Valentine Roses

Valentine Roses,  9x6" oil on gesso board
©2018 Helen Read 

SOLD 
 
Just in time!  Give the timeless, fadeless gift of flowers for Valentine's Day!   Nothing says "love" as universally as red roses.  And these beautiful colors are only enriched by the deep and alluring blue which holds them!
The impressionistic approach and the clear transparent colors exude soft romance! 
Still drying, but will be ready to send in time for Valentine's Day! 

Winter Glow

Winter Glow, 7x5" oil on gessoboard
©2018 Helen Read 

Ready to frame

SOLD

January can feel like such a long stretch of gray gloominess.  This is the time of year when Color Therapy is required!   And what is more colorful than a gathering of vivid color?!
To restore the spirit and revive the heart - this little jar is bursting with beautiful blooms.

This painting is done with impressionistic brushstrokes and colors that vibrate with one another.
Truly a small gem! 
Go ahead!  It's easy - just a click away and this beautiful burst of color can be hanging on your wall! 

His Eye on the Sparrow

His Eye on the Sparrow, 4x6" watercolor/ink on paper 

matted to fit 8x10" frame

©2018 Helen Read

SOLD

Even in the bleakness of winter, the sparrows flit and sing their songs.   I can't imagine how they find enough to eat but, their provision is given.  This becomes a personal lesson in trust.  Even these tiny birds - not particularly noticeable - really quite ordinary, are cared for day by day throughout the year by their Creator.  Their needs are met even on the coldest, bleakest days.
The old spiritual song, His Eye is on the Sparrow, comes to mind.  I remember my mother singing it when I was young, and it is a wonderful, comforting reminder  of who is caring for and watching over me.

Why should I feel discouraged,
Why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely,
And long for heaven, heaven and home,
When, Jesus is my portion,
My constant Friend is He;
Oh,  his eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.

Winter in the Midwest

Winter Twilight,  24x36" Oil on canvas 

©Helen Read 

Weather here in northern Illinois can be so changeable!  Today, the temperatures are in the middle 40s, which is more than 50˚ warmer than it was a week ago!!   Even though it's January, and we have snow on the ground, which melts and then falls again, I'm more than ready for spring.  I miss getting out to wander through God's beautiful creation.  I miss the inspiration it brings to my spirit and to my creativity.  

This painting, Winter Twilight, was begun in January during a winter warm up.  Because of it's size, it took a number of weeks to complete.  But, it reveals what our January weather often looks like - patches of snow, shades of browns and gray, bare branches and quiet water ~ and a lovely silence with only the occasional bird call.   An opportunity for reflection and forward thinking into the new year.  That's what I'm doing this January;  thinking forward into the new year!  I'm excited about what may come off my easel, and how I can connect and offer value to my friends!  May it be a productive and fun-filled year!  Cheers!! 

Happy New Year, Friends!

January has arrived with lots of COLD, cold weather this year!   I hope your new year has started well!  

One of the things on my "to do list" for 2018 is to continue to send out great newsletters each month...
My newsletter is where you get something great each month - something only available through my newsletter list. 

Sometimes, I have a contest for a free painting!  I give limited time discounts on paintings and original art.  I also have free downloads that you can print and personalize or frame.    I want my newsletters to be fun and interesting, inspiring and have something of value.  

This month's newsletter, which will be coming out in a couple days, will have a downloadable page for you to print and personalize as well as a great discount!   So, use the button below to get your name on my list so we can stay connected! 

Please! Sign Me Up!

For Email Marketing you can trust.

Off to Florida!

Congratulations! 

Ann, who lives in Florida, is the winner of this little December give away!  

 

It's fun to paint these little mini paintings ...  and send them off. 

 

 

 What may be coming in the next months!?   Keep watching!  

Winter's Rest

Winter's Rest,  6x9" oil on gesso board 

©  Helen Read 

Not far from where I live, miles and miles of farmland stretch toward the horizon in every direction. 
In winter, the corn stalks, still visible in rows, are shorn off, stubby, bent by the wind - and a quiet snow falls as if a large white blanket; the land tucked in for a winter's rest.   In those magical moments of sunrise or sunset, a golden light reflects off the snow juxtaposed with the cast shadows in a cooler tone.  There's a stark and quiet beauty in this wintery scene as the land takes part in the cycle of the seasons.

