A Walk in The Forest

I have been staring at canvases and dabbing paint on them and then not being happy, painting over whatever I did. I am just not feeling the paint right now. Sometimes that makes me a little panicked, but always disappointed and unhappy. However, there are many ways to be creative and when the well is dry, it's time to fill it with an artists date. So, my husband Greg and I went for a drive into the National Forest and took photos.

We really liked the color in the thistle flowers. (Yes, I know it's a weed, but Nature makes no distinction, all plants and animals welcome.) The bright purples are the ones in full bloom and then they lose color and become paler as the bloom fades and dies. I like both. I will share more of these photos when I have a chance to look at all of them. Perhaps this will inspire me or you to do something creative.

Peace and Creativity,

Kelli

Sand and Water

Sand and Water #1

Acrylic on Canvas

12"X12"

Hi All,

Here is a new piece in the beach series. I am using a new name for the next phase of the series, it will now be Sand and Water. I like the color and values on this one but do not know what else I will do with it yet. As always, your comments are welcome.

This coming Friday is our next First Friday Art Walk in Ocala, FL if you are anywhere near the area.

Peace and Love to you all,

Kelli

I'm feelin' it

I absolutely LOVE textures. Anyone that knows me knows that I can't keep my hands off of a cool looking textured surface. From the time I was a little girl I was fascinated with textures in nature - tree bark, veining in leaves, bird tracks in the snow (I didn't always live in Florida), the fuzz on new spring leaf buds, the indentations of raindrops in dirt, the bubbles of tar on the side of the road in the summer.

Of course the natural progression of things is that I would end up incorporating texture into my paintings. I play with textured papers, pastes and gels, sand, glass beads and rocks. There's nothing I love more in the studio than watching the fluid acrylic paint seep into the crevices of crackle paste and puddle around the bumps of glass beads. The nuances of color as it concentrates into a smooth valley or gets absorbed into a soft paper surface is just plain exciting! Call me weird.... I don't care!

So..... for the people out there like me, Kelli and I will be teaching a workshop on playing with these textures. Since the texture gels and pastes usually take overnight to dry we're going to prepare some panels ahead of time and then focus on what to do with paint and collage elements to enhance the textures and make them sing. The workshop will be in Ocala at Red Swan Paint & Art on Sunday March 21st from 1-5. Give us a holler if you want more info and contact us soon before the class fills up. mailto:andhershbergerhuff@hotmail.com

Now go touch something and feel the texture - you don't have to tell me what it is. :D

Peace,

Carlynne

First First Friday

We had a good time last night on Broadway in downtown Ocala, for our very first First Friday Art Walk. We had friends, family, students and brand new friends stop in to see us and the people at Bakers and Cooks. We sold some work and signed up a student for the upcoming workshop on March 21.

Our host, Marie, was so gracious, even giving us luscious chocolate cake. (In case you didn't know, Carlynne and I will do anything for chocolate.) Thank you Marie and everyone who stopped in to support us.

I have decided that taking one of the cooking classes or demos would be a wonderful way to relax and have fun. They have well known chefs from around the world visit their fabulous kitchen to teach. I think this would be a wonderful artist date and I believe that Julia Cameron would approve.

Peace, love and creativity,

Kelli

New Work

This is going to be a new beach piece, eventually, trust me, it will be. I know it doesn't look much like the other beach pieces yet, but this one is a little different than the previous ones in this series. And you will get to see the process as it goes through transformation several times.







Here is a close up of the textures. The color is a little warmer than this photo, it's actually more of a soft burnt sienna. (Wow, what's with me and burnt sienna? I even drive a Toyota sienna.) It already has about 6 layers on it, including raw sienna, iridescent medium and burnt sienna.

I'll keep you posted.
Peace and love and creativity.
Kelli

Remember This?

Remember this piece of slate with it's lovely textures and shape? I took photos of it before I did anything at all to it and now I have added a little more texture and some burnt sienna. (I really had no choice, it just cried out for burnt sienna.)

This is a close up of what it looks like now, I loooooooooooooooove the textures and color. HOWEVER, where do I go from here???? Heeeeeeeeeeelp meeeeeeee, pleeeeeeeeese.

Oh, and don't' forget, we will be at Bakers and Cooks this evening from 6-8 for the monthly First Friday Art Walk in downtown Ocala, FL. Be there, just off the square!

