Fixing A Goof

I Goofed and I Think I Know How To Fix It.

Thanks to Julie Ford Oliver.

I follow a lot of artists online, which is a blessing with current day technology.

Julie Ford Oliver is one of them and she is an

 incredibly talented and giving artist.  

Not only does she do beautiful inspiring work,

but she teaches so freely on her blog which you can find at http://juliefordoliver.blogspot.com/

Recently I was teaching/helping a student paint a Christmas gift for her husband of a Massey Ferguson tractor.  We were going along swimmingly, until it came to getting the perspective of the roof of the tractor.  It just wasn't right.  So we did what any self respecting artist does, and we avoided that part of the painting until something came to us.

Well it did come to me.  

I woke up one morning after the first session, but before the second session and remembered what I had learned on Julie Ford Oliver's blog that I thought was so clever.

She said when you come to something you're not quite happy with, take a piece of glass, like out of a frame and put it over the painting and paint the correction on the glass.  Then you can see if it works or not.  Then remove the glass and make the change on the actual painting.  It worked like a charm.

I didn't take any photos while we were experimenting, (like a goof ball),

but here is the finished product.

  See that roof of the tractor.  It was off a very small amount, but it was enough to ruin the painting if we didn't get it right.  But, thanks to Julie and her sharing, we were able to successfully complete this painting and she gave it to her husband for a very personal Christmas gift.  

Thanks Julie!

Bailey's Birthday Giraffe

Bailey and the Birthday Giraffe.

Bailey just turned 12 and she had her birthday party at River Run Gallery

Fun Art Studio and there was lots of fun going on here.

There were 8 young ladies painting giraffes tonight in the gallery,

and they did a super job.

 There's the giraffe line up

 The ladies over here were pretty deep in concentration on their giraffes.

Got a quick look at the face of this lovely giraffe.

 The purpose of this painting, aside from the fun giraffe,

is to do one side warmer and lighter and the other side of the face darker and cooler.

  They warmed up their brushes and did a great job.

Here's a very short video of them slaving over their giraffes.

Are these just the cutest girls and giraffes ever?  

Very proud of these girls for their hard  work and lots of fun.

I'll bet instagram is blowing up with pics of them and their giraffes.

Moms and Daughters

Moms, Daughters and Snowmen

We may never get snow this winter,

but we painted a boatload of snowmen this year.

Tonight I went to someones house and 

first children painted snowmen and then

Mom's painted snowmen.

  Here's the five young ladies who started out the evening  painting snowmen.

Next up, the moms.

They painted snowmen and didn't they do a great job.

I'm very proud of them.

Look at all those snowmen!

It is so interesting to see so many snowmen and to see 

they are all so different.

Here's a short video of them painting.

 

Creativity drives all of us in many ways.

How we decorate our homes,

The clothes we wear,

The plants in our yards,

The cars we drive.

Creativity comes out of each of us every day,

whether we realize it or not.

Hopefully you'll join me for a painting class sometime soon.

Click Here to see the January calendar of classes.

Thanks for stopping by today.

The Gift of Art

The Gift of Art

How Cool is That?

Giving the gift of art has been a fun process in the gallery this season.

This commission is of a local barn on Mound Hill. 

I'm hoping the current owner is as happy with it as his daughter was.  

Then I had a lady call me about private art lessons where she 

could learn to paint her husbands tractor. 

She sent me some photos of a tractor very similar to his 

and away we went.

 Here's Trixie working on her painting.

 Deep in concentration.

Here she is with her finished painting.

Trixie and I painted the engine of this tractor by looking at just the shape 

of the parts, trying to get a color and value and not too much detail.

Each of these paintings were done because both women loved 

the men who loved farming.

The barn was for a dad and the tractor was for a husband.

Both women were very excited to give these works of art as gifts.

I think both women enjoyed the creative process,

(more on that in another post).

I am so grateful to be a part of the creative gift giving in the gallery this year.

Thanks for stopping in today. 

