A Different Direction

This year was a bittersweet one. The good of it was that I feel I accomplished some solid paintings and am continuing to grow in skill as a watercolorist. I love watercolor and the way it works. I have some ideas for directions to go with my work and am excited about what the future holds. The bad was the art fair season...they were rough. I love doing the outdoor art festivals...it's a great way to meet my clients and fellow art lovers and artists. I make friends and usually end up with a new piece for my ever expanding art collection. But I do need to at least break even on expenses to keep the habit going and this year I fell so far from the basic line. Perhaps I'm in the wrong venue? Wrong region? Oversaturated market? It's kinda hard not to take it so personal. I've read many blog posts from other artists that, in not so many words, say that when you sell you feel like you're a good artist and creative soul. When you don't, you feel like a failure, debating if you a hack or wannabe masquerading as an artist. You question your skill, training, talent, approach, technique, medium, subject matter, booth design, framing choice, your attire,....the list goes on. You wonder if you should even go on. 'Maybe I should just be like everyone else and get a 9-5 job...it would be stable'. So many doubts and fears, all because you had a bad show. One good show and it all disappears, but after a year of bad shows you begin to wonder, am I any good???

Bad shows or not, I know I am good....I have a style all my own, a voice, and that is neat! But I realize I have SO MUCH TO LEARN. And that is one of the things I LOVE about art. You can never stop learning. You can never stop progressing and evolving as a creative spirit. Sometimes, though, you need to take a step back and focus on the little things, focus on painting and creating solely for you.

Which leads me into sharing with you all a different creative direction for me from the watercolor. I've always been a doodler and a drawer. Most of my school assignments from my youth featured little horses prancing, rearing, bucking, and eating grass along the borders. There was one time I remember actually getting scolded in the middle of a science class because I was drawing on my notes instead of giving my full attention to the teacher as he lectured....chemistry, it's not my thing. (but give me biology and geology anyday!) Before I start a painting I begin with a little doodle to figure out the composition of the piece. Then I work on the drawing. If the drawing doesn't look right, I won't paint it. You have to start with a solid drawing...it's the framework of what you're wanting to achieve. But to keep myself from not getting bored or to inspire new ideas, I often doodle, sketch and draw. Most of these will never see the light of day.

I also have a passion for gift giving...in part so I can wrap a package and make it beautiful! I love pretty paper and ribbons and bows. LOVE...or maybe I should say obsessed??? LOL. I was looking at some doodles and thought it would look neat as wrapping paper. I wanted to know if I could make my own and started researching different options. Well, I'm happy to announce that I now have several designs of wrapping paper sheets that I've created and that has led to my silk screening/screen printing some of these drawings onto fabric and creating textiles for the home. I've printed and sewn fabric and made tea towels, linen table runners & napkins, pillows, infinity scarves, and men's neckties. It has been fun! I haven't screen printed since high school....which is a loooooooooong time ago. I forgot how much fun it is. I decided this holiday season I would do some craft shows and sell these instead of the fine art. It's been a lot of work but it's been fun.

The most amazing thing out of this different artistic venture is the passion for my painting. When I sit down to paint it is for me. It's so much more rewarding. I don't feel any pressure to crank out paintings of subjects that might sell. I can enjoy the process. I love this! I can't wait to see what paintings emerge from this new found painting freedom. I will still be doing art festivals, but not as many. I'm just going to paint! :) Oh, and if you want to see some of the things I've created on my new artistic venture, check out corvidaedrawingsanddesigns.com

Posting to Post!

Yikes! It has been A W I L E since I have last posted!!!!! :/ Sorry everyone! The day job has been keeping me busy. We were sooooo short staffed that I was working A LOT but thankfully we've hired a couple of people and the training process is winding down and I can get back to creating. I'm working on a draft horse now....similar to one I did several years ago that I named Blinders. It's taking forever, though, due to the lack of time I have to devote. I guess I could just sit down and force myself to finish it...but, ya know, projects abound and sometimes I swear I have the attention span of a goldfish!

