Today's Painting Tip:
In keeping with today's composition theme, I'd like to share some composition tips with you:
Choose good viewpoints: 
Moving over can make a world of difference to the composition! By moving over so that the bridge is not central has improved the composition in this example.

Frame the view... tree branches work well in these two pictures.

Painting Update: The Fossil Pieces
After having finalized the background the way I wanted, this week I applied the stencils. I mixed Raw Sienna paint with some Gloss Gel medium, to extend the paint and create a thicker product to apply through the stencil. Gel medium dries clear so the beauty of the Raw Sienna would be as intense as it comes out of the tube. Gel Medium is also less expensive than paint so it is a good way to save a few pennies in your artwork.

I applied the paint/medium mixture with an offset palette knife, trying to press lightly so as not to squish the paint under the stencil, creating an overflow between the stencil openings.

Now I have to let the stencilled parts dry before moving forward. Next week will be some fine tuning to finish the pieces off. Looking forward to showing it to you.

By the way, if you wish to comment on my blog, ask questions or make suggestions about what you would like to learn about, please go to http://www.susanashbrook.com/blog and click on comments to add your's. I would really love to hear from you.

Best wishes,
Susan

It's mid-September... already... and the speed of life is definitely increasing.

Monday I did a presentation on colour for an Ottawa art organization. Lots of information shared and lots of really great questions and "AHA!" moments... oh, and the projector didn't let me down! Whew! (Technology is great... when it works!)

Tuesday was a day spent shopping for art supplies and equipment. In my Wednesday class at one of the area retirement homes we are going to be doing Gelli Printing. This is such fun because there are all kinds of things you can do to create different effects. If you spread your background paint on the plate you can print it directly onto a piece of paper, or you can lay a stencil down on top of the paint and then pull your print, leaving bare paper where the stencil was, creating interesting patterns. Then you can lift the stencil and print that on paper, creating a reverse pattern of your original print, and the options go on and on. I'm looking forward to it!

I priced Gelli Plates, but the cost is prohibitive to purchase enough for an entire class to work with, so I purchased silicone baking sheets at about 1/10th of the price! They are not quite as good as the Gelli Plates, but come a close second, and if students really like doing the prints then they can purchase their own Gelli Plate.

Thursday, two classes start so there is prep to be done for both... not to mention that my "carry on" luggage on wheels, that I use to transport art supplies to classes, died at the end of the summer. One of the handles had been broken for a while but this time the wheels fell off! So, a trip to the Thrift Store was in order to find a new (to me) one. I found one about the same size for $10 and it's in pretty good shape. Should last me several years at least. Now all I have to do it transfer all of the supplies from one to the other by Thursday. More stuff to do!

Anyway, it's great to be back in the saddle again... keeps one from getting old... well at least there's no time to dwell on it!

Today's Painting Tip: How to read paint labels

In 1977  the Artists Equity Association, in the USA and certain manufacturers approached the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) to develop some quality guidelines for artists colours. Up until this point manufacturers had their own formulas, often using pigments that faded or darkened with age, as well as having other quirky qualities that could not guarantee the archival quality of a piece of artwork. The ASTM tested many pigments for their qualities and established parameters for what constitutes an archival artist quality pigment.

Today, much of that information is actually on the label. The rest is available from the manufacturer, and quite frankly, if the information is not on the tube I would suggest that you probably shouldn't buy it if you are concerned about quality. After all, if a manufacturer was proud of the quality of their paint, surely they would subscribe to the ASTM guidelines and let everyone know that they have a quality product... well, wouldn't they?

So, here's what to look for on your colour tubes or jars or however you purchase it...

Colour Index Name: This is a code such at PY35 (this pigment is Cadmium Yellow and only this genuine pigment has this CIN). Every pigment has it's own CIN, which should be on the tube. This will help you determine if it's the colour you are looking for, especially if the manufacturer calls it by a Trade Name, such as "Winsor Yellow". You will also be able to determine if there are other pigments added to create the hue.

