So the Great American pastels that I ordered arrived on Friday!! They were not suppose to come until Tuesday, so this was a WONDERFUL surprise. As I had mentioned before, I videoed the "unboxing" so that you could see how they arrived and share in the excitement. I have to say that I am not one bit disappointed by them. So many color options! I did call Great American about the broken ones, but I had to leave a voice message, as it was after working hours when I called. I expected I would have to call again on Monday. NO! Saturday morning Bob Stroshal, the head person of Great American Pastels, called me!! I began telling him my issue and telling him about how I had saved to get this set. He stopped me and stated that all I needed to do is send him an email listing all of the colors that were broken, however many that was, all of them, and he would get new ones out to me right away. I started to ask about returning the damaged ones or sending pictures and he interrupted and said, "I believe you, I do not need proof. I believe you, because you want our product". WOW!! That sort of customer service is unheard of today. I would definitely recommend Great American to anyone!!! NOW I can't wait to get started using them.
I am currently working on an Owl that I am using a lot of my pastel pencils for the fine details. This is what it looks like right now, but I am not finished with it by a long shot. I will post more about it later.
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I have not always been artist. Wait, scratch that. I HAVE always been and artist, but it wasn't until March of 2010 that I was led to discover my inner artist. I did not take Art Classes in high school (this wasn't a class offered in my school), I didn't study art in college, and I have never attended an art education program. It started about 7:00 p.m. on a snowy, cold winter night with an urge to go to Wal-Mart. This is what I was told to purchase. This, was my beginning with art! That night I bought a Sketch Book and a package of Oil Pastel. When I got home, I had to Google "oil pastels" to find out what they were and how to use them. I was that clueless. I started watching a lot of online videos, reading books, and visiting websites of artists that would appear in my Google searches. I practiced, played around, bought better quality supplies, and found my inner sanctuary. The Holy Spirit gets all the credit. None of it is me. One of the most helpful websites that I visited and then became a member of, is "The Artist's Network". From there, I subscribed to two magazines and signed up for a monthly subscription to The Artist's Network TV". This site has hundreds of art video tutorial that you can watch at your leisure. You can choose a specific medium, view the most recent posted, or search a favorite artist. This is how I discovered Maggie Price, my inspiration. There are different levels of membership. I choose the monthly one for $20.00 because there is no commitment and I can cancel and re-sign up at any time. The link is listed at the end of today's blog. I recommend checking it out. Share it with a friend. I am still learning. I hope I never reach a point where I feel I have nothing left to learn, because not only will I be VERY wrong, I will be very lost. I know, that I know, that I know...God was speaking to me that night in March 2010. It was a pivotal, spiritual time for me. I am thankful for the blessings it has brought. My goal is to not only share my art with you, but to also share God's love with you. Oh, side note......my pastels are due to arrive Tuesday the 21st! I can't wait to unbox with you!! God Bless and find one person to do random act of kindness for today!! Push button to go to website
Today marks a BIG day for me.....I was able to order the FULL set of Great American Pastels and also the supplementary packs of the Son of Monty and the Bride of Monty!! I also ordered the Unison Pastels 120 half sticks!!! I cannot wait for them to arrive!! I will be sure to post an unboxing of them, as I am sure you will be interested as well to see how they arrive and what they look like. It took me a while to save up for these sets as it costs quite a bit to order a complete set. I am super excited and I will be posting more soon.
