughts, even organizational thoughts. So many thoughts and ideas, it's often hard to sleep because they don't turn off. Today I sit before you with a blank mind. It seems so strange. I know it's because it wants to shut down and sleep, but not today. There is still too much to do.

Here is my latest girl. Charlie at The Wright Gallery sold Sundress after having her for a week. This is for him. I'll be delivering it early next week, hopefully. It's like my husband says. Charlie can't sell them if I don't paint them.

Words of wisdom.

K. Mizner

Work in progress

by Susan Roux

Ok, I've kept an interesting blog to myself for long enough now. Its time for me to share.

Remember Chicken Coop man? Well he signs his canvases K Mizner. Frankly I don't know why, because Chicken Coop man is so much easier to remember...

If you recall I met Kevin at a workshop and painted in his studio Coop with Nora Kasten. Kevin is quite hilarious and even at the workshop, we were drawn towards each other. We set up our easels side by side and more off-handed comments were slapped around than paint! At the time I thought it was our shared Maine residency that drew us together. We seemed to have the same off-kilter view of things. But now as time passes, I think it was his humor that drew me in.

Kevin didn't blog.

Well, that never settles well with me. Why not? I asked. Its a great thing. After all, its how Nora and I met. I explained, I'm certain with wise cracks thrown in (some people bring that out in me, but I won't mention names... Rick), that blogging is a great way to meet, interact and network with artists from all over the country and the world. Well Kevin may be from the backwoods of Maine, but he's no dummy. Up here, backwoods doesn't mean backwards. There are some pretty smart cookies tucked in around here.

I think it was the very next day that I received an email from Kevin announcing he had started to blog. Smart guy.

He's posted daily since. He has so much to talk about, frankly I don't know what he did with all those thoughts before he could rant them out on a blog. You need to go be a follower. I mean seriously. He'll crack you up everyday. He can't help it. It just pours out of him. I literally burst out laughing aloud while reading it. My husband asks what's so funny? I'm just reading Kevin's blog...

I've chosen today to send you there, because he has a wonderful chilling Halloween story to tell you. He spoke of this while we visited his Coop, but the story he shared then was different than the one he posted. So you can urge him to post more on the subject. He's got stories...

Chicken Coop man currently has 9 followers. Yes I know, its sad. Go make his number rise. I'm sure he'll appreciate it. And for you, a daily post full of laughs with some art thrown in here and there. How can you go wrong?

Posted is the progression of the Wednesday Night Ladies class painting. We finally filled in the remaining white canvas and I allowed some of the sunlit flowers to emerge. Hey, I had to keep them happy...

One more note: For those of you who've been asking, I found artists to fill the four bedrooms in the February rental.

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...

New paints and palette

It was time for an upgrade.

Sometimes its wise to realize you've gone as far as you can with the tools you're using. I was there. My paints were student grade, washed down and inferior. I'd grown so accustomed to them, it never dawned on me to change them. But when a wise old man (maybe not so old) visited, necessary changes became instantly obvious.

A bucket full of new paints!

If that doesn't make me want to jump up and paint, nothing will. Big juicy tubes, full of creamy paint, hollering to be squeezed. Its like being a kid again with a new box of crayola crayons!

Better yet is my new place to squeeze them on. Oh, I'm playing with the big boys now... A glass palette. I have to tell you, I'd seem them used before, but never realized the difference it makes mixing your colors.

Its a whole new stimulant!

I'm showing it to you all clean. Really, I should have photographed it in living color. Patches and patches of mixed swirls of paint gradually change with every value and tone at your fingertips. My palette knife rest, if you can believe that. I was so hooked to it before for mixing colors, I'm shocked how easily I've been able to let it go.

So when I tell you I've made some positive changes in an attempt to improve my art, I wasn't kidding. Everything all at once. I've repeated how my head hurts from all the thinking required during these days of experimenting. My brain is in overload. Not just from adjusting to a new way of looking at things, but from working with all new toys.

Would I do it again?

In a heartbeat. I suggest an upgrade to any of you who are serious about your art and wanting to improve your results. I looked at it as an investment in my future. It wasn't cheap, but I'm hoping it will all be worthwhile in time.

