Voices in My Head

My main studio for about a year was my sketchbook. My sketchbook retains its tight hold on my heart because it holds ideas, writing, quick drawings, experiences, collaged items, new techniques tested, etc. Now that I have an art studio space, painting is my craving.

Fear. Unrelenting fear. Scripts in my head:

Did I forget how to paint? How do I use paint? Oh, I just tried using that encaustic technique and EW-YUCK-BLAH! I hate what I created. I used to know how to do that but I've forgotten! I'm running back to my nice, safe sketchbook where it doesn't matter if I forgot....

Yeah, those voices in my head. The desire to return to my studio is stronger that my fear.

I jumped and took the online course by Lisa Call, Working in a Series.

Those voices in my head? Altered. New scripts:

What design element will be the focus of this piece? It is OK to work small, especially with limited studio time. What will be the composition of this piece? What colors should I choose? Should I add texture? Oh, wait, I enjoyed adding lines which is unusual for me, so where can I push lines in this piece, if I so choose? Ok, my encaustics are gathering dust - for now they ok gathering dust. Here is the cadium red, and my brushes. This worked last time, how about this time. Red goes here.....

I love the new voices in my head.

Now when I get into my studio, I have a plan. Jotted into my sketchbook is a quick draw of a composition, color notes & choices, ideas of direction if something changes. The Fear is gone.

I still work on multiple paintings at a time, and that is ok.

When I leave my studio, I jot about three categories: what worked, what didn't work, what to do next studio time. These help plan my next studio time so when I have an unexpected delightful half hour I don't "flounder."

Will I take another course with Lisa? Oh, yeah. She's working on a follow up Working in Series Part 2. For now, I am going to try to continue the new voices in my head, at least until  2013.

Thank you, Ms. Lisa Call. Thank you for the new voices in my head.

Sketchbook pages with writing about
assignment from Working in a Series.
Unbelievable how much this helps!

Result of an assignment, second generation of the assignment.
There were five assignments. I was able to do a few more than
the expected one, thanks to Lisa's "catch up" weeks.
Untitled Palm Tree Farm, mixed media on canvas, 8x10 in.
©2012 Angeline-Marie

Save the dates! You are invited to share more art at my exhibit at the Homestead Chamber of Commerce, November and December, 2012. More details coming soon. 

Smiles!!!!

Angeline Marie of

Angeline Marie Fine Art

Facebook Page for Angeline Marie Fine Art

Curious about marketing for creatives and artists? Check out ArtBizCoach.com by clicking on this sentence!
The first brand of sketchbooks I ever used. Decent paper, best for dry media such as pens, pencils, and charcoal. Use watercolor paint and water sparingly because paint buckles when damp. Brand does recommend dry media, LOL. 

Feel Like Making Bad Art with Great Pieces?

2012 Online Workshop Series - Strathmore Artist Papers:

If you are looking for a creative way to grow as an artist, try these free Strathmore Online Workshops. Tracy, who is giving the first series of workshops, does a great job providing details and instructions. Her art is quirky, whimsical, and is sure to inspire.

Details and instructions include supply lists, written instructions, and videos. There are over 1,000 people participating. For me, this is a great chance to make bad art with great pieces!

One piece I love....©2012 Angeline

The idea is to have fun with the art materials and ideas that Tracy gives. Will I finish the art from the workshop series? Probably not. I actually hate most of my first one while loving little pieces. It is alright to make bad art sometimes. It helps me know when I make something I love.

Pieces in this little work I love: the trio of the seahorse, star, and design all grouped together; the way the glue dried on the upper left corner.

The rest of it, well, needs a LOT of help. Little matter - ripping, painting over, etc. will improve the entire piece!

Caveat on the art supply lists: it is fine to use what you may already have. My shopping for supplies happened in my studio! For a great article about art supplies, hop over to Cloth Paper Scissors latest blog post.

Second piece I love....©2012 Angeline

Overall, I dislike...but the whole idea is to have fun!
Still not finished, and may not ever finish it.
©2012 Angeline

Save the date! You are invited to share more art at my exhibit about Paris, France on at the 3rd Door Art Project on March 21, 2012 during Miami's Bird Road Art District Art Walk held on the 3rd Saturday of every month. Exhibit will run through April 8th.

Smiles!!!!

Angeline Marie of

Angeline Marie Fine Art

Facebook Page for Angeline Marie Fine Art

Curious about marketing for creatives and artists? Check out ArtBizCoach.com by clicking on this sentence!

