tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46608844231320567582024-02-19T07:46:54.564-08:00Roberta Murray Art & PhotographyPainting and fine art photography from Canadian artist Roberta Murray, ASAUncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-86147230742779936402017-10-24T10:01:00.002-07:002017-10-26T09:01:13.541-07:00Telling Stories<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszH7YmUacPsg4eLOEbUFPiSYul109CgdP1wIT5gE0_50wZ1dLJFMHAuiCkFJFhRj8AO_iI1NANS0qhMqezEagRSL57nS8rpw53xNNxRGPOz3izImHJnLIno6CAJTG871_VzW8Zwn45Ec/s1600/2017+Dream+Of+Joy+And+Sadness+11x14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="938" data-original-width="1200" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgszH7YmUacPsg4eLOEbUFPiSYul109CgdP1wIT5gE0_50wZ1dLJFMHAuiCkFJFhRj8AO_iI1NANS0qhMqezEagRSL57nS8rpw53xNNxRGPOz3izImHJnLIno6CAJTG871_VzW8Zwn45Ec/s640/2017+Dream+Of+Joy+And+Sadness+11x14.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Dream Of Joy & Sadness 11x14" Oil</td></tr>
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I am often frustrated trying to reach this goal I have in my head for the way I want my paintings and drawings to be. I am searching for a certain something which is hard to pinpoint. I am looking for more story, more expression in the work.<br />
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Last night we attended a <a href="http://homeroutes.ca/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #67606e; outline: 0px; transition: color 0.2s linear;" target="_blank">Home Routes</a> house concert with Kev Corbett, who is a folk singer and storyteller. There was a line in one of his songs which made reference to "a bunch of Group Of Seven trees on the shore". I instantly knew the image his song was trying to paint and how that tied into his story. The expressiveness of Corbett's songs and stories have a certain quality I want in my paintings. Some of his songs were able to reach down inside me to grab hold of my soul and give it a good shake....wake it up. At one point, I had a well of tears building in my eyes. If a story can do that to me in a living room full of strangers, you know it has real depth....serious expression.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Frederick Varley - Stormy Weather</td></tr>
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That's the quality I want to achieve with my paintings. And while most of my work is considered good, and loved, it's not meeting that level for me on a consistent basis. I don't want to just paint a pretty scene of the landscape before me. I want to create a story within in. I want the painting to have something important to say....to be able to reach out and shake the viewers soul.<br />
Working with the Revelations Of The Beautiful project - creating paintings to go with the poetry of Edwin Henry Burrington - I have challenged myself into thinking more of how to tell a story in paint. As that project winds down (I'm currently waiting for my proof copy of the book), I am left with how to create stories out of the landscape I live in. How can I be a visual story teller, rather than a just a good painter?<br />
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"A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art. Emotion is the starting point, the beginning and the end. Craftsmanship and technique are in the middle."<br />
- Paul Cezanne</blockquote>
How do I create a story when I go to the pond to paint en plein air on a winter afternoon? How do I improve the expression of the paint, values, colour, and design of a piece of canvas that same way a singer or poet creates a story to stir up your emotions? While it would be easy to look at the easily identifiable works of the Group Of Seven and try to emulate their style, that gets me nowhere on my quest of imparting my own story to the work. I can study it instead for the qualities that make it expressive. I can study all art and try to distill what it is that makes me drawn to it. What is the story and how has it been told?<br />
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If I take my example of popping out to the pond to do a quick plein air sketch, I need to ask myself, why I am here. What makes this place worth wasting paint and canvas on? What is my emotional connection to this scene? But is that enough to give the work a story and expression? Or is it okay that some works are just pretty pictures in practice for the story, kind of like the writer jotting down a phrase or sentence that leads him to his song?<br />
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My search for these answers, and to give my work this elusive something continues.....Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-44057356113473283722017-10-10T17:17:00.003-07:002017-10-26T09:00:59.863-07:00The Complex Simplicity Of Opinions<blockquote>
"I want to touch people with my art. I want them to say, 'He feels deeply, he feels tenderly.'"<br />
Vincent van Gogh</blockquote>
The movie <span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-style: italic;">"Loving Vincent"</span> is set to open in theatres shortly. This ground-breaking movie is entirely hand painted, and I am eager to see it. Not just for the way it was crafted, but for the story of Vincent. Much of what he wrote over his all too short of life really resonates with me, as I'm sure it does for many other artists.<br />
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While I am always striving to improve the technical mastery of my work, my main concern is expression, as I believe it was with van Gogh. I want my work to resonate with other people in the world who also feel deeply and tenderly. In that regard I have reached out to a couple of (so-called) experts over the past year to see how my work is perceived by others and if it is meeting the goals I have for it.<br />
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In one instance I was given the advice to continue to work on simplification to allow the emotion to be more easily expressed. To represent the figure with the slash of a well crafted brush stroke, rather than excessively rendering it. In another the person said: "Consider removing the figures from your work until you can render them so well that they have something strong to say and aren't props in a painting. "<br />
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The point is the figures <b><i>are</i></b> just props. As I've written before about staffage: figures placed to help guide the eye and tell the story, but not to form the story itself.<br />
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I was recently at the Monet exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery and while studying some of his work a discussion about the figures in his landscapes occurred. His painting 'Snow Effect Sunset' was one of my favourites from the exhibition. In it, his rendering of the figures are exactly what the first expert had been pushing me towards. Nothing more than a well placed slash of paint. What would happen to the painting if the figures were rendered more? Would the focus shift from the light and feeling of cold, to the figures alone? The hint of warmth in the sky would not have the same importance in telling us what a chilly day it is here if our attentions were diverted to more highly rendered figures.<br />
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How do the figures inform the composition of this painting?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOoCcNuUItz6IABEHxUIW_VnzuyZ_oHv_kUSctGQhBPYbb8VLYtvbLYIT9z6k_SJthMzUy5tjTBDLm113v7uC5ojZL4EJAb170BFvnjPf8dMZInUzQOc7AhzHMg13uhtJa9eMFR2fODGs/s1600/Monet+Snow+Effect+Sunset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1115" data-original-width="1200" height="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOoCcNuUItz6IABEHxUIW_VnzuyZ_oHv_kUSctGQhBPYbb8VLYtvbLYIT9z6k_SJthMzUy5tjTBDLm113v7uC5ojZL4EJAb170BFvnjPf8dMZInUzQOc7AhzHMg13uhtJa9eMFR2fODGs/s640/Monet+Snow+Effect+Sunset.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monet "Snow Effect Sunset"</td></tr>
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<blockquote>
"Oh! I must somehow manage to do a figure in a few strokes."<br />
Vincent van Gogh
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTP4HfD0W1bAkoV6umyOpihXM0k17PqkHdGlW3qmHTeDPAHs16i5dlNBTtLaEsdu0XoVSH9kg8o4mJCyijSPpKiaeN6Wch7e8E3Lbxj64NuTXYBsT0Bd7ilpMe1fYwQPHRhybC6qestFI/s1600/vanGogh+Iron+Mill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="1000" height="390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTP4HfD0W1bAkoV6umyOpihXM0k17PqkHdGlW3qmHTeDPAHs16i5dlNBTtLaEsdu0XoVSH9kg8o4mJCyijSPpKiaeN6Wch7e8E3Lbxj64NuTXYBsT0Bd7ilpMe1fYwQPHRhybC6qestFI/s640/vanGogh+Iron+Mill.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">van Gogh "Iron Mill In The Hague"</td></tr>
