All Things MARSH!!!

If you know me, you know that I spend a lot of time on Amelia Island, FL with my husband. One of my favorite things about this area is the beautiful marshlands! Not only are marshes gorgeous and serene, they are also home to some of the coolest birds. From pelicans and sandpipers to cranes, egrets, kingfishers and roseate spoonbills - you never know what you might see.

In the spirit of trying new styles, I have been working on some “looser” and less realistic marsh paintings. One of my recent finished pieces is another study of the incredible C. Brooke Ring who has painted many South Carolina marsh scenes. I used an Amelia Island marsh photo to create a second piece of the same size (10x10 square) and basic style. I love how they turned out, especially side-by-side! :)

I also had a 4x4 square canvas that I decided to do another marsh bird on. This one turned out a bit more realist in style than the other two, but I still love them as a little collection.

As I continue to study marshes and paint my interpretation of photos I’ve taken, my next goal is to paint a LARGER piece. I recently bought a projector that I can plug into my phone - hopefully I will be able to use that to trace tree lines, water edges, etc. and make sure I’m getting placement/scale correct on a large surface. Stay tuned for progress! :)

Sarah

Practicing New Styles

I’ve been excited to work on a few NEW paintings, in looser, more abstract styles. I mentioned a couple artists I was following in my last post. I’ve been using references/studies of theirs for my latest creations.

I love all things tropical, bright and happy! So without further ado - here’s what I’ve been working on! I can’t wait to try out more painting in this style. I have a handful of MARSH paintings that I hope to tackle next. :)

Finding New Inspiration

I am finally starting to paint again! I have missed it - and while there’s been the issue of missing inspiration, there’s also been the issue of missing time recently. I have been busy with work and other things these days.

I’ve often felt that I don’t have enough of a “signature style”. While I recognize this is probably partially me being too hard on myself - it’s also pushed me to study unique styles that are different than mine.

The elements and subjects I’m drawn to certainly haven’t changed - beach, ocean, tropics, florals, bright colors and shimmering lights - but I want to try more “loose” styles of painting. My work thus-far has been more realistic, but I want to push myself to see real scenes in a more impressionistic way.

Anyways - a big part of this is doing studies of work that I love and admire. Here are a couple artists that I am studying at the moment:

• Sari Shryack, Austin, TX (http://www.sari.studio/)

• C. Brooke Ring, Greenville, SC (https://cbrookering.com/)

I’m trying to pay attention to basic elements like light/dark, color values, and looser strokes. I hope to get better at breaking down what I see into these elements rather than just taking a photo and copying it to the best of my ability!

Here are the pieces I am currently painting an interpretation of:

“Pretty in Pink” by Sari Shryack

“All the Palms” by C. Brooke Ring

I love them!! Bright, tropical, fun, loose…such a different style than what I usually paint. Both of these ladies have an INCREDIBLE body of work and such distinct styles - I encourage you to browse through their online galleries.

Anyways - I am slowly but surely making progress on my versions of these beauties - I can’t wait to share! :)

S

I'm Going to be a Published Author!!

As I’ve mentioned here before, I love to write.

Several years ago, I began writing a fiction novel (still not done!) and was working a lot on my fiction writing skills. In that process, I came across The Rehoboth Beach Reads Short Story Contest. A small publisher in Rehoboth Beach, DE puts this contest on every year. A handful of judges read all contest entries, pick their favorites, then a collection of the winning short stories is published.

Lest you think this is completely random - yes, I live in Atlanta, but I was born in Delaware. And when my maternal grandparents were still alive, our family used to go visit them at Rehoboth Beach every year. So many of my favorite, magical childhood memories live in that place.

Anyway, I entered two stories into the contest a couple years ago. One of them was a finalist, but did not make it into the book. That rejection was hard for me at the time, but it actually inspired me to start my company, The Write Shop. (That’s a story for a different day).

