Updates from Terri on Her Art Journey
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Over the past couple of years, I’ve been asked to make paintings for friends and family members. Last week, I had the pleasure of seeing two of my paintings hanging in a beautiful home in Virginia. Here I am with my friend Mary Ann and “Bella,” and with her husband and “Vincent’s Vineyard.”
In addition to pet portraits, I’ve taken commissions for landscapes, floral art and even a still life. Here are examples of some of the paintings I’ve been commissioned to make. My paintings are done in acrylic and mostly on canvas panels (although I can also use stretched gallery-wrapped canvases or paint with watercolor on paper). My prices are fairly reasonable, starting at $50 for a small 5” x 7” watercolor on paper. I typically paint from a photo reference. Depending on subject matter, I can usually finish a painting within a week. Once I get back to my Las Vegas studio in a couple of weeks, I’d like to once again offer my services to paint commissioned work. If I get an order by mid-November, I may even be able to finish it in time for Christmas! So, what can I paint for you?
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Last week I continued the “Paint the Impressionists Challenge” with Rod Moore. For that, I did this study of a painting by Australian artist Arthur Streeton. A member of the Heidelberg School, Streeton was part of an art movement that painted en plein air (outdoors, in the open air).
Called “Blue Pacific,” the original of this painting is an 1890 oil on canvas depicting a headland on the northern end of an eastern suburb of Sydney. The original is currently on exhibit at the National Gallery in London, whose Director has said that this painting demonstrates the influence of French impressionism on Australian art. She says, “Here was a way of capturing the fleeting effects of light and atmosphere in nature when depicting landscapes that had never been depicted before.” Calling it a “very jolly place,” Streeton wrote that “on warm days the place (which is like a nest) is filled with smiles and sweet humanity. I’ll come here to die I think.” (Actually, Streeton died in 1943 at the age of 76 in Olinda, Victoria, which means he was only 23 years of age when he painted “Blue Pacific”). I agree with Streeton that this does appear to be a jolly place; I like how he includes so many “jolly” people in his landscape. For my study of “Blue Pacific” (pictured above), I used a limited palette of acrylic paints (ultramarine blue, yellow ochre, alizarin crimson, pthalo green, cerulean blue and titanium white) on a 9 “ x 12” canvas board. Although I began my art journey as a photo journalist, specializing in realism, and I’ve dabbled a bit with abstract art, I now see myself as something in between. My paintings are still representational, but now that I’ve learned about the impressionist movement, I believe I can call myself a contemporary impressionist painter. What do you think? As a student of Rod Moore’s Learn To Paint Academy for the past couple of years, I’ve learned a lot about the fundamentals of painting. Rod also teaches a course about the great Master Artists, and, as a contemporary impressionist painter himself, he’s especially fond of the impressionists, from Claude Monet of Paris to America’s Mary Cassatt and Australia’s Arthur Streeton.
This month, Rod has challenged his students to study the impressionism movement and the techniques of some prominent impressionists. Impressionism originated in the 19th century with a group of Paris-based artists who were radicals in their time by violating the rules of academic painting. Faced with harsh opposition and rejected by the conventional art community in France, they exhibited independently and won prominence during the 1870s and 1880s. The Impressionists’ style was characterized by relatively small, thin, loose brushstrokes; candid poses and open composition; and the play of light expressed in bright and varied use of color. The artists painted realistic scenes of modern life, and often painted outdoors, en plein air, but detail was not important. Instead, the artists wanted to capture the essence of the subject, rather than its details. The Impressionists sought to express their perceptions of nature, rather than create exact representations. Another interesting identifiable technique is that pure impressionism avoids the use of black paint; greys and dark tones are produced by mixing complementary colors. As Rod explains, new technology played a role in the development of the style. Previously, painters made their own paints individually, by grinding and mixing dry pigment powders with linseed oil. Impressionists took advantage of the mid-19th century introduction of premixed paints in tin tubes (resembling modern toothpaste tubes), which allowed artists to work more spontaneously, both outdoors and indoors. The name of the Impressionists’ style derives from the title of a Claude Monet work, “Impression, soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise),” which I’ve posted above. This painting provoked critic and humorist Louis Leroy to write a scathing review in the newspaper, Le Charivari, derisively titling his article, “The Exhibition of the Impressionists,” in which Leroy declared that Monet’s painting was at most a sketch, and could hardly be termed a finished work. So much for your nasty critique, Mr. Leroy. More than a century ago, you named an art movement that is still popular to this day! Autumn in New England is absolutely picturesque. And this is only the beginning. By the end of October, the leaves on these trees will be every variation of yellow, gold and orange.
God willing, I will do some plein air painting before I head back to Las Vegas! Well, it’s October and many people are getting their first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season. Truth be told, I made a batch of pumpkin muffins myself just yesterday.
But this month is also the beginning of the final quarter of 2022 and time for me to set (and reset) some goals for me and my art journey. Looking back at the goals I’d set for myself for the third quarter of the year, I’d say I did a fair job at accomplishing at least some of them. In July, I was able to teach my first painting class at City Lights Art Gallery with the help of my good friend, Sujata, on July 6. Based on the reviews of our students, it was a successful experience, and I hope to teach more classes for beginners when I get back to Las Vegas later this year. Leaving Las Vegas and packing up my studio there has been an impediment to my painting life. Although I did set up my studio loft in Connecticut by the end of July, I find that I am not nearly as productive here as I am in Las Vegas. Maybe it’s the weather; it’s not sunny here every day like it is in Vegas. Or perhaps it’s because here I’m not motivated by my colleagues at the Henderson art gallery. I do miss my arty friends in Nevada. So, my painting suffered this summer. Although I’d planned to do a “paint-a-day” event on Facebook during the month of August, it turned out to be a “painting-a-week” event for the month of September. COVID took me out for a week in September, and I still haven’t recovered my daily painting habit. In my quest to find my artistic voice, I was able to complete Louise Fletcher’s ten-week course, “Find Your Joy,” as well as Nicholas Wilton’s (Art2Life) five-day challenge and Rod Moore’s “loosen up” challenge. Nonetheless, I’m still struggling to find my unique style. For a while, I thought it had something to do with TREES, but I’ve lost my interest in that. I keep praying for inspiration. In addition to my bout with COVID, my productivity was disrupted by a few trips into New York City, where I’m packing up and moving out of my apartment. Until it’s finally sold, that will continue to be a bit of a distraction. During my summer in Connecticut I’ve learned a few lessons: 1) Disruptions happen, life gets in the way and I need to be flexible. 2) Don’t get discouraged when all my goals are not met; some accomplishments are not quantifiable. 3) Stay motivated and keep working on quality rather than quantity; and 4) Use the summer months for self-development and improving my skills. For the final quarter of the year, I plan to start marketing online for Christmas sales. That includes listing some items on Facebook Marketplace. In November, I will have to pack up my loft studio in New England and settle back into my desert studio. By the end of the month, I will reunite with my friends at City Lights Art Gallery, participate in Thanksgiving/Christmas sales and perhaps schedule a painting class in the gallery’s classroom. And by the end of December, I will finalize the sale of my apartment, God willing. That should get the new year off to a great start! |
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 |