Learning to Love Landscapes

 

Unlike many artists, I rarely felt the desire to paint landscapes, I'm actually not certain why. I've taken many photographs of wonderful views but haven't very often felt that irresistible pull to put paint to canvas to capture it. 

I have painted a few okay landscapes over the years, but also a couple attempts in the past led me to decide that landscape painting was just not my thing. A particular sunrise sky with clouds comes to mind...ugh, I never got that thing right!

 Last fall, my brother asked me to paint a landscape for him from this photo. With only one point perspective, no buildings and no trees, I felt I could manage it although the clouds did make me a bit nervous.

 After making my usual color sketch to figure out the palette and the basic layout I was encouraged. Plus it helped me see where I could improve the painting.

"Happy Travels"

The final painting came out pretty nice. I still wasn't itching to paint more landscapes, but it was a great feeling to know my skills have improved over the years and it was possible for me to paint this simple one successfully.

 

 June of 2022, I had the strangest thing happen. This early morning view out of my kitchen window captivated me. It was the pattern of shadows and the way the light was making the green tree leaves glow. I finally felt the call of the landscape, I absolutely had to paint it!

This year, instead of going straight to color sketches, I have been making simple value studies of all my subjects first. I am finding they are a great tool to simplify and get to the heart of what is working in a composition before adding color. When the black and white sketch still feels interesting, I know I am onto something good!

"View from My Kitchen Window"

I have also been watching several landscape painting classes on YouTube, specifically Mastering Composition by Ian Roberts. After watching his How to Use Color Temperature video, I followed his instructions and boom, it actually felt like a bit like magic as this great little painting came together for me. 

 

I was feeling so encouraged, I decided to offer to paint a landscape for my sister. She sent me two of her favorite vistas and told me I could choose which one I wanted to paint.

Landscape one.

Landscape two.

      

 Hmmm, which one to choose! I was having a really hard time deciding between them and the value studies helped me clarify what elements I felt were resonating with me and that made it easier to decide what direction to go.

Of course this involved plenty of color palette testing too.

 

"View from Green Springs Drive"

 My value sketches were pretty rough, but the essence of that wonderful dark and light contrast on the red cliffs still came through as the focal point of the painting. I'm really pleased with the outcome and yes, I think I may be learning to love painting landscapes. I've already had a few more calling to me...

Definitely a reminder to keep that creative ear open, you might hear an unexpected Muse! 

Happy creating!

>^-^<

Tina
 

Ian Roberts Mastering Composition

How to use Color Temperature

Another favorite YouTube Teacher:

Paint Coach

Seven Reasons Students Struggle Painting Landscapes

Why Do I Resist Marketing My Art?

                                                  The Safety Zone ©2015 Tina M.Welter

This question has been rolling around like a pair of dice in my mind for some time now. Recently I tossed those dice out onto the table by flipping that question on it's head and asking myself... 

What is the benefit of not marketing?

Yahtzee! The answers came tumbling out and lined up to make one word, protection.

I'm protecting myself. 

My top 3 monsters.

Dealing with people I don't know. I get why some cats hide under the bed when a stranger comes over, you don't have any idea what odd thing they will say or weird expectation they might have of you. Unfortunately sitting up on the highest cupboard and observing them for shady behavior is not considered good form as an actual human person.

All the anxiety I experience when packing art to ship. Is this enough bubble wrap? Did I get a strong enough box? What will I do if this package gets lost or stolen by porch pirates! Packing tape that fights back like a snakey demon that would rather stick anywhere and to anything but the dang box. Plus, all the storing of said packing materials. No more closet space, how about the back of the car? Yes, that is where some of it is stored right now.

Worst of all, silence.  All the work and effort of creating the art, plus doing all the social media and getting it where people can see it and nothing. I fear that nothing will happen, no sales, not even a mean comment to let me know someone at least had a reaction. It's heartbreaking to work so hard for so little return. Actually, I dread mean comments, avoiding real human trolls is another reason for me to want to stay hidden, yikes!

So, why am I admitting to all this? Many years ago I had serious anxiety over creating paintings, that was the issue I was exploring and sharing in the 'Fraidy Cat newsletter. I've realized lately that I no longer have that anxiety! All the step by step frame works I created for myself and kept practicing all these years actually worked! Ta-freaking-Da, today I am officially documenting one huge Artist Life Experiment Success! 

Which leads me to the next big question, can I find solutions for these "marketing my art" fears too?

'Fraidy Cat is seriously thinking about coming down from the top cupboard and going on the prowl.

I'll keep you posted, I definitely want and sincerely appreciate your support.

Happy creating! (and marketing?!?)

>^-^<

Tina

 

Preserving the Moment

I wait all year for the roses. I want to admire all the varied colors, marvel at the intricate petal layers and soak in the lovely scent. I was so excited when we first saw the home we rented in 2017 had two types of beautiful roses growing around the house!

Roses from the backyard.