Peace and love,

Kelli

Lucky Us

Guess where we will be hanging out this Friday? Bakers and Cooks in downtown Ocala, FL. This Friday, March 5 is the First Friday Art Walk from 6-8 and we have a fun place to spend our two hours. Above is the exterior view of the store.

This is an interior view of the store and just a few of the lovely items they sell. I don't know about you, but I love kitchen gadgets and they have the best selection in our area. And we have been promised some good things to eat, yum, yum.

We will be offering special prices on some of the work you have seen on our Etsy shop and on the blog. So, if you are anywhere near our area this Friday, stop in and say hi to us and to everyone at Bakers and Cooks.

Peace and Love,

Kelli

Life's a Beach

Tide Pools #63

Hey Peeps,

We will be at the First Friday Art Walk in downtown Ocala, FL on the square this Friday from 6-8. We are setting up at Bakers and Cooks, one of our favorite stores. The name says it all. Come and visit us and the store. We would love to meet some of our friends out there in netland.

This is an 8X8 inch beach piece on canvas board. It's available for sale on Etsy. I guess I still haven't got the beach out of my system. The good news is that the next few beach pieces are going in a new direction. I will update soon.

If you can't get to the beach, or if your beach is covered with snow, just hang on a little longer and spring will be here. I am an optimist, but I do believe that is easier when you live in FL.

Peace and love to all,

Kelli

A New Beginning

Hallelujah!! Finally, the beginning of a new painting that I do not hate. OK, I don't love it yet, but it still has potential. I have an idea in my head (I was going to say vision, but actually it's not that clear yet), for a series of landscapes that have intense color and texture (of course) and are recognizable as landscapes, but very, very loose. I am playing with technique; I used natural sponges, brushes and palette knives on this one. I am going to adjust the color and change the foreground. I will let you know what happens.

Peace and love,
Kelli

Beach Series #48

5X5

Hi All,

When I was a child, I thought my Mom was weird. When I asked her what she wanted for Christmas, she said, "All I want is a little peace and quiet." Well that was a really odd thing to want for Christmas from a kid's point of view. Of course as an adult, I understand what she was saying. As a very young widow with 6 small children, her life was working anywhere from 1 to 3 jobs to put food on the table and then trying to meet her children's other needs. She had little time for things like napping or reading the paper. When she went in the bathroom, one of us was usually standing at the door waiting for her to come out or pounding on it to get immediate attention. Of course she wanted peace and quiet, wouldn't you?

The first time my daughter was old enough to ask me what I wanted for Christmas, I immediately thought of my mothers reply and knew that was what I wanted too. But my desire for peace extends beyond my own life. Yes, sometimes I want to be alone, and I often want silence, and I feel like I never have enough of either one. But more than that, I want peace for the whole earth. I want to wake up one morning and hear that peace, instead of fighting has broken out all over the world, and for at least one day not have to worry about bombs, and refugees and children maimed and dying, and soldiers not coming home. Not have to think about graves and families torn apart. Not worry where the next terrorist attack will strike and change the world forever. Not have to wonder who will make the next nuclear bomb. What a wonderful world that would be and what a wonderful Christmas gift for us all.

In case you are wondering what this has to do with the artwork at the top of the page, I realized this morning that what I like about the beach is the peace. I like the quiet and the smell of the sand, the sound of the waves and the birds, the feel of the wind. The lack of obligations, phones ringing and stress. The beach is all natural and not man made. Before man there was peace. Total peace.

Love and peace to all,

Kelli

Spring Has Sprung, Fall Will Fall

Leaves 1

5X5

Kelli Money Huff

Hey All,

I am feeling good with the slight hint of crispness in the air here in Florida. Believe me, it is very slight. Today was predicted to be 94 degrees and I feel every degree. But I digress, this is all about art. I am missing the autumn leaves this time of year that I loved in Michigan where I grew up. I only miss snow on two days a year, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. However, I really miss the colors of fall throughout this entire season. I devour magazine photos of wilderness roads with their golds, oranges and wine colors. Recently an online photo of the Upper Peninsula nearly brought me to tears. And that is why I created some small pieces with brightly colored autumn leaves. Check out our new section on Etsy called Autumn.

