Trying something untried can be fun and informativeA couple of weeks ago, the listing Realtor for my next door neighbor's house approached me with a novel idea. Since my neighbors had pieces of my work hanging throughout their home, would I consider doing a special exhibit during her next open house and bring more pieces in?
I said yes without hesitation. I thought it would be fun and also help my neighbors. It was also informative. We had a very good turnout, which made me wonder about something. I saw so many people who already have my work that I began asking them why they would come to a home to see my paintings when they can come to my gallery seven days a week. Many had made a special trip through a lot of traffic to get there. The answer unanimously was that they wanted to see my work in a home setting with natural lighting rather than gallery track lighting. I had to agree with them that it was better. Track lighting, particularly LED spotlights which I've invested in for environmental reasons, seem to take away from the three-dimensional quality I endeavor so hard to paint into my originals. Every painting brought in for the show looked so much better with ambient room and window lighting. This is part of the reason why we take pieces out on our front porch for people to see in natural light and why we let people try paintings out in their own lighting at home. I have one room of my gallery where light is almost entirely natural and bright, but it's impossible in another room and a challenge when leaves are on the crepe myrtle trees just outside of the windows of the main showroom. I'm going to see what I can do, perhaps add tables, lamps to that room. I'm not sure exactly what yet, but I'll figure something out! Come in and check it out. I'll be working on this project throughout October as I gear up for the holidays. I'd love your opinion!
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There are many kinds of lights on the market made and marketed especially for artists, most of them claiming to be the equivalent of daylight.
The problem is, even if these lights really did what they say they do, we each see colors differently, so there’s no single light that will work for everyone, whether you're an artist, a knitter, a crafter or just picking out paint colors for your home. I participated in an experiment at a science symposium at George Washington University while in high school. In the experiment, a laser beam was shined through a prism and projected onto a large white screen. A band of colors every hue of the rainbow appeared across the screen, and different people in the audience were asked to go up to the screen and identify the width of each of the colors they saw. Surprisingly, though there were some trends (most people saw narrower bands of blue) everyone without exception saw different amounts of individual colors. The results were as unique as the individuals. Further studies show that people with light colored eyes are more sensitive to light (don’t need as much light to see well) while darker eyes need more light. The people who took part in the seminar who saw very narrow bands of blue? Chances are blue is their favorite color – because they see less of it, scientists conclude. My perception of colors was in the middle range in that experiment, and my eyes are hazel (not light, not dark), so you might conclude that I have color perception that’s in the middle range. But I cannot see colors well enough to paint accurately under artificial light. Period. I have tried many types of lights. With some lights I’ll use far too much yellow because the light absorbs the appearance of yellow while I'm painting, with some way too much blue, with others too much red. I personally prefer to see the results I’m getting as I paint! Below is an example of the top rated major brand of artist light out there vs. natural north light on my new, still wet, in-progress oil painting, Crossed Paths. I think (depending on your monitor or mobile device) that you’ll see a wider range of colors in the photo taken with natural light vs. the one taken under artificial light – and more detail. (The natural light photo was taken in the evening when light was waning, so I'll take another in the a.m. and post it here.) When you paint by natural light there is an added bonus: no matter what artificial light the painting is seen in, the colors will remain balanced because they were painted in a light-balanced situation. -- Ellen Local miniature artist Ann Cooper will be at my gallery's new location in Ocean View for her second gallery exhibit this Saturday, Sept. 16th, from 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Ann's new exhibit features tiny scenes housed in a collection of decorative lanterns made especially for my gallery. Each highlights a miniature print of one of my original paintings. She designed the lanterns to celebrate the beauty of my art. Incredibly, each includes a battery operated dollhouse size easel light or chandelier to illuminate the miniature paintings. Ann is a retired teacher who is enjoying the opportunity to rekindle her lifelong fascination with dollhouses and miniatures. She creates displays in 1:12 scale that evoke the happy and peaceful moments of life. She tells the story with the details, from hand painting the furniture to adding a tiny Beach Boys album, a bottle of sand, a bowl of shells, or a sweet little pet to the scene. On the 16th, Ann will share with guests her inspiration and intricate methods for making her scaled-down creations from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 5 p.m. I think she is going to be very busy making more of these lighted lanterns. There is something so heartwarming about each, so much attention to detail. You just want to walk inside them. The various local aspects are a wonderful added touch that will make them very special holiday gifts and conversation pieces. Light refreshments will be served. Everyone is welcome to attend. This is a question retiring newcomers to this area often ask me. I could give multiple answers, but for me, it all starts with one.
My first suggestion – and last – is to learn the basics of drawing and develop a strong foundation in its principles before even considering moving into color. Pablo Picasso had a strong foundation in representational drawing, and if you study the works for which he was best known, you can see his understanding of perspective, light, shadow, hues and value from his traditional training in all of it. When I teach, basic drawing is where I start. I have painted professionally with watercolor, pastels, pastel pencils, acrylics and oils, the latter of which I’ve stayed with for the last 15 years. (Mouse over images to see the medium used.) But before I ever worked in color, I mastered the art of drawing. My first job illustrating for publications was doing black and white drawings for a weekly newspaper for 8 years. It was great training. Whether you want to paint realistically, impressionistically, expressionistically, abstractly or all of the above, knowing the basics of light, shadow, hue, value and perspective are key. Here are some examples of drawings and paintings in different mediums that illustrate the importance of having a foundation in drawing. As I went through my paintings and drawings, I think I could have chosen every one for this purpose. There's not one that did not require at least basic drawing skills. If you'd like to ask me any questions, click the word Comments at the top of this blog and I'll be happy to answer. - Ellen Thank you to everyone who submitted names in my Name the Painting contest. There were some really good name contenders for my new puppy and crab painting, but there can only be one winner. That winner is: John Armstrong for his name, "Don't Pinch the Pooch!" I laughed out loud when I read it and the vote was unanimous. Congratulations John! The original of Don't Pinch the Pooch is available and will be in print in the gallery beginning tomorrow, Saturday, August 26, at 2 p.m.. This painting was a lot of fun. I hope you enjoy it!
-- Ellen Choosing a painting, its size and frame can be daunting. Here’s how I helped a long distance client recently |
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