CALLA LILY
ORIGINAL ESSENCE PAINTING BY SEA DEAN
8" x 6" on Windpower
On auction at Daily Paintworks starting at just $29
To view my Gallery or purchase this painting please visit Daily Paintworks. Larger originals or prints may be available by contacting me. You may also view my available ACEO in my Facebook Gallery here.
Call Lilies have such grace. They have a simple form but that doesn't make them any easier to paint.They are usually white, which is one of the most difficult flowers to paint.I was fully prepared to change the colour of this lily to red or pink, but after shading with the background indigo and using lime green and cream judiciously, I think I produced a good likeness.
This is one of my Essence Paintings which show the hidden lines of air, light and the breath of the flower. this magical essence is present around all living things and can be picked up in special light conditions or special cameras. Here I have added both light copper/bronze and violet now you see it, now you don't paints to the movement of the air.
FINDING YOUR BEST WORK
It is often said that an artist is not the best judge of their work, yet in the world of a modern professional artist, we are constantly asked to make a selection. We need to decide what to feature on our websites and what to submit to juries on a constant basis. Rather than repeat this each time, I do a review every few months and keep a separate file for submissions.
It's submission season, so yesterday I was had to face one of my most arduous tasks, trying to decide what to submit to juried exhibtions, galleries and exhibtion spaces over the next few months. Although I haven't done this for a while, it's a good idea to create a collage postcard, a disc, a ready to send slide show or a You Tube video which you can offer up at a moments notice.
I paint daily, so perhaps the task is a bit more challenging for me. Yesterday I whittled 300 paintings down to 30 and from that I have to choose 3 for a particular submission. I keep a catalog of all my paintings online, on my laptop and on a memory stick. Each painting receives a unique identifier at birth and they are already in order, so part of my work is already complete.
So how do you choose your best work?
1. View as much of your work as possible spread out. I like to do this with thumbnails on my computer because most juries use some form of digital viewing these days. Viewing the thumbnails help me select the best compositions and the strongest value differentiation. What pops?
2. In the selection process I ask myself which has the most impact, which has the most pleasing colours, which has the most appealing subject matter and which makes me want to click further to see a larger version?
3. I copy my top selections into a separate file. I view them again and see if there are two similar paintings and choose the best between them.
4. I view each one in large format with a critical eye and see if there are any glaring errors or ones that need a better image.
5. You don't want to bombard the viewer, so you should end up with between 10 and 30 paintings. You will need more paintings for a slide show and less for a postcard. If you are brave, this is the point you ask friends, relatives, Facebook buddies etc. for help. Ask them to be honest and let you know if you should drop any of them.
6. Choose one or two methods of showing your collection. You Tube is an underused and very fantastic tool. A large postcard with all your contact details and a collage of your best work is also handy.
7. For a postcard, Vistaprint does an inexpensive and good quality postcard. There are tools to create it online or you may wish to use an app or program which you are familiar with.
8. I've not yet created a You Tube video, so I will cover this once I have done my research and attempted it. (Any advice here would be much appreciated).
9. File your finished show and tells in at least 3 different places so you can access them easily anywhere and they are safe from disasters like crashes and deletions.
10. Get out somewhere nice and celebrate. You've accomplished a very important task and you should be proud of yourself!
See the other 30 paintings in 30 Days Artists work here.
Cat 13223 Calla Lily Essence
Posted on Leslie Saeta 30 in 30 as number 8
Photo inspiration by Katinka Matson
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All work by Sea Dean protected by International Copyright - No printing, copying, electronic transfer or any form of duplication allowed without written permission from the Artist.