Zinnia, Portland Open Studio, Washington County Open Studio

Zinnia

10"x 10"x 1.5"

oil on cradled board

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This is one of twelve paintings of flowers that I am doing for a calendar and note cards that I am having available at the Portland Open Studio and Washington County Open Studio tour, 

October 10-11, 17-18, 2015. 

My son, Thomas, and I look over black and white photos for the calendar.

I am almost done with my paintings. I have laid out samples of envelopes from Envelope Mall to see if any of them match. (look how many "greens" they have!) The next thing is to email images of my paintings to the printer.

Canna Lilies are blooming right now, and although they are one of my favorite flowers, I decided not to paint them but to use them to show you how effective light can be.

(That's my daughter Claire a few years ago. She's 5'10" now!)

Here is sunlight directly on the leaves... 

...and this is sunlight from behind the leaves.
Notice the difference? Isn't it beautiful?!
That is why "light" is always so important to me when I paint.

Studio Tip:

I clean my brushes in Murphy Oil Soap. 

Oil, water-based oil, acrylic,....whatever, it's great at getting all the paint off!

If you have any other ideas about a cleaning solution, let me know. :)

Listening to while I paint:

Audiobook:  

"The Scarlet Pimpernel", by Baroness Orczy. I watched the movie in 1982 with my dad. It had Anthony Andrews, Jane Seymour, and Ian McKellen.

Podcasts: 
American's Test Kitchen, hosted by Christopher Kimball
Online Marketing Made Easy, hosted by Amy Porterfield

The Nerdist, Patrick Stewart, hosted by Chris Hardwick

Artists Helping Artists, hosted by Leslie Saeta

The Chalene Show, hosted by Chalene Johnson
Social Media Examiner, hosted by Michael Stelzner
"Wait, Wait.... Don't Tell Me!", hosted by Peter Sagal
Splendid Table, hosted by Lynne Rossetto KasperTruth For Life, hosted by Alistair Begg

Music: 
My iPod

What I am reading:
Youtility, by Jay Baer

Really helpful!:

I am continually checking a dictionary, thesaurus, spell check, but one thing that has been particularly helpful is the grammar check. Please excuse any errors that I make and tell me! :)

Portland Open Studios, Washington County Open Studios, Calendar

I am in the Portland Open Studios tour (Oct. 10-11, 17-18, 2015) and the Washington County Open Studios tour. 

(Oct. 17-18, 2015)

This is your chance to go to the artist's studio, see their workspace and their processes.

I have been setting up all the things I want to show you. :)

 Here is the Portland Open Studios catalog....

.....and the maps to different artist's studios that you can visit over the four days.
It's been really good for me because I have to think through what my process is: taking pictures, setting up a still life, drawing, painting, etc. .

Along with my approach to painting, I've decided to have a calendar and note cards available during the tour. 

I like to paint on wood panels, so I ordered 12, 10"x 10" to do flower paintings for the calendar and note cards.

These cradled boards have a very nice, smooth, 1-1/2 inch edges, so I decided to tape them (with Painter's tape) because I don't know if I am going to leave them natural, stain them, or paint them. 
Since I only have one working hand, I put the tape on the side of the table and pulled down.... 
it worked perfectly!

The boards needed to be prepared by using gesso as a substrate. Gesso is designed to penetrate supports and provide a surface to which paint can adhere. I am going to try Krylon Gesso Spray. 

More to come!

Listening to while I paint:

Audiobook:  

"To Kill A Mockingbird", by Harper Lee, narrated by Sissy Spacek 

Podcasts: 
American's Test Kitchen, hosted by Christopher Kimball
Online Marketing Made Easy, hosted by Amy Porterfield

The Nerdist, Patrick Stewart, hosted by Chris Hardwick

Artists Helping Artists, hosted by Leslie Saeta

The Chalene Show, hosted by Chalene Johnson
Social Media Examiner, hosted by Michael Stelzner
"Wait, Wait.... Don't Tell Me!", hosted by Peter Sagal
Splendid Table, hosted by Lynne Rossetto KasperTruth For Life, hosted by Alistair Begg

Music: 
My iPod

Really helpful!:
I am continually checking a dictionary, thesaurus, spell check, but one thing that has been particularly helpful is the grammar check. Please excuse any errors that I make and tell me! :)

Carol Marine's Workshop - Stroke Update

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Here are some of the paintings I did at Carol Marine's workshop in Springfield, OR. (about 1 1/2 hours south of Portland) 

It was WONDERFUL!!!! 

We studied items in white, glass, reflections, flowers and metal. 

Carol went over a printed handout each morning going through 

the different processes/objectives for the day, and then she did a demo. 

One of the best things about it was watching her paint:   

the layout;

her palette; 

her strokes;

stepping back;

her highlights....what she calls "bling";

 

and then we painted the rest of the day. 

I think that all of us students agreed that having Carol around to 

give helpful critiques was a HUGE benefit!

 I got back to the hotel about 4:30 in the afternoon and immediately went to bed! 

(Not really, I stayed up until 6:30? I was sooooooo tired!)

Stroke update:

This workshop was a big success for me. My husband and my two youngest daughters drove me down to Springfield and stayed the first night with me....then I was on my own! There I was: 2 hrs. south of home, in a hotel, taking the shuttle to and from the workshop, by myself for the first time since my stroke! This week I learned not only about painting but I also gained new confidence in my independence!

About a year ago I announced on Facebook that I would be running by this July. 

Well, recovering from a stroke is taking a little longer than I had planned, so, I will strive for next July. If I end up running sooner, I will definitely let you know!!!!! :) 

Listening to while I paint:

Podcasts: The Alton Browncast, hosted by Alton Brown

                  The Lede, hosted by Jerod Morris

                   Artists Helping Artists, hosted by Leslie Saeta

                  Social Media Examiner, hosted by Michael Stelzner

                  "Wait, Wait.... Don't Tell Me!", hosted by Peter Sagal

Music: my iPod

Really helpful!: 

I am continually checking a dictionary, thesaurus, spell check, but one thing that has been particularly helpful is the grammar check! Please excuse any errors that I make and tell me! :)

25 in 30

25 paintings in 30 days

Here is my "collage" of the 25 paintings I did during the month of January. 

About midway through the month, I decided to work in mostly black and white, doing value studies. An art friend told me, it doesn't matter which color you choose, just as long as it is the right value. 

Thank you so much for all the pictures you sent me! 

I am still working on some of them. 

Please continue to send me  pictures. For those I choose to paint, I will be sending my note cards and the first chance to buy the painting.

If you would like to send me a picture, email it to:   annie@anniesalness.com , and please include your address. 

Thank you!!!!

Listening to while I paint:

     Podcast: The Alton Browncast hosted by Alton Brown

                         Medieval Archives

                         The Lede from Copyblogger

                         Sherlock Holmes     Music: Spotify