The Mural....in the beginning!

So much PREP! So little time...........

This is a monumental task in just the preparation ..........although I have a fairly large studio, it is not large enough to prep several 4 x 8" sheets of plywood at the same time, unless I was able to empty it of all contents!

Therefore, I needed a place to do so..........it needed space for several large tables, good lighting, be accessible , on the ground floor AND have heat!!! We have a large garage but the heat was an issue. We shopped for a heater all over town before we finally located one at our local tractor supply place. Several hundred dollars and days later, there was heat.

By this time we are full swing into the Christmas season and I am on the phone daily, calling sponsors regarding photographs for the honorees of the mural. Message after message I left; everyone was so busy! And rightly so.....therefore, I knew I had to just chill and let Christmas happen and then have at it right after Jan.1. In the mean time, I got busy with educating myself about the task of painting a mural as opposed to a studio portrait in oils. I knew I would have to switch to acrylic paints but there were so many! Night after night, I was on the computer searching for answers, talking to fellow artists, etc. I finally settled on some paints and got 1 panel prepped for a trial run. Since I was the most available model, I posed, took my own photos, then drew it up and on the panel to test the paints and process, size and scale of the project. ( Did I mention I still had commissions to complete for Christmas?)

The paints were very different, even though I had worked with lots of acrylic paints. They just didn't move or cover the way I wanted them to. So back to the research!

Just as I thought I was on target, we were hit with a major artic blast with LOTS of snow and record-setting cold.........pipes frozen three times in a matter of just over a week! Too cold to even try to heat the garage warm enough; we were lucky to just stay warm enough in the house!

The pictures were starting to come in..........imagine someone thinking that you could paint a portrait of someone from a photo...........of a photo...........that was still under glass..........they used a flash...and the camera was their phone! (This happened not once but twice!)

 

The weather took a turn for the better and panels could be prepped. (That requires calking all the edges, twice. Two coats of primer coating the edges each time for a total of four coats on them.)

 

 I decided to skip the photos that were poor and lacking info and re-arrange the mural with the ones that I had good photo references for. Getting a few done right away is now my goal. I am getting the drawings done.

 

That is another issue...I thought I could save time  on the drawing stage and project the images I borrowed a projector from a friend, then the bulb went out. I located a bulb online for about $100.Of course, then I had to wait for it to ship. I had no idea how much distortion happens until I was trying to do someone I knew and saw how off the proportions were. So back to the old fashioned way, drawing freehand! TIME TIME TIME!!!

 

So here I am still trying to get number one done and I ordered another $150 worth of paints from another supplier, now waiting for them to arrive. In the mean time, I also had to buy a step stool and a platform to be able to work on the higher elements, ie, taller folks!

 

I do revert to some of my portrait tips though, like making a drawing on transparency to use as a 'master proof' for when the painting 'grows' beyond the edge or features get distorted, I can lay it over and find where I lost my way!

 

 

Once I get on a roll, you will see them progress quickly!   stay tuned....

 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2014! DREAM BIG!

What a wonderful new year it is going to be!  Positive thinking begets positive results...
                                                       that's my motto for this year!

                                     Dreaming big and imagining the real possibilities!

The year is off with a BIG bang! I have been chosen as the artist to create and paint an outside mural for our downtown comprising of 30 life sized portraits! A HUGE undertaking and one I would never have dreamt to come my way; a little nervous, but I am going to give it my best shot.

Speaking of shots...........I just completed a painting of my friend, Robert 'Cowboy' Culbertson, who I was so fortunate to spend a week with at the American Frontier Productions in Kansas last summer. That was quite a treat and I sure hope to get the opportunity to return there!

The next great thing is that a portrait of mine has been selected to be included for the show at Scottsdale Artists School, in Scottsdale, AZ. If you have never been there, you should add it to your list. I am so humbled to be a part of this show. I have seen the incredible  art chosen in previous years and am super excited to be part of it this year!

 

The show opens January 10 and since I will be traveling to AZ in Feb., I will be sure to go see it grace the halls of SAS and have my photo taken along side it.

 

Dream BIG! Who knows where it will take you...

 

 

Artists needing Artists...

What a wonderful time this weekend was! To spend time with a friend and fellow artist and get to spend a great deal of the time in the studio. Even though we were on the computer a lot and looked at more than a few photos, we actually painted, too. My friend, Pat Getha, was also very sharing in that she showed me a few settings on my camera that that are helpful and I learned a couple of shortcuts in Photoshop.

