Weekend in Montauk

Weekend in Montauk
18x24 Oil on Canvas

Over the summer I visited Long Island for the Amagansett Art Festival.  One of the evenings, Eric and I had a chance to head over to Montauk and explore.  I started this piece at the festival, and then just had a chance to finish it up this week.

Over Taylor Alley

Over Taylor Alley
Oil on Paper Covered Canvas
18x24

A few days ago, I strapped on my sneakers and went out for a jog.  It's been quite awhile since I've gone running, alone, with no kids in tow.  There are two places that I think most clearly, one is in the shower, and the other out running.  On the way home, I have to travel over a bridge that runs along side of this group of row homes in Phoenixville, PA.  From the far side of the bridge, you can only see the very tops of the homes against the backdrop of an expansive sky.  I got home, grabbed my sketch book, and turned around to capture the image.  I've been working on it off and on this week, and feel good about the result.  I'm exploring a whole series of rooftop tops.

Sun and Planets

Sun and Planets

During the day, the boys and I have craft time.  They usually finger paint or play with their play-doh and I spend time working on my series of children's art.  For one, it gives me a little brake from my more serious cityscapes and commissioned work, and two, I use acrylics on these pieces so I can work on them downstairs with the boys.  The Sun and Planets series was created on canvas covered in torn pages from an old phone book.   The names of the planets were letters cut out from political ads that have been piling up in my recycling box. I used both acrylics and colored pencil to add the color.

close up of the SUN

 I've posted this series in my Etsy shop if you are interested in learning more about purchasing prints or the originals.

Amelia Furman's Open Studio Tour

Over the weekend, Ryan and I headed down to Ridley Park in Philly to check out Amelia Furman's Open Studio Event weekend in her home. (Which by the way is a great idea, and will most definitely plan on doing next year!)  I met Amelia at the New Hope Arts festival...she won Best in Show for Fine Art, and I just had to check out her work.  Firstly, I was struck by how unique her artistic approach is...secondly, I instantly connected to her work because her process is incredibly similar to mine - with very different results, and finally, her son Ethan is almost the same age as Ryan. It's not often I meet other artists with kiddos my age.

Like with my process, she also uses a collage substrate under her paintings.  She has some great close ups and demonstration photos on her website www.ameliafurman.com.  Much of her work goes a step further with a resin coating over top of the painting.  It gives the surface a super high gloss that really brings out the layers underneath.  The thing I love the most about her work is how the reflections in the surface also add to the layers in each piece, so depending on the lighting and location, the image is in a constant state of change.

If you have a second, please check out her website or head over and "like" her facebook page.   Ryan and I purchased an original piece just for him to hang in his room.

Truck Series

Construction Truck Series

When my boys were born, I was inspired to create some art for their nurseries.  Trucks seemed to be a favorite of theirs, so I created a series of construction trucks and emergency vehicles.  They are done in similar fashion to my more serious cityscapes with newspaper adhered to the canvas underneath.  I have prints available here in my Etsy shop for children.  Here they are, finally hung in Ryan's room...

Professional Artist Magazine - Artist Spotlight

Professional Artist November 2012 Issue

I was selected by Professional Artist Magazine to be the artist spotlight for the November issue- which is now on newstands.  It is officially my very first publication - well - if you don't count an ad that was used with Paris Rooftops.  The process was really interesting - from the interview, to proofing the draft, and then seeing it in print.

I had to provide them with several images that they could choose from, and I was secretly hoping that they would go with Top of the World - one of my favorites.  I've been a subscriber for years, and always read the artist spotlight page - never in a million years thinking it would be me.  The article is below...

by Kim Hall



Teresa Haag’s architectural streetscapes are the culmination of years of study and
creative struggle, but with a result that was worth the wait. With bold lines and color, and
a strong eye for composition, Haag executes each of her works with a care and respect
for the places she’s been, both metaphorically and literally. All of the paintings are based
on locations she has physically visited, many of which of in her small steel town in
Pennsylvania.

