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Conveying Impressions

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Medium, definition: the material or form used by an artist; the intervening substance through which impressions are conveyed to the senses; a liquid (e.g., oil or water) with which pigments are mixed to make paint; a means by which something is communicated or expressed (that fits, right?)

And we have been on a journey exploring different mediums this year and having such fun. All the art theory applies, it’s just learning to use the medium that is the excitement. It’s how we are exploring, gaining knowledge and learning to apply the art experience we already have to a different medium.

We started the year with our usual favorite, acrylics, but exploring how to create a mist or fog effect with our paints using glazes and layers. And they turned out very foggy just as we wanted.

Tree-in-fog-web

Tree in the Fog, Liz Miller CDA

Tree in Fog, Pat, Donna, AnitaNext we have been playing with colored pencil this month, first with a House Finch design of mine House Finchand now each student has chosen a design they would like to create with assistance from me. I can’t wait to see the results. Again we are stretching our knowledge and learning to work with a new medium for most of us. What fun! I’m getting comments from students saying that they love colored pencils.

 

Italian Sailboat pastel

Italian Sailboat, Liz Miller CDA design

Next month we’ll continue our explorations of pastels which some of the students have sampled and enjoyed. We worked on Kay Witt’s awesome fox and our creations were also wonderful and exciting. I’ve just finishes an Italian Sailboat design that I think was lots of fun. We’ll start work on that on March 6. 

Plan to join us on our mediums explorations and exercise your mind. We have more acrylic and watercolor classes coming up! Keep watching the schedule.

Kitty, kitty, kitty

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I hope we’ve see the last of being snowed in and can get back to our painting together.

I’m back in the studio now and have worked on our next paintings for classes.  It’s been fun working on this delightful Lydia Steeves design, Bucket of Cats. Of course, painting animals is one of my favorite subjects, … along with portraits, landscapes, still lifes … well, I just love to paint.

I’ve done some progressive photos of my kitten painting so that you can see the painting evolve.  I’m saving the third kitten to paint with our students.  There’s still time to join us since we’ve had to revise our dates since we’ve been enjoying snow days.

Step 1

Step 1

First kitten finished

First kitten finished

Second kitten finished.

Second kitten finished.

Artistic Mud Pies

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As much fun as making mud pies!  Remember those day when you were a kid?  My Grandmother had a wonderful muddy area after the rain where I could create till my heart was content. Always exciting.

We’re adding a little something new to our painting adventures, Play Days.  On our play days we’ll gather to explore a new technique idea, new product, old idea revisited, or anything else we come up with.  I won’t do as much teaching as sharing our creative idea for the day and we’ll all experiment with this concept.  It’s always interesting to see how others develop their version of the same concept, product, or idea. Let’s share our creative spirits and explore our creativity.

Our first Play Day is Feb 28, Friday, 10a-2p. Creating masks for watercolor or acrylic washes.  We’ll use our original photos to create masks and use washes to bring out our design elements. Look for a photo or photos that you can easily reduce to black and white, only these two values. I’ll furnish the paints and the watercolor paper.  You bring your imaginations. All levels, experience not required to share our experience.

Register now!

You can see more detail in my previous post, Watercolor Moo………….

Cow Abstract watercolor

Cow Abstract watercolor

Jan Update

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Doorway 1

Doorway 1

Just a few update notes for you. I need to get back to some painting.

  • As you know we missed a Tue class for the weather so be sure to check the changed dates for classes.
  • We’re enjoying our Wed day, Doorway class so much that we’ve decided to add another week for a second door, The Blue Doorway. So be sure to check these dates also. Those of you who missed this week’s class can come next Wed for the first week of your doorway class.
  • We’ve added a class to our Wed evening schedule, Side-loading 202.  A good opportunity for a refresher. Plan to join us on Feb 5th.
  • I’m adding more workshop and “Play Day” classes. Be sure to check for these. What’s a play day? Check the workshop schedule.
  • Be sure to check the seminar info for our July seminar with Ros!  Mark your calendar and register now.
  • Paints are restocked and the rack is full. I also received a shipment of canvases and art boards.
  • I’ve received a shipment from DecoArt of their new Chalky Finish Paints and new stencils.  These new 2014 products are not available for purchase yet, so we are favored to have them to play with this quick.  And they are wonderful.  Classes are planned to explore them. Ros will be using some of them in her seminar projects too.
  • Gail Schmidt was asked by DecoArt to design some mixed media projects for them and for us. The first of these using DecoArt products is on their web site now!
    Check it out!
  • And lastly, please remember to pay/register for your class at least a week prior to the class. You’ll receive your prep when I receive your class fee.  If people don’t pay they don’t have a tendency to show up for the class.  Thanks much.