I'm currently working on portraits. I hope to secure the lessons of my past workshop by experimenting with similar subjects. Mike's taken photos of family members in strong light so I now have plenty of material to work with. No excuses... I don't know how many I'll decide to paint. I suppose as many as it takes to drill the lessons into my head. Maybe when my brain stops hurting and they get easier to paint, I'll know its time to move on.

At the moment I'm working on a double portrait. It has problems. Hopefully I'll feel comfortable posting it after I resolve some of them...

So when the day is done, my palette gets cleaned. The days used paint is scraped into piles of grays to use tomorrow. And then, one two three, it closes up tight keeping my paints from drying too quickly, into...

A handy dandy, ready to travel, suitcase!

All these changes are helping me from falling back on old habits. There's nothing to fall back on. Everything's been flipped upside down...

Nothing like a whirlwind to propel you into a new direction. Hopefully its forward...

Lights and darks

Loading Traps

Work in progress 16x20"

by Susan Roux

I've been painting all day long lately. Since the workshop, inspiration is peeked. Thank you for all your encouraging comments as I dive into a new approach. Its as though my motor is on and I'm afraid to shut it off for fear of loosing precious information.

Paint, paint, paint. Like a mad woman with a brush!

This is the initial block-in for my latest piece. Actually it isn't really the initial one. I took a photo of what I thought was my block-in, only to find the man's head was very puny. Odd how I couldn't see it looking at the canvas, yet it jumped out so clearly in a photograph. A bit discouraged, I returned to the studio to enlarge his head... Its better now.

Don Hatfield's approach is to focus on the large shapes of light and dark without attention to detail.

I'm trying really hard to do this, but I'm certain I have way more detail showing in this initial block-in than he would allow. He has a reputation of "slaying our darlings". This means knocking out the detail to reinforce and adjust the correct values in large shapes.

I chose this image to paint because it related closer to our portrait lesson than wildflowers in a field. Though I'm assured the same principles apply, it seems easier to follow his instructions with a figure in the scene. Now that my figure is adjusted, I can begin to focus on all the different planes and how light affects them. Be it reflected light or direct sunlight.

I think I'm off to a good start. My biggest fear is the yellow grid of the lobster trap. I'm hoping to keep it soft and simple, but the mathematical side of me will be pushing for every line in the grid! I'll try not to listen... Perhaps I can put them all in and then make some disappear.

We'll see how that goes. After all, its only paint.

Enjoy your day. Don't be afraid to experiment a little... or a lot.

Is art dying?

Best in Show

Its no secret to anyone that art is taught completely different nowadays than in the past. What was once structured and guided by rules has completely flipped to pushing creativity in search of the "never-been-done" before. I question myself, "Is art dying?"

Maybe its just me. Maybe I don't get it as much as I think I do. I know art is conceptual and so lends itself to many different interpretations. What captures one viewer may not capture another in the least. But it is my understanding that art is emotion. What pours out of an artist onto canvas (or other support) is their emotional response to their subject. A whole range of emotions can find themselves on canvas. Sadness, anger, happiness, love... To me art happens when the artists can actually convey their emotion to the viewer.

I don't believe art is doing something no one has ever done before.

All that is to me is simply, "something that has never been done before... " If I sit my muddy cat on a clean canvas, I don't call this art. If I grind mud into my canvas and drizzle unset strawberry jello over it and wash it down with organic apple juice, I don't call this art. It may very well be things that have never been done before, but to me, that alone doesn't make it qualify as art.

Maybe its just me...

Posted is a painting that took best in show at an association-run gallery. It is Bacon. It's a print made with bargain bacon on Asian paper. The jurors said, “This very powerful print gets its strength from the color and shape of the composition. The scale of the image, the way it is presented and the placement within the frame all add to a very compelling piece. The work finds success between starkness and complexity that makes it intriguing and fun. The unconventional materials used in producing the work inform the piece with a good mix of metaphor and irony. We applaud the artist for their creativity and exploration.” — Robert Lash & Kerstin Gilg

This is a huge juried show in Maine and the gallery can get as many as 300 entries. It is perhaps the biggest fund raiser the gallery has. A few years back, a wide variety of art could be found there. In recent years, some University professors got involved and the whole flavor of the once totally embracing association changed to exhibiting mostly contemporary art. The three big winners were all created in a sepia tone. Is this the new direction of art? Did I miss the memo? Did I waste my money on my recent order of colored paint?

