Somethin's Fishy and It's 5 O'clock Somewhere

Breaking Out

A couple of weeks ago I decided it was time to break away from the watercolor and acrylic landscapes for a bit. I had been thinking of experimenting with mono-prints.  I had taught a mono-print class at the Y Arts Studio a couple of years ago and really enjoyed experimenting by adding other media to embellish the final piece. 

So I printed several color field backgrounds (it looked like Mark Rothko had invaded my studio---Ok that's an Art History reference --you can look it up). Anyway, when the color fields had dried I added the focal points by printing fish stencils on the top print, and creating martini and wine glass shapes out of cardboard for the other mono-print. The shaggy borders were made by inking cardboard scraps and printing them to help define the picture plane. (I actually used paint, not ink but you get the idea.)

After all of that had dried I added other decorative elements with markers and stenciled letters. The process is a lot of fun and it's very freeing to break out into something new and different.

10 Days of Walking in the Winter Wonderland, Day 6

"Winter Morning"

It's Day 6 of 10 Days of Walking in the Winter Wonderland!

The 10 Days of snowscapes and other winter-related themes are dedicated to the folks who can't get into the Christmas spirit without a covering of snow on the ground.

Today we are in the woods, specifically in my backyard at camp. I woke up one morning to find the sunlight streaming through the trees and all sorts of gorgeous colors sparkling on the new fallen snow. I took a few reference photos and did a few sketches and a few days later began the painting.

I love finding the color in the winter; the long purple and blue shadows on the snow and bits of yellows and pinks sparkling in the sunlight. Unfortunately here in Central New York we seldom see the bright side of winter. We hardly ever get to ski with the sun on our backs. Instead we have low hanging gray clouds or no clouds at all just a dull sky and dead white snow. If we do see the sun, it is usually accompanied by frigid temperatures. And yes, this painting was inspired by one of those cold frigid North Country days.

This is one of my favorite winter paintings and it recently sold which makes me happy that someone else likes it enough to buy it.

A couple of years ago I posted a lesson to my painting students at the Y Arts Studio who had seen me begin this painting but did not get to see the finished piece as I was putting it in the Art of Winter Show at the Thousand Islands Arts Center. You can read more about the technical aspects of the piece at the  link below.

Related Link:

http://joanapplebaumart.blogspot.com/2013/01/for-my-painting-studentsfinishing.html

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!

Spring Triumphant!

Spring Triumphant!

On Wednesday I posted a photo on Facebook of a painting in progress. I was doing a hallway demo at the Y to attract people to our art programs...yup I'm just a big distraction out there in the hall!

I later finished the piece in my studio at home, as the snow was flying outside. The flowers and the warm background colors really helped to take the chill off the unseasonably cold week.

Shown here is the finished piece, titled Spring Triumphant.

I will be teaching an acrylic painting class on Monday nights 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm at the Y Arts Studio, East Area Family YMCA in Fayetteville, NY

The class begins on May 4. You can call the Y at 315 637-2025 ext 216 for more information regarding registration. All supplies are included in the reasonable class fee and the class is open to YMCA members and non-members.

Hope to see you there!

Related post
Make a splash With Acrylic Paint!
http://joanapplebaumart.blogspot.com/2015/04/make-splash-with-acrylic-paint.html

Make a Splash with Acrylic Paint

Waterlilies!
Acrylic on canvas by Joan Applebaum

Make a Splash with Acrylic Paint!

I am teaching an acrylic painting class at the Y Arts Studio May 4 - June 15. Come on in and give it a try! No experience necessary; this is a beginner class.

Acrylic Painting Class for Adults and Teens

Mondays 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Y Arts Studio, East Area Family YMCA, 200 Towne Drive Fayetteville, NY

Register now. Classes are open to YMCA members and Non-members. All supplies included. Classes begin the week of May 3 and run for 6 weeks. Class will not be held on Memorial Day May 25. Final class on June 15.

For more information call the Y Arts Studio 637-2025 ext 216.

Register Now for Drawing Class

To build a good foundation in visual art start with a Drawing Class!

Registration for the Spring II Session is going on now at the
Y Arts Studio, East Area Family YMCA, 200 Towne Drive Fayetteville, NY

LEARN TO DRAW (Adults)
Wednesdays, 9:30 am - 11:30 am

Drawing is a skill that can be easily mastered when you learn the basics. In this class we will be covering line, shape, form, perspective and shading as we learn their importance in realistic drawing.

Classes begin the week of May 3 and run for 6 consecutive weeks.

Advance registration is required for this class.

Open to YMCA Members and Non-members; all supplies included.
Call the Arts Studio 637-2025 ext 216 for more information.

Art Meets Craft

What if you took all those really cool scrapbooking doodads and combined them with more traditional art materials? Like watercolor?  Or colored pencils? And then added some stamping, maybe a few "scrabble-type letters", some interesting glass tiles from the hardware store?
What would you get? Well I hope it would be art! 

In our upcoming Spring Session at the YMCA Arts Studio I'm teaching a class on Wednesday mornings called Art Meets Craft. We will be working with collage and artist book ideas with a few crafty elements thrown into the mix as well. Watercolors, colored pencils and decorative papers (and the aforementioned doodads) will come out of the cabinets and onto the table in a grand mix as we put the elements and principles of design to work.

