Adventures in Drypoint

Winter Greys #1 (2007)

6 x 6
Private Collection

Here is another small painting from the archives- a scene I see everyday in winter driving into town. So, I've been working away on a drypoint this past week. Drypoint is a form of intaglio printmaking where the artist works directly on the plate. No acid is used in this process so what is printed are the lines scratched into the surface of the plate and the resulting burr thrown up on either side of the line by the needle. Because of that, drypoint has a darker richer line than etching. It is also more fragile because the burr gradually wears away with each printing. Drypoint can be combined with etching (where marks are made in a ground covering the plate then acid used to "bite" those lines). Rembrandt did this with some stunning results.

The gradual wear on the burr, reworking of the plate, and variations in the way the plate is inked can produce a different version of the image with each printing. It's fascinating and the learning curve is steep! I'll try to get organized and show some process shots on the next one. In the meantime, enjoy Rembrandt!

Winter Greys #2 (2007)
6 x6
Private Collection

Here's another small painting plucked from the archives that suits the season I think. This week, with my painting deadlines met, I've been concentrating on drawing and doing a test drypoint plate to get the feel of my new little press. Just "playing around"!

Winter at the Pond (2007)
6 x 6
Private Collection

We had the first of our lovely winter fogs yesterday morning which reminded me of this little painting from almost two years ago. I wrote about the challenges of painting fog and mist here.


I came across a quote this week which I think beautifully sums up the value of art and beauty in our lives and as an underpinning of civilization. Thanks to Matthew Innis and his excellent blog Underpaintings for finding this.

The following sensible reflections on the permanent value and enjoyment of true works of art are taken from the columns of the New York Nation:

"Is art a luxury, like wine or silks or laces? Does it minister only to the pleasure or ostentation of the rich, without benefiting the community at large? Decidedly we say no. The first great distinction between a work of art and those luxuries with which it is falsely classed is, that it is not consumed by the man who buys it. If I buy a bottle of wine and drink it, it has pleased my palate, given me an hour of pleasant exhilaration, and it is gone. The money or the labor it cost is destroyed absolutely in procuring me that hour of pleasure. If I buy a silk dress for my wife the pleasure lasts a little longer, and, if she is a handsome woman, spreads a little further, but the dress wears out, and there is an end of it. But if I bring into the country a beautiful picture or a noble statue, I have brought something that will last for hundreds of years after I am dead, and will contribute to the higher pleasures of generations yet unborn. So far from destroying the labors of others for my personal and temporary gratification, I have paid for the enjoyment of thousands, and in so far am a public benefactor. We all recognize the public spirit of him who erects a fountain or gives a garden to the people, and doubtless we are not called upon to admire in the same way the generosity of him who puts a picture in his parlor. Doubtless he puts It there for his own pleasure. Yet, as far as the public is concerned, the benefit is but deferred. Be he as selfish as he may, he cannot keep it shut up forever; he will die, and the picture will live. Even in his lifetime many will see it, and a work of art truly belongs to him who enjoys it, not to him who owns it. Sooner or later it will change hands, it will be seen in public exhibitions, it will be sold, and the history of all great works of art is, that at last they become the property of the public, and are placed in museums for the pleasure of all. Luxuries are for the moment, but "a thing of beauty is a joy forever." The first quality in which a work of art differs from a luxury is its permanence; the second is its productiveness. It not only gives pleasure to thousands and for ages, but it gives much more than pleasure—it gives education. The history of art is the history of civilization. Art, in one form or another, is the great beautifier and ennobler of life, and a nation without art—without poetry or painting, architecture or sculpture or music— is a nation of barbarians, though it possess the steam-engine and electricity."¹

¹"Art No Luxury", The Deseret Weekly, Vol. 39, June 29, 1889,

Holiday Shows

Autumn Moon
8 x 12
Available at Whistle Pik Galleries, Christmas Miniatures

The holidays are approaching and I've been busy sending out new work for Christmas shows. The annual Christmas Miniatures show at Whistle Pik Galleries, Fredericksburg, TX opens on November 22. Huff Harrington Fine Art in Atlanta will kick off their holiday festivities with their Little Jewels show on November 27. Finally, Galerie Kornye West in Ft. Worth will celebrate the season at an opening on December 2. I'll be in Ft. Worth for that one, so if you are in the Metro area come by and say "hi"!

More Backyard Magic
36 x 30
Available at Galerie Kornye West, Ft. Worth, TX

I'm happy to say I've just published a book called Studio & Business Practices for Successful Artists. It's 76 pages chock full of no nonsense information about building a career as an artist.

Success can mean many different things- so this book is designed to help both professional artists as well as those who don’t want or need to make a living from their art, but do want to be better artists, sell more work and achieve more recognition. I share what has worked for me- and what didn’t, and why- over the last fifteen years of building a career in art.

You can read more about it (and order) here.

Thank you, Hollis.