“Everyone and everything has a story. Some of my subjects are such underdogs.
For example, Top of the World is an old power plant that is slated for demolition. At one
time, it was full of life, supplying a city with energy. Now, it sits in quiet, waiting to be
torn down. I felt the need to honor that building. I like the idea of taking something that
is considered mundane and showing it in a new light.”

Up until two years ago, Haag experimented in a variety of painting techniques
and styles. What she didn’t realize was that each experiment was leading her to her true
voice, a process that just takes time.

“I look back on some of that work and catch myself cringing. But I realize now
that it was all a part of the process to get me where I am today.
“A few years ago, I decided to paint a street scene of a recent trip to San
Francisco. I had an old canvas that housed a painting that I was unhappy with. No
stranger to texture, on a whim I decided to re-use it by applying newspaper over the old
work with clear gesso. The result was a gritty textured surface. After the first few brush
strokes, I knew that I found my own unique style. It adds energy to the piece that cannot
be achieved when beginning with a blank white canvas.”

The result is a sense of depth, mystery and perhaps even history — all very
appropriate for works that tell a story of a location through the eyes of the painter. Haag
spent the last two years developing her vision and technique until she got to a point
where she was proud of what she was creating. With her husband giving her the nudge to
begin exhibiting, Haag won best of show at her local art center this past May, and has
begun showing regularly in fine arts festivals and other arts venues.

“I believe that finding your voice is the most difficult thing an artist faces. The
reason that I struggled with promoting myself and showing my work in the past is
because I wasn't proud of what I was creating. Once I discovered who I was as an artist, I
was able to focus on making good art that I could stand behind.”

Teresa Haag exhibited at the New Hope Art Festival in New Hope, Pennsylvania, in
September 2012. Her next exhibition is a solo show at the Phoenix Village Art Center
(www.phoenixvillageartcenter.org) in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania in April 2013. For
more information, visit www.teresahaag.com.

Art Festivals - The Beginner's Guide - From the Perspective of a Beginner

As I mentioned in my last post, I've decided to do a series on my blog about how to get started doing art festivals and outdoor exhibitions - as written from the perspective someone who just completed their first season of festivals.

Art festivals are not for sissies. It's really true.  There is a TON of work involved on the front end, especially in the beginning.  Let's break it down...

Applying to Shows

Emerging Artist Exhibits

Booth Displays and Everything that Goes with it

Pricing

Payment Options

Taxes

Packaging

Tools

Etiquette

Resources - Online Communities, Managing Contacts, Blogging, Facebook, Websites

Today, I'd like to talk about Applying to Shows & Emerging Artist Exhibits...

emerging artist tent
Manayunk Art Festival 2012

I kinda fell into art festivals this summer.  I was part of a group show at my local art center and things went really well, so I started poking around for other opportunities in the community.  I happened upon a call for emerging artists on the Manayunk Art Festival facebook page.  It was their first time offering an emerging artist tent, so I applied and was accepted.  The table fee was low - just $100.  All I needed to bring was my work - everything else would be provided.  PERFECT!  For $100, I get to test the marketplace.  This is as low risk as its gonna get.  

my little space in the very back of the tent
Manayunk Art Festival 2012

Things went really well at the festival.  There was a constant stream of people walking through offering comments.  I sold my first large piece to a collector and was hooked.  When my husband saw the financials after the show ended, he was googling more shows that night.  So, that's how it all started.  

I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO TEST THE WATERS BEFORE JUMPING IN!  Emerging Artist Exhibits are catching on - search for shows that offer them and apply.  Apply early.  Most shows have deadlines months in advance of the show.  

How do you find the art festivals?  Well, once you are showing at art festivals it is easy....it is the most talked about topic among vendors.  I have my target list already created for 2013 with application deadlines and application fees highlighted.  Not as easy for someone new to know where to apply....so here are a few resources that have been really helpful for me.

