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Cooking is one of my passions, with appetizers and desserts at the top of my list of favorite constructions. Coming up with new sauces for entrees and creating new salad ideas are right up there, as well.  Fresh ingredients are a must for all of my culinary creations.

The odd couple inspiration came to me when I was creating one of my salad concoctions. I wanted to have a colorful salad, and I had these two vibrant cabbages on hand. Once again my kitchen inventions led me to ponder a painting possibility.

Since the green cabbage that I had purchased came with its large outside leaves still on, I wanted to include them in the composition. Their large size would make a nice contrast to the small cut head of red cabbage. Contrasts are something that I like to use in still life arrangements. The large full head of green cabbage with its outer leaves encompassing the partial head of red cabbage reminded me of some couples that I know; they seem to be polar opposites. It’s funny how creative thinking can lead your thoughts. Why would I associate cabbages with a couple I know who are diametrically opposite people?

Can you feel the cold from these crisp cabbages? Do you anticipate any of the wide variety of salads that can be made with them? By making new dressings and adding new varieties of accouterments to basic salad-makings, I tap into the out-of-the-box thinking that is needed for the creation of art. Any procedure or thought process that is used in one area will naturally start showing up in another. It’s a practice thing; the more you do anything the better you get and it becomes a habit.

 Food paintings should remind the viewer of previous pleasant dining experiences or make their mouth’s water in anticipation of great meals to come. They should also tell a story, not just have random items placed together. What recipes or favorite dishes come to your mind when you look at this crisp, cold odd couple?

Bright sunlight is a pastel from my cow/calf series that I am creating for an author that has written a book about grazing cattle. The curious calf squinting in the intense sunlight standing next to his sedate mother chewing her cud made an interesting juxtaposition. Creating pastel paintings has created some question, however. Are you willing to share your knowledge with others who are reading my blog and me some tips on working with pastels?

In an earlier blog, I told you about my workshop instructor 20+ years ago that refused to demonstrate. During that week, I copied some of his paintings from out of a book that I had purchased that featured his artwork to try and understand his techniques.  Networking with that huge class of professional artists who had come to learn was really helpful for me. They shared lots of tips, and I asked many of questions.

Looking online for answers about using pastels doesn’t seem to help, because I am having a hard time finding the answers that I seek. I have purchased several books on using pastels, but can’t find the answers I want there, either. Can you help me out?

Long ago, when I first started painting, I started with watercolors. We didn’t have very much money at that time, so I bought cheap, student-grade paper. I had checked out “how-to” art books from the library and copied the paintings in the books. Or I should say that I tried to copy the paintings in the books. I tried and tried but no matter what, my painted did not look like the pictures of the paintings in the books. It was so frustrating! The color would puddle in the little dimples on the surface of the watercolor paper, and not create the even or graded washes that the books illustrated. Then, I started paying attention to the types of paper was used for the different paintings that were illustrated…hot press….cold press…. 75 pound….. 300 pound. These strange terms were like Greek to me, but I researched and learned. I broke down and bought a few large sheets of some of the various types of professional paper to compare. Cutting the paper up into small sizes, [5x 7 and 8x10], gave me lots of surfaces to work on, front and back. IT WORKED! The watercolors started behaving themselves. The correct paper made all the difference in the world.

Why am I talking about watercolor paper when I initially asked for help with pastels? After the watercolor paper dilemma, I thought that if I wanted to start creating with pastels, I would start out with great pastel paper. Researching online let me find and try several several different types of pastel papers. So far, Wallis Belgium Mist paper seems to work the best for me. The skin on my finger gets sore sometimes from blending on the rough surface. I have tried using different things with which to blend…. what do you use? Being able to put multiple layers of colors on the sheets is wonderful. Since I have layered colors on my other work for years, this is a familiar technique. I like using different types of pastel sticks, from hard to buttery soft.   The softer pastels are great for spreading large areas of color. Pastel pencils work best for creating details, and they create less dust, so they are easier on my asthma.

What are your favorite brands of pastel colors, and why do you like them? How do you frame very large pastel paintings, for instance, an 18x24? Do you have to use glass? Can Lucite be used as a substitute? Some artists put pastels on oil or acrylic paintings so does that mean that these would have to be framed under glass, or would a fixative be enough?

