Loveletters to Upstate New York

Come one, come all to the reception for Loveletters to Upstate New York!

February 11, 2:00- 4:00 at the Manlius Library.

The landscape of Upstate New York has been my muse for as long as I have been a painter. The woods, water, trees and flowers have been a never-ending source of inspiration.

Now as I am getting ready to relocate to Lewes Delaware, I hope to find another source of inspiration at the seashore. But I'll never leave my Upstate New York roots behind; I'll still be spending my summers at our camp in Northern New York (aka: The North Country).

Thank you Associated Artists for giving me a chance to do a "last picture show" here in Central New York. 

I hope to see many of you at the reception!

Windy Hill Studio Fall/Winter Newsletter

It's time for the Windy Hill Studio Newsletter!

A Day in the Life of Windy Hill Studio

Posting a Painting Each Day.

Each day on my Facebook page I post a "Good Morning from Windy Hill Studio!" painting. Often people comment that I must be painting continually. I answer them truthfully; some paintings are new and some are old. Some of them I still have with me and some were sold long ago. But the jpeg of the image is something I will always have and I'm grateful for the technology that allows me to do this.

Posting a "Good Morning" painting is the way I start my day in Windy Hill Studio. It is the first item on the daily list, which sometimes includes painting, but also includes paperwork, marketing, lesson plans, photographing artwork and correspondence. So although the "Good Morning" painting might not be a new painting, the act of posting an image each day gets me into the right frame of mind for the daily tasks for Windy Hill Studio.

Daily Tasks

This morning's tasks included ordering frames in time for upcoming shows (and taking advantage of framing supply coupons before they expire), sending out jpegs for Cazenovia Counterpoint in July, and deciding on a couple of paintings for Associated Artists "Of Light and Shadow" show going up this weekend. In this list of tasks I should also include getting a start on this blog post which I will probably have to leave unfinished while I attend a meeting.  And now I've gotta go----------

Roundtable Discussion

And now I'm back after attending a Roundtable discussion at the Wise Women's Business Center. Today's topic: 5 Ways to Get Unstuck in the Face of Creative Burnout--always a timely topic for artists balancing the creative and business life. Sometimes after doing the business of art it is hard to jump back into the creative mode. At this time of year I am gearing up for the Spring/Summer/Fall tourist season along the St. Lawrence River/Thousand Islands as well as participating in a number of shows in Central New York. So creative energy is sometimes sapped by the business part of maintaining a successful studio. Taking advantage of things like the roundtable discussions definitely helps to put me back on track.

So What Am I Working on Now?

Currently in my studio I have four paintings in progress and one finished. Three of the in-progress paintings are pictured here along with Amy the Studio Assistant Cat. After last week's purple paint incident Amy has been surprisingly docile in the studio.

Two of the paintings (lighthouses) are earmarked for shops in the Thousand Islands area. Reproductions of the paintings will become prints and cards sold in the shops. Another painting needs to be finished by tomorrow to go in to a show this weekend. A few color adjustments need to be made and the wrap around canvas sides need to be painted. And the very soft watercolor was a demo piece for my Watercolor: the Basics class at the Eye Studio. It is quietly beckoning me to finish the piece.

There is one more in-progress painting, not pictured here, just lightly sketched on watercolor paper. Another by-product of teaching--always need to have a demo ready to go.

So it looks like I will be pleasantly busy for a while. Stay tuned. There should be some new paintings posted soon!

10 Days of Walking in the Winter Wonderland, Day 4

"Twosome"

It's Day 4 of 10 Days of Walking in the Winter Wonderland!

So for those of you who can't get into the Christmas spirit without a covering of snow on the ground I am presenting 10 days of snowscapes. And as promised here are the Cardinals. 

I'll bet you were expecting this painting:

I have painted a few Cardinal paintings. I love the contrast of their bright red plumage against the heavy winter sky. Even the female with her brown coloring still has quite a bit of orange and red popping through, making these birds easy to spot as they perch in the trees. Last year I painted the grouping of Cardinals for the Art of Winter Show at the Thousand Islands Arts Center. The painting won a Staff Pick Award and sold before the end of the show.

"Twosome" was painted for Associated Artists Holiday Show "Off the Wall", which gives customers the opportunity to purchase a painting and take it home that day instead of waiting till the end of the show. "Twosome" sold during the first week of the show so I guess I am not the only person who like cardinals.

Both paintings were done in watercolor, using crinkled plastic wrap on the wet surface to create a texture. When the plastic wrap is removed it leaves behind a random textured pattern of lines and creases which can be used as is, or enhanced with more pigment to create a sense of depth. The sky in  "Twosome" has touches of yellow to add warmth and the feeling of a bit of sunlight peeking through the clouds. The sky in "Cardinals" is definitely a winter sky; much colder although there is a very small bit of yellow and alizarin crimson to warm it up here and there for contrast.

You can read more about this technique by clicking on the link to a related post below.

Related Posts:

http://joanapplebaumart.blogspot.com/2014/12/for-birds-adding-life-to-subtle.html

Tomorrow: We're going skiing! (in our painting) I'll meet you at the chair lift!

