This is the official Blog for the EBSQ Self-Representing Artists Community, where you'll find news, reviews, site announcements, and of course, a generous helping of art!
Voting ends tomorrow for our May Exhibits. Have you voted? This months exhibits, Flower of the Month: Irises and Still Life, are filled with amazing art by EBSQ artists. Even if you’re not a member of EBSQ you vote can count by click on the Facebook Like buttons for each entry. Which ever piece has the most, for each exhibit, is receives a Cloud award.
Who and where are you?
Hello, my name is Torrie Smiley. I am a “trying to be daily painter” from West Texas now living and painting in Charlotte, North Carolina. I am blessed to have a wonderful life full of adventure–not really, I am a mom to four, grandma to one, and leader of the pack to three dogs.
How were you introduced to Facebook?
I was introduced to Facebook by teenage daughters back when you had to be in college to have an account. In 2008, a young girl in the local coffee shop who admired my paintings, created a “Facebook Fan Page” featuring my paintings and my Etsy store. My younger daughter began getting questions regarding my paintings and how to purchase them on her Facebook page. She gave me one of the “mom your ruining my life” speeches and told me I had to start my own Facebook page to handle my own painting business……I am surprised she didn’t just ask for a cut of my Facebook income~ Well, as they say, the rest is history. I have been on facebook since 2008. It was fun in the beginning listening to the kid’s friends say “I can’t believe your mom is on Facebook”.
Any tips for other artists starting a Facebook Page?
The biggest tip for the Facebook page is make sure it is searchable by your name and your collectors can find you. If you are on Facebook, you know they are constantly making changes and updates. The “Fan Page” has gone, replaced by “business/professional pages”. In 2010, I started my Facebook page under the title “Original Works of Art”. I forged ahead as with all my online adventures ~ trial and error, realizing later my page was not searchable by my name, Torrie Smiley, only by Original Works of Art. I found this to be a problem for new customers to locate my page. I started the new page this year under my name Torrie Smiley, Artist. Not wanting to delete my Original Works of Art page and lose my page regulars, I maintain the two pages making it available to new and returning customers. Tips from lessons learned is to make sure you are searchable by your name. If your name is taken add “artist”, “designer”, whatever you do to your name in order to keep your page searchable to your name. If you stores have a different name, use what is most familiar to your customer. Also post, post, post!! I try not to neglect regular posting, but sometimes I do, and I definitely notice a drop in sales and commissions.
What’s your favorite Facebook Page feature?
There are so many to choose from~ My Etsy store and Fine Art America stores are linked to my Facebook page. New posts on those websites update themselves to my page. I post new paintings to Facebook first and then add to my stores giving regular customers and friends a sneak peek before the paintings go into the online stores. The share feature allows people to share my work and stores with their friends and on their page adding to my customer base. Link everything using the links feature-DailyPaintworks, Etsy store, eBay, Twitter, Website, and blog. I post the same painting in all the different locations to purchase the painting–eBay, Etsy, Daily Paintworks. Collectors have their favorite websites and can purchase where they feel most comfortable.
What’s coming next from your studio?
I am always working on commissions along with the work put in my store. I will be painting several cupcake paintings, the larger ones will be placed at Cupcrazed, a local cupcake shop in Fort Mill, SC (Cupcake Wars Winner!). I will also continue to paint pears, martinis, and still life. I continue to be fascinated with landscape painting and hope to be completing more soon.
I love participating in the challenges at DailyPaintworks.com. I plan on participating in the EBSQart.com Nibblefest by the end of the year. I just have to get past the next wedding in September and I will have more time to have fun in the studio. It seems everyday there is a new idea I need to get on canvas before it vanishes from my brain…..I need more time!
http://torriesmiley.ebsqart.com/
Facebook: Original Works of Art
Welcome to part two of our incredible Still Life showcase!
Featured above are: Caroline Baker, Jeanne Forsyth, Aimee Dingman, Christine Striemer, Heather Sims, Amanda Makepeace, and Ricky Martin.
Are you an EBSQ Artist selling on Etsy, eBay, Zazzle, Artfire or RedBubble? Why not join Team EBSQ?
Artists have been depicting inanimate objects (still life) for thousands of years. So its not surprising this month’s showcase is HUGE! Be sure to stop by tomorrow for part two.