I am so hoping that in the very near future I will be able to post videos on this site. I have recorded a few of my pastel painting sessions and I would love to share them with you. I have posted them on my Facebook site, but this would be the more appropriate place for them. Please continue to check back. I will be adding some new items to the Store! I have been working a lot with pastels and I have several that will be available for sale. Just a reminder: If you have not taken the survey on the Home page, please do so. Information is not given out to anyone and email addresses are not sold to outside companies or given to anyone. Confidentiality is always maintained!! Have a Great Monday and God Bless You! He is mighty and good! I purchased the Gogh Box after reading a similar unboxing by Karen Margulis. She is a professional Pastel Artist that I enjoy following. You can find her blog at http://kemstudios.blogspot.com It is called Painting My World. I discovered her after Maggie Price passed away and I began looking for another teacher. I like her style of painting and find her Blog very informational as well as inspiring. Anyway, the Gogh Box is designed to be a travel box for Plein Air painting. It is sturdy, compact, and full of helpful accessories. I was so excited when it arrived a the door! It was like Christmas for artists! When I took it out of the packaging this is what it looked like. As you can see, the case is made to withstand a lot of movement and bumping around. Karen has tested it through airports and it travels well. I plan to give it my test in a couple of weeks when I go to Phoenix, AZ. The bottom of the box is pre-made for a tripod assembly. I have an old video camera tripod that fits with it perfectly. The tripod is somewhat heavier than is desired, but it will work for now, until I am able purchase a lighter weight one. The latches on the front are not only made of metal and secure, but they have locks and keys that come with the box. The especially fun part starts when you open the box!! Inside it is packed with goodies!! I will add a link at the end to the website to order one and you can see the list of materials. It is lined with yellow coned foam for shock absorbency and packing security. This keeps your pastels from breaking while being transported. (Side note on that: ALWAYS make sure your pastels do not rattle around at all. They should be pack to where there is not movement. If not, even the slightest room for moving can cause your pastels to end up in little pieces!) The box comes with an empty Terry Ludwig Pastel box with the foam inserts still inside. Terry Ludwig makes very nice packaging boxes and I never throw away my pastel boxes for this very reason. The trifold is foam core that will stand as a backboard for clamping your pastel paper on to do your painting. The kit includes bulldog clips, rubberbands, and other clips. There is also a water color kit for underpainting, a small spray bottle, drawing kit, pastel paper, hand wipes, and more!! I can not wait to test this kit out!! I plan to do a little local Plein Air painting before the trip out west. I have not done much of this type of painting, but have really enjoyed the time I have had the opportunity. I will post more reviews of this kit as I use it. The link to purchase a Gogh Box is from Stan Sperlak's website which is : http://www.stansperlak.com/store.shtml
The link for the listing of the included items and some more of Stan's pictures of the box can be found at: http://www.stansperlak.com/images/GO%20BOX%20INFO.pdf I hope you have enjoyed reading this informational posting of the Gogh Box by Stan Sperlak. I hope to be able to do more item reviews like this and also get into doing some demonstrations with pastels. Come back and visit often and positive, helpful comments are always welcome. God Bless you and have a great day. Well, I have been missing in action for about a year!!! For those of you that were following frequently, I sincerely apologize! My life got really busy with my three boys and husband and my art fell to the bottom of the priority list. I hope that never happens again, as I feel so much better as a person when I get time to release my stress though art. I did work on a few projects over the winter and I will be showcasing them in the gallery. A few will be for sale, but some of the them are not because I created them for personal people and reasons.
One big change that happened is that I had to move out of my "art workshop" in to a much smaller space. I loved the sanctuary that I had created but it was time for our youngest to have a bigger room. So....duty calls, family first, and I traded spaces with Nolan. I have, however, managed to make a VERY small place, a very cozy and inspiring place. Definitely an area that I will be comfortable in until the time comes that I will have all the space I desire (and I will probably wish I had to stay in the little room)! The next change that you will notice is I have updated the photo album of my family. They grow so fast. Also, in the "Store" you will notice that you can now pay by credit card or Paypal for anything you wish to purchase. Hopefully this will make it more convenient for people by giving more options. I will be updating the Gallery and adding new paintings for sale hopefully today or tomorrow. I will be posting a informational blog of the "unboxing" of Stan Sperlak's Gogh Box. It is a wonderful travel and Plein Air case that I plan to utilize on my trip to Phoenix, AZ later this month. I am super excited to see how it and I do together. I have never traveled with my pastels before but I am hoping to be able to do a few "quick sketches" while at a convention I am attending. I hope that everyone will enjoy the updates to the site and will continue to check in to see what is new. I am looking forward to being back and looking forward to whatever comes my way. As, always, God Bless You and please remember to do something nice for someone today!! Two at a time....This is the second stage of the painting that I am working on for the bathroom. I added the blue to the "feathers" and I accented the purple swooshes with blue. I like the feathers, but the blue swooshes were too overpowering. I will add some softer purple back in when I do the next step. I can't seem to get the colors to show up correctly. I mentioned that last time and thought that it was just the overhead lighting. This time I took it with daylight and it still looks washed out. The canvas is a teal-aqua blue color and instead it looks more blue-purpleish and white. Oh well....at least you can get the idea. I think it is just because the colors I am using are more on the light/transparent range. While I am waiting for layers to dry, I have started a new pastel painting. I am using a photograph that was taken on our family trip to Destin, Florida during the Summer of 2012. The birds are part of the beach that we love. They will take potato chips right from your hands when you hold them up! The first picture is the dry under-painting colors of pastel. The picture on the left is after it has been "washed" with odorless thinner to wet the pastels and set it into the gator board. Keep in mind that this is just the under-painting. I will now begin to detail the scene with pastel to create the actual painting. I will try to post as I go along to show the picture at different stages.