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In the painting 'Iron Mill In The Hague' by van Gogh, the eye enters the painting at the start of the canal and follows it down. If not for the figure it would likely continue right out at the bottom right, but the figure says "hey wait a minute, look here", and helps guide us up to the chimney stacks that tells us about the heavy industry and pollution happening in this seemingly idyllic village. The figure here is rendered in slightly more detail than that of Monet's painting, but still not what one would consider 'well rendered'. Was Monet's version of the figure what van Gogh was striving for in his own work?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZTbj8HQ9yZPdPke-anX1cQ_2Pcz3OSyzN_ua2lgtn8r3VlFJcKcJO4VBiwoEyv6HWkfw5UCWcL4y1lNA6vNLYBe8k4rvKQhZke6bPxxXFdP8bEJRLa7dSWb5aZUuqRpfCbn8d19PWOw/s1600/2017+The+Peace+That+Nestles+There+11x14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="629" data-original-width="800" height="502" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdZTbj8HQ9yZPdPke-anX1cQ_2Pcz3OSyzN_ua2lgtn8r3VlFJcKcJO4VBiwoEyv6HWkfw5UCWcL4y1lNA6vNLYBe8k4rvKQhZke6bPxxXFdP8bEJRLa7dSWb5aZUuqRpfCbn8d19PWOw/s640/2017+The+Peace+That+Nestles+There+11x14.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Murray "The Peace That Nestles There"</td></tr>
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Why such completely opposite opinions from the people I sought advice from, and even from one so called expert? A viewer's background and past history has more to do with their reaction to any given painting than the technical mastery and intentions of the artist. The opinions may even depend on the kind of day that person has had and where they are struggling in their own life.<br />
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Therein lies the problem with art and, especially with seeking someone's advice, there is no one answer. Where one person comes from may be completely at odds with where another person is coming from. Where one artist is aiming for high realism, another's goal is personal expression. At it's simplest, it all boils down to "do you like the work....does it move you". The complexity resides in the why's and why nots.<br />
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So how do you know who you should seek counsel with, and who may be at complete opposition to your artistic intentions and style? The whole process has spurred me to want to write an article about what to look for before seeking someone for art advice, coaching, or critique, and I would like to ask my fellow artists if you have any stories about hiring someone you'd like to share. I am looking for good and bad situations. How have you benefitted by a critique? How has it hurt you? Do you have any tips for making sure you have hired someone that you will get along with and provide YOU with valuable but trustworthy opinions?</div>
Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-60965043906838744282017-06-30T08:49:00.000-07:002017-06-30T09:00:12.556-07:00Canada 150<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHCKxcExHw-oEyNTAhIvM4qUysozvXy2OJaRkYmTwBNOzJiwb7QQk6XNzgfU0tgtx5-CMn_ChfkK122JoZ6Iw1EmtAyN4JIEiK9zvBIhKSbCumIwqQrQhGERzsFd9A5Lo6vkwBbKuITA/s1600/Robert+Elvin+Bruce+Mary+Ann+McMillan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="848" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizHCKxcExHw-oEyNTAhIvM4qUysozvXy2OJaRkYmTwBNOzJiwb7QQk6XNzgfU0tgtx5-CMn_ChfkK122JoZ6Iw1EmtAyN4JIEiK9zvBIhKSbCumIwqQrQhGERzsFd9A5Lo6vkwBbKuITA/s640/Robert+Elvin+Bruce+Mary+Ann+McMillan.jpg" width="452" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robert E. Bruce & Mary Ann McMillan February 13th, 1913<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy 150 Canada!</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
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I thought in honour of Canada's 150th birthday I would write about my deep my Canadian roots. I actually started several months ago with what was going to be a simple history, but little did I know where it was going to lead me, or how far back my roots actually go. </div>
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1867 Brougham County, Ontario Dr. Ryerson wrote:</div>
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<i>"We occupy a country on which Divine munificence has lavished
all the needful elements of wealth and greatness. By a parental and liberal
policy, and not by the clangour and bloodshed of revolution, we are architects
of our own fortune; it depends upon ourselves, under Providence, whether we
shall be a virtuous, intelligent, happy and prosperous people-a welcome member
and honour of the family of nations-or whether, by domestic quarrels and
divisions, and consequent weakness and degeneracy, we disappoint the
expectations of our best friends and well-wishers, and become the outskirt
hewers of wood and drawers of water to a neighbouring republic. And it devolves
on the electors of Canada, in the spirit we now cultivate, and in the choice we
now make of our first legislators, to stamp upon our country its future
character, and determine for our children their future destinies."</i></div>
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In 1802 my great grandfather x5 came over from Scotland and settled
in Upper Canada at Finch, Stormont County. </div>
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Allan Glen Payne
McMillan, who lived in Lochaber Bay, Scotland had seen a map of Finch township
and in that year chartered a boat which, with a passenger list of all
McMillan's and Cameron's, landed at Montreal in the fall of 1802.</div>
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The fare was 10 pounds
for a family and the crossing took thirteen weeks. These families had to
portage up the St. Lawrence to Lancaster and then tramp through the bush
carrying their belongings. The first winter was spent with some friends who had
come to Lochiel, Scotland in 1796 and then went on to Canada and settled around
Kirkhill (Ontario). </div>
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The next year, four
McMillan's and four Camreon's walked from Kirkhill to Finch, selected their
lots, built their log homes, and obtained their patents. In 1803 they brought
their families to what would have seemed a wilderness. They did not receive
rations and supplies for three years and there were no half pay officers among
them to scatter a little money. Their only sources of revenue were potash and
oak barrel staves. </div>
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It's not known exactly
when the Bruce's arrived in Canada, but was likely sometime between 1838 -
1841. They went to Renfrew County - the next county north of Stormont. We
know my great x3 grandfather was born there in 1841. His older sister is listed
on the 1851 census as being 13 and born in Ireland. </div>
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Around or before 1884
John McMillan came to Alberta and established a stopping house along the Sheep
Creek as part of the McLeod Trail. There were Cameron's and McRae's arriving
about the same time. Because the area provided a safe river crossing it was popular
with the First Nations people. The Blackfoot called it "Okatok" for
the Big Rock erratic which they used as a reference marker. The Sarcee called
the area "chachosika" - valley of the big rock. And the Stoney name
was "ipabitunga-ingay" - where the big rock is. </div>
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The town was named
Okotoks after the Blackfoot name, but briefly changed to Dewdney from 1891 -
1896, before reverting back to Okotoks. The Bruce's arrived in 1902 - buying
land just south of the famous Big Rock landmark. They arrived with all of their
children and their families, who also bought land in the area. The Mceathron's,
Ballard's, Gould's, Bremner's, Peacock's, and McCuaig's were all Bruce daughter's. During holiday's
the families would all gather and have a great celebration with 30 or more
people present. </div>
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In 1906 a young
beautiful 14 year old girl travelled alone by train from Finch, to live with
her sister, a McRae, on their farm adjacent to the Bruce's. At 20
she went to work for the Bruce's as a housekeeper, where she fell in love and
was married soon after. It is this woman, my great grandmother, that I credit
with making me who I am, of creating in my a love for the land and nature that forms the basis of my art. </div>
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While the genealogy
can be traced, the stories are mostly lost. And in the end it's the stories
that matter most. These are stories only from my one side of the family. There
are more from my maternal side, who first came to Alberta in 1892 but didn't stay
permanently until 1907. I wish I had more of the stories than I do. </div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I Am Canadian! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCAfKb8ArEVwb_33rPjpxJYAeLIfqaT1OP8AM09J3Su64QIWgtC5mSU1Fl56GYJgEqmqvpkjKTnAt_2gG0k-NVGpN5JzJh_cDyxqexVvuPCYmVTlPSxWfRE9bVmmRu5RpG8IRc200aRo/s1600/Canadian_Flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlCAfKb8ArEVwb_33rPjpxJYAeLIfqaT1OP8AM09J3Su64QIWgtC5mSU1Fl56GYJgEqmqvpkjKTnAt_2gG0k-NVGpN5JzJh_cDyxqexVvuPCYmVTlPSxWfRE9bVmmRu5RpG8IRc200aRo/s1600/Canadian_Flag.jpg" /></a></div>
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Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-71958490570979318572017-06-20T01:01:00.001-07:002017-06-20T01:01:10.677-07:00I Have Forgot The Scent Of Flowers - 11x14" - Oil on linen - "I have forgot the scent of flowers, The music of the breeze; Earth cares not now to give me back The beautiful in these. I look up to the azure roof, The stars have lost their gold; Mine eyes grow dimmer hour by hour: I feel that I am old." Edwin Burrington<img src='https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/19228375_1855445654719140_1757754630479020032_n.jpg' style='max-width:586px;' /><br />
<div><a href="http://ift.tt/2sKcVML">via Instagram</a></div>
Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-20211615393331749992017-06-18T14:07:00.001-07:002017-06-18T14:07:28.611-07:00A few years ago I did a plein air painting excursion east of Calgary and happened on this great view of the city. I ran out of time to paint it on location, but took some photos that have been sitting in my 'to do' stack for awhile now. Finally got around to it. - City And Colour - 16x20x2" - Acrylic on birch<img src='https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/19227408_1705748059719438_8728478193880662016_n.jpg' style='max-width:586px;' /><br />
<div><a href="http://ift.tt/2rKRbMt">via Instagram</a></div>
Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-76362455720533001702017-06-16T12:57:00.001-07:002017-06-16T12:57:49.322-07:00Kindred Joys - 24x36x1.5" - Acrylic on canvas - I've been working on this off and on (mostly off!) for the past couple months. I think I'm finally done with it.<img src='https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/19120736_1613941398617974_7439044881802067968_n.jpg' style='max-width:586px;' /><br />
<div><a href="http://ift.tt/2sjXNmQ">via Instagram</a></div>
Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-45410185850296801242017-06-15T08:46:00.001-07:002017-06-15T08:46:15.541-07:00I am busy getting work ready for this art sale in Black Diamond next weekend. It is one of the summer's biggest art sales in #Alberta.<img src='https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/19051591_1928976060647815_5171539837299195904_n.jpg' style='max-width:586px;' /><br />
<div><a href="http://ift.tt/2rv9hGN">via Instagram</a></div>
Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-29541711123995088342017-06-13T15:26:00.001-07:002017-06-13T15:26:28.358-07:00Where The Buffalo Roam - 11x14" - Oil on panel<img src='https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/19051984_226142107904012_8549117134079262720_n.jpg' style='max-width:586px;' /><br />
<div><a href="http://ift.tt/2rsZsV4">via Instagram</a></div>
Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-59888449774121840422017-06-12T17:13:00.001-07:002017-06-12T17:13:40.609-07:00Rosie - 11x14" - Oil on panel - It was comforting to spend time with the dog at the canvas remembering her and sending love to her through the paintbrush.<img src='https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/19050644_436335933411465_7537954495410470912_n.jpg' style='max-width:586px;' /><br />
<div><a href="http://ift.tt/2s4DZnz">via Instagram</a></div>
Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-29461547395750109502017-06-12T07:55:00.001-07:002017-06-12T07:55:56.736-07:00Rules: Guess a number between 1 and 1000, to #win this 5x7" oil on panel "Mountain Mist". 1 guess per person Earn an additional guess by posting one of my paintings and tagging me in the post. - Clue 1: It's a 3 digit number. Clue 2: The numbers are taken from something on one of my websites main pages (not blog or portfolio pages). - Numbers already guessed: 107, 111, 113, 150, 222, 311, 323, 333, 430, 439, 489, 504, 555, 575, 673, 682, 777, 783, 786, 999 - #giveaway #contest #artist #painting #oilpainting #robertamurray #CanadianArtist #thankyou<img src='https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/19050389_1778795682433461_6366260938588291072_n.jpg' style='max-width:586px;' /><br />
<div><a href="http://ift.tt/2tcQMDJ">via Instagram</a></div>
Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-55342456377734250002017-06-10T18:30:00.001-07:002017-06-10T18:30:55.832-07:00I wasn't happy with this one from Thursday so did a bit more work on it today. While it may not portray the landscape accurately, the mood better matches. - Love And Fear Are Strangers - 8x10" - Oil on panel<img src='https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/19052183_145705222642383_7211266324960378880_n.jpg' style='max-width:586px;' /><br />
<div><a href="http://ift.tt/2rYE384">via Instagram</a></div>
Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-52398442703078681352017-06-07T10:40:00.001-07:002017-06-07T10:40:06.104-07:00When Grief Beholds Our Tears 8x10" - Oil on canvas - - "But why should we less joyous be, If those we love should leave us? When grief beholds our useless tears, He tries the more to grieve us. The best philosophy would say, Go not to bed with sorrow, One false friend you may lose today, But find a true tomorrow."<img src='https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/18888473_322071881582372_5056161579616174080_n.jpg' style='max-width:586px;' /><br />
<div><a href="http://ift.tt/2sTLbSm">via Instagram</a></div>
Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-4920027402248016582017-06-04T17:45:00.001-07:002017-06-04T17:45:22.253-07:00Just another pond painting. Tried to be totally interpretive in colour this time. Might have got a little out of hand. đ<img src='https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/18879210_304619346656615_4773595440694165504_n.jpg' style='max-width:586px;' /><br />
<div><a href="http://ift.tt/2s7ZWnT">via Instagram</a></div>
Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-12324427331945072182017-06-03T12:40:00.001-07:002017-06-03T12:40:53.125-07:00Dirt under the fingernails is good for the soul. The garden is weeded and growing. Can't wait to eat fresh vegetables from it!<img src='https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/18722008_263859787354804_4530181192850341888_n.jpg' style='max-width:586px;' /><br />
<div><a href="http://ift.tt/2rDVj4z">via Instagram</a></div>
Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-4773389756993707832017-06-02T07:52:00.001-07:002017-06-02T07:52:51.132-07:00Kootenay Plains - 11x14" - Oil on panel<img src='https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/18809717_1856745757876474_4951359481331056640_n.jpg' style='max-width:586px;' /><br />
<div><a href="http://ift.tt/2rjDqre">via Instagram</a></div>
Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-51807749206914614972017-06-01T07:19:00.001-07:002017-06-01T08:22:50.843-07:00Rundle Sunset - 11x14" - Oil on panel<img src='https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/t51.2885-15/e35/18809591_1904461523105342_3735120877356843008_n.jpg' style='max-width:586px;' /><br />
<div><a href="http://ift.tt/2qEXrp2">via Instagram</a></div>
Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-39639393892004727352017-05-31T10:25:00.000-07:002017-05-31T10:32:15.694-07:00<blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #fff; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.5) , 0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0 , 0 , 0 , 0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 900px; padding: 0;">
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Another morning painting at the pond with a Common Snipe peeping away, and various other birds singing. I got this tiny painting done before teatime! The dog didn't even notice I was gone.</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have been trying to get out daily to paint at the pond. I realized one of the hurdles for me going out to paint there more often was (and I kind of hate to admit it), hauling stuff back and forth. It's not like it's a long distance or anything, but usually it takes longer to gather my gear and haul it out than it does to actually paint.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">What I am looking to do is install some kind of permanent easel set up out there, so all I have to do is grab a canvas, palette, brushes, etc. and go. Not having to haul and set up the easel would mean I could dash out there for a quick 30 minute painting, making me more inclined to go out regularly and in bad weather.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now the only downfall to this plan, is that I am not at all handy. I am looking for ideas on how to build something that can withstand our Canadian weather. It would be easy to anchor it, but how do I build the panel holder so that it is adjustable? I have also discovered, after trying just a sketching easel without any kind of tray or table, that I am useless at trying to juggle palette, brushes and cloths. So a table of some kind that is big and sturdy enough to hold the palette and stuff is a necessity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">It is possible that we could buy metal table legs and bolt a piece of sturdy treated wood to them to create the table. But then how do I create the panel holder? If they weren't so expensive, I'd just buy the metal panel holders that attach to a tripod, but any I've looked at have been way over $100 US.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #3d3d42;">Does anyone have any ideas, or seen any permanent outdoor easel setups?</span> </span><br />
<script src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-22140990731761231642017-04-24T07:39:00.000-07:002017-04-24T07:39:53.531-07:00Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What A Sweet Duck - 8x10" - Oil </td></tr>
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It's been a really long winter here in Alberta. As I type this, it's the end of April and it is still snowing. All winter, between the weather and caring for an aging dog, I had hardly been out of the house aside from weekly trips into town for groceries, and the odd trip to a nearby city for appointments. I was decidedly housebound and eager to see green and get outside to paint. This funk had extended itself to my work at the easel.</div>