I didn't enter the juried show. This post is not my anger lashing out because I didn't make the cut. I'm saddened that as time goes by, the college professors are young and they too have never been taught the rules that guide us to great art. The rules that the masters of yesteryear have left behind, passed down from generation to generation. Is art dying?

"A very compelling piece," the jurors said.

To whom? Five marks in a typical counting block is anything but compelling to me.

In todays struggling art market, all too often we hear comments like, "I don't like art. I don't understand it." These are from people who rarely expose themselves to art. They must have never been moved by a piece before. Perhaps the only exposure they get are images of winning pieces posted in local newspapers. They see images like this bacon piece. They are not moved. They continue to think they don't like art. Is it a wonder? I fear a growing negative trend in future potential-art-buyer's minds.

I ask again, "Is art dying?"

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!

Been outdoors...

I've been gardening.

Its one of my other great pleasures. I know I've mentioned that before...

Perennials are my favorites. From bulbs to plants, they begin their colorful show just as the snow melts. Unlike annuals that require warm temperatures, many perennials can tolerate Maine conditions. Yeah! Its only the beginning of May and I have color throughout my yard. We had a mild, early-ending winter and plants are eager to burst into bloom well before their usual debut. Tulips are still blooming and typical June flowers have large buds ready to pop!

I can't stop myself from going outside.

Everything has come early. The leaves, the grass, the birds, the warm temperatures and yes, even the bugs!

There are plants like Russian Sage and Lavender that I've wanted in my garden for awhile now. Size is a factor. I have little room left for such large plants. My solution has been to make a new garden. So lately I've been removing grass and adding compost to create a bed for these desired "purple" beauties.

I must say, we use different muscles doing this work than when we paint...

My body screams at me in the morning, but it isn't enough to stop me. My love for nature and color extends pass the easel. For me, imagining which flowers will bloom together and placing them so the colors and size will compliment each other is very similar to painting. The biggest difference being that I have to wait to see the results. Little green tufts, that will later bloom in color, or tiny bulbs are like my paints. Place each at a special spot and the result will be beautiful. My imagination peeks and I'm swept away with this more physical type of creation.

The work is plentiful in the spring. Its easiest to move plants around at this time. Spring rains and the lack of scorching temperatures help ease the transplants into their new locations. Every year the show, the completed canvas, is different. Soon my heavy work will be done. The remainder of the season is devoted to enjoying the creation in its constant performance. As one color fades a new one replaces it, like an ongoing dance titillating the eyes.

Later I will bring my easel outside. Somedays I'll paint the floral display. Other times I will paint, like in the studio, but in the beauty of my gardens. I paint best when I'm happy and at peace. In the midst of my flower dance, my creative spirit easily takes flight. All the work I do now is in anticipation of the display later.

Luka Bloom, you know the Irish singer I like so much.., spoke about writing songs. For this creative portion of his work, he requires quiet times of peace and reflection. Its when you can really hear your inner-self, your spirit speak. I feel the same about painting. There are days when its better for me to stop, relax and listen. Haste doesn't benefit my results. To paint nature, its essential that I take time reflecting in it. Quiet time.

So don't worry that I'm not painting. Soon I will be and this quiet, yet physical time, will add to my creative spirit. The more I absorb in, the more I will have to release out!

Don't spend all your time hurrying through life. Make sure you allow yourself quiet times of reflection. They're essential, for many reasons. Just like the buds on my plants ready to explode into blossoms, you will find your creativity ready to explode on canvas!

Marvelous things can happen...

Olympians? no...

My neighbors work for the olympics.

Its a very unusual thing, I know. When they first moved in several years ago and mentioned working for the olympics, our reaction was, 'Wow!" We don't often stop and think of the people working for the olympics, but there are many.

