Christmas Shopping Starts this Saturday!

This Saturday

November 17, 2012

Holiday Open House

*10:00-4:00*

 

Hershberger & Huff Studios

1735 NE Jacksonville Rd

Ocala, FL

Carlynne 362-8313  Kelli 208-3877

 

 *Holiday Shopping*

35% off Everything!!!!

 

*Be Original*Give Original*

 

 

Holiday Open House

*Save the Date*

November 17, 2012

Holiday Open House

*10:00-4:00*

 

Hershberger & Huff Studios

1735 NE Jacksonville Rd

Ocala, FL

Carlynne 362-8313  Kelli 208-3877

 

 *Holiday Shopping*

35% off Everything!!!!

 

*Be Original*Give Original*

 

Party Party

Once again we had a great time at the Friday Night Painting Party and we want to welcome two new folks... Parris and Marilyn. Our group of party people is expanding! This time we continued with the holiday theme in the Poinsettia painting. If you couldn't make it to the class but really wanted to do this painting you can pick up a kit for $10 that includes a 12x12 stretched canvas that's prepped with the line drawing, a color copy of the painting for reference and a list of painting instructions. Just comment here and let me know.

busy, busy

ready for the holidays 

So, what's happening next? The November Painting Party won't be on the last Friday of the month like we usually do since I'll be out of town that week but we will have the party the following week on December 7th. We won't be doing a party at the end of December because we figure you all would be partied out by then so Dec. 7th will be the last one for the year. We'll pick them up again at the end of January.

This is what we'll be painting in December.....

Red Canoe

12x12

acrylic

Don't wait too long to reserve your seat since space is limited. Happy painting everyone!

Poinsettia time at the FNPP

Hello artsy people! We're fast approaching the - election, I know and won't we ALL be very happy when it's over. It doesn't matter who you're voting for, the ads and mailers (yay for the recycle bin) are getting very old! We're also fast approaching the next Friday Night Painting Party. It's this week. The last month has just flown by. Hard to believe I have to start prepping canvases already. So......

this is the painting we'll be doing in our fun little mini-workshop Friday night. The last one was pumpkins so of course the next one had to continue the holiday theme. There are only a few seats left for this one so if you're so inclined, be sure to sign up right away. It costs $50 and includes everything you need to do this painting. All you have to do is show up and we'll guide you through the rest. When you're done you take home some holiday decor for you or a gift for someone you love. 

Also, just a little FYI, I will be out of town on the last Friday of November so that painting party will be moved to the FIRST Friday in December which will be the 7th. Mark your calendars. I guess that one will have to count for the November and December workshops. Everyone is pretty pooped by the end of December so we'll start the regular party schedule again with the January workshop.

Peace and creativity,

Carlynne

Shows and Parties

Last weekend Kelli and I had the privilege of judging the Colored Pencil Painters Guild art show in the Villages. Judging an art show is never an easy task. It becomes harder when there's so much good work to make decisions about. This is a new group in the Villages but very fast growing and they have an incredible amount of talent. Here are the top 3 award winners.... and my apologies to the artists for the poor photos but it's very difficult to shoot pics of paintings behind glass in a well lit room. The reflections are crazy!

Sue Franz

Golf in Azalea and Spanish Moss

Donna Caputo

Southwest Silver Dance

Audrey Hodges

On the Rocks

Congrats to the top awards! These folks are masterful in their handling of the colored pencil. It was lovely to see the textures they achieved along with the beautiful range of strong color and value. I have to share one more piece, an Honorable Mention winner......

Jan Jones

Rum Punch Anyone?

Just like the other 3 pieces I posted, I wish you could see this in person. It makes you want to just grab one of those cold refreshing drinks right off the tray. If you get a chance, take yourself and a friend down to the Lake Miona Recreation Center and check out their show. For more info about the Colored Pencil Painters Guild visit their website.

A quick reminder.....

Tomorrow night is the Friday Night Painting Party. There are still a couple of seats available so if you want to join us it's not too late to sign up. Send us a note at hershbergerhuff@hotmail.com.

Carlynne

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

Another fun night!

Last Friday was our Friday Night Painting Party and it was a full house again! The more the merrier is so true. We have a lot of fun in these mini workshops.

Lots of concentration going on here. They were applying gold leaf to the sky. You should have seen the room when the workshop was over. It's amazing how that stuff flies around. I think I vacuumed for a solid hour on Saturday :) 

 From this angle you can see the shine of gold on some of the canvases.

A couple of our folks had to leave a little early so they escaped the group shot but here are the rest of our painters. I love it! Every piece is different and lovely. I can't wait to see what May's workshop pieces will look like. Soon I'll post the piece we're doing next time. We'll be working with tissue paper for texture on the next piece.

Peace and creativity,

Carlynne

I confess.....

I've been a total slacker about posting here. I've had photos to show you but instead I've been doing things like getting tax info ready for the CPA. What a drudge when that kind of stuff interferes with the real reasons for being - family, friends and art.

So to get you caught up I'll start with the last Friday Night Painting Party.

We had a completely full house that night. Here are a few of the gang working on their bearded iris painting with the gold background.

Kelli's making the rounds and probably looking for the burnt sienna paint again. Every time someone needed some more of that color the tube just disappeared.

