5 Lessons I’ve Learned from Painting

Whether painting is your pastime or your occupation—or whether you have some other passion--you may find it changing you in ways you hadn’t expected.  It’s generally accepted that “you bring yourself to your painting” and “you paint what you know”.  But I think it’s just as true that the act of painting itself changes you.  My artistic journey has brought about these changes:

To be observant and involved

You’d think that all artists are natural observers.  While I’ve always enjoyed “people-watching”, I’ve never considered myself a naturally good observer.  But to paint, I’m forced to focus and observe.  Sometimes I’m forced to take in and record information quickly.  I keep a small sketch pad with me. Through frequent drawing classes and painting outdoors (with constantly changing light), I practice rendering both stationary and moving subjects.  I actually see more! Yes, I see more shapes, more color and different colors than I used to see! The plein air painting Shimmering Stones below was such an experience where colors jumped out at me (available here).

Shimmering Stones 10 x 8 oil Available

To respond to the moment.

When I paint, I focus intensely; once started, it’s tough for me to pull away. But when I’m painting outdoors, I must not only respond to the physical environment (run, it’s raining!), I must respond also to the social environment--interruptions of all kinds.  “Hello, thank you for looking at my painting”; “Yes, these are oil paints.” I’ve learned that “interruptions” can be pleasant interludes, that my attitude makes a difference.  Being open and spontaneous is a choice!

Reaching for the River 16 x16 oil Available

To take risks

Take risks with subject matter, take risks with places, take risks in technique. Reaching for the River is an example of taking risk with a place.  It was a difficult place to access, but was worth the effort. It’s hard to take risks with things you care about! And for me, a third generation painter, I felt I needed to “prove” I could draw, so I had to be exact.  My biggest risk has been to be more expressive, less exact. I’m now more concerned in telling a story in a simple way.  Which brings me to my next point  . . .

To accept myself

I’ve learned to accept where I am and not compare myself to others. I certainly strive to improve and be the best “me”, but at the same time not wallow in what I haven’t yet achieved.  As Popeye said, “I yam what I yam”.  That’s pretty freeing!

Castaways 9 x 12 oil Available

To travel light

Many painting places are inaccessible unless you walk and carry your equipment. If you’re not willing to do this, you can’t get off the beaten path. Outdoor painters carry the essentials. I’ve learned to discard unnecessary items and to understand how very little we really need. And regardless of the load, it’s good to have a companion traveling the path with you.  Painting has helped me convert a pack of goods to a pack of memories.  My painting “Castaways” [available here] is a reminder to: go simple, go light, go in pairs!

Thank you for going with me on this journey!

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Thank you for reading. If you enjoy my essays, please share with your family and friends.  I’d like to hear from YOU!  Please leave comments and questions. 

My paintings are available at my studio in Cary, NC, online at Sheffield Art Studio and at my Daily PaintworksGallery (see also clickable link above right)

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RETREAT

Withdrawal? Shelter? Flee? Why do we take these painting vacations? They are retreats, or re-treats. They may be withdrawals from our daily lives, shelters from the mundane, and a temporary fleeing from our regular responsibilities, but we think of them as ways to TREAT ourselves over and over again! We connect with new knowledge, practice new skills, and search for inspiration among the unique local sights.  This trip met those expectations.

Oil Pastel of Banyan Tree, side yard- Little White House, Key West

Presidents have been finding Key West a splendid retreat since 1946.  According to the history of the Harry S. Truman Little White House, Truman was in sore need of a rest following the war years and war economy.  After an inspection of the Naval Station on Key West, Truman soon found the quarters there just the right place to recover his emotional and physical health. Since then many presidents and dignitaries have found it a welcome refuge.  We’d walked many miles down the main street of Key West before arriving at the Little White House, so we’d had our exercise and found the lawn chairs in the big side yard a welcome sight. Walt and I sat and spent a leisurely afternoon sketching there before taken the interior tour (no charge for sitting in the side yard). (I enjoyed experimenting with the oil pastels I brought.) The water and sun were to our back and shade and flowering shrubs were laid out in front of us. Perhaps “Harry” himself sat here and put his feet up.

