How an artist can stay ahead of the busyness this season

'Tis the Season ... (for a lot of busyness) 

      This is the season of so much activity.  There are seasonal parties, family gatherings, shopping, wrapping, end of the year wrap ups, cooking, decorating, cleaning, and a million other things to get finished in the next few weeks.  There’s so little time to even catch one’s breath! 

 

      The artist often finds themselves overtaken, too. What happens to the creative flow in seasons of great activity? Often, creative work is put on hold and then it is difficult to pick up where we left off a few weeks later. I’m speaking from my own experience; a change in routine and pace can derail our work, which has the effect of lost motivation. 

       Read the 5 practical tips in the article on Linked In

Black Friday is Pretty Colorful! a 5x7" sale!

Enjoy a 20% discount on these 5x7" original paintings - Friday 11/23 through Monday 11/26.

Framed in a simple elegant black wood frame, these small gems are ready to hang!  

Discount price includes free domestic shipping!   Just in time for holiday giving!  Get all the information in your inbox about this exclusive sale for my friends list! 

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What's so great about original art?

Why buy original art?  

 Really! 
It's a legitimate question - there are lots of pretty prints available. 
What makes hanging an original painting different?

Recently sold, Winter Glow, framed

    
With an original painting, you hold a something that cannot be captured in a print or a photograph:

           You hold the motion of the artist's hands
captured in the textured brushstrokes. 

Textured brushstrokes, each of which contain a mixture of color within the stroke.

You see color just as the artist intended you to see it
as the artist saw or perhaps imagined it. 

Beautiful colors juxtaposed together to create a visual sensation that brings the eye back again for more!
Colors that surprise and energize!

It's less tangible (but quite profound) -
you hold a bit of the artist's emotion in your keeping. 

The motion of stroke and the lively color resonate with JOY!
An emotion that is contagious!

A painting begins with an inspiration - whatever it may be  - and with color and texture and vibrancy, the artist translates a personal response into paint.  Emotion is seen in the way the strokes are applied and the way the colors are mixed and juxtaposed.    When viewing a print or a photograph these subtle tactile elements cannot be replicated.  In a sense,

when you hang an original painting, the artist is speaking intimately and timelessly to you without words...
a message that can only be truly conveyed in the actual painting.  

Original works bring beauty and pleasure, of course, but more than that; they whisper to the viewer's heart deeper the thoughts of the artist.   

Keep in touch with me!  I send out a great news note each month with new art, discounts, give-aways, and free gifts!  Its a great way to stay in touch and have some fun!  

Text the word Helen to 22828

and you'll be included! 

Oh...Snow

Winter Light - snowscape,  10x8" oil on linen panel

© Helen Read 

It's that time of year again.... our first snowfall is predicted for tonight. 

While I must admit that snow is beautiful - and especially the light on snow (like glittering diamonds) - the long length of time that we have snow on the ground where I live is ... well, long.  
 
This painting is highly textured.  It was painted primarily with a palette knife.  However, it evokes a sense of quiet serenity in it's subject matter.  The light is warm and bright, giving a sense of warm sunlight, while the shadows remind us that the air is wintery cold. 

Visit my website to see a full gallery of my work! 

The Joyful Colors of Fall

Autumn Joy,  7x5" oil on gesso board
©Helen Read 

The colors of fall are pure joy!   Yellow, Orange, Red, Coral, Green - it's as if the every color makes it's last flourish of the season before the long winter's rest.  These lovely colors are off set with the deep blue of a vase holding them all together.   The beauty of color brings it's joy year round in this small painting.