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I've had various paintings on the go over winter, and have a whole stack of sketches waiting to be painted, but my contrary mood had me bored with it all. When a conversation with a friend who was experiencing similar problems happened, we thought maybe doing some focused exercises together (via the Internet since we don't live close enough for in-person visits) would help. So we quickly put together a small group with the aim of doing monthly exercises into different topics to help refresh or refine our painting skills.</div>
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Our first exercise was colour shifts: using different colours of the same value in larger shapes. I thought I'd start with doing some block studies, but the problem is I only have a couple of blocks. When I saw the candy jar with liquorice allsorts, I saw blocks of a sort. Perhaps not quite as easy as the solid colour wooden blocks that many artists use, but block shaped objects which could offer that spark of fun I am always looking for in my projects. So I set up a couple blocks, then thought "I need something else", and saw the rubber duck in the bathroom and added him to the set up. "Why not?"</div>
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Before I knew it I was taking a left turn from my regular landscape work, studying some key skills I'd always been meaning to study, refining my skills in both painting and seeing, and most important.....having fun and getting excited to show up at the easel each day. Three little still life paintings featuring the candy have been done so far. More will likely follow. </div>
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Identifying areas of skill that you'd like learn or improve on, and setting up some exercises to study and practice those skills is a great way to help get over any creative slumps. Even if it doesn't directly help with a slump, you will have a reason to show up at the easel each day and be working to improve your painting abilities. Self-improvement can never be a bad idea; and showing up to the easel every day is half the battle. </div>
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"Frustration is not an interruption of your process; frustration is the process."<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />- Elizabeth Gilbert</blockquote>
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Here is a list of other things I often turn to when I am feeling stuck or frustrated:</div>
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<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Do something completely different for a day or two. My muse always seems to show up if I go out and commune with nature. Go for a walk, or a drive in the country. Do some baking, or clean the house. Meditate or exercise. Don't go visiting friends. Don't do something that requires a lot of thought that isn't related to your work. It's okay not to directly think about your art, but you want to allow those thoughts to happen naturally. Spending time alone is important for allowing you to zone out and get in touch with your inner voice. </li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Quit looking at other people's work. If you are in a slump, your monkey voice is likely pointing out all the areas you are inadequate and how much better everyone else is. If that is happening, even slightly, unplug yourself from the temptation to compare. If you have to unplug the computer to keep yourself from checking into Facebook daily, do it. The world won't implode in your absence! </li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Grab your sketchbook and sketch whatever is in front of you. Don't set up anything, just draw what is there now. Your coffee cup, the paintbrushes sitting idly on the table waiting to be used, your breakfast, the dog or cat, your spouse, whatever is in front of you. Don't take more than 10 or 15 minutes. Don't over analyze it and don't be precious with it. You are not creating art. You are exercising your hand eye coordination. Bad drawings, horrible drawings even, are to be expected. Do this once a day at least until your slump is over, or longer if you find it a valuable exercise. <br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />A similar exercise is to use a small viewfinder and randomly place it on a magazine, newspaper, or other image and sketch whatever the viewfinder happens to land on. </li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Start over: take an old painting that you don't like and sand it down. Be sure to use proper safety practices by wearing a particle mask and surrounding your work area with dampened newspapers to catch the dust, which is toxic. Paint over this old painting with whatever. Taking a old painting that was likely to end up in the trash, and reusing it, frees you up from being precious with a new canvas. Who cares if you have to toss it in the end. It was likely going to end up there anywhere. Alternatively, use paper - coated or not. I like to use uncoated paper because there is absolutely no expectation for archival survival. In other words - I know it's not going to last and can't be sold, so I'm free to make a mess. </li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Ask yourself why you paint. It's pretty simple really. If you can get in touch with what inspired you to become a painter in the first place, you'll be well on your way to ending that slump. </li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Give yourself permission to fail. Along with this, give yourself permission to play. Just show up at the easel with your permission slips, and do something. Anything. No rules. "Today I am just going to play." "It's okay to produce bad work today."</li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Read fiction, poetry, or artist biographies. Don't read art technique or how to books though. How about W.O. Mitchell's "Who Has Seen The Wind."? Or watch a movie. Not those horrible American movies loaded with violence and special effects though. Look for foreign films. I have become a huge fan of British programming on Netflix. So many are well written, lack the crudeness of American television and film, but also have beautifully inspiring cinematography. A well written piece of fiction, be it book or film, can spark my imagination like nothing else. </li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Do a master copy. Pick your favourite historical painter and do a copy of one of their paintings. </li>
<li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Finally, take the Buddhist approach: "This too shall pass." Everything is temporary. The world is always changing. Day to day, minute to minute. So just go with the flow and enjoy the beauty of rest and renewal. Oftentimes slumps happen right before creative leaps, so there's actually good reason to celebrate the slump rather than trying to fight it. </li>
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"The will to do springs from the knowledge that we can do. Doubt and fear are the great enemies of knowledge, and he who encourages them, who does not slay them, thwarts himself at every step."<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />- James Allen </div>
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What about you? What are some strategies you have used to help you overcome a creative block, or slump?</div>
Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-69025599213679186452017-03-15T07:21:00.001-07:002017-03-15T07:22:22.120-07:00Don't Worry About Rejection<div class="faso-user-p" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; font-family: 'Josefin Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 20px; padding: 0px;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Storm And Sunshine - 8x10" - Oil on panel<br />
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I had originally written a smaller version of this on my old blog, but thought it would be a timely entry for today. I had a hard rejection this week. It was something I had expected I would be rejected for, but had still placed a lot of hope in. I had built up a story in my head of the benefits of being accepted, and as soon as I do that, the rejection stings all the more. </div>
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âDonât worry about the rejections. Everybody thatâs good has gone through it. Donât let it matter if your works are not âacceptedâ at once. The better or more personal you are the less likely they are of acceptance. Just remember that the object of painting pictures is not simply to get them in exhibitions. It is all very fine to have your pictures hung, but you are painting for yourself, not the jury. I had many years of rejections.<br />
â Robert Henri</blockquote>
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That line starts a couple of paragraphs in Robert Henriâs <span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Art Spirit</em></span> about painting for yourself. If you are an artist and havenât read this book, I urge you to do so. If I could only have one book on my bookshelf, this would be it, and I would read it over and over again like the Bible. Because it really is the artistsâs bible for the knowledge and insight it contains. While it wonât tell you how to mix this colour with that to get the perfect green, or how to hold the paint brush, it will tell you how to paint through authenticity and braveness. </div>
