Book Review:
The Artist's Muse...unlock the door to your creativity....by Betsy Dillard Stroud.

I forgot to include this review when I spoke about Artist Block. 
This book is wonderful. It is a book and card kit. It has a nice book and 3 sets of cards (you can see them on the left hand side of the open book photo). The cards are labeled: Circles of Growth, Windows of Opportunity and Doors of Awareness. The idea is to choose one card from each (or just one or two cards) and create from them.
Example:
Circles of Growth.............."Do a painting using only Cadmium Orange and a tube neutral".
Windows of Opportunity..."Do a painting using 100 brushstrokes only".
Doors of Awareness...."Paint a creative self-portrait by describing aspects of yourself in symbols. Use at least 3 things that are characteristic of you".
Have fun and may those artist blocks disappear.

Quiz:
When does copyright of a painting you've created start?

Artist Block:
Artist block is a real thing....what to paint, how to paint it, what media to use and where to find the time....etc. I've been lucky, Artist Block hasn't happen to me in regards to what to create....ideas come to me fast and furious all day long (or all night long...I'm a nighttime creator). One thing leads to another idea and then another and then another.....! Executing it is a different matter.....I don't always have the ability to do what I want. My answer to that is...(not to take away from the famous label brand's saying)...just do it. Do it several times with those triggered ideas adding to the last idea. Now, you are asking, what if the first idea isn't there for you?...no photo, no actual life scenery, no triggered thought comes to you or starts the process?  Start simple...take 5 different colored papers...cut, tear, burn, crumple etc...glue in an artful composition. Move them around...make them 3D or glue flat down on the paper. Try again...this time use those triggered ideas the first composition formed in your head. Try again. Maybe next time...use 5 paints or take a photo and cut it up, rearrange, add paint or color paper. Let loose, have fun and don't worry to much about the ending results (I bet those results will surprise and please you). Now, you are asking...how to find the time or the motivation. It's hard...but what are you waiting for? Give yourself the gift of the time to sit down and create...push yourself to be motivated. Are you depressed because you are not motivated...well, you are depressed because you are not motivated. You will feel better if you just do it...get in there and do something....start small....work toward big.

I can only give you my thoughts and ramblings...it's different for each and every one of us.

DON'T WAIT ANOTHER MINUTE...DO IT...MAKE TIME...GO FOR IT...LOVE YOURSELF....FORGET THE DISHES TODAY....DON'T FEEL GUILTY...DON'T EXPLAIN...YOU'LL FEEL BETTER AND REBORN IF YOU JUST GO IN AND DO SOMETHING... 

Good Luck....let me know how it is going for you.

Blog Views: 
US, Ukraine, China, Germany & United Kingdom....1,513.

Quote:

The

"earth"

without

"art"

is just

"eh".

Challenge: I gave each student/artist one sheet of gold & silver Josh paper and a Chinese New Year Money Envelop. I said go for it.

Colette: 

This is Colette's  art. 

Liz:
....and this is Liz's artwork.

Joni:
...and here is mine.

Blog Views: US, Poland, Australia and South Korea.

Artwork: Two artist students...Liz and Colette... have offered their paintings for you to enjoy. 

Colette: 

Liz:

I offered each of my Intermediate artist/students to see if they could incorporate two objects into their artwork...a gold and silver Josh paper and a  Chinese New Year Money Envelop. This one is Liz's mix-media.

Hello....

I know it has been a long time since I posted. Winter has brought me a lot to do....besides, I haven't had any inspiration from others and their art to post or write about. As much as I enjoy having this blog in my life, I may need to consider closing it and this chapter in my life....food for thought. Let me know and help me out...e-mail me your art and statements...leave comments...help me to keep this afloat. 

Blog Viewer's: US, India, Poland, Ukraine and Romania....1,411 views to date. 

Quote: "I have no particular talent. I am merely inquisitive."                     
                                                                Albert Einstein.

I like this quote, but not how it starts out negative...but for those of you that think you have to be an "artists" to participate or enjoy this blog, the 2nd sentence of this quote can say it all.

Have a great day !!!

                !  HAPPY  NEW  YEAR  !


