Lost Muse

What do you do when you've lost your muse?

Well, you can sit around being frustrated, depressed and feeling lost. Self analysis doesn't always work and can lead to more frustration. What works best for me is to get off the grid and do something completely different. Really outside the box. At least for me.

I decided I needed something that would take some focus so I wouldn't dwell on what wasn't working. Also, something that would take very little effort, supplies or props. Something that would be creative yet relaxing.

So ...

No, seriously, I mean it DOT, DOT, DOT. A sketch pad, ink, pen and a reference photo I took a couple of years ago of a flower at a friends house. Easy, relaxing, fun and creative. Now, I know some of you may not agree with me and may say I need to have my head examined because I find stippling relaxing, but it worked for me. Stippling may not be your cup of tea, but do something different.

In my case I created, re-focused and wound up with a viable product that can be used for nice little prints or greeting cards. I enjoyed myself so much that I did more than one.



The others can be viewed at Fine Art America and Greeting Card Universe

Grand Canyon Painting from photos

Well, I don't think you can. Paint the Grand Canyon from photos, that is, without first experiencing the canyon itself in person. I believe this is true with most things or places - people too.

In some cases painting on location is not possible, so you take as many photos as you can and... guess what? Your painting will have more, much more sense of being there than if you had never viewed your subject. This will not take the place of painting on location for some, but it will far exceed painting from photos your friends took on their recent trips.

I think the "art of being there" somehow gives you a different feel for a place than just painting from a photo

A Grand View

11" x 14"

$650.00

Intimacy and the Grand Canyon

I recently returned from a trip touring the southwestern part of the US. One of my most memorable moments was, of course, viewing the Grand Canyon.

Ah, the grandeur, the immenseness, the panorama of it all! As a painter I ask myself how can I capture the glory of it on canvas? I've had the pleasure of viewing some wonderful Grand Canyon paintings and have admired the artist's beautiful work, but I don't think anything can capture the majesty of the canyon itself. Therefore, I decided to leave the Grand Canyon paintings to artists much more daring than I and just enjoy the scenery.

By the second day I began to see small intimate areas of the canyon that I think few people remember and some never actually see. Small things such as trees, rocks, those silly squirrels, lizards and many other things that are a part of the canyon and call it home.

Below is a painting of one such scene showing how tenacious life can be "living on the edge".






Standing Alone
12" x 16"
Oil on Linen
$650.00

Fine Art Prints

Recently I had the opportunity to be in a small show/festival. The weather was not ideal, attendance was off and the economy…well we all know about that.I didn’t have high expectations, but what I didn’t expect was not selling a single original painting. However, I did sell prints. And, they saved the day.

How many artists create a truly wonderful painting, have it sell and then wish they had had prints made?There are many ways to have prints made from your own works. If you are not inclined or have the equipment to do your own, there are other ways.One of my favorites is Fine Art America. You send a high resolution image of your work to them after setting up a free account. They show the listing of your original art.

The best part, however, is their “Print on Demand” service. This costs $30 per year and they are your print broker, so to speak. People see your art on their site and order a print. They handle everything and you get however much you want for your print.You can also order your own prints to keep in inventory at a very reasonable price. You can visit me on Fine Art America at: http://www.fineartamerica.com/profiles/linda-hiller.html

Art Shows

One of Oklahoma City's largest outdoor art festivals will be this Labor Day weekend on the grounds of Oklahoma City Community College, also known as OCCC. It's a great show and lots of wonderful people come to visit. I've been in it for the last four or five years and it's a wonderful place to meet new and interesting people.

I think I have everything ready to go except for the packing which my husband will do. I'm not organized enough for that part.

It's going to be four long hot days and if I'm still kicking after it's all over I'll let you know how it went.

The Party's Over - Oil on Canvas

I'm going to show this as a step by step of a painting I just finished. Well actually more like how I started out. I seem to have gotten a little lax on photos toward the end.

This is a 30" x 24" canvas gallery wrapped. I wanted to get some paint on the edges for two reasons. One was to get some color on and to cover the white and the other was to protect the canvas around the corners. This is a grey acrylic.

Next I draw what I am going to paint using a thin mixture of oil paint and turp. At this point I am mainly trying to get my size and placement of the objects. The colors I'm using is not all that important and I'm not looking for any small details.



Here I've gotten a little further along with drawing in my objects and have used the wash to block in my larger masses.






Now that I have my large masses placed where I want them I now want to get rid of the white background. At this point I haven't decided yet on colors, I'm just more or less poking around for values. Still using the thin oil and turp wash. As soon as I get the white of the canvas covered, I'll start working more on values and experimenting with colors. And, get that darned glass stem straightened.

The Party's Over 30" x 24" gallery wrapped canvas $850.00

Poppies - Oil on Board

Poppies 5" x 7"

I've been so neglectful due to my recent run-in with the scapel, but I think I'm pretty much back on the road to recovery. At least I can type a little better.

This little painting is going to be entered in a local OAG (Oklahoma Art Guild) miniature show. Should be lots of fun. Must run, but I'll be back soon.