Business of the Arts Seminar Series offered by Adrienne Arsht Center

If you are following your dream (like I am) of being a professional artist (photographer, painter, writer, etc.), please continue reading the following email received late last week, which is simply cut and pasted:  

----- Forwarded Message ----


From: Education Outreach education@arshtcenter.org
Subject: Arsht Center's Business of the Arts Seminar Series

Education & Outreach Events Listings

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County offers unique opportunities to experience the artistic process first hand.

Business of the Arts Seminar Series

Call 786-468-2270 for information or to register.

Recommended for artists applying for the Arsht Center’s Miami Made Commissioning Program. www.arshtcenter.org/miamimade


Writing for Success

Sunday, April 25 OR Saturday, May 1, 2010

10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

$40 per session

(lunch and snacks included)

Develop text and additional written materials that will help others understand what your work is really about. This interactive workshop features writing activities, peer reviews and editing, and written and verbal feedback.

Learn how to:

•Define your artistic product and differentiate it from the work of other artists.

•Communicate the context in which you create your work.

•Describe what you do in layman’s terms.

•Write a treatment that is vivid and succinct.

•Create a press packet that looks professional and gets attention.

•Create a written budget that is detailed and realistic.

•Write a cover letter that makes an instant impression.

Presenting for Success

Sunday, June 6 OR Saturday, June 12, 2010

10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

$40 per session

(lunch and snacks included)

Get the skills you need to present yourself and your work successfully. This interactive worship will help you communicate your message in any business setting, rehearse for an in-person interview with a potential funder, and handle difficult questions with grace. Learn how to:

•Deliver your “elevator pitch.”
•Adapt your message to your specific listener.

•Tell your “essential story.”
•Reframe an interview question and answer questions succinctly.

•Handle difficult questions with grace.

•Demonstrate enthusiasm about your work in a business setting.

•Exhibit professional demeanor in grooming and appearance.

________________________________________
REGISTRATION INFORMATION:

Open to artists 18 or older who are interested in sharpening their business skills.

Participation in both workshops is recommended for artists applying for the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County’s Miami Made Commissioning Program. www.arshtcenter.org/miamimade

Call 786-468-2270 for information or to register.

Single Sessions: $40 (lunch and snacks included in registration fee)

PRICE BREAK FOR TWO SESSIONS:

Register for one “Writing for Success” session and one “Presenting for Success” session for $70 (a $10 savings!)

Space is limited and reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis with payment.

Workshops are designed for the Adrienne Arsht Center and delivered by Influens, an international coaching and training firm based in South Florida and Germany. http://www.influens.com/

Encaustic Workshop! Photos from today!

What a great time we had learning encaustic techniques from Canadian artist Heather Hennick! Thank you to Libby, Bonnie, Cole, Mila, Michelle, and Mary for making a great afternoon. It was 4pm before we knew it and we all still wanted to play.

Some of us wanted to continue doing transfers, others collage, and some just played with the wax. I fell into the last category, and was greatly happy with the results. This is definitely a medium with which I am going to continue to use.

Here are some things we learned about working with beeswax:

1. Smoothing wax is much more challenging than we thought.

2. Have a steady hand is not always a good thing.

3. Wax is playful, colorful, and liquid.

4. The iron also turns into a small hot plate.

5. It smells so good!

6. Transfers are a cinch.

7. Collages are fun, easy, and with magnificent results.

The day's class ended with "let's keep in touch," and "thanks for a great class!" Me, well, I want to keep doing this, but I'm going to listen to Main Highway tonight.

Got a comment about one of my blog posts? Feel free to post one, even if anonymously! I have fun reading your comments, & will respond.

Smiles!

Angeline-Marie of

Angeline Marie Fine Art

ammtz2008@gmail.com

1. Heather, ready for class! at left

2. Below left, Heather showing how to use an encaustic tool. 

3. Artists avidly watching. 4. Artists playing with beeswax!

Encaustic Workshop! Techniques & Resources

Now that my vacation is over (more info later on some of my adventures & learnings!), I am looking forward to learning about encaustic techniques from Canadian artist Heather Hennick this Saturday, December 19. 

Because this is a new medium for me, I have been looking around the Internet for different stuff. Thanks to a posting on Wetcanvas I found a few weeks ago, here are some encaustic links to preview. Some have information on  techniques that will be shown on Saturday as well as other useful stuff. 

The links are:

General info and techniques

Image Transfer in Encaustic Wax by Susan Crouse-Kemp

Hot Air Gun - John Vanderbrook 

Encaustic Wax Painting for Beginners: Video Series – John Vanderbrook

Wetcanvas.com article by Ed Zawadski

There is still room for more students. Please contact me at ammtz2008@gmail.com , leave a comment on this blog, contact me through Facebook (Angeline Marie Martinez) or simply call me at 305 984 3954. For more information about the workshop, please view earlier blog posts. 

