Friday, July 30, 2010

To reach a personal goal.




It was eight years ago at an art meeting I hosted at my studio that I muttered the words for the first time, "I'm going to change my medium to oil". Now that doesn't seem too big a deal, right? I mean after all artists do this all the time. After spending 17 years working with Colored Pencil, a medium that I had become very familiar with, deciding to paint was a huge deal for me. Did I mention that I've never had a painting class? By the way that's not something I'm proud of. It's just the way it was. Though I had not entered a large amount of competitions I had won some first place awards as well as a few others with Colored Pencil. After making the decision to switch to Oils I decided to set a few goals for myself and use these goals as a gauge to determine my accomplishments. First to grow as a painter, which I have and continue to do so. Then to enter my new work in exhibitions and competitions and win, which I have as well. I began to plan for the near future to be accepted to the Ann Arbor Art Fair in Ann Arbor Michigan which has always been haled as one of the best shows in the country. This year I have been very honored to be invited into the art fair as their featured artist. I'm writing this post not to brag or boast but to thank the many people in my life that support and encourage me. Their positive energy inspires me and feeds my creativity. Thank you all. I have so much more to do and to learn and more goals to set. I've always taught my students to compete with themselves and not with others because there's nothing more gratifying than to reach a personal goal. The taste of success is so much sweeter.

Saturday, July 17, 2010

And The Winner Is............

The Winner of my Limited Edition Reproduction Print Giveaway is..................Don Hunter (APPLAUSE)
Congratulations Don! Only six of you entered my giveaway which made it really easy for Don to win. Remember that I will do this every three months and the next Giveaway is scheduled for October 1st. Don't forget to enter and please leave your comment on the October 1st blog post to be eligible.

Friday, July 16, 2010

Sea Turtle in progress #2


The image above shows this painting about half way finished. After this stage I have added more sponges and other sea floor life to fill in the turtles surroundings. More layers are being added and the colors represented here are still evolving. I wanted this painting to represent the serene slow rolling movement of this environment to showcase this peaceful magical creature.
This will be the last "in progress" post for this painting. It will make its debut at the Ann Arbor Art Fair in Ann Arbor, Michigan on the 21st through 24th of this month.
I predict this will be one of my more popular paintings.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Feature Article - July 15, 2010

Below is a link to my most recent Feature Article by staff writer of The Belleville Lake Current, William Zilke. Thank you William.

Feature Article Link

Look for the up-coming July issue of "Art Showcase Magazine" where I will be featured, along with the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair Poster.

Friday, July 09, 2010

Colored Pencil Tip #3


Keeping your pencils sharp will help you get even coverage. Even while using a hard leaded pencil like Verithin. After you make a few strokes, roll or rotate your pencil in your fingers. When that side begins to dull do it again. Keep doing this until you need to re-sharpen. You will have better blending results and your pencils will even last longer!

Tuesday, July 06, 2010

Adding a week to my first giveaway. July 15th

I am adding one week to the response time for my Limited Edition Art Print giveaway. So you have until July 15th at midnight. I forgot about the holiday week and some folks were away. Don't forget to leave a comment on the Print giveaway post from July 1st. That's all you need to do to be eligible to win one of my reproductions. Good Luck!

Thursday, July 01, 2010

Limited Edition Print Giveaway


The above image is one example of many to choose from.

I thought it would be fun to reward my loyal blog followers with a chance to win one of my Limited Edition Reproduction Prints once every 3 months! Today is the first opportunity to enter!

The winner chosen by random drawing will be able to select the print of their choice.

To enter my Limited Edition print drawing you must:
  • Be a follower of my blog to enter the contest
  • Reply with a comment to this specific blog post to be eligible for the drawing
  • You have 7 days to leave your comment which could be about which print you like and why or any comment you like. ( Hopefully a positive one!)
I will select the winner from the entries received on that post only!
So if you haven't already become a"follower" please get to follow'n. I've got things to say!
All of my limited edition reproduction prints can be viewed on my website by selecting the "Portfolio" tab and choosing Limited Edition Reproductions.

Good Luck!