I wish you Peace, Love and Color
Kelli

It's Large

Desert Down Under

48x48

Mixed media

Ok, we've been slackers once again, but.... only where this blog is concerned! I've been staying very busy finishing this painting for one thing. For another, I've been painting the house - more on that later, maybe with pictures. This painting is the largest I've done to date and it was a blast. I love painting larger but my house doesn't appreciate it so much, storage is getting to be a real issue. And, maneuvering around this thing on the easel was quite the trick when I was trying to get to my drawing board to work on little 5x5's for Etsy. Then add the mixed media aspect. I wanted some texture on the surface so I added some glass bead gel, not a problem until I wanted to do a layer of watery paint on top and had to lay the painting down flat. That created a domino affect when every other surface in the studio had to be cleared off to make room. Back on the easel. Work a while. Time to add gold and copper leaf. Have to work flat again. And so it went - easel to table and back again. Then try to shoot a photo, ha! No way I could shoot it in the studio like I do the smaller stuff. I took it outside, set it up, got the camera and tripod set up and the yellow jackets took offense. Thankfully me and the gear made it back inside before the stingers found bare skin. Still no picture though. I ended up in the dining room with the painting at one end and me squeezing myself between the tripod and the windowsill. Got the shot but I probably won't be doing another 48x48 any time soon.

Esty Again!

Hi All,

When I waxed enthusiastically about Etsy yesterday, I didn't mean to imply that my first two sales on Etsy was the first time I had ever sold artwork. On the contrary, my first sale was a portrait commission for the Kellogg Foundation in 1984, over 20 years ago. I remember it well as it was a difficult assignment for various reasons, not the least of which was that the person who's portrait I was doing was deceased and I had no good reference photos. Most of my artist colleagues can identify with this. That started my love/hate relationship with commissions which has now turned to just hate.

What thrilled me about Etsy was several things:

1. It was easy!!! (Especially for me, due to the fact that Carlynne is our geek.)

2. We have only been on Etsy for about 2 weeks and have had 6 sales!

3. My stuff had only been up for a little more than 2 days and I sold 2 pieces!

4. Everything I read on the Etsy help info says that you must be patient waiting for your first sale, it takes time.

5. I had never sold anything online before!

So, why were we so special? Was it just good luck or really good work or something else? Well, of course I like to think that it was just really good work. And maybe it was. I also think that the prices were right for the economy. We have two price points right now in our Etsy store, $25 and $200. In good economic times, $200 is a great price for original art on canvas. In this current economy, it is the $25 pieces that are selling.

Our plan is to post good quality, original artwork at affordable prices. We want our work to be obtainable by people of modest means. Does that mean we will not sell larger, more expensive pieces? Are you out of your mind? But I believe that we will always have smaller more affordable ones even after the economy improves. And we do enjoy making the smaller pieces.

Above I have shown one of our 5X5 pieces on canvas board which sells for $25. It is displayed on a miniature easel (not included in price.)

So, visit our shop at hershbergerhuff.etsy.com when you can and be sure to let us know what you think.

Have a peaceful, loving and creative day.

Kelli

Validation

Hey all,

Last Saturday morning I awoke to the news that two of my 5 pieces on Etsy had sold after being listed only 2 1/2 days!! I was over the moon.

As artists we hear compliments all the time, "Oh that's beautiful," or "I just love that." And even sometimes a few of these, " Well you can decorate my house anytime," and "I would be happy to store that for you." (I have said some of these things myself.) But there is something really special about the feeling you get when you sell something. Sure it helps pay the bills and for an artist that is really important. But I am talking about how it feels.

OK, here's my confession: the two pieces were only $25 each, but it felt like a thousand each. I call it validation when someone plunks down their hard earned money to buy your artwork. It is the highest of all compliments and I will never be jaded enough to not be thrilled each and every time it happens. So, my thanks to Elisabeth, you made my day.

One of pieces that sold is pictured above. It is a 5X5 inch piece from the Beach series with acrylic texture sand medium, super heavy gesso and mica flakes.

Wishing you peace, love and creativity.

Kelli

So many layers, so little space

Passage 64 (detail)

Here I go again with the textures, just can't help myself. This is a portion of the painting, you can see the rest on Etsy when I get it posted later today. I think I'm trying to see just how many layers I can add to an itty bitty 5x5 panel. This particular one has prepared paper, 3 different gels, wire and of course acrylic layers in between. The gels I used were natural sand, glass beads and string gel. So much fun!