Featured above are: Carolyn Schiffhouer, Theodora Demetriades, Torrie Smiley, Melanie Pruitt, Pati Springmeyer, and Elizabeth Fiedel.
Are you an EBSQ Artist selling on Etsy, eBay, Zazzle, Artfire or RedBubble? Why not join Team EBSQ?
Who and where are you?
Stephanie Allison. I currently live just outside Shelbyville, Kentucky, with my husband, 4 dogs and 2 cats. I am originally from Fulton, New York. I have had a love for painting and photography since childhood. I used to walk through the neighborhood with my little Brownie camera, taking pictures of my friends playing—or I’d sit on the front porch drawing anything that interested me. I’ve always been fascinated by faces, which is why I mainly focus on portraits now. People or animals—faces show so much and I just love painting them.
How did you get started art blogging?
I started looking for new ways to market my work, and read quite a bit about the importance of the Internet. I actually began using a blog as a journal, but kept it private. Then I took an art marketing class, and the instructor again stressed the value of the Internet—and how putting my thoughts and work processes out in public would not only help promote my art, but might also help other artists in similar situations. Living in a small town, the art market is also small—and a blog helps me connect. People visit my site, maybe make comments about my work, or commiserate about issues all artists face: where and how to market, what to do when you’re stuck and/or out of ideas, etc. And I try to reciprocate by visiting their blogs, if they have one, or their websites.
Any tips for other EBSQ art bloggers?
My advice is to try to put something new on your blog at least once a week. Don’t be afraid to share your ups and downs with the creative process—it helps to know other artists struggle with the same issues, whether technical or personal, and I’m always interested in seeing what others are doing. It helps keep me motivated. Visit other art blogs, leave comments, ask them to visit you, exchange links—if you find a site that’s interesting, or offers advice on a particular art process or technique, post it on your blog. Blogging is a great way to connect with other artists and make new art friends!
What’s your musical inspiration of choice when you’re working in your studio?
I love all kinds of music—jazz, country, classical—so what I listen to often depends on my mood, and/or what I’m interested in painting. One time I was jamming to Jimmy Buffet’s “Desperation Samba (Halloween in Tijuana)”, and ended up painting “Guitarra de Baile –Dancing Guitar”. I also have a little plastic 2-headed monster toy on my drawing table that I call my “inner critic”—when I start getting too fussy, or critical of what I’m painting, I can pull off one of the heads, and sort of change personalities…..is that too weird??
What can we expect to see next from your studio?
As far as painting goes, I’d like to continue a series I started a few years ago, “Working Hands.” We do so much with our hands, so I’d like to show hands doing all sorts of things: playing music, making pottery, digging in soil, etc. I’ve already completed two: “The Potter’s Hands” and “The Music Maker” – both have sold, which is a good thing, but now I’ve got to start the series again. I’ve also begun to make jewelry—so maybe I’ll paint my own hands!
http://witsendstudio.blogspot.com/
Thank you Stephanie for being an EBSQ Blogger of the Week!
If you are an EBSQ Artist and would like to be considered for Blogger of the Week just add us to your blogroll. I’m searching EBSQ profiles weekly for links to artist’s blogs. If you aren’t an EBSQ Artist, what are you waiting for?
This week’s EBSQ Blogger of the Week is a newcomer to EBSQ, but she’s already made a lasting impression with her rich still life paintings and her wonderful character!
Who and where are you?
I am a painter. I paint pictures for a living. I refer to myself as a painter more often than as an artist. I paint representationally, and believe that self expression is a given, so I don’t try to “express myself.” My unique perspective is imbued in every painting I create, whether I try to put it there or not. I am interested in the beauty of light describing the human form. None of my teachers ever talked about teaching me to paint, or draw. Just how to “see.” I am just emerging from my academic training and don’t fully know who I am as an artist. That’s something I aspire to. So, for now, I call myself a painter. My home and studio are in Las Vegas, Nevada, where I live with my husband.
How did you get started blogging?
It was the perfect answer to my dilemma of finding myself living in a city that doesn’t have any representational fine art galleries, at least not ones dealing with contemporary classical academic and alla prima styles such as I paint in. I was working in my studio every day, but, feeling increasingly discouraged over the past three years, about not having a local place to show my work, that I liked. Paintings were piling up, and I was beginning to think I should get a “real job”. So, my husband thought I should start my own presence on the internet. My son, who is a computer programmer, had also been after me to do something on the net. I liked the idea of taking matters into my own hands and having full control over how I market my work. Plus, something I’ve discovered about blogging, is that I can help people by sharing truly useful information. That was a powerful realization. I get almost as much enjoyment out of turning people on to the Google Art Project, as I do when I receive positive comments on one of my own paintings.
