artist challenges

Putting power into the magic wand of an artist! Teaching color

Working with color for most artists is the foundation of our work. Color dictates the tone, mood and message of your concepts and ideas. It is one of the first elements in a piece that can capture the viewer even before one starts to think about what they are seeing. It can transform separate pieces into one, it can create light, dimension, emotion, language and memories. For artists particularly ones in the beginning stages of their career this can be the making or breaking of your work.

As a teaching artist it is my absolute favorite thing to teach. I feel as though I am giving my students the powers to their magic wand! I teach color mixing and theory to students of all ages and stages in their work. I truly feel it is beneficial to all artists to take a step back and work just on color.
My younger students are engaged and excited as the lesson progresses. They find it fun and challenging to create an endless color palette from their primary colors. While my adult students sometimes forget what they may already know and may have slipped back in their mind, often from deeply concentrating on concepts and ideas during their struggles to perfect their images. I have several techniques and practices I teach; how to mix paint, making a variety of colors without breaking the bank, basic colors vs. intermediate/sophisticated colors and paint, choosing color palettes, and practicing, cataloging and creating a color journal for reference. For the more advanced student I go further in-depth with advanced color palettes and tubes and tools one should have in their toolbox, as well as mediums, paint types, brands and surfaces. My love for art, art materials and teaching are a perfect combination for a winning lesson in color!

 

Private lessons in my studio or your home are available.
Contact me if you are interested. Lessons are with acrylic paint.
Price is based on individual students. (place, materials to be covered, length of lessons etc)

New work… The Artist process.. Lots of Abstract Painting

 

I’ve taken some time off this summer from teaching to focus on myself. I have been going off into new directions with my work, and I’m enjoying working with different mediums and allowing for a freedom with my artistic expression. I struggle with staying focused and with feeling this dire need to have a cohesive body of finished work. I have noticed although I am straying a bit in several directions, when I view my artwork together, it is actually making for a more interesting body of work. There is definitely a style of sorts and I actually haven’t strayed too much from my usual concepts. I have maybe added to them and combined some ideas. At times I feel I have been a bit all over the place, but I am working on new forms and processes of drawing, painting and mark making. Although I do not feel I have reached the level I would like to with this recent work I am happy with where it is at the moment. The biggest challenge is to not get unmotivated, discouraged or bored with the work in order to keep it moving forward.