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He goes on to talk about not trying to paint <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">good</em> landscapes, but of trying to show people what makes the landscape interesting to you. To show people your heart and your inner thoughts. Your paintings should be like hunting â a search for that special thing with meaning to you alone. There will be hits, where you capture that special thing, and misses. But each attempt records your progress in trying to define and understand <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">that thing</em>. The paintings act as stepping stones for others to use in trying to see and understand the specialness that first captured your imagination.<br />
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It is easy to get sidetracked and forget Henri's advice, especially after receiving hard rejections. The temptation is always there to adjust your work to follow the masses. Looking at who is being successful, what the gallery you want to be in is showing, or what your peers are painting can mess up your art and make you lose sight of your inner voice. That thing that made you want to be a painter in the first place. That thing that will, with time, set your work apart from the masses.<br />
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This week started with a hard rejection, but that rejection came just two days after an exciting acceptance. So why, as artists, do we tend to wallow in the rejection more than we celebrate the successes? In a previous blog post <a href="https://robertamurray.ca/blog/90104/its-a-hard-knock-life" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.2s linear; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.2s linear;" target="_blank">(It's A Hard Knock Life)</a>, I've questioned whether the reason goes back to our basic learned fears from childhood. Being picked last for the school team, playing second fiddle to another child at home or elsewhere, or of not getting an A on that math test you studied weeks for. It is the fear, despite our best efforts, we are not good enough.<br />
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When we have success it's easy to brush it off as luck, a fluke, or something similar. We can have our little celebration and feel great for a day or two, until the next rejection comes in. The highs are never quite equal to, or as long lived, as the lows. But those rejections really don't mean anything, or shouldn't mean anything. They can't, without your permission, diminish the work you are doing and how far you've come in your career. To have no rejection means you have also not taken steps to grow and advance as an artist. </div>
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"Take the history of art in France. Practically every artist who today stands a glory to French art was rejected and repudiated by the committees and juries."<br />
- Robert Henri</blockquote>
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You <span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box;">must</em></span> have confidence in yourself and the work you are doing. Use rejection as an opportunity to try and take an unbiased look at what you are doing. Can it be made better? What might be lacking? Am I being authentic to myself; my voice? Receiving 20 rejection letters means you have tried 20 times, which is far more than the person who only tried once and quit. And if you are going to try to have a career as an artist, you are going to have to face rejection, because the fact is the shear number of people trying to be an artist, is far greater than the number of opportunities to present or sell art.</div>
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Last year <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/peoplesdaily/article-3451270/Painting-future-7-000-students-sit-fierce-exam-place-Chinese-art-schools-30-candidates-make-cut.html" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.2s linear; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.2s linear;" target="_blank">media outlets showed images</a> of students taking the entrance exam for a Chinese art school. There were 7,000 hopeful students taking the exam <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">that day</em>, which consisted of painting and drawing exercises. The article also reported that 900,000 people take the national college entrance exam for art in China every year. 900,000! That is 900,000 people in one country alone that would like to make a living as an artist. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/24-stunning-photos-of-chinas-college-entrance-exams-2014-6" style="-webkit-transition: 0.2s linear; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: 0.2s linear;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="441" id="45131_" src="https://static5.businessinsider.com/image/5399c4f36bb3f7c410bd0721-800-551/china_test24.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; max-width: 100%; vertical-align: middle;" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/24-stunning-photos-of-chinas-college-entrance-exams-2014-6" target="_blank">Student's working on entrance exam for Chinese art school.</a></td></tr>
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You have already proven you have the fortitude and stubbornness to hang in there and keep going just by believing in yourself and having the courage to make those submissions. Keep going, keep putting your art out there, and keep improving until your work is so good it can't be ignored. </div>
Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-74345798861091658992017-03-13T05:15:00.000-07:002017-03-13T05:15:07.599-07:00Of Poetry And Painting<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9NZK9WGJ6j33EK87gH2m9MORKvCI0F5Ze73Nom70cwI6A3ikIFgxOUKBQAvQoxfmb2jd36FPixjtHgyKnglRDzft71aFCAH0F9b2a3wAN1mQCYwML1evtf43A4FRFKllrYF_ak74438/s1600/2016+Wild+Winds+Sweep+The+Green+Earth+8x10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD9NZK9WGJ6j33EK87gH2m9MORKvCI0F5Ze73Nom70cwI6A3ikIFgxOUKBQAvQoxfmb2jd36FPixjtHgyKnglRDzft71aFCAH0F9b2a3wAN1mQCYwML1evtf43A4FRFKllrYF_ak74438/s640/2016+Wild+Winds+Sweep+The+Green+Earth+8x10.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild Winds Sweep The Green Earth - 8x10" - Oil</td></tr>
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In a <a href="http://robertamurray.blogspot.ca/2017/02/invest-in-yourself.html" target="_blank">previous <span style="color: black;"><span style="-webkit-transition: color 0.2s linear; box-sizing: border-box; transition: color 0.2s linear;">blog post</span></span></a> I mentioned getting greater value from books about art ideas, theories, and other artists thought process. I want to talk a little bit more about that and how those kinds of books can have more influence on my work than technique or how-to based books. I have just started reading some of John Ruskin's writings which is opening up ideas for me, which have been sitting just beneath the surface but I wasn't fully coming to grips with yet.</div>
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He has a section where he compares painting to poetry, which really piqued my interest because I share this idea. While many painters compare the similarity between painting and music, for me I see it as more closely following poetry. What Ruskin was talking about was how art patrons seemed to favour paintings which portray the world exactly as it is, but if the highest ideal of art is to imitate what already exists, why not just have a mirror on the wall, or open the window and see what is there in front of you. </div>
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"The difference between the ordinary, proper, and true appearances of things to us; and the extraordinary, or false appearances, when we are under the influence of emotion, or contemplative fancy; false appearances, I say, as being entirely unconnected with any real power or character in the object, and only imputed to it by us."<br />
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "josefin sans" , sans-serif; font-size: 20px;">He further goes on to say how if poetry just stated what exists we would not be moved by it. Compare "the sky had an orange glow on the horizon with clouds building"', with "clouds billowed up in a crimson sky like the lust of new lovers". The first is just a descriptive sentence that may be more suitable for a news report - nothing to make it endearing and exciting. The second, poetry filled with emotive suggestion that engages the imagination. Without the heart and passion of the author putting into words a simile of what he feels in his heart, rather than the facts before him, there could be no poetry. The same thing exists in art.</span><br />
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"Amongst the painters, and the writers on painting, there is one maxim universally admitted and continually inculcated. <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Imitate nature</em> is the invariable rule; but I know none who have explained in what manner this rule is to be understood; the consequence of which is, that everyone takes it in the most obvious sense - that objects are represented naturally, when they have such relief that they seem real. It may appear strange, perhaps, to hear this sense of the rule disputed; but it must be considered, that, if the excellency of a painter consisted only in this kind of imitation, painting must lose its rank, and be no longer considered as a liberal art, and sister to poetry."</div>