Any tips for EBSQ art bloggers?
I’m pretty new at this game, but I’ve learned that there are a few things that are working for me:
1. Showing up on a regular basis so that there is some predictability to my blogging. I try to have a post about a new painting up at least twice a week, and if not, I’ll post some of my older academic work to keep it fresh and the energy moving (only pieces I feel really good about,) while I finish a day painting. My larger canvases can take up to several weeks to complete and I post those whenever I can. The day paintings are good for me both technically and in terms of momentum to keep the energy on my blog moving.
2. Being helpful. At least every two or three posts is about something that I am passionate about that is art related and that will be useful to other artists and art lovers. To date, my biggest viewership came from sharing information about the Google Art Project. That single post attracted hundreds of new people to view my blog, and my paintings, that I didn’t have before.
3. Brevity. I write succinctly when it’s an article. When posting a painting, I let the painting speak for itself.
4. Key words and phrases. I am just learning more about this, and now believe it is important to pick words that that are targeted to my marketing plan for search engine attention so people can find me.
5. Search engines can’t see or find images. If you are only posting images of your art or creations, your post is invisible to search engines and won’t exist for search results. You must use the “alternative text” HTML code with the image or at least a chunk of descriptive text to accompany the image.
I also check my Blogger stats and Google Analytics data regularly, and have learned (with a long way yet to go…) how to read and interpret them. It is useful to know which posts and words your readers and collectors are responding to.
What’s your musical inspiration of choice when you’re working in your studio?
My painting day starts with classical music, such as Bach cello concertos, or Mozart. The most important ritual is the first thing I do when I am getting ready to go to my studio, and it’s called “turning the colors”. I take my paint box out of the freezer, and with my pallet knife turn each blob of left-over paint from the day before onto my wooden pallet, peeling off the skin that naturally occurs on oil paint, and making sure I have enough paint on my pallet for the day. This takes about 20 minutes. This simple action is necessary functionally but, also it settles me and prepares me for the intensely focused experience in which I am about to engage. Later in the day, if the painting is going well, I put on increasingly rowdy music, like upbeat Rick Braun, flamenco guitar by Marc Antoine, R&B, a-capella groups like Take Six. Then I may turn to the incredible operatic countertenor, Andres Scholl if I need to calm myself down because I am frustrated when I’m not “seeing” well.
What’s coming next from your easel?
I am working on a large portrait, 78″x 89″, oil on canvas, called Shangri-la, which is intended to launch my project area in painting sensual couples portraits. The link to the image of the in-progress work is: http://flic.kr/p/9mESxy
http://www.original-oilpaintings.com
http://www.facebook.com/originaloilpaintings
Thank you Pati for being an EBSQ Blogger of the Week!
If you are an EBSQ Artist and would like to be considered for Blogger of the Week just add us to your blogroll. I’m searching EBSQ profiles weekly for links to artist’s blogs. If you aren’t an EBSQ Artist, what are you waiting for?
The EBSQ Friday Five offers a brief look at noteworthy news from around the EBSQ Artist Blogosphere.
1. Cherry Tree – Anyone ready for Spring? EBSQ artist, Carmen Medlin is, and I have a feeling she’s not alone.
2. The Burning Secret – Artist Lee Lynch is setting fires in his studio!! I won’t say anymore, go check it out.
3. AZ Art Alliance – Congratulations to Jeanne Forsyth, who was recently juried into the Arizona Art Alliance!
4. Current Fiber & Art Projects – Lori Rase Hall has been one busy lady. Wow!
5. Quirky Dame Designs Zazzle Shop now Open – Julie Behm has opened a shop on Zazzle featuring her wonderful art and designs. Go show her some love!
Have a great weekend!
The EBSQ Friday Five offers a brief look at noteworthy news from around the EBSQ Artist Blogosphere. This week it’s all about February’s fresh pressed art!
1. View from Under the Bridge by Barbara Haviland
2. New Pet Portraits by Rebecca Collins
3. Fractal Wildflowers by Christi Schwartzkopf
4. Abstract Painting by Nataera
5. Makeup Brush by Pati Springmeyer
What a beautiful month February has been!