I'm attempting to deep clean my house...always a necessity after art fair season. Things are just tossed by the wayside, clutter accumulates, half finished tasks pile up and then I feel like I'm living in a tornado. *sigh* So, I watch episodes of hoarders to make myself realize it could be MUCH worse! LOL. Plus, I'm really wanting to build a small house and am trying to purge all the unnecessaries in my life. It's especially hard for me because I DO hoard art supplies. Paper, frames, matting supplies, paint, canvas, etc, etc, etc...I know I don't need it all but I sure feel like I do! I really need to learn to live with less. I think that is really something we need to do as a society too. Maybe it's because I'm older, but every time I go shopping and go to a box store (TARGET IS MY FAVORITE!!!!!) for this and that I'm always surprised at how many things are pushed on us... and mostly through sales. Last week I noticed one store had a big sign announcing a Black Friday type sale with 'LOW LOW LOW Prices!!!!' I was thinking ' IT'S AUGUST for pete's sake. They must really want a leg up on the Black Friday competition.' Things are pushed on us from every angle. More clothes, More Food, Bigger this, Bigger that, Better better better! I guess I'm just feeling that if I'm able to get rid of so much and purge I won't be seduced by the feeling of 'needing' more.

However, It's rather funny I'm talking about getting rid of things and going without because I'm in a position, with my art and creative endeavors, that I hope people want to add to their collections. oh boy! It's a fascinating struggle we are all in. Pushing against some forces while pulling at others.

Well, It's now September, the start of my favorite time of year! We are on the verge of sweater weather, pumpkin flavored and spiced EVERYTHING, Football, apple cider, colorful leaves, crisp mornings, the 3 best holidays all in a row.... I am one happy camper that can't wait to create during my favorite time of year! YAY!

Happy September my friends!

Pushing New Boundaries

So, I LOVE to troll the internet for upcoming shows, exhibitions, artist opportunities and such in the western art world. I also look at what other artists are doing by checking out Legacy Gallery's website, Trailside Gallery's website, and artist pages for Cowboy Artists of America and such. It's very inspirational and reminds me not to settle.

Sometimes, I look at the art and think, 'GOSH. I'm never going to be that good.' Other times I'll look at a painting or two and think, 'I'm TOTALLY better. Totally.' (I KNOW I'm not really better than someone or worse than them....I just have so much more to learn and ways I need to grow as an artist). The point is, I'm looking at my contemporaries and letting myself absorb the simple truth that while I have my own unique style and approach to a subject, not to get stuck in a rut. Try new things, keep things fresh.... Paint what I love but don't get complaicent. Plus, it's just fun to look at great art!!!!

So, In my trolling this afternoon (when I should've been taking a well deserved Sunday Afternoon Nap) I came across an artist name Bill Owen. WOW, BILL IS AMAZING!!! Like, I-wanna-be-like-him-when-I-grow-up amazing. I came across a piece he did of a couple horses standing on a grassy hillside with a starlight sky behind them. WHOA.

lemme say that again.... W H O A

It was A.W.E.S.O.M.E! The colors, the simplicity, and those STARS. I immediatly wanted to try that...to even see if I could pull off an image like that. I don't have ANY reference photos of a horse/cow/etc. at night (got of some great ones of Whitefish City Beach though ;)!!!)

So, I pulled out a reference photo of two calves I've been meaning to paint and gave it go as a night scene. It's 8x11. It was fun. I liked how it turned out (went off of memory of that painting I came across of Bill's) I thought it was a pretty solid piece until I looked at Bill's again and I can see SO many much needed changes/improvements. Let's be honest, if it wasn't for the 'stars' (which compaired to Bill's look very 3rd grade btw) it could easily pass as a any piece in daylight or during a storm. This is something I definetly want to learn about. Capturing color, light and life in a muted setting and having it read as night.

It was a fun experiment! Maybe you'll get to see more stary pictures in the future (but I still need to finish another daisy, rock, and cow painting. Yikes, I have my work cut out for me!!!)

Fat Tire Bikes and the Start of a New Painting!

I love Saturdays! They always mean adventure....or productivity. Sometimes, both, which was the case today!

Whitefish Legacy Partners, a non profit in Whitefish, joined forces with many local businesses to create the Winter Trails Day...a free family fun day to try out snowshoes, cross country skis, or fat tire bikes. They had demos, mini lessons, fire to keep warm, and hot cocoa! I went with a girlfriend to test out some skis and bikes (I already own a couple pairs of snowshoes).

It was SO much fun! I'm really considering getting a pair of skis...partly to make traveling in Glacier quicker. All the places I want to go are quiet a ways a away and snowshoeing does take some time...So I figure if I get some skis, I can get to my destination quicker and then hop on the snowshoes to hike up to the lakes or explore around off the main road (The Going to the Sun road is closed 11 miles in and can only be traveled by foot or ski). What I REALLY want, though, is a Fat Tire Bike. Those things can go anywhere, OMG they are so cool! It was like mountain biking in the snow! Super awesome. I probably wouldn't take it to trails and such very much, if I had one. But I would most definitely use it as my mode of transportation. It'd be nice to bike year round, instead of driving in the winter!

