This is the fruits still life, nearly done. When It is almost done, then I like to let it sit for a bit, to keep looking at it and see what little finishing touches need to be done. Photographing it also seems to be useful; it provides a different perspective. This is an 8 x 10, on a Raymar panel. I really like these panels.  Easy to use and transport if needed. They have simple panel carriers too.

Yesterday, which was a very nice day, I spent the afternoon out on the deck, working on one of the little still lifes I like to do. Which reminds me, I need to order some more small canvases. I'll have to check with Raymar and see what is the smallest size they have.

I like to do the very small pieces as they are a good way to 'warm up' and to practice with the oils. I hope to get a bit quicker and to learn more about alla prima painting. Because I learned to use oil paints from someone who does an underpainting as the first step, that is primarily what I do. I'd like to learn more about alla prima, that is how to paint directly, without the underpainting step. I still need some more experience with using mediums as well. I don't really want to use any of the organic solvents, regardless of whether they are odourless or not. They are still organic solvents - you just can't smell them much.

This fall, the Federation is holding several weekend workshops. One is on alla prima painting, and then, fortuitously, there is a watercolour workshop the following weekend with Kiff Holland. I really feel in need of a watercolour 'tuneup'. And the workshop is called 'Anything but Landscapes'. Kiff is great with still lifes, something that I have come to realize I really enjoy. So I am hoping that I might be able to do both.

One other thing. My site got its Drupal upgrade a little while ago. That has made it possible to reactivate the comments function. So now, if you are reading this and want to make a comment, you can. Also, as a result of the upgrade, now the individual paintings that show in the galleries have their names visible which is a feature that I always wanted. I am hoping to make a few small changes as well later this fall, nothing drastic, just regrouping some things. Once the cooler weather sets in will be the time for these kinds of undertakings. 

Well, had better go and gesso some new canvases. Ideas to work on and the Circle Park show in just two months.

Summer seems to be winding down fairly quickly, after almost continuous rain since May (thunder and rain right now as I sit here typing). Now that all the 'must dos' are nearly done, I am getting back to some sketching and painting.

I have started doing some pen and ink sketches of seed pods and dried plants, just to get going again. Here is a dried rudbeckia from the garden. I coloured it a bit with watercolours - those haven't been out for a while!

I also started a new oil painting yesterday, a little still life with my favourite fruits and a little silver jug which must have been a creamer at a Sheraton hotel at one time. After putting the brushes down for four months, I was wondering how rusty I'd be, but it wasn't too bad. This is the 'underpainting', that is, the main shapes and colours blocked in. I'll finish it in a few days. Tomorrow is one more commitment, and then I can start getting back into the routine.

This year I will have two full days I can dedicate to painting - Tuesdays and Thursdays. I have moved my piano lesson to Wednesdays, so that gives me no commitments on those two days now. I am looking forward to having that time to focus on painting. That is particularly in light of having my own show at Circle Park in October. I'd like to have a few new pieces to put in for that.

I am hoping that we will have a reasonable autumn as it hasn't really been possible to sit outside to paint - too much rain and damp. And I don't like being outside in thunderstorms, of which there have been many.

Well, back to some sketching and planning. And watching the rain sheet down once again.

Currently, the Escape Artists, one of the groups I belong to, has a show at the Muttart Conservatory in Edmonton. The show continues until August 13th.

The large succulent painting is mine; I have another smaller watercolour in the show as well. You can see more photos of the show and of the conservatory on the Escape Artists' flickr page. The conservatory is a beautiful place, with its four glass pyramids. Each one has a different ecosystem with corresponding plants. Our show is in the central hall from which you go to the pyramids. This is our first out-of-province show, so we were very excited to have this opportunity.

I am looking forward to getting back to drawing and painting. The past few weeks have been a bit of a hiatus. Life happened, so I decided that instead of getting frustrated because I couldn't get to paint, I would take a break until all the various commitments were done.

In the meantime, I continue to look at other painters' blogs and sites. I found one that I really enjoy, called Drawings from Nature, by a British artist names Milly. She does botannical drawings and paintings. Seeing her beautiful work, so simple and so effective, got me to thinking that I'd like to do some again. It has been quite some time since I did any of this type of drawing and painting. It will be ideal to get my painting muscles working again, so I am looking forward to getting underway again.

The garden is finally flourishing, so I have quite a bit of subject matter just outside my window. I plan to sit out on the deck and work away - soon. Just a little bit more to finish, then free to get out the pencil and paints. I'll put some up as soon as I get a few done.

I am enjoying another art blog called 'Making a Mark' by British artist Katherine Tyrrell. If I ever get a chance to go to England, this is the site I would go back to, to see what is happening in British galleries. She also talks about good resources; right now she is listing best art books and art business books. 

Recently, she highlighted the Birmingham (UK) Museums and Art Gallery, which has put up a beautiful resource, their collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings. It is called the Pre-Raphaelite On-Line Resource. It is amazing - you can zoom right into the painting and see all kinds of detail. Plus there is lots of information and you can even make your own collection of your favourites.

I plan to have a really good look around it. Having these kinds of resources available is such a wonderful opportunity for those of us who can't travel to these galleries,to see these beautiful works of art, and study them closely. Also, should we have the opportunity to travel, we can find those galleries which we would like to visit. 

This weekend is the 8th annual Prairie River Artists' Show and Sale. It begins on Saturday at 10 am, until 6pm, and then finishes on Sunday, 11 am - 4:30 pm. I hope to see you there!