The EBSQ Friday Five offers a brief look at noteworthy news from around the EBSQ Artist Blogosphere. This week it’s all about July’s fresh pressed art!
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The talents at EBSQ are so diverse you can find just about anything you can imagine. Have a great weekend!
This week’s EBSQ Blogger of the Week has such a rich palette and the paintings she creates vibrate with a life of their own. Though I know I shouldn’t, I wish I could touch them and feel the texture of the paint. I bet you will too!
Who and where are you?
My name is Mary Victoria Smiley, but I sign and certify my work “Torrie”. Originally from West Texas, I now live and paint in Charlotte, North Carolina. I started painting in 2001, prompted by my daughter’s interest in art. She went off to college majoring in art and I started painting. I checked out every book on painting in the library and with trial and error painted away. I followed artists on the web and watched the painting shows on television. As many already know, painting can be very expensive. As a single mom, my “hobby” seemed a bit frivolous. In 2005, I decided to start selling my paintings on eBay at modest prices to try to recoup my expenses in order to buy more paint and canvas. I also joined EBSQart.com and started following the artists. I guess you could say one thing lead to another…my children now say my “hobby” has gotten totally out of control ~ but I am having the time of my life.
How did you get started art blogging?
Blogging just seemed to be part of the progression into the world of self-representation. I started blogging slowly in 2006. It was quite difficult at first, but has become easier. I am still not where I want to be in my blogging, it continues to be a work in progress. There are some really great blogs out there that I follow and I have learned so much by following artists I admire.
Any tips for other EBSQ art bloggers?
Blog, BLOG, BLOG!! Jump in there~ blogging is such a wonderful tool to interact with your collectors and other artists. It gives people an easy way to locate and follow your work, know what you are up to creatively, and communicate with you. I appreciate any comments from artists and collectors letting me know what they think of my newest works. My goal is to blog more often and keep my blogs informative and fun using it to keep in touch with the people who follow my work.
Do you have any rituals associated with your creative time?
My studio/office is at the front of the house with a small TV. I usually have it on the news channels during the day when I am working. Sometimes, I turn if off and just listen to everything else that is going on in the house~ Kevin, two dogs, four kids, and one grandchild. I am often inspired by the chaos/reality of everyday and can’t wait to squirt paint on the palette and get started. On days where I am stuck and need inspiration of what to paint, I have a file cabinet and computer full of pictures, I just start going through them and quickly find something I had forgotten that I had wanted to paint.
What’s coming next from your easel?
There is so much started, planned, sketched……I have a dream of one day having the time to be a “real daily painter”, mainly to get around to painting everything~ I feel like I got such a late start, I have to make up for lost time. There are more martini paintings, one almost finished. I am going to paint more animals~ cows, roosters, dogs. I am not where I want to be with my landscape capabilities, so there will be more of those. I will be painting three pieces this month for the “Ripped Off Show” and I participate in several challenge painting blogs on the internet. ~Of course, there will always be pears, all sizes all colors.
http://www.torriesmiley.blogspot.com/
Thank you Torrie for being an EBSQ Blogger of the Week!
If you are an EBSQ Artist and would like to be considered for Blogger of the Week just add us to your blogroll. I’m searching EBSQ profiles weekly for links to artist’s blogs. If you aren’t an EBSQ Artist, what are you waiting for?
This week’s EBSQ Blogger of the Week makes me want to head for the beach! Her rich paintings of tropical landscapes and flowers make me swoon. Even her still life paintings make me think of lazy Sundays at the beach. So pull up a seat and meet this incredible artist.
Who and where are you?
Thank you Maria for being an EBSQ Blogger of the Week!
If you are an EBSQ Artist and would like to be considered for Blogger of the Week just add us to your blogroll. I’m searching EBSQ profiles weekly for links to artist’s blogs. If you aren’t an EBSQ Artist, what are you waiting for?
The EBSQ Friday Five offers a brief look at noteworthy news from around the EBSQ Artist Blogosphere, but this week we are going to take a visual tour of art fresh off the easel.
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Have a wonderful weekend!
This week’s EBSQ Blogger of the Week is an amazing artist and survivor. Her spirit seems to shine through in everything she creates; whether it’s a painting or sculpture. I can’t wait to see what she dazzles us with next!
