Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.
— Thomas Merton.
This is the first post and I am centering this blog on art and about my process behind what I do. Feel free to subscribe and follow along this creative journey.
When I was around 7 or 8 years old, we used to visit a woman named Mrs. Rachel. I think my dad may have helped her with taxes. She was in her 90s at the time and lived in an old house. Her yard was full of azalea bushes and magnolia trees. I remember she would hand me vases and I’d collect the fallen magnolia flowers and pile them up, creating my own arrangements. I’d spend hours outside exploring her yard, getting lost in my own adventure. We’d go about once every other month or so to visit her. When the flowers weren’t blooming, I’d explore the inside of her home which smelled like powdered gardenias. There was an old French horn she left out in the formal dining room that had once been played by her husband. Old pictures taken in the early 1900s decorated her walls and she always had oatmeal cookies in a jar. She didn’t seem to mind us digging around her house (or at least she didn’t let on if she did).
Mrs. Rachel reminds me of the magnolias growing in her yard. She was beautiful, wise, strong, and kind. She ended up living to be 106 years old and lived independently at home until her death. I feel like her and the magnolia shared a secret in their longevity. I yearn to know what it is they share.
I started researching magnolias in my quest to better understand them. I learned a lot. I never realized how old this flower is. It’s super old (like 95 million years old). I also read that there are a variety of subspecies, but what I found most interesting about the magnolia is it’s anatomy. They have thick, sturdy blossoms and rather than having petals they have tepals, leaf-like petals. Maybe that’s why I like them so much. They dance to to beat of their own drum. They’re strong and timeless, and much like Mrs. Rachel they are a symbol of femininity, beauty, purity, perseverance and nobility. They are regal and wise, and has seen so much on its time on Earth.
I often think about Mrs. Rachel and the magnolia and how it pertains to my life. How can I be more like her? Or rather how can I slow myself down and be more reflective? I strive to be still, but it’s struggle. I feel like it goes against my DNA. My personality is very on the go, but I’m up for the challenge of slowing down and smelling the magnolias.
Lately, I’ve been struggling with mild anxiety. Between my 2 full time jobs (speech and momming) and my side hustle (art), I’ve neglected myself and in doing so, I haven’t been too balanced. I feel like my mind is being torn in two different directions. On one end of the rope, is the past. On the other end of the rope, is future anxieties. Am I going to get this project done? Will the client even like this? What am I even doing? Both ends are toxic, and when I feel overwhelmed with life it’s so easy to sink into either extreme.
I had a wake up call, when days before my sons birthday, I had a panic attack worrying about making sure everything was absolutely perfect. I was so scared of being judged on how our house looked and what other people thought. So consumed with my own worries, I forgot to enjoy my son’s first year on this Earth. How ridiculous is that? Something so precious and wonderful, passed by and I didn’t savor the moment the way I should have. Since then, I am trying to be more mindful and focus on what’s important. So I’ve decided to acknowledge the failures and write about what I’ve learned from them. In doing so, I am hoping to quell the future anxieties that tend to coincide with previous missteps.
“We learn from failure not success” – Unknown
This one particular event has been eating away at me. Last year, I did a live painting and bombed it. I was under prepared and didn’t ask the right questions ahead of time. Also, I was a new mom. That in and of itself is a hormonal world wind of chaos. The event happened to be on a weekday. This meant, I had a full day of work and had to rush to the venue with only an hour or two to prep (I like to arrive at my events 3-4 hours ahead of time) and I was on edge. Not to mention, this was my first big live painting since having my son. To say I was a bag of nerves, is an understatement. Maybe it was the hormones, maybe I was just rusty, but whatever it was, it felt like everything that could go wrong did.
Let’s start with hiccup number 1: There were no bathrooms at the event, except for porter potties. Why is this an issue? Well, for a nursing mother, it’s not the ideal location to pump for a myriad of reasons (sanitation, long lines, confined spaces, etc.). If you’ve ever nursed, then you know after a few hours your boobs feel like they want to explode. So when I reached that point, I ended up walking down the block and a friend of mine let me pump at their mother’s studio. This gal was a godsend, so crisis averted. Nonetheless, I still had a painting to finish and the pumping was taking up precious time (40 minutes to be exact).