SUNSHINE ARTIST - a magazine that ranks the top 200 art festivals in the country as well as offers a wide range of useful tips and articles specifically for the art and craft festival artists.  SUBSCRIBE TO THIS, you won't be disappointed.

FESTIVAL NETWORK ONLINE - another great resource for upcoming shows and events - they offer a paid subscription, however, I find the list and manually look of the details

ART FAIR INSIDERS -  an awesome community of artists that show at festivals, has info on just about any topic you can think of

ZAPPLICATION -  a lot of festivals are now having you apply via zapplication, which is really quite easy and there is a great list of upcoming shows available on their site.  It allows you to save the postings to your favorites for future review.  

Now that you have a place to start - go do some research and figure out where you want to start.  Keep this in mind, art festivals are a lot of work.  Be sure that you plan ample time between festivals to restock inventory, do bookkeeping, and catch up on rest.  

Now it's time to figure out a tent for displaying for your work - next time.
Click here to read Part II - Tents

New Hope Art Festival

Live Demo
Bucks County Playhouse

I spent the weekend at the New Hope Art Festival in New Hope, PA.  It was the last festival that I had scheduled for the season, however, I am considering one last one in CT at the end of Oct.  My Aunt Moira stopped by and spend most of Sunday with me, and took some photos of the booth and my live painting demo of the Bucks County Playhouse.

Now that I have several festivals under my belt, I have decided to create a blog series outlining a beginners guide to art festivals.  Although I am far from an expert, I've learned a lot over my first season that I think would be  helpful for artists who want to get started showing.

 - Booth Evolution -
Changes and Improvements to our
Booth Made Throughout the Summer

We have come a long way since our first booth setup at Corn Hill in Rochester or even our little table in the Manayunk Emerging Artist tent.  Beginning tomorrow, I'll talk about the evolution of our booth over the season - and some great resources to find the items that you'll need for your own setup.  I'll also talk about websites that I have found helpful and shows that I'll apply to again, as well as new shows that I am targeting for next summer.  Finally, no guide is complete without a what not to do so, I'll share all the whoopsies that we made in the process.

I've got a few new paintings to post this week...happily, I've purchased a new point and shoot, so no more poor quality iPhone images. I picked up a Nikon Coolpix.  6x optical zoom 16 mp and fits on my tripod perfectly.  I am really happy with the picture quality and love the slim size.  It was on sale for just south of $100 at Target.

Look for my series to begin tomorrow, and I'll post regular additions over the coming month.



Quick Tip 1 - When setting up your EZ up tent that has an awning, don't forget to find the legs with the holes on the front that holds the awning in place before putting the top on!  Make it easier to remember the front of the tent by wrapping a discrete band of colored duct tape around the very bottom of the front two legs.  

Powell & Market

Powell and Market
Oil on Canvas
12x12 (2012)

Firstly, I've got to apologize for the quality of the image...Owen...and my camera...need I say more?  So now I'm in the market for a new camera, and in the mean time, I'm using my old iPhone 3g camera.  Speaking of which, iPhone 5 is on order - cannot wait!

"Powell and Market" was inspired by a trip to San Francisco with Eric a few years back.  We met up with a friend and native of the city and he took us on a great little tour.  I saw this streetcar from the back seat of his car and made him pull over in traffic to let me out so I could get some good reference photos.

After the holidays, there are two more San Francisco based paintings that I can't wait to get going on.  Another street scene - but it's totally different then anything you've seen from me so far, and a harbor scene.

Price - $300
Comes framed in black float frame.
Currently available...message me if you are interested.  

Inner Harbor

Inner Harbor
Oil on Newspaper Covered Canvas
20x24 (2012)

It was such an unbelievably hot day in Baltimore when I painted this outside in the Inner Harbor.  I was there for the Inner Harbor Art festival in mid August.  We had a great time despite the heat and I really loved the spectacular views and architectural details that exist here. A perfect mix of old and new.

Currently available for Purchase, message me for details.
 