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Ruskin goes on to compare the paintings which imitate nature truthfully belonging to a class of historical documentation in painting. The other, where the painter embellishes the truth for emotive suggestion belongs to poetry. It is the artist trying to capture how the subject moves him, or makes him feel that leads to more meaningful art. This is the thing, the poetry, I strive for in my work. I am not in interested in having the viewer look at a painting and say "oh yes, this is Mount <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">so and so</em> painted from the third viewpoint in mid-September at 7:00 pm". I want them to think, "I remember that warm autumn day when my lover and I strode hand in hand along the mountain lakeshore, and the late day sun set the rocks aglow to which they mirrored a song welling up in my heart".</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild Peaks Rose - 8x10" - Oil</td></tr>
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My husband is my sounding board and confidant for all aspects of my life. In art we do not always see eye to eye. He comes to art without any formal understanding of it beyond simply what appeals to him, and what he has thought the measure of excellency in art was - namely being the ability to realistically capture what exists. How many times have you heard someone in amazement exclaim the painting looks just like a photograph, as if that is the defining measure which makes it great. I have over the years been swaying his ideas on that aesthetic as a measurement of arts merit. </div>
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My argument has always been, how hard it is it to reproduce that which exists? You look and put down a visual truth as it exists as surely as a child tracing the outline of their own hand (not to say there isn't considerable skill involve or to suggest the execution is as easy as tracing). But to translate what you see into the emotions and spiritual attachment you feel towards it is a far more difficult task. You have no roadmap telling you how to do it. Take all the workshops you can, read all the technique books you want, and you will be no closer to being able to put your emotions (as it relates to your subject) down on canvas. That is why painters like Degas can create such a strong emotion in me that I'm likely to fight back tears in the presence of his work.<br />
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That is why contemporary painters like <a href="http://carolynanderson.com/" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.2s linear; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.2s linear;" target="_blank">Carolyn Anderson</a>, <a href="http://www.workmanstudio.com/" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.2s linear; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.2s linear;" target="_blank">Michael Workman</a>, or <a href="http://www.quangho.com/" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.2s linear; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.2s linear;" target="_blank">Quang Ho</a>, who seem to capture the emotional essence of a subject without realism, can move and inspire me more than the highly realist approach of others. High realism is easy to understand. There is nothing left for the viewer to do but look and acknowledge the faithful reproduction of that which exists. The familiar and known is easy to understand. Poetry and emotion, on the other hand requires engagement from the viewer. They need to apply themselves to interpret the image and fill in the story as it relates to them. In creates a deeper level of engagement, just as poetry requires a deeper level of thought to interpret what the writer is really saying. </div>
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I do want to say that I don't discount the hard work of those artists working in the realist genre. The mastery of technique and the patience to work in this style is impressive; and I often think if I had the discipline to study this way of painting I may not struggle so much at the canvas to lay down the poetry inside. But then I think having any kind of calculated approach would be a barrier from that internal truth which I am interested in trying to portray. Perhaps it is the very struggle to express the emotion which gets to the heart of it in the first place.<br />
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In just a few short pages, Ruskin has set to words what I am striving for; of what I understood in my heart but couldn't articulate well. There are other books, such as Robert Henri's '<em style="box-sizing: border-box;">The Art Spirit</em>', which are able to generate a much deeper understanding of what I am trying to achieve at the canvas in a more profound way than technique based books. </div>
Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-74823025312667723192017-03-07T08:07:00.000-08:002017-03-07T08:07:26.282-08:00A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Easel<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #f0f0f0; color: #444444; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: 'Josefin Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiayJapSN8IvDqjyKS5atcZygjwO0nLHYxD0O53gZtmLllufv-hKeSbMZ-dqNIu8CSDpS7fFFS5ROquopPdDTs9S7HJsVIp77tYqYfFslcYZTNttx_PRveTMfLmJSRUaYyMMsgxN8McWZE/s1600/2016+Moon+Rising+16x20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiayJapSN8IvDqjyKS5atcZygjwO0nLHYxD0O53gZtmLllufv-hKeSbMZ-dqNIu8CSDpS7fFFS5ROquopPdDTs9S7HJsVIp77tYqYfFslcYZTNttx_PRveTMfLmJSRUaYyMMsgxN8McWZE/s640/2016+Moon+Rising+16x20.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moon Rising - 16x20" - Oil<br /></td></tr>
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My painting mantra has been "I don't paint the landscape. I paint my spirit disguised as the landscape." I often stray far from those intentions, however. Sometimes I do paint the landscape as it is without reflecting on my mood or spirit at that time. If I was strictly painting from my inner spirit I would not use references, but I often do use one. Granted I try to find a reference (or references - I often use several at once) that suits the mood I want to convey, but I'm still basing it on a particular time and place. </div>
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My husband gets the brunt of all my art rants. The thoughts, the joys, the frustrations, the insecurities, the a'ha moments.....all of it. We had a conversation awhile ago which centred around being genuine and trying to convey that inner emotion on canvas; of being expressive. I had joked that "right now I'm pissed off". My husbands reply was to go paint that. I didn't. </div>
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That feeling of being mad at the world returned one day last year (okay it returns more often than that, but for the sake of the article.....). I was signed up for a painting workshop with one of my painting idols, <a href="http://www.terrymiura.com/" style="-webkit-transition: color 0.2s linear; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; outline: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: color 0.2s linear;" target="_blank" title="Terry Miura">Terry Miura</a>, whom I have written about before. I had spent the first part of the week cooking and doing all the other little things to be ready to head to Calgary. Wednesday night came and I had the car loaded with all my painting supplies. All I needed to do was load the food I was taking and my suitcase in the morning, and start my adventure.</div>
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Just as bedtime approached I felt that burning in my throat which is the signal trouble lay ahead. I loaded up on vitamins and did a salt water gargle before I went to bed, hoping for the best. Morning came and I knew I was getting sick. I thought about cancelling. But I kept hoping with more vitamins and gargling, maybe I'd be able to fight it off, or it would just be a mild cold and I could soldier through. After all, when would I ever get another chance to study with Terry Miura?</div>
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I delayed leaving until lunchtime. I arrive at my mom's in Calgary mid-afternoon. By then I knew I was running a fever. I ached and just wanted to go to bed. But the demo started at 6, so I couldn't. I went to the demo. Luckily I took copious notes, all the time wondering how long this would last and if I was actually going to even live! I left the moment the demo was done. By morning I had no voice whatsoever. I had no choice but to cancel. I was so incredibly disappointed, but there was just no way. Besides it would have been selfish of me to attend and risk spreading those germs from Satan to everyone else at the workshop. I drove back home, in what was probably one of the longest trips home ever. I preceded to spend the entire weekend in bed raging at my bad luck. I was a mess!</div>
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By Tuesday I knew I had to get on with it, so dragged myself out of bed with plans to paint my rage. I was just going to let loose at the canvas and let the paint fly fast and furious. I told myself I was so sick it wouldn't if I had to throw the canvas away or not. This was going to be an experiment in expressing my feelings. But a funny thing happened on the way to the easel....</div>