Hiccup number 2: Did I also mention, the event was outside and extremely windy? My whole set up was falling. It was a total mess and I had about 900 witnesses see me royally screw up. Top it off, feeling like a failure had me off my game. I was not very charming and didn’t leave the impression I was hoping for. It sucked and I cried on my way home. But at the end of the day, you can’t let the moments where things don’t work out hold you down.
Everyone has bad days. Just look at Mariah Carey’s botched performance in 2018 (or was it 2017) trying to sing her iconic hit “All I want for Christmas is you” or Steve Harvey calling out the wrong winner at the Miss Universe Competition. It happens. I’m not alone in having a flop and here is what I am taking away from it:
“Worry never solves the future and always takes away energy from the present” – James Altucher
I’ve painted several events since the aforementioned mentioned one. They all went great. But for some reason, my mind always shifts back to the time I screwed up. And of course, that anxiety has a way of sneaking back in. It’s wild the power the past has on how you feel about the future. Why is it, the negative experiences have such a strong impact? Nevertheless, I’m working on shifting the negative to a positive, and I’ve kept on painting. It’s getting better with each event I do. I’ve started adapting some of those strategies listed above. I also find acknowledging failure and talking through it has helped me feel better about the situation. Sure, I am still embarrassed about the painting, but at the end of the day, I’ve created a ton of other beautiful pieces that I am very proud of. With these pieces I have truly been present in my process and I try to keep it that way.
“Don’t cry over the past, it has gone. Don’t stress over the future, it hasn’t arrived. Live in the present and make it beautiful” – Unknown
A good friend of mine told me once, we all have seasons. Right now, I’ve cut back a lot on commission work and focused a lot of my “seasoned” time on being a mother. That’s not to say I’ve stopped painting, because obviously haven’t. But I’m trying more to enjoy the moments I have and to truly be present when I am with the ones I love. It’s not always easy and I don’t always succeed. But it’s an on going work in progress that I am adapting in all aspects of my life. In other words, I’m trying to live in the moment and be thankful for those moments I am given.
I’ve mulled over for weeks about what to write. Then faced another challenge: finding the time to write. But at last I’ve found a minute and a pretty important topic. I’ve been reflecting a lot about my son turning one, and how I hope that he pursues his dreams even if it may be daunting. I want him to know that failure happens, but it can be a good thing, because failure is how we learn and grow. Failure can lead to future success. But most importantly, I want him to know that even if he fails, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a purpose. It just means, he has to get back on that horse and keep on going.
As I thought about how much I want my son to be strong in his pursuits, I couldn’t help but ask my self, How often do we tell ourselves that we belong? That we have a place in our personal dreams? How often do we remind ourselves that even though something didn’t work out, all we have to do is try a different method and be resilient in our journey? It’s so easy to fall into the self-doubt and negative thoughts and it’s so much harder to fight past. So here are 5 principals that I’ve adapted that have helped me out a lot both during moments of failure and success:
Show up. Do the thing you want to do and post consistently. You may or may not get a lot of attention at first, but if you keep hustling, people stop and notice. The first year I started painting weddings, I only did like 2 or 3. The following year I did 6. The year afterwards, I did 12. For 2020 I already have 8 weddings booked and we aren’t even through the first week of January. Following your dreams is not a sprint. It’s a marathon and it’s worth showing up for the run each day.
Starting my career as an artist, I was pretty broke. I had to be very creative about how I spent money (and actually have a blog post on it if you’re interested in checking it out.) I guess my point is, to be successful and to make a profit, you’ve got to be resourceful. See what you can do yourself, or if you can’t maybe do a trade. I’ve done a ton of trades. This helped both me and the other person out a lot because we both helped our businesses grow through trades.
But trades aside, being creative in how you manage your money and run your business can help you grow and connect with others quite a bit.
This is a huge one. The best way to be disciplined is to write long term goals followed by short term goals and objectives on how you will meet those goals. For example:
Longterm Goal: To increase yearly profits by booking more weddings. Modalities: Networking, Social Media Marketing, Continuing Ed . I will book 20 weddings in the year 2020
By putting measurable outcomes along with targeted dates, I have a means of tracking my progress and a structured plan on achieving my overall objective (which is to book more weddings).
