I did a lot of tweaking tonight on “The Woman Who Anointed Jesus”. I worked on her eyes, lips, forehead, jaw line, neck, and tears, all before I got into actually applying new color to new areas. Tonight I finished her hair, earring, and part of her upper back and shoulder. I think the hardest part is over. Hopefully, it will continue to move along well! I like her, so far… She is a special lady with a lot of meaning to me.
I always feel like my paintings don’t come alive until I get the subject’s eyes done. Yesterday, I was able to complete her whole face! There’s still some more tweaking to do, but she lives now! And she feels. I’d like to finish up her hair tonight, as well as the tweaks. Then, maybe over the weekend I’ll be able to finish her up completely. That would be pretty awesome! I believe it would be a speed record for any painting in this series, so far. Although I’m certainly not aiming for any speed records in this project, I always like to finish up a piece and move to the next one. Oh, I forgot…I still have the calligraphy to do, too…
GOT IT DONE……..
Today was a very busy day! Got my photo shoot done for four more paintings in my “Women’s Studies” series. It took me from about 9:45 am until 2:10 pm. Then we all went out to lunch together: me, three models and the lighting technicians. I got home about 4:30 pm. I think I got some really good shots though. I’ve included my favorite for “The Woman Who Anointed Jesus”
Yes!!! Tomorrow is a photo shoot.
Yes!!! Tomorrow is a photo shoot. I have three models lined up, the lighting technician available, and a day the church is open and available for us to be there! I will be photographing these ladies for “Sarah”, “Mary, Mother Of Jesus”, “The Woman With An Issue Of Blood”, and “The Woman Who Anointed Jesus”. It will be a busy day, starting about 9:30 am when I get there early to rummage through the wardrobe closet to select some appropriate costumes. I must remember to take my headscarves props. Last time I did a shoot for “The Shunammite Woman”, I forgot to take them and almost couldn’t find a substitute! Around 10:00 am, I will photograph “The Woman With The issue Of Blood” and “The Woman Who Anointed Jesus”. The same model is serving for both. She has to leave at 11:30 am, and my next subject, “Sarah”, will arrive about that time for her photo session. I may finish with her around noonish. Then, I hang out about an hour or so until “Mary, Mother Of Jesus” arrives. I expect to finish her in about half an hour or so. Hopefully, all three ladies will be available for me to take them to lunch afterwards, as a way to thank them for graciously giving me their time out of their busy schedules. For me, it will be a very exciting day! Getting four more subjects photographed gives me the information I need to paint four more women in my “Women’s Studies” series. This would bring the number of completed paintings to nine. Then, three quarters done, only three more left to complete. Hello book!!!!
Decorating With Art
I’m going to deviate a little from my usual chronicles of creating art, and talk about some things which I hope you will find useful. In the days and weeks ahead, I want to share some nuggets of what I’ve learned over the years in dealing with originals and prints, matting and framing, what glass to use, decorating, and so forth. Tonight I will discuss some simple tips I’ve learned while decorating with art. Simple things that make a huge difference in creating just the right look in your home or office.
So, you just brought home a beautiful new piece of artwork! You love it and want to showcase it in the best way possible. Aside from special spotlights and making it the in-your-face focal point of the entire room, how can you accomplish this? Not all art work is going to be the huge cherished painting over the sofa, so what do you do with others to show them off to best advantage? Here are some tips that might help.
First, color, Color, COLOR! Identify the color or colors in the art that you most want to play up. Hang the art in a room that has harmonizing walls and/or floor coverings. They can be totally neutral, but try not to display the work in a room where the walls or rugs just flat-out clash with the dominate color(s) of the art. When you know where you want to hang the art, if possible, have a small table or other flat surface under or very near it. You might even consider installing one of those attractive but inexpensive wall shelves found in so many stores. Place it to the side or underneath where the artwork is to hang, depending on your space. Second, most of us have lots of little nick-knacks that are often packed away because we love them, yet have not found a way to display them. Or maybe they’re tucked into an already crowded china cabinet. Items could be figurines, special bowls, a decorative plate you could display on a stand, vases, even art glass or pottery objects. Check those out to see if anything has the dominant color(s) found in the art. If you don’t have anything that works, thrift shops, antique malls, and flea markets are great places to find that perfect object with the right colors at an inexpensive price. Once you have hung the art over or near the table, dresser, shelf, or other flat surface nearby, place your chosen object(s) on the nearby surface. One larger object or a couple of smaller ones is all it takes to tie that art to the rest of the mini decor you’ve just created for that portion of the room. It will not look haphazard, but planned by a professional! Suppose you don’t have room for a table or shelf? Place your art over or very near an upholstered chair or love seat that plays up the same dominate color(s). Don’t forget the drapes on the windows! You can also hang the art next to a window treatment featuring the same colors. One BIG caveat: never buy art just to match the drapes and walls! Buy it because you love it!