Peace,

Carlynne

Look With Your Hands

Passage 62 (close up)

This is a close up of a piece I just posted on Etsy. I need to do these close ups even closer I think. It's nearly impossible to convey texture in a photograph! I love texture, I want to run my hands all over some pieces. As a matter of fact Kelli and I nearly got ourselves kicked out of a gallery once for not being able to keep our hands off the work. Now why create something with such luscious texture and then not let people touch it? Yeah, I know....protecting the artwork. As an artist I get that but I want people to touch these little creations. Interacting with it is part of the process. Pick it up, run your hand across it and feel it go from silky smooth to wrinkled to sandy to rough to bumpy. Sometimes it's OK to look with your hands.

Peace,

Carlynne

Bad Painting Days/Good Painting Days

Hi All,

Yesterday I told everyone on Facebook (and anyone else who would listen) that everything I painted on Tuesday turned out to be crap and would have to be gessoed over. I also told everyone (anyone who knows me knows that I don't keep secrets, even from strangers) that I would stick with it.

During Tuesday's painting session, I fought down moments of panic where I was briefly convinced that whatever I once had was gone forever and I would never finish a good painting again. As you likely know, this is a horrible feeling for any artist and we all have it from time to time. Some more often than others. I have kept an Anxiety Awareness Journal for several years after reading about it in one of Eric Maisel's books. It helps me to write in it about any anxiety I might be having about the artwork and it helps most when I use it at the beginning of a painting session. I hadn't felt the need to use it in over a year and yet I needed it today.

While I was writing, a couple of things occured to me. I have not really painted seriously since Christmas, oh, a little, hit or miss, here and there. But no long sessions like I usually do. Life happens you know. However, when you let things interfere with your painting sessions, creativity goes out the window. I know for sure that I need to make it a habit to set aside time and clear my mind for creativity to happen.

I need to welcome creativity back into my life and treat it like a baby that needs to be nurtured and cared for. Painting and I will have to get used to each other again, spend time together, get to know each other. Like a second honeymoon. I need to make this relationship a priority in my life and always make time for it. I think if I do that, we will both be happier.

Peace, love and creativity.
Kelli

A Fun Time

Hi Everyone,

We had a really good time last night in Orlando at the Gallery at Avalon Island. The staff at Red Swan, (the art supply store, where we teach, work and hang out) received an invitation to the private party to celebrate the opening of an exhibition of the artwork of Bobby Goldsboro. Yes, THAT Bobby Goldsboro ("Honey" and "Watching Scotty Grow.") And yes, I did say the private party.

The photos include Bobby Goldsboro and Mel Tillis (yes THAT Mel Tillis, country singer, actor, etc.) and they are both very nice people. We were thrilled to be included and had a wonderful time. Bobby and Mel are both painters and come into Red Swan for art supplies and framing.

The gallery is in the old downtown and is very nice. The artwork was surprisingly good for someone who just took up painting two years ago and has worked without lessons. Lynne and I both went with two of our students, Gisela and Nancy. One of the photos shows Nancy getting an autograph from Bobby. (Notice we're on a first name basis.) It was a fun girls/artist night out and we decided we need to get out of town more often.

Peace and creativity in 2008

Kelli

New Texture

Hi everyone,

This is the first layer of a new canvas. How I wish you could run your hand across it! I get such a kick out of this kind of thing. What you're seeing here is a combination of Cheap Joe's gesso which is nice and thick and holds the knife strokes, tissue paper and those wonderful little circles - spheres actually - are itsy BEAD sies. Have you seen these at the craft stores? When I discovered them I had to buy a couple of bags. I didn't know what I would do with them at the time but I figured if I had them on hand I'd come up with something. They're made out of styrofoam so they're light as air.

The first thing I did was apply some acrylic gel medium to the canvas where I wanted the beads to stick. Then I threw them, yes, I said threw. If you don't throw with some force behind it you'll never get them off your hands. These little things stick to everything! Throwing them also gave them a nice random pattern. Then I glued some crumpled tissue paper on top of some of them (I left a few of them uncovered) and squished it around with more gel medium. Fun. My last step was using a palette knife to spread gesso around the canvas overlapping the tissue and beads here and there. Now all I have left to do is figure out what to do next.

"Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions." - Albert Einstein

Peace,
Carlynne