Landscape Design

This is going to be fun.........LOL. I have just finished blocking in a landscape design....I did the sky completely except for the fog/mist. I used Midnight Blue, Black Plum, Titanium White and Soft Black for the blocking in process.....NOW comes the FUN part. CREATING the design. I love looking at a design from someone else, or a photo and then create my own color palette based on the underlying colors I see. When doing a landscape I hardly ever do a pattern...I just lightly sketch in with vine charcoal so I get proportions correct and many times I just use the acrylic paints as the blocking in..... Now to find the time to finish it. The surface is a good sized MDF plaque that I purchased ions ago. I have several of them so need to do them all up.

When finished this is going to be a winter mountain scene, river, rocks, everygreen trees, and waterfall. I feel really good about this piece and I am therefor anxious to get back down in my room and work on it. I can almost "see" the force of the river already....can you?

Susan Cochrane Design

I was going through some magazines looking for a design to put on a small hinged top secreatary when I ran across a design that Suan had painted on the back of a hand mirror. It worked out well on the secretary but I am looking for a vintage mirror to redo....as it was a quick easy design,,,,,the hardest part was the webbing....I HATE linework....

Wooden HP Rose N Ribbon Bracelet

I have been working on several different

surfaces today....just finished up this

wooden rose n ribbon bracelet. I used Sandstone as the base color and like the way the roses kinda pop out. There are

4 roses around the bracelet with cascading ribbon between each one. This bracelet could be worn with roses up or roses down....looks neat either way.

I wanted some hand painted bracelets for the Gallery so we will see if these "work". I also have some animal ones I am working on but they are much harder than they looked when I was just "looking" at them. I am working on a Zebra....he is turning out "cute".

NEW PROJECTS

These are two projects recently completed.

The lazy susan was given to me and was purchased at Big Lots. It has a glass top that makes it so much nicer. I love poppies done on black.

The Home Sweet Home design was a "free downloadable pattern" from Artist Club. I thought it was just the cutest..and I had a Tavern board plaque in my

"stash" so it worked out nicely.

*************UTUBE VIDEOS TRANSFERED

I HAVE MOVED THE UTUBE VIDEOS TO MY NEW BLOG.....
ARTABILITY REIGNS. ALL FUTURE VIDEO CLIPS CAN BE SEEN ON THIS NEW BLOG, KEEPING THIS BLOG "ARTISTIC RENDERINGS" MORE MY OWN PERSONAL BLOG. SO GO ON OVER AND TAKE A LOOK. THERE WERE TWO VIDEOS' I COULDN'T FIND TO TRANSFER OVER SO I WILL LEAVE THEM HERE ON ARTISTIC RENDERINGS AS THEY ARE IMPORTANT ONES TO ME.

Handmade/Handpainted Drop Leaf Table

This is a little drop leaf table that my husband made for me quite

awhile back and I was waiting for the right design to paint on it. This is a Ros Stallcup piece (one of my favorite artist designers) and it was just perfect for this table. I finished the painting today, using artistic license along the way. Tomorrow I will need to put on a non gloss polymer finish, sand between applications, order a piece of glass to protect, then take down to the Gallery on Saturday "for sale". I think this would be adorable on a porch. I painted this design with some new landscape brushes which I will have for sale shortly.....brand new and they work wonderful.

How-to: "Cracked Glass" ATC

Just for the Heck of It

Sometimes I like to do things just because....and this was one of those times.

My kitchen is very roostery....so thought this would be cute to hang in one of the french door panes going out onto the side deck.

I want to do some pieces similar to this one where there are "do dads" hanging so thought I would practice with mine....I have seed beads on a head pin, 2 red and 1 yellow, some red dynamites on a head pin and then two Tierra Cast charms ; a floral and a heart.... To hang I used a piece of hubby's fishing tackle line and I will adhere a small suction cup to the window. The surface is a ceramic oval which came predrilled. I have another one done that is blue sky background with a birch or aspen tree trunk and I will use Swarovski crystals and who knows what else on that one.

It was fun.....and that is what art is about....don't you think? And now I have a cute rooster eye to watch over me as I do my wifey little kitchen chores.

Art Techniques with Matisse Derivan - Cracking

Mediums....

