ICE

Spending the day shopping at the street market in Isle sur de la Sorgue

May 17,2012

I don't know if you have ever traveled to Europe, but I am addicted to it.  There is just something about being in a new place that is very different from home.  I love everything about it.  There are however, a few things that we as Americans take for granted that the Europeans seem to live happily without.

Ice- never comes with a drink, not coke or tea.  Forget having it in a glass of water.  I know from being in New England it is not as common there either, but usually you can ask for it.  I figure the New Englanders are just too cheap to take up space in a drink with frozen water (sorry all my NE friends- this is a generalization of course!)  But in Europe, ice is used to keep things cold in a freezer and not to be consumed in a liquid drink.

Soft sheets and towels-never take for granted your indoor dryer and fabric softeners.  Most laundry is hung outdoors to dry in Europe just like your great-granny did it.  So no thick fluffy towels or 700 thread count cotton sheets unless you are staying in a 5 star hotel and paying the big bucks to sleep a few hours.  You're in Europe, for pete's sake, don't spend it in a hotel!

Washcloths-who knew that not having a washcloth would make any difference?  It's all in what you are used to, right?  A couple of our gals even bought some while we were there since they are not provided.  It is pretty universal in Europe not to have them. 

Shower curtains-some places do have glass doors for showers, but if there is a tub, there isn't a shower curtain.  You have to do the best you can to shower and not flood the entire bathroom.  OK, so it was me who flooded the bathroom in Paris the first day.  And given that you only get one towel for a week, you learn to direct the water so it doesn't spray all over the room. 

Toilet seats- now here's the "touchy" subject!  Few places have a separate men's and women's.  That means there usually isn't a seat on the toilet.  Guess it saves cleaning time?  No problem with keeping the lid up or down?  And that is if you are lucky enough to find an indoor toilet in a public place.  Yes, they still have the "holes".  I found it funny that they would have fancy metal hangers for purses or coats in the same room.  And usually have electric hand dryers.  I remember my dad telling me about the "water closets" that he saw when he was there during WWII.  Still there.  Maybe even some of the same ones? 

Despite the minor differences in things we deem as "normal" in the US, we 6 Tennessee gals plus 2 Minnesotans did a fairly good job of contributing to the ailing economy of France on this trip consuming delicious meals, pastries and desserts. And maybe a bottle of wine or two.  Not to mention the clothes, scarves, linens, and other items we all bought and brought back.  It was a hard job, but hey, somebody had to do it without ice on this trip!

For Memorial Day, let's not take for granted the lives and sacrifices of our military.  Enjoy your weekend.


Durinda

Connections

Women Painters of the Southeast Show

Jacksonville, FL

D with Marsha Savage (Smryna, GA), Candy Day (Ellijay,GA) and Karen Rose (Gainesville, FL)

It struck me over the weekend how Social Media has taken over a great part of our lives.  I was attending the opening of the Women Painters of the Southeast show at Corse Gallery in Jacksonville, FL.  Fortunately, the participating artists had nametags because it made it easy to put names and faces with the Facebook posts of my friends.  This photo has 2 friends of mine, Marsha and Karen, whom I met at different times and different years.  Candy is a new friend who is one of my FB friends and it was nice to meet her at the show.

 

This is Terry Mason (Sarasota, FL) and Diane Mannion (Sarasota, FL) who are part of the Light Chasers Plein Air Painters of the Suncoast.  I paint with them when I am in Siesta Key.  We just had a show at the Celery Barn in Sarasota last month.  It was good to see both of them.  Wandering around the gallery was Katie Cundiff, another plein air artist from Sarasota.  I put a face to Dot Courson from Mississippi another FB friend. There were others in the show whom I knew but weren't there for the opening: Lori, Dawn, and Diane from Nashville, Jane from St Pete, Barbara from Montgomery.  I hope they get by sometime to see it.  It really is a spectacular show, if I must say so myself.  You can see the entire show:  www.onlinejuriedshows.com/ClosedShowThumbs.asp?OJSID=63
Funny thing also happened.  My husband does work with Karen's husband's company.  They knew the same people.  Small world, huh?

I am now looking forward to being in other shows with artists from FB world and making those Social Media Connections. 

Have a great rest of the week, I'll be getting ready for my workshop trip to Provence next week.  I hope to be able to post from there and keep you connected!

Durinda

The Voice

I know you have seen or heard of the television show called "The Voice".  It has contestants who sing and are chosen by one famous singer on a panel to be in their group. Then the people sing and are eliminated over time until one person is the best "Voice" of the season.  Then they start over with another group for the next season of shows.
It came to me that being an artist is a lot like that.  Of course you knew I would relate it to art!  Every painter wants to have their own distinctive style of painting, one that is recognizable, a subject they are associated with, in other words, their "Voice".  But unlike singers who know that they must constantly practice to improve, a lot of artists think they can study with a famous artist, sometimes a weekend, a week, or in an on-going class, and then they will "copy" all they can from the teaching artist to paint just like him or her.  That way, they will be as famous, right?
Sometimes it works that way.  There are women artists who studied with and then got into relationships with successful artists who do paint a lot like them and who, with their connections, have become famous in their own right.  In the olden days, artists took on apprentices who then had to produce their own "masterpiece" to join the artisans guild or get in the Salon show to prove they had "made it".  Their work, however, did not mimic the masters necessarily. 
Everyone who has taken a class or workshop, seen a demo, watched a dvd, or worked under an established artist, will show an influence.  The real artist will continue to work on his or her own, taking what works for them from the master artist, and developing his or her own style.  Cezanne said, "I paint this way because I can't paint any other way," or something like that when he was asked about his style of painting. 
So to truly become an artist with a Voice, have something to say.  Paint because you can't not paint.  Paint because you dream paintings and see visions in your head.  Paint because you are miserable if you don't.  There is no magic number of paintings to do in a year or over time.  One hundred, two hundred, it doesn't matter.  Your voice will start to sound like you and you alone.  Develop your voice, the world is listening. 
LA! LA!LA!