In any case, since I haven’t been inspired to PAINT during this pandemic, I found myself writing more often - for work AND for fun. And so, I dusted off one of my former submissions (the one that didn’t make it), and wrote a new story to submit to this year’s contest.

A few months later and … I got one of the most fun phone calls I have ever received: one of my stories is going to be published in this year’s book, titled “Beach Mysteries”. (Check out this local announcement - my name in the paper! swoon!)

And just this week, I finished the process of working with a real editor to go through my story with a fine-toothed comb. I really enjoyed the process - I know it will make me a better, more conscientious writer moving forward.

The book is set to be published in November. As luck would have it, we actually have a trip planned to Rehoboth Beach this year because my Uncle, who is one of the most talented painters I know, has his own art exhibit at the Rehoboth Art League. Sadly, I will be in town BEFORE the book is actually published, but it still feels serendipitous to me. :)

I will be back to post pictures of our trip, and (hopefully) find some missing inspiration for my own paintings!

Work in Progress: "Oregon Beach Bunny"

In the Summer of 2016, my husband and I were lucky enough to take a 5-night trip to Oregon. If you’ve never been, I HIGHLY recommend it! It’s one of the most beautiful and magical places I’ve been in the US - and arguably, it’s still my favorite vacation we’ve ever taken.

We spent one night on the coast in a little town called Cannon Beach - famous for a huge rock just off the shore called Haystack Rock.

It was an easy walk to the rock from the Inn we stayed at; when the tide was out, you could walk right up to it.

But one of my favorite things about this place was all the BUNNIES. Fluffy, adorable, squishy bunnies were in the yard, the bushes, the beach.

I’m telling you - magical.

For some reason, I am just now getting around to painting some of the pictures I took while we were there.

Haystack Rock, taken from the back yard of The Stephanie Inn

I wanted to capture the setting - on the coast - but I wanted to include a bunny, too. I selected the photo below as a reference, but as you can see, the sky and water are very washed out. So, in my re-creation, I’ve worked a lot more color into it!

As you can see, the horizon line is tilted in this photo since I took it at an awkward angle. In the progress picture below, I re-created that off-kilter horizon line - but I’m starting to think I might just straighten it out.

I will be adding more depth/detail to the water, perhaps some more highlights to the grass, and of course the bunny, which I’ve sketched out and painted white.

This is painted on a 10x20 canvas, and I’m planning to add this to my collection for sale at Westside Market when it’s complete.

Painting "Ugly"

I’m something of a perfectionist. Perhaps this is why my painting style is generally more realistic than impressionistic. And I LOVE impressionist art - I am blown away by artists (like Erin Hanson - swoon) who can paint this way. I just can’t seem to do it.

I’ve tried and tried to create “looser” works of art, but I typically end up getting detailed anyways. I start off with some reference photo and try to create an impression, but I’m inevitably zooming in on details and letting the photo guide my every move. Perhaps I shouldn’t fight this. I am what I am!

But some days, I just don’t feel like being so meticulous. I want to be free and splashy and see what happens. NEARLY every time I do this, I don’t actually like the art I create. I sometimes use colors I wouldn’t normally be drawn to. I paint weird or dark abstract things. I’d never hang this art on my walls. It’s ugly.

Many of these paintings end up painted over; the others are shoved in a drawer or in the closet. But these “ugly” paintings are still an expression of me - or of what’s inside of me on those days.

There is joy and freedom in having no reference at all, and slapping some paint on a canvas with no idea what you’re about to make.

I may not necessarily “like” these ugly paintings - and I assume no one else would either - but they are just as important to my development as an artist as the “pretty” paintings.

So…without further ado - here is a snapshot of some of the weird crap I create when I’m not focused on turquoise and sunshine and flowers and palm trees. Ok, fine, there are still flowers.

Glazing Technique with Acrylic Paint

A former mentor recently posted some examples of a glazing technique she taught in one of her classes. You paint something in black and white or grayscale, then paint over it using various transparent colored glazes.

I found several black and white reference photos and got to work painting a single flower on a dark textured background.