Palette

I was just getting ready to wipe my palette from my last painting that I worked on outside (plein air).  I've had a few people inquire as to what type of palette I use with my plein air easel, and what paint I typically pile on.

Plein Air Easel Palette (Julian Full)

Brand is Gamblin unless otherwise noted. Starting at the bottom left and working counter clockwise...
Titanium Zinc White
Mars Black (rarely used but like to have a little dab)
Burnt Umber (only used in my under painting to establish values)
Raw Umber
Yellow Ochre
Burnt Sienna (primarily used in my under painting to establish values - I love to mix with ultramarine to get my darks)
Cadmium Red
Alizarin Permanent (above Cad Red)
Cadmium Red Light
Cadmuim Lemon
Cad Yellow Deep
Cad Yellow Light
Indian Yellow (Inside left of Cad Yellow Light - great for tinting and making greens)
Sap Green
Azo Green (M Graham brand)
Permanent Green Light (Rarely use - don't typically have it on my palette)
Veridian (mix with Alizarin to make blacks)
Phthalo Turquoise Blue
Cobalt Turquoise Light
Cerulean Blue (W&N brand)
Cobalt
Ultramarine

Medium -
OMS - Gamsol - used for thinning and creating my under painting with
Liquin - once I establish my tones and values I start building up with liquin mixed into the paint

I have the turquoise blues on this palette specifically because the piece I was working on had a lot of bright water and sky.  They normally don't make an appearance.

On my studio palette, I've started reducing the number of paint colors on my palette.  I'm finding on my own what I've been reading about and what people have been saying about color - that the less amount of tube colors in front of you, the more control you have and the better harmony and balance you have in the painting.  Sometimes you have to learn the hard way :).  I'm finding  - like with anything - the more confidence I gain the more willing I am to try new things (like a limited palette, new surfaces, more complicated subjects).  Eventually, it would be great to get down to a warm and cool of each primary and white.  I think I'll challenge myself with a painting doing just that - 6 tube colors and white.  More to come.

Modern Mountains
Oil on Canvas
20x24 (2012)

Here is another piece that I did live at an outdoor exhibition - this one during the Kennett Square Mushroom Festival a couple of weekends ago. While I was working on it, some new friends stopped by and gave me some great ideas for future paintings. After the show, he emailed me an idea for the name of the piece - "Modern Mountains". I thought it was perfect. The image is of center city Philly from i76. For those of you that live here in Philly know it well as traffic usually is at a standstill right around this point. 

This piece is currently available, message me for more details.

Genesee

"Genesee"
36x36
Oil on Canvas

Over the summer, while visiting family in Rochester, I decided to take a drive down to Charlotte and see the marina and walk along the beach on Lake Ontario.  I lived in the area in my early 20s and spent a lot of time there growing up.  I especially like the walk up the old pier.  Back in 2004, they replaced the old rickety Stutson Street Bridge with a new model.  The old bridge was metal and had those grates for the floor.  I remember riding over it in the back seat of my parents car and hearing the hum of the tires on the grates.  Sometimes, we would get stuck on it when tall boats had to pass through and it shook and swayed with traffic. I remember hearing about a police chase which headed over the bridge.  They started to raise it up to prevent the man on the run from crossing, but instead of stopping he gunned it - and made it across.  Talk about "just like the movies".

The vantage point of this piece is from the top of the new bridge looking over the marina on the Genesee River.  The river empties into Lake Ontario which you can see in the background. I started this piece during the Park Ave Fest in August, and just finished it up over the weekend.

Sold - Private Collection.

Before the Wharf Opens

"Before the Wharf Opens"
Oil on Canvas
24x30(2012)

During our cross country road trip, we stayed over night in Monterey, CA.  This one one of my favorite spots we stopped - and hope to go back and visit for a few more days.  Because of the time difference, I was up at sunrise and decided to sneak down to the wharf, right down the street from our hotel.  I grabbed a steamy cup of coffee from the cafe next to the hotel and walked a few blocks.  Although I was one of the first people to arrive, there were plenty of barking seals there to greet me.