Hi...Hope you are having a great day and that this year will be full of great expectations. 

Are you a resolution maker? I tend to be....I write them down, post the list on my board and look at that list for 365 days.  Not all that many get scratched off. I have regulars...paint more, write more, exercise more, etc etc etc. (I never really know what constitutes MORE).  I'm thinking of throwing in a few new ones this year.

"If you never try, you will never know what you can accomplish." (unknown).

I've been on holiday vacation from school and a few other things in life (but not from shoveling snow). I haven't posted regularly, but that should improve once classes start up again next week.

Merry Christmas

Afrikaans - "Geseënde Kersfees en ‘n Voorspoedige Nuwe Jaar."

Arabic - "I'd Miilad Said Oua Sana Saida"

Argentine - "Felices Pasquas Y felices ano Nuevo"

Armenian - "Shenoraavor Nor Dari yev Pari Gaghand"

Basque - Eguberri on

Bohemian - "Vesele Vanoce"

Breton - "Nedeleg laouen na bloavezh mat"

Bulgarian - "Tchestita Koleda; Tchestito Rojdestvo Hristovo"

Chinese - [Mandarin] - "Kung His Hsin Nien bing Chu Shen Tan"

Chinese - [Catonese] - "Saint Dan Fai Lok"

Cornish - "Nadelik looan na looan blethen noweth"

Croatian - "Sretan Bozic i Nova Godina" (Merry Christmas & Happy New Year)

Czech - "Prejeme Vam Vesele Vanoce a stastny Novy Rok"

Danish - "Glædelig Jul"

Dutch - "Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar"

Inupiaq Eskimo (Kotzebue area in NW Alaska)- Quvianagli Anaiyyuniqpaliqsi suli Nakuuluni Ukiutqiutiqsi-
(Merry Christmas) (and) (Happy New Year)

English - "Merry Christmas"

Estonian - "Haid joule ja head uut aastat"

Farsi - "Cristmas-e-shoma mobarak bashad"

Filipino-"Maligayang Pasko"

Happy New Year in Filipino.."Manigong Bagong Taon"

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in Filipino- "Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon"

Finnish - "Hyvaa joulua"

French - "Joyeux Noël"

German - "Froehliche Weihnachten"

Greek - "Kala Christouyenna"

Hawaiian - "Mele Kalikimaka"

Hebrew - "Mo'adim Lesimkha. Chena tova"

Hindi - "Shub Naya Baras"

Hungarian - "Kellemes Karacsonyi unnepeket"

Icelandic - "Gledileg Jol"

Indonesian - "Selamat Hari Natal"

Iraqi - "Idah Saidan Wa Sanah Jadidah"

Irish - "Nollaig Shona Dhuit"

Italian - "Buone Feste Natalizie"

Japanese -" Shinnen omedeto, kurisumasu omedeto. The first part is translated "Happy New Year.
Kurisumasu omedeto means Merry Christmas.
Japanese people generally add the expression gozaimasu to indicate soemm humility.

Korean - "Sung Tan Chuk Ha"

Latvian - "Prieci'gus Ziemsve'tkus un Laimi'gu Jauno Gadu"

Lithuanian - "Linksmu Kaledu"

Navajo - "Merry Keshmish"

Norwegian - "God Jul"

Pennsylvania German - "En frehlicher Grischtdaag un en hallich Nei Yaahr"

Polish - "Wesolych Swiat Bozego Narodzenia"

Portuguese - "Feliz Natal" "Boas Festas"(Good Holidays.)

Rumanian - "Sarbatori Fericite"

Russian - "Pozdrevlyayu s prazdnikom Rozhdestva s Novim Godom"

Serbian - "Hristos se rodi"

Slovakian - "Sretan Bozic or Vesele vianoce"

Samoan - "La Maunia Le Kilisimasi Ma Le Tausaga Fou"

Scots Gaelic - "Nollaig chridheil huibh"

Serb-Croatian - "Sretam Bozic. Vesela Nova Godina"

Slovak - "Vesele Vianoce. A stastlivy Novy Rok"

Slovene - "Vesele Bozicne. Screcno Novo Leto"

Spanish - "Feliz Navidad"

Swedish - "God Jul and (Och) Ett Gott Nytt År"

Tahitian -Merry Chrismas :" Ia orana te Noera"and Happy new year is "Ia orana i te mata iti api"

Thai - "Sawadee Pee Mai"

Turkish - "Noeliniz Ve Yeni Yiliniz Kutlu Olsun"

Ukrainian - "Z Rizdvom Khrystovym !" - "Merry Christmas"" Z Novym Rokom !" - "Happy New Year"

"Z Rizdvom Khrystovym i Novym Rokom !" - both greetings together.

