Frank Tenney Johnson
Watch the video below as I break down this work "Night on the Mesa" by Frank Tenney Johnson, master of the nocturne!!
How'd Birge do THAT??
Join me in this video as we look at "Winter Twilight" by the acclaimed artist and instructor Birge Harrison
He Did WHAT??
HE DID WHAT??
Join me and watch this video to discover the secrets behind this great work of art by T Allen Lawson!
Promote your work "LIVE" to Facebook
If you have ever promoted your work through Social Media you know it is very competitive, with millions of posts competing for attention. One way to increase your odds of being seen on Facebook is to post Facebook "LIVE" videos. Facebook favors live video posts and actually helps promote live posts, giving you more opportunity to reach additional eyes. If you are like me, sometimes you may wish to post older videos or videos involving slide shows of your work that may require some minor video editing and are difficult to create as a live video post.
Here I show you how to post those pre-recorded videos as "live" posts on Facebook in order to take advantage of the help Facebook provides. Click on the image below to see step by step instructions on this cool Facebook trick.
Best to you
Don
Experience...A Matter Of Time
As artists we often hear from people “I can't draw a straight line” or “I can't paint.” I will sometimes ask them if they have ever had any lessons to which they respond they haven’t painted since they were a kid. There seems to be a strong belief among people who do not pursue the artistic experience that somehow we are born with the ability to create…or not.
I once asked a heart surgeon viewing my work and responding in a similar fashion if his patients would be comfortable receiving open heart surgery from me, and he was taken aback by my bold comment. “Well of course not, you haven’t gone to medical school and received the training and knowledge to be a surgeon!”
Obviously my point was that, perhaps with a few notable exceptions in history, most artists like any other profession are not automatically given a special art gene at birth that allows them to create masterworks. They must have the commitment and dedication to hone their skills and abilities over time…and more importantly to move beyond the technical skills and to develop the ability to conceptualize and place their vision on canvas, in clay, or other various mediums including music.
Perhaps we are born with the DESIRE to create, this could be debated and has been for centuries. But the desire to create is not enough, you must put in the hard work, the “sweat equity" and cover yards of canvas to reach your goal, your vision…and oh by the way, it never ends. For those with the desire to improve, the bars is raised on ourselves by ourselves, but then perhaps that is what the life of an artist really is.
Only you can decide, but in the end, Excellence is A Matter of Time…a lifetime of continuing to pursue that perfect piece that displays on canvas what your heart feels. Keep challenging yourself to reach excellence, but most importantly, ENJOY THE JOURNEY!
Some come easy, others....
My initial start floundered repeatedly. I made some significant changes to the original concept, opening up the view on the right in order to create a little more distance. After doing so I was unsure how I wanted to develop and balance the foreground. After a few starts and stops, unhappy with what I had done on the foreground I scraped down the previous paint layers. Now the surface was getting smooth and flat...yikes, what did I do??
Believing it was beyond redemption and would serve only as an unfinished lesson learned, the piece sat in a corner of my studio for almost a year. Staring at it from time to time, I knew some good work had been done on it, but wasn't sure at all that there was more than that. I planned to use it as a "study" to develop a new piece in the future once I had a better vision, but clearly that would be for another time! However, over time emotions began to rise and yes, the belief that there was a painting of substance just waiting to be released. Thoughtfully and mindful of my new vision as it unfolded, Munificent Beauty was completed, and the final question remained-where shall it go?
It was not a hard question to answer. Having shown in the venerable Colorado Governor’s Invitational Art show for 6 of it’s 26 years, this fine show was an especially good fit. Hosted by the Loveland Museum in Loveland Colorado, a mecca for painters and sculptors, features some of the finest talent Colorado has to offer. The net proceeds from this fine event benefit a number of charitable projects.
Please join me for the gala opening Friday night, April 28th. The show opens to the public April 29th-May 28, 2017. For additional information please visit: https://governorsartshow.org/
