November 24, 2024
Good morning everyone, and happy Sunday! I am back with another set of Studio Notes. I’ve been working hard in my studio lately, and I’ve just finished up three big paintings this week. I will be taking photos, turning two into new prints, and posting about them in the next couple of days, so keep an eye out on my Instagram for that.
But as for right now, here are Studio Notes from the last few weeks! I start with my thoughts on beginning paintings. I have some more technical details, such as choosing a canvas, toning the canvas, and how I approach my first layers.
Then, I talk about how I am embracing these colder months and the changing of seasons. This is one of my favorite times of year, and I like to live in the present and acknowledge that as much as possible.
Next, I have some information on how I work creatively when I am feeling unmotivated. I had this issue a couple weeks ago, and it slowed down my creative work more than I would like. But I came out of it more creative and motivated than ever, and finished three paintings. It’s all a cycle, as is everything in this life.
Finally, I finish off with my upcoming events (next one in less than a week!!), what I’m currently listening to and reading in the studio, and some final thoughts.
Feel free to settle in, maybe with a cup of coffee or tea, and take your time reading through these Studio Notes.
The very first thing I start with is picking a canvas size. Most of the time lately, I have an idea of what I am going to paint before I start, so I choose a canvas that speaks to me and I feel will represent the subject accordingly. So for trees, I tend to go for a vertical canvas. Whereas with water paintings I am more drawn to a horizontal canvas. I feel a larger canvas provides a more immersive experience for the viewer, so I’ve been going larger lately. My favorite way to start is to build the canvas myself, but that takes a lot of time, and sometimes just buying a prestretched canvas on sale is more cost effective anyways. So it all depends.
The next step is choosing which color to tone the canvas. More often than not, it’s going to be indian yellow. This is probably my favorite color to use, as it is pure sunlight in a paint tube. So if I want a warmer painting, or any painting with sunlight, I will most likely start with indian yellow. However, I don’t want to fall into the trap of habit when it comes to my art, so I started one of my wave paintings with a warm green I mixed. I quite enjoyed the difference, and it made the first layers go pretty smoothly.
When toning the canvas, I work with my spray bottle and a lot of movement. I feel this helps with the first layers.
When I have my toned canvas, I am free to start with my first layers. I like to use my 2-inch, super cheap brush from the hardware store. It can hold a lot of paint and liquid. I always start with my liquid acrylic paints, usually diluted with water quite a bit.
Now, this has been my process in the last couple months. However, I also love starting with intuitive layers, working without a preconceived notion of what it will look like. I use whatever colors I am led to, with whatever marks I am feeling, and what will come out will come out. And once I have some layers built up, I will develop it into a landscape. This process is so freeing and exciting, but a bit harder if I want to paint a specific subject matter.
And from there, the rest of the process unfolds!
I absolutely love this time of the year. Honestly, I love whatever season I’m in or about to be in the most. I love colder weather, and Christmas will always be my favorite season. We haven’t gotten snow yet except for one night, but I am anxiously awaiting it.
The colors outside in late autumn are my favorite colors. The warm, rusty orange of fallen damp pine needles, the dark umber of wet pine trunks, the warm green of the pine needles on the trees. The bright yellow of the last leaves clinging on, the pale trunks of the bare aspens. Driving through the farmland where I live is so peaceful this time of year; usually low-hanging clouds, the hesitation of rain weighing on the air, moody colors reflecting in the wet puddles on the dark pavement.
I’ve also started getting into the Christmas spirit earlier this year, in order to start painting my ornaments! These are such a fun project. It’s so relaxing to know exactly what I am going to paint and how I’m going to paint it, these cozy little scenes captured on a small round of wood. It’s also such a new experience to paint multiple of the same scenes at the same time, and it’s a very relaxing experience.
I am fully embracing the changing of seasons this year, and I cannot be more content to do so.
My last art show of the season is coming up very quickly. It starts this Friday, November 29, the day right after Thanksgiving. And we’re going on a bit of a roadtrip for it.
This show is over in Ocean Shores (about a 9-hour drive), one of my favorite places on earth. A lot of my paintings with the ocean in them inspired by Ocean Shores. I have wanted to showcase and sell my art there for many years, so I cannot wait to do so in less than a week! I have a 10x10 corner booth layout, so a lot more to my displays than the table I’ve had the last two shows. I have a lot to do this week with fine-tuning my booth layout and displays and prepping my inventory. I’ve completed the paintings I wanted to do for this show, so now it all comes down to the logistics. I am getting so excited.
The event is Winter Fanta-Sea, at the Ocean Shores Convention Center, on Friday, Nov 29 through Saturday, December 1.
Alright, here’s what I’m enjoying recently in the studio! I’m not sure if anyone’s interested, but if anything, it’ll be fun for me to look back on it the future.
I have been obsessed with a small handful of albums that I listen to in the studio while I’m painting. Here they are.
American Son by Colby Acuff
Welcome to the Plains by Wyatt Flores
Beautifully Broken by Jelly Roll
The Creative Act: A Way of Being - Still rereading with my friend!
Well, that’s about all that’s been going on in my studio in these last few weeks. If you’ve read all the way to the end, thank you so much! I really enjoy this format of connecting with you all, and have so much fun writing and designing these Studio Notes.
If you have any thoughts on what I’ve said in here, please reach out to me! I’d love to discuss anything and everything regarding the creative process.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a creative, wonderful rest of your week!
-Anna