How glamorous it seemed. They were off to Torino! They were off to China! They were off to Vancouver! But it isn't as glamorous as it first sounds. Depending on their job, people can be assigned to be on location for 4 or 5 months. During this time, they work every day for very long hours. We can't even communicate via email; they have no time to read it or respond.

Can you imagine such a demanding job?

No time to paint...

Chris is one of my students. This time, four months away felt very long to me. No neighbors next door for a whole season and more. A missed student in my wonderful Wednesday night ladies class... Early on there were postcards. We all delighted in the short words that came. Every Wednesday someone asks if I've heard from her. The time seemed so long.

Well I'm happy to report that they returned while I was away in Florida. My neighbors are back! (Some of you probably have neighbors you'd like to get rid of for months at a time, but these are not that type of neighbor...)

I got my much needed "Chris hug" yesterday. Its been so long, she didn't even know I blogged. We have so much to catch up on. She hasn't painted since she left at the end of October and really misses it. Her "art fix" was to sneak off to a few art exhibits in slight moments of down time. I'm going to put a paintbrush back in her hand as soon as I can!

Chris may be starting her own blog. Something about fish tacos... She's very smart and comical so I'll let you know when it begins.

Posted is Chris during one of my workshops last summer. Welcome back Chris!

(Photographs by Michael McAllister)

Its Booked!

Blue Hill, here we come!

I rented this place on Blue Hill Peninsula (Maine) for a week in June. As you know, I've been looking into it. I want to go paint lupines by the ocean as posted in Booklets.

Well I finally made my decision on where to stay. One that wasn't very hard to make. Just look at this wonderful cottage??? no... house that I found! How could I resist? Affirmative confirmation from an artist friend was all I needed to clinch the deal. As soon as I received her phone call saying she would come, I was on the phone reserving it. What a beautiful doll house to go play in!

Pack your paints Baby, here we go!

I don't think it will be difficult to find a few other takers to join us. Martine-Alison, my wonderful artist friend in France, is even thinking of it. Buy your plane tickets, honey. Let's make it a reality! A painting holiday with wonderful artists friends... Just what the doctor ordered.

How could I resist this wicker sunroom or these charming bedrooms?

There's four in all!

The kitchen is huge and fully equipped.

We even have two outdoor decks that run the length of the house.

Carol, the owner, was most pleasant and helpful. She informed me of a lupine festival that will be going on when we arrive. She'll be leaving a brochure, which by the way, has maps and directions to all the largest lupine fields in the area. Perfect!

I must really be ready for a vacation. I leave Wednesday for a week in sunny Florida and I'm booking a place for June...

I told Mike, I must need a break more than I realize.

Booklets

Do you ever have brochures or booklets just jump out at you?

There they are. Staring you in the face. You can feel them tugging at you. Take me. Take me. Your arm leaps forward. You hesitate. It retracts. Your eye stays glued to the booklet. "Why would you be taking it?" you ask yourself. "These are for tourist." Unable to turn away, you finally pick it up.

Have you had this happen to you? I have. Several times actually.

What happens next is the real story. You spend a few moments wondering why you even grabbed this information and almost convince yourself it wasn't there for you at all. And then it happens... It sends you in a completely different direction altogether.

Your mind wanders and begins to imagine possibilities. New possibilities. Your excited just thinking about them. The first time this happened I was in the grocery store and at the checkout I spotted a Cape Cod art gallery guide. This may not strike you as funny, but I'm in Maine and Cape Cod is not exactly close by. There was just one gallery guide tucked among the TV guides. Looking back now, I'm convinced it arrived here by accident. An accident with my name on it. This happened in 2001 and by 2002, after much research and many art packets later, I got into the Blue Heron Gallery. If I hadn't picked up that booklet, would I be there? Most likely not.

Don't avoid taking chances that can spin you around. Surprises await. New beginnings await. Most times its just a matter of taking that initial step. Picking up that booklet...

So Wednesday while waiting for my son to arrive at the airport, I stumbled across a whole stand of booklets. Yes, they are there for tourist. Well a few jumped out at me and I must say I didn't hesitate as long as I had years ago in the grocery store. One was of Blue Hill, Maine. I've never been and knew nothing about it. I may have heard the name, but one town or another, if you don't know it can mean nothing.

