The Powers of Observation

Through the Looking Glass / Art Deco Mirror Self Portrait

For as much time as I love spending time at my easel, I equally love spending time looking at other artists' work. This weekend while teaching in Atlanta with Binders Art Supply and School, I had the pleasure of taking in the High Museum of Art. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the Art Deco and Art Nouveau furniture, vases, and silver coffee/tea services. This is my favorite era of art history, so I lingered on this floor more than any other. Having recently cut my hair short and taken in the film "The Great Gatsby" with all the wonderful 1920's clothing and fashion, I really could see myself having tea at one of these grand table and chairs. 

I was happy to be able to experience two of Maxfield Parrish works, as well as Norman Rockwell. These artists in my eyes were fine artists, but considered illustrators. What's the difference? An illustration is made for mass consumption. Illustrators create art is specifically for magazines, books, and other publications. 

Two pieces in the museum made me stop and linger for a long time. First was Robert Henri's Lady in Black Velvet. I often talk about the lost edges in a painting with my students. This weekend in Atlanta I tried to encourage and remind students that it's ok to not be able to discern where the subject ends and the shadow begins, as long as you have sharp edges in the light areas. One of the best examples of this was the Lady in Black Velvet, how lovely the bottom of her cloak was that it totally melted into the background, yet her face was so crisp in the light!

Robert Henri, Lady in Black Velvet

For as long as I lingered with the Lady in Black Velvet, I spent double that amount of time with The Blue Mandarin Coat. How DeCamp captured the light in this painting on her face and shoulder is so incredibly lovely! and her deep blue coat then disappears into the darkness. I spent a lot of time up close, looking into the flesh tones of her face. DeCamp has blues and violets painted under the flesh tone, which peek through here and there, making such a beautiful vibration of color. I was about an inch from this piece for a long time just trying to technically dissect it. 

Joseph Rodefer DeCamp, The Blue Mandarin Coat

In my work, my lost edges are typically in darkness or shadow, but rather in an area where the background bleeds into the foreground subject, and the edge is blurred as a result. 

Here Boy! collage on birch panel / 24x20 / click to enlarge

You can see in the bottom of this dog that the green drips of the field behind him have seeped through his fur, and then everything fades out to natural wood. For as sharp as the top of his head is agains the sky, his edges start to get lost just below his ears. I love this effect as I feel it connects him to his background. I want to experiment more with it. After this weekend's visit, perhaps I need to try some darkness too. 

But remember, dark is not always black, it's deep sea blue, royal purple, alligator green, rich burgundy, woody brown...

Viewing art in galleries and museums has always been a passion for me since my first trip to Europe as a high school senior when I found myself standing in front of Picasso's Guernica in Madrid, Spain long after everyone else in my group had moved on. Never before had I seen artwork so powerful, on such a large scale, with an entire room dedicated to just this one piece. I am very lucky to be able to visit art museums and galleries in most of the major cities I travel to teach these days. 

Thanks for being a part of my art journey. 

Elizabeth

Paint the Trail

Being an avid cyclist, I find myself on the Seminole Wekiva Trail pretty frequently. Over the past year I have watched a section of fence behind a house in Longwood, FL become covered with wonderful artwork, a couple of panels at a time. It started slow, one or two, and then it took off! Now the art has completely covered two adjacent yard fences and has moved on to another.

I always stop and admire the art on the trail, it makes me smile with it's big bold images of actors and musicians, comedians and recognizable figures. Most have funny quotes on them as well. Recently I read an article in our local Lake Mary Life magazine, that told me where to find the artist on Facebook. And that's all it took.

I checked out the page and then reached out to Jeff. I wanted to purchase a fence panel from him to display in my yard. Since my house is full of original art and I have no more wall space, I've moved on to outdoor art. What could be more perfect?

Jeff Has a Vision

"I see  people getting exited about what's going on.  I'm doing as much as I can to let those who want to get involved.  It's morphing into some bizarre community project.  I visualize artists and residents alike displaying artwork on the trail. I've set the impossible goal of 5 miles. Even if it only reaches a mile , wouldn't that be something worth packing up the car , grabbing the kids and going to see ? I think if everyone gets involved people will be amazed at what this community has done together.  It's something fun we can do and it's something others will want to see."

See a great TV interview with Jeff here

So what did he say when I asked him about purchasing a panel? "No." Truly, he did. He said he just wants to put them on the trail as part of a community project, he doesn't want to make money from them, he doesn't want to take commissions. Heck, he said he doesn't even see himself as an artist. 

What happened next was kind of fun. Jeff said to me, "You're an artist, why don't you paint a panel for the trail?" That's when he explained to me that he can't get to his vision of 5-miles on his own, so he's recruiting help. Not just from artists, but from anyone who wants to give it a try. Jeff is not only providing the panels, (some are saved from the land fill) and the paint (all is saved from the recycling station) but he's also willing to sketch the panel out for you and give you detailed instructions, if you are not an artist. He's handed out many panels, paints and instructions, in the hopes of getting the entire community involved in his project. 

