ART LOVER stars at Artwalk

So many times artists are asked to donate work and services without any compensation or recognition and I think this is wrong. It devalues what we do. We should at least get compensated for our time and supplies. The only way this will change is if we demand it. Dont complain to those who are powerless, talk to the people in charge. They can get away with it because we are lone operators and dont speak up. The more we value ourselves, the more value others will give to our work.

In Canada, in rare cases, artists are paid to display their work. The government program is called CARFAC and payments can be large, of course there’s lots of red tape. However, some institutions like universities support us to a lesser degree with honorariums. There is a great sense of self worth for the artist who receives one of these payments. I’ve been lucky enough to get a few and I’m very grateful.

Quite a few months ago I was contacted by a member of the committee for a huge local art exhibition and offered an honorarium for displaying my 3D creation ART LOVER. The exhibition is the largest in BC outside the major cities, so this was quite a feather in my cap. Of course I said yes.

I delivered ART LOVER last Friday night and picked her up on Sunday night. She was given pride of place at the entrance to one of the main halls. I didn’t attend due to caring for my mother, but apparently the display was very well received.

To all those who pay us our due, thank you for respecting artists and our work.

HAPPY HEART III - BOYS AND GIRLS - VALUE = STRUCTURE & FORM - COLOUR = EMOTION

HAPPY HEART III
(Boys and Girls)
Mixed Media on Strathmore Postcard
6" x 4"



KAREN MARGULIS BLOG

"Value provides the structure and form but color provides the emotion of a painting."

This was a quote by Karen Margulis that sent me on a journey. I love these easy to remember phrases that help me improve my technique. I've simplified it even further and will be posting it on the wall in my studio.

Value = Structure & Form
Color = Emotion

This painting was born from taking those ideas on. Everyone has a favorite color so I wanted to cover most of the bases. Magenta seems to garner a particularly strong response from both sexes, so I chose that for the background. Also it has no attachment to anything in nature, so it a perfect abstract color if you want to paint pure abstract.

In this painting I see a family with Mum, Dad, two boys, a girl and a baby. It also has suggestions of love, water, sun, earth, and a starry sky. That's the beauty with abstracts, they can be whatever you choose.

MAKE ME AN OFFER ON THIS MATISSE - VALUE AND COLOUR - FRIEND OR FOE? - MATISSE LINE STUDY FRAMED

Through circumstances out of my control I've been delayed on the Art Party winners announcement. I should have it ready tomorrow evening.

MAKE ME AN OFFER - 16" x 20" OIL

I purchased this Matisse copy in an auction to support Gallery Vertigo a few years ago. I've never had the space to hang it and it needs a new home. It is painted in oil on shallow gallery wrap canvas. I'm looking for offers over $35 plus shipping.

MATISSE LINE STUDY  

READY TO HANG 
Henri Matisse inspired work by Sea Dean
4" x 4" on Canvas Panel
Frame Approx 11" x 11"
$65

To view my online Gallery of originals please visit Daily Paintworks
Shop for Limited Edition ACEO her


You will now find this elegant MATISSE LINE STUDY in my FRAME - MOUNT - MAT annex at Daily Paintworks. This is a substantial easel frame which is the perfect setting for the simple lines of Matisse. 


VALUE and COLOUR - FRIEND or FOE?

It will be no surprise that I love colour. Vibrant reds, soft lilacs, zingy oranges and velvety blues, I love them all. The challenge of a colourist is that you sometimes forget that it is value which builds a composition and value and colour are often confused.

"Value does all the work but Color gets the glory"

Not everyone sees colour the same way: Generally females are able to distinguish more subtlety and males are more likely to be colour blind. This discussion came up in class the other day and it got me thinking that perhaps women tend to choose colour based on it's own merit and men can more easily distinguish values. Therefore, female artists must be more vigilant in their use of colour and value.

If you are struggling to make sales, it is very likely your use of value and composition is getting in the way. It's always a good ideas to review your art sales periodically and the next time you do, check your sales against your use of compostional value. You will be amazed. Henri Matisse was a master of this.

Some tricks to seeing value are

1. Take a photo of your painting and use an app to change colour to black and white. Or take two photos, one in colour and one in black and white.
2. Put your painting on an easel or hang it on the wall, step back and squint.
3. Hold your painting up to a mirror.

A great exercise is to create a table mixing white through to black in ten even steps along the top of a sheet of paper. Then place each colour or mix you use regularly on a palette and by squinting try to select the grey in your chart closest to the value of the colour. Paint a swatch of that colour under the most appropriate column. Yellow will be close to white in value and Ultramarine or Dioxazine Purple will be near black.

For acrylic painters the colour will darken as it dries and you may need to switch to another column or guess how much you think the paint will darken as it dries. Darks darken two or three values, whereas lights shift less or sometimes get lighter in the case of mixes with a lot of titanium white. Watercolour quite often lightens in value as it dries and oil stays more or less the same.

