Buyer Beware

In "The Artist Magazine" this month are the winners for the 2014 annual art competition. The winning images are wonderful to behold and inspire artists.

At the back of the magazine is the entry form for 2015 competition.   It reads in part "I've read and understand the rules of the competition, and agree to allow The Artist's Magazine to publish, republish, and repurpose my artwork in both print and digital formats, including but not limited to magazines, promotional materials, websites, databases and as part of downloadable digital products."

This means the artist gives all of the above rights to their submission to the magazine forever. Mugs can be made, art can be put together for other purposes and websites designed etc. All the art submitted by  the artist whether it wins the contest or not can be used.

For the artist to have the privilege of  giving away these rights, the entry fee is $25.00 per image and $15.00 for students.

I think it is time for artists to say "WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME?"  Will I make money from this? Are you going to pay me for using my image?

Maybe we should stop entering contests and shows where there are outrageous fees and thousands of entries, and little possibility of remuneration.
Stop supporting art magazines who do this type thing.

The old saying Buyer Beware also means Artist Beware.

Stop Painting Birch Trees

For me, the biggest mistake new painters make, is to paint sunsets. They are very difficult to get the colour right. Badly painted Birch trees is my second complaint.

You see them in art show, three white vertical trunks ( one slanted) with black bits. There is no bark texture, no contour and no shadow or highlight.
My suggestion is to take a good look at a birch tree before you paint it. See the peeling bark.

Just for inspiration check out Robert Batemen's birch tree.
http://www.artcountrycanada.com/bateman-robert-hairy-woodpecker.htm

My challenge to my art friends is to paint the subject birch trees. They don't have to be realism. I will add the photos to this page and my facebook page with a link to your website.

I hope this painting of a birch tree on MOBA is the last bad one.
http://www.museumofbadart.org/coll2/image01.php

Abstract blooms

When I had my first cataract removed in August I was not allowed to do any heavy lifting. gardening or bending down. I could paint but didn't see well enough to do detail.

At the same time several of my friends were getting ready for "Driven to Abstraction Show" at The Arts Project in London ON. I have tried abstraction and was never successful. I see to much realism in the abstract and try to make it into something.

While looking at silk painting, which I did years ago, it came to me to change the way I did it and paint on silk more loosely. Perfect eyesight would be unnecessary.

I orders 11 silk scarves from California and got out my acrylic ink. Here are the results.

I hung them on the line to dry.

Do you think they are abstract? I will wear one to the art show.

 

Here is one more. They are available in Portside Gallery, Port Stanley

 

If you go to the Driven to Abstraction show it is at

The Arts Project

203 Dundas Street, London, Ontario

Sept 9th to 20th

Reception is Thursday Sept 11th, 6 -11 pm

At the beach

Summer to me is being at the beach. I have been painting people on the beach for years and this year is no different.
 I painted some children at play on Port Stanley beach. I love the gesture of the children in the back ground.
A lot of artist paint the people looking away so they don't have to paint faces. Or so they are unrecognisable. This seems odd to me as we see people on the beach or street every day. By painting only the back of a person it seems to disconnect them from the viewer.
Hope you like my summer painting .

 

Salt and Art

Canning-Salt 11x9 pastel

 

The Arts Project sent a call for artists out this week, for a juried exhibition called "Salt". Submissions for work inspired by or using salt-based media (ie. Salt painting techniques, etc) will be exhibited in August to coincide with Mark Blagrave’s new book Salt in the Wounds.

I got all excited about this as I have been painting Canadian company series.  I already had one for Sifto salt. Canning is based on salt, sugar and acid as a preservative and I made one for Redpath sugar, too.

If you are interested in participating in this exhibition call for artists is here. http://www.artsproject.ca/gallery/call-for-submissions

If you plan to go:
Exhibition Dates: August 5 – 23, 2014
Salt in the Wounds London Book Launch: Thursday, August 14, 5 – 7pm
The Arts Project
203 Dundas Street, London, Ontario

Things artists should know..

I am going to put myself on the spot and tell some thing every artist should know.

1. Tonal value is the most missed element in paintings. What is Tonal Value. It is the dark, medium and lightest tone. Easily seen in a black and white photo. See the photo below,,, Now squint at it and you will see the dark, medium and light tones.

Here it is in black and white. See how the tonal value is not related to the colour but the intensity of pigment.

 

2. Edges in a painting are important. You need a few lost edged in your painting so the subject is part of the landscape.

See how Bill's face on the left near the chin and up at the top in the hat disappear into the background. This makes him part of his surroundings. His glasses near his nose also disappear.
However there are hard edges at neck and ear to make him stand out. Too many soft edged make the subject look blurry and too many sharp edged make him look stuck on. This is a common mistake made by artist painting birds and butterflies.

 

Lets see how we did with Bill in black and white. Not bad, some of his inner face could have had better tonal contrasts.

Try painting from a black and white photo, it will improve your paintings.

 

Book recommendation: Harley Brown's Eternal truths for every artist

the Work of art

Most people think making art is a hobby, something done in your leisure time.  "I wish I had a hobby like yours. It must be so much fun to be creative." they say. 

There is work to art. First there is all the learning part, with its frustrations when thing don't go right the first time. Then comes practise, practise, practise.

Finally you become satisfied and enjoy the process more. And one day you think you might show what you have accomplished.

Time to enter a show or gallery. "send us a CD of your paintings" they ask, " and fill out a bio about your work."
Reject, reject, reject.

Perseverance pays off and finally you show a piece in an art show, and guess what, someone buys it. You are overwhelmed, someone liked what you did, they paid money for it,  they now own what you worked so hard on.  It isn't yours anymore. Cash the cheque and buy more paint.

Repeat. repeat. repeat.

Here is my suggestion. Go to a neighbourhood art show, poetry slam, music event and make an artist happy. Buy, buy, buy.
Now you know how hard they work, work work.

Hound Nose - water colour

In the Lambeth Art Association Show and Sale

April 24 - 26th 2014

Lambeth ON

Black and white dogs

It seems I am always painting black or white dogs . Here is one of my white dogs,

 

I also made a paper mache Schnauser

 

"Get off the couch"

 

A great artist, Virginia will knit you a hat from a photo of your dog.

http://puppiesonmyhead.blogspot.ca/

 

Keep making art!