When we’re dealing with dreams, we’re inevitably talking about what you are passionate about. In other words, what gives you energy? If you’re doing something and it’s draining you, then it’s not worth pursuing. Art literally gives me life. After I paint a wedding, I’m buzzing the entire time and a little bit afterwards. Creating art for others fills my heart and gives me the drive. It’s the reason why I’m writing right now, rather than cashing in on the sleep I’ve been deprived of these past few weeks. Just writing about art has me excited. So I guess my point is this, if you want to be able to be successful and really sell what you’re creating, you’ve got to have passion.
For me, when I am trying something new, it can sometimes be intimidating to post about it. I am allowing my art to be critiqued and judged and it can be pretty scary. Nevertheless, when I allow myself to be vulnerable, I end up learning so much as an artist. That’s because vulnerability opens you up to growth and development.
When I look back at my body of work from when I first started sharing and where I am now, I feel like I’ve improved dramatically. As you can see from the pictures below my style has changed quite a bit. I am more strategic about my color choices and am exploring more with tight and loose strokes. But it was through sharing that I built a community with other artists and had a chance to learn through others to get to where I am now.
“You don’t have to attain perfection or mastery to be worthy of the success you’ve achieved” – Margie Warrell
According to Jake from “Adventure Time” , “…sucking at sumthin’ is the first step towards being sorta good at something.” It’s so true. So what if you’re not where you want to be. It doesn’t mean you won’t get there. No one wakes up an expert in whatever field they desire to be in (unless they are a savant, then that’s a different story). I have been exploring art off and on ever since I was a kid. It’s taken a lot of trial and error to figure things out, but it’s through this journey that has made me the artist I am today.
Well y’all, those are my 5 tips mashed together in a letter to my son, hoping one day he’ll read this and be motivated and inspired to do what makes him happy. In the meantime, know that you have a purpose and you can do the thing you want to do!
We all get in creative slumps. So I figured I’d provide a list of 8 things that might help get those creative juices flowing.
Doing an art challenge is a great way to push past a creative block. It’s a structured task that forces you out of your comfort zone, and to problem solve. You can literally go on Pinterest and search “art challenge” and a million and one ideas will pop up.
Here’s just a sample of the search, I just did, and yes I have a board dedicated to pies, entitled “I love this pie.” But anyways, the Internet is a wonderful gift and it’s so easy now to access structured tasks FOR FREE!
Much like the art challenge, trying new mediums may lead you on a new path with your artistic approach. It’s so important to just explore and have fun. It’s been proven that the human brain learns quicker and more efficiently through play. It makes sense, because you’re associating so much positivity to the experience of creating. I’ll be honest this is something I am working on. My friend Marie of @artemis_unravelled is the queen of exploratory art and she inspires me all the time. What she does is wild! She blends embroidery with paints and uses unconventional textures within her art. She has taken this traditional art form and has made it modern and utterly fascinating. Below is an example of one of her mixed media pieces.
Famous or local, studying from other artists is fantastic to get those creative juices flowing. The piece I just posted by Marie, has me wanting to do mixed media. My friend, Lindsey Jenneman, of @lemmepaintdat on Instagram, does the most beautiful pet portraits. She painted a chihuahua to look like Marie Antoinette and it is everything and more. Never has a dog been more aristocratic and colorful. What I’ve learned from her is how to put on a more pop culture aesthetic to approaching art. And we all know Ashley Longshore, the queen of pop art and what I’m sure she’ll one day be deemed as the modern day Andy Warhol. She is an incredible entrepreneur and she gives no sh*ts about what anyone thinks. She radiates positivity and comedy on her instagram page and hustles like crazy! It’s that hustle that keeps me inspired to keep going and to not give up on my dream. Now I can go on and on about the other artists I admire and learn from, but I figured 3 examples gets my point across.