This is the pie I made.  It's easy and fast.

Next stop was Kermit’s Key West Key Lime store for what else? Key Lime pie! I think I had a pie-a-day.  Now, with as much walking as we did, I could easily justify the pie, and a retreat is no time to say “no” to yourself!  A literal treat. Yum! We purchased a bottle of their key lime pie juice.  It comes with a pie recipe as follows:

1-9 in graham cracker crust

2 14 oz. cans sweetened condensed milk 

6 egg yolks

½ cup Kermit’s key lime juice

Blend milk and egg yolks at low speed until smooth. Add key lime juice and finish blending. Pour into pie crust and bake in preheated 300 degree oven for 15 minutes.  Cool 15 minutes before refrigerating.  Serve thoroughly chilled pie topped with fresh whipped cream.

  

Sometimes you find a moment of calmness and a reminder from another species to just “be”, breathe deeply and be still.  A sighting of a pair of placid manatees in a cove near our residence did just this. Unfortunately, they were a bit too far for a good photo, but we felt grateful for their presence.

"Once A Refuge" 24 x 24 oil on panel Available

Finally, we discovered the local Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden.  It's an interesting walk through local flora, fauna and relics of local history (Cuban boats).  My painting above is based on one of the Cuban boats displayed which once ferried hopeful Cubans out of Castro’s Cuba to Florida—a different retreat than what we were experiencing. Something for us to ponder. Learning is restorative in itself, and we felt refreshed by the diverse collection we encountered here.

We found Key West to be a multifaceted place—bars, bistros, music, fishing, sun, wild chickens, small homes, big yachts, museums, flowers, history, color, art—the low-brow and the high-brow. 

New knowledge.  New skills.  New ideas.  Refreshed. 

Key West:  What a treat!

If you want to be the first to know about exhibits and discounts, sign up for my NEWSLETTER email list on the home page of Sheffield Art Studio.

Thank you for reading. If you enjoy my essays, please share with your family and friends.  I’d like to hear from YOU!  Please leave comments and questions. 

My paintings are available at my studio in Cary, NC, online at Sheffield Art Studio and at my Daily Paintworks Gallery (see also clickable link above right)

Please LIKE me at my FACEBOOK Fan Page.

 

All About Vision and Voice

"Gentle Mooring" (in progress) oil on panel 24 x 24 Thanks to fellow artist G. Wade Carmichael for the name!

 Soon after arriving in Key West, stories started unfolding for me about creativity, imagination and vision.

Of course Key West would attract all manner of artists.  Some of the most noted are the following: John James Audubon, Mario Sanchez, Winslow Homer, Ernest Hemingway  and Jimmy Buffett.  Key West has much to offer the visual artist, “eye candy” in flora, fauna, architecture, and year-round painting weather.  Galleries and street artists are plentiful.  

After thinking about my own art history while investigating the lighthouse and my grandfather’s circa 1970 lighthouse painting, Walt and I walked across the street to the Hemingway House and Museum on Whitehead Street.  Outside the entry gate, there we were introduced to the very interesting Scott Gruppe′, grandson of Emile Gruppe′ and of the extensive Gruppe′ artist family.  “Which one do you like?  Which one do you like?” the kinetic artist bounced around asking. He was selling his colorful, unique, and expressive figure drawings on the street. He was surprised I was familiar with his grandfather’s work. Was he happy with his own?  I couldn’t tell. His work is unlike the work of others in his family.  I was left to wonder the journey he’d taken to arrive at his own “voice” or style. (We were happy to buy one for its own appeal.)