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Things started out good. I had this big ol' pile of grey and started slopping paint around in a frenzied stormy sky, pulling a pile out over here to darken, a pile there to warm up, a pile there to lighten, this one's a little cooler..... I laid in a dark swatch for the horizon and separation of land and sky. It needs a couple big trees to break up that solid line. The land is just an anchor to hold up the sky, but it needs to support the overall composition and design too. </div>
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Then my thoughts started to drift away from that rage which informed the painting. I was painting....or as I like to say, "in my happy place." And a conversation between canvas and self ensued. "What are those big trees doing there?" "Are we in the mountains or on the prairie?" "Okay - prairie. But you know those trees don't exist on the prairie unless someone's been there to plant and nurture them." "Trees that big had a lot of love to survive the winds, the storms, the droughts, and seasonal hardships year after year after year."</div>
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What started out with the intent of expressing my feelings of rage transformed beneath the brush. The very act of trying to paint it made the anger and disappointment disappear. I guess maybe you could say I'm not very good at expressing my inner feelings. Or am I? They changed just as the painting did. </div>
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Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-91534561486687039282017-02-26T13:41:00.003-08:002017-02-26T13:41:40.200-08:00Invest In Yourself<div class="faso-user-p" style="background-color: white; color: #080000; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; padding: 0px;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sketches and colour studies for future paintings.</td></tr>
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How do you invest in yourself as an artist? What lengths are you willing to go to for your own improvement and growth? Do you simply show up at the canvas day after day fumbling your way through it, or do you have a plan on where you want to go and how you are going to get there?<br />
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I donât know why, but I hear so many stories from artists who have hit roadblocks. They are lost or have hit a period of uncertainty. Some are simply bored. Thereâs usually one thing they all have in common. They havenât invested in themselves. Sure they may buy books, take workshops, or even have an arts degree, but most have not made a plan or can identify what they want to say with their art. They donât know where theyâve been or where they want to go next.</div>
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Maybe for someone starting out the goal is âI want to learn to paintâ. So the student goes out and buys paints, canvas, and brushes and begins to paint. But their goal is too broad and general, and theyâve failed to invest in themselves by building a solid foundation first. They havenât identified where they want to go in their own work, or how they can get there.</div>
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For me, my investment in self takes many forms. There are the books â not technique based books though â those get put aside and forgotten quicker than yesterdayâs failed canvas. But books about ideas, theories, and the thought processes of other artists. There are a few workshops. All carefully vetted to make sure it meets with my long (or short) term goals. I have a short list of artists I want to study with and I donât sign up for a workshop just because itâs offered, but because it matches my goals. If you take every workshop ever offered all these different styles and techniques end up on your canvas, with the result that your work may lack focus and intent.</div>
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Not every investment is so serious. The biggest investment is a commitment to daily practice and play. For this I turn to the sketchbook. I occasionally look for fun workshops or lessons that are totally unrelated to the work I do on canvas, such as children's illustration. This is at once frivolous, but there is a more serious underside to this work. It is exercising the visual muscles â kind of like yoga for the hand and eye. One of the common threads I have identified in almost every contemporary artist I admire is that they came to painting through a career in illustration first. Every time I find a new artist I love their bio invariably says âillustratorâ. </div>
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Informal study (or even a formal study if one was so inclined) into an unrelated style or discipline offers an artist the opportunity to learn a different way of expressing yourself visually. This kind of no pressure play can lead to surprise discoveries which can be used in your more formal work, and opens doors for your own unique voice of personal expression. </div>
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My artistic âyogaâ practice had taken the form of daily portrait doodles for most of the year in 2016. Why the human face when Iâm focused on landscape paintings? The face offers the opportunity to easily judge accuracy and allows me to explore a variety of methods for creative expression. In this exercise I was not looking to produce laboured or artistic drawings. I know I can do good charcoal drawings of people. What I wanted was quick sketches to capture an expression, emotion, or characteristic of a person. My parameters were that a) they had to be quick b) small â just a few inches c) at least one a day. But I usually ended up doing several a day. I drew faces from a variety of sources; a couple of online portrait groups, vintage mugshots (my favourites), myself, familyâŚ. I drew happy faces, sad faces, goofy faces, young faces, old facesâŚ. Some were good, some were downright horrible.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One month of daily portrait practice.</td></tr>
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The investment of time and energy doesnât really offer a clear progression of improved ability. Thatâs not the goal of this type of exercise. Itâs to explore expression and to find out what factors contribute to likeness in an illustrative sketch or caricature. It also continues my exploration of the power of line. This year I am focusing my illustration and sketches more on the landscape and figure, working out ideas for expressing concepts and abstraction within a representational realm. It is a little more focused and serious than the portrait sketches of last year, but still offers some frivolity in that I can explore different ideas, styles, and methods of mark making within a small format that I can (hopefully) transform into poetry on canvas. </div>
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âLine is a rich metaphor for the artist. It denotes not only boundary, edge or contour, but is an agent for location, energy, and growth. It is literally movement and change â life itself.â<br />
â Lance Esplund</div>
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Go ahead and invest in yourself. Find a strategy that works for you, and pursue that learning with both seriousness and frivolity, but always with purpose. Have a long term goal or idea of how you want paint and what you want to say. If you focus your energy into that you will likely find it will translate well at the canvas, and will be rewarded by those willing to invest in you!</div>
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Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-47778647442117644012016-03-06T11:07:00.000-08:002016-03-06T11:08:25.253-08:00All Things Spring Art Show<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-52678762357007077092016-01-05T16:28:00.000-08:002016-01-05T17:02:06.348-08:00The Nocebo Effect<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The nocebo effect is a medical term which is the opposite of the placebo effect. Instead of having a positive reaction, the nocebo effect works through the suggestion of a negative side effect causing negative reactions. Although used as a medical term, the nocebo effect can be seen in all aspects of life.<br />
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Today on<a href="http://faso.com/fineartviews/101634/is-a-bad-economy-good-for-art" target="_blank"> FineArtViews Blog</a> I had one of my previous blog posts published. As with most articles on FASO there's a trail of negativity which follows and causes me to form certain impressions about the artists who make them.<br />
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I am shocked by the level of rudeness that gets displayed online, especially in a place like FASO by other artists. Are you aware of who all reads the blogs and what effect your comments have on your image and career? If one can be accused of wearing rose coloured glasses with the people we love, the opposite is also true. The glasses are darker for people that have presented themselves in a negative fashion.<br />
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After reading rude or ignorant comments by someone, I wouldn't give that person the time of day. I certainly wouldn't buy anything from them, regardless of how much I loved or needed the product they were selling. I prefer to support the people working to make the world a better place through their positive attitude and kindness.<br />