I sometimes get my best ideas, when I walk and I never really thought about why that was until I came across an article that linked walking to creativity. “Creative thinking improves while a person is walking and shortly thereafter, according to a study co-authored by Marily Oppezzo, a Stanford doctoral graduate in educational psychology, and Daniel Schwartz, a professor at Stanford Graduate School of Education” (https://news.stanford.edu/2014/04/24/walking-vs-sitting-042414/). Apparently, it doesn’t matter where you walk, the act alone is what helps stimulate those creative juices. So if you’re in a rut, stop what you’re doing and go walking for a bit. It’s great exercise and who knows, you may get some inspiration for your next project.
Some of y’all might not know this, but when I was in my young 20s, I lived in France for 6 months. It was an incredible experience and it had my creative juices flowing! The country is literally like making your art history class come to life. I had to pinch myself so many times, because it just didn’t seem real. But more than the value of the very strong artistic presence, was being immersed in a new culture and seeing the world with new lenses. I left France with an overwhelming need to create. But you know what’s wild. I get that same exact feeling when I go to New Orleans. The artistic community is so strong in the Big Easy. In the French Corner there are artists and musicians constantly performing. Magazine Street is flooded with galleries and there are so many different styles of art, it’s intoxicating.
But for if you can’t make it out the Big Easy, the surrounding communities around the Lafayette area (and Lafayette itself) have so much to offer in terms of inspiration. Lake Martin is a little piece of paradise 20 minutes outside the city. Go kayaking or hiking out there and you’ll be amazed by the colorful array of birds and wildlife you’ll find.
When I feel overwhelmed with art and like I can’t create, I read. It doesn’t matter if it’s nonfiction or fiction, but reading does a world of good. It gets your mind to take a break from your project so you can return to it with fresh ideas. Whether the ideas stem from the literature or just from the pause itself, it’s just a great way to unwind.
So the research strongly suggests long hand writing as the best means of increasing creativity, improving memory, improving language, and sorting through emotions, but I tell ya what, just blogging on here has done wonders for me. It’s had me reflect more on what I am doing and actively search out material to write about. It’s a great exercise and it helps out enormously. I also have a sketch pad that I used to religiously draw in, but I’ll be honest. Since having Jean-Luc, I’ve neglected my sketch pad. So my goal for 2020 is to sketch every other day if not daily.
When my sister-in-law was getting married, she had an idea to create a bar sign. She asked if I wanted to help her make it. She was in charge of the calligraphy and I did the painting. It got me out of my comfort zone and it was a really fun project! Similarly, my friends Rachel and Ryan Roussel collaborated with me to create a portrait of our friend’s camp. They let us stay the weekend with them and it was a really fun collaborative thank you gift. What was so great about this project is that I did 0% of the drawing. I’ll be honest, for being an artist I don’t particularly love to draw. Rachel and Ryan both of architectural backgrounds and they were in charge of drawing out the camp. All I had to do was paint it! The third collaboration was with my friend Matt Broussard. He designs gothic-Louisiana apparel. He reached out to see if I wanted to model along side his wife for a photoshoot. Hair and make-up were done by me and it was fun experimenting with a darker palette and I used my creativity in a different sort of outlet.
Everyone gets into creative ruts from time to time. I hope this blog was a helpful resource to get out of the creative slump. Anywho, stay tuned, I’ll have another blog coming up later this week or next! We’ll see what I can manage with the madness of Christmas, weddings, work, and momming!
Let’s be real. Art supplies are flipping expensive. As an artist, it’s important to be smart about how you spend your money. If you’re working on a large scale canvas, don’t use your Golden Paints or your Liquitex heavy body paints for your first layer. Use some house paint or less expensive paints like Master’s Touch or Basics for the back ground. Then you can build up with your nicer (and much more expensive) paints.
Above is a layout of the price differences between the various brands of paints. Don’t have a stroke, but here are the going rates: $19 for the Golden 5 oz tube of paint and $32 for the 16 oz Liquitex jar of paint. I’m not going to lie and say it’s not worth it, because it totally is. Golden and Liquitex are amazing brands. They are the BMWs and Mercedes of the paint world. That’s why it’s important to be strategic when using them. An 8.5 oz tube of Master’s Touch Acrylic Paint is only $6.99 from Hobby Lobby and it works just as well when you’re building up layers. It’s like the reliable Camry parked in your mom’s drive way, it rarely breaks down and runs just fine. It’s just not as fancy or fabulous as the Beemer or the Benz! Ultimately, the difference in paints comes to that final layer and adding details. The finer paints are better for those sorts of details (in my opinion).