A Little Bird ... a little December gift!

This month I'll be giving this little bluebird mini painting away!

Little Bluebird, 3x3" oil on canvas + a small easel
©2017 Helen Read

 That's right!   For those who are subscribed to my monthly newsletter, all the details will be given in a few days when my newsletter is sent!  You'll want to be signed up (see below) so you receive my email and can take part! 

It's easy and fun to join my circle of friends... every month I send special offers, hold a contest, give away a freebie, and give some discounts!   If you love art, and if you like gifts... this is for you!!  

All you need to do is click the button below, it will take you to a form  and you'll be signed up.  I'll be sending my next newsletter (and the information about this little bird) within the first few days of December!  

Sign Up Now

For Email Marketing you can trust.

The Joy of Beautiful and Affordable Art

Now available in Fine Art Giclee Prints!

Please scroll down for more information about archival giclee prints, which can be printed on either canvas or paper. Giclee prints are beautifully printed with archival inks and papers and available at a very affordable price!

PLEASE NOTE: 
Shipping more than 1 item to the same address allows me to discount shipping.  However, it isn't possible to have that happen until after check out, when I will refund the discounted amount through paypal.  I'm sorry for that inconvenience; I tried multiple options to avoid it. 

Lovely Lavender -  fine art giclee print
©Helen Read

Lovely Lavender, (originally oil on gessoboard) is now available as a fine art print
in 2 sizes: 8x10" or 11x14" and on either stretched canvas or as a matted print or mounted on a rigid support. 
And the original is still available, as well at this link! 

 

Descanso Iris -  fine art giclee print
©Helen Read

Descanso Iris (originally a watercolor painting) was purchased for the set of the TV show, Chicago Fire.
It boasts a beautiful array of colors in pinks and greens.  

It is now available as a giclee print on watercolor paper.  

Nest Eggs -  fine art giclee print
©Helen Read

Nest Eggs, (originally oil on canvas) features a robin's nest - containing the promise of new life and varied colors of turquoise in light and shadow.  It is available as an 8x10" print
on stretched canvas or as a matted print or mounted on a rigid surface and ready to frame.
available with 3 options:

Two of a Feather -  fine art giclee print
©Helen Read


 Two of a Feather  (originally oil on gessoboard) is available as a fine art print
8x8" and with several options

 

 

 

 

Callas at Sunrise -  fine art giclee print
©Helen Read

Callas at Sunrise (originally oil on canvas) is now available as a fine art print

in 2 sizes: 8x10" or 11x14" and on either stretched canvas or as a matted print or mounted on a rigid support. 

And the original is still available, as well at this link! 

  What is Giclee Printing? 

Giclee is a printing process that uses archival papers or other supports and inks.  Because of this, these prints do not fade, discolor or deteriorate over time.  I use a printing company that focuses on fine art prints done to high standards.  I know you'll be pleased with your purchase.  However, if for some reason it does not meet your needs, you may make a return within 14 days.

   When you make an order, I am notified and your order will be printed and shipped.  I ask that you allow approximately 10 days for receipt, although for most domestic addresses, your prints will arrive sooner!    Prints can be sent to international addresses as well, although shipping costs are higher.  Please email me for an estimate on shipping outside the US.   

I'm excited to be able to offer this option!  It is a great way to hang beautiful art in your home or to give fine art as a gift.  The affordability of fine art prints adds another way to bring beauty into our lives!  

Birds of a Feather

Birds of a Feather, 6x6" oil on gesso board 

©2017 Helen Read 

SOLD 

These 2!  Captured with a bit of personality showing!  (Perhaps a little mischief!?) 

You can almost hear what they are thinking!   