Valley View

Oil on museum quality board

8 x 8

Durinda

Inspiration

Golden Moment

Oil on linen

20 x 24

Available

It is difficult for me to understand artists who have "creativity" blocks.  They can't think of anything they want to paint.  I am sure this must happen to some people once in a while sort of like writer's block?  I am not one of those people.  As part of my ADD, I can get over-stimulated with visual images.  I can see paintings nearly every place I look.  I am constantly seeing compositions and thinking about how I would paint something.  I name colors in my head and how to mix them.  I am not a good traveling companion.  Instead of navigating, I am looking out the window and painting in my head.  Do other artists do this?  Surely some do! 

So how do you become inspired to actually go from looking at something or seeing something in your head to putting in down on canvas?  First, I think of painting as a visual language.  What is it you want to communicate to others?  You will not be standing next to that painting to explain it, what is it you want to say about the subject?  It is about the color scheme, the mood, the atmosphere, or the light?  Is it the tilt of someones head, the expression of a child, the texture of a cloth?  Then choose your tools:  the medium, the colors, the brushstrokes.  In my recent workshop "All About Color" one student said, "I have learned to Think More and Paint Less."  Hmmm, perhaps that is something we all need to do.  Like thinking before speaking.  Make your comments count.  Your inspiration is waiting!

This weekend, March 23 - 25, I will be painting en plein air at Walt Disneyworld's Flower and Garden Festival 2012.  It takes place in Epcot every spring and I am always so thrilled to take part.  I will be in "Italy".  This is my seventh year to be invited?  I'll be posting on my FB page: DurindaCheek and on my Fan Page:  Durinda'sFineArtFanPage so hope you can join me and see my inspirations for this week!

Ciao for now, ya'll!

Durinda

Loose Women

Enchanted

Oil on museum quality board

6 x 6

(My first painting at home since the workshop, what do you think?)

With Leslie Saeta

Dreama T Perry

The Rowdy Corner of Southern Gals, minus Karen taking the shot

What better place to encounter loose women than Buckhead in Atlanta for a week?  I was part of Leslie Saeta and Dreama Tolle Perry's workshop.  Leslie and Dreama are two of the Daily Painters.  Leslie paints with a palette knife and Dreama works in transparent oils.  Both very different styles and especially different from mine.  What did I want to learn?  To loosen up of course!  I am wanting my oil paintings to look more like my watercolors.  I know that when I paint with watercolors, I am confident and just go for it!  I put colors where I see them and not where they necessarily are.  I can swish and splatter and work wet-in-wet.  I have felt that my oils lacked that looseness, that confident brushstroke, that surprise of color.  These two gals were about as loose as you can get, fast and furious, brave and confident.  I also found out that painting with a palette knife takes some practice.  I wasn't sure if I could hold my mouth right to get those strokes I wanted.  The benefits of knife painting?  No brush cleanup, soft edges, textured paint, clean color.  So whether or not I pursue either of the gals' styles in painting, I have told myself, "I can do this!  I can mix color, put it on, and leave it alone."  It was fun being a student for a week, observing how they each had their style of teaching, being around artists I knew already and meeting new artist friends.  Now, if you will excuse me, I have some paintings to knock out in the next couple of hours.

Paint Happy!

Durinda

First Snowfall

First Snowfall

oil on linen

10 x 8

Behind every painting is a story.  This is a section of an original oil painted last winter.  I had not been at home in years during the winter months so being here for the first snowfall was especially exciting.  I loaded up my painting gear- in my backpack so I could carry it- in search of the perfect spot to paint.  After a few steps in the snow, I decided I liked my view of our yard from the front porch!  And, the fact that I could set up my easel on a flat surface, be under the covering to block the wind, and not get my feet wet, well, hey, so much the better, right?  Just goes to prove, sometimes the best things are actually right around you, like your home, your family, and your friends. 

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

Cheers!

Durinda

The Secret

I often get asked, "What is plein air?"  I know it sounds like some Secret Code that artists use.  True, it isn't something you hear everyday.  It means in the open air.  It's a term we artists use when we are referring to painting outdoors.  And, not sure why we westerners insist on using the French term.  We don't use other French terms that much.  I guess it relates back to the Americans who went to France to learn the Impressionism style of painting  in the late 1800's and early 1900's.  They had heard or even seen paintings by these French artists thanks to Mary Cassatt bringing them over.  This was something new as far as art styles.  Loose choppy brushstrokes, high key color palettes, and painted outdoors? 
The French Impressionists weren't the ones who invented painting outdoors.  Certainly artists had been carrying sketchbooks outside for centuries.  And the British would tell you they were watercoloring outdoors long before Monet painted his "Impression: Sunrise".  It just happened that oil paints could now be stored in tubes as opposed to being handground in the studio where it was stored in pots.  Adding to that, artists were now painting on linen canvas which could be stretched over supports making it lots lighter than painting on primed wood.  Monet even used a boat as a floating studio to paint the populars next to the river bank. 

Painting Aspens at Lake Tahoe

Plein air painting can be as rugged a sport as you want to make it.  Some artists hike miles in the woods and mountains with their supplies on their backs just to capture their scenes.  You can paint in public or not.  You can carry large canvases or very small.  There just isn't a right or wrong way.  So if you see an artist outside set up with their easel and paints, you can say, "Good luck with your plein air painting." And they will know that you know the Secret.