The ASTM also set guidelines for lightfastness of pigments, after extensive testing. Artist quality paints only use the ASTM I (Excellent) and ASTM II (Very Good) pigments. This means that if you are using artist quality paints then they are of archival quality.

These are the two most useful pieces of information that will help you select the right paints for your need, but the ASTM has lots more categories of information that are listed by the colour manufacturers in their literature about their products. If you would like to learn more about it please feel free to contact me. I have information that I can send you.

Also, if you want to learn more about mixing colours I'm giving a 2 hour hands-on workshop at Art School Fair on October 31 from 3 to 5 PM. For more information please go to http://www.artschoolfair.com/shopclasses/saw001.

Painting Update:

As you may recall, last week I glued the background fabric to the canvases and gave them a generous coat of liquid medium. This week I applied a thin coat of Golden Light Molding Paste to partially cover some of the fabric. This particular medium is wonderful for backgrounds as it is porous when it dries and then acts like watercolour paper. By applying thin watery paint you can get that wet in wet look with acrylic paints and inks. Just a note though... as with watercolour paper, paint dries lighter because it is absorbed into the white background.

I used Naples Yellow, Nickel Azo Yellow, Indian Yellow Hue, Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold and Raw Umber... pretty much earth tones, to add colour to my white Light Molding Paste. I used fluid acrylics, mixed with a generous amount of water and applied with a jumbo round synthetic watercolour brush, just mopping it on. Even as I was working I could see it lightening as it was absorbed. (In the photos below you can see how much lighter the first one became while I was going the second one.) No problem, you can always go back and add more paint or ink once you see how it dries.

This week I will continue to adjust the background until I'm completely happy with it then, for next week's blog, I will apply the stencils. I'm so looking forward to doing that! I hope you will tune in to see what happens.

If you would like to comment on anything in my blog, ask questions or suggest things you would like me to write about, please click on the heading at the top of this email and click on "Comments" to enter your thoughts and ideas. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes,
Susan

This morning I had coffee with a former photography teacher from my "Visual Arts Centre, Orleans" days. Our paths recently crossed on LinkedIn and we decided to catch up. Strangely enough we live about 10 minutes apart, but haven't spoken for the last 15 years.

During coffee we talked about how our career paths had changed course over the years and then come to the point where one says, "Okay, what is it that I REALLY want to do with the rest of my life?" For me it was a traumatic event that made me ask the question, rather ironically, at about the age that he is now.  For him it was career burnout. Both being normal responses to external pressures.

I'm glad we were able to meet and talk because I think it helped both of us put things into our own perspectives. You know, he said something to me that really resonated with amazing truth... "When you teach you learn." It's so true. I love to learn and my students give me a reason to learn things that I might not actually be interested in learning, but because it's something that would benefit their learning, I learn it too. For that I thank my students, every single one of them! You guys are totally amazing!

So, the conversation then becomes about promoting yourself as an artist, photographer, teacher or whatever you aspire to be. The extended conversation is about getting your name out there so people recognize it and come to associate it with something. Steve Jobs: Apple; Anne Geddes: creative baby portraits http://www.annegeddes.com/until-now-1/; and for those of us that have been around, Laura Ashley: fabrics, clothing, home decor and more http://www.lauraashley.com/.

So how does a local artist, photographer or artisan do that?

Well, let me count the ways...

You could start writing and submitting articles of interest to your community weekly newspapers. No money in it but the articles are often welcomed if they are of interest to the readership.

Writing a blog about your area of expertise, making it regular and striving to expand your subscription rate by promoting it though social media, your mailing list, your friends and anyone who might be interested.

Participating in events and exhibitions where you can show your work, skills and expertise off while also making contact with potential new clients who are in attendance.

Join organizations of like-minded individuals. None of those around... start one!

Keep in touch with the people who have shown interest in your product or services.

Always keep business cards, brochures and posters handy because you never know when the opportunity to distribute them will arise.

If you have happy clients/students, ask for referrals or testimonials about you and what you provided for them.

Keep your eyes and ears open constantly for any potential opportunities that might arise. They often come from the strangest places, at the strangest times.

