It's been awhile since I've been on my blog. Everything seems to take so much time. Being retired, y ou'd think I had time on my hands, but not so. There is always something to do, someone to talk to , a project to complete, a grandchild to see, always something. Time is wonderful. I"m here to enjoy it, and there have been times that being here was not a certainty.
Sat. was a busy day. As always I taught a couple of children's class. This particular class was working on their portfolois. I give every child their own drawing book, and we go through and pick out things to put in their portfolio, and my husband takes photos of all their paintings, also to go into their portfolios.
The big emphasis this time was "Let's be creative in the way we matt and present our work. I gave each one sissors, glue, colored paper, and paper to matt their work on. Anyone can do the obvious, so we strive to be different, unique, individualistic. If you are matting your pastel apples, try drawing more apples on the paper, use a different color paper next to the apple, cut apples out of paper and glue it around your work, cut out the apples, use a sharpie and draw around the apple, bringing the line on into another drawing...whatever you can think of. How about some leaves with your apples, maybe a small worm working its way out of the apple, MAKE people see it and want to smile. You're telling a story, not just showing a dead apple.
For their portfolio, we use 11x17 colored paper and mount their drawings and photos, then they go into a nice see through sleeve. The sleeve is large enough to fold over and paste down, leaving about 1" creating a nice enclosed space for their work. we put three holes in the sleeve, apply reinforcements to each side of each hole and put it in their portfolio. I've had matt board cut to the correct size, adding 2" around and use rings to hold everything together and that is the "binding" for the portfolio. They love it. Simple, but elegant in their eyes. It's black and we use a gold pen to put their names on it. At any rate, each kiddo had about five to seven drawings to matt, plus several photos, and everyone was trying to out do the next.
The last fifteen minutes of every class is drawing me. Sometimes I wear crazy hats, or wigs, and they love it. I'll tell them to draw me as an angel, which of courses I am, or a devil, or we're doing Picasso's for the next month. I bought a clown costume and had a friend dress up. Only then did I discover that a lot of kids are afraid of clowns! I'll try to get pictures to show you, but right now have none, they just took them all home.
We really get wild when they do a contour drawing of me. That's where they look at me and not their paper. The idea is to train your eye to go around the shape, and your hand to work slowly, putting down what the eye sees. Some of those stinkers have gotten pretty good at it.
Then of courses, it was the same thing all over again in the 4-6 class. These kids are a little older, so a little more opiniated about what they will or will not do. I've got a couple of kids who are really good.
I've been doing this off and own for 40 years. The last five years I have had two graduate from college and are teaching and four out of five students qualified for special art high school. YEA, I love it!
It's been a long day, If my post is full of typing mistakes, please excuse. My left hand is very weak and hard to controll....it does its' own thing with lots of e,r,and s. I've tried to clean it up, but so be it.
Don't forget to go to my Etsy site and see my work. It's under joellenart.
Have a great night.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Finishing yesterday's blog
I really wasn't ready to post yesterday's blog, must have hit the wrong key, but thought I was saving it to work on later.
I was talking about different things that motivate me as an artists. It's one of those strange feelings when you just know you have to portray your thoughts, and colors. I go to my studio, put on my music and get lost in my own little world. I like my world, it's comforting, quite and full of pictures floating in my mind, it's just me, and that's nice.
After you decide what you think you want to paint, the next thought is, what size, is it oil, or is it watercolor? It's wonderful to have choices, but does complicate things. Frequently I do the same painting in both medias and marvel at the difference.
Because I have such a vivid imagination, often a painting is only half finished before my mind is on to the next one, interest is lost and I move on to the next thing. After working for a few hours or days, it's back to the first painting and new interest and thus completing it. I make it a rule never to work over two hours on one subject. It causes me to lose perspective, and get tired, so it's time for a break. My favorite break is a candy bar. Used to drink gallons of coffee, but because of a bad heart have had to put a stop to that. Actually I really didn't drink that much as I'd sip on it, go pull out a photograph, sketch, set of colors and get involved with something else. Guess you might say that my personality would be TYPE A.