Acrylic Paint on Linen Paper, 6x6

I decided to try mixing a coral-ish glaze using a reddish-orange color, neon pink, white and my Liquitex pouring medium for the flower. I mixed a dark green for the stem and some yellow/brown colors for the middle, and started adding layers of glaze.

My “finished product” is above, but now that I am looking at this again, I think I could mix a darker, more orange-y pink glaze and add in more layers.

And as a side note on glaze in general - I LOVE using glazes to create soft halos of light and shadows. Take a look at my painting “Into the palms”. I used light green and white glazes to create the transparent rays of sunlight, and a brownish glaze to create shadows along the left side of the palm trunk.

Trying this technique was a really fun exercise! I am planning to try it again with a sky full of clouds - and perhaps a mix of blue, purple and magenta glazes. :)

Getting Fruity

“Blood Orange Slice”, Acrylic on Canvas Panel, 5x7

I have always loved fruit. And I’m not talking about eating it (although I enjoy that, too).

Like - even as a kid, I loved ALL THINGS FRUIT. I had a shorts/jumper thing that had a fruit pattern on it. I had a set of erasers that looked like slices of fruit. I had tiny hair clips with little fruit charms on them. A huge collection of fruity-flavored Lip Smackers was one of my prize possessions. (I use the word “was” lightly here).

And recently, I’ve rediscovered my love for fruit by painting it. I don’t know why it took so long, honestly. I have been primarily drawn to waterscapes, sky, tropical settings and unique perspectives thereof. So I suppose I’ve just been focusing on getting better at that stuff. But I digress.

So my first project was a close up of a blood orange slice. I had so much fun doing it, and my Mom claimed it as hers before I was even done. So - she got the finished product for Christmas and it is now hanging in her front hallway. (Thanks, Mom!)

This has inspired me to attempt more fruit. Thanks again to my lovely Mom, I got some teeeeeny tiny square canvases for Christmas. I got the idea to paint them all silver, and paint various tiny fruits on them. There are 6 total, and I have about 3 of them done.

I started by painting them silver, using a pencil to draw basic shapes and filling those shapes in with white. Then, one by one, I did an “under-painting” for each one - using the darkest (or close to it) color in my reference photo. From there, I just started adding layers of light, dark and detail.

Silver-painted canvases with basic shapes.

Here are a few progress pictures - The Lemon, Kiwi and Orange are done. The Blueberries are about 80% done, Cherries are at about 60% and the Strawberry is still just the under-painting.

Finished collection coming soon-ish!

The Heart of the Matter

Creating is exhilarating. I love the feeling of putting the finishing touches on something I’ve worked so hard on.

Creating and sharing is terrifying. It requires vulnerability, bravery, and a thick skin. It requires accepting that people may not like what you create, or no one buys something you put your heart and soul into.

These qualities do not come naturally for me. My heart wants to be liked, accepted and praised. It feels like rejection to put your art (and heart) on display and receive little or nothing in return.

In the days of the “side hustle,” we’re told we can do more, make more, be more. Take what you love and turn it into dollars in the bank. I admit - this holds some appeal to me. But it cannot be the reason I make art.

As one of my amazing mentors (and a ridiculously talented artist!) reminded me a couple weeks ago: you don’t have to monetize your hobbies.

I want to make art because I love it, because it’s fun and beautiful and satisfying; because sometimes it’s dark and messy and therapeutic and raw. It challenges me, gives me freedom to try new techniques, study new subject matter and really discover who I am as an artist. But it’s not just about me either.

Art allows me to touch and connect with others in new ways. I am thrilled and humbled when someone asks me to create a painting - whether it’s a simple piece of decor, or a recreation of a special moment or place in their lives.

While this is a blog primarily about art, I’ll be coming here to share my heart from time to time, too. This is the third time I’ve migrated by blog, and I will likely re-post thing I’ve shared on past blogs.

I hope you’ll come back from time to time to see what I’m working on, new things I’m learning and what’s on my mind!