My plein air group PAPO (Plein Air Painters of the Ozarks) was invited to the garden party that Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. They wanted it to be an educational experience for visitors so can learn how artists take in the outdoors. They even provided the guests watercolor supplies! CLICK ON IMAGES TO SEE BIGGER VERSION
My thumbnail sketches
Something I am training myself to do more often is to draw thumbnail sketches of my composition. I don't know if I actually enjoy doing it but I seem to sell most pieces that I take time to do it for lol
drawing
Then while keeping an eye on both the subject and my chosen thumbnail composition, I draw. I have double vision problem so when I feel intimidated by all the details of a landscape, I use modified contour drawing method.
Painting begins
I build up the painting from light to dark which gives me option to change things as as I go and slowly enrich the colors. Note on the upper part of photo, a guest was painting along with me. She's a jeweler and we had a nice chat while painting :)
Finished in Bentonville!
On my way home I saw bicyclists posing in front of this wall for photo so I thought I'd get my shot too :D
We have been in the middle of converting our 2-car garage into my very first art studio which I blogged about in April 9 (Every Fiber of a Woman in Flight) The project had come to a full stop after the 4" concrete floor was poured late May because the floor was not even close to level and lumpy in several areas - not what you'd expect an interior concrete job should be! I knew this project was beyond my reach financially but my Mom and husband scraped together what little we had to come as close to a functional and inspiring space for me considering it has to accommodate my wheelchair so I can freely move around. But when I saw the floor, and after I had searched for why someone I was willing to pay would take my plight so negligently and without remorse expect me to accept it as good enough, I felt worse than this footage from the movie Inception. This was after all my ultimate dream;I felt shattered.
Get the idea? The surreal uncomfortable feeling and exploding floors etc? It's actually more about the eroding building scene but I couldn't find an isolated footage of it lol! But what is this nightmare??? What is this distorted world I'm in and why didn't I see all this coming?
Yet there apparently was a twinkling light in this mid-hell I was dropped in. Our new neighbor who I mainly knew as a talented architect and good family man who is always such an enthusiastic waver which always makes me smile a little bigger, Dave Burris had, from my first casual mention of this project, offered to make me drawings of the studio in trade for a big painting. He and his wife had recently viewed my art at a gallery and his reaction was "Your watercolors are phenomenal!" You know I meet a lot of "complimentary" people, and truly, in the back of my mind I'm always half thinking they're complimenting the damn wheelchair. Why? Because if compliments were sales, I'd be able to afford framing all the big art I'd really like to paint hahaha! Or if compliments were tickets to success this studio would have been done in a month.
Anyway, I gave Dave an update on the project and he basically responded with a plan that he's gonna make all the nonsense stop. Long story short, after much research on materials and corrective options, yesterday morning at 7-ish AM, July 26, he showed up with a new crew, prepped the bad floor and 2 hours later the concrete truck arrived and poured a more leveled top coat! My husband took pictures of the process because he was so impressed Dave was right in the concrete mud pushing the mix along with the 3 other men working!!!!
Hard to see the lumps in middle of original state but it was bad.
I wonder if he could see beyond my big smile; my self confidence was was also being restored. For months because of this situation and other art related "stories or drama" I've continuously lost faith in dreams and hopes and anything I might have thought were healthy goals and adult professional relationships, and any hope for new friendships. I've really felt that I was back in the pre-school of life surrounded by game playing children. I've looked for signs to confirm an inkling that maybe I needed to pay heed to THESE stop signs in my art path. But suddenly my works have been receiving real validations - a painting I did to escape my turmoil won the biggest award I've ever received and sold that same evening. Then another painting I just painted in watercolors to cheer myself up also got accepted in another major juried art show!
"Peonies in Watercolor" full sheet
Suddenly people I didn't know approach me in public as the artist who painted that winning piece! And then Dave did this extremely selfless,SELFLESS gesture. I asked him who was paying for this correction? I was shocked that a serious crew showed up and a concrete truck and he get got all messy himself! I wondered if his wife shrieked at his sight when he came home! Dave said, "It's all taken cared of, you have nothing to worry about!" With that, I issued a check to pay the balance of the original crew which I guess Dave had all sorted out as well.
When Dave returned at the end of the day (with his beautiful new baby girl on carrier he had on his back), to check on the floor, I asked him, "Why did you do this? Why did you take it all on to make it right and for nothing?" Without pausing to think, he responded, "Isn't this what people do for their neighbors? I just want to see you be able to move into your studio!"
