And here is the postcard ~

This is the rest of the weekend work I did on advertising materials. This is a small postcard - the other side has pertinent contact information. I am not sure how or if this will be useful for creating a greater presence and building knowledge about what I'm doing. Time will tell, but I think it is worth a try!

The Business Card has arrived!

There is more to building a presence in art than just the paintings... although you don't have much without that component! This weekend I spent a lot of time working on my business card. It has been on my "list of things to do" for several months! I wanted something that was representative and memorable - visually interesting - and I really just hadn't had the time to devote to the development of the ideas. Yesterday, I finished the business card. This is side 1 - side 2 has pertinent information about how to contact me and what I do. It is printed on a grainy oatmeal card stock. All in all, I'm pleased with the outcome.

I am also finishing work on a postcard to be mailed to friends/acquaintances who are not aware of what I'm doing artistically. I'll post that in the next few days.

I love crossing off a lingering item on my list!

A Red Head

A Red Head, 5 x 7" Oil on canvas

The interior of a cabbage is very intricate and quite abstract! The outer leaves are equally interesting in their color and how the light plays along the head of the cabbage. In this painting, I could only capture the suggestion of what is going on inside the head - but I love the abstract shapes and the contrasting colors between the light rib interiors and the reddish purple into bluish purple of the leaf areas.

The picture below shows step one. In this case I did not tone the canvas first. I was interested in keeping the lightest areas pretty white. I like phase I of this painting - it almost resembles a water color, although it was done with light washes on the stretched canvas. After that dried, I then went back with thicker paint and liquin to achieve the more detailed parts.

A Tete-a-tete ~

Three Lemons, 6x6" Oil on Canvas

SOLD

 

This is the first still life of the new year for me. I wanted to focus on the underpainting being a warm, vibrant color - to add a sense of warmth to the 3 yellow lemons. I was so captivated by the undertone showing through in places, I wanted to leave it there plainly. As you can see, the underpainting is a very dark rose color. It show through in some of the shadow areas as well as through the skin of the lemons. There are also undertones of green in the lemons. Some of the shadowed areas were quite warm, and other areas were much cooler in color. The stroke marks are visible and with the broken application of color, this painting has an overall impressionistic feel to it.

My title isn't too original - but, as I looked at it, it seemed as if the 3 lemons could be deep in conversation!

Oh - one more thing - I just noticed that this posting makes my 100th post since starting my blog in July. As you can see, it isn't a daily thing - but almost! Thanks to those of you who come by for a visit often... you make this very worthwhile!

Pieces

Broken Dreams, 9x11" mixed media (collage and oil pastel)

Broken dreams are a fact of life. I've lived a blessed life - especially when compared to others who experience extreme circumstances, disabilities, illnesses, or fight to survive on a daily basis. And yet, I have known my share of broken dreams - some of which are passing disappointments and some of which have been life changing and require daily acknowledgment and management. These last few weeks, I've been dealing with the reality of living with broken dreams day by day. I suspect that all of us have those moments, and they are painful and hurtful and confusing.

What do you do with brokenness? It can so easily breed bitterness and cynicism, which are unpleasant (and unattractive) companions in life. But is is far easier to talk about letting go of those often legitimate feelings than it is to just do it! Even though I am a person of faith, one who is truly committed to my faith, I find no easy answers in the grittiness of daily life. The disappointments are real and they can't be waved away with some sort of magic wand.

I am learning to do this though -- I'm learning to give my small disappointments and my life changing broken dreams to Someone who knows my heart, who sees the span of my life, and who can take broken things and make them into a new thing. A better thing. I am learning that God's dreams are bigger than mine ~ and that he has deep concern and compassion for the things that touch and sometimes really pierce the core of my life.

He lets me give him the pieces though. He lets me put the little pieces of my hopes and dreams and expectations that are hardly recognizable anymore into his hands. He doesn't demand that I do so - he offers to take them from me. He also lets me put the pieces back in his hand, when I take them up again and hold them in my hands - often worrying, sometimes weeping. It's still a mystery to me what He will do with the broken dreams of my life. The end result will probably look nothing like my own vision of my life's dreams. I feel confident in this, though, His dream for me is to take the cuts and scars and pieces and make something new and better than I could have ever imagined. I'm waiting for the unveiling!

Think Berries for Valentine's Day!

A set of 10 in time for Valentine's Day.
L'amour des fraises!

These measure 4.25 x 5.5", 2 of each design is included - with white envelopes. A bit of a gourmet approach to valentine's day ...

The image of the strawberries and shadows was created using acrylic paint and colored pencil.

Completed berries ~

I have now finished my set of strawberry illustrations that will be used as Valentine Notecards. All 5 images feature a strawberry or berries, created with layers of paint and pencil to give a sense of depth and 3 dimensions. All have some sort of shadow and heart shape within the image.

