The Woodlands Artist, My Studio

Welcome to my studio! This is The Room Where it Happens.🎬.  Remember when you look at this that Einstein said that an empty desk meant an empty mind and his space was a mess! 

The work Behind a Painting

How do you prepare yourself for a piece of work?  As for me, my paintings don’t just jump out.  Idea, brainstorm, lots of thumbnail sketches .  Finally, getting the drawing onto the paper or canvas and then working out the colors.  This swatch?  I had a painting ready and wanted to choose three good, warm colors that would compliment each other.  So, when you see anybody’s art , appreciate it for how much consideration and work has gone into it.  AND... this is a hint of things to come!! 

New Studio Work

I am really loving the new designs coming out of my studio. It’s been an exploration of color and texture.

This piece is a good example. It’s heavy cotton rag paper, so the surface is uneven.  So, when I print the design, it takes in places, and doesn’t in others.  Also, I’ve got layers of color-changing and shimmery paints underneath, and they all accept or don’t accept paint in different ways.  

This adds up to some cool effects and textures!  It reminds me of flocked wallpaper.  Remember that?!  Really cool to touch and an affordable price too. 🙂. Good combination. At a mere $35.00, you can find it at www.colorcatstudios101.etsy.com.  Please help starving artists - man, business has NOT been good during this quarantine!

Quarantine Time

Well, since we’re all quarantined I’ve sequestered myself in my studio and surrounding myself in violets and indigos.  I almost never show a painting before it’s done, but this background is just... so... cool. ❤️ 

An Artist Has Needs Too!

Wow!  You have no idea how happy I am that I found gloves!!!  Trust me, artists need gloves for safety too.  Stay healthy, friends. #covid #quarantine

An Artist’s Voice

There is so much more to being a professional artist than you could ever dream.  You have to wear pretty much every hat known to man.  I need to be able to write about my work, know how to post on every social media known to man and keep current with them.  Managing time, managing money, chasing payments.  Researching shows, galleries, other artists, booking shows.  Preparing for shows.Photographing my work and editing. Maintaining blog and websites. Continually searching for new venues. Knowing how to take money in many ways. Working on contacts.

Here’s my white sheet-draped studio, converted to a makeshift photography studio:

I donate time and art and continually have people ask. What I’ve found is it RARELY helps my business.  It usually costs and hurts the price of the art I’m selling.  Think about it, I spend ten hours creating a piece of art which I donate and get nothing but ‘advertising,’ which 98% of the time counts for nothing.  That ten hours costs me.  How much are you paid for ten hours at your job?  What are hours worth for those in business that have worked all their lives to get to that point in their careers? Don’t stop asking, but I’m choosy now and usually pick where I want to donate carefully to causes that I truly believe in.  I’m blessed and I love blessing others, but I’m sometimes tired.

Learning the ins and outs of this baby is time-consuming.  I know all about composition and what I want, but, there’s a lot to learn digitally and mechanically.

Teaching classes.  I write my curriculum and change lesson plans every year. I have written BOOKS and compiled shelves of curriculum.  Each book is about three inches thick.  You can stack them to your hips.  People say, ‘you should publish books.’  Yep.  In all that spare time. Studying art and art history.  Just ask. Anything you want to know about art. Writing class plans. Preparing each week, preparing examples, sending assignments out. Teaching privates, setting up summer classes, laying plans, getting materials, writing, advertising, creating brochures, content and business cards, speaking at conferences and gatherings, conventions, giving demos.

(I’m under the hat, cocked at an odd angle to keep the light out of my eyes.  The big painting is our oldest, eyebrows raised asking me if I like his stupid glasses (we enjoy trying on stupid glasses together).

I make art because I must.  I believe that artists are God’s gift to man to encourage this world and to give Hope.  Our Creator made us creative in His image and my response is to make art inspired by His creation.  I almost forgot MAKING ART! Trust me, that’s what I want to do all the time, but it’s hard to get to it with all this.  I would LOVE to have more time to make art.  I’m sure I’ve missed things but to sum it up, it’s demanding and often discouraging.  I work A LOT.  Do not become an artist unless you ABSOLUTELY CANNOT HELP YOURSELF!!  As for me, I absolutely cannot help myself.  Although it’s difficult, I love my job.  So, please encourage your artist friends which also means monetarily.  Honestly, folks, an artist can only take so many ‘I love your works’ without anybody putting the money where his mouth is.  Buy stuff from your artist friends!  That way we can keep on keeping on, to encourage YOU. 

