8 Things I know for sure...

1. Squint when you are looking at your subject. Eliminate all the detail and whittle it down to 3 to 5 simple shapes.
2. Think 'cause and effect'. As John Carlson says in his Guide to Landscape Painting: “We must not train our eyes to copy tone for tone but think of the bearing of such colours and harmonies upon the main idea of our picture." (Great book, available at Swinton's for a few shillings)
3. It’s all in the value. Is it lighter or darker? You might have the right colour but do you have the right value? Value trumps colour every time.
4. Temperature is all you need to know about colour. Is it warmer or is it cooler? Don’t worry about what colour it is, worry more about what temperature it is.

We're happy to sponsor this competition:

• Over $2500 in Cash Awards & Prizes
• The winner will be featured in Canadian Brushstroke Magazine.
• Prizes for top 5 entries.
• Entries are $10 each. Multiple entries accepted.
• All entries will be shown online.
• Contest closes March 31, 2012

CLICK - HERE - TO READ

There are many different stages in the creative process but it is the emotional responses I find most fascinating. I have identified 5 of these emotional stages and will expand on them for a better understanding of your own creative journey. Sometimes just knowing where you are in the creative process can help you on to the next...
{5 stages of the Creative Process}

Down the Rabbit Hole

November 1-26, 2011

Opening reception Friday November 4th

Featuring 3 new and different bodies work and the unveiling of the Dream Scape Series.

I will have the new paintings of my Raven and Crow series as well as a whole bunch of my figure pieces including flamenco dancers, belly dancers and some urban chic figures. Some work is so new it hasn't even been seen on my web site yet! So everyone is in for a real treat.

Andrew Kiss was the latest contestant to do a Swinton's Friday Evening Demo. What an Awesome Night! He's is funny, witty and very personable. I have never seen a mound of paint on a palette so big! Great time and there was no wine left.

Andrew promised he will do a workshop for us in the spring. We will post the info as soon as we have details, in the mean time if you want to be on the waiting list just call the store to have your name jotted down.

1. FOCAL POINT: Choose one! The hardest part about painting is the vast buffet of visual stimuli Mother Nature puts out before you. Whether you are outdoors, painting a still life or using a photo you need to simplify thing so you don’t get over whelmed. If you are getting confused then most certainly the viewer will be confused. If you start by saying “my painting is about the barn and the cows and the tree, oh and for sure the puffy cloud and the fence… too much information!!!! Think is my painting going to be about the foreground, the middle ground or the background/ sky. One of these needs to be dominate and be a dominant shape.

2. SKETCHES: Keep making them until there’s a good composition with leading lines in to focal point. A bad composition can only lead to a bad painting. Think thumbnails. Thumbnails should be just that; a simple small sketch with just the bear bones of info to set you up for the kapowie painting you want. Try using a black sharpie marker to simplify your thumbnail sketches.

Congratulations to our super supreme instructor Erica Neumann.

Erica was recently published as one of the artists featured in the Jane Gooch book, Bow lake: A wellspring of art. The book highlights artist's whom have found inspiration in Bow Lake and its surroundings as a source for many a painting. Erica's Painting "BLONDIE" is featured in192-page book, encompassed with other artists such Carl Rungius, Belmore Browne, Peter and Catharine Whyte, and sit's neatly amongst the pages between A.C. and Barbara Leighton and Walter J. Phillips. Swinton's art supply has a limited number of copies of the book available and while It's a simple read but it's the paintings that make this a visual feast worth owning. Paintings date from as far back as 1911 to one's from as recent as a fresh dump on the north side. Just about every style imaginable is in here. Whether you're an artist out just appreciate the mountains this is a fantastic little book. Way to go Erica!