Updates from Terri on Her Art Journey
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My heart goes out to the people of Ukraine. What a terrible week this has been for them and for the world. The sunflower is Ukraine’s national flower, representing the warmth of the Ukrainian people. So I’m posting here some of my old sunflower paintings as a gesture of support and prayer.
Distracted by the insanity of this war, my art journey has been on hold for the past several days. I struggle to paint. I cannot focus on my art instructions or think of working on my so-called art business or even concentrate to read a relaxing art book or magazine. Feeling helpless yet wishing to support the citizens of Ukraine, I’ve found a charitable organization that sends humanitarian aid directly to the people in need on the ground (not to overhead or development officers). It’s called the Will Kiersky Emergency Aid to Ukraine fund, founded in memory of the son of my good friend Nancy Earle, through an organization called INTERSOS. If your heart aches for this cause, please consider giving to https://kbfus.networkforgood.com/projects/52041-i-kbfus-funds-intersos-humanitarian-organization-it I’m praying for the people of Europe and I’m praying for a swift end to this insanity. You may not believe what I believe, so I won’t try to force that on you. But if you would, please just close your eyes and ask God to intercede and end this. Amen.
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If you’ve been following me on my art journey for the past year, you probably know that I’ve been studying under Rod Moore of the Learn to Paint Academy. Not only am I learning the fundamentals of painting, but I’m also taking a course in teaching art as a certified instructor of the Moore Method of Painting. To pass the course, I need to teach two “practice” classes, complete ten painting assignments and take a written exam. Last month, I finished the last of my paintings, and last week, I submitted my written exam. So . . . I’m on a roll (yay me!)
With the Moore Method of Painting, which focuses on oils and acrylics, we use a very limited palette of just three primary colors (blue, red and yellow). Specifically, we use ultramarine blue, alizarin crimson and yellow ochre (plus titanium white), and we mix all the other colors we need from these four. Because my ultimate goal is to teach people how to paint, I thought I’d start by sharing some basic knowledge with anyone who wants to follow me. So, here’s my lesson in color. The five components of color are value, saturation, temperature, harmony and complements. Value is the lightness and darkness of a color and every color has its own value. It tends to be the first thing we notice in a piece of art. Values matter because they create a focal point of interest in a painting (for example, by putting the lightest color next to the darkest). Values can also create the illusion of depth. That is, areas of light and dark can give a three-dimensional illusion of form to the subject. Saturation is the amount or intensity of a particular color. Temperature refers to the warmth or coolness of a color. Simply put, warm colors (shades of red, orange and yellow) bring to mind warm things, like the sun or fire. Cool colors (which include blues, greens and purples) bring to mind cool things, like a mountain stream or grass. Harmony is when colors are related to each other and working together. Colors across from each other on a color wheel are called complementary; and the three main pairings of complements are red and green, blue and orange, and yellow and purple. There’s a whole lot more to be said about color, but this is a start. Please pray that I’ll be up for the challenge next month when I plan to teach my first class. Happy Valentine’s Day to all my friends and family!
I’m pleased to report that the Valentines Art Fair held last Saturday at City Lights Art Gallery in Henderson, NV, was a modest success for me. During the day, I sold one small acrylic painting and four tiny watercolors. Although I didn’t make a lot of money, I met many talented artists and made several art-loving friends. So, in that regard, it was a huge success! Stephanie Rose, the president of the gallery, deserves credit for making these art fairs happen, and I look forward to the next one to be held on Mother’s Day. (You should make plans to come to that one . . . it’s going to be big!) In the meantime, it’s time for me to get serious about making art that folks will actually buy. It’s been almost a year since I started trying to sell my paintings and what I’ve learned during that time is that people know what they want, and it’s not necessarily the things I paint. Sure, I’ve sold a few of my landscapes, seascapes and floral art, but not many. And some folks have purchased reproductions of my artwork from Fine Art America, but, again, not a lot. Where I’ve had the most success is through COMMISSIONED work. For friends and family, I’ve painted everything from a landscape to a flower bouquet. And, yes, pet portraits are the most popular requests. So, what may I paint for you? Do you have a beloved dog or cat you’d like me to paint? Or a special place near and dear to your heart? I’ll even paint your house – well, not LITERALLY your house; but if you send me a photograph, I’ll make you a painting of your beautiful home. My rates are extremely reasonable. PM me on Facebook or send me an email at tthompson1952@gmail.com and I’ll give you an estimate. Last week, I prepared for the Valentine’s Art Fair coming up next weekend. It’s to be held on Saturday, February 12, at City Lights Art Gallery in Henderson, NV, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. And it looks like it’s going to be fun . . . booths filled with local artwork and even a raffle!
Given the theme for this art fair is LOVE, I created about a dozen whimsical watercolors of various heart designs to be on display and for sale, of course. They’re small – just 3” x 5” in 5” x 7” mats – and I plan to sell them for just 5 bucks apiece. In addition to my Valentine’s Day “specials,” I’ll be exhibiting and offering for sale more than three dozen of my original paintings, acrylics as well as watercolors. This includes abstracts, floral art, landscapes, seascapes and even a couple still lifes. Most of the paintings are either matted or framed. The first time I displayed at an art fair was just after Thanksgiving last year. That was also at my gallery, City Lights in Henderson. At that event, I sold one seascape and two of my flower paintings. Alas, I ended up spending more on other people’s art than I earned for my own! For this art fair, I have many more items (I’ve been painting a lot these last couple of months!), and at a variety of prices (from just $3 to $35). So, my prices are fair, I believe, and there’s something for everyone. The weather forecast for Saturday is perfect . . . sunny with temperatures in the 70’s . . . so typical of the Las Vegas climate. So, I’m hoping we get a good turnout. If you’re in the Vegas area, won’t you stop by? |
AuthorTerri Thompson is a journalist-turned-visual artist, who is on an "art journey" and exploring how to tell her stories through her watercolor and acrylic paintings and photographs. Categories |