Summerland Studio

Affordable Art on Etsy

I just added the first 6 of a series of 18 mixed media pieces to my etsy shop.  I was inspired by Randel Plowman of acollageaday.blogspot.com to do some smaller original art pieces.  For the price of a print, you can get a piece of original artwork.  I also threw in free US shipping and the international shipping is discounted if you buy more than one.     

They're intended to hang or sit either singly or in groups.  At 4"x4", a cluster of them would be striking.  The series is called Barcelona - a city my daughter loves and has promised to take me to one of these days.  The colors are hot, spicy, and vibrant. 

I suppose the true inspiration was my daughter wanting to decorate her dorm room and I've also had several friends get their own apartments in the last few months.  I remember starting out and, once the essentials were bought, there was little budget for artwork on the walls.  And it really never feels quite like home without the personal touches.  

Are you wondering what's with the number 3?  For months now, it's been pressuring me to get into my artwork.  So now that numerical monkey is off my back.   Who knows where these things come from?  And I have a feeling we'll be seeing numbers or letters in future small artwork series.  I'm seeing some soft, misty looking pieces for the wintertime.  Those may end up with some text from books in them. 

The next series may end up being slightly bigger,   5x5 or 6x6.  Better for a big wall.  Yesterday was quite cloudy and not good at all for photographing a grouping on the wall.  Hopefully, today will be better light-wise.  I'll post some more pics in the next day or two.

Moving the Nose

Just a quick observation today.  I've been working on portraits lately.  Here's the routine:

Step 1) sketch the face, apply underpainting, apply more paint, apply more paint, stare at it with head cocked, apply more paint, look from reference photo to painting and back, scratch head, apply more paint.

Step 2) finally do some rough measurements, realize EYE is in the wrong position, white out dark areas, resketch eye, paint, apply more paint to blend, stare at it with head cocked, apply more paint, look from reference photo to painting and back, scratch head, apply more paint.

Step 3) finally do some rough measurements, realize NOSE is in the wrong position, white out dark areas, resketch eye, paint, apply more paint to blend, stare at it with head cocked, apply more paint, look from reference photo to painting and back, scratch head, apply more paint.

Step 4) this time, take the time to do accurate all-over measurements to see that the JAW is off which is throwing everything else off and adjust it, then resist the urge to jump back in with the paintbrush in order to reassess everything first, make any adjustments necessary, then continue to paint with joy and passion.

I find that with each painting, I am moving to step 4 a little sooner.  This next painting I'm about to start will have the accurate all-over measuring happen right after I finish the sketch, before any paint is applied.  SHE CAN BE TAUGHT!

The other day, as I was contemplating my as yet unlaunched painting career, I realized that I'm doing the same thing with my business planning.  I am a jump in and go for it person, which is great in a lot of ways.  But I tend to skip over the structure that needs to be in place.  I need to sketch (working on my skill level, thinking about what I want my website to look like, etc.) and then take the time to do my accurate measuring and get the best structure in place that I can before I start applying paint.  I need to slow down and do the boring part of business planning before I jump in and go for it. 

Will I sketch out the perfect business plan?  Will I never need to adjust and reposition a nose?  Definitely not.  But I will save myself a lot of time and energy by getting a good, as accurate as possible for me at this point plan on paper.  I can review it as I go periodically in order to stay on track and adjust when needed. 

Is my creative side calling me a boring party pooper and wanting to get to the fun stuff?  Oh heck yeah!  But I just ask her how many times she'd like to move that nose and she backs right down!

Anyway, here's some of the things I've been working on, finished and almost finished:

  In case you were wondering, everyone's nose was moved multiple times.

Gone A'Visiting

I just visited everyone's blog on my blogroll at one sitting.  I like to do this occasionally to catch up.  It's so nice to see where everyone is and what they've been up to.  Often, I'll just check in on a few folks that fit my mood at the time, but it's nice to slow down and poke your head in at every door.

I like the way mine is set up since I finish with a visit to Nina's mountain cottage.  Thanks to all for letting me stop in.

Less Clutter, More Zen

Do you rescue things, too?  And, by rescue, I mean drag home things in need of repair or things with no real use to you, but they have a cool patina, shape, etc.

Now, if you actually refinish that table or recover the chair or re-purpose the wall cabinet with only one door, and this is truly a passion of yours, then I'm not talking to you.  But if you bring this stuff home with the intention of rehabilitating it, but never do, then what I'm about to tell you will shock your socks off.

Stuff requires action (maintenance, dusting, storing, refinishing).

Action requires time.

You have a limited amount of time in your day.

What passion are you ignoring because you don't have enough time?  (if a lightbulb didn't go on here, close facebook and reread this)

Now I've been decluttering since about a year after my divorce 5 years ago.  I would take a load to Goodwill and feel very accomplished because there was a trunkful of stuff that was no longer in my house.  But meanwhile, I'm still dragging crap home.  Aaannnnd, trying to make all the furniture needing repair and reupholstering look good though I had no time to take on these projects.  Oh, I've bought the fabric and the staples.  They're in a box in my studio.  They've been there for 3 years.

About two weeks ago, my husband and I were talking and he told me he wanted to get rid of everything in the living room, redo the wood floors, and the start looking for the perfect couch.  My first thought was how sad.  He's lost his mind.  It took him multiple attempts for me to finally understand what he was trying to achieve.  But here's the gist of it:

Him: "Ideally, what would you like to have a big chunk of time to do?"

Me: "That's easy.  Painting."

Him: "So look around you.  All this stuff, this clutter of mismatched furniture, is draining you visually and using up your time and energy in its upkeep.  Time and energy you could be using to paint."

Me: *dumbfounded look of realization spreading across my face* (in reality, this didn't occur until the fourth time he explained it)

Him: "Now imagine this room with a beautiful, perfect floor.  And the most beautiful, comfortable couch in it and nothing else."

Me: "Nothing?!" (I was back to he's lost his mind again)

Him: "Not yet.  Each piece that we put in here will be beautiful.  It will go with the overall design.  We will love it.  Can you see how restful and elegant it will be?  (He uses elegant with this definition: gracefully concise and simple; admirably succinct)  And your energy and time can go towards your painting and working towards making that your career.

Damn!  It's so irritating when he's right.  And he's right a lot.  Life will be weird for a couple of weeks for sure.  And I'm keeping the antique chest of drawers with the slightly patinaed mirror, Buster!  The new couch will just have to go with it.  Meanwhile, I'm employing this strategy in my studio.  I've got to haul a trunkload to Goodwill, but otherwise that is the most organized and decluttered my studio has ever been.  Sure, it could be de-stashed even more.  But, people!  I've got a lot of furniture to move out of the living room!  Anybody need a treadmill?