Special thanks to Brodie6 on www.wetcanvas.com for all of his work.

Smiles & Happy Hanukah!

Angeline-Marie of 

Angeline Marie Fine Art

Encaustic Workshop! More about beeswax

Beeswax Candles

Beeswax is the only fuel known to science that releases a negative ion as it burns. Negative ions are proven to eliminate dust, pollen, mold, smoke, food odor, and pet dander as well as airborne germs and bacteria. These ions are nature's way of cleaning up man's pollution.

Beeswax has no soot. Beeswax burns very slowly. Although the cost may seem higher, in the long run the candles are much more economical.

The beeswax flame is much more brilliant and will enhance any spiritual experience. Its positive vibration will charm and illuminate, bringing heightened connection, awareness, and positive energy to any gathering or meditative experience.

Contact Heather Hennick if you wish to purchase beeswax candles. She can be contacted at info@partyzazz.com and her work can be seen at

http://fineartamerica.com/featured/healing-journey-heather-hennick.html

To join the Encaustic Workshop, please contact me. For more information about it, please see previous blog posts.

Smiles,

Angeline-Marie

www.angelinemarie.net

ammtz2008@gmail.com

Encaustic Workshop! What will I learn? (The Basics)

Heather Hennick is the Canadian Encaustic Artist that is teaching on December 19th (Saturday) at ID Art Supply. She shared with me, a student in the class, some of the techniques we will be learning.

Encaustic Art- The Basics 

1. Smoothing    2. Lifting/Dabbing   3. Edge Sliding    4. Point or Tip Detailing 

1. Smoothing 

Most encaustic effects require a basic coat of wax, which is applied by smoothing the wax onto the card. 

Practice 1: Multicolor coating 

Practice 2: One-color- coating- more difficult to maintain smoothness load the iron with one color. 

Practice 3: Two-color coating 

Practice 4: Multi-color coating (This is really fun) 

I am looking forward to this workshop!!!!

Remember: 12/19/09 Saturday, 12:30 pm - 4 pm

Fees are $150, cash or money order. Deposit of $60 is accepted. Please contact me at ammtz2008@gmail.com for payment methods.

Smiles,

Angeline Marie

www.angelinemarie.net

Encaustic Workshop! About Bees & Beeswax

This blog post is brought to you by encaustic artist Heather Hennick. She shared this brief history and a few facts with me for this blog.

Beeswax was first used in ship painting by the Greeks 4000 years ago. The Egyptians used it to paint the mummy portraits and tomb paintings.

Beeswax can be traced back to the "higher power:" the significance that it contains the nectars of the Gods. There are many spiritual teachings related to bees. One is that they are servants gods as they contribute to the pollinating that enables plants to bring forth the fruits as food for every living thing on earth. 

Bees will travel over 50,000 miles and pollinate over 2 million flowers to generate 1/4 pound of pure beeswax. The sweet aroma is the essence of 10,000 flowers. The yellow color is attributed to the color of pollen. 

Tinting of colors in the beeswax can be done from natural pigments as found in oil paints. 

Encaustic means "to burn" or "heat into." 

Beeswax does not grow mold or mildew or fade in color. It is a natural adhesive. What was red 4,000 years ago will stay red 4,000 years later. 

Beeswax does get a slight film called "bloom" after sitting for a few months, but it just needs to be lightly buffed.

Beeswax art or wax can be kept forever. 

Remember, the Encaustic Workshop is Saturday, December 19th, 2009 from 1 pm to 4 pm. 

Limit 10 students. For more information, please visit the blog posts titled "Encaustic Workshop!"

Smiles!

Angeline-Marie

www.angelinemarie.net

Encaustic Workshop! What do I need to bring?

After trying to keep this as simple as possible for everyone, Heather Hennick and I have decided on a final list of necessary objects for artists to supply for the encaustic workshop. Just about every artist I know has these supplies already, which is wonderful. If you don't, there will be plenty to share (we will make sure of it!)


1. blow (hair) dryer 
2. scissors
3. a couple of cheap hog hair brushes (like what Baruj likes, from the hardware store)
4. collage material: such as decorative napkins, pretty papers, small black and white photocopy images or a colorful magazine, a little piece of silky fabric, dried leaves or petals, found objects


I also found a very cool link to check out some art made with encaustic techniques: 


http://gallery.sjsu.edu/arth198/painting/encaustic.html

Please remember, we accept PayPal for the deposit & the limit is 10 students! As always, more information is available on my website, with Workshop as its very own page. 