You don’t need to use a huge glob of paint (unless you’re intentionally trying to create texture – but then again you can always use molding paste to mix with your paint). The beauty about acrylic paint is that it is water base, so you can either use gel medium or water to thin your paint to create a wash. I do this all time with my art, especially landscapes. The advantage to using gel medium is it creates a glossy like texture. I find if you want to keep a matte finish then using water is the way to go.
Both Hobby Lobby and Michaels are always running sales on canvases. I guarantee once a month you can go into one of these 2 stores and you’ll find 50% off canvases. Sometimes, if you go on the right day, Michael’s has 70% off canvases! Unless it is an absolute emergency, I never buy my canvases full price. I usually wait for a sale and then shop. And if you really are tight on cash, use wood to paint on. Most of the wood I’ve painted on has been recycled and it’s free.
DO NOT PAY FOR ADVERTISING! Instagram and Facebook are FREE. Not to mention they are a great source of exposure. It may be a slow process at first building followers, but it’s worth doing it this way. Not only are you saving your money, you’re also building a fan base that is specifically tailored to your style. As far as online resources go, don’t break the bank and save your money.
When it comes to advertising in local magazines, I’ve had a few magazines reach out about doing a segment on my live painting. This sounds awesome, but here’s the thing: there is always a catch. It was going to cost me over $500 just be featured. I don’t know about y’all, but that is a lot of money (at least for me). I couldn’t justify spending it knowing that I may not even reach my targeted demographic. It would be better if I used these funds to do a bridal show where I’m specifically targeting my ideal client (anyone getting married). At the end of the day, it’s not worth pitching to everyone. You want to get specific with your client base. Not everyone wants a live event painter, and it’s not worth my time advertising to Joe Blow who would rather spend his money fixing up his car (nothing wrong with that – not hating) than on art. It just makes sense to narrow in on your audience, because you can better address the specific need that they have. Again in my case, painting live at a wedding.
At the end of the day, it’s important to pick and choose carefully how you spend your money (and time). I didn’t have much to begin with, and I chose to grow organically. I’m still a relatively small time artist, but I am not in debt and I make a profit from what I create.
As always, I hope this was helpful and stay tuned for more posts!
Y’all I love a good art show. Whenever I do a one, it’s like Christmas (which is literally the most magical time of year). Much like Christmas, I start prepping months in advance. Each painting I create in anticipation for the event, fills me with a euphoric joy I can’t quite figure out how to articulate. A week out from the event, I go into super prep mode, anxiously and excitedly waiting for the day. When the day arrives, I’m in heaven. I LOVE MEETING NEW PEOPLE, talking art, and seeing what the other artisans have created! It literally fuels my soul with happiness. However, being a mom and having a day job I have to be choosy about what I participate in, because my time is limited. So here’s a guide that outlines the benefits of the different events hosted around Lafayette.
I really like Midcity Makers Market (MMM). If it wasn’t an hour away, I’d totally do it more often. It’s not expensive to join and there is always a really good turn out. Also, the people who run it, are so incredibly wonderful. They take care of their makers by always providing food and wine for us. If you have any questions they are great about communication and it’s just a really pleasant experience having a team of people who want what’s best for their makers. In other words, it’s straight up legit. Another pro, is the exposure. Because they have a good turn out, your name is going to be known to that many more people, who may tell their friends about your art, and who knows, you may get more business from there. That’s the beauty about connecting with people.
So let’s talk sales. I find people who do prints and have items in the $20 range tend to do really well there in terms of selling. Now that’s not to say bigger pieces don’t sell, I have a few friends that have higher priced items and they tend to do well. As for me personally, I found I broke even when I did the show. But, honestly, I don’t consider that a deterrent from participating in MMM. I made some really great connections that have been extremely valuable and have helped me become a better artist. That in and of itself was worth it!
Much like MMM, the benefits of ARTWALK are in the connections and networking. And again, I find people selling prints do better than original works of art. I’ve done ARTWALK 4 or 5 times and didn’t sell a thing. Nonetheless, I did have a blast drinking wine, meeting new people, and picking the brains of other artists. It’s worth doing, because you’re enriching the community through the arts as well as having a chance to meet other artists.