Several pastel paintings are on my website as you have probably noticed. My children’s book, The Peculiar Platypus, was created using pastel paintings. Its images are stored in glassine envelopes to prevent them from damage, and are laid flat.

Creating my painting, Bull’s Eye, was fun because a new technique was used, new for me, that is. Can you tell what it I did differently from my other pastel paintings [and I don’t me the extreme colors]?

Last but not least, I have learned that like other works of art, pastel paintings should be kept out of bright sunlight.

Today’s painting that I am alluding to is one that I am hesitant to include. This little still life was one of my earliest pastel pieces that I created when I was first starting pastels a couple of years ago. I see parts of it that I would change, but it represents the best that I could do at that time. My husband loves this piece. He loves the way the colors of the peppers complement the blue plate. He loves the vibrant colors of the peppers. In preparing the peppers for supper, but I had the bright idea [at least I considered it a bright idea at the time] of arranging them on one of our blue square plates. It's obvious, right? Complementary colors do just that; they make each other look better.

I went to a workshop in Montana 20+ years ago, as I mentioned in my earlier blog, Explode the barriers to creativity!. The guest Artist instructor did not like to paint in front of people, so he didn’t! I am not sure why they selected him for their featured Artist, since we were there to observe and learn. He did give a slide lecture on some of his paintings, however. Now remember, I was in the very earliest part of teaching myself how to paint, so what is obvious to me now, was totally unknown to me at that time. I was a left-brained physiologist, so getting into my right-brain was very new to me. The Artist showed a slide in his presentation that had mule deer in a snowy scene. As I mentioned before, I have always been a colorist, and when I saw the purple shadows playing off of the snow, the painting just vibrated to my eyes.  All cones in my retina were firing. Since the Artist had stated at the beginning of his lecture that we could ask questions at any time, I raised my hand. “What did you use to paint the white part of your painting?” I asked shyly. Since I was new to art, I was quite intimidated by the countless professional artists [it was a huge class] who had signed up for the weeklong workshop. He answered, “White” and the entire group broke out into laughter. I wanted the floor to swallow me up! It had taken all of my nerve just to ask the question. But I am very stubborn, and I wanted to know why the colors vibrated! Ignoring how I felt, I then asked him, “What did you add to the white?”  After a pregnant pause, he said, “ Cad yellow….. or cad red…. I don’t remember.” The room was silent! I guess my question was a good one after all. Of course it was cadmium yellow! The complementary color of the purple that he used in the shadows was yellow. A little cad yellow added to the white would be all that was needed to make the complementary colors enhance each other. He mentioned cad red to try to redirect from the truth. How could not want to share information? Every artist has their own unique spin on their artwork, so it’s not like he was giving away any secrets. I remember feeling shocked that such a famous artist could be so insecure. I was there to learn and he was there to keep secrets. That was one of my great epiphanies that I had during my long self-education process. Not the fact that he didn’t want to share with the rest of us, which was remarkable in itself.  My epiphany that the complementary colors could make a painting vibrate with energy.

We have all gone through tough times throughout our lives, both personally and professionally. The economy is facing challenges and artists are hurting along with others. Unfortunately, art is one of the first things that is cut back when times get tough, both in schools and in purchasing priorities. The price of just about everything has gone up in the last few years. When people have to pay a lot to fill their vehicle’s tank so that they can get to work, they probably don’t feel like buying artwork from galleries, art fairs or online.

 The other night, we watched a special about a man by the name of Rene di Rosa. This man was passionate about art. He bought what he loved and what made him feel great. Although he had wealth, he kept it a secret when he went to art shows so he could get a good price.  He had a profound affect on the artists whose work he purchased, for he made them see that what they created touched his heart. He believed in them and what they created. He dressed in simple clothes and referred to himself as John Smith at these shows. He collected throughout his very long life and created a museum of his collection. Although I did not particularly like all of the art that he collected, I was very impressed by his passion. He accumulated the largest collection of Bay Area art in the world!

Now you may think that it was easy for him to collect art, since he has a lot of money. There are many places to find reasonably priced artwork that you can afford. Fund raisers, art fairs, art schools and art centers have great works that middle class people can afford. The quality of the art is not necessarily in direct proportion to the cost of the piece. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so if you love it, it is great art! We have purchased many pieces of art at fundraisers that we were able to get at a fraction of the cost of the artist’s regular work. I have donated my artwork to fundraisers that has sold way below market value. If you feel passionate about the cause, then the donation comes from the heart. You just hope that your work sells for the best it can to help out that cause.