Vietnamese - "Chuc Mung Giang Sinh"

Welsh - "Nadolig Llawen"

Yugoslavian - "Cestitamo Bozic"

Special Thanks to contributors to this page: Triin N and Annalene Groenewald.


Happy Holidays........Joni

Quiz: What is the difference between Titanium White and Zinc White?
Answer: Zinc White is more transparent than Titanium White. There are a few other differences between the two. These white paints are used in acrylic and oil painting. Watercolor has a Chinese White, but generally the white paper is reserved for the whites in watercolor painting.

Titanium White: 
( Also known as Permanent White). It is the most common, can be more chalky, can be used as a primer and pigment, has a strong covering power as it is more opaque making it great for highlights. It is relatively "cool" and dries faster than Zinc White.
Flake White: 
(Also known as Lead White or Silver White...can be harmful is swallowed). This is the oldest of the whites. It is very opaque and relatively "warm".  It is made from white lead and is suitable for building up an impasto (a technique of applying paint thickly). It is comparatively quick-drying, durable and flexible. It speeds up the drying  time of other pigments.
Zinc White: It has a pure, cold-white appearance that is most transparent, fairly intense, but subject to cracking when dry. Great for magnificent tints and glazing. It dries slowly. It is relatively "cool".
Superba White: This is an improved form of Titanium White made with artist quality oil that is non-yellowing. Very opaque and "cool".


Karen, sent this site to read comments on this subject by different artist. The site is a fun one to keep in your favorites....It is called Wet Canvas....
http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=577921.


Happy Painting.

 Quiz: What is the difference between Titanium White and Zinc White?   
  
I opened the curtains today to see about 9" of snow...to think there wasn't much of any on Saturday. Two nights ago the low was 11*. I brushed the snow off the satellite  dish, with my long pole with the toilet cleaner brush on the end) so I could turn on the computer and get Internet....Hi.  



Winter Challenge: Paint the snow, if you have any at your home, or paint using these photos as your guideline. Remember snow has lots of colors...purple, blue, peach, gray etc, not just gray and white. Spray on some colors too. Go out and give winter Plein Air Painting a try (or from a nice warm photo). When cold weather Plein Air Painting...try adding some Gin to your paints so they don't freeze...(a little for yourself, if you are into it).  So, take a try at painting snow.         

                                In Memory:

         Newtown, Connecticut.

and my hometown:
      Portland, Oregon.

Quote: "Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."....George Bernard Shaw...Irish Playwright

Viewer Contribution: 

Liz Hubbard:

Liz is one of my Intermediate student/artist. I'm always amazed how involved she is with her world and community. She keeps busy with her family's large sheep ranch, fleece, painting etc etc etc...! (click her web site at right)

Below is a painting...mix media...she started during our last class of the term. I was afraid I would not get to see it finished...but here it is. How wonderful !!!  She did so well and I'm so happy to see it.  I felt she was on to something.

Liz's statement:   

"In our intermediate painting class with Joni we often tease her about trying to turn us to the dark side, or trying to bring out our inner dark.  That is because her most often heard advice is “more darks.” 

In this piece I have taken  tissue paper colored with pencil, tore pieces and glued them to a canvas board to collage a sheep cameo.  To finish I added detail with a charcoal pencil.  I did the finish work at home and I kept hearing Joni say, “more darks.”  I added more darks, several times, and after calling the piece finished I think perhaps it still might need “more darks.”

It was an interesting study; working in just shading, starting with the lightly shaded scraps of paper and working to the darker.  The idea came from a book called Painting Shapes and Edges."