I quickly learned its the jutting chunk of land just south of Acadia where the popular picturesque Bar Harbor sits. Its a wonderful area, so why wouldn't the area south be as pretty? I don't suppose it wouldn't. Photos of lupines run through out the booklet. Next thing I know, I'm all over the internet looking for lodging during lupine season...

Wouldn't it be splendid to go paint the lovely purple spikes with the ocean in the background? Whole houses are for rent by the week for the price of a few nights in an inn. (Ha ha, just like in Ireland!) My first thought of going for a few nights quickly turned into wanting to go paint for the week! My second thought is do I want to invite other artists to come join me? You can get houses with various number of bedrooms...

Well I'm not sure how this will play out at the moment. But I can tell you I wouldn't even be considering this if I hadn't first picked up that booklet. Now I'm tingling with excitement at the thought of going on a painting holiday.

I hope you keep yourself open to new possibilities. Half the fun is never knowing what's waiting around the corner. Just as color can give you surprises on the canvas, a slight change in direction can place surprises in your life. Go surprise yourself!

I didn't mean to...

I lied.

I don't usually, but last night I did. I started this painting with my wonderful Wednesday night ladies. Just before leaving, one chuckled that I would continue working my sky and present a very different look next week. I immediately told her, "No. I never touch a class painting outside of class."

Sorry Tricia, I lied.

In the overly-used words of my son, "I didn't mean to..."

Really, I didn't. Its just this morning the colors were not at all what I remembered from last night. There's a very fine line between softness and no contrast. While attempting to soften my punched colors, I ended up by washing it all out! I really needed to correct it while the paint was wet.

Otherwise, I would have saved my corrections as part of our next lesson...

Unfortunately the camera lies too. Much more than I do, actually. The image posted reflects none of the soft transitions between colors. Isn't that a maddening thing for all artists? We work so hard to adjust every value, every color, every stroke, to capture what's in our hearts. A constant battle to project ourselves on canvas... And from reading many of your posts, it is a battle indeed. (But a battle we sure do love!)

All of this passionate energy, poured out, ends up at the mercy of the camera. Do you know of an artist who was ever pleased with their images? I don't. But there is a very encouraging "nice side" to this dilemma.

There will never be a reproduction that surpasses the actual work.

Our originals will always be in sole possession of that "magic" we captured. All that feeling. All those subtle nuances. All those juicy brushstrokes and thick paint you could lick like frosting. No camera will ever be capable of capturing it all.

And that life. That wonderful "life of its own" an original painting has. The way it reflects light and changes as you walk by it or as the darkness falls upon it. Its not only Thomas Kincade's paintings that change with low light, as he would have the public believing. We all know it affects every work.

So be proud of your accomplishments. Your original works. Nothing will ever compare to the greatness you captured while toiling in front of your easel!

Class fruit

I never paint fruit.

That realization hit me last night while talking to my husband. I found it especially funny since painting the apple is my first lesson with beginner students. The lesson is how to capture form. Why did I ever choose a subject I never paint?

Puzzling...

I just started a new class of such beginners last week. Its a grueling night for people who've never picked up a paintbrush. In two hours we go from how to put paint on the palette and hold a palette knife, to painting an apple, four times! When I say beginners, I really mean beginners. I advertise my class as not needing to know how to draw...

No class this week, due to school vacation. Class is held at the high school. To my grand surprise some of my students asked if they could come to my house. They knew I taught classes here and they wanted to continue painting. Wow, apple night isn't the greatest fun, yet they were inspired to paint!

I just love it when people are instantly captivated with oils. The joy on their faces is why I do this. Its so rewarding to give the gift of painting to someone who's never experienced it.

So last night, I planned an additional exercise for three students.

Its only their second time with a brush in their hands. I wasn't sure what to prepare for them. A simple still life was my decision. I gave them the option to do only part of the arrangement if they felt it was too complicated at this stage. They all chose to do the entire grouping.

Posted is the demo I did during class. They followed along with me and left with striking paintings. We all had a unique angle of the still life, making light and shadow different for each student. It turned out to be a great lesson.

