brushstrokes, etc.: January 2011

Sunday, January 30, 2011

January Trees

January Trees, 8x6" Oil Pastel on paper

I'm sorry to say that January has just flown by! Its been a very busy month, as it always is ... I've been working on a larger painting - and now, this small one in pastel to be posted before the end of the month is here! (which is tomorrow!) While it might seem that I've been idle, that's not exactly true!

My classroom duties have kept me very busy - as well as other home and family things.

This one is small and rather simple - done in an almost impressionistic style. I like oil pastels because they are so blend-able, and they mix on the paper almost like paint on a canvas. The subject matter is about all I can see - snow on everything!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Sunlit Leaf - an old favorite

Sunlit leaf, 8x8" Oil on canvas

Just bringing back an old favorite from about a year ago. Its been a very busy month thus far, and though I have a few things going in my studio - nothing ready for posting.

Hopefully, this week!!

Helen's email

Monday, January 17, 2011

Thinking ahead .... Send a Strawberry Valentine!

Set of 10 Note cards - Strawberries and Valentines

Send someone special a note of love!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Pen and Ink ~ Grape Leaf

Grape Leaf, approx. 6 x 4" Pen and Ink on illustration board
© Helen Read

Life has been very busy here in the first couple weeks after Christmas and New Years. Being a school teacher, its the end of the semester which means finals, grading, organizing, preparing for a new semester, etc. My drawing class has just completed their last project, which is a pen and ink drawing. This is one of the examples that I had for them. I enjoy pen and ink... there's a certain trepidation in knowing that mistakes are permanent - but also a certain type of freedom in knowing that if one is made, you'll have to creatively figure out how to incorporate it and make it "work" with the rest of the drawing!

Monday, January 10, 2011

January Discounts - Snow landscapes!

Snowscape, 8x8" Oil on canvas

SOLD

Its COLD outside! In order to create some winter excitement, I'm offering these "snow paintings" just for the month of January with some very BIG DISCOUNTS!

Celebrate winter with me - take advantage of these great savings and own an original, one-of-a-kind oil painting!

Icy Riverbank, 11 x 14" Oil on canvas

SOLD

Saturday, January 1, 2011

The birth of a painting - video of the making of Spirit

I thought it would be interesting to try something I've never done before!

I took many photos of the painting, Spirit, which you see above - and have now created a video of its creation. Its set to music by Albinoni, and is not quite 3 min. long.

I hope you enjoy seeing it unfold from concept to finished painting!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1heITwEAvk

ARTISTS! Join me~ We are on this journey together!

I'll bet you are like me... You need creative encouragement and tips and motivation! As an artist and fine arts teacher, I love to bring help and encouragement to all of us! I'd love to send you my interactive worksheet "5 Small Steps You Can Start Today, to live a more artistic life" and you'll also get a note of encouragement with tips and ideas right in your inbox every week. Just click here and you can download the worksheet right away! Signing up is FREE!! Don't worry! Your information is never shared. But, your creativity will be inspired and we'll get to stay connected!

The Convergence between My Art, Life, and Faith

This may seem an unusual item to post on an art blog - but - hey... I get to "customize" my blog! So - I'm putting my thoughts out there, for you to read!
Its really important to me not to compartmentalize my life into different realms, but rather to integrate all of it into a whole. Therefore, these areas cross boundaries and influence one another in interesting ways.
For me, my life is a whole lot about my faith... but not much about religion. That sounds sort of cliche, I guess. What I mean to say is- its about relationship and going into an ever deepening relationship with Christ, rather than a set of rituals and ceremonies. That kind of faith, I am finding, is never fully finished... always broader, deeper, fuller than I'd imagined. I am also finding out that God is bigger than my box for him... and he, in fact, won't be "contained". He's wild and untamed and beyond my ability to understand ... but entirely good.
So - how in the world does that impact art? Thinking about who this wild God is - I'm convinced he is creator and artist by just looking at the world in which I live. And he absolutely celebrates the impulse of creativity he's given to me! Visual art is a language... a language without words. So with visual expression, I can worship. I can explore. I can imagine. And, I can speak without words a celebration of my creator and all that his world contains.

What's a "Daily Artist" ?

You may have heard of the Painting-A-Day movement, which is one that the artist paints a small painting a day and offers it for sale. The online auction format is often used. The subject matter varies from artist to artist, but is frequently of common objects.
With a full-time job - teaching art at a high school level - I do not complete a painting a day, but I do work as an artist every day and I complete a set of small paintings or sometimes a larger painting a month. (Usually 1 - 2 a week). Some of these paintings are made into notecards and prints. More of that here on my blog. Most of my original works are for sale - and depending on the materials and size, the price varies. You can see more about pricing and availability at my website
HelenCRead.com