Upcoming Show Info-

This weekend, we are headed up to Amagansett, NY for their fine art festival.  Nana will be here with the boys, which will allow us some time to do some sight seeing and maybe even enjoy a nice dinner just the two of us *gasp*.  I am looking forward to seeing Montauk and the Hamptons for the first time, and hope to come back with some great reference material for future paintings.  I've heard that they have some little shop lined streets that I have to check out.

The following weekend (Sept. 8-9) is The Mushroom Festival in Kennett Square.  I will be located on State Street between Marshall and Broad.  There will be so much going on for the whole family, so this one would be a great festival to stop out for.

The last show of the summer is in New Hope Sept. 29-30 for the New Hope Arts Festival.   My booth is Y-309.  This is a well established festival and also will have things to do for the whole family.

After New Hope, I'll be spending all my energy on preparing for my solo show at the Phoenix Village Art Center.  We are still in the process of nailing down a month, but it is narrowed down to Jan, Feb or April.

"Frankford & Arrott"

"Frankford & Arrott"
oil on canvas
36x36 (2012)

While I traveled for my job as a rep, I used to carry my camera with me everywhere.  This one particular day I was in the city calling on a few offices in the Frankford St. area of Philadelphia.  This area is vibrant and gritty all wrapped up together, and full of little shops run by people from all different cultures.  I've wanted to tackle this piece for sometime now.

I'll be bringing it along with me to the Inner Harbor Art Festival in Baltimore this weekend.  If you are interested in purchasing the original, or prints, send me a message.

Painting for Zoe
Oil on Canvas
22x32

Just finished up a commission for a little girl who recently turned 2.  Its of the Boston Harbor, near her home, and on the 4th of July to commemorate her birthday.

"The Coal Tower"

"The Coal Tower"
oil on canvas - 20x20
available

We have spent a lot of time in Rochester over the summer visiting family and art festival'ing.  A quaint little spot where we like to spend time while in town is Schoen Place.  It is right on the canal, where all the ducks hang out.  There are some super yummy places to eat - you must check out Simply Crepes.  Most of all, the old industrial buildings are ever present and set a unique background for us to enjoy and me to paint!

"Park and Berkeley"



"Park and Berkeley" Rochester, NY
oil on canvas
22x28

 This was a piece that I finished up a couple of weeks ago before the Park Ave. Fest in Rochester, NY.  My sister used to live in this building, and I've dined here at Jines on many occasions.  It was sold at the festival...I was sad to see it go, but know that it went to a good home.

Park Ave Fest

Well, it is safe to say that we have now tested our tent against severe storms.  They rolled through mid afternoon on Sunday of the Park Ave Fest.  Although the weather caused the show to end a little early, it was a welcome break in the heat for a bit. 

The festival was pretty cool.  It had a very eclectic mix of artists, crafters, and food vendors.  There were also a lot of very nice vendors willing to share tips with us on setting up and displaying our paintings.  We spent some time building pvc and dropcloth display panels to house the artwork.  They did the trick at the festival, but Eric and I both agreed that it is time to upgrade to a more professional looking set up. 

You can see the panels that we built out of PVC pipe, green plastic fencing and canvas drop clothes.  This was taken on the morning of day 2.  The painting on the right is my demo piece.  The view is from the top of the old Stutson St. Bridge looking down into the marina on the Genessee River and Lake Ontario.

demo painting in progress - still un-named, 36x36, oil on canvas

I am happy to report that we won Best in Show for the Painting category.  The rain forced us to pack it up a little early, but that was ok since we were headed back home that night.   In case you are interested, the demo painting is still available.  Send me a message for more info.

***Update - the demo has SOLD 8/6/2012

Top of the World

"Top of the World"
20x20
Oil on Canvas
sold

While walking around High Falls, in Rochester, NY we came across the old BeeBee power plant station.  You can get a really good view of it from the Rennes bridge.  Someone at the Corn Hill festival mentioned that it was going to be torn down next year, which makes me feel grateful that I had a chance to paint it before it was gone. 

