Painting Boats Along the Coast
Beached in Long Beach by Sharon Weaver
It was a perfect day, the sun was warm, the sky clear from recent rains and the summer crowds were absent. I was intrigued by the shadows and the difficult perspective of these two boats. I thought the challenge would be fun and it proved to be inspirational. Even though the boats were a weathered white/blue, there was a lot of reflected light from the sand and I introduced complementary colors to highlight that glow.
For my tutorial on complementary colors, click Transform Your Art With Color.
Below is a detail of Beached in Long Beach, I was very aware of my brush strokes and applied thick paint for interest.
For my tutorial on complementary colors, click Transform Your Art With Color.
Below is a detail of Beached in Long Beach, I was very aware of my brush strokes and applied thick paint for interest.
Detail of Beached in Long Beach
This is a great example for my second tutorial, Make Art That Collectors Notice. I go over the importance of engaging the buyer from three vantage points.
1) Getting attention from across the room
2) Heighten their interest at 4 feet away
3) Reveal the details up close
1) Getting attention from across the room
2) Heighten their interest at 4 feet away
3) Reveal the details up close
If you understand how a buyer sees your painting, you can evaluate your work and improve it with the collectors view in mind. For more click on Make Art That Collectors Notice.
The California Art Club is sponsoring an exhibit and sale during the Long Beach Bike Festival. It will be on May 8th - 10th by The Phantom Gallery at 170 N. Promenade in Long Beach. Should be a lot of fun.
Sign up to get this blog at the top left orange button. All my paintings are for sale just click Sharon Weaver Fine Art or the title. If you would like to get a monthly update, go to Sharon's News.
More Wildflowers!
A Feast for the Eyes
Wildflowers are out in all their glory. This amazing display is located in a Pasadena neighborhood garden, Arlington Park, that is tended with so much obvious love by the surrounding residents. A feast for the eyes as well as the soul. California poppies, lavender, succulents, wildflowers all bursting with colored blossoms. The meandering paths, benches and umbrellas all make this a wonderful spot to visit.
Why I premix my colors....
1 It allows me to concentrate on painting not mixing
2 The colors stay clean and clear
3 There is a harmony to the colors when I mix them all at the same time
4 Most important... when I am mixing, I am only thinking about what colors I want to use in my painting so those color are deep, rich and beautiful
If you are interested in more details click on A Feast for the Eyes. You can have a direct link to my blog at the top left orange square or sign up for Sharon's News.
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Painting Cherry Blossoms
Lush Lady
Plein Air Painting Lush Lady
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the cherry blossoms where a lighter peachy-pink; quite different from the bright pink of others I had painted before. This lush and soft cherry tree had just the right shade of pink to really stand out against the mountains. It captured the abundance of spring in its outstretched limbs. The blue sky peaked through the blossoms giving it the light, airy nature. I achieved that same airiness by cutting back into the blossoms with the sky holes.
It must have been the day to paint the cherry blossoms because there were several other artists who showed up to paint including Sharon Burkett Kaiser , Lynn Gertenbach and Maria Klar.
See more of my landscape paintings at Sharon Weaver Fine Art.
If you would like to hang her on your wall, click on Lush Lady for more details.
To make your purchase go to my website or Contact Sharon.
Click on the orange square at the top left for a link to this blog or
sign up for my newsletter at Sharon's News.
If you would like to hang her on your wall, click on Lush Lady for more details.
To make your purchase go to my website or Contact Sharon.
Click on the orange square at the top left for a link to this blog or
sign up for my newsletter at Sharon's News.
John Paul Thornton: a Portrait
This month the San Fernando Valley Art Club meeting included a portrait demonstration by John Paul Thornton. He started with a photograph, but explained that it was very washed out. With that in mind, John Paul said he would paint the portrait as he wanted it to be, not by copying the photo. He started by drawing shapes and blocking in shadows.
