TRANSPARENCY / OPACITY

Paint that is transparent will allow light to pass through it. You will be able to see through transparent paint. Opaque paint will absorb and reflect light. This paint you will not be able to see through. Most manufacturers indicate transparent, semitransparent or opaque on their labels.


DRYING TIME

The drying time is not printed on paint labels. Different pigments have different drying times. Some oil paints can be touch-dry in hours, others can take weeks (depending on thickness of paint, dilution, and ground absorbancy).


PIGMENTS

Pigments come from many sources, such as minerals and metal oxides, or from organic
Sources, such as plant and animal substances. There are many synthetic versions that equal, or even improve on, most of the characteristics of the natural pigments.


MEDIUMS

Medium is the term for the fluid that surrounds the pigment and facilitates its application onto a surface. In the case of oil paints, the medium consists principally of the binder and the thinner.


THINNERS

If paint is diluted with oil alone it may wrinkle, crack, become yellow, or take too long to dry. So a thinner is mixed with the paint to help aid the flow and drying time.


VARNISHING

Varnish is a protective coating for the painting. A varnish can be matte, gloss, or something in-between. Varnish paintings six months to a year after completion, depending on the thickness of the layers and types of pigments and mediums used. After many years of exposure to the atmosphere, the varnish may have absorbed substances that darken or discolor the appearance of the picture. In this case it can be removed and replaced.

I made a few small changes in the classroom this week by removing the big mirror and rearranging my art work differently. I'm getting ready for "Open Studio Art Tour". Yes I know it's a bit early, but with my busy schedule I wanted to be prepared.

I'm also working out plans for this years Christmas Preview. The students and I are hashing out ideas for our art project. At this point all I know is it's going to be anther big painting.

Over twenty years ago I wrote a lot of poems. Lately I’ve been reading through them and realized how much I’ve grown since then. Most of them no longer fit who I am today. A few of them can still make me feel the intensity of the emotions I had way back then. However, one is as true today as it was when I wrote it in July of 1989.

DUST ON THE SHELF

I take myself gently by the hand and listen to my fears and needs.

I comfort my soul in time of grief as I cry upon my knees.

With positive thoughts I will face the many tragedies that will come.

And always remember I’m important no matter how insecure I become.

No one understands or cares for me better than myself.

I must try never to forget I exist, like the dust on the shelf.

No piece of art is greater than the mind God has given me.

I alone have the power to control my destiny.

Nobody can destroy that which I have Built.

Save for one, the dreaded enemy in myself.

My foes may be many but no one is stronger than I.

And like the dust on the shelf, I will always be standing by.

I'm writing this post because I really want to know how many ways your life is effected by art and why it is important to you. Do you even think about it? How many different ways does it effect you?

Art comes in so many forms. Some you might not even think of as art. When you go to a fine restaurant and taste a beautifully prepared meal do you think about the talented chef who made it for you? Or what about the person who decorated that beautiful birthday cake or wedding cake. What about the clothes you ware. Did you know someone had to design and sew them before you could ware them? What about the music you listen to or the movies and television shows you watch.

So tell me how art fits into your life.

Or how do you know you don't?

Many visitors come into the classroom, oohing and awing my work and that of my students and often say "I have no talent to do that" or "I've always wanted to paint but I'm just not talented enough".

The truth is talent can be learned. Very few of us are born with natural talent. Most of us have to work hard to gain our skills. The best way to find out if you have a talent for painting is to first learn how to paint and practice a lot. It takes time and the willingness to develop a talent. Artists of every medium whether it be music, acting, dancing, sculpting, cooking or painting, first have to learn how to play an instrument, sing, act, dance, sculpt, cook or paint.

When we were children we were taught the ABC's in order to read and numbers, in order to count.  Our teachers and parents encouraged us to practice and memorize our letters and numbers so that we could become skilled at reading, writing and arithmetic. These are learned skills. Learning how to paint is no different. first you must know the ABC's of how to create a painting. Color mixing, application, composition, values, style and technique are just a few of those ABC's.

So if you have "Always wanted to paint" Whats stopping you? Come by my studio, lets talk. You might surprise yourself.

                         

I don't have to think twice about the answer to this question. The single most inspirational and influential art teacher I have known is Lola Owen, my mother. She was my first oil painting teacher at the age of 16, teaching me how to mix and apply paint to canvas at our kitchen table. The thing that is most inspiring about her is her journey into the arts.

Lola was a stay at home mom, raising 5 daughters while dad worked to support us. Her creative skills helped to keep the modest income my dad made balanced. She sewed most of our clothes, designed and created our Christmas ornaments, made clothes for our dolls and created toys for us to play with. She took flower arranging and cake decorating classes at night, often bringing home amazing creations. Some of her cakes were so beautiful and took her such a long time to make it pained her to see us devour them in minutes. Mom spent a lot of time teaching us everything she learned in those classes. Each of my sisters and I learned the things that interested us. I enjoyed the sewing and flower arranging more than the cake decorating.

In 1974 our family moved to Kings Beach which is on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe, I was 15 at the time. The move created a few problems for our family. For some of us, the over active out of control teenage girls, it meant a new school, meeting new people and creating new friendships. For my parents it meant new jobs, building a new home and the never ending battle of controlling out of control teenage girls. Learning a whole new way of life was very challenging. All of us had to much time on our hands and some of us got into trouble quite often. Lola (mom) solved this problem for herself by taking up oil painting. The classes were held in a back room of a gift shop on the other side of the lake, a hour drive from where we lived. She commuted to the South Shore every week, even during big snow storms. When she brought home her first painting, a 24 x 36 Seascape,  we were all amazed. My father, at first, thought she had purchased the painting. It took a bit of convincing to get dad to realize she had in fact painted it.

After a year of commuting to class and with a growing inventory of paintings, the need to find a place to display all the fine work Lola created became another problem. There were no galleries on the North Shore area of Tahoe at the time. My father decided to share a small space at the Sheet Metal shop he owned and operated. Together they remodeled the garage and Lakeside Gallery was born. The legacy of mom's gallery didn't stop there, it grew! She was approached by an enthusiastic customer wanting to take lessons from her. The woman's persistence finally convinced Lola to take a chance at becoming her teacher. At first, mom was scared to death, feeling she was to new to the world of art to be of any use to someone else. It didn't take long, however, for her special teaching style to became a success and many more students began to arrive. Little by little Lakeside Gallery took over Sierra Sheet Metal. first by adding a few art supplies then a classroom. As the classes grew a new need became an opportunity, framing. My father stared framing at night and on weekends for a select few. His business was literally moved out the back door and he eventually put Sierra Sheet Metal to rest, devoting all his time and energy to framing and becoming a master of the trade.

Lola was my first oil painting teacher. She taught me how to mix colors and apply the paint to canvas at our kitchen table when I was just 16. I've had many other art teachers through the years but she was the best. Her passion and love for art came through each lesson.  She is a kind patient teacher, ready to answer any question asked and if she doesn't know the answer she'll find it. Mom, now in her 80's, is still teaching and inspiring her students.

Congratulations Haylee, your name was drawn out of the 62 raffle tickets for the month of June. I also want to congratulate all my students who came to class week after week. Even in the summer when they could be out swimming, biking or hanging out with friends.