Pumpkins, Paintings and Parties

This is September so do you know what that means, besides the fact that we're all really, really ready for the weather to cool off? It's time to paint pumpkins. This month at the Friday Night Painting Party on September 28th, we're going to paint an original 11x14 acrylic of 3 pumpkins that would be great for holiday decor. For the students that were here last month (see below) this one will be a little easier, I promise :) For $50 we provide everything you need - all tools and materials. Just bring your happy self and whatever you want to drink. It's a great way to have fun on Friday night and do something creative.

Here's the group from last month's painting party. They're getting busy on a floral landscape.

I gave them quite the challenge with this painting. They all jumped in with both feet and did a great job! And, they're still smiling.

One more thing to mention....... There will be a fundraiser special event for downtown Ocala's First Friday Art Walk this Thursday at Gateway Bank. Kelli and I will be there to share info about the studio, our work and our classes. We're also offering a very special auction item. Check out the poster for more info and check out the First Friday Art Walk Facebook page to get the latest on each month's Art Walk downtown.

Just brushes this time

It was another full class for the Friday Night Painting Party! 

I think they were relieved that we weren't using palette knives again.

It was getting serious when it was time to paint the sunlight on the road.

Ta-Da!

What a fabulous job. 

For the August Painting Party on the 24th, we're doing another landscape but this one will include flowers. My mother took a photo at Calloway Gardens in GA and she let me use it for reference. The lush hot pink azaleas with the sun just hitting the tops of the bushes really appealed to me. I painted a 12x12 acrylic of the scene and have gotten many compliments on it from students so I thought they would enjoy painting their version of it.

Hope you're doing something creative and staying cool.

Peace,

Carlynne

It's July. It's HOT! We need to walk down a cool, shady path. This is the painting we're doing in the July Friday Night Painting Party.

Some of you might be thinking.... this looks complicated. No worries. I'll have it broken down for you, step by step. By the time I'm done with you, you'll take home a lovely 12x12 acrylic landscape that you painted yourself - really. It's called Shadow Path and there are already 7 people on the list for this one (the limit is 12) so don't wait too long to register. The cost is $50 and all supplies, tools and materials are provided. Once you're paid and registered, all you have to do is bring your cheerful self and whatever you want to drink. Yes, wine and beer allowed. The party is on July 27th and starts at 7pm. We finish around 10. Comment here or send us an email if you want more info, hershbergerhuff@hotmail.com


Stay cool,
Carlynne

Party time at the studio

Last night was our June Friday Night Painting Party. It was a full house and a hit! We had a great time, met some new friends and laughed a lot. A huge thanks to all our students who make these parties so much fun for us to teach. I'm already looking forward to July's party.

Everyone looks pretty serious when they're getting started.

 Here everyone is getting some blending techniques down working on their skies.

 This was the first time many of them had ever used a palette knife, there was only a little bit of panic. Once they got the hang of it, it was all good :)

Happy people and pretty paintings. 

Dancing color

I came across this work on Facebook. Isn't that where we find a million cool things in life? Anyway, someone posted a link to the photos and in poking around I found this video. Seeing these colors swirling, moving, dancing and bubbling brought me back to my early days of working at Red Swan. Before Red Swan became the main source for art supplies in Ocala it was the go to place for builders and sign painters to get supplies for their respective industries. We also sold house paint to the homeowners looking for something new and pool paint for the folks looking for relief from the summer heat.

One of my first jobs there was mixing custom colors in the gallon cans of house paint. Now I'm dating myself here but there was no digital matching of colors to people's fabric swatches or machines that automatically spit out the correct color mixtures of universal colorant. I looked up the formula of color portions and spun the dispenser around until I got the color I was looking for, then I shot the color into the gallon of base paint. As I did that I would stand there and watch the colorant bubble up from the bottom of the can where it hit with great force and then shoot back up to the top where it would swirl and create the most amazing patterns.

A few times my boss would come in to the back room and catch me watching the colors moving around on the surface of the base paint. I found it mesmerizing. I could stand there and watch it for as long as it took the colors to settle. I wasn't about to put the can in the mixer before the colors were done with their dance. For me, it's kind of like watching a fire. It's very soothing and meditative, not to mention just plain cool and artsy.

Well, my boss didn't think it was very cool and artsy. I wasn't in trouble at all but he did think I was pretty flaky. For the rest of the 18 years I worked for him I heard the occasional comment about me being one of those flaky artists. There was always a chuckle from him along with the comment so I knew he was teasing.

Thankfully, over the years, he got to know many more artists. As the computer transformed the sign painting business he carried less and less of the particular items needed for that business but fortunately many sign painters were also artists so he had a lot of requests for fine art materials. That's how Red Swan as the place for art supplies was born. As Orval used to say.... "the art supply camel got his nose in the tent and pushed everything else out" and that was the end of house, pool and sign painting supplies. The next thing he knows, Orval is dealing with a bunch of artists.

Now just so you know, Orval is definitely creative. He's a very good writer and has a wicked sense of humor. But.... I think the visual artist is a mystery to him. He spent many moments just shaking his head at the quirkiness of me and my fellow painters. Even so, at this point, I think he could appreciate the swirling, dancing hues of Mark Mawson's work. It might even bring back memories of a young mom and artist who was in need of a job and gave him a chuckle while she mixed house paint.

Watch the colors dance,
Carlynne

The next Friday Night Painting Party

Golden Hour

12x12

acrylic

The next Painting Party is coming up soon - May 25th. Golden Hour is the painting that we'll be doing. We'll be doing something a little bit different. For this one we'll be doing acrylic on a 12x12 canvas that's been textured with tissue paper. I will have to prep those ahead of time but you will go through the steps of working with tissue on a small sample board that you can take home along with your painting.

Just like our other parties, we supply everything except the drink of your choice. It is BYOB, wine or water, doesn't matter. The party starts promptly at 7pm and runs til 10. These mini-workshops are filling up fast so if you want to be there be sure to get your registration in. The class fee is $50 and you don't have to bring a thing. Because we're limited in space we can't guarantee a seat unless we have your paid registration.

We have a great time, so come and paint. Beginning painters are welcome!

Painting Time

A Walk in the Park

16x16

acrylic

In between prepping for Friday Night Painting Parties I get to do some painting. I've been loving the landscapes lately and this is the latest from the easel. Up until now I've painted all the landscapes on a canvas toned with red or orange paint. I love the way the greens pop when combined with their compliment. But.... the weather is getting hot and I'm feeling the need to bring some cool colors into the palette. I felt like painting something cool and soothing.

The photo I worked from is one I took on a trip that Kelli and I took to Hontoon State Park a few years ago. We did a weekend getaway and spent an entire day wandering the island. Some areas were like this - cool shadows, bits of sunlight bouncing off the vegetation here and there. Other areas were - how should I put this - we were afraid if we didn't get off the island soon a park ranger was going to find our bleached bones scattered among the palm fronds. Ok, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but not by much. 

Calloway Garden

12x12

acrylic

This one does have the red underpainting. I did this one from a photo that my mother took in Calloway Gardens in Georgia. I just loved the way the azaleas grew so thick in and among the trees. I hadn't done this type of floral landscape before so I thought it would be fun challenge.

I hope you're all doing something creative.

Peace,

Carlynne