The piece that accompanies this blog, Stormy Skies, represents to me rough times.  I love thunderstorms, although when they become tornadic, I worry as much as my friend who is afraid of thunderstorms. When the storm hits, you don’t know how long it will last, if there will be damage, and you may feel like you won’t be able to survive. The pink strip of sky in this painting shows that the storm is coming to an end. It is the promise that bad things won’t last forever. Hang in there for times will get better. Keep concentration on getting better while you build your inventory. Give it all you’ve got, and I mean all... don’t hold back! Don’t give up hope! Like the sun that comes peeking through the edge of the clouds in a stormy sky, there is a promise of better times to come.

Growing up in the Midwest gives you very little opportunity to see large bodies of water that extend beyond the horizon, unless you visit the Great Lakes. When I get a chance to go to either coast, I love walking along the beach, listening to the waves lapping at the shore and the birds calling in the air. As a gardener, it amazes me how wild flowers can grow and even thrive, in such harsh conditions along the ocean shorelines. If we time our visits just right, we can see an unbelievable array of flowers growing along the shores.  The bright orange shoreline flowers that are included with this blog were growing profusely during one of our visits. Although they were not very tall, the intense color was breathtaking. I admired how tough they were.  If they were in a different biome, however, they would not do so well because their specific needs would not be fulfilled. They had to have their needed environment to survive.

Being tough is the most common trait that artists tell me that they need to have or to cultivate. Some people are naturally tough; nothing seems to bother them, they just keep going forward. They are like these robust shoreline flowers. Even when times get tough they continue to survive. Other people are like delicate orchids. These plants are very sensitive to light, water, and soil type. Yet if their needs are met, they also thrive and produce glorious blossoms. Both of these types of flowers are beautiful. One is not better than the other, they are just different. Which type of flower are you? Are you seeing that your artistic needs are met so that you can grow and flourish as an artist? Do you wish that you were a different type of artist, producing artwork that you aren't currently making? Is that wishing misdirected? Have you analyzed your strong points and weak points so that you are not trying to be good at something for which you are not well suited? Are you trying new ideas and pushing your limits? Are you intrinsically or extrinsically motivated? Are you like an ocean shoreline flower in a northern garden or have you adjusted to your unique situation?

In my earlier blog, Explode the barriers to creativity, I mentioned creating a pastel demonstration at the international exhibition that had juried in my painting, Spring Explosion. I mentioned that although I was a newcomer to pastel, I willingly showed visitors to the exhibition what I knew about pastels. Are you sharing information about your art with others?

I want to tell you briefly what I did for this demo. I had previously painted two paintings, one in oil, Winter Blues, and the other in pastel, Winter Fields, of the same winter scene. You can find them in my landscape section on my website. When doing demonstrations, it can be a good idea to start with something with which you are familiar. From previous experience I knew that I needed to start my piece at home since I would not have a long time for demonstration. From my teaching experiences, I thought that I would probably be answering a lot of questions. Picking a subject that I had previously painted, but not making it exactly the same, eliminated a lot of unknowns.  I wanted to be able to show how I work with pastels without having to concentrate on problem solving for a new painting. By painting the familiar, I could focus on answering questions.

My prediction was correct….. I was asked many questions, so many that I hardly had time to paint. One person in particular asked me lots of questions. I saw him at this year’s show, and asked if he had time to try pastels. Alas, he has been too busy to try them, but hopes to someday.

Gleaning information from books and experimentation is the way I taught myself how to paint. Helping people understand a new concept, even if I am not all that accomplished at it, is something that I enjoy. I like sharing with others what I know. That’s why I am enjoying writing these blogs. Have a great weekend!

Have you been to Seattle and experienced Pike Place Market? In our trips to Seattle, we hadn’t known anything about this marvelous market. Our son and his wife mentioned how much they had loved it when they talked about their trip to Seattle. They told us that we shouldn’t miss it the next time we made Seattle our destination.  At our next visit, we couldn’t wait to see what we had missed.

