Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?
 
One of my favourites, that one seldom hears anymore, none the less, it came to mind while attending the Arteast 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner last week.
 
For those of you who aren't familiar with Arteast, it is an organization of both amateur and professional artists in Eastern Ontario, generally based in the east end of Ottawa. This is one of the largest and most active art organizations in the area and they have lots to offer artists... many exhibition spaces, monthly meetings with remarkable guest speakers, juried competitions, tours to places like the Musée des Beaux-arts in Montreal and other venues that appeal to members.  It is a fabulous organization to belong to if you want to learn about art and being an artist. http://www.arteastottawa.com/
 
I joined Arteast in the early 1990s and got talked into being president in 1994 for a two year period, which I willingly admit was a wonderful learning and growing experience for me. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to learn the ropes in the art world as well as skills for the real world.
 
So, back to Auld Lang Syne... It was great to see so many people that I had lost track of over the years. Former members, presidents, directors and event coordinators were there. There were also many who weren't there for various reasons, and of course those who are no longer with us... people like Brita and Wolfgang Budde, Alice Alexanian, Margaret Clyde, Klari Karpati and many others of whom we think of and remember with fondness. Throughout the whole event there was an ongoing slide show of photos of members at events. It was amazing and took us on a wonderful walk down memory lane. Memories that mean more to me than I ever imagined that they would.
 
The dinner was excellent, the door prizes were amazing, there were presentations to all of the volunteers who kept the organization running like a fine-tuned spinning top this year. And then there was dancing. Well, talk about bopping to the oldies! The DJ had us pegged.  It was impossible to keep some of those former presidents off the dance floor! (We have pictures!)
 
The event was in the planning stages for a year and a half, and volunteers put in many, many hours to make it perfect. And they achieved absolute success... without a doubt! Well done everyone!
 
For those of you not in Arteast's area, you might want to consider joining an art organization in your own area, or if there aren't any, why not start one? Creativity doesn't have to be a solitary thing! And come this New Year's Eve we can all tak' a cup o' kindness yet, for the sake of auld lang syne.

Today's Painting Tip: Glass Christmas Tree Ornaments
 Every art and craft store that I go into these days has a display of clear glass ball ornaments in a variety of sizes and shapes. Several years ago I bought a bunch of them and my granddaughter and I decorated them. We offered them for sale at my studio open house, and they sold out quickly. Being the season, I thought I'd share this simple but very effective technique with you.
 
I use liquid/soft body acrylic paints, which I thin slightly with water so that they flow a little easier, but not to the point that the paint is runny. Sorry, you'll have to experiment with this to get it just right.
 
Pour several colours of paint into the glass ball, being sure to apply each of the colours in different areas of the ball. (Pipettes can be very useful.) Then start to slowly swirl the ball to spread the paint completely over the inner surface. I find three colours work best and if you can get your hands on them, TriArt Spectoral paints are fantastic for this as they give the appearance of glitter, which creates a very festive looking ornament.  Metallic acrylic paints also work really well when combined with regular paints.
 
I then set the ornaments top up, with the metal hanger not in place, to dry. Some people prefer to set them upside down in a disposable plastic drink cup to drain the excess paint. This helps them dry faster, but I find if you leave the paint in you can swirl it around later if you find a thin or bare spot. Six of one, half a dozen of the other really. The choice is yours. 

Painting Update
 This week I painted the appliqué leaves. Because the background will be quite dark I wanted to make them less transparent, so I painted the back side of each leaf with Cadmium Yellow Medium. I chose this particular colour because of it's opacity and also because yellow is a colour that works with the fall colouring of the finished leaves, in case there are areas where it might show through the leaf.
 
That done, I painted the front of the leaves, starting with green. If you have looked at fall maple leaves you will see the green undertones from the glory days of summer just trying to hang on a little longer. Over that I applied browns, oranges and reds until I had a leaf that I was happy with, always leaving some of each of the previous colours showing through.
 
Once that was dry I brushed on a thin coat of Interference Orange paint to give the leaves a bit of shimmer, and then finally brushed some metallic gold over the texture high points for a bit of bling and to enhance the texture. The results are below...

​Well, it's been another busy week, but at least I have time to write to you, which I love doing.
 
First, I must tell you I was moved to hugs and tears by my students at the local village retirement residence where I have been volunteering my skills and knowledge as an art teacher.
 