  

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

I want to thank everyone who has taken a class,

purchased art,

visited the gallery,

and all the friends who've stopped in and supported me in any way.

We've had a very successful first six months

and for that I thank you.

I hope all you who took a class had as much fun as I did.

You've created some great art and you should all be proud of yourselves.

 These are just some of the many snowmen we've painted recently.

 We've had date night in the gallery.

We had a retirement party,

We've had a baby shower,

We had a 4-H club painting,

We've had several troops of brownies painting.

We've had 22 teachers painting,

We had teenagers painting.

We've painted:

pumpkins, roosters, hydrangeas, zinnias, fireworks, barns,

koi fish, pointsettias, giraffes, elephants, owls, garden stones,

and lots and lots of snowmen.

I hope you'll join us in 2015 to paint something for your child

or for yourself.

I hope you have a great Christmas and

a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.

 

The Creative Process

The Creative Process

is so interesting and fun.

I paint because I love creating things.

I've always enjoyed the creative process.

Getting an idea,

  figuring out how to accomplish it,

and seeing it through to completion.

Today in the gallery I had a chance to practice.

I was not trying to complete a saleable painting,

I was just practicing and trying to learn.

  I've seen lots of beautiful painted gift boxes this year and I especially

 have admired those big beautiful bows.

This was a practice trying to get the perspective of the box 

and the great big bow.

I chose these colors from the color wheel.  The red and green was for Christmas,

but the orange and purple are colors equal distance from the red on the wheel.

Next lesson,

I wanted to move on to spring.

It's cold here and I was thinking flowers, so I did a progression of an iris painting

I worked on today.

I love iris and we raise a lot of them, and I have lots of photos of iris we grow.

These are some of the bearded iris we grow.  

I had several breakthroughs while doing this painting.  

Getting those petals to turn and ruffle is hard,

but I did learn a lot today working on this.

 The painting started here with this background,

And ended here.

Both these paintings are on practice supports and are not for sale,

but now that I've had what I consider to be a significant breakthrough,

I'm sure there will be more of these.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Teachers Love To Learn

Teachers Love To Learn

Last night I had the opportunity to teach a group of teachers from

Gallatin County, KY.

They painted snowmen and did a super job

and

we had lots and lots of fun.

(OK, well I did and I hope they did).

here's a little video showing you early in the process how they did it.

We had one teacher who forgot to bring an apron,

so being the resourceful lady she is,

she made an apron out of a garbage bag!

(I was very impressed).

One of these ladies had cataract surgery yesterday

and she's still here painting today.

Didn't they all do a great job?

Very proud of you ladies, very proud.

If you or your group would like to paint a masterpiece

just like these ladies, click on the link for Calendar of classes and events.

It will show you all the classes offered in the current or upcoming month and you can even sign up and pay right online.

If you want me to come to your group of 8 or more email me at slgraves6@gmail.com or call me at 502-523-0663.

Thanks for stopping by today.  

So Your Child Likes to Paint

Gifts For Kids Who Are Creative

 

So your child loves to paint, draw, cut, color and all things creative.

Maybe I can help you pick out some items they will love.

 

You can spend hours in the aisles of hobby and craft stores trying to pick out

 just the right thing. And I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but you can spend hours.

Personally, I stay away from the "kit" purchases.

You can spend lots of money for items that all come in the same box or buy only what you want.

Something to paint or draw on is always appreciated.

Sometimes the child has lots of paints, pencils, markers, and not enough paper.

If you're going to buy paint:

buy good paint in primary colors: red, blue, yellow.  I like acrylic paint because it's easy to use, it dries fast and cleans up with soap and water.  Buy the best paint you can afford.  If you're going to buy a few other colors, buy ones you know the child really likes such as a pretty pink or teal or something you can't make like silver or gold.  

Don't buy individual brushes for children.  Buy a set of various brushes that have small up to large and are good for acrylic or watercolor paint.  You should be able to find a good pack of various brushes for under $15.  Don't buy the cheapest brushes either.  They won't last and your child will struggle with them.  But you should be able to get 10-12 good bristle or nylon brushes for under $15.