I shared with her as much as I could by way of art adventures that I have had and lots of paintings that she had never seen, along with some of my hand-pieced quilts that I made ( Pat insists they MUST be in a future painting), so there we go...bouncing ideas off each other.

She worked on a little gem in scratchboard, something she had not done since high school. It was exquisite when she finished! In the meantime, I pulled out a painting that I had started, thinking I knew exactly what was going in the background.........well, it took on a life of its own. It now has a very different background than I had planned and is taking it a whole new direction. THAT is the real high about creating art!

It has a long way to go yet, as many areas are just under painted with acrylics and has yet to be painted over with oils. ( I don't usually work this way, but this is an experiment...) the subtle blues, greens and violets in the background don't show very well in the photo but they are there. Now I have to come up with a completely different title..........many come to mind.

 I would love to hear your suggestions!   Artists need Artists.........

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!    

BE careful! What you wish for may just happen!

Incredible news! I am honored to announce that I have just been notified that my large painting in the 'East meets West' series............'ASPENS AMONG the TETONS'  has been juried into a show at the YELLOWSTONE ART MUSEUM in Billings, Montana.

I was feeling some confidence after a session with a marketing guru who pushed me to 'get my work out there' and to enter some major competitions. So I took his advice; ( and then forgot about it, so sure that mine would not be accepted.)

When I opened the email, I was confused for a minute, not remembering I had submitted and thought someone was playing a prank on me. As I read on, it dawned on me that it was for real! My painting will hang at the YELLOWSTONE ART MUSEUM and hopefully, will sell as well!

Now to build a crate for the second time!  I need to get busy and  ship the painting, so have a WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!!!

THE BIG REVEAL!

Okay, it has been announced publicly, so now I can share....


NEW MURAL TO GRACE DOWNTOWN LIMA BUILDING .....
                           will be revealed in August at Toast to the City.

The August event, a Lima tradition for more than 30 years, generally included a number of musical acts in addition to artistic displays. It had an eclectic run of musical acts over the years, from Buckwheat Zydeco to Loverboy, Brownsville Station to Crystal Bowersock.

“We are looking toward supporting our mission by supporting the development of downtown Lima by doing public art,” Rogers said.

(sample of portrait painting....THE SECRET INGREDIENT...   3 x 5')

... a mural  will be painted by local artist Ruth Ann Sturgill and displayed on the Hofeller, Hiatt & Clark building on North Main Street.“This will feature historical figures relevant to our community,” Rogers said. “This will include people, past and present, who have made an impact on Lima and Allen County.”

Sturgill will start on the portraits in January, completing 3 a month, on 4 x 8' sheets of MDO plywood.  Plans are to have at least 20 completed for the August reveal. Portraits will be close to life-size.

 For a $600 donation, along with a picture, the public can honor any individual by having their image as part of the mural. The donations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, with the first 20 guaranteed to be on the Hofeller, Hiatt & Clark building.

I AM IN TEARS!!!

                                                    tears.....................of great joy!  ( drum roll please!)

My painting, Illumination, has been selected for the SAS show in Scottsdale...

.

 "Best and the Brightest" !

 

What an honor...........when I saw the email, I was preparing myself to see that    'there were so many wonderful works but.....'

(You know how it goes)

I am over the moon with joy! Guess that is a good thing in missing the deadline for the miniature show in Florida because now I will be headed to Scottsdale in January for the opening, rather than Florida. Now there is no schedule conflict.     Happy to have a friend come along if any of you are so inclined, let me know!

Opening is January 10...........CHEERS!

Celebrate NOVEMBER by giving thanks!

The perfect month of the year to show how thankful I am for all my family and friends. Trying to express that in more than just words, so I have chosen a great GIVE AWAY for the entire month of November!

All those that are followers or choose to start following my blog, can receive a FREE limited edition , signed and numbered, 11 x 14" lithograph fine art print titled 'Brotherly Love'.

What better way to tell you all how much your support means to me as an artist and as a human being! Share with your friends, co-workers, who ever you know! Everyone is eligible...just become a follower by email.

 

When you do, I will email you a link with a button to cover postage...I am checking for the best rate so it will be an even better deal! Use it for a present or keep it for yourself...just my way of saying "THANKS!"