Be a Tourist in Your Own Community

May 23, 2013

Last week, our son and his family came to stay with us for a visit. Not only did I get to be Grandma to our adorable 4 year old granddaughter, but we also did a lot of day trips in and around our community. Hubby and I took our cameras and were surprised how many shots we took on our daily journeys.

I took this picture of lilacs at an art and craft fair in a village along the St Lawrence River. It was nestled between two cute little cottage type buildings. I was fascinated by the pinks and purples of the delicate petals and the light shining on them.

So take out your camera and go for a walk in your community and see what catches your eye and speaks to you. I think you may be surprised. In the comments below share the little treasures you've found in your neighbourhood.

Weekly Promotion

May 8, 2013

Here are my three images that I am promoting this week . You can only order these fine art stretched canvas prints this week at these great prices. From left to right they are:

Illuminating the Light 24"x36" canvas print $110.

Floral Reflections 24"x20" canvas print $90.

Tulip in the Rain 20"x16" canvas print $75.

Are Your Colours Muddy ?

May 8, 2013

Jo takes a problem solving approach to designing and painting a professional image while imparting his ' golden nuggets' of tips and techniques. He has a friendly non pretentious manner and is generous with his time and expertisewith a healthy dose of humour. You get to watch him live and see how he uses his brush as he paints. Even better, you get an edited download of the session to watch again at your leisure. He does a different picture each session with a different medium. He usually cycles through oil, acrylics, watercolour and pan pastels. He critiques students' work submitted online as well as the students who are working along with him in his studio. I have found these critiques very helpful in improving the design of my own work. He repeats his golden nuggets throughout the classes. At first I was overwhelmed by all the information but now I am using and being aware of what is working and why in my painting.

Frustrated withYour Art ?

January 30, 2013

Looking Back

The other day I was looking at the pieces of art that I had not completed the last year. No matter how hard I worked on them, they were either uninteresting or just not working out. I was getting really frustrated. Then I realized that in nearly all the cases it was my composition, in particular my design that was the problem.

So I decided to look at my reference photos from a design perspective, rather than "Gee, I really like this shot. I bet it would make a great painting"

Here is the photo that I will be looking at critically from a design view.

What I Like about this:

I love the textures, shapes and colours in the foreground rocks.
The ocean
Trees in the background

What I don't Like:

Too many rocks in the water
The mid-ground hills are too symmetrical
There is some depth from back to front but not enough
The shape of the water is too symmetrical and harsh.

So what am I going to do ? What would you do ? Stayed tuned to the next post to find out. If you see anything that you would like to add to the 2 sections above feel free to add your comments.

Dancing Fractured Light

January 10, 2013

While I was in Banff over the Christmas holidays, I looked out of my son's dining room and saw these exquisite icicles hanging from the top of the window. I loved the way the light danced across the facets of the ice. I wanted to post process it with a cool temp in the front and a warmer glow to the back. I was quite happy with the way it came out. For a short time only ,you can purchase a 40'"x30" stretched canvas print of 'Dancing Fractured Light' for $166. There are only 10 available. Click on the picture below to order.

©2013 J. Gazo-McKim Dancing Fractured Light Photography