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

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!

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!

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

Party Pics

Aren't they pretty? They don't even have paint on them and they're so colorful. We had just gotten done with the workshop, washed the brushes, laid them out to dry and they looked so good to me I couldn't resist taking a photo.

Busy students working on their paintings.....

they look so serious. Don't be fooled....

Many laughs later here they are with their finished works. I really love doing these classes where everyone is doing the same piece. When the work is done I get to see the personality of each person come through in the work. Everyone did such a great job!

Thanks for the fun everybody, I'm looking forward to next month's party!

Carlynne

Back in the studio

I'm getting back in the swing of things. Hubby is recovering well from his surgery so I'm not needed as much as I was before. He's determined to get his own breakfast so I guess I'll let him and go spend some time in the studio. It's time to get back to the art stuff. 

Above you can see my prep work for the February Friday Night Painting Party. All the previous painting parties have been paintings on canvas so I wanted to do something different next month. I'll be showing you how to do an altered book. If you're not familiar, it's an art form where you take an existing book and transform it into a different work of art. We'll be exploring painting techniques and collage elements.

Here's the painting we'll be doing THIS month on the 27th. We'll be working in acrylic on an 11x14 canvas. There are a few seats left so if you're interested be sure to let us know SOON! 

This morning I was prepping canvases for the next Painting Party and some for me too. 

Golden Hour

12x12

Here's the landscape I finished yesterday. As soon as the red canvases above are dry I can start on the next one. I'm loving the idea of a series of these that are just sky and branches.

Hope to see you soon,

Carlynne

Last Night

Last night was our second Friday Night Painting Party - good times :)

 We did a gold leaf sky landscape painting. Here we're getting the studio ready. Yes, it's a little weird to have a life size horse in the middle of a workshop but no one seemed to mind. Anyway, we prepped the canvases by painting them magenta and drawing in the tree line. If we expected people to paint a landscape in 3 hours we figured we'd better give them at least a bit of a head start.

 Playing with gold.

 Looking so good.....

Everybody's smiling - our job is done.

What I love about doing this kind of class is seeing the same painting done so many different ways. Every painter puts their own hand into the subject. Now if I had remembered to take pictures of the finished pieces I could have shown you that but we were having such a good time I forgot to pick up the camera again. Maybe  at the next one I'll get a line up of finished paintings.

Hope you're having a good weekend,
Carlynne

Painting Party/ Gold Sky Workshop

What are you doing Friday evening? If you'd like to create this Gold Sky painting yourself, sign up for our Friday Painting Party with Gold Sky Workshop! Do you work on Friday? Good news, just bring yourself (and some wine if you want to) and show up. We do all the rest!!!

$50 buys all your materials and snacks, entry into our door prize, art instruction and lots and lots of laughter and fun. And you go home with a finished painting. Friday, June 24 from 7-10 PM. 1735 NE Jacksonville Rd in Ocala. Space limited, only 4 seats left! RSVP-ASAP! Hope to see you!!

Peace and creativity,
Kelli

We're celebrating, so you get a discount!

To celebrate the opening of our new studio and gallery we're having a sale in the Etsy Shop tomorrow, June 15th. Everything in the shop will be 20% OFF from 9AM until 9PM. It's a one day event so don't miss out! When you go shopping use the coupon code: studioopeningsale 

Hope to see you at the opening Thursday.
Peace,
Carlynne

See What's New at the Studio

We have lots of new things at the studio and not just the artwork. Here is our fabulous new sink, purchased and installed by my fabulous husband, Greg, (thanks honey, you're the greatest!). If you are an artist, you know how really fabulous a utility sink is!!!!

And this is our wonderful refrigerator, donated by our student Lea and wrapped in artwork. The stick on wrap was printed by Carlynne's husband Mark( she thinks he's wonderful, too) at his family business, BJ Trophies. thanks so much, this is really cool, one of a kind.

If you are in the area, you should join us for our Grand Opening Reception this Thursday, June 16 from 5 to 8 PM. You can see our fridge, our sink and other creative wonders. Please join us to celebrate.

Peace, love and creativity,

Kelli

Save the Date

GRAND OPENING RECEPTION

Please Join Us On

June 16, 2011

from 5 until 8 PM

at

Hershberger & Huff Studios

1735 NE Jacksonville Rd, Suite 3

in Ocala, FL

Word Out Wednesday - Kelli Money Huff

"Treat your friends as you do your pictures, and place them in their best light."