After I got home from my fun adventure, I began to put paint to paper on my newest piece. I have several others in process or drawn and waiting to be started, but I just couldn't contain my desire to start this piece. It will be the largest watercolor I've ever done. It's almost as large as my kitchen table...which is what I'm painting it on!!! My watercolor pallet & water bowl are sitting on my chair so I'm standing/bending while I paint. This is going to be a very physical experience painting this thing.

I transfered my drawing a couple of days ago and have been attempting to make the piece lay flat (as it came off a roll of paper). When finished, the piece will be 30x44. SO exciting. It's of a fisherman holding the fish he just caught. The image is my uncle. I took the reference photo on a backpacking trip in the Beartooth Mountains several years ago. This was at Phantom Lake. While I LOVE the mountains of Glacier and all the adventures you can have, my heart will always belong to the Beartooth Mountains. I have so many fond memories there. There are so many wonderful areas you can explore!

Ahhhh, I'm getting off topic! Back to the painting. So I made some quick progress. Laid in the first washes for the shirt/vest, hat & water. Then I started doing some detail. I was gonna call it quits for the evening (and took the photos to show you) but decided to go paint a little bit longer. So, I should have more photos to post tomorrow or Monday as I KNOW I'm gonna be working on this badboy any chance I get!

You can see how it is practically as large as my kitchen table. This last photo shows the extra details I started putting in

Art on the Wall

I've met so many wonderful people this summer during the art fair season. Cathy, from Washington state, was visiting the home of her youth, Whitefish & Kalispell. She was in town for a high school reunion and stopped by my booth. She bought three notecards of mine and, as soon as she got home, framed them. Cathy has a Montana themed guest room with all sorts of artwork like wooden carvings, photographs, Charlie Russell & Frederick Remington prints, and now, three of my images! I was so touched by how much these images moved Cathy and that she shared the completed framing project with me! Sooooooooo cool.

So this is a big thank you to Cathy, and to all of you who appreciate my interpretation of this beautiful area! Thank you for helping me pursue my dreams and passions!

I get sidetracked easily

The Sound of Coming Thunder, 11x14

I did work on the commission today....most of the day. I've been very productive. But I did get sidetracked. I had so much fun painting 'Oynx' that I decided to paint another running horse. The horse that I'm painting is named Jet. He was one of the two horses I took some photos of a couple of weeks ago. I have SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many more photos that I can't wait to work on. But, I have to finish a couple of commissions and then there will be a LOT of horse paintings...and cows. I have some I need to paint but haven't yet. I'm excited about this summer painting season. I have so many ideas!

Horses

So I had the AWESOME opportunity to do a private photo session of two BEAUTIFUL horses so I could get more reference photos. Their owner (hands down the coolest and kindest horse gal in the Flathead Valley - THANKS REBECCA) was kind enough to lunge them for me so I could get a few 'action' shots! Lately, I've felt like I keep using/painting the same images over and over...and while it's not completely true, sometimes I actually have been!!! The last time I took photos of horses that I used as reference for paintings were from 2009. Yeah, it's been awhile.

Anyhoo, the inspiration is almost overwhleming, I'm just not sure where to begin so I haven't painted a week or so. I keep looking at these photos and keep asking myself, what do I want to do first? Do I paint just one horse? or multiple horses? Just a portrait or an action pose? Aghhhhhhhh, the possibilities are endless. Plus, I have several other paintings waiting to happen.

Usually, I'll get an image drawn up & transferred and then start painting immediately, but.....sometimes the piece of paper will sit there for a couple of days or more (the longest I waited to paint an image after it had been transferred to the paper was 13 months!) I have a scottish highland cow, a buffalo and a mountain goat. Plus, I have that motorcycle piece that I need to work more on (the one I blogged about a bit ago).

Funny how your obsession (mine in this case being horses) will completely sidetrack you. Geesh! Well, I decided to show off a couple of images from that photo session. Hopefully soon I'll be showing off a new painting

Blue on Black

Blue on Black 19x30

I finished it! I'm naming it Blue on Black...partly because that song (by Kenny Wayne Shepard) came on my playlist quite often while I was painting this piece and each time I thought how much blue and black (and purple) I was using in this piece. It's very tonal and the phrase, I thought, is fitting (yes, I know the song is about heartache and dealing with it, but we can just look past that aspect). So a shout out to Kenny for his inspiration when it came to a name!