Jeff not only provided me with the fence panel, but he gave me the paint!

So I went over and picked up a panel, dug through the paints, and threw it all in the back of my van. Why not? It will be like a great big under painting, only on a fence.

Are you a local artist in Seminole County or someone who just wants to be part of this great project? Get involved, get a panel, contact Jeff through his community Facebook page

here's my panel, ready to go in my van, what will I paint?

Spread the word, share this with a friend. And visit my Facebook page for an album of photos from my visit to Jeff's shop. I'll continue to add my in progress panel photos to this album. So check back!

and PS, how did I get myself into painting a fence panel when all I wanted to do was buy one?

Stay tuned, and thanks for being a part of my art journey.

The Sketch - Revealed!

here are the sections of the big picture. 

Reserve your print now, or wait to see how it comes together. The longer you wait, the more of a gamble, I'll only reproduce 10 of each panel. 

email me for details on how to reserve yours today!

Big Things Come in Small Packages

How Can I get There From Here?

Art Prize was EVERYWHERE in Grand Rapids

Last year I exhibited my work in Grand Rapids, MI as part of Art Prize. This was something I had in my sights for a few years and last year I finally did it. If you are not familiar with Art Prize you must check it out online. Last year 1717 Artists from all over the world created 1517 entries and connected with 161 venues. There is $560,000 in prizes, the largest total purse for any art prize, chosen by both public vote and professional jurors. Read More.

the underpainting, by panel

I exhibited at the MVP Metro Club in downtown Grand Rapids along with good friend and fellow artist Kimberly Kelly Santini. Kim did a series of wonderful pet portraits entitled Cherised. Santini is already planning and prepping for this year's competition, it's a bit easier for her as she's a Michigan native. Me, I have to find a way to get there from here.

Blick shipped me over 15 12x12's in two relatively small packages

I started thinking about Art Prize 2013 in the last couple of weeks, as the registration for artists is now open through June 6th (better get crack-a-lackin'). I really would LOVE to be included again this year, and I really would love to have one rather significant piece, large in format. But how can you ship something 3x5 feet without incurring huge freight costs? 

In addition to freight cost limitations, I got to thinking about the fact that I'm looking at a significant amount of travel in the next few months. My Dancing Daughter has at least two out of town dance competition and convention trips, I am teaching in Atlanta and North Carolina, and the Extended Nelson Family Annual Summer Vacation at the beach is in place for the week July 4th. (When I pack to go to the beach house, all I can manage is a stick easel made for holding up poster boards at best). 

How in the world can I work on a 3x5 foot Art Prize piece being out of the studio for that long?

One small step at a time. 

3x5 feet made up of 12x12 squares

12x12 fits on the back of my seat back tray table. 12x12 fits in the travel bag, 12x12 fits in a suitcase. 12x12 can be worked on in a hotel room, a kitchen table, a dance convention dressing room... are you following me yet?

I've decided to nail together all these smaller boards, sketch and paint them and then separate them. I'll work on them completely separately, putting them away as I create them. Why? I want the reveal of them coming back together to be interesting and surprising and to take on a life of its own!

here they are, nailed together and numbered for the initial stages of sketching and underpainting

And the Fun Begins...

Are you interested in claiming a small piece of my big picture? I'm going to offer PRINTS of the 12x12's on a first come, first served basis in order to sponsor my expenses of not only applying to Art Prize and shipping it in a small box to Michigan, but also to help me fly there to see it installed and to take in the whole experience! (With any luck, Santini will put me up and maybe feed me. If we have any money left over, I'll buy some groceries and the gas for the 3-hour road trip to Grand Rapids)

Sponsor Me

Sponsor my Art Prize Project by pre-purchasing your print of a small piece (or two or three). The prints will be signed 12x12 gallery wrapped canvas giclée on extra deep stretcher bars. You will be able to choose your panel (I will show numbered sections along every step of the process). I will limit the prints to 10 of any one panel, so these will be limited edition, numbered prints.

Signed sponsorship giclée prints will be priced at $60 each, including shipping to anywhere in the continental US. (contact me for international shipping rates). Remember, prints will be limited to 10 of each panel. You may reserve yours at ANY time during the process. Will you commit to your panel at the sketch phase? Will you want to wait for the underpainting? Or will you wait to see exactly what you are getting? It could be a gamble, the longer you wait, once I sell 10, that panel is no longer available!

I'll have purchasing information available in the next few days. I'll accept payments via PayPal with a credit card of PayPal account. I've already worked out my composition and nailed the boards together, so stay close! And here are the sections of the sketch!

the sketch, by panel

The Big Picture

The completed piece will hang with about one inch of space between the 15 original 12x12 panels and will be priced as one. I think that the end result is going to have a very patchwork feeling to it and will be unpredictable, which is kind of exciting. Don't you agree?