Today I worked on an abstract oil painting. The colors are a little skewed because I took this picture in the evening with the room light on. The overhead light changes the colors a bit when photographed, but this will give you a basic idea. I will take another one tomorrow in the daylight. This is also just the first step of the painting. I will need to let this completely dry before I can paint the next layer. I plan to put color in the "feathers" and then we will see what happens from there. I am planning to put this in the upstairs bathroom so if it doesn't turn out very good, at least it is where "poop" is suppose to be! hahaha Sorry, that may not have been appropriate. I hope I didn't offend anyone. ANYWAY......It felt good to paint with a brush. I have been working with pastels a lot and it has been a while since I have worked in oils. Two different mediums, two different sensory sensations, both very satisfying Today was a very peaceful day. I finished up the pastel that I was doing from Candice Lanhum's photograph. I am pleased with it. I do not think this one will be for sale. It is going to be framed and hung in my art room. It is special to me for a number of reasons and so it will stay with me.I have an article that I want to re-post from another great artist. Her name is Shannon Grissom. She does very large oil paintings and has a lot of fun while working. I thought this might be helpful to anyone that struggles with "painter's block". I know that is why I saved it in the first place.
20 WAYS TO IGNITE YOUR CREATIVITY: by Shannon Grissom These activities are great for getting you in the alpha state so that you’ll be more receptive to creative ideas. They are in no particular order. Have fun trying them all! 1. Get in the car and drive. Make it at least a half an hour drive and don’t take anyone with you unless they are silent! 2. Exercise. It clears out the cobwebs and gets your energy flowing again. 3. Clean House. When you clean house on a physical level, it cleans you out on a spiritual level too. 4. Garden. Digging and pruning are grounding activities that help you do the same with your internal garden. 5. Shower/Bath. There’s nothing like a hot shower or bath to get all the “stuff” off you leaving you with clarity. 6. Get A Massage. Hey we can’t always work out the kinks ourselves. A massage will get everything flowing again. 7. Walks outside are feast for the senses. They open up all sorts of avenues. 8.Play With Children. They remind you of the importance of silly. 9. Spend time with other artists. These creative thinkers and feelers will instantly stimulate your creative juices. 10. Spend time in nature. Go to the river and listen. Just sit for a few hours. When you are done, you’ll know exactly what to do. 11. Spend time with other creative people. These are not necessarily official artists. These are interesting people who offer creative points of view. 12. Listen to good music. It’s one of the quickest ways I know to creative bliss. 13. Take time early in the morning to check in with yourself. Write non-stop for three pages. (Based on Julia Cameron’s morning pages.) This system dump will clear the way for creative ideas to emerge. 14. Look at other works of art. You’ll fall in love with something and that’s all it takes to get you going on your own creation. 15. Try a new recipe. The prep work, getting lost in the process and creating a beautiful presentation are just good for the soul 16. Nap. It’s a great release. 17. Doodle. Take 10 minutes and just scribble. You’ll be amazed at what comes up. 18. Go to a live performance. The energy of a group performance is invigorating. 19. Spend time with pets. Like the children, they’ll show you what’s important. 20. And last but not least, do the “wild thing”. We create life from that charka so it only makes sense that engaging that area will help the flow of creativity. Enjoy! Where to Begin......?!It has been a while since I have posted. I think my last update was in April! Wow, time does fly. I had been working on a pastel piece that I was hoping to finish before Easter. I did not make that deadline, but thankfully that deadline was just one that I had placed upon myself. I did get it finished and it has been placed in the hands of the people that will know the proper place for it to call home. This is a picture of the final outcome. Thanks again, God for all you have allowed me to have. I am