I do want you to know that after I finished the piece and stared long and hard at it determining that it was, indeed, finished, I scanned it and stiched it together in photoshop (as I do with all my pieces) and then noticed a couple spots that needed so shadows. So, I've sinced gone in and given the piece a little more depth and beefed up some shadows within the shadow. I just got so excited that I was finished that I failed to notice I forgot those. Painting time clocked in at just over 19 hours. Add that with the drawing time and I'm under 25 hours for the piece!!! Close to 24 hours of drawing and painting time.

Thanks for letting me share the process with you!!! :)

I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday night and a fabulous end to your weekend tomorrow.

Inspiration

Before Boundaries, 22x30

Wel, finishing that piece of the mountain goat really inspired me and I started looking through all of the pictures I've taken in Glacier with the idea to paint images using those photos as reference for the background. I have this sketch of a horse I've been doing over and over and was planning on doing a painting of some sort with it and then I happened to look at my bookshelf and there was a copy of one of Bev Doolittle's books and that got me thinking...I have a photo from Glacier that looks very Bev-Doolittle-backgroundy and I wanna paint this horse...I could totally do a Bev Doolittle inspired piece! So, I worked on it all weekend long and finally finished it this evening.

I'm not going to lie, I'm a little dissapointed and this is why. I have at 5 full sheets of 300lb watercolor paper left and have been meaning to paint on it again. The first couple of times were dissapointing and I've avoided the paper for 6 years. Yup, I've been hauling that paper around with me trying to build up the gumpton to try giving it another go. It just doesn't hold the color intensity or allow the paint to move like the paper I prefer (which is Arches 140lb CP or Fabriano Artistico 140lb SP, CP, RP) which is why I haven't used it. I was given the paper as a gift and was super excited at the time, as I had heard wonderful things about 300lb WC paper. I'm really not impressed.

But as with any try/fail, it is an opportunity to grow, learn, and take what you can from the experience. Besides, If I keep experimenting with it, I may learn to appreciate the unique quirks and make it work for me.

The Edge

Well, I finished it! About two weeks ago (perhaps longer maybe) I did a small 6x6 piece of a mountain goat standing on the edge of a drop off. I finished the full size painting Friday night. The full size painting is a sheet of watercolor paper, 22x30. Looking at them side by side, I see things I like about both pieces. While I love the horizontal format of the full size piece, the square size of the study seems more intimate. Both give a feeling of being on the edge of a cliff with a large mountain behind in their own unique way.

I figured I should share the inspiration for this piece. I went on a hike in Glacier and the end of last summer called Siyeh Pass. It's an 8 1/2 mile hike that loops around from one part of Going to the Sun hwy to another part. You end up gaining 2135 ft in elevation and are at 7911 at the highest point on the hike. There was a lot of smoke in the air from forest fires within several hours of the location (I think there were 4 that smoke was being blown from) but it created a really neat look. Hope you enjoy the picture that inspired this piece as well as some others I took from the hike.

My friends, at the highest point and the picture that inspired the painting.

I'm at the top. Yup, this is me!

Mmmmmmmm, Huckleberries. One of the best things about hiking in the mountains. Such a delicious treat on a hot hike

so that point, straight above my friends head (to the left of the 'peak'), that is pretty where I was in that picture with my arms stretched out, except I was on the east side, not the west side shown in this pic

A little larger this time

I just finished this painting before I head off to the day job. I paint any chance I get. Before work, after work, until the wee hours of the night. I've been sitting on reference photos that led to this painting for awhile now. Finally, I decided to tackle it. I don't paint flowers all that often and I know I really ought to. The result is always unexpected and beautiful. I'm glad it never turns out the way I was trying to get it to look.

Hmmmmmmmmmm, dunno if that is a bad thing or a good thing...I should be in control as an artist and in most of my work, everything turns out how I was expecting it to. But with the flowers, I just paint, not really trying to get an exact look or specific detail. Maybe painting flowers is my way of letting loose, letting inspiration and paint take the drivers seat. Huh, the discoveries one makes while dabbling in paint and then writing about it.

Well, I hope you enjoy the result as much as I do. Bytheway, Anyone know the name of this flower? I took reference photos of these from my friends flower garden and never bothered to ask what kind they are. They are beautiful bright flowers that remind me a lot of Pom Poms.