Watch this painting unfold in a few seconds (of course, it took longer than a few seconds to paint!)  Its always fascinating to see how it begins and how it comes to its final form.
You can also see it on YouTube here:   https://youtu.be/wkMlFiq_nxY

 

Some Student Work - Fall Drawing 1 Class

Every year I like to post some of the work my students
in High School are doing.  This is a Drawing 1 class at Wheaton North High Schoo - so though they may have had some background in drawing, it is not a background of instruction. 
Most of my students come to class first thing in the semester liking to draw but not really experienced.  

This work shows so well what students are capable of achieving in the first 10 weeks or so of class!   I'm proud of them - they have worked hard and it shows!  

These drawings are a small representation of student work where they've taken the instruction and really applied what we've learned in the unit on value and shading techniques.  

They picked their own subjects, transferred the images, and shaded with graphite. 

As a teacher, it's very exciting to see this kind of growth!

The Joys of Autumn

"Autumn, the year's last loveliest smile." ~William Cullen Bryant

A blaze of color, the quiet settling of leaves, the flocks of birds on a yearly pilgrimage, 

there's a rhythm and constancy about the seasons, and autumn - a preparation for rest - is one of the most beautiful. 

Even in the midst of all this beauty,  I look ahead to the long siege of winter with some trepidation. 

Here, where I live, it seems to last forever under a chilled white blanket.  

So Autumn, for me, is a time to soak it up and to take joy in the small beauties it presents...

To Give Thanks

...not just because we celebrate Thanksgiving in the Autumn, but because each day has its own small gifts. 

 The glorious "hello" of the morning as the sun rises

 The intricate tracing of color in fallen leaves 

Gifts can be found in the most ordinary of life's experiences... if we choose to see them as gifts.  

This is what I'm training my eye and my heart to see - God, the Creator of the cosmos, is presenting beautiful small gifts day by day as a way of saying,  "It all matters!  Beauty matters.  My creation matters. Small things matter."  and most importantly,
"YOU matter!"

These gifts of beauty are His love notes to each of us - but we must take time to see.  We must take time to see the blaze of red lit up by the sun and reflected in the water... only lasting a few minutes to the seeing eye before it's gone, but nevertheless, a whisper of colorful love. 

or 

the dawning of golden light with it's band of glowing clouds - a gracious good morning and the promise of a new day of opportunities.  Scriptures tells us that His mercies are new each morning  - here is a visual reminder of that promise.

or 

an array of color from purple through reds and oranges and yellows, 

gently traced throughout the veins of leaves...Why? 
For beauty's sake; for the delight of it. 

Taking joy in these small ordinary things trains the heart to watch for the gifts that God gives and to 

live with gratitude. 

Watch with me! 
Take joy in the small gifts of the day.
Give thanks to a good God who whispers love and promises of mercy and who takes delight in His creation.... and most especially takes delight in You! 

 

Completed Commission

Untitled, © 2017, Helen Read

This painting was commissioned as part of a series of paintings that will be used in the services and will hang at church.  The requirements were loosely given and it will relate to paintings around it. 
I decided to do this with a bit of abstraction behind the bird and let the bird remain more realistically presented. 

The painting which will be on the left of this one has a darker theme, and the one that will be on the right of this one, is bright and light-filled.  The tree connects to the paintings on the right and left and also below. 

This one measures 24" x 24" and is gallery wrapped - about 2" deep, painted around the sides. 
I used acrylic paint for all of it, and the edges of the bird where it is catching light from the source on the right have been given some iridescence to the paint. 
The use of many circles and dots portrays a sense of energy to the piece, and the bold use of color is also energetic and joyful.  I'm excited to see exactly how it will be used in the coming months. 
To see it in person (starting in mid-December) come by Wellspring Alliance Church in Wheaton.

Autumn Joy

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

 

Well,  fall is finally here in the Midwest.  We've had a lovely prolonged summery start to it, with flowers continuing to bloom during warm sunny days.  So, these last blooms of fall are fading now... except not in this little painting!  How about a some beautiful color to brighten up that corner that needs some color!?   This painting is highly textured and full of luscious jewel tone colors.   All the colors of a beautiful fall day, right here!