Pictured here are a couple of samples from the class which will meet for 6 consecutive Wednesdays 9:30 am - 11:30 am starting the first week in March. You can call the Y Arts Studio for more info: 315 637-2025 ext 216 or message me. 

Hope to see you there. I'll bring the supplies, and the coffee. You bring the inspiration.


Above: "To Sleep Perchance to Dream" collage.
Below: "Before We Were" section of star-shaped artist book

A New Year at Windy Hill Studio

The new year always finds me planning direction for the upcoming months. I'm usually lining up teaching opportunities for spring and summer, looking for possibilities for showing new work and
deciding what to paint and when to paint it. The winter months are slower for me; most of my gallery/sales opportunities are in the late Spring, Summer and Fall. So the winter is the time for planning and painting.

The winter itself presents endless possibilities for painting; sunlight on new fallen snow is full of subtle shifting colors. Yeah...I know, we don't see a lot of sunlight in the winter here in Central New York. But those heavy leaden skies can have a somber beauty to them too.

One of my plans for the new year is an update to my website. That update will be coming in the next few weeks after I gather together the newest images and write some new text. And delete the sold paintings!

I am currently teaching two painting classes at the Y Arts Studio: Watercolor and Acrylic. In both classes I am working on winter landscapes as my demo pieces, also intending to use them in the Art Of Winter Show at the Thousand Islands Arts Center in Clayton. During the winter months I have plans to paint a few "River" pieces which will be exhibited in the Thousand Islands areas; specifically Bay House Artisans in Alexandria Bay and The TI Arts Center Gift Shop in Clayton. Boldt Castle, Singer Castle, the Thousand Islands Bridge and the Lighthouse at Tibbett's Point are all on my list of paintable images!

I have submitted my plans for summer classes at the Thousand Islands Arts Center. This year I will be teaching Watercolor and Acrylic Painting for adults and a Parent/Child painting workshop as well.
Last summer I divided my time between camp and home. Many of my teaching and work opportunities were in the North Country/Thousand Islands, so I spent quite a bit of time at camp...always a great place to relax and at the same time be inspired by the scenic landscape. This year I plan to do the same. Windy Hill Studio North has been recently renovated and is a nice cozy spot to paint while my cats doze in the dappled sunlight streaming through the windows.

I will still be teaching Drawing and Painting classes at the Y for adults and various types of studio classes for kids.and I plan to teach at least 2 weeks of Y Arts Camp this summer at Stone Quarry Hill Art Park.

I'm looking forward to a pleasantly busy winter of teaching, painting and preparing for the summer shows. I have an exhibit now at the Y Arts Gallery titled "Camp". My intention in this show is to capture those timeless and intimate moments shared by all who live life in the outdoors. I am continuously inspired by the land, sky and water. It is my hope that this show will bring back memories of what it was like to be a kid at camp: splashing your canoe paddles in the water, canon-balling off the dock into the lake, running through the grass to catch fireflies and staying up late to roast marshmallows around the campfire while re-hashing the day's escapes.

I hope I bring back a few memories of the good old days at camp, whether they were 10 years ago, 50 years ago or just last summer.

Painting in the Y Arts Studio

It never fails...when I am teaching an evening painting class, a teen wanders in. You know the type; excited by the mere presence of paint, ink, clay. Just lives for art. "Can I paint?" they ask. I have to reply, "well, this is a class. You need to register for this". "Oh, can I just watch?" "Sure." And so goes another night of painting at the Y Arts Studio.

When most people think of the YMCA they think of "swim and gym" and then maybe about the week they spent at a Y camp as a child. And then of course that song runs through their heads. Thanks to the Village People and popular culture the Y will probably always be identified as the only place that has its own song and dance.

In recent years many of the Y's have added art studios, so now we have a place to work our brains as well as our bodies. The East Area Family YMCA offers classes for budding artists of all ages which creates an interesting blend in the studio.

On a typical day we see little children covered in paint and glitter being led to the sink to clean up, as the adult clay classes wait anxiously outside the studio craning their necks to see if the kiln has been unloaded and whether or not their piece survived. There is a music lesson going on in Music Studio 2, providing a soundtrack to the setting. Outside the studio, in the bustling hallway people glance through the windows on their way to or from their workout.

Monday and Tuesday evenings are always busy, and those are the nights I teach painting. There seems to be a non-stop procession of people on their way to the gym; always in a hurry. But on the way out, they are moving much more slowly and often stop outside the studio to watch the painters' progress. If we are working from a still life, our audience spends a bit more time checking the paintings, making comparisons and often giving a thumbs up to the artist. My adult students don't seem to mind the audience and in fact will often turn their painting toward the windows to give a better view of their work.

But I really enjoy watching the students who are so involved in their painting that they have no idea that anyone is watching them. Working intently on mixing the right colors or capturing the curve of a line, they suddenly look up to see group of teens holding basketballs and gym clothes, grinning at them, nodding enthusiastically. Painting in the Arts Studio is somewhat like painting in a fishbowl. You are always on display. Often art is a solitary pursuit, where the artist has absolutely no contact or feedback from anyone until they have finished their painting. In some ways that is good, but we also need community. We need to share ideas and provide positive commentary. Little missteps we make in the course of creating our art are never quite as upsetting when we are surrounded by a supportive group of fellow artists to get us back on track.

And when you get back on track...you can usually count on a thumbs up from someone in the hallway!