Let's see where this takes us. Thank you, as always, for being a part of my art journey.

Elizabeth

For The Birds

10x10 bird on boxed wood panel with hand carved stamping - in progress

This week in San Francisco I tried to keep creating work even though I had a very tough schedule of exploring, eating and drinking. I worked in my room at night, when I could keep my eyes open after walking all day. 

I always bring my work with me, and often times I bring more than I need. "Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it," as my father 'Big Al' was fond of saying. 

This bird was created at a table flooded by natural light, which came into our room full force by about 6:30 every morning. It provided the perfect little spot to spread out my materials. 

This bird is available for $300

email me for details

Thank You for being a part of my art journey

Elizabeth

Courage and Confidence

photo courtesy DouglasNelsonPhotography.com

Wandering around San Francisco, down by the Pier, we came across a kid playing a trumpet and tap dancing. Now it's not every day you see a super talented kid like this (wearing a fedora, no less) just moving and grooving like he was having the time of his life in front of a HUGE group of bystanders.

But I have seen this kid before, he's hard to forget. Last summer while in Los Angeles with my daughter, who was attending a dance convention there, we came across him on Rodeo Drive. My Dancing Diva and I stopped to be a part of the audience for quite some time. "How old do you think he is?" "I don't know Mom, probably younger than me." she said, las summer she was 14.

 

Courage

Watching this young man made me think about just how far a little faith in yourself will take you in life. It's a cyclical thing too, isn't it? The more faith you have, the better you will be, the more faith you will have, the better you will be.... 

Have the courage to try again. Dust yourself off and submit your artwork to the next juried show, or the next call to entries at your local art league. Don't be afraid that you are doomed to be rejected forever. You're not. I almost was, but you're not! I could have wallpapered my studio with rejection letters in the beginning. I really could have. Or, at the very least, I could have made a whole bunch of collages with that paper. But it was on terrible quality paper, anyway. 

It's important to keep trying, that's the only way it will ever work out.

Confidence

You have to believe in yourself. When you put your artwork on there to be judged and juried, you have to have know that if you don't make it into the show, that it's nothing personal.  This kid is dancing and playing and sometimes singing, he misses a note or two here and there, but he hasn't got a care in the world. Because he's got everyone smiling, he's got people stopping to watch him. He's got self confidence regardless of his flaws because in the BIG picture, he rocks.

Confidence makes you bold, makes you strong, makes you willing to take risks, try new things, and put yourself out there. Now who couldn't use some of that?

With art, we all need to remember that not everything appeals to everyone. Art is subjective, it's in the eyes of the beholder. I have taken a collage that was rejected by one juried show away, only to have it win an award at the next show. Keep this in mind.

And yes, I have told you this before. But I just was reminded, that it was about time I told you again. Thanks to the kid in the hat.

And PS, this kid really gets around doesn't he? He's taking his act on the road, one city at a time.

Thank you for being part of my art journey.
Elizabeth

Snail Mail Me

US Mail box at San Francisco City Hall

Letter writing is a dying art form. I call it that, an art form, because of the beauty and individuality of hand writing. Penmanship is something that isn't even taught in school anymore. Did you know that? Sad. Even e-mail is going away in favor of texting! At least I could apply a fancy font and print an email. Not the same, but ...

Over the last few years I have been purchasing old letters from a man in Greece. He sends me these letters, envelopes and all, and I use them in my collage work. Sometimes the letters are done with ink dip pens, the variation in value within the handwriting is lovely. Sometimes the letters are in a foreign language, like German, this is extra special.

Handwriting makes wonderful texture, pattern, and a very unique line.

Send me a note

I'm asking you to write me a letter, that I can use in a collage. Yes! how fun would that be to have hand writing from you, my followers and fans, in my work. Be sure to put some positivity into your note, good thoughts and affirmations. Say something nice about yourself, what kind of day you are having, or some details of your own art journey. Positive vibes have a way of making the art extra special.

Send me your grocery list, send me a doodle, or write me a note! I promise it will find its way into my work. Use an ink that won't smear, so that when I add glue it does not disappear. Some permanent writing material suggestions are:

• crayon
• pencil
• ball point pen
• permanent fine point marker (Faber Castell or something that says "fade proof")

Any of these will do, and a variety would be wonderful! Big letters, small letters, fancy letters, printing, whatever you like. I'll even take a note from your child or grand child, they have the best printing, even if they don't teach them cursive.

Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson
362 W Hornbeam Dr
Longwood, FL 32779

I look forward to hearing from you, and then to tearing up your correspondence into teeny tiny pieces.

Thank you for being a part of my art journey.
Elizabeth