Who and where are you?
My name is Patience. I paint and sculpt and live with my husband and two children in a Midwestern university town amongst the glacier-flattened heartlands of Illinois.
How did you get started art blogging?
I admit I do adore writing, and find it therapeutic in many ways — helpful as it often is to me in processing and organizing my experiences and thoughts. As such I’ve been drawn to keeping online journals over the years — but it was back in 2007, inspired by other blogging artists, that I decided to initiate a blog that was mostly art-dedicated, both as a means to share, interact, and communicate with others as well as to chronicle my own artistic pursuits. Just recently however, I felt compelled to ‘re-launch’ my journal, so to speak, since most of this past year was spent taking a little unexpected blogging hiatus as I underwent various treatments for breast cancer — indeed, the year 2009 ended up being a bit of a ‘blackhole’ blog-wise (as well as art-wise) while I found myself focusing primarily on health and family. I’m glad to say it’s all happily behind me now though, here as I gradually ease myself back into all the activities, art and blogging included, that I’d temporarily set aside during that time of medical crisis….
Any tips for other EBSQ art bloggers?
Any tips for other EBSQ art bloggers?
Mostly I just want to encourage those of my fellow art bloggers whom may struggle with the Technical side of things, as I often find myself. Lucky are the artists who have natural geek abilities in addition to their artistic talents — they often have such wonderful sites, with all the bells and whistles. For me computers and gadgets and the technology that comes along with them have always been a challenge for whatever reason, just not intuitive at all — but I try not to let it hold me back. When I do come up against a tech roadblock of some kind, I get online and surf and read and research, ask my friends — there are so many well written ‘how-to’ tutorials available nowadays, in addition to forums with folks always willing to answer questions and help. In any case, it’s all just a big a learning process, and practice really does make it easier!
What’s your musical inspiration of choice when you’re working in your studio?
While my musical tastes could likely be considered fairly eclectic – my ipod stocked with all manner of genre, from Classical to Classic Rock — I’m probably settling in mostly likely to listen to Alternative or Indie these days, with maybe with a little ’80’s thrown in. Otherwise if my iPod is not at hand, I will almost certainly have the radio on, tuned to our local NPR affiliate, as I’m a bit of a self-confessed current-events junkie, and like to keep on top of all the latest news, reports and interviews.
What’s coming next from your easel?
Currently I’m working on a large-scale (literally!) 3-D commission for a West Coast customer — I’ve been asked to create a 10-foot tall, papier mache replica of Lady Liberty…! Quite the project indeed, but a fun and challenging one. Once that wraps up, I’m planning to continue my explorations into papier mache — I just adore the medium and am still continuing to learn about it’s many qualities and potential (not to mention how it speaks to my recycling sensibilities). I’m also looking to eventually process my experiences as a recent breast cancer Survivor through my art one of these days — it’s all a bit fresh for me yet, and I may need a little more ‘step back’ time , still, it’s definitely something on my mind. In addition, I would also like to get back into entering EBSQ’s monthly shows on a more regular basis this year. In any event, I do know that whatever artwork I do in the future will involve ‘upcycling’ and ‘repurposing’ in some capacity — in light of our growing environmental problems, I feel strongly about these concepts, and made a self-imposed moratorium for myself some time ago against buying any new art supplies, aside from a few essential basics here and there (such as brushes and paint. Or duct tape!) as necessary. I’m feeling ever more strongly that if I can’t effectively express myself and create compelling and meaningful work using the myriad of materials and resources that I either already possess, can acquire second-hand, or which pass through my hands and home daily on its way to the landfill, I just couldn’t call myself an artist worth her salt….
http://art-of-patience.blogspot.com/
Thank you Patience for being an EBSQ Blogger of the Week!
If you are an EBSQ Artist and would like to be considered for Blogger of the Week just add us to your blogroll. I’m searching EBSQ profiles weekly for links to artist’s blogs. If you aren’t an EBSQ Artist, what are you waiting for?
This week’s EBSQ Blogger is a passionate artist, who’s eclectic interests shine through in her varied paintings of forgotten toys and everyday objects. She has something for everyone, but it especially loved by fellow gamers.
Who and where are you?