Today is an odds and ends day, varnishing the little canvases that will go into the Gardenscape art show on Thursday, fixing the photos that will be going into the calendars I am making for the Prairie Rivers Artists' show next month, ordering my favourite Gamvar varnish from Opus (hadn't realized I was almost out! and will need more soon), and making a donation to the Saskatchewan Craft Council for the memorial fund for my friend, Gale Steck,  who died earlier this year. I also have to get my paintings together for Thursday and make the labels.

March and April are always busy months since I became involved in painting, and with Prairie River Artists, as April is annual show time. It is both an end and a beginning - an end to the winter, and a chance to show what I've been working on over the past few months, and the beginning of the outdoor season. Gardening begins in earnest at the end of April, and brings all the wonderful flowers that make such great subject matter. Also, a time to get out and travel.

Plein aire painting, that is painting outside on location is not something I have done much of. When I was in France, we did paint out along the lanes and fields and that was great fun. I just haven't done it here at all. So that may be something new to try too this summer. I have some new materials to experiment with as well. I have recently bought both oil sticks (Sennelier) and watercolour sticks (Daniel Smith). I haven't had the chance to do anything with them yet, so I hope that I can really get some playtime in with them soon.

So the changeover to spring brings ends and beginnings. Even the tulips are starting to poke out of the ground.

With a number of art shows coming up soon, the question of pricing one's art comes up. There have been a number of good art blog articles, particularly by Lori Woodward (see below), that have helped clarify and explain this complex business. 

When I first began painting, and then to begin selling some of my paintings I really had no idea how to calculate what would be a reasonable price, particularly when I was just beginning. I have now been painting steadily for about 9 years now, and am feel that during that time I have studied and learned a great deal, which has helped me improve my work. But pricing is still something to ruminate about when show time comes.

 In Lori Woodward's first article about pricing,  she talks about covering input costs, such as materials (paint, canvas), advertising etc. In the second article, she actually gives an example of her breakdown of costs and calculates how much it costs to make a painting. This includes frames as well. In the third article she talks about various pricing strategies. These articles are worth reading, plus the comments others have made on the posts, to get some sense of this issue.

 I have taken a leap of faith and am trying some new frames for paintings from a place called King of Frames in California. It has been recommended on a number of art blogs. The prices are certainly good, and with the dollar almost at par, I thought - what the heck. So I've ordered a couple of sizes in two different models, and will see what they are like. Frames are such an expensive undertaking. I don't think that people, when they are looking at paintings, realize just how costly the frames are. Personally, I am not a fan of unframed pieces, even if they are done on the thicker, gallery style canvases which are commonly used. That is a personal preference though; many people don't mind it. 

Also, if when looking at art in a gallery, people may not be aware that the gallery takes a significant percentage of the sale price, in the range of 40-50%. So the artist will receive the sale price minus the commission and sometimes the cost of the frame too. So in the end, the artist actually receives half or less than the gallery price. That is why many artists are looking at alternative ways of marketing their work, to improve their income. 

Making a living as a professional artist is a challenge, because the success that person has rests, for the most part on that individual. Unless the artist is one of the few to be represented in a good, reliable gallery, and can command the prices required of gallery representation, then s/he ends up being a one person show - purchasing agent, creative director, producer, marketing manager. And they do it because they love to paint, or sculpt, or write, or compose, or take photographs and want to share it with others. So we keep on regardless because it is so much fun.

Now that we are well into March, the sun is higher in the sky, the snow is starting to melt, and thoughts turn to spring. For me, spring means art shows, particularly ones in which I will be participating. 

In about two weeks, the first one will be here, which is the art show at Gardenscape, March 26-28. This is such a fun weekend, both because I get to volunteer planting the demonstration gardens during the days prior to the show, and I participate in the art show as well. I have been working on some new paintings for the show, and have put up a few of the small ones that I have completed on the Gallery of New Works page.

Then, in about five weeks, we will be having our 8th annual Prairie River Artists' group show, April 17 and 18.  I am in the process of making new calendars for this show. I made some for our Escape Artists' show last fall and was very pleased with them so I am going to make new ones for 2011 to have at this show. Once I have the calendars printed, I will put up some photos of them.

I hope that the weather will be delightful, not frightful, for both shows. It has been both in the past as this time of year is very much transitional and unpredictable. I am really looking forward to seeing everybody as we emerge again from winter into spring!

Michael Innis's blog 'Underpaintings' is another one that I enjoy following. He talks about art and the art scene, particularly in the northeastern US as he is based in New Jersey. He has recently talked about favourite art books, one of which I have (which will be the topic of another blog), and shows lots of pictures of other artist's work and upcoming shows.

Too bad the shows are so far away, but most galleries now are online so you can visit the galleries virtually. It is a good opportunity to sit down with a cup of tea and take a mini art tour. For instance, in a recent post, he talked about artist Casey Baugh, who does wonderful portraits, and who has a show currently at the Wendt Gallery in New York. The Wendt Gallery also has branches in California, Vienna and Singapore, so you can also see current exhibitions in all these locations. So, a world art tour from the comfort of your own home!

Of course there is nothing like seeing the real thing, so that you can see the size, proportions, textures, brush strokes etc. But it might make you aware of places to visit on your travels. There is no end to imagination. So pull up a blog (or better, subscribe to the RSS feed so you get the regular updates in your reader), and see what is happening out there in the world of art.