In the Spring I was able to set up a weekly program for them, thanks to the generosity of a group of clients of Lynn Cain, of Cain & Osborne Associates http://www.cainandosborne.com/, who each donated $20 to provide the art supplies for the program. The program culminated in an exhibition of the participants work. Each participant was able to have one piece of art framed, thanks to the generosity of Karen at Sienna Gallery in Rockland http://www.siennagalleryandframing.ca/. The students were so pleased with how the exhibition went that there started to be talk of a Christmas Bazaar to sell their other creations.
 
The enthusiasm was contagious and with the help of Cheryl, the program coordinator, we extended the program to include Christmas crafts.
 
Weekly Flowers http://www.weeklyflowers.com/ has very generously offered to donate the signage for the event, which will be held on Saturday, December 5, from 9 to 11:30 AM, to coordinate with the Cumberland Christmas Market.
 
I hope you will take the opportunity to visit the Bazaar and the Christmas Market. It's a great event in the Village of Cumberland!
 
So, what touched me so deeply was that the participants in the program created a very special piece of artwork to thank me for working with my very generous sponsors and donors to provide this program for them. It is a piece that I will hang with pride in my studio and treasure forever. 

Today's Painting Tip: White
 
As artists we usually choose Titanium White as our standard white, but there are other options and it's interesting to see the results we get from each of them. I suggest that you set up a chart on a piece of heavier weight paper or canvas paper, depending on your medium,  and test some of the various whites with your other colours to see what results you can achieve.
 
The ones that come immediately to mind are Titanium (PW6) of course; Zinc White (PW4), often called Mixing White; Flake White (PW1) which is a good pigment in oils but not so much in other media. There are a number of others, but they are not readily available these days, having lost favour in the colour pigment market. Alternately there are whites with other influences, such as Titanium Buff, Unbleached Titanium, Warm White and  a few others that offer interesting options.
 
If you create a chart with your usual colours down one side and a range of whites across the other axis, you will be able to see what additional colour variations can be achieved with the various whites. I think you might be surprised! Let me know what you think.

 
The New Painting: Appliquéd Leaves
 
I have been working on fall leaves to create a fall painting. I'm using gel medium to create leaves with substance, that will give the painting addition dimension rather than just painting it.
 
I started out by drawing shapes of leaves and scanning them into my computer. I did this so that I can print them in any size that I need, depending on the piece I want to produce.
 
Having printed off sheets of the leaves I wanted, I then taped a piece of waxed paper over each sheet of leaves. Then I applied an even coat of gloss gel medium over the leaf drawing, on the waxed paper. I let that dry completely and then I outlined the original leaf drawing, on the dried gel medium with a permanent fine marker. Then I applied a second layer of gel medium, but this time I created texture on the leaf outline as well as defining some of the leaf veins. This will create visual interest in the appliqués for the final painting.
 
When the second layer is dry I cut out the leaves, with a pair of scissors, which is why I outline them with the permanent marker.  Once that is done I spritz the wax paper backing with water, let it sit a few minutes and then peel or roll it off.
 
More next week, but don't forget that your comments, suggestions and requests are always welcome at http://www.susanashbrook.com/blog.
 
Best wishes,
Susan

 Welcome November!
 
Whew! What a month October was! I felt like I was running from one thing to the next everyday,  all month. Regular classes of course; some added classes for retirement residences; Charlie Spratt's workshop, which was a fabulous success; meetings; appointments, some unplanned such as an emergency trip to the dentist and then the dental surgeon; preparing for Art School Fair and my presentations there; and trying to squeeze in my bits and pieces of personal life into the mix too!
 
Well October's done now, and I must say I seem to have actually achieved quite a bit! Now I'm looking to slow down a little bit, catch up and settle back into some semblance of routine... oh yeah, right!
 
I do have a confirmed date, time and place for Denise Pelletier's Knife Painting Workshop, for those of you who have expressed an interest in attending. It will be held on Saturday, February 27, 2016, from 9 AM to 4 PM. The location is St Columba Church at 24 Sandridge Road in the Manor Park neighbourhood of Ottawa and the fee is $120. A materials list will be provided to students when they register, and registration is now open. Just contact me directly and I will do the rest.
 
Denise is a phenomenal teacher and makes the day a lot of fun while imparting her extensive knowledge through demonstrations, some really enjoyable exercises and then helping students with their own knife paintings. Students who have already taken the workshop often sign up again. Denise takes this into consideration when creating the workshop exercises, to offer new learning experiences for those returning students.