As a colorist, I felt overwhelmed. Flowers of every color and description, displayed in huge bouquets, took my breath away. All around me were every kind of colorful seafood, produce and products from various merchants. Where to start… since I love to cook gourmet cuisine, and I love seafood, I was instantly fascinated by the rich assortment of beasties from the sea. I was born in Boston, but have lived in the Midwest since I was six years old. For the last twenty plus years we have lived in a small town, so finding fresh seafood can be a challenge. It was overwhelming to see the ocean’s bounty laid before me on icy beds in their display cases.

Salmon as an entrée has been a favorite of mine for years. When I was a child, my mom made salmon soup from canned salmon. It was wonderful yet little did I know what I had in store for me when I would be able to buy recently caught salmon, fresh from the sea and taste its delicate flavor. Luckily, I have husband who likes salmon as much as I do so I create with it quite often.

 Formulating new recipes has been a hobby of mine for almost as long as I can remember. I have always thought that I was more creative in the kitchen than I am in the studio. Years ago, after having carpal tunnel surgery on my painting hand, I decided to try something totally new to get my mind off of my predicament. I had never painted any still life pieces before that time. I decided that creating still life arrangements from the foods that we favor was my new starting point. I am hooked on creating visual food festivals, both in the kitchen and on canvas.

When I saw a fillet of freshly caught salmon, nestled on a bed of its ocean compatriots, I thought that the composition was exquisite. The shiny flanks of these remarkable migratory fish contrast with and conceal the rich, red meat inside. Anadromous fish, such as these, defy belief. The transformation in their bodies that allow them to hatch in fresh water, migrate to the salty ocean and return to fresh water to breed is rarely found. Their sensitive olfactory systems guide them back to the area of their hatching.  What a remarkable and unique fish! From the class of Osteichthyes, meaning that they have skeletons made of bone, these ray-finned fish cooperate by having muscle thick enough to make wonderful boneless fillets for use in my various original recipes.

Looking around at the panoramas to behold at the market, I thought to myself that ordinary objects, viewed through the artist’s eye could become quite picturesque. I want to share that splendor with others, so that they, too, can see the beauty in the ordinary.

Art is the unceasing effort to compete with the beauty of flowers and never succeeding. - Marc Chagall

How true are these words! Not feeling like we succeed in capturing beauty, whether it is found in flowers, landscapes, portraits, or whatever we choose to paint, is what drives artists onward. We chase ethereal ideas that are forever out of our reach. Yet, that is a wondrous thing. What a gift!  To always imagine fresh, new ideas and wondering if you can capture them. A brief moment of time captured on a canvas lasts long after the moment it gone.

No matter how flowers are painted, in any conceivable style, they seem to appeal to people. Is it because their beauty is fleeting, like a sunset? Why do people plant gardens, flowerpots or have indoor flowers like African violets? Is it the nurturing instinct or the quest for beauty? Small stone fences contain our perennial gardens in about two thirds of our yard. Our growing season is so short here in the north. Every year we look forward to welcoming back old friends that have been sleeping through the long, cold winter. At the end of our short summers, we tend the flowerbeds with hope that the plants will survive the coming harsh weather, however extreme. Wildflowers are much tougher than their tame cousins. Domestic flowers surround me, yet I mostly paint the wild prairie flowers that I have or have seen. This gaillardia, or blanket flower was bravely growing in harsh prairie conditions. Can you feel the heat of the hot, summer sun? Hear the insects humming and the birds singing? Smell the aroma of green growing plants? This prairie beauty that was growing despite dry conditions, is tough and not perfect, yet in my eyes, it is truly beautiful.                                       

Winter Sunset represents to me the lonely stillness of winter. Animals are either hibernating or hunkered down in the cold so that they are not easily seen. The lush greens of summer are long gone, replaced by the blues and purples of shadowed snows. The sun goes down early, and sometimes these sunsets are spectacular.

 Wanting to produce my projects was part of the reasons why I changed careers and left my work to write children’s books and continue my art career. I feel very blessed and glad to be able to do so, but the hardest part is not seeing my former students and my friends at work. How do other artists do it? How do they learn to tolerate the silence of the studio? My days were full of talking, and now they are not. I suppose that if I in my former job I had been alone in an office all day this wouldn’t be so hard. But my days were full of teaching, talking with students and listening to their problems. I know that I can volunteer at many different places, but that will take time away from the reason why I am working in the studio.  I could join artists groups and paint with others, but I have always been a loner. I don’t feel comfortable joining groups. To be very driven has its price, and it takes a while to get used to paying that price. How do other artists get used to the silence of the studio?