Studio Artist, Paintbrushes

The dirty truth.  My brushes may LOOK dirty here, but in reality they’re actually quite clean, thank you.  I don’t care a lot about the handles and paint dries on them anyway while I’m painting but the bristles are another story.  I may even be a little anal about brushes.  If you see anything that looks dirty in my bristles it’s not paint but a brush cleaner and preservative. I thoroughly clean the brushes, then load them with ‘The Master’s Brush Cleaner and Preservative.’ I’ll let them dry and leave them like this until I use them again, then I just wash them out.  Good stuff.  And at the price of good paint brushes, well worth the price.  And... do you see a couple rubbery-tipped ‘brushes?’ They’re for drawing into wet paint. :)

An Artist’s Palette

I love working with this silver paint by Golden Products.  It’s SUPER shiny and silvery.  Paints and other materials really can make or break a painting.  If you want great work, use great stuff.

New Year’s Resolution - Cleaning

Let’s take a moment to laud the lowly stir stick.  Beautiful in their own right where would we be without them, after all?  As for me, I’d have very colorful fingers. Today is studio cleaning day which involves a lot of gathering and putting things into their rightful place.

The background is a handmade linen scarf we bought from a vendor in Belgium.  We were traveling on a particularly chilly day.  Gary bought a sweatshirt, I bought this scarf.  The two items made our day and we were nice and cozy after that!  I first laid the stir sticks on my desk, but the desk looks the same so it was like they were wearing camouflage.  Had to find a plain background! 🤭

This unsung paint sticks really ARE beautiful, aren’t they? And now I actually have them all in one place instead of scattered all over the house and garage.  Maybe.  Now... what else can I organize around here...

An Artist’s Palette

Palette of the Day.  I think they’re beautiful just the way they are.  More than once I’ve thought I’d like to publish a book of studio images and palettes; really, I think it’s just all so beautiful.  I’ve been spending a lot more time in the studio these days, and one of my (multitudinous) goals is to spend even more time creating.  It’s a constant battle to get it all done, as I am sure you know.  Not sure about those books; I have a lot in me but finding the time to get it all out is a continual challenge.  Anybody else feeling this?

Happy New Year Artist Desk

Happy new year!  From my desk to yours.  My desk is sporting a lot of Golden paints, my favorite, Bubba!  When I get into the throes of painting I leave a wake of a mess behind me.  That’s what we’ve got here; I’m lucky to get the lids on straight.  Once finished with my work I go back and open each lid, clean off dry or oozing paint and get the lids on nice and tight.  As for the mugs?  The sock monkey has got to be my favorite student gift this year.  I think it came filled with cocoa or something.  Makes me smile every time I look at it.  The Nashville mug represents our church choir’s trip there this fall.  It was AWESOME!  We sang at the Ryman Auditorium, made a recording, went to the Country Music Hall of Fame, rode Segues all over town - SOO fun - toured Nashville in so many ways, went to the Johnny Cash museum, enjoyed the Dove Awards... and ate at Peg Leg Porker’s.  Wow.  Some of the best food we’ve ever HAD.

An Artist’s Palette

What is this, you ask?  Why, thank you for asking!  It’s our... dum de da bum.... Palette of the Day!  (so exciting).  This palette represents something I don’t get much of a chance to do - artist’s play. Mixing colors, adding white, lowering the colors with black, etc.  This kind of ‘play’ is actually really key to an artist’s understanding and use of color.  Second pic is my results.  Work like this, which I find relaxing and rejuvenating, is super important to my ‘serious’ work. 

Studio Art Work

This is some of the work behind my paintings.  I take meticulous notes which stand behind the legacy of my art for future repairs, new work or whatever.  These are my records for kitty noses for a piece for a client.  I have years of notebooks like this, all dated and labeled.  When you purchase my work, you’re purchasing an heirloom.  Best products, archival and acid free. Www.colorcatstudios101.etsy.com.

www.colorcatstudios101.etsy.com

The Day in the Life of an Artist

The day in the life of an artist? It’s complicated and varies a lot, but there is an underlying current that unites my days.  I work a LOT.  If you’re contemplating a career, do not think ‘I would like to be an artist, it’d be fun to just paint all day.’  If ‘artist’ is your choice it’s because you MUST be an artist and have no other choice!  Being an artist is hard work!  Mine is 70 hours/week.

So, what did I do today, a typical day in my life?

• My first job was to take a payment on a sold painting with my Square.
• Reached out to a designer that I want to work with in the future.
• Breakfast - social media.  I’m more of a content creator because it’s my business.  I try to post on my blog, Facebook, Instagram, Linked In and sometimes Pinterest.  It’s how I generate business.  Artists need to be good writers.
• Worked on a commission
• Made a couple painting videos
• A few more touches on that commission so it will dry for the next layer...
• Went to the gym and worked out and swam for a couple hours
• Took a nap!
• Social media posting.  I’d like to paint all day but the paintings would sit in our house and have conventions if I did only that.  An artist these days should paint only 10% of the time and work on the business the other 90% of the time.
• Continuing work on that commission. 
• A nice cozy fire with my hubby and daughter.  Recruited them to help me finish some coasters; preparing for an upcoming Christmas show.
• I teach five art classes and completely write my own curriculum so I worked on class preparation tonight.  It takes me an average of six hours a week to prepare and maintain my classes, which does not include teaching them, ordering supplies, transit, cleanup, emails answering questions, preparing my own work to use as examples, researching art history, sending assignments, ‘student management,’ chasing payments.
• Conversation with clients, having them check on almost-finished piece.
• Watched one TV show with fam and enjoyed our fire.
• Stumbling around doing house things and last check of social media.
• BED!