Heather Hennick can be contacted at info@partyzazz.com and her work can be seen at http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-heather-hennick.html


Smiles,
Angeline-Marie
www.angelinemarie.net

The Barnacle State Park - 3 Colors 1 Brush with Eric Speyer

What a great afternoon. It is rare that an artist offers an afternoon workshop on ONE day, and make it reasonably affordable! Eric Speyer decided to have one with the help of Windisch-Hunt Fine Art. The theme of the workshop was "3 Colors, 1 Brush," and we could use watercolors or oils. Of course, I had to differ, and took acrylics. 


We met right outside of the state park, the Barnacle, located in Coconut Grove, Florida. It is a small park, with many great little corners in which to get lost. It is one of the oldest properties in Miami-Dade, Florida. When Hurricane Andrew came through in 1992, the majority of it was destroyed. The boathouse, the home, and the grounds have since been restored, and quite beautiful. There are benches every where for you to sit and enjoy the breeze that is always blowing off the water. It is in the middle of the Grove, but you have to know it is there. For a $2 donation, you could spend the entire day there, enjoying the water, sailboats, and grounds. There are special events held there, such as concerts, etc., so choose wisely!


Any way, Eric directed us to view the same scene - the house as seen from the water. All of us did the same scene, but interesting how each of us view the world. I am only posting mine. We spent almost three hours painting the scene, and each of us finished. Of the five of us (including Eric), one was 8x10 in. and all the rest were 11x14 in. Besides having only three colors and one brush, the idea was to capture the light at the scene as quickly as possible. Hence, everyone was finished in three hours. 

Pretty good job for an afternoon! 
Smiles,
Angeline-Marie
www.angelinemarie.net

Poaching, & Lesson Learned

Ok, I own up. I did not use "BCC" when I sent my email newsletter. I have received emails from other artists who do not use "BCC." Lesson learned to always "BCC" any "mass emails." Although sometimes I am tempted, I refuse to stoop low and poach (steal) from someone's email list without their permission. Poaching, however, happened to me.

This person, from the Artist Entrepreneur Institute, sent an email out to everyone on MY list: family, friends, and artists. Of course, she did NOT send me the same email. Luckily, Lisa wrote me an email to notify me and get her off of the list of this person. Poaching is NOT COOL. Of course, why would she send that email to the person from which she stole the emails in the first place!???

I looked up this person in my contacts list, and immediately called her. I identified myself, and asked her to please remove the list from her contacts immediately. She asked me how I got the list in the first place, because Jim (of ArtServe) had not sent the participants list. I told her I got the list from getting every one's business cards off of the table and entering them into my address book! No, Jim has not sent the list, and yes, my list is legitimate and you are stealing it! I highlighted the names of my friends & family, and sent it to her via email as follow up to remove immediately.

If you want to know who she was, and you were in AEI, shoot me an email. You probably know her already: "Hello everybody, I am looking for a space for a solo show. Please let me know if you have any ideas...Thank you for your time! Best, G...F...."

Cooling off,

Angeline

www.angelinemarie.net

www.ammtz2008@gmail.com

CRITIQUING ART

Eileen and I were discussing abstract art a while ago. How do you "judge" an abstract art work if you are just someone who enjoys it? What is a quick way to educate yourself?

I had the fantastic pleasure of attending artist Julie T. Chapman's (www.julietchapman.com) workshop in Kalispell, Montana last year. One of the things she discussed with us during that "art boot camp" was the "5 foundation elements to a work of art." They are:

1. Drawing

2. Values

3. Composition

4. Edges

5. Color

Drawing doesn't apply if the work is abstract. Color doesn't apply if the work is monochrome.

You can practice at my website www.angelinemarie.net or any art website you choose.

Until later,

Angeline

Artist Entrepreneur Institute

Today was the first day of the workshop held by ArtServe, Inc. at the Broward County Library (sponsored by Broward County Cultural Division)

WOW. WOAH! This was great! It's only the first day, and it was intense and the bar held high. Speakers included sculpture artist George Gadson, artist and FAU Rafael Cruz, Howard Schulman a business agent, and artist/gallery owner William Braemer.

If you get the chance to take this class, GRAB THE OPPORTUNITY! I have read many books about how to be in business as an artist. Future blogs may have a brief review of one. There are few things better than hearing it from actual artists and business people.

Today was talking about being artists AND businessmen, how economics work, the types of corporations & whys of each, and pricing art.

First thing I did was make dinner when I got home and pull out the binder to review today's and next week's topics. Wow.

www.angelinemarie.net