If you will go to etsy, joellenart, you will see a selection of my work. Just put one of poinsettas on today. It's quite large 30"x40". I bought three different colors of plants and decided to put them all together in a dramatic way instead of common still life with vases etc. Well, this painting gave me fits, it just didn't look like it had any energy, or got a person involved in it. The painting was put in time out, faced the wall for three or four months.Finally one day my husband brought it to the studio and looked perplexed asking "what's the problem?" It sat in the studio for a few weeks, my seeing it every day. One morning as I woke up, the completed painting popped into my mind, and I knew instantly what to do. The answer...use a pallett knife on the background and remove that tight conservative look around the flowers, and be free with color. What fun that was! I put Elvis on, sang with him to the top of my voice and painted like crazy with a pallett knife, applying thick heavy color, getting another color and blending, mixing, working away. I felt like a dancer, moving from colors to painting and stepping back to admire or critize what I'd just done and bringing my arms up and down in very definite ways hitting the canvas with a heavy stroke, or gently caressing and blending edges. One thing with oil paint is nothing happens unless you cause it to. Every stroke is your thought, your movement causes it.
With watercolor, things just happen sometimes, the paint flows and mingles causing backwash, or beautiful blending. One of my adult strudents who has been with me for three years now and works in both medias finally came to the conclusion that she likes watercolor. She says painting with oil is like pushing mud around. It can certainly look like mud if you don't study your color theory, and techniques.
Speaking of color theory, let me tell you this little story. My first painting with a teacher was Mt. Ranier and reflection lake. It took me four months to do a simple 16x20, studying 3 hours a week. My teacher kept saying "JoEllen, add red to your green." The thing is she never told me why, or how much, or what it was suppose to do to the beautiful trees. My trees weren't beautiful, but I was quite certain I'd never seen red in the evergreen trees of Wash. Finally one day she sat with me (I think she was totally tired of me!) explained the color wheel, complimentary colors, etc., and all of a sudden I was on a roll. What beautiful trees. You didn't need viridian green, or green earth, or whatever green you bought. You simply needed the primary colors, red, blue, yellow and white. Of course 35 years later, I'm back to tubed colors as it's easier.
When I teach, it's hard to make a student do a color wheel, or color studies. Adults simply don't want to take the time. That's a mistake, and a big one! If you're studying art, get a book on color theory and work everything they say do. If you want to study lessons from me, let me know. I'll be glad help you. I still do a lot of color studies and have a notebook full of different studies of primary colors. Painting is relaxing and fun but you must learn the basics, learn your trade. It's like being a good cook, you must learn the recipes. At one time I would get paint chip cards from the hardware store, give each person a few and have them make a chart of what it took to make that color. They actually learned to enjoy those sessions. They always looked at each others colors, and got into heavy discussions about them.
Today is my studio time and I'm completing a painting taken from a vacation photo several years back, and only recently deciding to paint it. Because I've been to busy to paint for a month, I'll start with painting a couple of apples. I try to do a few a week. They look simple, but getting roundness, depth, lost and found lines and interesting brushstroke, backgrounds and colors, it's not all that easy. I tell my students to do one a week, but they don't. At least they don't have to put eyes, ears, etc in the right place, plus acquire all the other things. Everyone wants to paint a portrait!
Have a great day, let me hear from you. Tell me how you go about painting, and why.
I was talking about different things that motivate me as an artists. It's one of those strange feelings when you just know you have to portray your thoughts, and colors. I go to my studio, put on my music and get lost in my own little world. I like my world, it's comforting, quite and full of pictures floating in my mind, it's just me, and that's nice.
After you decide what you think you want to paint, the next thought is, what size, is it oil, or is it watercolor? It's wonderful to have choices, but does complicate things. Frequently I do the same painting in both medias and marvel at the difference.