Maybe I was that normal grateful person talking to him yesterday, but inside I was drenched in happy tears. I'm physically in tears typing this. Every time I allow myself a moment to think about this I feel I suddenly get weak soul deep and ready to collapse from sheer relief. I feel the sun on my face for the first time after sitting in the a dark cold place for months even though my husband and I have just stepped into another life challenge. But the foremost question I have is:
Is there ever a way to thank someone for something he thinks is just a normal kindness people do for others even though it happens to be the kindest thing ever done for me by a practical stranger?
My emotions still dizzy from this never-ending roller coaster ride called life. I decided to stare at my grandma's picture I took of her when she was alive a few years before we had to let her go at 97. She is my mentor for knowing joy no matter how bad things are. I was always able to make her bust up laughing and this was one of those specific times :) I drew the picture of her I took with the bird on her head as she tried to hold her laughter in hahaha! I have also been inspired by a quote:
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go do that. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive." ~Walt Whitman
"Joy to Behold" charcoal on paper 9x12
In a way, I'm nervous. Maybe the big painting Dave has named as my end of the barter is really a giant mural. O-em-gee! God bless you and all your loved ones Dave Burris!
"Why is My Husband not looking at the Norman Rockwell exhibit?"
watercolor on paper
It's been very busy in my B'ville art life. I'll start with most recent and catch my blog up to my farthest memory...
We are honored to have 300 plus Norman Rockwell art works visit our local museum Crystal Bridges Museum American Art. I'm always eager to view original figurative art and that was pretty much the extent of my excitement. However, as images were being revealed in the museum's FB page, I noticed my interest growing. Sure enough at the members' preview, I was greeted by these gigantic original paintings! They were in oils, not some quick paintings that were slapped together to meet a magazine cover deadline. I know, if only I had read up. But it was nice to be humbled and surprised with an in your face kinda boldness :)
"Triple Self-Portrait" Cover illustration for The Saturday Evening Post, February 13, 1960. Oil
on canvas. 44 1/2 x 34 3/4 in. (113 x 88.3 cm). From the permanent
collection of the Norman Rockwell Museum
The painting above is one of the pieces visiting. As I study this, I realize Rockwell pretty much worked like I do. Like me, he surrounded himself with inspirations from other artists who have done something similar to his current project - photos, books, magazine, mirror, etc. Brushes on the floor and lots of crumpled papers that simply fell off the pile and I ran them over while concentrating. My brain is usually like a chipmunk getting more bloated as I acquire all it takes to attack the canvas and any kind of distraction like email, phone calls (and bills)are pushed off the peripheral.
Anyway, I owe Mr Rockwell my heartfelt apology. I didn't mean to disrespect my fellow artist. I was especially saddened when I read that he always felt like many fine artists didn't see him as their equal. The only reason why he's not my equal is because he will always be above me. Wow what a fine fine artist he was!
I haven't posted in a while because of so many ups and downs in my life. I get very affected by stress. When I have less than all of me to devote because other things needed my attention, it's very hard to go about the routine I like to keep. I'll always choose family first over my art. But the clouds somewhat let up and first thing I had to do was get busy producing close to 20 new pieces for a new gallery that started carrying my work back in October. That's the Norberta Philbrook Gallery. I produced 17 smallish -6x6, 8x8, 6x12 13 oils and 4 watercolors because I am artist of the month. The reception was well attended and I have sold pieces. But I feel most victorious that I didn't succumb to the bad flu going around until after I delivered the paitings!!!! I had every intention to paint MORE but my body had other plans. After all, my husband has been sick up and down from the bug since October and I was able to avoid it and meet my obligations! As I type I'm coughing still so let me finish by sharing some photos from the reception. As always, clicking on each image will give you a bigger view. I tend to update my Artist page on Facebook so if you're really curious, you can always find me there :)click here ->https://www.facebook.com/ErikaNelsonArtist
"Pensive Vigil" 6x6 oil on canvas
"They're Home!" 6x6 oil on canvas
"Nude Study 1" 8x8 w/c Photo by Norberta Philbrook Gallery
I am challenging myself to just paint daily for 30 days. I won't be painting a finished piece but I will paint something everyday which I don't do. Well some days I take pictures all day or read an art book or peruse art websites but those too get in the way of creating. So I painted this at 11:50PM last night lol But it was done at 12:30 - I love that panic button!!! This is a monthly challenged in Wetcanvas miniature group. I had never participated in any of that before, usually I just go to the image library.
This video prompted me to do the 30-day deal from email my brother and sister sent me. By the way this painting is day #3