This year I'm going to add the sense of taste to that list and I hope it is another way to preserve all that fleeting beauty a little bit longer. Yes, I've watched those cooking shows where adding too much rose flavor to food can result in a soap-like disaster, :P but I recently watched a YouTube video on how to make rose jam and I am definitely going to give it a try. I have cleaned and trimmed rose petals waiting in my fridge as I type this. Here's the link if you are interested. How to Make Rose Jam
 

Time Over Beauty

 This spring I had the opportunity to sketch out some designs for a book cover. I wanted to convey the idea of beauty in all the stages of life. Having observed rose blossoms bud, bloom and fade, often with all three stages happening at once on one stem, I feel they are one of the most naturally perfect illustrations of this concept.
 

Roses from the front yard.

Even though individual rose blooms may not last long, a rose plant can live much longer. I  hadn't really considered how long until I read about the "Thousand Year Rose" growing on a Catholic cathedral in Germany. 

The Rose of Hildesheim

 A long stemmed tea rose plant might live an average of 35-50 years and some antique roses for over 100 years, which is respectable, but the rose that grows on the walls of the Hildesheim Cathedral in Germany is verified to have been growing there for at least 700 years! 

It's a rosa canina, one of the simpler five petaled roses, but a rose still the same. It's an interesting story encompassing a king and surviving a world war if you would like to read it for yourself. Rose of Hildesheim

Perhaps they are stretching the story a bit for the "Thousand Year" title, but it is still a charming thought that someone living centuries ago may have stopped and admired this same rose. 

Happy creating and remember to stop and smell or taste the roses!

>^-^<
Tina

The Beauty of Translating Photos to Paintings

My favorite combination of elements is finally here, warmer weather plus longer daylight hours equals flowers to photograph! Here are some of this year's spring photographs from our backyard that served as the inspiration for three springtime paintings. 

First of all, crocus and daffodils, those bravest of early flowers daring to lift delicate blossoms out into the cold air.

"Little Gems" painting

 I followed their example and dared to try a different technique, printing my photo of the dark purple crocus onto watercolor paper instead of drawing it. I discovered that the moisture in my paint made the printer ink melt away and I would lose my place. It was ok to try, the color values were easy to match, but I think I will stick with drawing in the future because my pencil lines stay put!

In the front yard, female Western Tanagers stopped to snack on the crab-apple tree buds. I know now that these little birds will only stop by for a day or two so I don't hesitate to take a photo of them if I can. I felt really lucky this year to have these little birds visit on a sunny morning with no wind.

 

 

"Golden Visitor" painting

One of the beauties of painting is being able to emphasize parts of the subject you like. For example, I could highlight the colors of the bird more in my painting than was captured in the photo.

The tall daffodil corner doubled this year with two lovely blooms per bulb instead last year's one bloom each.

"Heralds of Spring" painting

 Tall and stately, with their natural trumpet shape suggesting  that they are announcing it's officially springtime, I thought they were perfect subjects to paint for an Easter card.

A new landlord arrived this spring too and unfortunately, he wanted all of my flowers moved away from the house. :(

 

Over several long days digging, I managed to get them all into containers, making my own Tina's Flower Ark on the patio. The next challenge will be figuring out how to arrange them into a smaller garden area. 

One surprising silver lining did occur from moving all the flowers. I had only seen one faded bloom on this iris bed two years ago. I took two thirds of the bed apart in March, but ended up leaving the remaining third to remove later. I was so surprised when these iris formed dark purple buds and started blooming in April!

Here they are, still blooming even after moving them into this temporary pot made from a potting soil bag. Talk about blooming where you are planted! I learned that the iris bed had been too full of roots and needed to have some removed so that the plants would bloom again. So many good life lessons from an elegant iris plant!

Happy creating,

>^-^< 
Tina

Unmotivated?

"Hide and Seek" 11" x 14" acrylic on 140lb. paper ©2016

Do you ever feel completely unmotivated? Do you feel like I did all summer, i.e. depressed and uncertain why I felt the way I did. Disappointed in yourself, and wondering why it's just easier to give up trying to do that one "creative thing" whatever it is, that you committed to do, (i.e. painting and posting regularly on your blog) but you find yourself using your spare time to watch a movie or read a book?

Do you recognize beneath that awful "stuck" feeling that you may be really discouraged and why?

Just for fun I put "why am I unmotivated" in the Google search box and eureka, among the sludge and nonsense, I struck gold.  An article by child therapist Kenneth Barish Ph.D. titled "Understanding your child's lack of motivation and effort." Here's the link to the article...

I know, I know, most of us are not kids, but what Dr. Barish had to say made sense to both my adult self and to my inner-kid-that-was. What resonated with me was this reminder that I am summarizing here in my own words...

Basically we all want to do well and feel successful when we pursue our goals, but if we can't seem to find a way to get the results we hoped for, it can lead to feeling deeply frustrated and  unmotivated to keep trying.

This simple equation said it all for me:

Motivation = having a goal + feeling that we can achieve it.

My goal...

I started this blog in hopes that I would document my path to a successful art career. I thought perhaps I could help others on the way with encouragement and sharing what I learned about creative anxiety.

+ Lack of achievement...

I had four years to try and learn how to create and run an art business and I didn't figure out how to make steady money from making art, so...