I’m Aimee Dingman, and I live in the Phoenix Hill neighborhood of Louisville, Kentucky, near the newly-rejuvenated Market Street area. I’m a largely self-taught artist; I pour myself into a lot of molds these days (archaeology and history student, retro pop-culture fiend, gamer, writer and wife) and all of that affects my art, as well as who I see when I look in a mirror.
How did you get started art blogging?
Well, like pretty much any young person who went through high school during the beginnings of the Internet as we know it, I’ve dabbled at blogging for many years. However, it’s never really taken with me for very long, until now. Blogging was kind of a natural addition to what I’m trying to accomplish–making my studio financially viable, establish myself with artistic consistency, and more than anything, to become debt free. My blog follows my art and by extension, follows my struggles along the way.
Any tips for other EBSQ art bloggers?
Be consistent. Both in your art, and in your entries. In a year, I change from acrylics to pastel to printmaking, often without warning–but the key is continuing to produce, and to share what you’ve done. As a blog reader, I enjoy being able to peruse fresh art from the bloggers I follow with some regularity. The longer between relevant updates…the more likely I am to forget about a blog. If I’m not posting something almost every day, it becomes much easier to let the blog slide. Running a blog takes 20% art, 40% discipline and 40% hustle. Get your name out there!
What’s your musical inspiration of choice when you’re working in your studio?
It depends on what I’m doing. If I’m in the studio, painting on something relatively big, I like to listen to music–usually something fun–and that could be anything from David Bowie to Beastie Boys to Tom Petty. When working small, I usually let the TV drone along or put in a TV box set, like M*A*S*H or Futurama. Something I know so well already, I don’t need to actually watch it. Sometimes I paint at night while my husband does paperwork, and we chat with each other the whole time.
What’s coming next from your easel?
I’ll be appearing at TooManyGames, a video game convention in Reading, PA, displaying and selling pixel paintings inspired by classic video games, something I started doing six years ago, and hope to continue. I’m also working on refining my painting techniques, and I’ve fallen back in love with the still life. I’ve got to put my own stamp on it, though, which is why I’m focusing on worn-out, vintage objects, like toys from my 80’s childhood and obsolete phones and electronics. Someday I’d love to resume work on some fantasy illustration I began, but after a few years of wild experimentation, I feel I need to find a little more discipline before tackling that.
http://beingartist.blogspot.com/
Thank you Aimee for being an EBSQ Blogger of the Week!
If you are an EBSQ Artist and would like to be considered for Blogger of the Week just add us to your blogroll. I’m searching EBSQ profiles weekly for links to artist’s blogs. If you aren’t an EBSQ Artist, what are you waiting for?
This week’s EBSQ Blogger is a pastel artist who’s not afraid to take her art on the road. You might find her on a street corner, a city park or even out in the countryside. Her pastel paintings are vibrant, colorful impressions of the beauty all around us.
Who and where are you?
Hi! I’m Brenda Boylan (also known as “Lil’ b”, by my closest friend). Painting with soft pastels in the studio or en plein-air is what I LOVE to do! I’ve been painting professionally for 16 years and am a member of the Northwest Pastel Society and a few other regional organizations. I have won a few awards with my work and more recently my work was published in the Best of America Pastel II Series.
I’m also married to the man of my dreams and a mom of two very busy kids, so you could say I’m pretty fulfilled. I live in the Great Northwest, Portland, Oregon, where tree huggers and salmon run free. This region offers artists a lot of beautiful areas to gain inspiration from.
How did you get started art blogging?
I started blogging mostly out of curiosity. Visiting my favorite artists’ websites, (some from EBSQ) I noticed that a lot of them had really cool blogs which kept me coming back for more. From their example, I figured out how and what I would blog about. Also, I was told that Blogging is a simple way to market my work to a wider market and that I can easily build relationships with my visitors. Sounded easy to me! So I jumped right in, and have been posting weekly since September of ’07. Blogging keeps me accountable to my art and motivates me to paint on a regular basis which can sometimes be hard with my busy life.
Any tips for other EBSQ art bloggers?
Keep it simple and have interesting things to write about that others may learn from. Also, post regularly! I have found bloggers who don’t post regularly don’t give me any reason to return.
What’s your musical inspiration of choice when you’re working in your studio?
I love to listen to a lot of different stuff. Currently, I use Pandora.com and have created a “station” I mixed with 80 punk/new wave music as well as the other side of the spectrum of Classical and new age instrumental sounds. More recently, the background sounds of jazz are beginning to appeal to me more and more.
