Backyard Bouquet

Backyard Bouquet 

12x9, soft pastel

For the past couple years I focused on learning all I could about the use of soft pastels and (for the past twelve months) kept working at landscapes using a traditional realism style.  There are so many great artists (past and present) and I wanted to follow in their footsteps.  So, I tried like heck to temper my use of color over the past year...but I just couldn't achieve what was in my mind's eye.  

I often got bored painting trees, fields, mountains and lakes in realistic colors.  So for the next little while I'll try embracing my weakness for vibrant saturated color.  This style is reminiscent of Fauvism, the Colorists, and reminds me a bit of some of VanGogh's use of over simplification (as in his "Bedroom in Arles") and vibrant use of colors (such as "Starry Night" and "Cafe Terrace at Night"). 

Backyard Bouquet was a gorgeous vase of flowers from my yard sitting next to my favorite oval blue vase sometimes used to hold pens and pencils...all I had to do was add three oranges and I was all set with a colorful still life.  Yum!

Sometimes We Dance!

Thursday May 12th was the second of two Art Shows in the Boise area.  The Meadowlake Village and Zions Bank Art Shows were my first two shows displaying artwork for the local world to see. These two events will always be memorable for me especially because several of my family members and friends were there to cheer me on.

I won't kid you, preparing for these shows was like training for a marathon.  Paintng, matting and framing took the majority of my time for the past two to three months (and quite a bit of my art budget). I had no idea what to expect...even though I have attended both the Zions and Meadowlake Village Art Shows in the past.  I certainly have a new found respect for what it takes to prepare and participate in these shows.  To say nothing of the moxie one must muster up in order to stand in front of his or her art display and greet art patrons...knowing all along that many of them will simply (and hopefully politely) pass by without connecting to my work while others will stop and take a closer look.  As an artist, I might as well be standing there naked, as that's the level of vulnerability I felt when showing the world what poured out of my heart.

Overall, the two experiences were incredibly rewarding.  To hear words of encouragement is food for the soul. The conversations with people who appreciated my efforts and the end result is humbling.  I am so thankful for the businesses and attendees who helped to bolster the confidence level of all the artists who were there.  Whether we had sales or not, we all benefitted by their encouraging words.

While artists are an eclectic group (and there are many different types of people who are artists) many if not most are introverts and naturally shy.  I think that's why we find it so enjoyable to paint for hours and days on end alone in our studios or outside in remote locations.  When we go into  "the zone" we pour ourselves into the painting we are working on.  Sometimes we wrestle around in it...and SOMETIMES WE DANCE! When we get the chance to dance, it's as close to being in heaven as a person can get.  The cerebral effort to make the painting a success vanishes.  The struggle with composition, colors and values melt away with each stroke.  We simply dance through the painting embedding our heart and soul directly into the painting, unaware of our surroundings and the passage of time.  That intoxicating feeling of "the dance" is what we are pursuing...it fuels our lust for more!  We become addicted.

Therefore, selling our art is usually a necessity to fuel our habit.  Most of us enjoy considerably the conversations we have during these shows.  We are encouraged, our artwork appreciated, and yes even a sale from time to time helps us to purchase more paint, better canvases or paper, more or better tools of the trade. All in an effort to get back...to THE DANCE!

Fine Art America - Fly Fishing Prints

Having finished the 30in30 Challenge and creating my collage, I was asked if I had prints to sell.  This is a question I've been mulling around for a year or so, trying to think of the best way to share my art with anyone who enjoys it without them incurring the cost of an original piece (yes, I'm frugal too).

So, I joined Fine Art America and put just a sprinkling of images on that site.  I suspect I'll add more as the days go by.  So, if you're interested in a print of a piece that's not on Fine Art America please let me know and I'll add it.  You can email me at:  cindygillettart@gmail.com 

If you're interested in purchasing a print, there are several options to chose from.  On Fine Art America you can purchase a print, see it in a frame and select a frame and matting if you want, or purchase the image as a canvas print, even tote bag or throw pillow!  Crazy, I know!  There's even an option for cell phone cases, duvet covers, T-shirts, and shower curtains...but for now, I thought that might be a bit too much.  If you disagree and want any of those products just let me know.