In response to her statement :... "I can (always) say more "darks"...but she doesn't  have to add any if she doesn't feel it needs more. The head pops out forward, there is a light source, the eyes talk to me...I want to reach out and touch.

Thanks for the inspiration."

Thank you.

Blog Views: This week, so far, the countries looking at Art Tidbits are from: USA, Romania, Germany & Austria.  International viewers...please write your comments or email your artwork....we would all enjoy hearing from you.

Personal Note: I am back taking classes for myself. Distance Education and online classes are a wonderful thing.  I have been a teacher now much longer than I have been a student....so going back to having lessons, assignments and tests is new for me after all these years. I'm finding it exciting and a little daunting. School takes a lot of time....now there is less time for 
creating art.  :( 

This month, I'm without students or classes to teach...being the holiday vacation between terms. I do feel the loss of time spent, the inspiration, the comradeship, the friendliness. There's also the different frame of mind...not gathering supplies or samples for class...and the regrouping on my time management. Which has brought me to write about "Balance".

Balance: Balance is my hardest word to deal with in life. In a perfect world, one would be able to have enough time to do everything with as much time needed for each project or task. Sign me up!!! When working alone in one's own studio, one must balance their time and usually that balance goes by the way of "things that need to be done" route....not the "my studio time comes first" route. If left up to my own devices, I would be in my studio 24/7....but when I return back to the main part of my home and see the dirty dishes, needed vacuuming and worse of all...it's 9pm and I forgot the cats are still outside....I know "Balance" isn't in-balance. Art making can be a lonely world...we artist tend to work alone in our creating spaces and therefore, we don't get outside feed back, we fight for time to do our art and inspiration can become stalled. The less we create, the harder it is to get back into it.

My "Balance" solution is....I divide my day by hours. Sure, some days the balance goes heavy for one thing over another...like some days or weeks maybe 90% goes to one task (like house cleaning because company will be here soon) but tomorrow, maybe more 60% house chores/whatever and 40% will be studio time. Where I get in trouble is when I let the needed tasks get the majority of my time and studio time gets less and less or no time at all.

So try to tame the Balance Devil...try graphing out your day on paper....give each task/project it's own time slot. Stick with it. You'll feel better that you gave at least a little to a lot.

How do you Balance Your Time Management?  Write or comment letting me know your Balance Solution....I'm interested.

Student Art:

Jean:

Jean, a student in my Intermediate Class, has been pushing herself to draw her subjects and to paint belong the local color. The local color of this duck is yellow, but she is learning that many colors can be used to get the depth, contrast and pop!!

Thanks !!!

Quote: "If Not Now...When?" (unknown).


Student Art:

Byrnie:
Brynie has another great painting for Show and Tell.  This was done by observing the actual 
artichoke .

Thanks !

Student Art:

Karen:

Karen has been in my classes for many years. She was already into the arts and her Mother was an artist...but I have seen some amazing steps that Karen has been taking. She has become fearless, experimental and a positive influence to the rest of the class. Below is another one of her beautiful watercolor paintings.

Thank you !!!

Blog Views: There has been over 1000 views. This week so far, the views came from...US, United Kingdom, Germany, South Korea & Philippines.

Quiz: What is vernissage?
Answer: A private preview of an art exhibition before it opens for public viewing.
                      (How long have we lived and not known this word??? New to me!!!).

Student Art:

Bonnie:
Bonnie is in my Beginning Watercolor Class. She had never painted before taking this class. The below painting is her 3rd or 4th painting ever. We were studying reflections, mountains and clouds.
She seems to really enjoy painting and I hope our paths cross again.

Thank you, Bonnie

Student Art:

Patty:

Patty is in my Beginning Watercolor Class. She has painted before and knows a lot about it...she just needed to get reintroduced and gain more confidence. 
We were studying oceans and below is her painting. 

In watercolor, the painter must reserve the whites of the paper to have any white showing in the finished painting....there is no white pigment in watercolor. It takes planing to know where those whites are to be placed. Patty used a white crayon to resist the paint and leave the whites. She marked her watercolor paper with the crayon before putting any paint on her paper. Masking fluid, candles, masking tape & crayons can be used as the resist. 