Most of the mediums I listed in a prior subject heading are found in Matisse and Liquitex Mediums. To check availability go to: http://www.jerrysartarama.com .

BRUSHES

When painting on canvas I ALWAYS use portrait or fine grade canvas so I find that I am able to use several different "types" of brushes successfully and am not restricted to the use of bristle brushes to get into the deep grain texture of the lower grade canvases. Using top grade products increases the beauty of your work, causes less damage to your brushes, and provides a painting flow that is so rewarding.

I have said before that the paint you use, your surface, and the effect you want to achieve will dictate the type of brush that you will want ie: soft, semi soft, medium or stiff.

The type of brush ie: flat, filbert, etc. and size is dependent upon the artist and what they find is more comfortable for them to produce the effect they are wanting to achieve. The specialty brushes make painting easier..... An experienced painter might be able to " make" just a couple of brushes to work but why struggle? Why not make painting a truly fun and rewarding experience with the ease of what is available to be used.

I DO NOT feel that brush companies provide several lines, several types of brushes, etc. to promote sales....I feel they provide selections to make us better artists by providing individuality.

Liquitex and Matisse Paint Mediums

I am presently using DecoArt Americana, Liquitex tube and Matisse tube acrylics.

There are several advantages to the tube acrylics that are fun to experiment with that aren't available with bottled acrylics.

MEDIUMS:

Gel mediums are a clear acrylic substance with the thickness of hair gel. They come in a variety of thicknesses and the purpose is to change the consistancy or appearance of acrylic paint.

Depending on the type of medium it alters the consistency of paint, adds sheen, reduces gloss can add a transparent coat, prime a canvas or protect a painting and bind paint. Artists use
gloss medium to highlight specific elements of a painting such as the edges of clouds.

Gel mediums are available in gloss, matte, and semi-gloss. These mediums are also used successfully in cocllage, decoupage and transfers.

The gels come in self leveling which is used for gloss and, soft gel which is used for glazing and transparency effects. Regular gel extends paint and heavy gel increases the pody of paint and holds peaks. Extra heavy gel is ideal for impasto. The matte finish also retains brushstrokes well.

Fine pumice gel adds texture, coarse and extra course pumice create a granular surface and the glass bead gel contains actual glass beads and give a painting luminescent quality. Clear granular gel adds a textured, translucent area.

One of the important features of gel mediums is that they are archival so they will not discolor or loose adhering properties over time.

Since a lot of my painting is now being done on canvas and I am using primarily the tube acrylics for this surface I have been using both the matte and gloss gel as a protective coat when I finish...which gives the acrylics more of a brilliance and depth which I am liking. You can also mix the gloss and matte for a semi-gloss which is my favorite.

The above mediums are found in both Liquitex and Matisse....

Artistic Views

There were 3 of us "working" at the Gallery today so even though we were really busy; during the lulls

our topic of conversation was on the statistics we have been "charting" since the Co-op began. What was selling, who was selling best $ wise and quanity wise, times that were the busiest, etc. Artist moves within the Gallery, upcoming classes, etc.

It seems as if in our area the economy is beginning to limp a little bit forward and people are buying. We have expensive, high priced items sell as well as those in the $20 $60 range doing the best.

People seem to be wanting to bring pieces of beauty into their home .... and have things of beauty if they are to spend more time there because of the ecomical set back we are all finding ourselves experiencing. They are enjoying what they are seeing, wanting what they see, and finding a way to be able to afford the item and take it home.

Much to everyones surprise and delight The Gallery has been flourishing in visitors and sales in comparison to others in the area.

We have a broad range of artists from fine artists, decorative painting, wood, glass, metal, pottery, etc. and everyone has experienced sales.

There is excitement with our visitors when they wander our aisles and talk about what they are seeing.....and some spend an hour or so really admiring the work of the 25 different vendors/ work. This in itself is rewarding.

So Galleries here are NOT diminishing, not becoming extinct. The exact opposite seems to be the case"..... the problem is not the "lack of interest in art" the inability of others to purchase the art but with other non related issues ...... one may call it unrealistic rent...

The photo is by "me" and is of Smith Rocks near Terrebonne, OR. Amazing photogenic area.