Liz

Here Kitty, Kitty

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Jan is flying by at the studio with lots to paint, the shop to stock, and best of all, students returning from the holidays.  We’re well into our Jan class schedule with enthusiasm and plenty of ideas for upcoming projects. I have the best-est students ever.

Morning ride has and is turning out awesome, each students adding their own flavor to the painting.  We’re still working on the painting in Cary and I’m looking forward to their finished painting, some of them quite excitingly large.

Our Raleigh group is starting the first in our Doorway series. Some of the student are painting my design but some of them will be designing their own doorway painting.  I hope more will join them in the next of our doorways.

Our Nesting mixed media turned out awesome. Lots of personal touches there.  Thought you might like to see some of the student’s paintings.  This design was lots of creative fun.

Nesting, students painting

Nesting, students painting

CADANC, Capital Area Decorative Artists NC, meet at the studio for their first meeting of 2014. It was so nice to see everyone and share a painting experience. Susan T was our teacher and she did a wonderful job of instructing us in painting a pet. Well you all know that this is one of my favorite painting subjects and I was enthused.  It took me most of the month to decide on which cat photo from which to paint.  After making a couple of choices and printing them, at the last minute I changed my mind and chose another, just like choosing from the menu at a restaurant if the server gives you too much time to make up your mind.  I did love my final decision, George again.  He was so photogenic, a green eyed handsome fellow.  Here he is. I was very pleased and am ready to paint another of my earlier choices, but class project need to come first.

What Up George?

What Up George?

OK I need to move over to my painting table where I have projects waiting to be started. I’m off to paint.

Liz

 

 

 

Welcome to Painting in 2014

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I hope you all have had a wonderful holiday season with lots of time for family, friends, and fun. I’ve enjoyed myself this year on our holiday break.  I’ve had some time with my family, attended some awesome holiday parties, and had some quiet, soothing, creative time. 

Here are some of the paintings that I completed for my family for Christmas. I can show you now since I’ve given them.  My family member were very pleased.

Ruth on her wedding day, 1945.

Ruth on her wedding day, 1945.

Porter

Porter

Morning Ride

Morning Ride

Now I’m ready to see all my terrific students and get back to sharing our art. 

Yesterday was our Back to Painting Party and it was exciting to see everyone, our usual crew, some who I had not see in awhile, and some who are new to our area or just haven’t paint with us before. And there are some new enthusiasts who want to get involved with art and painting.  I’m always excited about introducing other to our creative ventures.

I’m now preparing myself for our 2014 painting.  My Jan to-do list looks something like this:

  • ·        Clean up the studio! I’ve left all my projects out on the tables, nice to be able to do that, and have lots of organizing to do.  Done once and I’m sure it will need doing again numerous times.
  • ·        Catch up with class samples
  • ·        Enjoy our returning painters and challenge each one to stretch and grow in skill and enthusiasm
  • ·        Get details completed with Ros and post our upcoming July seminar
  • ·        Tape more on-line classes for Creative Workshops
  • ·        Take classes myself. I have some interesting on-line classes I’m considering
  • ·        Eat more healthy again
  • ·        Continue exercising
  • ·        Keep adding to my list and checking things off, although some items above are ongoing.

 Upcoming in Jan 2014:

We have lots of new classes planned with new techniques popping up as well as some of our usual favorites. Over the past several months we’ve acquired a list of projects that we want to paint. Here they come.

Our Wed day class and Cary evening class want to paint the Morning Ride that I painted for my brother for Christmas. Photo is above.

For Wed evening, we have a mixed media painting planned called Nesting.  Our version of a Linda Lock design. Lots of fun techniques and all in one 3 hr evening!