Thanks, Patty

Welcome back. I hope everyone had a great holiday. 

Blog Views: United States, United Kingdom & Poland.

Quiz: What is a vernissage?

Shapes:
A few people have asked how to find the shapes for a painting. This is in regards to the Nov. 16 posting, when students painted upside down. Below, I have outlined the main shapes in blue and then broke down the main shapes into smaller shapes and they are in red. The shapes do need to connect some how, in order for the viewer's eye to move around the painting. Remember, that shapes are not only the positive ones, but negative spaces are shapes too.

                 Happy Thanksgiving

             Have a great day. I'll post again next week

    Be yourself, because everyone else is taken.
                                                                                                                               (unknown)

Readings:
I'm reading a book, The Sistine Secrets by Benjamin Blech & Roy Doliner.

I loved seeing the Sistine Chapel* ceiling...it was breathtaking. I've seen it  twice...the first time was before it was restored and the second time it was during it's restoration (lots of scaffolding and closed off areas). Even though I plan on visiting mostly the small hill towns of Italy on my next trip, I will go see the Sistine Chapel....this time in it's full restored state and I will be thinking about this book.

Inside cover description of this book...says:

"Five hundred years ago Michelangelo began work on a painting that became one of the most famous pieces of art in the world--The Sistine Chapel ceiling. Every year millions of people come to see Michelangelo's Sistine ceiling, which is the largest fresco* painting on earth in the holiest of Christianity's chapels; yet there is not one single Christian image in this vast, magnificent artwork. The Sistine Secrets tells the fascinating story of how Michelangelo embedded messages of brotherhood, tolerance, and freethinking in his painting to encourage "fellow travelers" to challenge the repressive Roman Catholic Church of his time.
Blech & Doliner reveal what Michelangelo meant in the angelic representations that brilliantly mocked his papal patrons, how he managed to sneak unorthodox heresies into his ostensibly pious portrayals, and how he was able to fulfill his lifelong ambition to bridge the wisdom of science with the strictures of faith. The Sistine Secrets unearth secrets that have remained hidden in plain sight for centuries."

*Sistine Chapel...The Vatican, Rome, Italy.
*Fresco....(Italian for "fresh"). A wall covering technique that involves painting with  water-based paints on freshly applied wet plaster. Also known as buon fresco. Fresco last because the paint mixes with the wet plaster instead of sitting on top of the plaster, where the paint could get rubbed off.

Viewer Comment:
(I'm passing on a 2 comments that were e-mailed to me).

(In regards to the 11/16/12 posting)

Joni,

I am compelled to comment on this one....

Every time I get "stuck" on a painting, I turn it upside down!  I am so happy you taught me this and have passed the trick onto fellow painters!  Great tool if I am struggling with my painting!

Thanks!

Debbie

(In regards to the 11/ 12 posting).

I like to title my paintings, especially if I have painted them on location. It helps me recall the location and even the friends I have painted with. 

Debbie

Student Art:

I have my students paint from a photo that is upside down. This disengages their mind from thinking in terms of object to shape....example: the mind will go from "tree" to a "shape" when seen out of context in the upside down format. If you look for the "Shapes" in what you are painting (start with the big main shapes...then break those down to the shapes within etc) you can paint or draw just about anything.

Below are 2 examples from my beginning watercolor class. Aren't they great !!! Give it a try.

The photo is one of mine from a Bend area lake.

Sue:
This is the view Sue saw while painting.

This is our view now that the painting is finished. 

Patty:

This is the view Patty saw while painting.

This is our view now that the painting is finished. 

Thanks for sharing.

Blog Views: USA, Latvia, Ukraine, Germany, Malaysia, India & Sweden.

To Title or not to Title?
I didn't hear from anyone about this topic, so I am unable to pass on any comments.

Personally, I love to title my artwork...but then, I love words. I  also like to mix words within my art. Another reason I like to apply titles, is that I may have painted to make a statement and I like my title to further express that idea. It's not that I think the viewer is slow or anything...I just want to continue my emotion  from creating, to created, to viewed.