My brother-in-law, Scott, an avid adventurer - said that he and his friends call it Top of the World...with some crazy story of climbing the fire escapes to the top. So, that's what I went with for the name, and I really think it fits. 

Prints on Etsy

I want to make things as simple as possible for people to purchase prints.  I am working on developing a website - future name teresahaag.com - but that still has a ways to go, so I decided to put prints of my originals up on Etsy. 

teresa haag art on etsy
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TeresaHaag

To make things simple, I put all of my prints up as 8x10 at $24 a piece.  If a larger size is desired, a customer can send me a message and I'll post a custom listing.  Hopefully, Etsy will add a size feature in the future. 

Wings of Progress

"Wings of Progress"
24x30 Oil on Canvas
$400

This piece was a live demo that I started on day two of the Corn Hill Arts Festival. This is a street scene of downtown Rochester, NY.  It's taken from the vantage point of Exchange Street looking at the Times Square Building.  I decided on "Wings of Progress" which is the proper name of the wings on top of the building.

Corn Hill Art Festival

Our very first booth at an arts festival is now under our belt.   We met so many wonderful artists, patrons and staff during our stay this weekend.  We learned a lot, sold some stuff and made some friends.  It was great having Eric with me all weekend...he was able to help answer questions and handle the transactions...oh, and his muscles came in handy with setting up the tent.  He also broke away for awhile and did some recon work to get ideas for the next festival - which is still to be decided, but....I am in the process of applying for the Park Ave Fest in Rochester Aug 4th and 5th.  More to come. 

We bought our little tent on craigslist and it didn't come with any set up instructions...so, it took us a few tries. But, once it was up it was perfect.

We decided on a gallery style set up.

I did two live demo paintings during the festival.



Here is the start of my Rochester skyline painting...still without a name.

In progress...

I'll be working this week on the two live paintings that I started at the festival, and I'll post updates as I go.  After that, I'll have to see what I'm in the mood to paint. I'd love to have some name suggestions for the Rochester skyline painting.  Leave your ideas in the comments...here is a closeup



"Quiet Alley"

"Quiet Alley"
11x14
Oil on Canvas

"Quiet Alley" - Phoenixville is full of great little streets and alleyways.  This one has been in my queue for awhile.  I am finding myself drawn to street signs lately. 

Manayunk Bridge

"Manayunk Bridge"
24x30
Oil on Canvas

Here is an update on "Manayunk Bridge". I finished it up last night - however, there are a few little tweaks that I still need to make. The editing process seems to doddle along. It is such a rarity to sign a painting and then just leave it be. The more I stare, the more I hear it calling for a little adjustment here, and a little nudge there. That's ok though. You can certainly get the idea of what the finished piece will look like.

I've got the upcoming Corn Hill Arts Festival next weekend. I will be bringing all of my large originals and prints that I had made up. I will also be bringing along some of my smaller originals. (11x14s, 8x10s and 5x7s) - they seemed to be quite popular at the Manayunk festival.

As for selling the large originals, at first I was hesitant because I have been really focused on preparing for my solo show. I've been asking the patrons who purchase if they would mind lending the artworks back to me for a month during my solo show in 2013...so far, everyone has agreed.

Our cousin, Matthias Finke, who is an amazing photographer, will be showing at the festival as well. He has an extra tent that he was going to lend us - but it didn't have any sides. He warned us that if it rained we'd be in trouble. We checked on craigslist and found a decent deal on a once used festival tent. [Gulp] So we went ahead and purchased it.