Nesting

Nesting

We have a workshop coming up on Jan 25th, Watercolor Poppies in the Rain, a Mark Polomchak design. I need to get that sample painted so you can see it.

 For more class info including hrs and dates, please check the classes pages.

Let me know if you enjoyed the new web design.  I’m off to be creative!  Liz

 

Special on On Line Classes For Dec

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During the month of Dec I’m gifting you with 15% off on all my on line classes. 

You can check out my classes on our on-line class page right here on my web site, or you can go directly to Creative Workshops to register and take advantage of my gift to you.

Drawing Faces

Drawing Faces

Sign up for Creative Workshops’ newsletter to get the details and latest on-line class news.

Watch for my new on-line classes coming up after the first of the year. Now I’ve told you about my new classes so I had better get busy taping them.

Have a wonderful holiday season and I’ll see you back for our New Year of Painting Party on Jan 5th.

Check out the special offers at Creative Workshops going on right now!

Finishing Up Our 2013 Classes

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I hope you have enjoyed your Thanksgiving days and feasting. I did.  My creative juices are renewed and now I’m ready for more painting.

Santa on the Moon

Santa on the Moon

We have 2 more weeks left of painting in 2013.  Here’s what we have for our

2 wk classes for Dec 4 and 11.

Wed, 10a – 2p. Santa on the Moon. Here’s the delightfully popular Helan

Barrick Santa the I’ve taught many times over the years. Now is the chance for any of you who haven’t painted him yet to do so.  $84

Winter Path

Winter Path

Wed, 5:00p – 7:30p.  Winter Path.  A new design for us by Angela Anderson from Paint Works. 

Loose and fun.  $56.

 

 Tue am open class is still happening Dec 3 & 10, 10a – 12:30, for you to finish up those last minute projects.  Let me know if you plan to join us.

 Tue evening class in Cary is finishing up our Dorothy Dent, Mill design on Tue Dec 3, 10, & 17.  We plan to be back at the salon next week.

 Mark your calendar for Jan 5, our New Year’s Welcome Back to Painting Party, 2p – 5p.  We’ll have class samples, a fun quick project to paint, food, one of my paintings raffled, and lots of fellowship.  Always a good way to start the new year. 

 We’re working on the class schedule now and I’ll have that for you soon with lots of fun new painting ideas and some of our favorites.  We have a couple of workshops already planned.

Jan 25, 10-4p.  Poppies Watercolor. This is the painting that you have been waiting for.

Feb 14, 10-2p.  Sodas and Sundaes. Here are my ornaments that took a ribbon at the state fair this past Oct. Just in right for Valentine’s Day.

 I’ll have more of our 3 hr workshops too for those of you who appreciated finishing your painting in one class. Always fun and lively.

 Join us in Dec and help pull our Jan/Feb schedule together. I’ll see you soon.

 Liz

Lots of Owls

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I’ve really been into painting owls this year. Fortunately so have many of our painters, so we’ve had some fun painting owls together. First there were the ornaments, then the snow owl. Here is our latest in our owl collection. This time a more realistic painting. My wonderful students created a whole flock of fluffy owls.

Barred owls by my talented students.

Barred owls by my talented students.

 

This beautiful design was by Sue Beckerton in Paint Works, Feb 2013.

 

 

Today’s Inspiration

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I just took some time to read and learn. Forget the “to do” list and enjoyed learning from some other artists. What inspiration! Now my mind is into “what if I tried this or I want to try that technique”. My day just became a lot more fun. Thanks Kathie George/Watermedia Workshops and Nancy Medina Art Studio my inspiration for today.


If you don’t follow Kathie you really should. Keep scrolling down on her blog to find her wonderful lessons and tips.
Nancy Medina is a wonderful inspiration also for forgetting that word “perfect” that really doesn’t exist in art anyway.

·        Kathie George seminar is coming up quickly. We still have some seats if you would like to join us. I have the prep and patterns at the studio if you have already registered. We have some exciting new techniques and lots of fun planned with Kathie. 

Register Now!

 

Ducks in a Row Mixed Media with powdered dyes.

Ducks in a Row
Mixed Media with powdered dyes.

Shell Weave Watercolor with cheese cloth accents.

Shell Weave
Watercolor with cheese cloth accents.

Cat in the Snow

Cat in the Snow