And here we have our smiling students with their finished pieces - all the girls and Warren, brave soul that he is, daring to spend a Friday evening in what's known affectionately by some as the estrogen pit. I was thrilled with the results everyone had with their paintings! It's very exciting to see one image transform into so many different styles, to see the hand of each artist appear on the canvas.

Marshland

12x12

acrylic and gold leaf on canvas

Marshland is the next painting that we're doing in the Friday Night Painting Party coming up on April 27th. This one was hanging in the studio during the party and Warren asked if we could do it in a workshop. (I guess he's willing to dive into the pit again.) We're already getting registrations in so if you're interested in doing this one let us know ASAP - we're limited to 12 students in the party. The class cost is 50.00 and we provide all the materials for your painting. In this one we'll be doing gold leaf in the sky and water. It'll be messy and fun. Comment or send an email if you'd like more info - hershbergerhuff@hotmail.com 

Peace,

Carlynne

Coming Up Soon

Purple Iris

14x11

Our next Friday Night Painting Party is coming up on March 30th. We're doing something different this time. This is a great class to take if you love florals. This beautiful purple iris was growing in my sister's yard and I had to have pictures. Since then I've done several versions of this incredible flower. On this one I played with metallic gold paint in the background. 

This workshop is almost full so if you're planning on being at the studio on the 30th be sure to get your registration with payment in by March 23rd! If you want more info or just have a question please comment or send an email to hershbergerhuff@hotmail.com

Hope you're having a happy, creative week!

Carlynne

Friday Night Painting Party

Friday night we had our altered book painting party. Nancy was having fun doing a book about her travels.

Julie made some gorgeous color and texture layers in her book.

Diane is playing with texture using a great little roller tool I found..... someplace, can't remember!

Some of the tools we got to play with.

Demo boards from the workshop.

And here they are at the end of the night. Of course you can't see the books very well in this picture but you can see their smiling faces!

We had a good time last week with our Prismacolor rep Diana Garrett. She came down to the Sunshine State to do some presentations so she came by the studio during our Monday class and shared some great info, some laughs and some really great prizes! Everyone left with a goodie.

It doesn't matter how long you've been painting, there's always something new to learn. I've been doing a lot of work in acrylic on canvas the last few years and very little with colored pencil but watching Diana got me fired up again for the pencil. Why did I practically abandon my old friend the colored pencil? Because of framing, framing, framing!! (and to be honest, it was also just time to do something different) I have a portfolio full of work on paper that could be in frames but unless it has someplace specific to go I just can't spend the money to frame it. Dealing with canvas is so much easier and less costly.

During Diana's presentation she brought out some of her own work - beautiful! She's not just a rep for Prismacolor but also a wonderful artist. What was so inspiring? Not just the wonderful work she does but the ideas she brought with her (and yes, if I had been thinking, I would've taken some pics of her work so you could see it). We talked about ideas like working with colored pencil on plexiglass and wood, ways of working with the pencil so it can be varnished and not have to be framed in the traditional way with glass and mat, working on skins made from pastel ground that were painted on glass, peeled off and applied to another surface. Some of these things I've done before but it's nice to have a refresher to the get the blood flowing again. Some of them I haven't tried and it's always exciting to have something new to look
forward to.

Tomorrow night I'm looking forward to showing some of our students how to make an altered book. It'll be brand new for them so hopefully they'll get fired up about doing something different. I'll be back with pics from the workshop.....

til then, peace and happy painting,

Carlynne

4 things to do to a book....

1. cut out some pages 

2. scribble on the cover

3. paint on the inside

4. glue things to it

That's not exactly the way we were taught to treat our books when we were growing up. I used to feel bad if I even folded a tiny bit of corner down to save my place. I love books, I love the smell of books, the feel of books, when I see them lined up on a shelf I itch to run my hands over the spines. I saw my toddler granddaughter do just that the other day and it made my heart do a little skip for joy because I knew she was developing her love for books too. So...... why in the world would I do any of those 4 things?

Because sometimes I want to combine my love for books with my love for art. Why can't they become one? The art of altered books is the art of transforming a book into a new visual form. It's a canvas with multiple pages that can become part of the finished art or simply a base for something new.

This 2 page spread is part of the book you see above called Body of Work. This particular set of pages has sewing pattern tissue, color copies, paint and even a zipper attached to it. This book is about making a statement on women and body image but not all books have to make a statement. Like painting, the subject ideas are limitless. 

Do you know what ephemera is? Take a look at the photo above. It's the stuff you pull out of your purse, your pants pockets or the junk drawer in the kitchen. It's bits of lace, torn paper, playing cards or ticket stubs. Anything you can glue down can become part of an altered book. Start collecting some of this stuff because we're doing an altered book in our next Friday Night Painting Party coming up on the 24th of this month. We're going to provide a small book for you to work on (we can't go too crazy since it's only one evening) and we'll have lots of tools, papers, paint and glue for you to play with. If you want to make it more personal bring some of your own ephemera ~ re-purpose and recycle. Reserve your seat soon, these parties fill up and class size is limited! The workshop fee is 50.00 and covers everything.

It's really ok to scribble on the pages. Think of it as taking scrapbooking to a whole new level.

Peace,

Carlynne