The very first Art School Fair http://www.artschoolfair.com/ has come and gone, and I have to say that I, and everyone I have talked to, chalked it up as a raging success... we want another one next year! Congratulations to David Lidbetter http://www.dlidbetter.com/home#.Vjqq7rerRII and Crystal Beshara http://crystalbeshara.com/, who organized it in such a professional manner. Congratulations to their team and all of the wonderful volunteers, teachers and exhibitors who did such a great job. This art conference is focussed on the student and the learning process of art. There were workshops, lectures and demonstrations, as well as opportunities to talk with reps from art material manufacturers and services as well as being able to purchase products. (Good thing because I left my Self Levelling Gel for my demo on Contemporary Acrylic Techniques and Processes, on my work bench in my studio! Whew!!)

So, October, overall, has been a prolific month as well as a very tiring one... but Win-Win all round!
 
Now that it's November... or rather "Movember", I would like to say to all you gentlemen participating in the Movember Movement https://ca.movember.com/, "You go guys! My hat's off to you all! Make a difference... because you can!"

Today's Painting Tip
 
This week my Acrylic and Oil class will be doing a thirty minute workout. I bring the subject matter and they have thirty minutes to cast it to canvas. It's a fun exercise that causes one to loosen up, by using large brushes and having a time constraint. I also like to show students how to use the shape of their brushes to quickly create the shapes and forms of their subject. Many students fear doing their first one, but once the thirty minutes is up they readily admit that they learned a lot from the exercise. It is also something that you can do at home by setting up something as simple as a potted plant, putting a timer on for 30 minutes and going for it! If you get it done in the 30 minutes then you need to cut the time shorter by 5 or 10 minutes for the next one. By the way, you will surprise yourself with what you can produce in this workout, which will give you greater confidence for future paintings. Give it a try and let me know how it worked out for you.

The final fossil paintings
After adjusting the final paintings by mixing up a sand and self levelling gel mixture, I applied it with a palette knife to soften the edges of the stencilled fossils, to give the suggestion that they have been burried in the sand over time. And finally, I used a permanent marker to create shadows around certain areas of the fossils and then signed them with a metallic gold pen. Here they are...

​Next week I'm starting on a painting using appliquéd acrylic leaves which will be applied to a canvas background. It will be a lot of fun and I hope you will follow along through the process. It is the process of creating a painting such as the ones below.
 
Best wishes,
Susan

It's Fall! The weather is finally survivable... comfortably warm sunny days and cool nights for great sleeping. The change of the trees and bushes into their Fall mantles is inspiring for an artist, and it is also a very busy time of year, after the lazy hazy days of summer. It's great to get back into the swing of things... classes running, workshops coming up and special events happening. It's sometimes hard to keep up, but it is certainly invigorating!
 
Also this Fall I'm going to be able to complete a pet project of mine... a line of aprons for workshops! I've been researching
this for some time and haven't been able to find the right kind of aprons at the right price or in the right colours. Well it all fell into place this Fall. I found a bolt of fabric in one of the colours I was looking for, on sale at a fabric store that is closing, for a song! I was able to find the notions, thread and D-rings for a melody and a friend of mine who has recently started a sewing business is going to sew them for me for a ballad. Now that's an orchestrated hit! Watch for them coming to a workshop
near you!
 
Speaking of workshops, just a final notice that there are a few spaces left in the Charles Spratt Acrylic Painting Workshop on October 20 and 21. Charlie is a highly recognized Canadian painter and an incredible instructor. Whether you are a novice or an experienced artist... Charlie has something that you can learn. For more information go to http://www.susanashbrook.com/specialty-workshops.html.
 
That said, I must also invite you to attend the first edition of Art School Fair, on October 31 and November 1 at The Hellenic Meeting & Reception Centre (just north of Hogs Back)  1315 Prince of Wales Dr Ottawa, ON. For more information please check out http://www.artschoolfair.com/.

Today's Painting Tip:
 
Today I was inspired by Ann, who is a first time student in one of my classes at a local retirement residence. She
hasn't painted since she was in school, when watercolour was taught in schools. Today she took on learning to
paint with acrylics, which can be used thin like watercolours or thick like oils. She actually created a wonderful still life of flowers, but it was a learning experience for her. I have to give her full credit for accepting the learning process and enjoying it. She didn't get frustrated or upset. She just confirmed that it was fun and that she was learning through the painting process. She is looking forward to coming back to the next class and learning more and getting better at it.
 