I’ve attached a series of mini-decors from my own home that I hope illustrates what I’m describing. Can you pick out the one that doesn’t meet the criteria? I hope this has given you some ideas of how to blend some favorite decorator objects with your art into the decor of a room, tying them all together coherently and beautifully!
It took me longer than I expected to recuperate from this trip to Tennessee, but I am finally feeling rested and pretty much back to normal. I’d had some serious issues with fluid build-up in my hands and legs/feet. Four days of mostly sitting and some standing, plus nothing but restaurant food nearly did me in. WAY TOO MUCH SODIUM!!! Anyway, now that that’s behind me, I’m ready to get working again! Tomorrow will be my day for calling the lighting technician and some of my models to see if I can get a photo shoot lined up. Three of the models are from my church, as well as the light tech. Since I’m using the church stage lighting for special effect for the shoots, I’m hoping I can get shoots done for four more paintings. One model will be portraying “The Woman Who Anointed Jesus”, and “The Woman With An Issue Of Blood”. One will portray “Mary, Mother Of Jesus”, and the other will portray “Sarah”. The last three paintings will involve two models who may be harder to get photo shoots with. They don’t live in this area and will have to travel here. That might be tricky, but I’m hopeful we can work out something! One I know will work out somehow, because she’s my daughter! 🙂 I can’t wait to get back to painting again!
Well, I have been gone for four days, last Wednesday – Saturday. My Man Jim and I drove to Franklin, TN, for a seminar/conference called INNOVA/8 2016. It was given by “48 Days” founder and entrepreneur and author Dan Miller, along with his wife Joanne, artist and author. There were some incredible guest speakers, among them Ken Davis, author and sought-after speaker, and Bob Baker, musician, band member/leader, song writer, author, magician, improv comedian, and artist. Now, THAT is multi-faceted!!! I spoke with him personally, and bought one of his books (he’s also an excellent salesman!). I also bought one of Dan’s books, and Joanne’s first book. Ken’s book was given to us as a courtesy. This conference, given twice a year, is geared specifically towards creative people who are looking for better ways to maximize their exposure, increase their sales, or just figure out what their passion is in the first place. Many are changing careers or retiring, and searching for an outlet for their talents. Amazingly, there were also a large number of IT people in attendance as well. Ages ranged from 17 to 94! The most colorful person was a “tree eater”. He took overgrown areas of clients’ properties and created park-like settings by identifying and removing trash trees, keeping desirable trees, clearing out brush and undergrowth, and turning eyesores on the properties into places of beauty. He was extremely passionate about his talent and love for his occupation! I met so many gifted people! Many stopped me to comment on “Eve.” I took her along as a representation of my work and what I wanted to do with her and all the other women I’m painting and writing about. IT people gave me wonderful ideas for my web site here and on my facebook page, youtube, and many other hi-tech venues. It was a great experience to mingle with so many other talented people, all in the same place, but not necessarily possessing the same talents! I also had a two-hour conversation with a lay-out and design firm which works with publishers. We discussed the differences between on-demand book publishing vs traditional volume publishing, which is great information for novice writers self-publishing their first books. What a whirlwind week! The carved eagle was made from a dead cedar tree that Dan Miller had someone carve into the trunk rather than cut it down. The eagle is the symbol for their 48 Days program. That’s creative! It stood close by to the conference center, a restored and remodeled old barn, which they call “The Sanctuary”. The front porch of The Sanctuary is where I had “Eve” set up, along with the Millers’ 9 year old granddaughter’s paintings.
I got “The Shunammite Woman” back from the framer late Saturday afternoon. We took her to church with us Sunday and hung her up on the wall along with the others. There’s still an awfully lot of lo-o-o-o-o-ng hallway left, just waiting for the other seven to be painted. As soon as we return from our trip to Tennessee, I will be making a VERY concerted effort to get a photo shoot lined up with my models. I am antsy to get going on them! Speaking of traveling, Jim and I will be leaving day-after-tomorrow for a conference/seminar in Franklin, TN, hosted by Dan Miller and his 48 Days program. This particular conference will center on how people in the creative arts can better develop their talents into a business. We are looking forward to meeting new people, building a networking support system, and learning as much as possible!
Oh my goodness! The busyness of life caught up with me! It’s been a while since I last posted about my work on “Rahab, The Harlot”. I have completed three more pastel paintings for my series of “WOMEN’S STUDIES–Defining Moments.” With God’s help and some wonderful models, I have created “Eve”, “Esther”, and “The Shunammite Woman”. I have so many stories I could tell about each one as I researched and painted them! Not only did I find a lone crate of pomegranates in the store in the off season, but out of all the fruits in that crate, there was one only that did not have the star-looking blossom end cut off! Eve had a real fruit model to hold. The leaf and growth structure
I researched online. Esther was interesting because I had to transform the beautiful model from a blonde with short hair and blue eyes to a dark eyed beauty with long silky black hair. As for the Shunammite woman, I found a cute little donkey for her to be holding. It was amazing I could find a donkey model!
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