Week 43 Keep The Momentum

Week 43's Jumpstart challenge is to Keep The Momentum. This time of year it's easy to lose steam and just coast. To keep us going, let's stop for a minute and take note of things we have already accomplished and make some small goals to achieve next week.

The worksheet is below. 

Entering Chatham sign

Entering Chatham

16" x 16"

Oil with palette knives on Ampersand Gessobord

Available

I am slowly working my way around Cape Cod painting these signs that welcome you as you enter each town. There are 15 towns in total and so far I have painted 5 of them. 

Since Chatham is known for its seal population that likes to hang around the Fish Pier, I included one in the painting, bottom right. Unfortunately, Chatham is also infamously known for its shark population but I decided to leave them out. Ha ha.

Another G.O.A.T

GOAT

6" x 6"

Oil with palette knives on canvas board

Available

Painting whites can be such a challenge but it really makes you look more closely at the colors you see. Do I see some purples in there? Do I see some pink too? A little warm ochre? Is it warm light or cool light? I painted the background dark to really bring out all the beautiful colors in this cute goat face.

Week 42 Show Your Face

Week 42's Jumpstart challenge is to Show Your Face. This is one that I struggle with a lot. Not only is it a bit intimidating to show your face in photos or videos, it also can be difficult to take selfies or figure out a camera set up that works best.

But give it a go this week. Here is the worksheet.

Summer on Nantucket

The Sand Bar

6" x 12"

Oil with palette knives on board

SOLD

There is nothing better than being on Nantucket in the summertime. On a nice day you can find places like this to have lunch and a cocktail on the beach while enjoying the sailboats and sounds of the ocean waves. Ahhhh!

Here is a photo I took during my painting progress.

Week 41 Go For It!

Sometimes you just have to Go For It! That's the theme for this week's Jumpstart Your Art challenge. Take a chance on something that scares you and make it happen. 

The worksheet is below:

Fun in the Sun

Beachball Buddy

8" x 8" oil with knives on board

Available at the Art Gallery at Patriot Place

$175 Framed

Even thought we are in October now, I am not quite ready to say goodbye to summer. Our local pool had these big beachballs for the kids to play with and I thought they were so colorful and fun. I photographed a little girl with one and I loved that it was just about as big as she was.

More from Chatham

Clammin'

11" x 14"

Oil with palette knives on board

Framed and available at the Art Gallery at Patriot Place

$450

Another classic scene from Cape Cod. We happened upon these three clamming while driving around in Chatham and I knew I had to paint it.

Here are a few close up details.

A Chatham landmark

The Chatham Squire

12" x 24"

Oil with palette knives on Ampersand Gessobord

Available at The Art Gallery at Patriot Place

$450

This is a great place to have lunch and a cold beer while on Cape Cod. It's right on the Main Street in Chatham and has been around since 1968. 

Here are a few close up details.

Week 40 Find Your Peeps

This week we start a new theme called Gaining Confidence. Our first challenge for the month is to FIND YOUR PEEPS. One of the best ways to gain confidence is to find a group of like minded people to meet up with, attend events, and enter shows together. Who are your peeps?

Here is your free worksheet ready to download.

Week 39 Put Yourself Out There

The challenge for this week is to Put Yourself Out There. No one can purchase your art if they never see what you've been up to. Start by gathering contacts, emails, and addresses so that you can connect with potential buyers using newsletter, email blasts, or postcard mailings. Remind them that you are still around and show them your latest work.

Here is your free worksheet.

Abstract painting : : reflections on my process

"Abstracts are to painting what 

Jazz is to music."

"Exercises of the essential, meditated by trance. By chance captures, in unregulated meander through the wallows of the inspired and unrevealed. "  -James Michalopoulos

My weekly painting group WAGG (Wednesday Art Gallery Gang) was discussing the abstract paintings that we had been seeing a lot on social media and online. We decided to give it a try during our weekly meet up. I knew that I would have a hard time just winging it without a plan so I decided to take a step by step approach.

STEP ONE

I started by getting our huge supply of acrylic paints organized, throwing away the dried out tubes, and pulling out colors that I was attracted to in order to create a limited palette so I wasn't so overwhelmed by too many colors. 

STEP TWO

My next step was to get inspired. I pulled out several art books from our book shelves to see what styles I was attracted to. I also watched a few You Tube videos of various painters showing their process. I came away with a few conclusions about what makes a good abstract painting "work." I noticed that composition was a big factor in a successful abstract painting. I also noticed that when there were areas of rest and areas of activity helping to move your eye through the painting. I found myself attracted to lots of layering and variety of mark making.

STEP THREE

I did a few thumbnail sketches in my Jumpstart Your Art workbook based on some inspirational images.

STEP FOUR

Then, I did some painting tests on loose canvas using various materials like bubble wrap, palette knives, a catalyst, different sized brushes, charcoal, masking tape, and a spray bottle. I used only the colors I had pulled out in Step One for my color palette.

STEP FIVE

I started painting! I didn't want to work too small or too large so I chose 24" x 24" as my canvas size. I tried to remember to step back a lot while working and kept turning the canvas 90 or 180 degrees to check the composition. I spent 2-3 hours the first day and 1-2 hours the next day. I was assuming that after all this preparation, the actual process would be freeing, but I was surprised to find how mentally challenging it was.

Here is a close up detail that I think shows the layering. And here is link to see the final painting.

For my second painting I decided to use a photo reference of water as a jumping off point but then just let the painting tell me where it wanted to go. Here is a Link to see the final painting.

I took some photos of Cindy painting her abstracts during WAGG. She made her own scraper and was using that and other interesting materials to create paintings with beautiful results. Here are a few of her creations. 

Cindy has enjoyed the process so much that she has continued to create some beautiful and unique pieces of art. 

Week 38 Under Promise and Over Deliver

As artists we tend to be people pleasers. This week's challenge is to pay close attention to the promises we make, how we package and deliver our art, and ways to make the presentation of our work more special and memorable for our clients.

Here is the worksheet ready to download.

Abstract painting number 2

Effervescence

24" x 24"

Acrylic and vine charcoal on canvas

This is my second attempt at painting an abstract. I learned so much throughout this process and I plan to write a follow up post that explains the steps I took and my reflections about the whole experience.

Something different for me : : Abstract painting

It's A Party

24" x 24"

Acrylic and vine charcoal on canvas

Available $350

My weekly painting group decided to take a break from our usual subject matters and try our hand at abstract painting. This was my first attempt. I learned a lot through this process so I am going to collect my notes and reflections and write another post about the whole experience. 

I found this to be freeing and yet mentally challenging at the same time.

Here are a few close up details: