Art Journal

Doodle Week, a little late ....

My only contribution to Doodle Week, albeit, a little late.

These were actually done back in June, when I cut some of my peonies for the house. They are VERY rough sketches,  painted on  canvas, with oil sticks/no brushes, which I find a bit awkward.

I do small studies like these frequently before I start an actual painting.....they help me to determine form and color.

 

 

Copyright © by Art Journal 2008. All rights are reserved. No re-posting of articles or my images without prior written permission is allowed.

Defining Art Jewelry - Six Simple Rules

  In a previous post, I talked about the frequent misuse of the terms "art" and "artist". Along the same lines are the  terms "art jewelry" and "artisan jewelry", and they are also widely misused.

Because I create and sell both artisan jewelry and art jewelry, I would like to define the terms here, for the edification of readers. Feel free to post your own opinions in comments, as always.

Six Simple Rules to Help You to Discern "Art Jewelry" From "Artisan Jewelry"

1. Art jewelry is not defined as "art" by the materials from which it is made. All materials are fair game. 
2. A piece of art jewelry involves more than simple stringing.
3. A piece of art jewelry involves more than simple wirework.
4. The mass manufacturers do not create art jewelry. Rather, art jewelry is created by independent designers|artists, usually as unique, one-of-a-kind pieces or as limited editions. 
5. Art jewelry is considered art, and is judged in the same manner as other forms of visual art.
6. True art jewelry does not use the patterns of other artists or artisans. Art jewelry is always original.

Examples after the jump.

A Meme: Seven Facts About Myself

I don't normally do memes, but I'm making an exception for the special lady who tagged me, Grandy, of Functional Schmunctional. The rules for the meme are after the jump, however, I won't be completely following the rules. 

Seven Facts About Me  

1.I am from Germany, and did not move to the US until I was five years old. I retained dual citizenship until I was in my twenties, when my X joined the Navy Seals -- they require the wives of married Seals to be US citizens.    
2. I primarily read non-fiction books related to art these days. But, my fav author of fiction is Tom Clancy. I know.......odd choice for a woman.    
3. I am a Pisces, and I am pretty typical of the general descriptions given for a Pisces female.           
4. In real life, I am a little bit shy....       
5. I have been a huge reader since I was very little. I've read thousands of books, and I couldn't even begin to tell you the titles to most of them. (I can finish a fairly hefty book in one day).     
6. I am a girly girl.I love being female, and all of the trappings that go along with that. One of my fav songs is Shania Twain's "Man, I Feel Like a Woman!"......      
7. While I love fashion, and have always been something of an addict, at home I am almost always to be found in jeans or shorts, and bare feet,  depending upon the time of year. 

Female Portraiture

The faces of women who have been immortalized in art. A short, and very well done video. Enjoy.

Thanks to my friend, John Le Sainte, who drew my attention to this. :)

 

Technorati Tags: art, female portraiture, portraiture, video, art journal

Beauty in a Photograph: Odd Vantage

When I paint a still life, like many painters, I prefer to paint from life, i.e., a still life set up by myself, and painted outside or in my studio. I also usually take shots of the scene, just in case......in case I can't finish the painting before the flowers die, the fruit shrivels, or I temporarily lose my motivation. sigh.....:(

When I paint landscapes, I paint them on location aka painting plein aire. I do take photos, just in case.  And, I try to finish at least a rough draft/canvas, while on the scene. The biggest problem is painting quickly enough, as the light changes so rapidly.

Rarely, I will work from a photo taken by someone else, but I have to be truly inspired to do this because it is simply much more difficult to attempt a true depiction from a photo rather than from life.

My friend, Rachel, whose blog is filled with the beauty of the photographs she has taken, is without formal training, and yet, she is one of the best artist-photographers I have seen.

A couple of days ago,  Rachel posted an image that I fell in love with, and that you see in a reduced size above; I am hoping to paint it, as she has kindly given me her permission, and I wanted to thank her, thus this post.

Do be sure to visit Odd Vantage, Rachel's blog, and take some time to view her completely stunning photographs!

Thank you, Rachel!

