Liz's Poppies

This spring was one of the most beautiful springs ever. After years of severe drought, the rains finally came last fall. As a result, all of central and south Texas was in full bloom and we actually had a spring that lasted more than a week!
One of the beautiful spots was the garden of friend and fellow artist, Liz Maness. This painting is of her gorgeous red poppies. I wish I could say it was plein air but it is actually from one of the many photos I took that day. I didn't want to miss a thing! Afterwards, we all settled in to paint. You may remember an earlier post, Summer's Coming, which I painted on her deck that day.
This painting practically painted itself, as those that an artist feels most passionate about often do. I ordered a special frame for it that arrived yesterday. Thank you Randy Higbee! It's perfect!
9"x12", original, oil on board SOLD

Portrait Study #2

I am continuing to work on portraits. It is a challenge but I am having fun and learning a lot.
6"x6", original, oil on board SOLD

Little by Little

I have finally gotten around to launching a website. I am still struggling with my artist statement but am making progress... little by little. How can one capture all of the emotion and express them in but a few sentences? That may seem a redundant question but, if any of you have any suggestions, I am all ears. Meanwhile, I would love for you to drop by Gaye Sekula. I welcome your comments.

Gaye

"Work while you have the light. You are responsible for the talent that has been entrusted to you." Henri-Frédéric Amiel

A Question for My Artist Friends

At what age did you start painting and when did you feel you were able to call yourself an artist?

I very much love your emails but could I ask a favor? It would mean a lot to me if you would post your reply/comments on my blog. I would really appreciate it! Thanks! Gaye

Demos by Henry Yan

Here are three beautiful demos done by Henry Yan in his recent Figurative Oil Workshop at the Coppini. Not only is he a true master, he is one of the nicest people you could ever want to meet. Thank you, Henry, for a wonderful workshop!!!

Texas Paint Slingers

Here we are, the newly formed group, the Texas Paint Slingers! Today we painted at the Heron's Nest Herb Farm. Some very nice paintings were created today. None of which were mine! Oh, well! Tomorrow IS another day.

Sentinel

I apologize if you got this post earlier. I am having some problems with blogger. So, Take Two!
This is another painting from the Wimberely Lavender Farm. It is almost the same view as my previous post so I obviously find it a favorite perspective!
8"x10", original, oil on board

Study: Wimberley Lavender Farm

The owners of the Wimberley Lavender Farm, http://www.wimberleylavender.com, graciously allowed eleven of us to descend on them, paint brushes and palettes in hand! What a wonderful day! It was overcast and unseasonable cool, allowing us to paint much longer than we could have otherwise. The sun came out a little after noon and, by then, I had lost my momentum. I did come home with several hundred photos so there will be many more paintings where this one came from!
6x8, original (study), oil on board

Cippoline Onions

I found these cute little flat onions at Central Market. They are almost too cute to eat!
5x7, original, oil on board SOLD

These Three

While doing yard work the other morning, I noticed that our apple tree was full of darling little apples. These three caught my eye and seemingly begged to be painted. So, here they are.... worm holes omitted!
5x7, original, oil on board SOLD

The Green Apple

I really enjoyed painting this one. I've had the copper coffee pot for quite some time and finally found a combination that I felt would work. I suppose an artist always sees more that could be done but we must learn when to stop. That is the case here. It is already tighter than I would like and working on it any further would make it even more so. Having said that, here is The Green Apple.
11x14, original oil, linen on board

WIP: Ballerina

I am not quite sure this is finished which can only mean it isn't. I'm going to look at it for a few more days and decide what, if anything, I will change. I may just call it done and move on, though I don't think so. It's so close to what I am after that I would hate to move on just yet. This is Emily, the big sister of The Littlest Ballerina. You can probably tell that from the similar pose, outfits and background.

6x8, original, oil on board

The Little Ballerina

Inspired by the latest DVD series by Peggi Kroll Roberts and precious little Hannah Warnken, here is The Little Ballerina.

6x8, original oil on board

Words of Wisdom and Encouragement

"It is well to remember that, as one artist said: "No one is on the road to success until he feels at times that he is entirely beaten." The emotional make-up of the artist naturally causes depressed spirits as well as exhilaration. Both go with the profession. Therefore, the student should realize this fact and consider discouragement as the normal thing and withstand it philosophically. He should know that the pendulum will swing to the other extreme when new confidence, better feeling and finer composition will result."-From Composition of Outdoor Painting by Edgar Payne

I can personally attest to the truth of the above quote. Take heart and remember the words in red when your pendulum seems be swing in the "wrong" direction. You will come out of it a much better artist each and every time you go through this experience. Gaye

Tuesday, Friends and Art

Here are the lovely ladies I painted with yesterday, less one. From l-r, the lovely Liz Maness, www.lizmaness.com, who was the hostess with the mostest, Kathy Perales, www.kathyperales.com, current president of the New Braunfels Art League, www.newbraunfelsartleague.com, and Jean Crow, www.jeancrow.blogspot.com, current Artist of the Year with NBAL. Pat Haberman, http://pathaberman.com, managed to get away before I could gather everyone for a photo.
Liz had a wonderful meal already prepared with the most delicious pimento cheese and the best pumpernickel bread ever, along with some delicious Swiss chard from her very own garden. It was a great day!!!