Painting is for the Birds!

"Twosome"

Christmas "Card"

Last week I found myself returning to a familiar theme. Cardinals in a winter landscape. I have painted a grouping of cardinals sitting on a branch last year.  I love the contrast of their brilliant plumage against the somber winter sky.

Both paintings are watercolors in which I used crumpled cellophane layered over wet paint to create an abstract background. In this case I wanted the look of snowy branches crisscrossing against the sky. The paint was allowed to pool around the folds and creases, so that when the cellophane was removed there was a network of lines and shapes to work from.

Using those lines and shapes I added depth to the paintings by darkening some areas and keeping other areas untouched. The contrast of the dark and light and push/pull of warm and cool colors created the illusion of depth. The brilliantly colored cardinals stand out nicely against the cool winter sky.

And Now What????

Twosome is already matted and framed and in a couple off weeks (unless it sells) headed to the Associated Artist show "Off the Wall" at the Manlius Library. 

Gift Fair at Natur-Tyme

Twosome and Christmas "Card" will both be available as greeting cards and prints at the Holiday Gift Fair at Nature-Tyme Dec. 4, noon - 7:00 pm.   Address: 3160 Erie Blvd. East, Dewitt

Maybe I will see you there!

What's Next at Windy Hill Studio?

"Time Found"

What's Next at Windy Hill Studio?

The calendar says Fall and so does the weather, but this Fall is little different for me. I have always viewed fall as a time of new beginnings. I guess it is that I am a perennial student or teacher, so for me the new beginnings tend to start in September.

But for the first time in several years I will not be returning to teach at the Y Arts Studio. It was tough decision but it was time for a change. I've gotta say though, I miss my students already.

So what's next? Well for starters there were 3 commissions to complete this fall. Two have already been finished and delivered to happy customers. I'll be starting sketches for the third one next week.

Teaching???

And I'll still be teaching but probably not till 2016: time and dates to be announced. I am set on the locations: Sackets Harbor Arts Center and The Thousand Islands Arts Center. There is also a possibility that I will be teaching a class or workshop at the Arts Center in Hamilton.

Bay House Artisans

Meanwhile, we are still going strong at Bay House Artisans in Alexandria Bay. The Fall weather brings out plenty of tourists by bus, boat or cruise ship, so we still have a lot of activity in town. I will be dropping off a supply of holiday themed merchandise later this week.

The Lyric Coffeehouse and Bistro

The Lyric, in Clayton is carrying my Woodlands and Waterways 2016 Calendar, as well as a few small framed prints. The Lyric is a great place to have lunch, dinner or just coffee. If you stop in during the Fall try their pumpkin spiced latte!

Shows

The summer was a wonderful time for me for art events. The Artists Studio Tour in 1000 Islands was very successful and my show at the Sackets Harbor Arts Center received lots of attention. Sales were good too.

During the Fall I will be participating in a few group shows: Snowy Splendor at the Onondaga Historical Association, Associated Artists Fall Show at the Manlius Library and The North Country Arts Council Show in Watertown. 

I have just one solo show scheduled for early winter. It's at the Auburn Unitarian Universalist Church in December. Since the artwork is hung in the sanctuary I'll most likely have several soft soothing winter scenes to carry the congregation past the holiday mayhem and into the bleak midwinter.

And last but not least..........

I've got to finish my homework from the art marketing class I took last Spring! 

Although I was able to implement many of the ideas from the class, I didn't have a chance to try everything. So now you know what's on my schedule!

Joan Applebaum Art Goes Green - In County Clare

It's Day 16 of my blog "going green" for St. Patrick's Day and today's painting comes to you from County Clare.

The location pictured here is just past the main tourist area of the Cliffs of Moher. After exploring the view from the cliffs (magnificent!!) and walking along the meandering path away from the tourist area I found this country road. Road!?! Okay more like a cowpath. And there actually were cows grazing on the hills, possibly contemplating the view.

Although the Cliffs were fabulous and the view from them fabulous as well, I was really intrigued by this simple country cowpath. I loved the perspective of the path and fence line all leading down toward the sea. The views in every direction begged to be painted, and probably have been a million times. So here's one more!

I am planning to put this painting in Associated Artists 50 Shades of Green show which opens next week March 28 at the Manlius Library.

"Going Green"

Since March 1, I have been posting Irish themed paintings on my blog. If this is your first visit to my blog and you like the Irish theme I'm working with you might want to look at some of the posts from previous days. All the Irish paintings will be dated March 1 - 17. You should be able to access all of the posts from any of the links below.

Joan Applebaum Art Goes Green - Love Irish Dance

Joan Applebaum Art Goes Green - Parade Day

Joan Applebaum Art Goes Green - Arches and Shadows From County Tipperary

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day

And it will be my last post from my "Going Green" promotion. I hope you have enjoyed these posts as much as I have enjoyed putting them together. I didn't realize how much Irish art I had! 

Tomorrow's post will feature the Queen of the Slip Jig and a bonus painting.

Slainte!

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