What’s coming next from your easel?
I’m getting ready to create a larger version of a study I did last November ’09, called “Evening Reflections“. I have been working on a series of 24×24” scenes of my family’s farm, but have moved beyond that idea to include other property lines filled with moody color. This one study is just what I’d like to make on a larger scale. Sometimes a study doesn’t translate into a larger piece, so I will be trying to capture the mood more than the exact likeness of the study.
http://brendaboylan.blogspot.com/
Thank you Brenda for being an EBSQ Blogger of the Week!
If you are an EBSQ Artist and would like to be considered for Blogger of the Week just add us to your blogroll. I’m searching EBSQ profiles weekly for links to artist’s blogs. If you aren’t an EBSQ Artist, what are you waiting for?
This weeks EBSQ blogger takes her inspiration from the world around, including everyday objects. Paint brush in hand, she brings to life a bowl of fruit, a loved pet, and a child’s amusement. It’s impossible not to smile when browsing her diverse portfolio!
Who and where are you?
I am a self-taught artist living in Dallas, TX. My family has lived in Dallas for 5 generations so I feel very rooted here. My 2 sons are grown and I am now in a position to commit to full time painting. I am relatively new to Fine Art Painting. My background is in Commercial Art which is an entirely different animal. A little over a year ago I began pursuing Art for Art’s sake, experimenting with style and small goals of moving my work forward.
How did you get started art blogging?
I read an article in the newspaper about a local artist who was a “Daily Painter”. It mentioned her Blog and how it has been instrumental in her art career. I had never heard of either Daily Painting or Blogs so I Googled them and discovered an exciting new world. Blogging has been such a wonderful experience! I initially thought of my Blog as a way to track my progress but soon discovered that it was a doorway to a very supportive, encouraging community of Artists.
My Blog has also become my best marketing tool. The majority of the paintings I sell are sold through the Blog. I make sure to have a Paypal Button on all posts making it convenient for viewers to purchase a piece. Many of the commissioned pieces I’ve received have also been through Blog contacts or Followers. I do not have a website so I use my EBSQ Profile/Portfolio as a Portfolio for my clientele.
Any tips for other EBSQ art bloggers?
The most important tip is: Post Consistently & Post Often! Blog Followers like to see something new, grow bored very quickly and move on if there isn’t something new to see. I rarely let a week go by without posting something new. If I don’t have a new painting I will post an older one and write something witty about what is going on. I always keep the subject Art related. After all, it is an ART Blog, not a Facebook page.
I consider my Blog a very valuable marketing tool and treat visiting and commenting on other Blogs as part of my “job”. I currently have over 211 Followers and try to visit as many of their Blogs as I can and always leave a comment. Over the course of a month I will visit all of them. I also have Favorite Blogs that I comment on each time they post. I never know who reads their comments and who will click on the icon by my comment and discover my work. Many of my Followers found me through other Artist’s Blogs.
I attempt to trade links with my Favorite Bloggers. More links equal higher hits on search engines. I choose Artists I admire and who have a lot of Followers themselves. I never ask someone to link me. Instead, I contact them, compliment their work and ask if I may link them to my Blog. I find many times they will reciprocate by linking me to theirs.
What’s your musical inspiration of choice when you’re working in your studio?
I listen to Pandora.com. It is an amazing site where you can program your own music stations. I keep the sound low, and depending on the mood, will listen to soothing Ambient Spa Music/Nature Sounds, Alternative Rock or Old 60’s-70’s Bubblegum. Regardless of the Genre, there must be music when I am creating!
What’s coming next from your easel?
I seem to be settling on Still Lives. I have recently changed my painting surface from Primed Masonite to Raymar Canvas Panels. I like the hard surface and the tooth of the canvas, plus, unlike Masonite, it is Archival quality. I love the square format. Although I will always paint the 6 X 6 size for my Blog, I would like to start doing some 16 X 16 & 20 X 20 paintings with the goal of showing in Galleries.
http://gwenbellsdailypainting.blogspot.com/
Thank you Gwen for the an EBSQ Blogger of the Week!
If you are an EBSQ Artist and would like to be considered for Blogger of the Week just add us to your blogroll. I’m searching EBSQ profiles weekly for links to artist’s blogs. If you aren’t an EBSQ Artist, what are you waiting for?