This is a really good one in terms of selling. Here’s why: it is Christmas and everyone is on the hunt for unique Christmas gifts. The last one I participated in, I sold 20 pieces. (HOLLAAAAA) The one thing to consider when doing this show, your art has to be PC. The reason for this, is the show is held at a school and part of the show happens during school hours. So, I’d probably only show my florals and landscapes and leave my nude studies at home. Another thing to think about is the communication between coordinators and vendors. Last time I did the show, I had a few questions and it took several tries to get a hold of someone. Once I did, they were very helpful and I got the assistance that I needed. It’s also pretty pricy as far as of entry fees go, however, for me, it was worth paying the steep price, because I ended up making a profit.
I know you’re not suppose to have favorites, but this one is my ALL TIME FAVORITE SHOW! Renee, the coordinator of The Big Easel, is a rockstar. She’s prompt with her responses and is always helpful. It’s a great networking event, and it’s really good for sales. People are purposely going out there to buy art. Last years show, I ended up selling 25 paintings. Of the 25 pieces I sold, 2 are on display at a children’s hospital in New Orleans. How cool is that?! If I had to give a critique of the show, I’d only have one: it’s held outside. Weather plays a major role in if they have to postpone or if there will be a good turn out. But overall, it’s a very relaxed show and every year I’ve participated in it, I’ve done very well.
Heather, the owner of Bonne Vie Macarons, has been an absolute angel letting me do pop-ups at her store. I’ve done very well, but I think a lot of that has to do with the way we advertise our friendship on social media. Also, Heather knows how to market an event. So I guess my advice is this: If you do a pop-up, do it with a business you have good chemistry with. I find that’s the trick to being successful with it.
There are obviously many more shows and festivals in the Lafayette area. (Festival International, Festival Acadian, UL almuni does a show, just to name a few) I haven’t done those yet, but would love to once my son gets a little older. Anywho, I just wanted to run down a few of the ones I’ve done with y’all. If y’all have any input on shows y’all have participated in, I would love to hear from y’all! Anywho, hope this was helpful and as always stay tuned in for the next post!
“No” gets a bad wrap, but I am here to write in its defense. “No” is not a bad word. “No” when used appropriately, can build your career. I didn’t know (no pun intended) how important this simple word was until I listened to an episode (forgot which one) of Christy Wright’s Business Boutique. When using this word, I have saved my sanity and discovered the value of my work.
If you are an artist then you know supplies are not free. They are actually very expensive (I will do a run down in future posts about the cost that goes into buying paint, canvas, varnishes, etc.) But for now, I want to share a story with you. A few months back, I received a message asking if I could paint a wedding for $200. Initially, this upset me. This wouldn’t cover the supplies alone, nor did it account for the time away from my family. Then I reminded myself, people don’t know this. If you have not been in this industry then how could you possibly know what goes into creating a live painting? When I responded, I sent my my contract, outlining the different packages I offered and didn’t budge on pricing. Without literally saying, “no” I said “no” to undervaluing my time. I didn’t book the wedding, but that’s okay, because I booked 4 more later that month from people who did respect my craft. Saying “no” was the best thing I could of done. So in short, value your work. Do not do it for free. You have spent a long time honing in your skill set and it’s worth every penny!
Do not overload your plate, because I promise you will only disappoint yourself and your customers. I learned this lesson the hard way. A few years ago, I kept saying yes to Christmas commissions, even days before December 25th. I would get up at 5 am start working until 7 take 20 minutes to get ready for work, treat patients, go home, change, paint from 3:30/4 until midnight and repeat. I did this for 3 weeks straight, and during this time, I started snapping more at my husband, and was becoming such a grump. I wasn’t a big fan of the person I was becoming. It was a person who was way too stressed, not sleeping enough, and drinking way more caffeine than a person should. Not to mention, I feel like the quality of what I was making wasn’t where it should be. Stacking too much on my plate and not saying “no” to orders taught me a valuable lesson. It’s not about quantity, it’s about quality and taking care of yourself is just as important as producing art.