Because I have such a vivid imagination, often a painting is only half finished before my mind is on to the next one, interest is lost and I move on to the next thing. After working for a few hours or days, it's back to the first painting and new interest and thus completing it. I make it a rule never to work over two hours on one subject. It causes me to lose perspective, and get tired, so it's time for a break. My favorite break is a candy bar. Used to drink gallons of coffee, but because of a bad heart have had to put a stop to that. Actually I really didn't drink that much as I'd sip on it, go pull out a photograph, sketch, set of colors and get involved with something else. Guess you might say that my personality would be TYPE A.
If you will go to etsy, joellenart, you will see a selection of my work. Just put one of poinsettas on today. It's quite large 30"x40". I bought three different colors of plants and decided to put them all together in a dramatic way instead of common still life with vases etc. Well, this painting gave me fits, it just didn't look like it had any energy, or got a person involved in it. The painting was put in time out, faced the wall for three or four months.Finally one day my husband brought it to the studio and looked perplexed asking "what's the problem?" It sat in the studio for a few weeks, my seeing it every day. One morning as I woke up, the completed painting popped into my mind, and I knew instantly what to do. The answer...use a pallett knife on the background and remove that tight conservative look around the flowers, and be free with color. What fun that was! I put Elvis on, sang with him to the top of my voice and painted like crazy with a pallett knife, applying thick heavy color, getting another color and blending, mixing, working away. I felt like a dancer, moving from colors to painting and stepping back to admire or critize what I'd just done and bringing my arms up and down in very definite ways hitting the canvas with a heavy stroke, or gently caressing and blending edges. One thing with oil paint is nothing happens unless you cause it to. Every stroke is your thought, your movement causes it.
With watercolor, things just happen sometimes, the paint flows and mingles causing backwash, or beautiful blending. One of my adult strudents who has been with me for three years now and works in both medias finally came to the conclusion that she likes watercolor. She says painting with oil is like pushing mud around. It can certainly look like mud if you don't study your color theory, and techniques.
Speaking of color theory, let me tell you this little story. My first painting with a teacher was Mt. Ranier and reflection lake. It took me four months to do a simple 16x20, studying 3 hours a week. My teacher kept saying "JoEllen, add red to your green." The thing is she never told me why, or how much, or what it was suppose to do to the beautiful trees. My trees weren't beautiful, but I was quite certain I'd never seen red in the evergreen trees of Wash. Finally one day she sat with me (I think she was totally tired of me!) explained the color wheel, complimentary colors, etc., and all of a sudden I was on a roll. What beautiful trees. You didn't need viridian green, or green earth, or whatever green you bought. You simply needed the primary colors, red, blue, yellow and white. Of course 35 years later, I'm back to tubed colors as it's easier.
When I teach, it's hard to make a student do a color wheel, or color studies. Adults simply don't want to take the time. That's a mistake, and a big one! If you're studying art, get a book on color theory and work everything they say do. If you want to study lessons from me, let me know. I'll be glad help you. I still do a lot of color studies and have a notebook full of different studies of primary colors. Painting is relaxing and fun but you must learn the basics, learn your trade. It's like being a good cook, you must learn the recipes. At one time I would get paint chip cards from the hardware store, give each person a few and have them make a chart of what it took to make that color. They actually learned to enjoy those sessions. They always looked at each others colors, and got into heavy discussions about them.
Today is my studio time and I'm completing a painting taken from a vacation photo several years back, and only recently deciding to paint it. Because I've been to busy to paint for a month, I'll start with painting a couple of apples. I try to do a few a week. They look simple, but getting roundness, depth, lost and found lines and interesting brushstroke, backgrounds and colors, it's not all that easy. I tell my students to do one a week, but they don't. At least they don't have to put eyes, ears, etc in the right place, plus acquire all the other things. Everyone wants to paint a portrait!