blessed. School is out for the summer so you would think it would mean that I have TONS of time to focus on my art. Haha. Art is still just a hobby/quiet release for me even in the summer. So far I have been helping my oldest son (Seth) deal with the unfortunate complications that can come with getting your wisdom teeth out (ouch), help my husband (Brian) mend from an injury, attending the youngest boy (Nolan)'s ballgames, and going on adventures with my middle boy (Nic) discovering science, history, and Illinois! Nic and I just returned from a trip to Fulton County area to visit Dickson Mounds and Emiquon Preserve. I did my first Plein Air painting at Emiquon while Nic attended an Archaeology for Teens camp. The view and time spent with nature was good for my soul. :-) This is the picture I painted. Keep in mind that this was my first attempt at painting outside. I LOVED IT, but I have a lot to learn about sharpening my outdoor skills. As you can see, the artistic urge runs in the family. This is a picture that Nolan (left) did with oil pastels for Nic's (right) birthday. Nic loves the show Adventure Time and the character "Finn". Nic loved it and Nolan was so proud. Seth went with Candice and her parents on vacation to Gettysburg/surrounding area a few weeks ago and saw some amazing sites. They visited George Washington and Thomas Jefferson's houses. This is from Thomas Jefferson's House. It is a pastel art set that belonged to his niece. She was an artist. I will have to research a little bit to see if I can find any of her paintings that might have been done with this set. This is on display in his house. Very cool!! I have also done some more work in my art room. I found this really awesome wall art of one of my favorite scriptures. It has very special meaning for me and it also goes well with the idea of my sanctuary. Thanks to help from Brian, it turned out really nice! I also found some real treasures at a local flea market. I found a tall standing shelving unit, a rack I can use as a drying shelf, and this whole set of large tube acrylic paints in a wood carry box. I used the wood box this week for my plein air travel box of pastels! Last, but not least, is a picture of what is currently on my easel. This is from a picture that Candice took out the windshield of her Dad's truck as they were beginning their vacation. It is close to being done, but I have to do a little more with the dashboard, finish the rear-view mirror and add final highlights. It was a beautiful morning captured in a very artistic way (talking about Candice's photograph). Good Job, Candice. Hope to do it justice. :-) Well, I guess that about brings everyone up to date with what has been going on with me. I have to be careful, because I catch myself complaining often about having to much to do and wishing I was somewhere else. Nic came into my room while I was updating this and sat on my lap, hugging me, sad about something that had happened (not major at all, but major to him). As I sat here holding him I realized how big he is getting and how I probably will not be able to have him "sit" on me much longer without hurting me. I had flash-backs to when he as a toddler and the only way to settle him or get him to sleep was to hold and rock him (severe ADHD). I thought at the time that I would just be happy if I didn't have to hold him all the time.........fast forward to now and I would be happy if I could just hold him all the time. Time isn't standing still for me any better than it has for my parents.-------Art is just a hobby. It is second place to many other things in my life and that is okay. I'm blessed to have it, but I am blessed by so much more....
Be kind to someone today for no reason at all, except because Jesus asked us to. :-) I have some very sad news from the art world. Maggie Price, wonderful Pastel Artist and Teacher, lost her battle with brain cancer on April 4th. She was my main inspiration for working with soft pastels. I love her work and her spirit. Her husband, Bill Canright posted the update last night on their shared blog, Painting Partners. My heart is heavy and I am praying for the family. I wonder if she realized the impact that she had on hundreds of people like me, that never met her, but loved her art and grew personally because of what she gave. Thank you, Maggie and your inspirations will continue..........
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