When I am creating, whether writing or painting, I am in right-brain mode and have no concept of time passing. It’s not time passing that I mind; my days go very quickly and I feel like there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish all that I would like to get done. I miss talking with my students.  I miss going across the hall to talk with my friends. I miss going downstairs to the office to talk with my friends that work there. Having lunch with friends where you catch up on their worries and concerns and lend a listening ear, and vent your own frustrations is now gone.  How do other artists get used to the silence of the studio?

I listen to classical music while I create, so it is not really the silence, but the lack of companionship that I miss. Don’t get me wrong, I love being able to see my husband more, and have lunch with him everyday. I love being my own boss again, but somehow, I feel out of touch. How do other artists get used to the silence of the studio?

I received an email from a friend yesterday. When she wrote that she reads my blogs, I was very touched. I have checked my sites stats, and I see that a few people are reading my blogs. I thank you for that, for ‘listening’ to my ideas. Before my friend told me that she reads my blogs, my sister was the only one that I know personally, who reads them. I told my friend that when I write my blogs, in my mind I am talking to my friends. But it is not the same. I still want to teach, but teach through children’s books and art. I am impatient for people to find my blog. Is it because I want to feel connected through their comments or is it just an ego appeaser? How do artists get used to the silence of the studio?

I realize that as time passes, and I get used to this new paradigm it will not be so hard.  I still have contact with patrons, galleries, licensing companies and art centers through emails and opening receptions. I talk with my family through web cam, texting and emails. I stayed home with my children for twelve years, and I was alone while they were at school. I have done it before and I can do it again. If you are an artist, can you tell me how you deal with the silence of the studio? Oh, and thanks for ‘listening’.

This blog is going to be shorter today because I am going to try something new in the studio, and I can’t wait to get going!

OK…. So maybe you have decided to try something new… a new medium, a new support, new subject matter… the list goes on. But now what? What can you do with what is new to you? First, let me give you a little background about myself.

I have loved color since I was a small child. I was good are remembering colors and knowing how to combine color combinations. This came in handy for my parents when they were shopping for clothes when I was a child, since I could remember the colors in their wardrobes at home. In high school, I would sketch pictures of the outfits that I wanted, and then color them to figure out the most combinations to give me the greatest variety of outfits. I knew the colors in my closet, so I knew what to create with colors in my drawings.

When I started designing soft pastel paintings, I was excited to find out that I could use pure colors already made in a wide variety of pencils or sticks. Layering colors was something with which I was well acquainted, but I had to approach it in a different way in pastel. This was new and really caught my attention.  I had painted impressionistically before, but now when I was doing so in some of my pastel paintings, I left part of the paper untouched by pastel, as well. This was a new concept for me, and it intrigued me. I had also started trying my hand at abstracts, another “new” for me, which for this realist was stimulating. How would it be try a conceptual piece in pastel? That would certainly be new for me, and I couldn’t wait to get started.

Looking at photographs of my paintings on the computer, one in particular caught my eye. I opened up the pastel that I painted called, “Attitude”. You can see this painting on my website. In particular, the eye of the bull really appealed to me. Putting the painted image in editing mode, I zeroed in on the eye, moving the guidelines until I had a composition that I liked.  Several options are given in edit mode, one of which is for adjusting color. I played around with the color, pushing it to extremes, until I had several possibilities. I had never tried playing with color in the photo-editing mode to this level. A great big “new” for me!  Using this modification only as a guide, I created my painting, making changes where I thought it was needed.  The painting in this blog, “Bull’s Eye”, is the first in a series that I plan on creating using this method.

If you feel stuck in a rut, try taking a photo of one of your paintings, resizing it to target a very small portion, and then push the colors to a different level, and create something new!

To this day, any subject that I paint, whether I am painting it as a detailed trompe-l'œil or an impressionistic pastel, I look at shapes and colors to get the image that I am going for. My painting that I have included in this blog, “Copper Pots and Spatulas”, was painted in this way. The reflections, in the bottom pot that show all of the kitchen tools that are in a crock that’s resting on a granite counter, may appear as though they were quite difficult and complicated to paint. However, when painting these reflections I broke the image down into colors and shapes, and the painting painted itself.  I didn’t start my art career thinking this way, and it got me into trouble.