Evening Sentinels

40 x 36

Back in 2004 I spent a weekend in the studio of my friend and mentor Hollis Williford (1940-2007) learning a new medium-etching. Hollis was mostly known as a Prix de West winning sculptor, but he was also a painter (in oil, watercolor and pastel), and etcher. He generously spent a few days showing me the basics of this fascinating medium, one I had been enthralled with since college. After that weekend, my best laid plans to add this medium to my studio were foiled for a variety of reasons. But, the desire remained. I keep a "studio wish list" pinned to the wall in my studio and an etching press has always been on it. Today, I finally marked it off the list!

I've pulled out all my notes from that weekend long ago and am excited to get started. And I have to say- again- thank you, Hollis.

Dusk Pool

Dusk Pool
30 x 30

When I Am Among the Trees

When I am among the trees,
especially the willows and the honey locust,
equally the beech, the oaks and the pines,
they give off such hints of gladness,
I would almost say that they save me, and daily.

I am so distant from the hope of myself,
in which I have goodness, and discernment,
and never hurry through the world
but walk slowly, and bow often.

Around me the trees stir in their leaves
and call out, "Stay awhile."
The light flows from their branches.

And they call again, "It's simple," they say,
"and you too have come
into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled
with light, and to shine."

Mary Oliver

The Rest of the Story

Evening Trees
12 x 10
Available at Albuquerque Museum Miniatures & More

Sold

So, I wrote about my wayward, mysterious disappearing paintings here. A couple of days after hearing that the paintings had been found, we were told they had been found in Salt Lake City!

Despite continued questions, Fed Ex has never been able to explain what happened. In fact, they originally took the position that the crate had not been delivered without a top. Meaning I guess that the paintings somehow jumped out, the top replaced itself and the paintings migrated to Utah. Really?

The good news is that one of them has already found a home with a collector in Atlanta and the other awaits adoption at Huff Harrington Fine Art.

New Site

Autumn Evening
8 x 12
Available at Albuquerque Museum Miniatures & More

I've just launched a new site devoted to my online classes and workshops. It includes not only class descriptions and schedules, but examples of the demos and instructional videos I use in the classes, resources, and much more. Click on over and take a look!

What Was Lost Is Found

Several weeks ago I posted images of two small paintings that were headed off to Atlanta to Huff Harrington Fine Art. These paintings had some special significance to me because they depicted the western edge of our property line and also because my husband had created some beautiful little tabernacle frames for them. It was a successful collaboration.


And the gallery had already had some interest in them based on the images I had sent them. So, it was a complete kick in the gut when I received a call from the gallery saying they had received this:



How an empty half of a crate could be delivered by Fed Ex was beyond everyone's comprehension. I was devastated. The idea that they were just gone was hard to accept.

My local Fed Ex ship center, a small office supply business here in Clarksville, is luckily owned by my friend Laurie who was determined to find the lost paintings. I was not optimistic, based on other dealings I have had with Fed Ex. A trace was put on the paintings, but Fed Ex was more interested in trying to get us to accept a $100 check than looking for the paintings. Laurie persevered, getting her sales rep involved. Today, the paintings were found! They were still wrapped in bubble wrap so we have our fingers crossed that they are in good shape. Soon, I hope they will be headed back to Atlanta.

Update: The paintings were found in Salt Lake City! I have not been able to confirm their condition but they are in transit to Atlanta and should arrive there on 10/14.

John Constable
Fir Tree Study

Just a quick reminder that the online class Drawing and Painting Trees starts in just a little over two weeks. For landscape artists, trees are arguably the most important raw material of our craft and art. Their very individual character, their attitude as living beings within the landscape make them a source of endless fascination and challenge for the artist. Artists in the 19^th century routinely sketched and painted studies of these sentinels of nature in order to understand their structure as well as their artistic bearing. These drawings and studies were then used to create larger studio works. Through drawing and observation, we will learn to paint not only their anatomy, but their line, character, and the emotions they can inspire.

There are just a couple of spots left in the class. You can go here for more information and to register (scroll down).

New 2011 Workshop!

OK, here they are in their sweet little tabernacle frames. They really ought to be switched around to be hung, but you get the idea.

I am really pleased to announce I'll be teaching a five day workshop in Taos, New Mexico next fall, September 19-23, 2011. The class will be held in a beautiful private home with two spacious studios that can accommodate up to ten students. You can go here for more information or to register. This is going to be fun!

Backyard Magic II
12 x 10
Available at Huff Harrington Fine Art, Atlanta

This is the second piece of a pair of small paintings which will be framed in elegant little tabernacle frames, and available soon at Huff Harrington Fine Art in Atlanta.

Backyard Magic

Backyard Magic
12 x 10
Sold

When we first moved here three years ago, the first thing I noticed was the light in the late afternoon and evening on our west property line. Every day was a changing show of light and color. After having had huge views of gorgeous mesas and mountains from our home in New Mexico, I was astonished that such a simple row of trees, a little hill and a field could produce such wondrous results. I still am. Every day.

Autumn Afternoon
24 x 30
Available at Hildt Galleries, Chicago

It seems I am usually painting one or two seasons behind the calendar, but with this piece I leaped ahead to late October- a time when the fleeting sensual feeling of Fall is palpable.