Love what you do because that passion will come through like a shining beacon.

All that said, and there is much more, it all boils down to a numbers game. The more people who know about you and what you do, the more business you are likely to get. Okay, so now go for it! Oh, and let me know how it's going or if you need some ideas or suggestions. I'm always happy to share what I know if it will help.

Today's Painting Tip: Washing paint brushes
Not sure where I learned this... perhaps Mount Allison University where I seriously learned to paint in oils, but the most effective way to wash your paintbrushes is to first rinse them thoroughly with water or solvent, depending on your medium. Absorb most of the water or solvent from the brush with a really absorbent paper towel and then wash them with soap and lukewarm water, creating a circular motion with the bristles in the palm of your hand. This forces the soap and water up the bristles to the ferule (the metal piece that hold the bristles to the handle). Then do the same motion while running the brush under water. This forces the clear water up into the bristles. Then squeeze the excess water out of the bristles with your fingers. If the water is clear then the brush is clean. If there is still come colour in the water repeat the process again.

You also need to be aware that some paint colours will stain the bristles of your brush which can't be washed out. This is not a problem as long as the water squeezed from the brush is clear.

For those of you who paint in oils, here's something I did learn at Mt A, back in the day when we used wooden palettes... always clean your palette immaculately with turpentine. Once it is clean rub in a layer of linseed oil and polish it highly. Back in the day the expertise of an oil painter could, supposedly, be determined by the patina of his or her palette! 

The New Paintings: Fossils on the Shore
This project is something I have wanted to do for a long while. I fell in love with these fossil stencils and a very dear friend of mine gave me some as a very special gift. I've been mulling the project over in my head for a very long time but it has only just come together very recently, after finding a piece of fabric that is perfect for the background at a fabric flea market. This is one of those events where people who create with fabric sell off their excess at bargain prices. I normally wander through and note the fabrics that I like. After doing the whole show I go back and if the ones I really liked are still there, I buy them. This particular fabric, however, was one of those "I just have to have it, NOW" moments and bought it right away! I'm actually embarrassed to say how little I actually paid for it!

So, I glued the fabric to two 12" x 12" gallery canvasses with a thin layer of gel medium, stretching it by hand rather than with the canvas pliers, because I didn't want to damage the fabric or distort the design. After that I applied a good coating of thinned liquid polymer medium to reduce the absorbency of the fabric, which will make it easier to work on.  Watch the fossil evolution develop next week! I am SO looking forward to sharing this project with you!

Thanks and best wishes,
Susan

Today I was treated to lunch by a very dear artist friend who gave me an article clipped from the Ottawa Citizen newspaper. The article was about the Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile and how two British researchers believe it was created.

Da Vinci's recently discovered portrait of La Bella Principessa offered clues to the researchers as the smile in this painting acts much the way that Mona Lisa's does. Apparently if you look directly at the smile it appears to be less pronounced than when you look at the eyes and the smile is in your peripheral vision area. The researchers noted that the soft and subtle colours used around the mouth created an optical illusion.  Well, leave it to Leonardo! It seems that he designed not only the first helicopter but the original hologram too!

My Summer classes are finished now so I have a couple of weeks to catch up on everything else before the Fall semester begins on September 15. This time we are doing something a little different at the Nectar Centre in New Edinburgh. I will be renting the space for classes rather than working as a contract teacher for them. This means that all registrations for my Nectar classes will be through me directly. You can check out the class and workshop information on my website, where you can also find all of my previous blog postings!

So I'm spending my "vacation" doing work in the studio, catching up with friends and promoting the fall programs. Not much different from the rest of the year, really, but none the less a welcomed change of pace... and "a change is as good as a rest"!