“Be great at drawing before you pick up a paintbrush!” That advice is what I was told at a workshop many years ago. Drawing seemed impossible for me, so what did that mean? Years and years of sketching and drawing to try to get perspective and proportion correct before I could pickup a paintbrush? I didn’t want to draw…. I wanted to paint! I love color! I also heard, “Don’t erase! Start new and draw it again instead!” Erasing away gesture lines to where they should ultimately go [which I later learned was negative imaging] was easier for me than drawing the line in the correct spot.  Why shouldn’t I erase if it led me to the line that I wanted? Why should it matter what method I used if I got my artwork to look like I wanted it to? At that time, I thought that maybe I should give up my interest in painting and find a different art outlet. I have a tenacious tendency so I do not give up very easily. Before I would give up on painting, I decided to turn to my first love….. books!

I have always loved color, arranging and decorating, but I became a scientist. I had no formal art training but wanted to paint. I was staying home with my three sons, and I had decided to develop an interest that was all my own. Hearing the teacher at that workshop say that I should accomplish my drawing skills before I tried painting was very discouraging. I went to the library to see what the how-to books suggested.  Although several books repeated what the teacher said, I did find some that said to try painting in a spatial way instead. Looking for shapes instead of lines sounded good to me.

At first, when I was struggling, I was trying to draw the images and then paint them. I felt like I was fighting the canvas instead of working with it.  I read in the library books how some artists see things spatially instead of in a linear form. I decided to change my approach. I started painting shapes in the colors that I saw. Not looking at lines made seeing what I should paint much easier! Since the old way was for apprentices to copy the master until they were proficient, I copied paintings that I liked, looking at shapes and colors instead of subject matter. If I still struggled to get it right, I turned the reference piece upside down and my painting upside down and focused on the shapes and colors that I saw.  Much later I learned that this new technique forced my brain into right-brain mode, since there were no names for the shapes that I saw. By doing this, it made me see my subject in a spatial way, not a linear way. I also see negative space, the space around the object not the object itself, very easily. If I looked at that space around the object and use it for my reference, I could make objects look “right”.  I could be creating linear drawings for years, and I would not be accomplished at drawing.

If you are struggling with drawing or painting, give the spatial method a try.

Artists get into a comfort zone, just like anyone else can do in their careers. The comfort zone is called that for a very good reason. People don’t like to stick their necks out and open themselves up to ridicule or to the fear of failure. I remember going to a workshop in Montana 20+ years ago when I was beginning to teach myself how to paint. I was staying home with my three young sons, and I wanted to explore my curiosity about art. During college and graduate school, I had too many required science classes that took all of my time to be able to investigate my appreciation of art. At this workshop I saw artists trying to paint the way the instructor did, and when they didn’t find success, they returned to the way that they always painted. They returned to a place where they felt successful because the unknown was just too scary.

What happens when artists gets out of their safe zone and try something new?  The result can range from complete chaos to an epiphany.  If you are an artist that’s debating whether or not to try something new, you might be asking yourself, “What happens if I fail?”. Nothing will happen, unless you try to learn from your failure. It is no big deal if you fail, for failure gives you the opportunity for growth.  I used to have a sign in my science classroom that said, “Don’t be afraid to fail! If you don’t know what I mean, ask me!”  I wanted my students to get out of their comfort zones and into their creativity zones. There is no guarantee of success when you are in the creativity zone, so many people are afraid to approach it, let alone enter it. I also had a sign that said, “I want you to think, not just merely exist!”.  So many artists say that they create with emotion, but I say that evaluation is just as important as emotion when it come to creativity.  Maybe it is the scientist in me that thinks that constant analysis and evaluation is the way to creativity. I would be the first to admit that I was not trained in a traditional way when it comes to art. When you are self-taught, you have to constantly get out of your comfort zone to analyze and evaluate your work, or you will not have any progress.