 
Image is copyright © Odd Vantage 2008.
Article Copyright © by Art Journal 2008. All rights are reserved. No re-posting of articles without prior written permission is allowed

  

Technorati Tags: art, photography, painting, odd vantage, art journal, image

Defining the Terms "Art" and "Artist": Opinion

The terms "art" and "artist" are being thrown around pretty freely these days........primarily on the net.

This has been sort of bugging me, so I am going to define my opinions about certain forms of "art" here. This will not be my last post about it.........rest assured, I have more to say, lol. However, I'll  start with web graphics.

Are web graphics art?
Some of them are, and some aren't, in my opinion.
Well, what's the criteria that you use when you think about this?
If a graphic is hand-drawn,  as an actual illustration is, whether it be on a Wacom tablet or on a piece of paper, that is art. Whether it  qualifies as "fine art", is another matter altogether.

If it is simply a vector graphic, created using text and shapes, it isn't art, it is design, and it is a craft. These are just my opinions of course, but I am not alone in that determination.

Examples after the jump.

Unfinished Paintings....

"July Roses" Oil on canvas
The image above is of a small  part of a larger painting on a 16x20 linen canvas. As you can see, I am still in the block-in stage. Everything in it is only partially complete, and I am dying to finish it. Of course, the roses are now dead (this was from last summer), and I would have to work from a photo, rather than from the original still life. 

If you're an artist, do you have tons of unfinished projects? Sometimes I wonder if it's just me that goes and starts something, then for some reason, experiences a creative block of some sort.

This happens to me primarily with paintings. I'll be painting happily away, and suddenly, I'm lost, and I have no clue where I want to go with it. Grrrr.......off it goes to my bin of unfinished canvasses once it's dry.

Any advice would be very much appreciated. Sign me, Frustrated.

 

Copyright © by Art Journal 2008. All rights are reserved. No re-posting of articles or my images without prior written permission is allowed.

Technorati Tags: art, painting, still life

I Teach Color Theory

Just to let you know, I teach color theory, and I am certified by Michael Wilcox*. So, if you have questions regarding use of color, color mixing, paint properties (oil is my primary medium but I am very familiar with acrylics and watercolors), archival qualities of commercially available colors, etc., please feel free to comment - - I love to talk color!

The image below is a bad photo of another value study, this one more carefully done. It was done as a study of the color "white", and everything in it is white, the exception being the maple tabletop. The values do not show very clearly in the photo, but you get the idea.

Pencil on rag paper.

*An Australian physicist/artist whose color theories have changed how modern artists view and choose color.

 

Copyright © by Art Journal 2008. All rights are reserved. No re-posting of articles or my images without prior written permission is allowed.

Technorati Tags: art, art journal, drawings, value study, color, Michael Wilcox, School of Color

Poppies in Italy Value Study

Another value study done on a plein aire excursion in the Lake Maggiore area of Italy. God, I so love those poppy fields!  Will post a photo of the scene tomorrow or the next day - or whenever.
The painting did not come out well (I may rework it), so I won't be posting it, except for maybe as an example of bad painting, lol.

It's amazing how much info can be imparted in a simple value study. Years later, I still remember the scene in vivid detail.

 

Copyright © by Art Journal 2008. All rights are reserved. No re-posting of articles or my images without prior written permission is allowed.

Technorati Tags: value study, art, sketchbook, drawings, Italy, Lake Maggiore

The Value Study

A friend emailed me yesterday, after he noticed the drawing of my son. One of the categories for that post is "value.studies".
So anyway, he asked me "what the hell is a value study?". Er......well, I guess that's a fair and relevant question, Jason, so I am answering it here. Just for you.
In brief, a value study is a study of the lights and darks in a scene/painting/photo/image. Value studies are usually not in color, although some artists, myself included, do a color and value study prior to beginning an actual painting.
These studies are not meant to be anything more than rough sketches of the values in a particular scene. I am big on value studies. The great masters of art all did value studies. Why? Because if your values are not right, the colors will not matter. The painting will be wrong/bad/off/amateurish. Gotta get those values right.
A page from my sketchbook. Three value studies, 2 using art markers and prismacolor pencils. I should mention that value studies are usually small. Click on the image to enlarge.

ps...I'll delve further in to value studies at some point.

 

 

Copyright © by Art Journal 2008. All rights are reserved. No re-posting of articles or my images without prior written permission is allowed.

Technorati Tags: art, sketchbook, drawings, value study