What to paint on!

Paper is always good to paint on with acrylic paint, so you can buy some canvas paper that comes in a tablet in various sizes.  You'll get about 10-15 sheets per tablet for under $10.  

You can also buy canvas covered boards, masonite boards, or stretched canvases on stretcher bars.

You can usually find packs of canvases if that's your choice,

but if your child is just learning, I'd go with the canvas paper.

You can hang it on your fridge with a magnet and change it out often.

Canvases need to hang and may end up at the bottom of someone's closet.  

Buy an age appropriate canvas.  A child under 10 probably doesn't have the attention span to paint anything larger than a 14" x 11" and an 8" x 10" is really a perfect size for that age group.

Teens and tweens will even lose patience or concentration with a 16" x 20" canvas if not supervised.

A child doesn't need an easel, but they can use a table top easel without much problem.

Books that will have projects in them, start to finish are always good.  Spend a few minutes looking through any book you are considering purchasing.  Look for good directions, supply lists, and lots of photos showing how to do something.  

Some of the things available in River Run Gallery:

1.  Various size canvases: 16" x 20" - $8 ea.

11" x 14" - $6 ea.

8" x 10" - $4 ea.

I have a kit that has 5 tubes of paint, red, yellow, blue, white and brown, a varnish, a pkg of 12 nylon brushes and a small canvas for $45.

I also can make available to you 8" x 10" canvases with simple drawings to paint of classes we've done here in Mom, Monet and Me classes.  If your child missed one or would like one they are $10.  You can look back through some of the classes we've done like the giraffe, the elephant, the snowman, etc and I'll put a drawing on a canvas for you for $10.

Just remember,

painting takes time, patience and direction for a child.

Also a good cover up is always welcome.

Have fun with your art or your artist this Christmas.  

Beautiful Snowmen and a Goof Ball Teacher

I Am So Embarrassed!

My husband tried to help me, and I still screwed it up.

I taught a super group of elementary school teachers last night.

They did a wonderful job of painting snowmen.

They were all so different and wonderful.

We had a very fun time.

And then I had to completely screw it up by forgetting to put 

a memory card in my camera.

My husband bought me another card so I would always have one in my camera and I didn't open it and put it in the camera.

I offer my humble apologies to the group because I

have no group photos.

But I do have two videos of the process.

Here these wonderful teachers are beginning their snowmen.

They are getting close to the end of their snowmen in this 

short video.

Again, I apologize to these teachers for having no group photo.

I'm a goof ball and I'm so sorry. 

Cyber Monday

Cyber Monday and Shopping Small!

Are you totally shopped out and sitting in your jammies

staring at your computer screen to find that perfect gift?

Here are a few ideas

  Are you looking for that special something online?

You can find jewelry, hand crafted journals, purses and scarves

and paintings at www.riverrungallery.com

Would you like a gift certificate for a class?

Mom, Monet and Me Class - This gift certificate entitles your 5-9 year old child, grandchild, niece or nephew to take a class where they will complete an 8" x 10" masterpiece, learn some art concepts and have fun for $25.  An adult must accompany the child if they have never painted with me before.  I will send you a calendar of available dates after purchase.

 
 
Paint Along Class - is for teens and adults and you will complete an 11" x 14" or 16" x 20" original artwork where you will learn art concepts, have fun and I furnish everything for $40. You will receive a calendar of available classes after purchase.
 
  
Garden Stone Painting Class - This class is a fun quick way to complete a usable piece of art for your home.  We paint on pre-primed 12" x 12" outdoor tiles with a simple design.  When completed we will add a few more coats of outdoor varnish to protect your creation from the weather.  I supply everything you need to complete the project for $30.

Would you like a calendar filled with paintings from Carrollton, KY?

These wall calendars feature the 12 paintings you see here and are of
 sights and scenes of Carrollton, KY. from my most recent 30 paintings in 30 days challenge.
These are great for people who live or work in Carrollton, KY.

$20 + $5 shipping.
Or come into the gallery and save the shipping.