I even spent some time playing on my Face book page, adding some videos and chatting with another artist friend in response to one of the videos (I could do that), which was about how some viewers of art comment that they could do that. It's one I found on Catherine Wray Gutsche's Face book page and shared. (Catherine is my amazing website lady!) It's actually quite an interesting video, done by a curator who explains that while you may think you can do it, but didn't, it is still art. If you want to watch the video here is the link http://dekhvideo.com/to-those-who-have-looked-at-art-and-thought-i-could-do-that-an-art-curator-explains-why-you-couldnt/, or you can go to my Face book page to see it, https://www.facebook.com/susan.ashbrook1. After viewing the video I commented that "I used to say "I could do that" for many, many years, and as an artist I could have, but later on I learned that I get much more pleasure from purchasing other artist's work and doing my own thing with mine. Best advice I can offer is... if you love it, buy it because you will never be happy with what you get by trying to recreate it!"  Oh and if you go to my Face book page and you appreciate cats, please check out the "Sad Cat Diary" video, it's wonderful!!


Today's Painting Tip: 101 Wonderful uses for Acrylic Gel Medium (okay 8, actually!)

There are some really wonderful acrylic mediums available these days... many, many of them! But many of them are similar to others and can be substituted without much significant difference. I have managed to keep my inventory down to about half a dozen. I do try new mediums to see if they are ones I need to add to my inventory, or if something I already have will work as well, or if they could better replace something I'm currently using.

Today I'd like to share some amazing things you can do with gel medium.

First a few notes about this medium... it comes in various viscosities (thicknesses), from soft to extra heavy, and also in gloss and matte. My preference is regular gloss gel. I find the regular viscosity works for everything I want and need it to and because it's gloss it dries crystal clear. Matte mediums have particles added that make the finish matte, but also slightly less clear than the gloss. Student grades of matte gel are notorious for being cloudy when dry. If you want a matte finish on your work simply apply matte varnish to the finished piece!

Gel medium dries clear so if you add colour to it, the colour will return to it's original intensity when the medium is dry. If you are mixing colour into your medium you can mix it thoroughly for an even application of colour, or you can partially mix it so that there will be some clear medium within the colour.

Okay, here's stuff you can do:

1. Mix it with your acrylic paint to create impasto (highly textured) paintings... it's less expensive than paint so can be more economical when doing a large painting.

2. Use it to create texture. Check out the hardware store for tiling trowels, paint brush combs and other tools to create fabulous textures and don't forget to overlap them for even more great textures. Cake decorating tools are also great for working with gel medium... it's just like decorating a cake but way more fun!

3. Extrude it! Use cake decorators tools or the syringe like devices used to give infants medication to extrude the medium, creating writing, fancy lines or even things like flower petals to be applied in paintings.

4. Make appliqués. Make a pattern of an object, say a leaf, stick it to the back of a piece of waxed paper apply the gel over the waxed paper. When it's dry cut the image out and peel off the waxed paper. Paint it and apply it to your art.

5. Make photocopy transfers. Take a photocopy of the image you want to make a transfer of, quickly apply an even layer of gel medium to the surface of the photocopy and let it dry. Soak the photocopy in lukewarm water for a few moments and then rub the paper off the back. Let the transfer dry and then apply to your painting.

6. Cleaning "pull off" palettes. If you are having trouble getting all of your acrylic paint off one of those "pull off" palettes, apply a layer of gel medium with a large palette knife or spreader. Let it dry completely and then lift everything off. Your palette will look like new again!

7. Creating acrylic skins. You can use those pieces pulled off the palettes to create new art or you can created skins by spreading paints and mediums on a "pull off" palette that you can then apply to stretcher bars to create a window sun-catcher or a screen for a door that you want to add some privacy to.

8. Glue. Gel medium is a great glue for heavier papers, fabrics, acrylic appliqués, shells, beads, photographs, oh and sandal insoles! Hey it's flexible so it works for walking!

Gel medium is so important in my art practice that I buy it by the gallon! Do yourself a favour... get some and explore where it can take you!

Dusk: The Final Image

The final work on Dusk was the application of beads and glass particles to the light side of the trees to suggest the evening light sparkling on the ice on the branches and trunks. It was that glitter in the passing light that caught my attention. That is what this piece was all about. Unfortunately I had some difficulty capturing it with my camera. The beauty, in person, is that as the light changes, so does the image.

Next week I'm starting a totally different project that I think you will enjoy.

Best wishes,
Susan