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"For me, creating art is accessing a shining sliver of divinity â which is all positive, loving energy. When I go to a place of negativity and fear, I find that my access is denied."<br />
- Michael Carpenter</blockquote>
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So this is some tough love for all the negative people:<br />
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I am a Canadian (and darned proud of it too!). Canada is not the same as the US, or any other country. Our economy is different. Our distribution of wealth is different. Our education is different. Our people are different. Our attitudes are different. Your reality is not mine, and what applies to you may not apply to me.<br />
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Maybe 10 or 20 years ago, you could stay in your studio and knock out the paintings and people were flocking to you (or your gallery) snapping up your work before the paint even dried. That's never been my reality. I have always had to work hard to improve my skills and sell my work. If it's not selling the only person I have to blame is myself. Not the economy, not the galleries, not the people. Me.<br />
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If you were once able to sell your work so easily without effort, I can see how that would be disappointing to you now. But what good is dwelling on the past and spewing your negativity doing for you? You can either talk about how things aren't what they used to be, or figure out how to forge a new path and get on with it. Do you want to be an artist, or do you just want some fairy godmother to come along and sprinkle dollar bills at your feet while you paint all day? (We all would like that but know it's never going to happen!)<br />
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"Many an optimist has become rich by buying out a pessimist."<br />
-Robert G. Allen</blockquote>
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One of the commenters on FASO said, "Auctions are totally irrelevant." Maybe in your world they are. Or maybe the fact you think that plays a part in your struggles today. Local art auctions are relevant to me. What aren't relevant are the big international auctions. In the local auctions, I pay attention to whose names I'm seeing and I pay attention to prices. This is a good way to get a feel for how the local population appreciates art and what they are willing to pay for it. It can teach you about what styles of art are in favour, and many other things.<br />
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I am probably classed in the lower end of the middle class. I don't take fancy vacations. I haven't travelled overseas since I was a teenager and went to the UK on a school trip. We don't own a travel trailer, or many of the other toys most other middle class people do. I don't wear expensive clothes (I'd only get paint on them anyway!). Our house is modest and in need of repairs. We don't eat out often or enjoy many luxuries in life. But what we do enjoy is art, and buy it often, especially when the financial markets are performing poorly and it becomes far too risky to invest in stocks or other financial investments.<br />
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I am not buying Degas' or Monet's. I am buying art I love from living artists I like (who have good attitudes!). The work may increase in value, it may not - just the same as financial investments. If this is how I live and think, don't you think it's reasonable that many others like me are the same? Non-wealthy people who love and buy art. <br />
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I watch the auctions because I won't buy art from artists who are regularly represented in local auctions. My thoughts are if that person has multiple paintings in most secondary sales, it's a good indication there is a glut of their work out there which I think lowers the potential for future value increases. The fact I don't want to buy from an artist with a glut of work on the market, also influences me as an artist.<br />
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Though I try to paint daily, I won't join the daily painting movement, and try to keep my productivity in check. I guess this probably goes back to my education and economics classes with the law of supply and demand. Where supply is great, demand diminishes. I don't ever want to supply myself out of job! So I do other things from time to time that keep my creative skills sharp, like now. I have unofficially declared January to be an illustration month. I did the same thing last year, so I guess it's going to become a tradition.<br />
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Instead of working daily on paintings, I'm doing a lot more sketches, and just generally playing around with works that aren't meant to be sold. It's a form of creative play totally different from the portfolio work I do for sale. I do learn things which eventually find their way into my paintings and improve the work I'm doing. That's kind of the point to creative play. But I'm also spending some down time sowing the seeds for future sales ensuring I can continue to lead the life I love.<br />
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"People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it."<br />
- Author unknown</blockquote>
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to the post office to post a painting to New York. My first sale of the year, with many more to come!Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4660884423132056758.post-36709880201614387872015-12-27T13:03:00.000-08:002015-12-27T13:03:30.647-08:002016 Is Coming!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Romeo - 8x10" - Oil on paper</td></tr>
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One of the things I always do at year end is review my previous years work and try to identify my strengths and weaknesses. I go through my paintings and throw some away, throw some into the rework pile, etc. I try to analyze what worked, what didn't work, and what I want to improve on. Improvements always involve colour use, brushstrokes, and drawing - the basis of painting. I set various goals for myself for the coming year. Some of those goals involve skill, some business, some personal.<br />
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Since I started doing this, I've always met or exceeded my goals, except this year. For the first time ever I failed. The realization that I wasn't going to meet all my goals happened in October and it caused a bit of a slump which coincided with some increased demand for photography. It was easy for me to focus on photography for a couple of months and let the painting languish.<br />
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Last year in early January, I wrote about how I'd lost my momentum over the holidays. I had said I'd plan to have a half finished painting on the easel for this year. But with the existing slump, I forgot all about doing that. However, just before Christmas I was hit with a bunch of submission deadlines and had a couple of paintings that needed to be finished to submit, so that got me back into the studio.<br />
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Like last year, I couldn't keep working because I needed the room I use for drying paintings for company. Unlike last year, I decided to simply switch from painting to drawing. I used the time to work on quicker charcoal sketches and reminded myself how much I love the simplicity and portability of that medium.<br />
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For the past several years I had been getting cards printed with a seasonal artwork I'd done on them. I didn't do that this year, so one of my plans was to get some Christmasy sketches to use for cards next year. I spent the holidays doing charcoal drawings of Santa (St. Nicholas) to use for 2016's cards, which has helped shape some of my goals for the coming year.<br />
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In 2016, I want to improve my figurative drawing and do more portraits. Despite plans to be a landscape painter, I find myself increasingly drawn to the figure and people. Who knew?! I want to improve my charcoal works specifically. There are other goals like:<br />
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<ul>
<li>better brush handling</li>
<li>improved colour usage (I made some discoveries just before the holidays and really want to explore that some more)</li>
<li>explore broken and layered colour</li>
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There are many more goals which I won't list here such as exhibition and sales goals. As for that failed goal from 2015? I'll write about that in a separate post. </div>
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<blockquote>
"You must accept that you might fail; then, if you do your best and still don't win, at least you can be satisfied that you've tried. If you don't accept failure as a possibility, you don't set high goals, you don't branch out, you don't try - you don't take the risk."<br />
- Rosalynn Carter</blockquote>
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Uncommon Depthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02632407442018426098noreply@blogger.com0