Her attitude was very refreshing as I sometimes have students that get frustrated and want to give up when things don't immediately go the way they want.
 
So, today's painting tip is to accept that art is a learning process and none of us are experts when we start, or perhaps even ever. It does take time to learn, but it can be a totally enjoyable adventure if you open your mind to it. This painting may not turn out as we had hoped, but you did it, and there is always the next one!

Painting Update:
 
Speaking of how things don't always turn out as we want, I had a blip with my fossil pieces this week. Having stencilled the fossils with Raw Sienna, mixed with Gel Medium to create extra texture, I decided to add some Naples Yellow to lighten some areas of the fossils. Bad choice. It was too light over the darker colour and suddenly the fossils disappeared into the background. Okay, quick re-think. I placed the original stencils over the fossils and brushed Yellow Ochre over them. The colour, being closer to the original Raw Sienna, created some depth and made them stand out more from the background.
 
I let that dry and then brushed on some metallic gold paint to highlight the fossil formations. See below what they look like now.

Best wishes,
​Susan

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

Well, here it is blog-writing night, again! It's been a busy week here and the time seems to have  passed by faster than usual.

You know, it's funny that I don't feel any older than I did when I was much younger, but certain things are starting to put it into perspective for me, whether I want to know or not. For example, I have a number of nieces and nephews. In my mind they are still my young nieces and nephews, but apparently they have graduated from college/university and are getting married and having their own children. How did that happen? Okay, I know how it happens... just seems that I wasn't really paying attention and it happened!
 
So, I now have two brand new nieces... not sure if they are great-nieces or grand-nieces or nieces once removed though... well, they are great, but I'm not really familiar with the terminology, having never had to deal with it before. Can someone please explain it to me??
 
And, this past weekend a whirlwind trip to Toronto the Good was in order to attend an absolutely delightful wedding that saw another nephew commit to a lifetime with his beautiful bride. It was a garden wedding and my nephew was standing at the front waiting for his bride to join him. His dad, my brother-in-law, escorted his own mother to her seat in the front row and it suddenly occurred to me that this was not my sister's wedding but her son's. Wow, that was the definition of not being as young as one thinks! By the way, my nephew has a strong resemblance to his dad so I'm not totally delusional! (Just sayin'! Okay?)

Personal stuff aside, it's also been a busy week for my art business too. Fall classes are coming up and need to be promoted, but also, I've been working on some special workshops coming up this fall, winter and spring.

I have arranged a very special workshop with Charles Spratt, a well known Canadian Artist, for October 20 and 21, from 9:30 AM to 2:00 PM. Charlie paints in acrylics and has a whole world of knowledge that he is willing to share with students. The complete information will be posted on my website shortly. Please check out Charlie's website at http://www.cspratt.net/, and be sure to watch the video!

Also, I have booked Denise Pelletier for a knife painting workshop in February 2016. Those of you who have attended her previous workshops know what a phenomenal teacher she is, and how much you learn from her workshops. Check out Denise's website at http://www.dpelletier.ca/en

Coming up in March 2016 there will be two, two-day workshops in Botanical Illustration, with certified botanical illustrator, Frank Andrus, from Alabama USA. What Frank teaches can be applied to other media and offers a lot of expertise in the various media that he uses. If you work in realism then you can learn much from these workshops, even if you don't want to paint flowers! Frank's website is http://frankandrus.com/.

Today's Painting Tip:
Artists have a very serious advantage over photographers and should use this advantage every day. Photographers are limited by the abilities of their cameras. In photographs shadows always seem to be darker than they actually are. The artist can lighten the shadows and make them much more interesting by applying artistic knowledge, such as using complimentary colours to create great shadow colours.

As an artist you can also make adjustments to the composition of the photograph that you are working from. This is a luxury that photographers do not have because they shoot what is before them. As an artist you can move a bridge a little to the left to improve the composition and add some trees to "frame" the painting and enhance it.

So, the next time you start a new painting, give some thought to how you can improve the composition of the image you are working from, create more depth by using aerial perspective,  and take the artistic experience beyond copying a photograph. It will move your abilities forward.

Painting Update: Dusk

After the new layer of gel medium, used to create additional texture for the foreground trees, dried, I was able to apply dark and light paint to create some depth in the trees. Once the basic colours had dried I applied some interference orange to the side of the branches that were highlighted by the evening light.

That done, I applied a metallic gold finish that was applied quite lightly, using a flat brush that was merely dragged across the artwork to highlight the high portions of the painting. It's a technique that I particularly like to use.