 ~ Jennie Jerome Churchill

This week I thought I'd give some attention to someone who is my BFF, my painting partner, my teaching partner and my co-author on our book and blog. You see.... today is her birthday and she deserves to be honored. She is someone who spends much of her time taking care of others and when she does so much for family and friends I think she needs a bit of a shout out.

Kelli and I have worked together for years. We push each other, help each other, critique each other and listen to each other. We share studio space, expenses, chores, art supplies, laughs and sometimes tears. We hardly ever argue (unless someone brings up "blending stumps"). I truly believe I've gotten as far as I have because of her. She makes my life richer and infinitely more fun.

Enjoy her work.

                                                    

 These 2 pieces are from Kelli's Beach series. I love the texture and drips!

 Here she's using copper and texture.

Fabulous florals.

This gorgeous sunset is in our book on the Acknowledgements page.

And this piece.... well, this one she did for me. It's called 4 Women and it's about 4 generations in my family. She had been through an incredible journey with me and felt compelled to put it on canvas in this mixed media form. It's an amazing thing to have a friend who cares so much.

To my dearest friend - Happy Birthday. Thanks for who you are and everything you do. Thank you for being such an inspiration to me and others.
Love and peace,
Carlynne

Word Out Wednesday - Jessi Miller

I'd like to introduce you to a friend of ours. She is Jessi Miller and she is one of the kindest people I know. Her heart is gold and her talent is huge. She is a designer extraordinaire. I asked her if she would share a little bit about herself so below you'll see her work and what she had to say.

Facebook Icon

 RSS Feed Icon

 Twitter Icon

The 3 paintings above are from the Digital Paint series, mixed media on canvas - using bits from old electronics.

Can you tell us a bit about your education and work experience?

I thought I was ready to be a professional artist right out of high school! I nearly didn't go on to college. Fortunately, one of my high school art teachers who had encouraged me so much, told me I didn't know what I was doing and needed to continue my education. I listened and I'm grateful. I went to the Art Institute of Ft. Lauderdale, worked very hard and found out how little I knew. I decided on a "practical" path, which was to work in advertising until my art took off on the side. 20 years later I still haven't quit the advertising side of art. I have worked in advertising agencies, had my own magazine in South Florida, worked for publishers and freelanced and I worked at Ocala Magazine for over 5 years. Currently I have my own marketing/branding design company (Little Black Mask Marketing) and I work and paint out of my downtown Ocala studio (Studio 9), which I share with artist Mary Verrandeaux. 

 The Kiss III

Acrylic on canvas

 Puppy Love II

Acrylic on canvas

What was your first memory as an artist?

It took me a long time to consider myself a "real artist." While I have lots memories of drawing in my childhood, creating assignments in high school and college, and even painting, illustrating, selling and showing art as an adult – I still did it all on the side of something else. I think the first time I honestly felt like an artist was during a showing in a Ft. Myers gallery, talking with the guests about my art. Hearing their impressions, the stories they got from my paintings, the emotions that were evoked by my work, and the further thoughtfulness it provoked, made me feel that I had accomplished something with the art – as opposed to just having accomplished the art itself. 

 The Nurturing I - Zebra

Acrylic on canvas.

 This was the first painting I made, right after college.

What does success in the art world mean to you?

It means affecting people with my art and making a living at it. I'm half way there (still not earning a living from it).

Like many artists, you're involved in many projects. How do you balance them all?

Insanity. Sometimes I think I'm not completely sane because of everything I'm doing. After all these years I have finally embraced the fact that I am not going to cut back on work and find "balance." After a particularly stressful and taxing project, I always feel the best sense of accomplishment and I realize, if I weren't so overwhelmed... if I had a calm balance... then I wouldn't be accomplishing these things. It's a sacrifice that I think a lot of great creative, driven people have made. 

You have a very distinct painting style, have you always worked that way? Do you like to work in different styles?

I haven't always worked in the "square brush stroke" style that I have been doing for a few years, but I have always worked with color and composition in an unnatural and strong way. I believe that some of the boldness comes from being a graphic artist. You know, "make it pop!" Also graphic design is a way of telling a story and evoking a response with a visual, so I think that I do the same in my paintings, too. I even suspect that, the "square brush stroke" is a painted version of a pixel, further extending the graphic design concept onto the canvas. 

I do like to work in different styles, actually, but have to admit that I have not for a long time. Marketing your work as an artist, it's important to be identifiable and unique, so I have focused on one style for some years now and will continue to do so until I get it out of my system. A lot of the graphic design that I do can be considered art as well, so digital art would be another style of mine.

To contact Jessi.......

www.littleblackmask.com

www.jessimiller.com/fineArt.html

325-286-8249

Thanks for sharing Jessi.