Category: Newsletter

SheSellsT200

Thick & Thin

Cheryl
Lately I’ve been playing with combining heavier body acrylics with fluid acrylics. This can be done in any order. You can have a wet layer of fluid acrylics on the canvas, and then use a brush or better yet a palette knife to smear thicker acrylics into this. Or, you can have the thicker paint down first, and then pour the fluid acrylics on top and spray them to get them moving. These methods make colours and textures that are great fun to work with. 
Man3T

Art is a Language

Cheryl 1 Comment
Not as specific in conveying a message as words can be, art is none-the-less a language. What is profound about the language of art is that in bypassing words, it often reaches straight for the heart. Music touches the soul and speaks to mood so profoundly that words are often not necessary. With painting, colour in particular is considered very emotional and personal, but so are the many other aspects of a composition. It’s this personal side of the art language that makes it so diverse, both in expression and in how it is received. What one person loves in art, another person doesn’t like at all. I think of the art language as a celebration of diversity. Each artist brings their unique vision and expression. Each viewer or listener brings their unique response to this expression. And as with all languages, it takes time and perseverance to develop a compelling voice. 
Wom3T

Hans Holbein the Younger

Cheryl
The drawings of Hans Holbein the Younger, who lived in the times of Henry VIII, capture so much personality that you feel you would know these people if you met them. I was showing some of his work to the drawing class – and thought you would also enjoy seeing this portrait of his. Here is a link to his “Portrait of Anne Cresacre“. (Find link on homepage of my blog if reading this in Facebook or elsewhere.) Notice the skillful use of value – how those dark touches in the eyes bring them to life, and are balanced by the dark in the headpiece and the more distant sleeve. Isn’t it amazing how few lines in the face capture so much personality? This drawing was done with black and coloured chalk. Perhaps you would have fun doing a drawing that you add just a hint of colour to? 
WetWildSm

Special Ingredient

Cheryl
I had a question from someone who watched my 4 Horses video on YouTube. They wanted to know what was in the spray bottle that caused the colour to move and flow so much. Well, that special ingredient was – water! Fluid acrylics are formulated to respond to water, and there was a lot of wet paint still on the canvas I was spraying. For maximum flow, you can thin the fluid acrylic paint with water in a cup, before putting it onto the canvas. Squirting the paint right out of the bottle leaves a thicker consistency that takes more spraying to move, and still some lumps will remain. The ‘lumps’ became planets in that painting! Warning – this technique is highly addictive. 
CitrusLg

Living Out Loud

Cheryl
I’ve come across this expression in a few different places lately. There’s something attractive about it, perhaps especially when applied to the arts. When you find the courage to come to an art class, to show someone your paintings, and eventually to hang them in an art show, you are living out loud with your art. In a way, we visual artists have it easier than those in the performance or music arts. Our creativity happens while we are on our own, and gets displayed later. The wonderful thing about living out loud with your art is, you may encourage someone else to find the strength to do the same. And when creativity is shared, the world gets a bit brighter for us all. 
astrt

Attitude Check

Cheryl
“Our attitude or mindset is what makes us who we are. Our outer lives are a reflection of our inner lives, our thoughts and prayers.” Alfred Muma – Did you know that your heart rules your life more than your mind does? Sure, the heart can be wrong, and needs the mind to correct it sometimes. But in long term battles for who you are and what you do, the heart most often wins. What things fill your heart? Are they positive, hopeful, worthwhile things? Every once in awhile, it’s good to do an attitude check. Your attitude is who you are, and who you are becoming too.