It's a little scary and a little awesome all at once.  One thing that I am starting to finally get is that I just need to make the art that fills me up. I can't help but go back to the Dori reference on Owen's favorite movie - Finding Nemo...."just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming". I have more to say on that particular topic, but will save it for another day - as I have so much eff'n work to do. :)


***Manayunk Bridge Purchase info - Dibs were called on this (unfinished at the time) painting by a couple at the Manayunk Art Festival....so I promised that I would give them first pick. I will post updated availability if things change

"9th and Q"

"9th and Q"
6x12 Oil on Canvas

"9th and Q"  - I worked on this little guy last night.  The intersection 9th St and Q St. is in DC near my friend Brian's house. I'm trying to decide if it wants to be a big painting at some point.  I'll be framing it and bringing it along with me to the Corn Hill Art Festival next week.  If you are interested in purchasing, send me a message.   $100

Manayunk Art Festival

At the last minute, I was offered a table in the Emerging Artist Tent at the Manayunk Arts Festival.  I had never done a festival before...so I got some prints made and put together some plain black float frames for my originals.  We scrambled with some display ideas and packed up the car to see how things would go. 

This is the first year that they had an Emerging Artist Tent.  It was such a great idea.  My tent mates were so great and came from all different backgrounds - painters, digital artists, jewelry makers, pastel artists, and print makers.  Some had just graduated, and some had grand kids. 

I snuck out of the tent before the festival was even open
 and snapped this street shot...the streets were already packed.





Emerging Artist Tent

Table Setup

I did a live demo painting during my two days at the festival.  It was pretty busy so I was in and out of working on it.  It's of the Manayunk Bridge.  A local couple has called dibs on it.  I should be finished up this week. 

Some of my tent mates.

The festival organizers stopped by the booth at the end of the first day with a ribbon for me.
 I won the Best Emerging Artist award. 

The festival was an amazing experience.  People were streaming through all day stopping by to talk about my art and tell stories about places that my art reminded them of.  I met a woman who is also from upstate NY, and although I didn't have any work that depicted that region, she purchased a one of my 8x10 original paintings of Paris. 

I sold 7 originals, including my Shoreline Motel.  I am slightly sad to see the Shorline go, but I know that it is going to a good home.  I also sold some art prints.  Based on the crowds feedback, next year, I'll have more original paintings of local artwork available. 

Up next...I was accepted into the Corn Hill Art Festival in Rochester, NY July 7-8.  So, I've got to get back to work!

Near the Bridge

"Near the Bridge"
18x24
oil on canvas

Phoenixville is full of architectural gems.  This little row of homes is located under the Gay St. Bridge, and is directly across the street from one of our favorite Saturday destinations...The Phoenixville farmer's market. 

Here is how this painting came about...

charcoal sketch on paper covered canvas

underpainting done in oil paint thinned with solvent

finished painting

New Painting - Shoreline Motel - With Progress Photos

"Shoreline Motel"
18x24
Oil on Canvas
SOLD

On our cross country road trip where we circled the states, we stumbled across this little stretch of street next to the Pacific.  The run down shabbiness of the businesses along the highway, with the the salty air and the rolling fog was so surreal to me.  A scene unfamiliar living just outside of Philly....but oh so familiar to all that live in Port Orford, OR.

I've been getting some questions about my technique, so I took some stills of the progress of the painting.

Before I begin, I cover my canvas in paper.  Sometimes I use newspaper, but in this case, I used vintage dictionary pages torn.  I apply it with clear acrylic gesso.  (Liquitex).  I do this for a few reasons...I like the bounce and surface texture of the papered canvas.  I also love the life and energy that the peek-a-boo text adds to the finished piece.

Next, I sketch in the large shapes using vine charcoal.



Once my sketch is complete, I start blocking in with paint thinned with Gamsol.  This is my underpainting.  I use it to work out my shapes and values early on.



I then start adding in my paint layers...still working with slightly thinned down paint.

I changed my horizon line and started adding in more and more detail switching over to oils with Walnut Oil (Gamblin)





Finished Piece.

Close Up - looking closely you can see some of the peek-a-boo text - look under the awning and in the street signs.



Another Close Up


This piece will be part of my solo show at the Phoenix Village Art Center next year.  If you are interested in a print, you can purchase one from my Etsy shop.