Marion's Landscape Painting Newsletter - Feb 2011WELCOME to my February newsletter, I hope you have had a good few weeks and managed to get some painting done. In this newsletter I want to share my thoughts with you about local arts clubs and societies. Do you belong to your local art club? Well please read on to discover why it’s a great idea.
Regular MeetingsI think one of the best things about your local art club or society is that it meets regularly. Quickly you can make friends with likeminded people. Everyone at art groups are happy to talk about materials, exhibitions, artists and of course your own paintings. It is so easy with our busy lives to not have time to paint but if you go along to a weekly art society then you will be encouraged to do some painting or drawing. It is a great and friendly discipline.The local art group that I belong to has a new theme each month for everyone to experiment with. This month it is interiors, last month food and drink. Not everyone has to follow the theme but it is there for members in case they are lacking inspiration. During the tea break it is great to wander round, talk to the other members and see how they have chosen to represent the weeks theme.
DemonstrationsRecently I have been to two art events where demonstrations of paintings were enjoyed. It’s got me thinking about how valuable it is to sees other artists at work. We may not always agree with the artist demonstrating; like their style or approach or even question how competent they are. However being there sitting and listening and watching you become reflective of your own practices. I don’t think I have ever been to a demonstration and not learnt anything. Within art groups, demonstrations always encourage some lively debate. Often in the following weeks group members practice the skills shown. This leads to sharing of further ideas and techniques.
ExhibitionsSo why do you paint? Is it just a very personal thing, a hobby that you enjoy that you do not want to share? That is fine but I feel most artists get to a point where they would like their work to be appreciated by others. Your paintings may not be where you want all your energy and time to be spent and that is quite understandable. However if you do want to share your work belonging to a local art- society will more than likely give you an opportunity to exhibit once or twice a year. If you don’t have a goand exhibit a painting or two, then how do you ever know if you can sell any? I know I am not alone when I tell you how exciting it is to find that someone has bought one of your paintings. Also on a more practical point it is great to recoup some of the money that you have spent creating your work. I am not in any way suggesting you should become a professional artist but sharing your work at an exhibition will give you a real buzz and you never know what unexpected outcome may be just around the corner.February's ProductThe product I would like to recommend to you this month is PVA glue. No it may not sound very new or exciting but I am sure its worth experimenting with it.This week I was working on a very simple but textural landscape painting. I used PVA glue straight from the bottle and created some amazing marks. It certainly takes a while to dry it completely before you can add colour on top but I would really reccomend you have a play!
A Few Other ThingsI really hope you have enjoyed reading this newsletter and it has encouraged you to look for a local art group or go back to one if you have lapsed in attending.Personally I have fun writing this newsletter but please let me know if there are any areas you want me to discuss. Please use the contact page on my website ... www.exploring-landscape-painting.com Also please tell your friends about this newsletter and get them to sign up. Happy painting! |
