process Archives - Page 3 of 5 - Dora Sislian Themelis Art

Painting Photos for Friday

Here I am again with photos of paintings for Friday. Somehow my idea of a fun pic for the end of the week ended up being a finished watercolor painting, but, hey, that’s okay. I’m enjoying myself in the studio at least. To me it’s a fun photo.

Blueberries ©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis
15×20 Watercolor, Canson cold press paper

The latest work is finished. Done. I am done with IT. That might be the last time I paint a million little blueberries under tiny leaves of lavender. The last time. Remember I said that.

Let’s look over the process. First I sketched in the basic shapes. Then I dropped some color in areas.

Next painting session lead to more color and definition of forms. Little by little it started to look like something.

With more color I started adding shadows to further develop the composition. Having fun here too.

The 100 Paintings Challenge has begun.

Beginning Another Work

With the Blast Off class over, affirmations in place, and a plan in hand, I began a new painting. The last thing I needed to do was listen to a phone interview by Alyson B. Stanfield with the author Eric Maisel, on his interesting book, Ten Zen Seconds.

I chose one of the last photos I took of the vegetable share haul and spent a good amount of time sketching in the subjects. The paper is one of the large sheets of Canson watercolor paper I bought a while ago. Yes, I know, it’s not Arches, but it will have to do for now.

Since I wanted to get the proportions right, I made a grid with pencil lines and lightly drew in the items. I wanted to try out the new Isabey brush I purchased to see how it would work. It’s a size 12, large sable hair brush and it holds alot of water, if that’s a good thing.

While I painted I listened to the interview and many of the things discussed resonated with me. Maisel talked about his work with artists and the overwhelm they encounter while trying to work, getting the work out there, promoting and talking about their work. It’s so interesting in that it’s the truth. Where to start? How to do it?

The anxiety of it all causes some of us to freeze. I know that well. Ever hear the phrase “When in doubt, don’t”? That’s what happens. If we don’t know what to do, we do nothing. Well, Maisel said that overwhelm can be helped by saying certain affirmations that he called incantations, together with deep breathing. Zen. He explained that after doing the exercise, artists find they can continue.

It makes plenty of sense. I think I’m need to get his book from the library after listening to this interview.

As I listened I painted. After the 30 minute interview was over, I kept on painting. I must have worked for 2 hours, slowly playing with the new brush and the paints.

Usually I’m done at 20 minutes, but this is large paper. It took some time. And I could wreck my work if I’m not careful. So when I saw the time I stopped and took this photo.

The process is still the focus. Another 100 paintings challenge is on the horizon so I have to make it count and work the time schedule. The Blast Off class and all the resources I have from it will help push my agenda.

Let’s see how it goes.

Blasting Off

You know me, I’m so last minute all the time. Well, true to form, I decided, at the last minute once again, to take a class in self promotion, process, progress, organization, all in the name of art.

Yes, I said Yes, again.

Alyson B. Standfield of the Art Biz Coach/Blog regularly holds online classes in various matters pertaining to artists and their work/business. This class is called Blast Off! and that’s just what I need right now. A little guidance can go a long way. It’s not hand-holding either. You have to do the work to succeed. No one can do it for you.

I’m all strapped in and ready to Blast Off. Wish me luck!

Resolve to Reach Goals in the New Year

The new year is well under way now. What do we think of resolutions? Do you make resolutions for the new year? Are they possible to keep anyway?

Some people love making resolutions, mostly in the form of losing weight or exercising more, things which we all should be conscious of anyway. I am not a fan of resolutions. Maybe a better word to use is “goals.” Now I can get behind something that feels like I can reach for and attain it.

But don’t we need to RESOLVE to find a way to reach our GOALS? Maybe that’s a better suggestion. It makes me think of my process, as in HOW will I reach my goal? With what trick will I help myself move forward?

My brain hurts from all the thinking.

Last year I decided to try painting 100 paintings in the year with the goal of developing a painting habit, building a current body of work, and testing my skills in watercolor paints. I am at painting #44 in the challenge, not anywhere near 100 works. Okay, so I started the challenge a couple of months into the year. If I’m going to get there I need to step it up, pronto.

This year’s goals are much the same as last year: Keep working at it. Push the process. Stay in the moment. Plan. Prepare. Paint. Cruise.

Hour by hour, day by day is the best I can hope to do. If I push myself too hard I end up backward into the wall. I want to gently guide my inner-child-artist forward. Paint almost every day, remember to take a short weekly Artist Date, keep calm and stop whining about not having enough time for everything.

There’s plenty of time, and no time like the present. And time will march on without us if we let it.

Back to Painting the Sunflowers

First twenty to thirty minute session

So yesterday’s painting sale was fun. Now back to business. Back to the drawing table. The sunflowers await. Twenty to thirty minutes of painting time is all I allowed myself on the weekend. It was just enough to get something on the paper. Something is better than nothing. Yesterday was a bust.

On my Sunday session, while the painting dried, I played with my beads. That’s always fun too. I had to get away or I would over do the work. Even if I use a timer, my brain just ignores it and I keep on going. Bad idea most times.

But then I can become distracted by so many other things that I never go back to the painting. I’m on a schedule here. I have 100 paintings to get done!

Today’s twenty minute session

Today I was determined to get to it. Maybe someone can explain it to me, but while I am painting I really don’t like what I see. Yeah, it’s the process I keep telling myself, but shouldn’t the end result be somewhat pleasing after all that? I’m not just mindlessly drawing in a coloring book, there should be real art at the end, right?

After I photograph the work for all of you to see, I am surprised by it. I don’t dislike it. There are areas I need to push, but overall it looks better than I thought.

Let me know what you think.

Process Leads to Finished

You see, the process, when implemented by the twenty minute time slots, leads to finished product. It’s a coincidence that I just read something to the effect that artists with a day job should fit creativity time in their day just like this. They should set a timer for twenty minutes and push headlong into painting, or whatever.

Amazing!

I finished this today. Believe me, if I don’t put it away right now I will find some other spot to play with on this work. After I took this photograph I made a small area of the background darker to pop the yellow flower petals a little bit more.

That is my downfall. I tell myself I’m finished and then after I clean the brushes and my palette I spy an area I think needs a flick of the brush. Many a work has been ruined by such impulsiveness.

Forget it, I’ve already uploaded this photo and that’s it. The little brush stuff I just did will have to be discovered by someone else, hopefully a happy art collector.

Just putting it out there into the Universe, hoping the Universe hears that little plea for a buyer to show up and give a nice painting a new home. That’s all.

Don’t Prolong the Process

If I continue painting on this work I am going to trash it! I am done, done, done! Finished! Telios! C’est Finis! This was the end of the road for the peach at the beach.

I worked on this for the allotted twenty minutes today, let it dry, then started to dig in with some details. What a mistake that was. There is just so much I could do to show these items were sitting on the sand. How do you really make sand look like sand? It isn’t easy, and things could get dicey. Again.

I am done with this! Yeah!

Using a really small brush, I began to paint in some dark shadows in the sand and that’s where the trouble started. I had to stop myself before ruining this painting.

Overall, the result of the process came off as I wanted it to. The peach pops, as well as the shells. Eh, the sand shadows are passable. It just had to be over. I didn’t want to prolong the torture any longer.

As soon as this is completely dry I am going to free it from the watercolor block and put it away. #37 in the 100 paintings challenge is finished.

Next!