Inspiration

Earth Passage

36x36

Hi everyone,

Here's one of the latest from the studio. As you can see it's a bit larger than what I've been doing. I'm having a ball working this size. The only down side is storing these canvases until I can get them into a show. I'd like to work even bigger but storage really is an issue. Since this is on a larger stretched canvas I couldn't use all the neat texture gels that I've been using on the smaller pieces but I did use tissue paper to give it some texture. I'm using the Interactive acrylic on these and I love being able to scrub out areas and either leave it for the effect or paint over it. It's a very forgiving paint.

Yesterday was a day for inspiration. Kelli and I went to Daytona for the Florida Watercolor Society exhibition and trade show. Of course trade shows are always fun, it's like a feeding frenzy when you get good deals and a bunch of artists together. I picked up some new brushes that I can't wait to try out. It was great to see some people I hadn't seen in a while like Mike Grecian from Grecian Sales Group. He's been so great about getting our book Creative Colored Pencil Workshop out there. The good folks from Art Calendar magazine were there too (be on the lookout for some short video clips of us on their website). It was also a treat to meet Joe Miller from Cheap Joe's. He's like a celebrity at these shows! I had to stand in line before I could get a hug - and everybody gets a hug. All in all a very energizing day, and the motto for the day was: always be prepared. You never know when you'll have the opportunity to pass out business cards, make a connection or even get on camera to promote your work.

The exhibition itself......wonderful work as usual. I was especially taken with the abstract and non-representational work. Go figure. Seeing the color, texture and movement in those pieces was so exciting. I wanted to run home and paint. Don't you love that feeling? I also loved the work of the Juror Donna Watson, such subtle color and feeling in her work. Very nice. Well running home and painting wasn't an option last night because we had the Artist Within reception to attend at Brick City Center for the Arts. Artist Within puts artist/teachers together with business people in the community to create a piece of art to be auctioned as a fundraiser for the Marion Cultural Alliance. I worked with Darla Priest on a landscape in watercolor and it was so nice to see it framed and hanging. I know it was exciting for her to see her very first painting in the show. There was some exceptional work so I know it will all do well at the auction.

What an inspirational day! It also made me realize just how much work there is to be done. We have to wear so many hats as artists. The good thing is it certainly keeps life interesting.

Peace

Carlynne

Workshop

Hi Everyone,



We have a workshop coming up all about acrylic textures. It takes place at the Brick City Center for the Arts in Ocala, FL on October 26 and 27th, 2007. (BCCA is the home of Marion Cultural Alliance.)



It's really a one whole day workshop split into two half days so we have overnight drying time, which is necessary for the materials we are using. You will learn to use many different types of acrylic texture mediums, such as our two current favorites, sand texture medium and Liquitex Super Heavy Body Gesso. You'll get a chance to sample many more and find out what you can do with them to create wonderful mixed media pieces on canvas.



When you learn how to use the texture mediums, the possibilities are endless for paintings, collage, assemblage and crafts. You have seem many of our texture paintings right here and will continue to in the future. Contact us for more information.



Peace,

Kelli

Hi All,

I know I haven't blogged for awhile. I had a nice summer, I think I took a vacation from a lot of things. I hope yours was good too.

I am including a picture of a dog figurine with a painting of Vincent Van Gogh's "The Starry Night" painted on it. You might be wondering why I would paint such a thing. This piece is for a project by the Marion Cultural Alliance in Ocala, FL. There are figurines of dogs and cats and wonderful little dog houses which will be on display for awhile and auctioned off to benefit the Humane Society of Marion County.

I enjoy doing these community projects. Carlynne and I each painted a horse for Horse Fever in Motion last year, and butterflies for Kaleidoscope, Butterflies in Flight for Lakeland, FL. Sometimes the artist is paid and sometimes not, but there are other benefits. We meet interesting people and make good contacts with people who are interested in buying art. We get publicity in newspapers, magazines and sometimes even television. And always, we get the good feeling that comes from helping a good cause. Carlynne and I like to do things for our favorite charities, and even though, as artists, we are quite not starving, we don't have much discretionary income. It's nice to be able to use your talent to give to others.

Look here next week for information on upcoming events from the Hershberger Huff Studios.

Peace, soon.

Kelli

What's going on?

No new photo to post tonight, just some rambling. I just got home from an Out of Hand Artists meeting - yes, we're the OoHA's. We are a group of professional artists that have gotten together to support each other through the maze of marketing fine art. As a group we're relatively new but we got our feet wet with our first show at a bank in downtown Ocala. I must say we made a very nice showing of work. Damn we're good! (Yes, I stole your line Diane) We're currently looking for new venues for a group show and have some strong possibilities. It is nice to have a good group of folks to bounce ideas off of, cheer for, be honest with and get silly with. Sometimes as a group with the right chemistry you can go farther than you can alone. Hopefully we have a chemistry that will explode - in a good way!

On a different note.....have you ever felt compelled to paint something to the point where you didn't emerge from the studio until it was finished? I did that last night. I started about 4 pm and finished at 11:00. It was an intensely personal self-portrait that I did in colored pencil. I haven't worked in 100% colored pencil in some time since I've been mainly a mixed media painter. Anyway, I'll be teaching a workshop at the CPSA International Exhibition and Convention in Seattle WA in 08 and it's about self-portraits. I started this piece with that convention in mind since I needed to have an image for the promotional materials (the intensely personal portrait will end up all over the place, including this blog at some point - and that's okay). What started as a deadline became a painting that swallowed me whole. It'll show up here eventually. Hopefully it'll show up at the exhibition too - we'll see what happens.

One more thing.......Do a lot of artists have blogs, websites AND myspace pages? I just got started with a page so I could see some photos that my kids have posted but I'm having so much fun with myspace. It's amazing how many artists are out there, there's some amazing work to be seen. Wander around and notice it.

Peace ya'll,
Carlynne