Y’all… get a network of artists! I have a lot of friends who I refer to often. If you want something fun and playful with lots of patterns, work with Hannah Gumbo of @notallglittersisgumbo on Instagram, if you want clay and brass jewelry Jamie of @clayandbrassstudio, if you like beautiful abstract colorful minimalistic styled paintings Dustin of @studio_rousseau is your guy, Annika of @akkika does beautiful Cajun inspired designs with wood and with ink and I can go on and on because there is so much local talent. But my point is this: at the end of the day, if what you’re looking for better suits one of these artists’ styles, then I will send you their way. I can’t change my style, and if I were to try to adapt someone else’s 1. that’s just dirty and 2. it would not look nearly as good. If you’re outright and honest with your client about what you can do, then you’d be surprised at how grateful people are for honesty and you’ll garner more respect.
Saying “no” can be a good thing. Now, don’t get too carried away, because I have a whole blog I am going to be dedicating to taking opportunities and saying “yes.” (Which I will get into at some point.) The purpose of this blog is so y’all can be strategic about taking on projects and building your career. So that’s it for today. I just wanted to share this with y’all and hopefully this helps! Stay tuned next week for my next blog entry!
In my last blog entry, I talked about how to prepare to paint live. In this entry I am going to discuss my step by step painting processing. Having a system is essential, not only so that the time working is used as efficiently as possible, but also it gives you a plan and having a plan, believe it or not, helps decrease stress during live painting.
This process if great, because nothing has to be perfect. You’re getting a feel for the venue and you can place where structures will generally be located. It’s like the rough draft process of writing a paper. You flesh out your ideas, then refine and build up.
In the above picture, I have the general shapes of the interior laid out. It’s a hot mess and not particularly pretty, but that’s not the point. I know exactly where I need to fix up the piece and where I need to layer up.
As you can see, the piece above is beginning to take shape. I’ve placed the tables, added lighting, the band stand, and texture to the walls. You can see what is brick and what is wood. I’ve begun to take into consideration light and shadow, but at this point I still have a lot more work ahead of me.
(For a further explanation of light and shadow check out this site: https://visualartspdsf.blogspot.com/2012/04/volume-light-and-shadows.html)
Well, I feel like the heading kinda says it all. As you can see I’ve added decor to the tables and I’m focused on getting all those little details into the painting. I’ve also added movement with the circular thin brush strokes on the floor. “Movement is the result of using the elements of art such that they move the viewer’s eye around and within the image. A sense of movement can be created by diagonal or curvy lines, either real or implied, by edges, by the illusion of space, by repetition, by energetic mark-making” (https://www.liveabout.com/principles-of-art-and-design-2578740) The reason, I find movement important as it relates to my paintings, is because the more your eyes travels through the piece, the more you can explore it. It’s like reading a good novel. It has you engaged and lets you become a participant in the experience of the piece.
As the guestS arrive, I start adding them in! I try to make sure I get in the attendants as well as a few random guests. I want to make sure I am capturing the energy of the wedding. That’s why harmony within the piece is so important. “Elements which are in harmony should have some kind of logical progression or relationship. If there is an element which is not in harmony with the rest of an artwork, it should stick-out and be jarring to look at. Kind of like an off-note in a song” (https://drawpaintacademy.com/principles-of-art/). Notice how I’ve stayed consistent with the style. I’ve kept it loose and free. If I were to add super clean lines it would feel out of place.
Sealing the painting is very important. When you add varnish it protects the painting from light damage and dirt and dust. Below is the varnish I typically use.
I am a big fan of the glossy finish and it’s a pretty solid varnish. For more information on varnishes check out: http://www.winsornewton.com/na/discover/tips-and-techniques/other-tips-and-techniques/all-you-need-to-know-about-varnishing-paintings-us . They do a great job detailing the different kinds of varnishes you can use and the pros and cons of each varnish.
Next week, I’ll either write about my Christmas ornaments or my bouquets. What do y’all want to read about? Bouquets or ornaments? Anywho, thanks for tuning in and as always, hope this was helpful!
Live painting is incredibly fun, but also it can be a little nerve wracking. Here are some tricks I found that help me out when working an event.