Have a great day, let me hear from you. Tell me how you go about painting, and why.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Art is my love
I would like for you to look forward to seeing my work (when I learn how to put it on the blog), and be a part of the excitement I feel when discovering my next painting. About the time I think there is nothing else to paint, up pops a beautiful scene, a bright piece of fruit, coloroful flowers, a picture in my mind, something with lots of texture, a childs comment, or a ride in the country, an intriguing shadow, or perhaps simply the feelings of colors blending together, making a statement.
My first painting was done out of boredom. We had just moved from Washington State to Dallas Texas and I knew no one except the lady across the street. I met her because my oldest boy insisted on climbing her mimosa tree. She insisted he didn't, so thus I became involved in the convesrsation. We soon discovsered we had something in common....both our husband were always at work, and we both wanted to paint.
My first painting was done out of boredom. We had just moved from Washington State to Dallas Texas and I knew no one except the lady across the street. I met her because my oldest boy insisted on climbing her mimosa tree. She insisted he didn't, so thus I became involved in the convesrsation. We soon discovsered we had something in common....both our husband were always at work, and we both wanted to paint.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
The computer is becoming a little friendy to me.
The computer is becoming a little friendly to me. Maybe it likes this little old grey headed woman taking her time at the keys instead of beating them to death in a frantic, must get this done in a hurry mode. It takes me time to think and then even more time to make certain that I am making sense, Thencomes the black keys, waiting in throws of "wil l she possibly get it right the first time, or is this an all nighter? "Oh my aching mechanasim,I'll just throw magic stumbling blocks in her way".
The good thing for today is becoming more computer friendly. I learned how to edit and crop a pictruree (all og my kids work) and then print them 2 to a page and THERE IT IS, it works. The prints of their acrylic paintings go into their portfolio we're making along with their original drawings. I just sat here browsing through their prints, and they're good, they should be proud of themselves You should see their faces when Mom or Dad exclames, "What YOU did this, it's great, you give MS Jo Ellen a big hug and thank you." That's when my day is made!
Next I learned how to scale an image (my paintings) so that they're 999 pixcels, or something like that, what ever it is. Anyhow the next step is learning how to transfer them to my ETSY account. That will have to be another day, my brain is tired, and I doubt I could think of anything creative to say..
There was no class yesterday as the kids had things to do at school for Halloween. My husband and I spent the entire day sorting through paintings, working on the Etsy acccount. I put on four packages of pictures from my origial drawings of the windows of the Alamo and doors of three of the missions. Most people never notice the barracks in front of the Alamo. Each window is different. I guess whoever was going to be in that room designed their on. Anyhow I did some drawings in pen and ink of those and then put them on note cards. My big dream several years ago was to put my cards all over Houston and surrounding towns., then just sit back and watch the money come in. Guess I'm still waiting, only put them at one place, went to check the ccount and 36 were missing., and of course the owner said they were stoloen. THIRTY SIX, maybe one or two. However, you never know what someone will steal.. Many Many years ago I wa doing a wax sculpture of my Great Aunt's head. NOw the thing is, I don't even chew gum ever since the sescond world war. That's another story I'll tell you some times. Anyhow the directions to the wax was to chew until soft and then mold the head. I wss almost finished, it looked pretty good. You guessed it. Someone broke into my apartment and stold the thing. I had a sore, tired jaw, and nothing to show for it, and they didn't take anything else. Of course I was newly divorced, so didn't have anythin to steal.
Nothing interesting to talk about, so will go pick up my crochet, adjust my glassess and watch a little TV. I hate my hearing aids, so they stay safely placed on a glass shelf with my hand painted wine glasses
Oh just thought of an Alamo story. About thirty five years ago my first husband , young daughter and I went to the Alamo. We were taking pictures and having a good time. I sat down by a tree in the back of the Alamo to do some drawing, my husband had my daughter by the hand, and they both walked off. About an hour later I felt little hands slip around my neck and my daughter very quitely said, in a worried voice, "Mom, Daddy's lost." I'll leave it to your imagination to write the script for the following conversation, when my husband came walking around the building. Let me just say, I was raiseds a construction brat and moved all over the states and my vocabulary can be a little crusty or maybe salty.
