Updates from Terri on Her Art Journey
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Rod Moore is on a mission to show the world that ANYONE can learn how to paint. And I’m living proof!
Back in November, 2020 (during the height of the COVID pandemic), I found Rod and his Learn To Paint Academy (LTPA) on Facebook. At the time, I knew very little about the fundamentals of painting, such as composition, design or color-mixing. So, I signed up for his Facebook “challenge” to paint a landscape, and a month later I joined LTPA as a life member. In the 27 months since I began studying with Rod, my progress has been pretty spectacular, according to my friends and family. Of course, I haven’t stopped learning, and I’m still frequently challenged. Last week,I started another one of Rod’s challenges called “Start Your Art,” and these are the assignments from that challenge. The pears and coffee mugs are value studies in gray and color. I’m holding the seascape from this challenge. The paintings behind me are from previous challenges or lessons. Here are the important lessons that I learned (or were reinforced) during Rod’s most recent challenge:
It’s been a great challenge, and a reminder of how far I’ve come and yet how much room for improvement I still have. Life is a constant learning experience. Thanks be to Rod!
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About a month ago, I took my first class with Paul Lorin Pinion. A self-taught artist from Venice, California, Paul works with oil paint to create dramatic seascapes, cloud formations and landscapes.
It was the first time I’d ever painted with oils, and Paul was inspiring as he encouraged me to try something different. Here he is proudly showing off my “masterpiece,” as he called it. When I started my painting journey just two years ago, I avoided oil paints because I was concerned about their being toxic, and the smell of turpentine, which I thought you needed in order to use the medium. Indeed, traditional oil paints, which first appeared in Europe in the 12th century, are made with linseed oil and pigment, and can be thinned with turpentine or mineral spirits, which are solvents. Turpentine is very toxic, gives off noxious fumes, can cause a skin rash if touched and create breathing problems if inhaled. So, oil painting must be done in a well-ventilated area, and it’s best to wear disposable gloves to protect your skin when handling oil paints and their solvents. Primarily because of these problems, I started my art journey using watercolors and acrylic paints, which are water-based and can be thinned just with water. So, what a surprise to learn about WATER-MIXABLE OILS, which is the paint Paul used to teach me. Water mixable oils offer the benefits of traditional oils, but without the toxicity of solvents. First developed in the late 1980s, these paints were the biggest breakthrough in paint production since the invention of acrylic polymer paints in the 1950s. Water and oil molecules naturally repel each other. You’ve heard it before: WATER AND OIL DON’T MIX. But a nontoxic chemical added to water mixable paint allows the water and oil molecules to mix. Therefore, you do not need to use turpentine or other toxic solvents to thin paints and clean brushes. So, one of the greatest benefits of this paint is the remarkable ease of cleanup with the simple use of soap and water. Another benefit of water mixable oils is that they dry more quickly than traditional oils, but not as fast as acrylics. Water mixable oils will stay workable on the palette and canvas for about 8 hours, but will be dry to the touch and ready to be painted over in 24 hours. The paint layers dry slowly by oxidation (coming into contact with air) just like traditional oils, so it still takes time to dry. One of the things I learned in my first oil painting assignments is that they dry darker than they appear when wet. And one of the criticisms of water mixable oils is that they appear duller than traditional oils. They definitely have more of a matte look after drying and do not have the glossy finish of traditional oils, but a final varnish can be added to replicate this look. My takeaway from my lessons with Paul is that I should experiment more with this new medium, and I’m grateful that he inspired me to try something new. Paul also recommended a handy guide for artists using any medium. It’s called “Artist’s Manual.” It’s a veritable bible for painters and illustrators, perfect for beginners, like me, as well as accomplished artists. I bought a used copy from Amazon for about six bucks. Paul will be teaching at public libraries in Las Vegas, and at the Las Vegas Artists’ Guild, which is where I took my class. If you’re in the area and want to give WMO a go, I recommend his class. The next one is going to be about brushstrokes, I believe. The most amazing thing happened to me last week. My painting, “Woodland Stream,” won second place in the watercolor category of a juried competition sponsored by City Lights Art Gallery located just outside Las Vegas. That now makes me an award-winning artist!
What surprises me the most is that I had no expectations of winning. Honestly, I entered the contest purely for the experience (and it was one of my goals for this quarter to enter a juried competition); but I entered primarily to support the local artists who are members of this gallery co-op. Located at 3 East Army Street in the Water Street District of Henderson, NV, City Lights is a 100% all-volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission of promoting local art and art education. It has a wonderful membership of inspired, gifted artists who are all far more talented than me. But I love how they encourage artists at all levels, and how they raise money for the gallery’s scholarship fund for high school students who plan to pursue a higher education with a major in the arts. One of the ways City Lights raises money for its scholarship fund is through entry fees for their various competitions. And so, I entered this competition with no expectation of winning. If you stop by the gallery during the month of March, you’ll see my painting on display along with all the other entries and winners of the competition. You’ll then see for yourself why I am humbled and deeply honored to have received this lovely red ribbon. There’s so much talent packed in this sweet little gallery. As a gift for my friends, Michael and Laura Leehan, last week I painted this portrait of their little dog Biscuit. It’s done in ink, watercolor and pastels on Toned Tan Mixed Media Paper.
The Leehans are a wonderful, Godly couple, and I wanted to bless them. So, as I often do, I prayed to the Lord to guide me as I painted this portrait of their precious pet. And, as always, He did. Pleased with the result, Michael posted the portrait on Facebook, and he received many comments that complimented the work. A few of his friends asked if I might consider painting a picture of their pet. So, it looks like for the time being, I may be in the pet portrait painting business. If you’d like me to capture your furry friend in two dimensions, leave a comment here or PM me and I’ll see if I can do your pet justice. During the month of February, I challenged myself to post a series of paintings on Facebook. My goal was to post a sunflower painting each and every day for the entire month, and I’m pleased to report that I succeeded.
Called my SUNFLOWERS28 series, this is my entire collection of paintings in the order they were posted during the 28 days of February. Now the challenge is to unload these paintings (to make room for my next series!), so I’m offering them for sale at the bargain-basement price of $25 plus shipping. Because the originals are small pieces, no bigger than 8”x 10,” shipping to anywhere in the U.S. shouldn’t be more than $10. So, for just 35 bucks, you could have a Terri Thompson original! Some of the originals have already been snapped up, but let me know which of my paintings you’d like to own and I’ll let you know if it’s still available. Alternatively, you could order an art print from Fine Art America. Prices start at $17 for an 8” x 8” print on archival matte paper. Canvas prints start at $42. You can also get my designs printed on a greeting card, a cup, a tote bag or even a throw pillow, among other items. If you’re interested, check out my art store by hitting the SHOP NOW button on my website or go to www.fineartamerica.com/profiles/7-terri-thompson and click on the “Collections” page for my “Sunflower Collection.” Even if you don’t buy one of my paintings, I’d love to hear what you think of my SUNFLOWERS28 series. Do you have a favorite? |
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 |