I had fun with the tiny still life. I was working on canvas paper, but I'm inclined to finish it just the same. Painting fruit is colorful and fun. I was just getting into the reflections, which is a favorite subject of mine.

So later, teacher will give herself a lesson...

Cape Magic

Cape Magic

Original oil painting 18x24"

by Susan Roux

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

Not only a day for lovers, but also a day to let those you love know how special they are to you. Its also a day to celebrate and appreciate anything else you love. Like painting!

Isn't it funny how everything always comes back to art?

I never sat to blog yesterday. I got up at four in the morning to paint. It was as though something unleashed or maybe something finally came together, but this romantically soft scene is what poured out of me. I couldn't stop painting. No washes. No dripping color. Direct, alla-prima, raw paint to canvas approach. I had fun.

I'm keeping this brief so you can have more time with whatever, or whoever, you love.

Enjoy your day!

The response

Seagull Box-Trot

Original oil painting, older sold work

by Susan Roux

"Different styles of art just appeal to collectors with different taste." Thank you for that Nora Kasten. I think its what I needed to hear.

I'm responding to yesterday's post, Art revelation. If you're just stumbling upon this page, you may want to go read it first.

Yesterday's dilemma spun around in my head all day. It choked my enthusiasm to paint. Good thing I had two classes to teach so it wasn't abandoned all together. It isn't fun when something can frazzle you so much. It was comforting to receive your comments throughout the day. Thank you for that. It gave me energy and supported what I was already feeling. Staying true to yourself!

Brian Blacknick's response, "If I had to keep on creating the same type of piece over and over again, I'd soon begin to hate it." sums up my feelings. I know there are artists who do paint similar things over and over and I can clearly see how they would get caught in this situation of not being able to change. But I don't find that true of myself. I've never molded myself into anything further than, "if its nature I paint it". Even with that, I've broken the rule...

I do admit, over time there has been a big declining change in my sales. So I can't help but question myself. Is it the economy, or is it about my art? I almost wish I had painted the same thing over and over. It would make it easier to understand what changed. Honestly, I find it hard to put my finger on it. I've just been painting all along...

Trying to analyze it can be so exhausting. I'd rather spend my energy painting.

Jay Mercado of Open Drawer Art Store said, "...galleries need to be more engaged in the evolution of their artists." Yes, in a perfect world. Martine-Alison called it a "ferocious world"! I appreciated your unified message of continued artist's growth. I chuckled at your suggestions on how to handle it within society. Everything from signing a different name to your experimental works to finding different galleries to carry it.

The more my blood boils over this, the more I want to go paint something so totally out of my norm! Maybe I should pull out the biggest canvas I have and go wild with color! Release all this negative energy which is bogging me down...

I don't live my life as a "break the rules" type of person, but right now, its all I want to do!

I'll close with Jay's quote. "Perhaps an increased understanding of the nature of creativity would make certain galleries less of a slave to what has sold and more of a champion for new work."

Beautiful!

Mishmash

I got excused from jury duty!

The good Lord takes such good care of me. It makes me smile warmly. I took advantage of my good fortune and blocked in a new painting. I'm placing a performer, colored with stage lights, in an outdoor scene. The challenge, other than capturing his resemblance, will be to work the colors into a pleasing yet believable ensemble.

As I blocked it in, how to execute this came easily. I'll work the foreground in bright punched colors, to become a unit with him, and tone down the remainder of the scene. Funny how with just a sketch I couldn't see this simple solution. Yet, as soon as I began adding paint, it flowed so naturally...

I love that about art. You don't always need to see the big picture. An idea for beginning is best and let it lead you somewhere. Surprises are fun. Surprises are exciting. Surprises make you feel alive! Its the bliss of creating.

So far I haven't shown much of my work in progress. If I begin to, you'll get a clearer picture of the chaotic way I work! On other artist's posts, you can follow a painting from start to finish. Mine will be a mishmash. In the beginning it can take me a week or more to return to the same painting.

There will be so much variety it may make your head spin...

Its much like the mind of a creative person. So full of ideas they want to explode out in every direction! Fortunately, when I get passed the "washes" stage, I love to work wet into wet and can complete them individually with full focus.