Yep, then there was the time we lost my son. He was about two also and we'd gone to the State Fair in Dallas, TX.. That's really a big happening, or was 48 years ago. At any rate, we each thought the other had my son and when we met up outside of the area we were in, everyone hurrying to the next event, guess what ? No son. The oldest was with his Dad and the youngest was out doing his thing somewhere in the crowd! I believe my hair turned grey at that moment! AT ANY RATE, as the crowd cleared out, there was my son with his sweet little hand being held very safely in the hand of a policeman.
Hopefully my daughter will help me Wed. night when she comes over. I kinow there's more to blogging than just writing. Of course I love to write, and talk, and paint, and love my grandkids and kids. At any rate, my goal is to reach out to ya'll. Hope you'll retaliate by bloggin with me.
The good thing for today is becoming more computer friendly. I learned how to edit and crop a pictruree (all og my kids work) and then print them 2 to a page and THERE IT IS, it works. The prints of their acrylic paintings go into their portfolio we're making along with their original drawings. I just sat here browsing through their prints, and they're good, they should be proud of themselves You should see their faces when Mom or Dad exclames, "What YOU did this, it's great, you give MS Jo Ellen a big hug and thank you." That's when my day is made!
Next I learned how to scale an image (my paintings) so that they're 999 pixcels, or something like that, what ever it is. Anyhow the next step is learning how to transfer them to my ETSY account. That will have to be another day, my brain is tired, and I doubt I could think of anything creative to say..
There was no class yesterday as the kids had things to do at school for Halloween. My husband and I spent the entire day sorting through paintings, working on the Etsy acccount. I put on four packages of pictures from my origial drawings of the windows of the Alamo and doors of three of the missions. Most people never notice the barracks in front of the Alamo. Each window is different. I guess whoever was going to be in that room designed their on. Anyhow I did some drawings in pen and ink of those and then put them on note cards. My big dream several years ago was to put my cards all over Houston and surrounding towns., then just sit back and watch the money come in. Guess I'm still waiting, only put them at one place, went to check the ccount and 36 were missing., and of course the owner said they were stoloen. THIRTY SIX, maybe one or two. However, you never know what someone will steal.. Many Many years ago I wa doing a wax sculpture of my Great Aunt's head. NOw the thing is, I don't even chew gum ever since the sescond world war. That's another story I'll tell you some times. Anyhow the directions to the wax was to chew until soft and then mold the head. I wss almost finished, it looked pretty good. You guessed it. Someone broke into my apartment and stold the thing. I had a sore, tired jaw, and nothing to show for it, and they didn't take anything else. Of course I was newly divorced, so didn't have anythin to steal.
Nothing interesting to talk about, so will go pick up my crochet, adjust my glassess and watch a little TV. I hate my hearing aids, so they stay safely placed on a glass shelf with my hand painted wine glasses
Oh just thought of an Alamo story. About thirty five years ago my first husband , young daughter and I went to the Alamo. We were taking pictures and having a good time. I sat down by a tree in the back of the Alamo to do some drawing, my husband had my daughter by the hand, and they both walked off. About an hour later I felt little hands slip around my neck and my daughter very quitely said, in a worried voice, "Mom, Daddy's lost." I'll leave it to your imagination to write the script for the following conversation, when my husband came walking around the building. Let me just say, I was raiseds a construction brat and moved all over the states and my vocabulary can be a little crusty or maybe salty.
Yep, then there was the time we lost my son. He was about two also and we'd gone to the State Fair in Dallas, TX.. That's really a big happening, or was 48 years ago. At any rate, we each thought the other had my son and when we met up outside of the area we were in, everyone hurrying to the next event, guess what ? No son. The oldest was with his Dad and the youngest was out doing his thing somewhere in the crowd! I believe my hair turned grey at that moment! AT ANY RATE, as the crowd cleared out, there was my son with his sweet little hand being held very safely in the hand of a policeman.