As John Paul worked, he discussed the special role of artists which is to inspire feelings with their art. He also talked about the importance of edges within a painting. Our art teachers taught us that there are two types of edges, soft and hard. John Paul believes that this just isn't true and he has named eight different edge treatments.
As John Paul worked, he discussed the special role of artists which is to inspire feelings with their art. He also talked about the importance of edges within a painting. Our art teachers taught us that there are two types of edges, soft and hard. John Paul believes that this just isn't true and he has named eight different edge treatments.
At the BreakOn the lower left of the hat is a vanishing edge. This is where the edge is incorporated into the adjacent object with no defined line or edge. The jagged edge is just above that on the hat. This is when the edge is irregular, allowing outside colors and texture into its borders.
John Paul Working on Details A broken edge is on the right between the hat and the black background. This line is not a hard edge but painted with a dry brush to achieve a broken line. Beware the hard edge, use it sparingly and only in the spot where you want the viewers eye to go. The soft edge is used in areas that are not the focal point of your painting and often achieved by running your finger along an edge.
As John Paul pointed out, if you believe that there are only two types of edges than you will only paint using those two types. Breaking free of preconceived ideas is an artists job. I am wondering if anyone can come up with the last three edges which John Paul believes exist or maybe you've come up with your very own edge. Leave a comment and let me know.
Ordering John Paul's Book
Why Did I Pick the Mini Show Winners???After the demonstration, John Paul was kind enough to gave a critique of the Mini Show winners. This allowed everyone to see the paintings from his viewpoint. I can always tell when everyone enjoys the demo because nobody wants to leave and I finally had to be the enforcer and herd everyone out of the hall. Thank you John Paul Thornton for a great demonstration. Comment on or Share this Article →
Painting Beyond an Artists Comfort Zone
It takes constant vigilance to paint out of your comfort zone. It is amazing how easy it is to paint from habit. In order to paint Morning Hits the Rocks as I wanted, I continually had to stop from my habitual knee jerk reaction. My first attempt to paint this seascape ended with me poking a hole in the canvas with my brush but I don't recommend doing that since it damages your canvas and your brush. The truth is I have gone through a lot of emotions to achieve the painting I wanted. I am, after all, a temper-mental artist.
Even with so much inner conflict, completing this painting has given me a lot of satisfaction. You may recognize the trees which I used for another blog post, Painting with a Colors Complement. I am thrilled with the resulting seascape and hope you agree. The colors are intense, strong and clean throughout the painting. I infused colors into the shadows for more drama. I played with complementary colors (see How to Paint with Color by Sharon Weaver) at every level of painting and layered the paint to achieve depth.
This painting was inspired by Morning on the Rocks, a plein air study of Lovers Cove in northern California.
To subscribe to my blog click on the orange box at the top left. You will then have a direct link to my blog. You can purchase any of the paintings featured in my blog. Just click on the title and buy it online through PayPal or Contact Sharon. You can see more of my landscape paintings at my website at SharonWeaver.com
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New Marketing Tool
The search for new ways to market my art is ongoing and never ending. With Facebook, Twitter and all the other social networks it is hard to know where to put your energies. About a year ago Marsha Robinett, another artist, recommended writing a "lens" on Squidoo. I tried to enter a topic at that time but had a lot of difficulty with the software and gave up.
A few days ago, I again made an effort to add a lens and found the process much more simple and easy. How to Paint with Color by Sharon Weaver is the result. In my first day, I have had 4 visitors and 2 positive reviews. Lenses are ranked so the more visitors that come to the lens the higher the ranking. I am hoping to become a Giant Squid and add more lenses so please visit my lens and if you like what you see leave a review.
If you are not familiar with Squidoo, take a look at the welcome page where you will find so many diverse topics that are available for further exploration. I am planning to add more lenses to other topics to expand my audience and meet more people.
Let me know what you think of Squidoo? If you are looking for new ways to find others with similar interests making a lens could be a good way to get the word out.