Next week Dusk will be finished and then I'll be on to something totally new! Lot's of fun! If you want to follow along please go to my blog at www.susanashbrook.com and subscribe.

For those of you who have already subscribed, if you are enjoying the blog posts I would appreciate it if you would tell one person, who may also enjoy my blog. Spreading the word is important to me, and your help would be very much appreciated. Thank you very much.

Best wishes,
Susan

Would someone please remind me that I need to install an air conditioner in my studio for next summer... please??

I have been out in the studio working during this heat wave, but for short periods of time, then back to the coolness of the house, while I wait for the paint to dry.

Acrylics dry by evaporation. Part of the content of acrylic paint is water and when the water evaporates the paint forms a hardened film. When the atmosphere is humid the water in the paint is not absorbed by the air as readily and the paint takes longer to dry. Alternately, when the air is dry, as in an air conditioned space, or a desert, acrylic paint dries much more quickly.

Conversely, when acrylic paints or mediums start to get thick or stiffer than normal, it's very easy to "re-hydrate" them back to their original consistency, as long as they are not too far gone. It's just a matter of adding some water to the containers, sealing them up and letting the paint or medium absorb it. I suggest that you add a small amount at a time to gradually get it back to the consistency that you prefer.

Also, when you have problems with tubes of paint... the tube splits or has started to become hard due to an ill fitting cap, I suggest that you find a small container with a lid that provides a tight seal (250 ml mason jars are one of my favourites), cut open the tube and squeeze the paint into the jar and if necessary, add water to return it to it's original consistency. So there you have it... First Aid for Acrylics!

I have been looking for the perfect clock for my kitchen for over a year now, and the other day I found it... okay, it's not really perfect, but it has what I want and can be made to be perfect!

This all started when I painted the gable end of my kitchen cabinets, beside my fridge, with blackboard paint. It looks pretty modern, especially next to the stainless steel fridge. So, I decided that the basic clock, which I believe was left by the previous owners... for obvious reasons,  had to be replaced with something much more suitable and the search began. I had some ideas about what I was looking for and regularly searched, alas to no avail. Then, a couple of days ago I was poking around in a home decor store and found a rather forlorn orphan with a lot of potential. The packaging was mostly gone and what was left was damaged, the clock hands were slightly bent and there was no price on it, but it spoke to me (not quite like the Pier One Imports TV ads though!). Of course I had to ask and was pleasantly surprised to have it offered to me at half price! Wow, it had so much potential that I took it... and surprisingly it is also keeping time!

Currently it's a rather rustic rusty colour but I'm going to use silver leaf to bring it into the current millennium and make it stand out against my blackboard wall... maybe even add a little bling to it! This is going to be so much fun! Perhaps even a project to share with you in my blog!

Today's Painting Tip: Consider your light source

I find as I work on paintings and other projects that I think about what I'm doing and how I would explain it to others... typical teacher stuff! So, while working on "Dusk" I started thinking about light and it's effects on the subject matter.

In landscape painting there is usually one source of light... the sun (okay the moon if you're a vampire and prefer to work at night). As a light source it affects everything it comes in contact with... generating highlights, shadows, reflected light, rainbows and interesting effects in clouds.

When you start a painting think about where the light emanates from. Is it from the high left, the back centre, from behind the artist or somewhere else?  This information will effect where your shadows fall, where the highlights are on your vegetation, buildings etc. It will also effect your colour selection for the various areas of your painting.

Clouds, well clouds are particularly interesting because the light source is above them and therefore the shadows are on the underside of the clouds, with the billowy white highlights at the top.

In still life and portraiture there may be several light sources because the stage is artificially set, but only one is the main (brightest) while the others are supplementary to create interest in what might become dark dead areas.

Without light we see nothing, so it's worth taking an up close look at how light effects what you are working on... My best advice... paint what you see, not what you know!

Painting Update: Dusk

Last week, for all intents and purposes, I finished the background of the Dusk painting. This week I started working on the foreground and painted in some trees. I started with Burnt Sienna and when that was dry I used Burnt Umber, leaving the Burnt Sienna showing where the light hits the trees. I am treating the light source as central in the painting. Then, to create additional dimension I applied a layer of Gel Medium to the trees, creating texture to increase visual interest down the road. I applied the gel with the back side of a painting knife, which gave me excellent control.

So now I'm back to waiting for stuff to dry!

Best wishes,
Susan