What the Beach Breezes Stirred Up

Palm Breezes. 12 x 12 oil Available here

Tropical Storm Ana was forming in the Atlantic, but things were calm in Ft. Lauderdale where we’d driven to visit our son’s family, especially his beautiful new daughter. A walk along the Ft. Lauderdale waterfront under palm trees and clear star-filled skies should have been serene. But things were stirring within me. We’d spent the afternoon at Nova Southeastern University Art Museum  at two of their exhibits:  Kahlo, Rivera and Mexican Modern Art Exhibit and Pablo Picasso: Painted Ceramics and Works on paper, 1931-71.

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The Mexican Art exhibit included a wide variety of vibrant expression, including surrealism, abstract, fantasy, and realism in a wide range of materials. The Picasso exhibit was similarly invigorating with the range of elegant, animated, and humorous drawings presented alongside the ceramics.  I felt all the works were similarly bold and direct whether they were about private or civil statements.

Seeing these paintings was like having the sea breezes reach right into the building and blow away cobwebs. I became excited to try new subjects and new materials. Since returning to my home studio I’ve been inspired to work with materials languishing in my cabinet (oil pastels, cold wax and gouache/opaque watercolor.)  I’m especially strengthened in my resolve to work on issues in my own style that I have long wanted to achieve, such as a bringing to it a more linear style with direct and simplified form and color. I was impressed by these shows how the sense of line and volume filled up the space. Finally, I’m encouraged to get more personal--to dig back into my own heritage and see what I can put into my future work. I’ll be trying new themes and subjects, maybe Celtic folktales and dreams. I may do more urban and industrial subjects (remember, I’m a Detroit “girl”.)  

 

Service Is Our Business #2. 12 x 12 Oil and Cold Wax. Available here.

And playing more!   

 

Cabana Life 7 x 5 oil Available here.

   

Art is fun when it’s about evolving and exploring  . . .that’s what's blowing in the wind!

 

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.

Fine Art America FAA link to bottom http://1-sarah-sheffield.fineartamerica.com/

4 Ways to Restart Your Engine

We all have dry periods--times when we just don’t seem to produce much or even have the impulse to participate.  Call it what you want: depression, distraction, a creative block.  I hit a long period between December and April where I found it was very difficult to do many paintings. Much of this was due to personal and family illnesses. Most of the time when I feel this way, “just showing up for work”, as they say, has been sufficient to get me over the hump.  What I mean is that just going to the easel and the process of starting a painting has been enough to get me going. It wasn’t working this time. So I had to come up with some other ways to motivate myself, to “rev the engine”.

Here are some practices that helped me:

1. Play with something new that doesn’t require much planning.  Don’t place any obstacle in your way.  Get out what you have easily available.  I got out tissue paper, glue, a board and a little fast drying acrylic paint.  I just started pasting down colorful torn paper. The results- two collages based on an egg theme (It was around Easter, so the theme came easily.)

   

   Fresh Eggs 8 x 10 mixed media Available here

2. Doodle or sketch in a small notebook with just charcoal or pencils or markers.  Be a surrealist!  Draw things from your imagination. Keep it simple, no pressure.  This can be right in your own home.  It’s about seeing and dreaming, not producing.

This is a sketch that resulted in the painting "The Original Nook"

Unplanned doodling

3. Make jewelry.  Jewelry is good because it’s small and you see progress quickly. I started another copper link bracelet.  You can congratulate yourself on a few inches of work. Honestly, I haven’t gotten much more accomplished since last month, but I’m not worried.  I’ve got my enthusiasm back! 

You can make a lot of different costume jewelry with collage materials or by reassembling scrap jewelry. You’ll be calling on many of the same art principles you use in other work, but doing it on a small scale.

The beginning of a flower chain bracelet.

4. Visit galleries and museums and allow other artists to stimulate you.

I can’t say I enjoy these fallow periods, but I often come through them into a more creative period afterwards.  I am grateful for the renewal.

If you have ways to restart your engine, please share them with me. 

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.

Fine Art America for prints

How to Travel in One Place

This has been a long, hard winter for many of us.  I’ve been suffering from cabin fever. We've had to be creative to overcome being cooped up. Travel can be a mindset as well as physical movement, so even though we are at the beginning of spring with more opportunities to get out, I offer these suggestions for ways to travel in one place:

  

•  Interior paintings/sketches/photos.  I’ve looked around my house and found indoor scenes within my own home that were paint-worthy.  This could be a den or dining scene, for instance, a person reading in an easy chair, a dog by the fire. I’ve also set up my own scenes, like a bathing suit hanging on a door to remind me of a beach cabana.  I’m instantly transported back to vacation spot! Be creative with these interior scenes.

Cabana Life oil Available here

• Still life paintings.  I set up objects from souvenirs of travels, collectibles or buy flowers at the grocers that are reminiscent of places I've visited—did you visit lavender fields in France or roses in England or just violets in your grandmother’s garden? Travel back with those happy memories!  The painting, Pop One, below, has double meaning--it reminds me of vacation refreshments, as we really only drink soft drinks on vacation, and because Walt's grandfather managed a Coke plant.

Pop One oil Available here

• Explore an area of your own town or neighborhood.  Look around and talk to people. Or sit still and just take it in. In Cary and Wilmington we enjoy farmer's markets and especially like trying restaurants based on different cultural traditions--Mediterranean, Indian, or Italian.  This could open up many café and market scene paintings. Here is a little market scene I did from France.

Pommes de Terre watercolor Available here

• Reading always transports me to far-off places and sparks my visual imagination. I especially like books set in definite places.  If you like action mysteries, I highly recommend Dana Stabenow’s Kate Shugak’s series based in Alaska.  Each book gives you a different understanding of Alaskan life.

 

• Try a new experience.  Well, how is this travel?  Maybe it’s stretching it a bit, but a new experience IS like a vacation!  Refreshing.  In art it could be trying a new technique, or just experimenting.  For me presently, it’s chain maille copper jewelry.  This is an unfinished flower  chain bracelet.  Do you see a rose in the basic shape? 

 

Spring is here, hooray!  But next time you find yourself a little housebound, I hope these ideas help.

HAPPY TRAVELS!

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 PaintworksGallery (see also clickable link above right)

Please LIKE me at my FACEBOOK FanPage.

Fine Art America  http://1-sarah-sheffield.fineartamerica.com/

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!

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 PaintworksGallery (see also clickable link above right)

Please LIKE me at my FACEBOOK Fan Page.