Six-toed cat

Standing outside the bricked walls of the Hemingway House, we were enticed in by the sneak preview of the six-toed cats lounging within (not all interests are art!). A meandering tour found me fascinated by his studio and my new knowledge to another side of this most famous writer.  To admit my ignorance, I had not known he had an extensive art collection and life-long appreciation and association with masters of American and European painters.  It was exciting for me to learn that he educated himself to this visual language to enrich and hone the way he would use words to conjure an image. As luck would have it, one of the artists of profound influence on him, Joan Miro′, has a show currently at the Nasher Museum near me in Durham NC through February 22, 2015.

Sunset celebration performer

Our short trip didn’t allow time for discovering more about the many artists associated with Key West--Audubon, Sanchez, Homer, or Buffett, but many current street performers at the “Sunset Celebration” offered imaginative entertainment.

"Robber Rooster" Available here 4 x 4 oil on panel

Cackle and crow.  One sight and sound ever present underfoot you can’t miss in Key West is that of chickens and roosters. Before you even know, they’ll jump up on a café table and rip the lettuce right out of your sandwich!

In my next issue on Key West, see how I tie together stories of Presidential retreats, key lime pie, Manatees, and walks through botanical gardens.

If you want to be the first to know about exhibits and discounts, sign up for my NEWSLETTER email list on the home page of Sheffield Art Studio. 

Thank you for reading. If you enjoy my essays, please share with your family and friends.  I’d like to hear from YOU!  Please leave comments and questions.  

My paintings are available at my studio in Cary, NC, online at Sheffield Art Studio and at my Daily Paintworks Gallery (see also clickable link above right).

 Please LIKE me at my FACEBOOK Fan Page.

Packing Memories

We just took one of those trips where we dipped into the past and dipped into the future. A foot in both places. We traveled to Key West, Florida.  Walt has memories of traveling through the Keys as a teenager, fishing in the waters, and a boyhood friend.  This childhood friend, who he most associates with Key West, died unexpectedly just before we left for the trip; we thought and spoke of him as we drove along the highway into Key West and often during our stay. 

"Once A Refuge"  Oil Pastel Sketch

It was my first journey to this area of Florida and it was chosen as an outdoor oil painting vacation.  As the time approached for the trip, I had misgivings about the oil painting.  I had just finished a 30/30 challenge (30 paintings in 30 days) in September, had recently participated in some plein air events, and worked hard on several exhibits.  I wanted a break from my usual oil painting routine.  I packed a traveling set of watercolors.  Then I looked through my art cabinet and pulled out an old box of art materials that had belonged to my art teacher mother.  Many, many years had passed since her death. These supplies were a tangible connection between us and our love of art, and I hadn’t wanted to consume them.  But I was now ready to use the beautiful colored conte′ crayons and oil pastels, and honor the enjoyment she had with them.  So I packed them in my suitcase with some suitable paper.  Here was a gift of new possibilities from my mother just waiting to be opened.

Key West Lighthouse watercolor sketch

We packed another memory for this trip—the memory of a painting my grandfather, an accomplished architect and watercolorist, had done of the Key West lighthouse.  It was a delight for us to find the spot from which he viewed the lighthouse and sketch it ourselves.

At this time of Thanksgiving and thoughts of family, I am especially aware how grateful I am for my artistic heritage. The memories we recalled reinforced our feelings about just how enhanced are lives are even as we are saddened by losses long past and near past.  We’re indebted and appreciative in the most enthusiastic way.

"Waiting for Baby" oil

The NOW is bringing a NEW gift with unlimited possibility —a grandchild and grand-parenthood!  

(I'll tell you in the next issue if I'm a grandmother and also about what we saw in Key West, artists we met, and about six-toed cats and sandwich-eating chickens!)

If you want to be the first to know about exhibits and discounts, sign up for my NEWSLETTER email list on the home page of Sheffield Art Studio.

Thank you for reading. If you enjoy my essays, please share with your family and friends.  I’d like to hear from YOU!  Please leave comments and questions.  

My paintings are available at my studio in Cary, NC, online at Sheffield Art Studio and at my Daily Paintworks Gallery (see also clickable link above right)

Please LIKE me at my FACEBOOK Fan Page.