A somewhat more gourmet approach to Valentines - but hopefully a fun way to remember the day! I'll post info on purchasing the notecards soon!

January's blanket

White Frosting, 5x7" Oil on canvas

January arrived here in the midwest with a thick frosting of white snow! This is a plein air painting, even though I did not actually sit outside to paint. Instead, I painted the 3 sentinels of my back yard in the midst of a snow storm from my back upstairs window. The 3 evergreens are about 40 - 50 ft high, and I only painted the uppermost section. It was a very gray day with snow falling in large wet flakes all day, and the weight of the snow draped over the branches of these trees slowly weighed them down.

I also really loved the abstract shapes of the white snow on the dark evergreen background - who says abstract "art" isn't something we see in nature every day? There weren't very many colors on my palette for this - although I did put a pale pink under painting on the canvas before I began. The method I used for this frosted effect was a very thick impasto application of paint. It took a long time to dry enough to scan - I pushed it a bit and scanned a somewhat tacky painting last night ... so I could post it today!

Berries ~ for Valentine's Day!

Images 1 and 2 for upcoming Valentine's Day Notecards
(acrylic and colored pencil on illustration board)
images are copyrighted 2008, Helen Read

Keep watching! I'm working on some Valentine's Day Notecards featuring Strawberries! Their shape is naturally quite heart-like, and of course, the color is Valentine Red! These 2 feature the berries but with a very heart-shaped shadow.

Besides this, I am continuing to work on my daily paintings ... the newest of which will be posted soon. It was completed last night, but with very thick applications of oil paint, it is taking a long time to dry. Since I scan my actual painting to post the image, it must be completely dry before I can post it.

More to come on the note cards as well!

Cleaning the studio! Great offer!

I'm cleaning my studio to make room for new work in 2008! And, I need to make some room.
So, I'm trying a new idea - the 5 paintings above are being offered with discounts for 1 week only. (January 7 - January 13, 2008)
Here's how it works:
Buy 1 of the above paintings and take off a 10% discount (original price on all is $100)
Buy 2 paintings - for a 15% discount
Buy 3 paintings - 20% discount
Buy 4 paintings - 25% discount
Buy all 5 paintings - 30% discount

(IL residents add 7.25% sales tax)
Shipping is $10 for the 1st painting, and I'll pick up additional shipping for orders of multiple paintings.

You can email me for more information at: studio_upstairs@hotmail.com
or visit my website for specifics on this offer.

I am hoping to (obviously) make room in my studio, but also to invite others to own an original oil painting! For those new to the art world, there is something very special about owning an original rather than a reproduction. The colors are more vivid than a photo, the texture is 3-D and very tactile, and the sense of value is much higher and more lasting with an actual stretched canvas. It's never been easier - or more affordable - to hang an original oil painting!

Work in the new year...

As is so frequent, I'm waiting for paint to dry.... It takes awhile - especially with thick applications of paint, which is what my next small painting has.

In the meantime, I want to direct you to Quill Cottage and Miss Sandy, who recently was given a painting I did this summer. She has written so beautifully and found deep personal meaning in the painting. Her site is always fun and interesting and inspiring.

Besides waiting for paint to dry, I am also working on ideas for Valentines Day ... more to come soon on that as well! I hope the Christmas holiday season was a wonderful one for you and your family. My family was all home, so things stayed quite busy. But a regular routine seems to be returning to us. I am looking forward to more frequent posts of my paintings again!

In the meantime, I'm posting an older drawing which is part of a
private collection.
This is colored pencil on paper. It measures approximately 11 x 14" and is of a wonderful (very) old elm tree in our area of Northern Illinois.
I was especially intrigued by the wonderful contrast between sunlight and shadows on the tree itself... and also all the cast shadows of the trees. In my mind, this picture evokes a visual image of the first Psalm - which makes mention of the person who builds their life on God's ways - they are like a thriving tree planted near the water.

On the horizon...

November Mist, 16 x 20" Oil on canvas covered board
(I'm not entirely happy with the photograph. The actual painting has a much wider range of value and color. Alas, this seems to be all I can get for right now!)

Private Collection

This painting is larger than my typical daily paintings which are usually 8x8" or less. I took reference photos near Thanksgiving... it had been a long stretch of very gray, foggy weather. I was taken with the overall effect of the barren trees lost in the misty fog, juxtaposed with the dry field grasses - rather wet at this time - but dried out and lifeless. There is a sort of mystery in such a day as things seem to blend together and then get lost in the low clouds and wet air.
It was after weeks and weeks of this kind of weather, that I decided I was probably feeling the affects of Seasonal Affective Disorder... or maybe everyone was! I know this - I missed the sunshine, blue skies, and warm weather! This painting is the result of so many drippy days.