This is a typical day, but they vary widely.  The underlying tie is discipline.  Don’t even contemplate an artistic career unless you are one disciplined human!  So... if you’re interested in the arts, it would be a lot easier instead of producing art yourself to just buy mine!! :)

Also, there’s a myth about artists looking fab and wearing high heels when the paint.  Forget that.  Just forget it.  HERE is the dirty truth!

An Artist’s Palette

Palette of the Day.  My most-used tool.  I think palettes are beautiful.  This one represents animal fur and animal noses. :)

Creative, Problems

This was my morning layout to get resin on all these pieces.  It was an adventure, to be sure.  I learned a few things - 1.  An assistant is a must (thanks, Noah and Melody)!  2.  If you work with resin in 100 degree heat, the exothermic reaction will kick into high gear and the resin will burn your hand (even through gloves,) and 3.  Whilst getting your hand burned turn off the blowtorch so you don’t start a secondary fire.  This said, I am READY to continue the work EARLY in the supposed cool of the morning and have made up my mind to never do this with my art classes. I like my students to have adventures, but not quite THIS much adventure! Watch here and my website in the coming days for all these lovely coasters, and a couple small paintings, to be added. :) 

Art Decision Making

Okay, so here’s the problem, and one reason why it’s so wonderful to get a perfect piece.  I adore this 8x10.  I love the colors, the way they flow and intermingle, the shapes... everything.  Except for the leaf stuck in the paint.  What would you do? I could try tweezering it off, but the chance of ruining the entire piece is about 85%.  I could just pour resin over the whole thing and call it art... hmmm?

Other things that can happen?  People mowing and blowing down the street - flying debris.  Insects, twigs, dirt... the paint literally sliding off once I get it ‘set’ and ruining the entire composition... cats and rats and elephants... SOOOO when I get one I like - I REJOICE!  Let me know what you think about my LEAF painting.  Would you buy a painting with a leaf? 

Honestly, for me, it’s so beautiful I’m just not willing to risk ruining the whole thing to remove one leaf.

Blowtorch Artist Portrait

I have a blowtorch and I know how to use it!  What is it for, you ask?  So glad you asked!  It’s to heat any bubbles that form in paint pours so they expand and pop.  Nobody wants unsightly bubbles! The difficulty comes in not scorching or affecting the paint in any way whilst popping bubbles.  Tread lightly!  I’m working hard preparing for the Market Street Art Show coming in September!

Pennants Painting

Pennants for sale!  I thought we needed a little breezy pick-me-up to bring us out of these summer doldrums.  Can’t you just feel the breeze? This painting is for sale on my website and is guaranteed to freshen and fun-up any place you put it.  Because of the warm vs. cool colors it’s extremely hard to photograph.  The photos showing the bright pennants are true to the pennants, but wash out the background.  The ones that make the background glow in turn make the pennants dull.  Just look at them all and believe that the background is bright and interesting and the pennants virtually glow. Here are four different photos; put them all together and they still won’t be as pretty as the original!

The following one isn’t quite this green, but the underlying greens really do glow through the blues.  Also, the flags glow like this and you can see a little texture through them.

The following photo shows better the true colors of the background, but the flags don’t look this dark at all.  You can see here that the background colors really are myriad and can see some of it leaning toward pink.

This last one is truer to the flags, but I’ve also got some of those nasty old reflections in it.  Sigh.

Inspiration?  Well, if I’m driving somewhere and see pennants flapping, I often give in to an irresistible urge, make a u-turn and park under them for a few delightful moments.  Yep.  You should too.  Might just make your day.  Check them out at www.colorcatstudios101.etsy.com.

www.colorcatstudios101.etsy.com

Now, two more:

This first one shows how nice the flag looks, but the background is totally whited out.  This is what I’m talkin’ about!  These flags are gorgeous!

And now this, the flag looks dark and dreary, but the background is more true to color.  I need a personal photographer!  At any rate, this painting glows with color, texture and layers.  It’s just so fascinating to study it will draw you in and you will be LOST WITHIN ITS DEPTHS.

Studio Space of a Creative

Wow.  What a difference five years makes!  My studio before it went into heavy use and now.

What can I say but that I know where everything in this studio resides? Do you know where everything is in your office or workspace?

You would notice the totally goofy charcoal of a rebellious cat; we had to force feed him for some time and that’s where this came from, haha!  The beardy dude in black and white on canvas is our oldest son.  He and I used to enjoy trying on stupid glasses at places like Walmart and making silly faces at each other. :). You’re going to have to ask about the bowling pins.