Y’all my A.D.D. brain is so scattered that having a checklist helps wrangle together my thoughts and keeps me on track. So I figured, if you’re like me, maybe this checklist might help you!
Now that you have your checklist, go ahead and pack the day before. I usually put everything in a suitcase and have it by the front door. Being prepared and having a full tank of gas is a must, because you never know what curve balls life is going to throw at you.
Friday weddings are always a little crazy for me, because I have a day job. Typically, I can arrange to get off early on Fridays, but sometimes it doesn’t always work out that way. This past October, I had a wedding to work about 40 minutes away, and I had planned on leaving work at noon. I had an unexpected evaluation to perform, and didn’t leave the office until 1:30. My timeline to paint was thrown off, but being organized and having everything ready to go, helped me feel less stressed as I rushed out the door to go work the wedding. And guess what?! Everything turned out fine and the painting came out great!
When you live paint, you are not just painting, but you are performing and marketing yourself. In other words, you are there to not just create a beautiful picture, but to keep the wedding guests entertained. You have to be on and you have to have a positive attitude. No one wants a dud or a Debbie Downer at their event. Being lively and connecting with the guests is just as important as getting down the right brush strokes. So to deal with the pressure and nerves of live painting I do some self talk and I tell myself these things:
By giving myself positive affirmation, I walk into the event feeling motivated and excited. When I first started doing this, I’ll be honest, I was scared shitless. I had a whole slue of negative thoughts creeping in. I knew I would fail if I let those thoughts take over, so that’s how I started this whole pre painting pep talk. It honestly saved me and helped me feel confident in my abilities.
Anywho, I hope this was helpful! I’ll have another post next week maybe going step by step into my painting process. I am still mulling it over. So who knows, may do something completely random!
So I’m Kali and as if it isn’t obvious I love to paint. If I can socialize and party while I paint, even better! Bold, bright colors are my jam and flowers and ladies are my toast! I’m a bit of an extravert and love meeting new people. I’m goofy, uncoordinated, and a little disorganized, but I have a passion for life. I’m married to the most charming man in the world and have the sweetest little boy. During the day, I work as a speech therapist with kids and adults and any chance I get, I try to do something artsy with my patients. But to be real with y’all, it’s taken me a long time to get to where I am at.
“Don’t prioritize your schedule, schedule your priorities” – Stephen Covey
Between balancing work and family, I have to get real creative when it comes to planning out my painting sessions. Using a visual schedule is literally a life saver. Being a visual learner, I’m able to see everything laid out in front of me. Deadlines become more tangible and I can use my time much more efficiently. But it’s more than being organized. I’ll be honest, I have an amazing support system.
“You can do anything, but you can’t do everything” – David Allen
I often get asked, how do you do it all? And the answer is, I don’t. Between the different grandmothers, great aunts, and my husband I have a whole line of people who help me out. I think it’s important to recognize that you can’t do it all. Burn out is a real thing and self care is essential. If you’re going to be good at anything, being good yourself is the key. I don’t mean to get all preachy, but it’s true. That’s why I make sure I have time to create, because I want my son to see his mother pursuing a passion and hope it will translate into his life. I also feel that taking care of my mental health, makes me a much better mother, wife, friend, artist, and speech therapist.
I primarily work with acrylic paint. Oils are fabulous, but the fumes are not baby friendly. Not to mention, it’s a pain waiting for it to dry. Acrylics dry quickly, are easy to mix, and if I’m being real, are way less expensive than oils and this momma is living that tight budget lifestyle. Anyone else on that gravy train?! ANYWHOOOO… back to acrylic talk. Acrylics are also a much easier clean up, because unlike oils, they are water based. Instead of having to use turpentine to clean my brushes, regular soap and water do just fine (some people use Master’s Brush Cleaner to clean their brushes, I use dawn or Murphy’s Oil and it works just fine). Also, if I want to thin my paint, all I have to do is add a little bit of water and you can create a wash. I’ll get more into paint techniques in other posts.
Alright y’all, that’s me in a nutshell and a brief over view of my art. I’ll be writing more on the different projects I tactile and the process behind them. If you want to see more of my art you can always you can find me on facebook: Kali Picard Art or instagram: @kali_picard_art . Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more posts.
Kali Picard Art 