The flip side of that coin, to Title or Not To Title, is that many artist believe that the title itself will influence the viewer...and that the art alone should evoke the emotion...rather or not the emotion evoked is what the artist had in mind or not.

Some artists just hate to be bothered with thinking of titles, or it is hard to come up with something.

Where do you stand?

 

Quiz: In watercolor, what is granulation?
Answer: When the pigment separates out from the water, creating a speckled texture.

There are watercolor pigments that are granulating by nature (example...paynes gray, cerulean blue etc), however, you can make all pigments that way by mixing your watercolor pigments with a liquid "Granulation Medium".

Inspirational Person:....
Great Aunt Genevieve:
I had a great aunt, Mary Genevieve Wilcox (1888-1987), that was a teacher, poet, artist, Shakespeare lover and all around interesting person. She was an inspiration to me. I remember going to her apartment and seeing the many layers of stacked paintings leaning against the walls. I just recently acquired some of her watercolor paintings. She painted on both sides of her watercolor paper. I don't know the years these were painted, but I believe she was still painting up to the years before she passed away..? Below are a few.

 She also wrote poems ...and for the holidays she would write a poem instead of sending out cards. I received a special poem for a wedding card...made especially with me in mind. Her poem below (in her handwriting) was a 1981 holiday poem...with her original drawing. Enjoy.

Do click on it to enlarge for reading.

Quiz: In watercolor, what is granulation?

To Title your Art or Not To Title Your Art...That Is The Question???
Let me know what you think about this topic...in a few days after hearing from you, I'll write about my ideas.

Byrnie:
Here is another great painting from Byrnie. I love the movenment.

Thank you Byrnie.

Art Challenge 2: ...Balance. (See the sidebar for more information).

We as a class this term, picked a new challenge. The last day of the term was our gallery showing. Some worked on this challenge in class, and some worked on it at home.....so some were brand new to us during our gallery showing. I will daily post our paintings student-by-student.

Stephanie:

I had to smile when I saw the first painting below. How many times I have thought that I really balanced my clean dishes, but, I didn't think about it being a perfect subject for the Balance Challenge. Art surrounds us !!!

Stephanie is creative in the way she divides her painting surface into framed and unframed areas. 

You can see more of her paintings posted Sept 13 and 27.

Thank you for sharing.

Art Challenge 2: ...Balance. (See the sidebar for more information).

We as a class this term, picked a new challenge. The last day of the term was our gallery showing. Some worked on this challenge in class, and some worked on it at home.....so some were brand new to us during our gallery showing. I will daily post our paintings student-by-student.

Karen:
Karen drew her challenge...I was glad to see other medias used. The balance here is really ready to topple....I could just pull out one cherry and there it goes. Choosing "Balance"  for our challenge was a good one.

You can see more of Karen's artwork posted on 9/28 and 10/24.

Thanks, Karen, for sharing.

Art Challenge 2: ...Balance. (See the sidebar for more information).

We as a class this term, picked a new challenge. The last day of the term was our gallery showing. Some worked on this challenge in class, and some worked on it at home.....so some were brand new to us during our gallery showing. I will daily post our paintings student-by-student.

Delores: 

Delores's painting is very fun and whimsical. I love her limited palette. 

Thank you for sharing.

Art Challenge #2:....Balance. (See the sidebar for more information).

Colette: 
More of Colette's fine paintings. She had fun with this challenge.

You can see more of Colette's paintings posted on Sept. 26 & Oct. 20.

Thank you for sharing.

Art Challenge #2:....Balance. (See the sidebar for more information).

We as a class this term, picked a new challenge. The last day of the term was our gallery showing. Some worked on this challenge in class, and some worked on it at home.....so some were brand new to us during our gallery showing. I will daily post our paintings student-by-student.

Diana: 
I'm happy for Diana, as she has been wanting to paint wrecked cars that were stacked...it seems our little town doesn't stack ! But, with the help from a friend, she got a photo and now her desire to paint the idea (and it fit the Balance Challenge) is a reality. Her painting is wonderful...her best. It shows that you should paint what pulls at your heartstrings.

Check out her other paintings posted on Sept. 30.

 Thank you for sharing.