I started painting with soft pastels only a couple of years ago. I had decided that I wanted to try something totally different, something that I knew absolutely nothing about…. soft pastels. When I started painting with pastels, I felt like I was painting with my left foot! How was I going to get a handle on something that was so completely different from what I was used to? I went to the Internet to see if I could get some basics on soft pastels, but then I realized that I was just delaying the inevitable…. failure. I realized that I shouldn’t fill my hours with looking up solutions; I had to paint, fail, and evaluate over and over again to get to the place that I wanted to be. I tried a new painting, and hated it. I tried another painting and felt miserable. I kept trying and trying. Then, I finally gave myself permission to fail. After repeated failures I finally had one 11x14 painting of which I liked only a small 4x5 portion.  I cut out that little 4x5 section and I framed it. Was it a great painting? Unequivocally, I can state that it was not, but I would not sell it for any price. That little painting that I framed represented to me my epiphany moment, when I first felt a glimmer of hope that I would understand this new medium that I was trying.

I kept working in pastel in the following months, and when a prestigious art show’s deadline approached, I entered a trompe-l'œil piece that took me months to complete, and a small soft pastel that took me a day to complete. Guess which one was accepted to this international show…. Yup, the little pastel. I felt like such an imposter at the opening, since this was a medium that was still so new to me. Yet I noticed a curious thing, well, at least it was strange to me. Many people, even the Master painters at the show told me how much they liked the little pastel.  These painters, who were very well known for their artwork, liked my little painting!   The people in charge of this event had asked for demonstrators. Even though I felt like a toddler just learning to walk in my understanding of pastels, I said that I would demonstrate what I knew about pastels. While I was demonstrating, one of the most well known artists there come over and asked me a lot of questions about working in pastel. ME! What an honor.

“If you don’t shoot for the stars, you will never even reach the moon” is a saying that I said over and over again to my students. What’s the worst that can happen if I fail in my attempt to make a great painting when trying something new? Nothing.... I just throw the painting away. But before I do, I need to evaluate it to figure out what is wrong. Do I figure that out right away? No! Some of these failures stay with me quite a while until I can finally figure out what is wrong. Have I wasted time when I created paintings that I consider a failure? No, not if I have tried to learn from them.

The painting that I have included in this blog, Spring Explosion, is the painting that was accepted into that prestigious art exhibition. If you feel like you have artist’s block, or are bored with doing the same old thing, take a risk and get out of your comfort zone by exploding the barriers to your creativity!

When people first see my trompe-l'œil pieces, they generally believe that I have created a collage. Upon seeing my painting, Double Delight Rose, the first reaction I hear is “Why did you tape photos onto your painting…won’t that ruin it?” I have had people try to move the photos, only to see them literally jump in amazement as they realize that I have painted everything on the piece. Misleading people into thinking that the photos and the tape that holds them in place were real was one of my goals when I crafted this trompe-l'œil piece.

You might wonder if there was something more than just the desire to create deception that inspired me to construct this piece. Absolutely! What artist do you know that doesn’t have at least some symbolism somewhere in their artwork? We artists tell stories with pictures, and to make a story interesting, we have to weave the tale.

Trompe-l'œil, which in French translates into “deceive the eye,” is a long-standing form of painting artwork. Objects are painted to create an optical illusion in such a way so that the portrayed objects appear to exist as three-dimensional items. A still life may be painted in such a way as to make the observer feel as if they could reach into the painting and grasp the articles depicted. A crystal chalice of Chablis, a boule or baguette of bread, chunks of choice cheeses; if these things are painted using a life-sized format, they can create the feeling of reality for the onlooker. A painting such as this would not be a trompe-l'œil painting. However, if the viewer thought that the painted articles actually were the three-dimensional items, then the painting could be considered a trompe-l'œil piece.

The trompe-l'œil piece should tell a story, symbolically, conventionally or using double entendre so that the story can be slowly unfolded through the observation of the arranged elements. Objects used should play off each other in the telling of the tale. Very flat items need to be utilized so that it can be made to look as if they are overlapped. The human brain is very sophisticated and it will not be easily fooled. The more layers created, the greater the chances are for success of trickery.

One needs to look no further than Shakespeare to know that roses symbolize womanhood. The Double Delight rose is one of my favorite flowers, for two reasons. While its intensely rosy fragrance is incredible, I love it best for its gentle blushing from the sunlight that caresses it. The bud starts out as a creamy white, tightly folded flower that blushes pink wherever the sun touches it. If you cut it and let it unfold in the house, it will not turn pink, but remain a luscious creamy white. It may have been old fashioned for me to have thought this, but images of a blushing bride or the first blush of romance came to my mind when I initially saw this flower.

