How to Paint Confidence - You've seen the videos --Now What??

 Gripped by the Fear of Painting, or rather the dreaded Painting Panic? 

 You’ve witnessed gallons of expensive paint, expertly applied to canvas, without of fear of failure, and with stunning result by, schooled artists.

What now?  Courage and optimism, can only carry you to the moment when you realize the blocked in stage, is dry.

 Painting Panic has arrived.

 Don’t’ worry, so much, about ruining your art – at some time or another, you will anyway, why stress over it now?

 Nobody is born with painting software preinstalled.

 The act of painting, is less important than learning how much paint is required on your paint application device, to render reasonable success.

  Relax and enjoy the process!

Stop, when you want to, or if you do throw something.

 Now, take your brush out of your coffee, and go have some more fun today!

 

So, how long did it take you to learn to ride a bicycle?

A Tip Quickie

It wasn't so much the fear of messing up as mending the unforced error that produced the coward's way out of trying something risky. 

 

Will it work with oil? Nope. Water color? Nope. Wet acrylics?  Nope. (Don't ask)

I knew I'd find a use for that odd glass eventually.  The difference this time was that revelation came before the trash.

Sailing HideAway: The Pink Thief - Video!

Driving along a county road in western Oklahoma, chance glance to my right offered a painting possibility.  A late afternoon blue sky thunder storm in the distance approaching a farm house and silo across a field.  The narrow road and traffic prevented a photo stop. 

The rain, was pink. 

 

The trouble began with a texture experiment gone wrong (see my video Talking Texture). Attempts to salvage the new canvas created small holes and worse, not all the texture could be removed.

 

Repairing the original sin required much thicker than normal texture spread across entire canvas.   Blending acrylic paint on the rough surface to create a believable thunder storm was unlikely.

Not much of an excuse, but the best I can come up with at the moment.

 

After committing 12 gigabits of memory, my own and the computer’s, and four months effort to the project a question arose.

Why continue investing paint and time like I could afford both hoping for a pretty good outcome when I could be making new, more creative mistakes on another painting that doesn’t require texture AND a thunderstorm?

I came to realize this painting, however memorable the event, is a THIEF stealing my time and my Art Dollars! 

Don’t let this happen to you, my friends!  Act now!

 

Even a perfect painting is never done – Besides, It will look better in the morning

Holes in Your Canvas? Now What? Sailing HideAway

A while ago I published a wildly unpopular video, “Talking Texture Testing”, where I demonstrated several unconventional texturing products for potential use with oil or acrylic fine art paintings. 

One of those was a type of caulking that unexpectedly turned into a permanent, hard, glue like substance.  It was an artistic failure of the highest kind.

 I learned that the caulking/glue holding factor was excellent. So much so that holes appeared in the stretched canvas during removal attempts.  I resorted to using a razor knife to carve down the mountain peaks. The result was a hill country canvas on the great plains with small lakes scattered about, no doubt caused by glaciers.

My new video “Holes in Your Canvas? Now What?” demonstrates one solution. 

Can you see the damage?  Does it matter to my acrylic painting?

Talking Texture Testing Today

 In “Talking Texture Testing” we explore unconventional texturizing products applied canvas and hardboard, some were successful, others not at all.

My project, more than two decades ago, was to build storm shutters for our windows.

Of course, as a sailor, the shutters had to include sailboats, but not just any; these were large cutter rigged gaffers, some 80 feet on deck sailing the Gulf of Mexico. The boats were built using Masonite panels cut from my drawings. Several works of possible artistic quality were made from the waste cutouts. “Marker 6 at Midnight” is one of them. So, my story goes: I’d forgotten to seal the exterior house paint cans properly thus, over the months, nay, years; OK, decades- their contents became a five pound hockey pucks the size of dinner plates. One, however, was half full of slurry and soft paint chunks that showed promise for art work texture. The works have survived these twenty plus years with no attention paid to extend their existence, leading me to conclude that soft acrylic exterior house paint the consistency of a malted milk with paint chunks, a good texture producing brew. Be aware though, the cure time is rather long. In our next video, we attempt to repair canvas damaged in this video by that darn roof sealer! – Sailing Hideaway

Sailing HideAway - Here, Hold My Brush!

Tired of chasing your brushes around on the floor?  My video, “Sailing HideAway - Here, Hold My Brush!” is for you.  Made from found materials most pack rats would have stored somewhere, this easel mounted brush holder is easy to make and can be used on a table too! Such a deal! Now, if I can just unglue my fingers, I’ll go paint something. 

 Early Researchers, after moments of careful study, have determined there are three types of Traditional Easel Painters:  Stand up, Sit down, and both.

Most artists, after spending many precious Art Dollars, secretly wish to modify their new easel, but are hesitant to make changes to it. After all, why would you risk messing up this,  professionally designed easel by drilling holes in it and attaching stuff to it that, by their absence, must not be required to achieve the Quality Painting Experience we all seek?

After a while though, the Artist in Making, tires of picking up floor-stored art supplies and living in constant fear of stepping on an open paint tube.  Besides the easel is no longer new, likely paint splattered anyway, and the fine oak floor thus far has escaped desecration.

Thus, the creative wheels turn to making the Art Easel the best it can be, or at least easier on the bending structures of the average human. 

Here’s what I did to mine.

 

If you are a thirsty traveler this   is your palm.  Its  leaves store water and the seeds apparently are edible if you're hungry enough

A Road You Should Take

 It's not about how fast you can traverse this road - It's about slowing down, listening and watching the world around you. So pull up a log or comfy rock and be a part of the scene

Peek - A- Boo Hoodoo

 Have you ever thought you saw something out of the corner of your eye but dismissed it? In Bryce Canyon, you may have glimpsed a very rare Peek-a-Boo Hoodoo. They like to play just at the edge of your vision. Walk slowly, carry a fast camera, and embrace a sense of playful wonder. You will find them.