This month’s featured gallery is Still Life. A still life is a collection of inanimate objects depicted in an artistic composition and is a genre that has always been a staple for artists. Setting up a still life is an exercise in composition. Painting or photographing the composition is an exercise in technique. The result of these efforts is a work of art. Throughout the month of January, we are going to take a few moments to catch up with some of EBSQ’s still life artists.
What I love about painting a still life is that I have complete control on every aspect of the painting from perspective, to lighting and composition. I enjoy thinking up what I want to include in a still life, often it is pieces from my Polish pottery collection that make up most of my stills, but I plan to do a larger variety of still life’s in 2010. Once I decide what I want to put into my setup I’ll move the pieces around till I find a set up that I find pleasing. I use a lamp to control the lighting; I can really use that lighting to make sure my reflective items really sparkle. I look forward to the candy show in February. Time to paint some candy preferably candy with a shiny wrapper! – Heather Sims
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This month’s featured gallery is Still Life. A still life is a collection of inanimate objects depicted in an artistic composition and is a genre that has always been a staple for artists. Setting up a still life is an exercise in composition. Painting or photographing the composition is an exercise in technique. The result of these efforts is a work of art. Throughout the month of January, we are going to take a few moments to catch up with some of EBSQ’s still life artists.
I find the still life genre intriguing for many reasons. I like that I can open my refrigerator, utensil drawer, or cupboard and find something interesting to paint; any ordinary object can be made extraordinary. I love still life paintings that show textures: metal, wood, glass, paper, cloth, etc., particularly if these textures are somehow layered. I enjoy the play of light; the way it might bounce off of one object, but sink into another. I like paintings that look uncontrived, with interesting viewpoints and crops. The challenge of employing these elements to create a successful painting is what compels me to paint still life. – Kari Tirrell
Like what you see here? We hope you’ll consider leaving a comment or subscribing to one of our feeds. Never miss another cool post from EBSQ. Subscribe to EBSQ: Art Meets Blog v2.0 by Email today!
This month’s featured gallery is Still Life. A still life is a collection of inanimate objects depicted in an artistic composition and is a genre that has always been a staple for artists. Setting up a still life is an exercise in composition. Painting or photographing the composition is an exercise in technique. The result of these efforts is a work of art. Throughout the month of January, we are going to take a few moments to catch up with some of EBSQ’s still life artists.
In the early years of my art career I didn’t paint still life, I painted landscapes and people. My attraction to still life came about initially through geographic relocation and enforced confinement to my house due to extreme weather conditions. The people in my house were also not willing to sit still as long as a piece of fruit, a vase of flowers or a teacup and saucer. Further, I love the absolute control I have over elements such as lighting, cast shadows, colour palette and textures. My current works in still life are largely representational and aesthetic rather than delivering symbolic messages about material decay and the futility of worldly life exhibited by 17th century Vanitas or Memento Mori paintings. Although, I find that as I continue to grow in my art, I am looking to incorporate more meaning and gesture rather than merely making pretty paintings. I try to live a simple life, but endeavour to share my vision with others of how the simple, everyday things we take for granted can also become the beautiful. – Colleen Brown
Like what you see here? We hope you’ll consider leaving a comment or subscribing to one of our feeds. Never miss another cool post from EBSQ. Subscribe to EBSQ: Art Meets Blog v2.0 by Email today!
This month’s featured gallery is Still Life. A still life is a collection of inanimate objects depicted in an artistic composition and is a genre that has always been a staple for artists. Setting up a still life is an exercise in composition. Painting or photographing the composition is an exercise in technique. The result of these efforts is a work of art. Throughout the month of January, we are going to take a few moments to catch up with some of EBSQ’s still life artists.
I collect teapots. I LOVE coffee, fresh flowers and I hate housework. My still life drawings combine my three loves and provide a place to look, in my home, where everything is neat and tidy. I’ve even called them “fantasy art”. Organization is still a fantasy for me. Seriously, I also enjoy the challenge of pattern, texture and mood. I’d like them to be reminders for us to slow down our day to day and take a moment to savor. – Shelly Bedsaul
Like what you see here? We hope you’ll consider leaving a comment or subscribing to one of our feeds. Never miss another cool post from EBSQ. Subscribe to EBSQ: Art Meets Blog v2.0 by Email today!
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