Summer's Coming

Yesterday several of us met at the beautiful home of Liz Maness, www.lizmaness.com, for an "art" day. After a tour of her lovely garden, we got busy painting. It wasn't easy choosing from all there was to offer but I settled on the beautiful potted geraniums on Liz's deck.
8x10, original, oil on board

Cunningham Ranch

I absolutely love our native persimmon trees. Their smooth, gray trunks & branches catch the light and glisten as if they were polished silver. Their growth habits also add to their beauty. In my opinion, they are one of the most beautiful little trees in all of Texas! This one was done en plein air but I took MANY photos of others and am planning a series of persimmon tree studies. As a side note, this was a wonderful day, with the exception of the rattlesnake that less than welcomed us as we unloaded our gear! Thank God it rattled or it would have been a very bad day for one of us!

Rockwall Ranch

Here is a painting of a small building at the Rockwall Ranch in New Braunfels. It was so charming that I had to paint it. The weather was perfect and the day was beautiful and relaxing. I walked around to see what the other artists were painting and found that one was painting me while I was painting this little building. It was so cool!
6x8, original, oil on board

Spring!

This little painting was done at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens. Our fall and spring rains made all of Texas burst into bloom! I encourage you to visit your area botanical gardens. Ours is so very beautiful this year!
6x8, original, oil on board

Henry Yan

This is Henry Yan with one of the demos he did in a recent workshop for the Coppini Academy in San Antonio. Charcoal drawing was like learning a totally different language for me. Henry is a great teacher, a fine artist and a very humble and kind man. I am very excited to tell you that he will be offering a Figurative Oil Workshop at the Coppini in July. If you are interested, please see the Workshop link at http://www.coppiniacademy.com. You can also learn more about Henry at his website, http://www.henryyanart.com.

Meemaw

The winds of change have been blowing for a while now. At first they seemed gentle, pleasant and positive but, right now, they are not so comforting. The matriarch of our very large family left us on March 1st at the very tender age of 100. Who could ever imagine that even having someone for 100 years would not be enough?
This is my grandmother, Regina Bowen Davis, the woman who loved me. There are so many emotions and yet so few words to adequately express them. She was an example of strength, stubborness, survival...and beauty. Just look at that face! "As a white candle in a holy place, So it the beauty of an aged face"-Joseph Campbell.
I close this post with one more quote. I wish I had taken note of the author. "Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come!"
I love you Meemaw!

Mountain Scene Study

Here is a painting I have been working on. Actually, it is one of seven I've been working on so I have NOT been slackin'!
8x10, original, oil on board

When You Start Working...

A friend shared this wonderful quote with me the other day. It gave me goose bumps before I had even finished reading it. Here's to you whose hearts beat with the same passion as the author. Wishing you inspiration! Gaye

When you start working - everybody in your studio; the past, your friends, enemies, the art world and above all, your own ideas - are there.
But as you continue painting, they start leaving , one by one, and you are left completely alone. Then, if you are lucky - even you leave.
-Philip Guston quoting John Cage

Extending the Drying Time of your Oils

Sorry about the original post. I changed the color of the font so it would look better on the blog but it was too light for those of you who follow via email. Here is the post again. Hopefully, this will be better.

 

A friend recently asked about a tip I shared in a workshop we both attended. As I was answering her, it occurred to me that it might be something you would be interested in as well so, here you go:
 
I kept coming across articles saying that clove oil added to your (oil) paint puddles would retard their drying. But, I was also reading that some people were noticing brown spots showing up in their paintings long after they were completed. I suspect the brown spots were caused from the oxidation of clove particles in the oil but I can't be sure. Not wanting to add clove oil TO my paint,  I experimented with adding it to a cotton ball, an eye dropper full or two will do, and closing it up in my French companion when finished painting. Even though a French companion isn't air tight, it worked! All I can assume is that the clove oil fumes are good enough! I have since tried it in my small pochade, which is more air tight that the FC, and the paints stayed wet well over a month!
*Clove oil WILL burn any sensitive areas, eyes, nose, etc., and some people are very sensitive to it merely touching their skin so be careful!!!  Also, it will remove paint and will melt plastic so be careful where you put it on your palette. (Don't let this overly alarm you. Many essential oils are volatile enough to do this. Just be aware of what could happen and use it with caution). I always use a glass palette so it's not an issue for me. But don't let your brushes touch it or it will take the paint off of the handle anywhere it comes into contact.
One last thing, it will also retard drying ON your canvas. I guess you could use something like Liquin if you wanted it to dry faster on your canvas but that's the addition of too many chemicals for me to feel comfortable.
If you have found this tip useful, I would love to hear from you.
Happy Painting, Gaye

 

Dinner with the Arts

One of the honors the New Braunfels Art League  bestows on their Artists of the Month is a ticket to Dinner with the Arts, sponsored by the Greater New Braunfels Arts Council . This gala event was held last night and was a night to remember! How wonderful to spend the evening enjoying art, poetry, singing, etc. in the company of fellow artists. Such things make it seem that all is right with the world!