Photos that would depict the different stages of womanhood were what I wanted for this piece. I have always believed that beauty comes from within. Beauty is not found in our outward shell that changes so much as we age, but rather it is our personality that can create beauty in the mind of others. The photo on the left is edged in white, sharp and crisp, representing the purity of youth. The first rose shows a young bud, perfect and undamaged. The flower next to it is slightly larger, slowly unfolding its petals. The flower to its right is at the height of its beauty. These roses represent a child, a teenager and a young woman.

The torn and worn edges of the photo to the right represent the wear and tear on a woman as she ages; jobs, relationships, children, dealing with loss, and life in general wears you out. Wrinkles, sagging muscles, grey hairs are undeniable bastions of aging, yet the inner beauty is still there. Kindness, thoughtfulness, respectfulness show the real beauty of a person, man or woman. The dewdrops on the rose petal denote tears that are shed as feelings are wounded throughout life. The masking tape signifies the masks that we all wear when trying to hide the hurt that we feel.

Do patrons want to know my thoughts that I had when creating the symbolism in this trompe-l'œil piece? No, they usually ask me how I made it seem so real, and how long it took me to paint it. Just ask any artist what motivated them to create their piece; their answer might surprise you.

9/11/12

This is my first blog, an experiment with writing, if you will. I have always been intimidated by writing because I am dyslexic. I literally go into a sweat when I make my handwritten thank-you notes to my patrons. Perhaps that is why art became so appealing to me.  Not having to worry about spelling errors, using the wrong syntax or struggling with getting out what I am trying to say is what makes painting what I am trying to convey, so much better. The help that I have found by using the computer to write is too hard for me to put into words. Well, actually, I am putting them into words right now. And, [drumroll please] I have started writing humorous children’s books about science, written in a poetic form. I know, I know….. everyone says that they want to write children’s books, so you think I am just another one of the thousands of would-be authors. And, you are probably thinking, “How can anyone find anything funny about science…. science is boring!”.  Possibly you are thinking, “Poetry is dull!”.  Well, I am just another author and I am going to write about what I know through my unique perspective, and I’ll use art and my sense of humor to explain science to children.

We all have matchless journeys through life, and here is mine. I am a scientist who taught herself to paint while staying home with her three sons. When there was a shortage of substitute teachers, I joined their rank and file. Time flexibility and the ability to stay home with my children in the summer appealed to me.  When the school I worked at needed a biology teacher, I accepted the task. All the while that I taught, I continued to paint. In fact, some of my full-time artist friends told me that I painted more than they did!  I did all the things that full-time artists do: exhibited in galleries, was accepted into international, museum and national shows, have licensed some of my images, took commissions and I was accepted into several painting societies. All the while that I was focusing on my art career a glaring problem that I noticed about my students was slapping me in the face, metaphorically speaking, of course.  I couldn’t believe their lack of interest in science!  My sons loved science. How can anyone not be interested in how our world works? The students seemed to show that same ‘fear of science’ that a lot of people have. I like making people laugh, so I taught my students in a way that made learning science fun.  As an artist, I gave them visuals to help them remember science concepts. Although I am young, [I am sure that my former students don’t think that I am young at 55, but that’s another blog!] I have retired from teaching so that I can devote my time to art and writing. How ironic is that…. me writing!  Maybe because I am very musically oriented and I strongly feel rhythm [I subconsciously chew gum to the beat of music, for goodness sake], I have written my books in the form of poetry. Some of my humor is dry, and some is more obvious [does that make it wet?]. I have utilized the computer, again, but not for spell checking, this time, but for self-publishing.  Eventually, I want to make my books as e-books, and it goes without saying that I hope lots of publishers get into a massive fight over who gets to publish my work. OK, I will admit that is a bit over the top.  I know that you think that I am a dreamer, but aren’t all artists dreamers? As I told my students, you can’t hit the moon if you don’t aim for the stars.

If you would like to check out my artwork, you can find it at:

http://janstommes.fineartstudioonline.com

If you would like to see my books, here is a link:

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/3520824