If you do this exercise I would be interested in your findings and if you come to any startling realizations. Please leave a comment here.


Ref 4003 Matisse Line Study

CATCHING THE SUN - A TWEAK OR TWO

After Tweaking

Before Tweaking

CATCHING THE SUN
Original Painting by Sea Dean
8” x 8” Canvas Panel
Professional Acrylic with UV Protection

Purchase via Daily Paintworks

I'm still in awe of Edouard Manet and experimenting with his methods. When this challenge came up on Daily Paintworks I had to take it on because of the dramatic value shifts.

In the first version, which took me a couple of days, I think I got the tonal balance right according to the original inspiration image, but I never liked the stark back-lighting on just one petal of this rose. On closer examination of the challenge photograph and other entries on Daily Paintworks, I noticed that a couple more of the outer petals were slightly lighter than I had depicted. Values are so crucial in a painting, and so I finally got around to adding more sunlight to outer petals on the dark side.

I like this painting better now and I think I will send it to one of my galleries in the new year. However, if you want to catch it before it leaves you could click the Daily Paintworks link and buy it now.

You will notice that I have switched the time that my blog goes out to coincide with activity on Google +. Leslie Saeta's 30 paintings in 30 days is coming up again in January and I'm going to attempt to get ahead over the holidays so I'm not painting madly still at 11 pm to make the midnight post. Wish me luck!


Cat # 14101 Catching the Sun

FAMOUS ARTIST BIRTHDAY, EDOUARD MANET - MANET's ROSE - Give-Away - Day 23 of 30 Paintings in 30 Days

Manet's Rose by Sea Dean in natural light

Manet's Rose one step piror to completion

MANET'S ROSE BY SEA DEAN
after  "Flowers in a Crystal Vase" circa 1883 by Edouard Manet
4" x 4" MINI MASTER SERIES
Famous Artists Birthdays 

I love how this painting turned out. As you can see I did a few last minute tweaks and it made such a difference. What I learned from Manet was giving the impression of a study while concentrating on precise brushwork. Look at the difference a light touch of mixing white made to the outer petals.

To view my Gallery or purchase this painting please visit Daily Paintworks. Limited prints may be available by contacting me. As always, my small paintings are examples of my work which can be commissioned larger. I would be pleased and honoured to recreate any of Mr Manet's work for you in a larger size.

TO ENTER THE GIVE-AWAYS USE BOTH BOXES AT THE END OF MY BLOG
You must click and enter each Give-away separately because you are submitting for two different draws. Leaving a comment on this blog, tweeting, Like-ing on Facebook etc. does not enter you for the draw, you must come back to confirm what you did in the Give-away box to earn the points. The more points you accumulate until January 31st the more chances of winning. You can enter many times each day.  

EDOUARD MANET

23 January 1832 Born in Paris.

Edouard was from a wealthy family who could afford to send him to the best schools. He was a student of Thomas Couture in Paris and worked in Spain. He traveled widely and studied Masterpieces in The Louvre, France, Spain, Italy, Holland and Germany. Some of his early influences were Velasquez, Murillo, Zurbaran, and Goya. He was a highly influential figure amongst the early impressionists and the main instigator of the group at the Cafe Guerbois which included all the impressionists and many other artists of the era.

On a recent trip to Paris I renewed my love affair with Edouard Manet. I can remember being awestruck at his work while studying Art History in England, but I drifted towards the vibrant colour of Expressionism. Having seen Manet's work up close I was reminded of the power of value. Value in artistic terms means the intensity of colour on a scale of 1 - 10 and using the power of light and dark colours in composition. It has nothing to do with colour and everything to do with how the eye perceives.

An early painting, "The Absinthe Drinker" was refused by the Salon in 1859. The Luncheon on the Grass (Le déjeuner sur l'herbe) was also rejected, but exhibited at the Salon des Refusés in 1863. One of his most famous paintings was "Olympia" which I won't try to cram onto one of my Mini Master canvases. It is almost life size and completely stunning in person. One has to remember that the sheer size is impressive and influences the angle from which it is viewed and the presence it has in the room. As you can imagine, the two paintings created a sensation in1863 and 1865 Paris. Here Manet has used value to lead the eye from her face, down the channel of darks and along the languid body, up past the delicate bouquet of flowers and you stop abruptly at the shockingly dark face of the servant. Although he painted in a fluid style, Manet was could add a substantial amount of detail in the paintings because of their size.

Manet was a staff officer of the national guard during the Franco Prussian war, an event which disrupted the lives of many of the early impressionists. After the war he spent some time at Argenteuille, where Monet encouraged him to paint Plein Air. These two events caused a radical shift in his work, as can be seen in "Boating" ; it becomes lighter, softer and less harsh. Even his interiors move away from the stark blacks of his youth.

30 April 1883 Died in Paris, far too young, aged 51 after contracting Syphilis, the AIDS of his day. As with many, the disease was left untreated and lead to pain and amputation. He painted until near the end and this was one of his last works.


Cat # 14015 Manet's Rose