Hopefully my daughter will help me Wed. night when she comes over. I kinow there's more to blogging than just writing. Of course I love to write, and talk, and paint, and love my grandkids and kids. At any rate, my goal is to reach out to ya'll. Hope you'll retaliate by bloggin with me.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Birthday Party
What a wonderful day I had yesterday. My grandson turned two years of age. Yep, he's a handful. I spent the day at his house, with my daughter, son-in-law and grandaughter What a treat!! Not only that but my two sons were there also and it's always nice to get the "kids" together. Its' fun to just sit back and watch the conversation flow between them, and to know that they genuinly care about each other. That's almost a rarity in this day and age. My other grandsone is away at college. What a bright person he is.
This gave me a chance to meet some really wonderful people who are Karen's friends, and what a collection of original thinking, creative people.
I'm not really compuer friendly (that's probably the understatement of the year), however Karen says I should blog, so you always do what your kids say...or not.
At any rate, I intend to do this with an open mind and look forward to meeting some wonderful people.
The other bit of learning is the fact that I've opened an etsy account to display my art work. I've been teaching and studying for the last forty years and have at last decided to sell my work. I would love for you to puruse my store. It's etsy dot com, then go to paintings / then to joellenart. Now I realize that most of you know how to make your way through a computer program, but not me, so I'll do it my way and go step by step. Actually that's what I call my theme song."I'll do it my way". When I finally "pop off" the kids should throw a party, have a few drinks, sing my song, and remember that Mom was whatever they think. I'm certain they have very definite ideas, I've not exactly been a shrinking violet in my adult years. My left hand is a little weak, with a mind of its own, so if you see lots of mistakes, primarily "S" and "E", just know my hand was doing its thing
My art mind is calling me, I've things to do, so have a great day and know that life is beautiful, some days it doesn't seem that, but the great thing about a bad day is the thought that it can only get better. Believe me, I've been there.
This gave me a chance to meet some really wonderful people who are Karen's friends, and what a collection of original thinking, creative people.
I'm not really compuer friendly (that's probably the understatement of the year), however Karen says I should blog, so you always do what your kids say...or not.
At any rate, I intend to do this with an open mind and look forward to meeting some wonderful people.
The other bit of learning is the fact that I've opened an etsy account to display my art work. I've been teaching and studying for the last forty years and have at last decided to sell my work. I would love for you to puruse my store. It's etsy dot com, then go to paintings / then to joellenart. Now I realize that most of you know how to make your way through a computer program, but not me, so I'll do it my way and go step by step. Actually that's what I call my theme song."I'll do it my way". When I finally "pop off" the kids should throw a party, have a few drinks, sing my song, and remember that Mom was whatever they think. I'm certain they have very definite ideas, I've not exactly been a shrinking violet in my adult years. My left hand is a little weak, with a mind of its own, so if you see lots of mistakes, primarily "S" and "E", just know my hand was doing its thing
My art mind is calling me, I've things to do, so have a great day and know that life is beautiful, some days it doesn't seem that, but the great thing about a bad day is the thought that it can only get better. Believe me, I've been there.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Hi, I'm Jo Ellen
At age 10 when my parents moved from southern Miss. to Washington State, I saw my first mountains, different colors green, snow, water falls and instantly decided I wanted to be an artist. Eighteen years later, I painted my first picture and was told, "you need to take art lessons". Two of my friends liked the idea, so every Tue. evening we piled into the car, got a babysitter for the kids and tried our hand at being artistic. I was a misarable failure, however, after four years of study, lessons, trial and error it finally happend. Other people in the class were asking me for help. My teacher asked me to quit taking class and just come paint with her as a friend. I did, and also started teaching at her suggestion. I still teach two classes of 6 kids on Sat. and it makes my week! They're creative, not afraid to try my crazy ideas, and keep me on my toes always searching for new ideas, methods, product and ways to teach. Their parents are always proud of them and you should see the kids glow with pride.
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