Month: April 2012

I have the most wonderful art students – and I have some numbers to prove it. At the recent art show in Grand Bend, 14 artists who had paintings there are or have been students of mine. That added up to 27 of the paintings in the show. And, in the current art show at the Aeolian Hall in London, of the 9 artists showing, 5 are my art students, plus myself – makes 6! You can arrange to see the current Aeolian Art Show by phoning the Hall at 519-672-7950 weekdays between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Or why not take in a concert and enjoy the art too? Here’s the “Aeolian Website“. (Find link on my homepage blog if reading this in Facebook or elsewhere.) – I’m so happy to see my students doing so well – paint on! 

There is still a lot of confusion out there about copyright. Basically, the copyright laws are a good thing. They ensure that the person who did the creating stands to benefit their creation; whether a photograph, painting, drawing, sculpture, or whatever. It’s an important issue for visual artists. Specifically, if you are doing a painting based on a photograph, and you want to sell or display that painting in public, you need to either a. have taken the photo yourself, or b. make sure that you have permission from the photographer to work from it. I encourage my art students to get themselves a camera. The prices have gone waaaaay down in the past 10 years for a camera that will take great photos. I have a small one with a 10x zoom that cost under $200. You don’t even have to buy a printer. You can take your camera card into a drug store or print shop, and get prints of just your favourites to paint from. If that really doesn’t work for you, perhaps you have a friend or relative who loves to take photos and would be happy to have you base some paintings on them. The days of painting from magazine or book photos are gone once you are no longer painting simply for educational purposes. Besides, when you have taken a photo yourself it’s a lot more special – you were there, you framed it, it’s yours to be creative with! 

“I never made one of my discoveries through the process of rational thinking.” Albert Einstein (thanks @iTweetArt) I’ve been reading about Albert Einstein. You’ve gotta love a genius with a great sense of humour. He said, “If we knew what we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?” He was one of the worlds most creative thinkers. Rational thinking is step by step – a plus b equals c. Creative thinking is more playful – questions like “what happens if…?” or “I’ve never combined a with b before, let’s try it.” Creative thinking engages the imagination. It’s a delight, whether about quantum physics, or writing, or art. I just might not get the stuff about quantum physics 🙂 It’s not that I’m anti-logical. Artists need both types of thinking. Practical understanding about art materials is mostly logical thinking. Simply put – I believe that here in the westernize world too much credit is given to the logical process, to the neglect of the creative process. So, whatever your field, whatever you are working on figuring out or making, you can take a tip from Albert and try a creative approach to it. You may end up with results that are simply genius! 

I have been experimenting with different types of gloss finishes on acrylic paintings. The ‘gloss medium and varnish’ when poured on, makes interesting unpredictable cracks and texture as it dries. I liked it for a finish on the ammolite paintings (see them in “For Sale – Abstract” on my website.) The added texture in the surface worked well there. However, this method will not make a smooth surface if that is what you want. Recently I have been experimenting with the ‘pouring medium’. It is formulated to make a level glossy surface when poured on. I tried brushing it on too, but the brush marks do show when it is dry. I recommend pouring it, and then using a drywall putty knife to smooth it for the best chance at a smooth surface. However, it shrinks a lot as it dries, and the first layer simply hugs whatever texture is in the paint. I like that effect, but for a truly smooth surface you will likely need to pour several layers. It still can make the odd crack on larger paintings, and another layer will be needed to repair that. As with all acrylic mediums, avoid continuing to work it as it starts to dry, or cloudiness can result. Acrylic gloss spray varnishes work too for a glossy thinner finish, but I like to avoid spraying products if possible, for health reasons. Does anyone else have other recommendations about how to make a very smooth shiny finish on an acrylic painting? 

I am pleased to have some of my paintings featured as part of a group show at the Aeolian Hall in London, Ontario. The show is there until June 2nd – why not take in a concert and enjoy the art too? About the opening – I am teaching that night, but will try to get there near the end of the opening. 

Without ‘art’, the earth is just ‘eh?’ Author Unknown (Thanks @iTweetArt) 

This website – “Earth As Art” shows some wonderful images taken by NASA. These could be marvelous inspirations to ‘launch’ paintings in the “Toward Abstract” class that starts tomorrow. Room for a few more if you would like to join us. (Find link at cherylo.ca  if reading this on facebook or elsewhere.) 

I am pleased to introduce Judy Stirling as the current Featured Art Student on my website. I’m sure you will enjoy her thoughts on painting, as well as her lovely work. (Find link on my website cherylo.ca if reading this on Facebook or elsewhere.) 

Here’s a link to a very short animation about’ Positive and Negative Space‘ from a fun website called The Artist’s Toolkit. (Find link at cherylo.ca  if you are reading this on facebook or elsewhere.) This is one of the concepts that will be covered in the Adult Beginner’s Drawing class that starts at Westmount Library this Wednesday. There’s room for a few more if you would like to join in.