_____________

It is now time to think about goals and growth for a new year on the horizon. I've posted ways that I have grown this past year - but - where do I hope to go? I've heard it said many times, if you don't know where you are going, that's probably just where you will end up - nowhere.
Growth - artistically and creatively, as well as developing what I do into a viable opportunity for increased income; these are the things I have targeted for my art in 2008.

There are some daunting aspects of growth - developing markets, publicity, advertising, thinking outside the box in terms of business ... I'll be the first to say, these things do not come naturally to me - and most of the time, they feel awkward. Honestly, I've spent a lot of time avoiding these issues, but in 2008, I want to overcome those obstacles and make these things feel more comfortable. In another area, I'm sometimes too non-descript about my artistic focus. In some ways, that isn't all bad - but I think it will be useful to try to plan out a general direction for my art and then try to reevaluate that within a few months and decide if I actually am on the right track. Finally, I want to continue to let my "self" be revealed through my work. There is something about that idea that makes my work completely individual and personal ... which is true of each of us. Too often, I don't see that as an especially valuable quality, but I think I should! So there you have it, in general terms - my 2008 artistic goals.
I am trying to be much more specific with daily, weekly, monthly (and beyond) goals and action plans, which I won't detail here. Again, the old adage comes to mind... without a plan I think I can expect to be in the same place year after year. Personally, that sounds boring! I need to continue to create new paths!

Happy New Year! Lets move forward, experiment, learn ... grow! I want 2008 to be an exciting year!

At play!

Cats at Play! 9 x 11" Watercolor and Ink

Its back to cats again! I wanted to try to do a composition using several cats, brightly colored. Compositions using several different objects can be tricky... its important to keep the eye moving through the picture and balance colors and shapes without creating monotony. These are quirky and fun... Who knows what I'll do with this collection!

A different look at Christmas

The Lord Speaks (mixed media on paper)

I've been thinking about Christmas in a different way this year - I've been thinking about it's mystery and the amazing impact it has had on time and eternity. Let me explain what I mean; there are some deeper, more profound meanings to our wonderful winter time celebration. Thinking about these things has deepened my experience of Christmas this year.

Christmas is not a stand-alone event in time - just a beautiful moment of a special baby's birth.
Rather Christmas is the proof of a promise truly kept by a God with a true and trustworthy heart. God had created the world and everything in it to be good ... without the contamination of evil. That all changed in Eden - and the entire world and everyone in it had been on a collision course with destruction as a result. Evil is pervasive, and it has touched everyone of us. But, there is a great story of redemption afoot. A plan conceived by the heart of a loving God - to rescue and reclaim the people of his creation - if they would have him. We are a people who love stories of redemption ... whether they be stories in great books, or movies, or true accounts. Christmas is the greatest of those stories.

That first Christmas, was the beginning of an obscure and stealthy rescue operation - where God himself (in the person of Jesus) stepped into human history in the middle of the night - disguised as a newborn baby - vulnerable, helpless, weak. Only a few knew, at the time, because the angels who had attended him from the beginning of time could not keep silent. They announced his coming in the quiet moments of the night in a sheep's pasture with a sudden angelic song. The audience was the simplest of common folk, sheep herders - those who would listen and hear and be overjoyed. Terrified, of course - who wouldn't be - but a safe audience, and one who would believe.

The enemy was at work though - threatened ... unsure of the exact plan. In a wide-sweeping attempt to halt this astounding plan of redemption - all baby boys are killed. The land becomes one of mourning. But, slipping away in the night - Joseph is quick to respond to an angel's warning and he shelters God's Promise, protects God's plan of redemption, preserves his family of 3.

Jesus, the son of God - himself God - lived among us, as one of us - ate like us; walked and talked like us; laughed and cried with us... for a short life time. Taking up life in its fullness in order to lay it down for us - trading his life for ours. Redeeming us - buying back his most dear treasure (our spirits, our very souls.) The simple requirement is to acknowledge that a gift is being given and to accept it with a thankful heart. God, the loving Giver, offers that gift to each of us and waits hopefully for each of us - you and me - to receive it.

This story is much bigger than Christmas Day - it spans all of time, and into the time beyond time. This Christmas morning, as we mark the moment God stepped into history as one of us - I'm thinking beyond this day, and all its wonderful traditions, and I'm thankful for all its mystery and implications. I am thankful for a Savior who loves us enough to come on a daring rescue operation to restore our souls.

You can read the account of Christmas in the New Testament scriptures of Matthew (1st and 2nd chapters) and Luke (1st and 2nd chapters). The story is continued through the rest of the New Testament books - of course, the beginning of the story starts in Genesis in the Old Testament.