It can get a bit scary for me at this point. Especially if many reach their final stages at the same time. So much time has already been invested in them. At first, I'm completely free and fearless. In the end, a much slower concentrating state takes over. Though exciting to see a work come to completion, it can become stressful.

I'm trying to find a balance. I need works going in every stage. That way, I'm not confined to only the "completing stage" on all canvases at once. The first time I tried this process, its what happened to me. I try to avoid it now. Begin new works all the time. Its my solution. If it gets too intense finishing, I can ease up with something else in the early stages. Go drip some color for awhile.

Don't you find it interesting that everyone's process is different?

As different as our completed works. No right. No wrong. The creative process can take any shape. It usually comes as a surprise when I announce this to my beginner students. At first we work so controlled. I break it down in easy-to-follow steps. Then in time I tell them anything is correct. Its what feels right for you individually. They forget that on opening day, I told them, "There are as many different ways to paint as there are artists. I'm only showing you one way, not "the" way."

I'll take full advantage of not being confined to the courtroom today and go create!

Hope your day offers you some surprised freed time too...

Discovery

A Monet colored sky greeted us this morning.

It was so beautiful. If I hadn't had an appointment, I think I would have set my easel outside to capture it in all its glory. Who cares if there's snow...

If my students are reading, I hope you looked out the window and examined the range of colors. This photo doesn't do it justice, but the color changes from cerulean to ultramarine were clearly defined and separated by a band of clouds. It was a perfect lesson moment! I wished you were all here. What a perfect opportunity it would have been to analyze and discuss this together. The ideal visual to accompany my lesson.

I work hard with my beginner students to blend a range of colors for their skies. It usually involves a creamy start at the horizon and ranges through cerulean to ultramarine, perhaps with pinks or purples within the mix. We spend an entire class session blending this transition. I always wonder if they think I'm crazy making them work so hard to achieve this. Usually someone will come in at a later date telling of how they stared at the sky only to find all the colors I taught were actually there! I love this moment. Its comes with widest eyes and the look of surprise and wonder. (confirming they thought I was crazy, ...until now)

I know from this point on, they will never see the same again. A whole new world opens up and I get to enjoy their excited descriptions as they begin to view things with new eyes of a child. I love bringing this to people!

What a gift. What a gift to give. What a gift to receive!

It puts a huge smile across my face every time someone shares their enlightening moments of discovery with me. Many can't believe they've gone so far into their lives and missed all this before. I smile writing about it. I suppose its why I teach. It isn't simply the act of putting paint on canvas, but the whole package around this event. New channels open up in the brain. What was merely seen as objects before are now seen through a knowledge of color, which in turn, sparks emotion. I love the descriptions when a student stared at something for a long time trying to decide what colors they might mix to capture what they're finally observing.

Many comments of puzzled, non-understanding spouses arrive as well. Harken non-creative people. We're not crazy. We're just seeing things you haven't observed yet...

I hope your day is filled with surprising color!

2010

The blank canvas. The big white blank canvas stands before us. Endless possibilities. Hope is in our hearts. Hope for change. Hope for improvement.

What will you do?

Its your canvas. You're in charge. You're the definer of much that will be painted on it. What color will you start with? Will you be timid and begin with a soft pastel or will you be bold and make yourself known with vibrant red? Its your life and I hope your living it. We only get one.

Forget the typical, I'll lose weight. I'll exercise more. Yes of course they're good and healthy, but think bigger. Dream. Really dream! Then set yourself on a path towards it. You don't have to be afraid of doing it alone. We can march on together. Your giant internet support group awaits you!

Have you taken steps to meet a stranger yet? Its a great place to start. Everyone has so much to share. Meet someone new and your mind will suddenly be exposed to new possibilities. Share your ideas and in conversation, a different point of view will add to it, encourage it, inspire it. Suddenly you'll feel the power to try, the power to act on it, emerge and grow. You can make things happen. You can reach out. You can be proud of who you are. You can stand tall and march on with enthusiasm! Dare to imagine and then go do it!

Grab that paintbrush. You know, the biggest one you have and go dip it in red!