I thought I could handle a simple part-time barista job and keep up with the same level of creating art, blogging about it and building a business, but...

the reality was:
+ I was really exhausted mentally and physically when I got home from that job, especially for the first couple of months.
+ I was struggling with feelings of being a failure. What could I possibly share that would help anyone else, I certainly wasn't being successful in what I set out to do!
+ I was trying to make my first video of how I create my paintings and I found myself overwhelmed by the editing phase. I didn't have the video ready that I wanted to post, so I didn't post at all!

= Zero motivation   Stuck.

The beauty of that little equation is that it gave me a clue on how to reconsider my problem.

+Time for a goal reset.

+Time to adjust to what I can realistically achieve in the situation I am in now.

+Time to let go of complex plans and simply share what I have learned.

If you have found yourself stuck and giving yourself "lectures" for being lazy, perhaps this little reminder equation will help you too!

>^-^<
Tina

Why the title "Hide and Seek"? Underneath that sweet cat is a first painting of white orchids done from memory that I absolutely hated. I didn't even take a picture of it, but I did decide to paint over it and try again, this time with a plan in mind. I'm glad I did.

Testing colors

Final Palette

Final drawing and painting in progress.

  Trying again = Success!

The Story of the Orchids

Dresden Window 3

Back in the fall of 2011, one of the several mysterious things we found in the apartment we rented our first month in Munich was a thirsty little potted plant with large green oval leaves. I wasn't sure what it was, but missing all the plants I had recently I given away, I was happy to water it and make certain it got some sunshine everyday. We knew that the girl who had rented the apartment before us had left in a hurry, not bothering to clean up at all and apparently abandoning this little plant to it's fate. You can see it on the windowsill on the right.

Würzerstrasse apt., Munich 2011

The mystery of what kind of plant it was cleared up quickly when we started walking around the neighborhood and I noticed similar ones on several window sills. The difference being that many of those oval-leaved plants had beautiful blooms of white, pink, lavender and yellow. An orchid! I had always wanted to try growing an orchid, but I never expected to find them in Germany of all places, and in abundance too. When we went to the grocery store, we found them available to buy in every size and color. 

As I cared for the little orchid, I was delighted when it started to send out new flowering shoots, I felt quite guilty when I also had to leave it behind when we moved! I hoped that the new apartment owners would think it worth caring for since it was growing and healthy now.

Fast forward to August 2015. We were in Germany again, living in the city of Dresden this time and hoping to find work as English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers. Another window full of orchids in our neighborhood got my attention and I made certain to take more pictures this time.

White orchids in Dresden

Entrance to Öderaner Strasse

The neighborhood we were living in was in a section of town that had been a thriving community in the 1900's but had been bombed extensively in 1945. Now these classic buildings were being rediscovered for their desirable location close to downtown and getting a second life as they were being updated to modern apartments. Compare the graffiti covered building above at the entrance of Öderaner Street that hasn't been restored yet, to this building on the far end of the same street.

Restored apartment building, Örderaner Strasse

The work crews were busy fixing it up and there was a huge billboard nearby advertising the renovated apartments to rent.

Abrupt ending

This abrupt end of the building is where a bomb went right through the original apartment complex.

Lovely corner building, Saxoniastrasse

More apartments on Saxoniastrasse, the street we were living on that intersected with Öderaner. You can see the banner signs advertising the new apartments in this building.

There is something about those orchids that has been sticking in my mind since we came back to the USA. First of all, I think they would make some beautiful oil paintings when I get a chance to set up and paint with oils again. With the transient life we have been living, so far seven different places in four months, plus having my computer die with all my original photo resources unavailable, it's been a challenge. 

                                                          
Second, the orchids are connected in my mind with Germany, especially Dresden. A beautifully unique city that was mostly destroyed in 1945, and yet the people who survived were so determined to move forward, they pulled bricks from the rubble and started to build again. The re-birth of that city is an inspiration to me, like the little abandoned orchid setting out new growth. We have also been essentially starting over, no house to return to, no hoped for job offer, dealing with all the things that didn't work-out how we planned, trying to find our new direction to grow in. I admit, it's been a serious struggle for me not to focus on feeling discouraged and frustrated. We are so grateful for the friends and family who have provided places for us to stay, giving us their bit of "water and sunshine" to keep us going. 

Sketch, minimalist style

In January, I was able to replace my computer that died in December, I decided instead of painting I would do some sketching and make some digital art.

White orchids with pink outline sketch

 I could at least try out some ideas that could lead to a painting later. I really liked this digital piece, Dresden Window 1.

Dresden Window 1

Dresden Window 4

I liked it so much that for February, I created a card based on the original to share. Dresden Window 4 greeting card (click link to go to FineArtAmerica)

Figuring out what I could create and share instead of focusing on what I couldn't really helped my state of mind. Like the little orchid, I could encourage my creative side to keep sending out a few green shoots, even if my situation isn't ideal at the moment.

I definitely recommend this strategy if you are feeling discouraged about what you can accomplish too. Consider the story of the orchids and figure out how to keep making some new green growth, no matter how small. 

Bloom where you are transplanted.

 >^-^< Tina