Have a favorite fly you'd like painted?  Submit a comment and I'll contact you directly for the details.  I've never met a fly I don't enjoy painting!

If you'd like a direct link to my Fine Art America page click below:
Cindy Gillett at Fine Art America


Or, click below to go to the general Fly Fishing search pages at Fine Art America:
Fine Art America - Fly Fishing Art

Also, what could be better than a comprehensive article on the Ultimate Guide to Fly Fishing? Check out the article at Tackle.com:  https://www.tackle.org/ultimate-guide-to-fly-fishing/

Jan. 30in30 Collage

Well, there they are....all 31 of the paintings of flies for the 30in30 Challenge.  The hardest part...was getting this crazy collage to save on my computer!   Eh...GADS!   Hope you are having an outstanding weekend!!

Fly 18 - Western Green Drake

Western Green Drake

5x7, soft pastel

There are times, particularly on western rivers when the water is a bit more rough and tumble and a fisherman needs a more substantial fly to stay up on the surface. This big hair wing drake is just the ticket if the river is brawny and the trout are big. 

Mini Pastel Travel Case

In the spirit of sharing info, today I want to share My Little Travel Buddy.

Small Survivor Dry Box:
It's a sturdy watertight dry box (I found it on Amazon for $16.).  I think it will really fit the bill while traveling light and for kayaking trips.  It measures approx. 6.5x9.75 inches...5x8 inside.

The box has sturdy closures and four holes on the top and sides for adding a lock, lanyard, carabiner or shoulder strap.  It even had a metallic sticker on the bottom for signaling (or maybe starting a fire...I don't know) and a small compass on the topside (should I get lost while plein air painting). Hmmm, I don't plan on getting lost.

The following are items I have been able to fit inside:

• 48 half sticks of soft pastels (I repurposed foam from my Rembrandt pastel box and cut them to size, then glued the foam to heavy mat boards for support)
• 33 partial pieces of Nupastels (inside a 12 piece Nupastel box)
• Foam core and several pastel papers cut to various sizes (up to 5x8) inside a clear bag
• A clear bag for storing finished paintings
• A few business cards
• View finder
• Inside the BandAid box are a couple wet wipes (I'll replace this with wet wipe packets when I get a chance)
• Doggy bags to hold trash (more than I need...but they fit so nicely I threw the whole roll in)
• A red cylinder that once housed a pair of reading glasses.  Inside the cylinder I placed 8-10 finger cots, a small pencil, eraser and sharpener (I was quite tickled finding this little storage item in my hall closet).

In any event, I hope you enjoy my little travel buddy...just in time for a quick trip to try it out!!!

Three Tips For Starting A New Piece

When I started this blog my intention was to share info along the way that someday might help someone else...tips on what I find is working for me.  So here's a photo and run down of three tips for starting a painting:

1.  Pastels can be very messy and if you use your fingers even just a little bit...your fingernails are always stained with paint.  I try scrubbing them clean with an old toothbrush and that helps a bit. 

To eliminate the problem this is what I'm doing now.  I bought small latex gloves (which were too big) and small finger cots.  The "finger cots" you see in this photo were too tight and quickly cut off circulation.   I hated to throw them out...so I unrolled one, cut the excess latex off and put it back on...the problem was solved.  Now they are very comfortable and will save my poor fingernails going forward.  You'll also notice I have backup finger cots already cut down and placed over pens/pencils in my pencil jar ready for use.  I rarely need to change them during a painting because I keep wet wipes on hand to clean them along the way.

2.  If you use an iPad or similar device for your reference photo:  when sketching the image select "edit" and "crop" to view the cropping grid superimposed on the image this helps properly scale the subject matter.   

Also, after the sketch is done use the "tonal filter" to convert the image to gray scale...this helps select the proper values when applying the under painting.

3.  Rita Kirkman gave a great tip on cleaning pastels with toilet paper.  I am also using it when selecting my color palette.  It cleans the pastel and at the same time gives you a good look at the colors you've selected.  If you don't like a particular color, just mark it out with a magic marker.  I also lay out the colors on my palette in the same order as they appear on the TP.

Ok...on to painting today's piece.  Day 23 of the 30 in 30 Challenge!