New Year, New Paintings

'Keen on Jelly Beans' 22" x 25"i> Here it is already the middle of January and I'm just now writing a new blog. I don't know what I have to do to be consistent doing this. I think it's because ALL I want to do is paint but I know if I want to succeed I have to do much more than that. Surprise News! I will be having a workshop at The Art Loft in Dahlongea in August! Details have not been finalized so I will let you know those as soon as they are. I am so excited about it!! I have several new paintings that are finished or almost finished. These are some I've been working on for quite some time. I've put them aside waiting for new ideas to pop in my head and now I'm getting them finished so I can paint more new ones. Is this too many images to see at once. Maybe I should start posting images as I'm working on the painting so I won't have so many in one blog. I quit working on this one because I couldn't decide what color to make the jelly bean on top. I finally just made it disappear. It's fun to be a magician! Hope you enjoy seeing this painting as it progresses! Stay tuned! I will post another one in a few days!

Funny How Time Slips Away

I've made an early New Year's resolution, that I will post on my blog at least once a week so here I am again. I've been creating a painting for a Christmas card for the past 6 years and I just started this year's yesterday.I always wait until the last minute. Every year I say that I will get it done early but I never do. Time just seems to slip away. Maybe next year. The attached painting is the very first one that I painted and I was doing landscapes then. Here is a little information on how my creative process in case you ever wondered how I come up with my paintings. I love to paint reflections and shiny things and I love vintage. I also like to feel challenged which is a detriment when I need to get a painting finished in a hurry. For my Christmas painting, I decided I wanted to paint candy since my other candy paintings have been so popular. I spent most of a day looking for vintage candy and containers and then another day taking lots and lots of pictures from different angles and perspectives while changing the placement of the objects. After downloading the pictures, I study them for hours. There just doesn't seem to be a fast way for me to paint in my style or at least I haven't found it. But still life painting is my absolute favorite thing. Marsha

I'm back to writing my blog.  I hope I can continue it this time. I just can't seem to find time for everything. After I won Daniel Smith's 12th Customer Art Contest for September, I promised Deborah Burns who writes the blog for Daniel Smith that I would write my blog again. Everyone keeps telling me that it is more important than a website, Facebook or Linked In so I will diligently try to keep it up.

 For those who missed the Daniel Smith Blog, you can read it at
http://www.danielsmithblog.com/marsha-chandler-12th-annual-daniel-smith-customer-art-contest-monthly-winner-for-september-2013/  By the way, I won a $100 gift certificate that I spent on new brushes and paints. The brushes are Silver Brushes (Black Velvet) that Soon Warren recommends and I can't wait to get them. I'll let you know if I like them. My old ones are in terrible shape and I can't get a smooth line with any of them. I will also have a 1 in 12 chance of winning a $1500, $1000, $500 or $250 gift certificate. This is the link to the contest. Who knows, you might be the next winner. https://www.facebook.com/DanielSmithArtSupplies/app_451684954848385

 VIP Reception at IGOR Show

I've just returned from trips to three amazing shows for which I am so grateful to be a part. The first show was the International Guild of Realism 8th Juried Exhibition held at the Tempe Center for the Arts in Tempe, AZ. The center is an architectural marvel and it was such a thrill to be in an art show in such a beautiful venue. We had a day of very informative seminars and a VIP reception on Friday, October, 5 and a public reception on Saturday, October 6. It was truly an informative and eventful weekend. IGOR knows how to host an art show! This is a link to the paintings that are in the show http://www.tempe.gov/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=19588

 If you paint realism, you should check out IGOR. It really is a great orginazation with a juried  membership. Their website is http://www.realismguild.com. The tentative location of the 2014 show is the Robert Lange Studio Gallery in Charleston, SC.

Tempe is only a few miles from Scottsdale so we were able to visit the galleries there. They have many realism galleries so I really enjoyed seeing them. However, there were very few watercolor paintings. When will people realize that Watercolor Paintings are Fine Art but that's for another blog. Thank you for reading.

Marsha

Stages of painting Hot Peppers

Good morning everyone,

My daughter's wedding and my husband's knee replacement are over so I've been in Florida for a few days for a much needed break. Now I'm excited to get back home and paint!

 

I did start a new painting during his recovery and thought you might enjoy seeing it's progress. I forgot to make a picture the 2nd day I worked on it so the 2nd picture is the 3rd days progress. This is my first attempt at  painting plastic and I'm really enjoying the challenge.

 

Hope you enjoy seeing it! I'm also trying to think of a catchy name so I'm open for suggestions.

 

Marssha

 

 

Is there a correct way to blog?

I keep procrastinating on blogging because I feel like I'm not a very good writer. I keep asking myself what can I say that would interest people. So I've been reading other artist's blogs and mostly they seem to be written like one would talk to their friend. Nothing profound, just ordinary, day to day stuff in the every day life of an artist. I'm going to try this and see how it works. Maybe the more I blog, the more I will think of to say, hopefully.

Cherry painting that is languishing in my studio until I say it's finished.

 

I recently read a post in Fine Art Views Newsletter by Donald Fox that seemed to give me  permission to write my blog any way I choose.   These few sentences by Donald Fox seemed to say just what I needed to hear. "Well, why not just write? You don’t have to make the blog be a certain way. What you feel or think on one day may not be the same another day. As human beings, we’re allowed to have opinions and change our minds on occasion. So what if sometimes there are conflicting thoughts or slightly disorganized ones? With all the challenges we have to face every single day, all the decisions we have to make, isn’t there room for a bit of inconsistency?"

 "The blogger can present his or her thoughts in whatever way he/she chooses. Since the writing is being published to the web, however, there is an intended audience, and writing for an audience should require somewhat organized thinking on the part of the writer. Still, this isn’t formal writing, and no blood, sweat, or tears, are required." 
Go to http://donaldfoxfineart.com/blog/48300/not-about-art-or-is-it to read the rest of Donald Fox's blog.

Stay tuned for more and better blogs!  Hope you are having a great week!

Marsha

FINALLY FINISHED - NEVER GIVE UP

 
                                         VEGETABLE MEDLEY

I have a tendency to stop working on a painting three-fourths through it. It just gets to a point when I start thinking that this is not going to be a successful painting. I need to listen to the little voice that was in my head in the beginning saying this is going to be a great painting and just keep painting. Several times I stopped on Vegetable Medley but I finally finished it. I'm happy with it now and just entered it in the Southern Watercolor Society Exhibition. Refer to prior posts to see the progress of this painting. My advice is that if you believe in a painting enough to start it then you should see it through to the finish. Some of my best paintings were ones that I thought just were not good part way through the process and stopped  and finally finished!

Show at the Alliance Theatre

 

Ideas for title- Sweet Southern Tea,  Song of the South or other suggestions?

 

 I haven't been able to finish any new paintings because I've been on vacation and getting ready for my show at the Woodruff Arts Center in the Alliance Theatre Galleria sponsored by Digital Arts Studio. http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs068/1101603801014/archive/1111071152218.html. It begins tonight and I'm so excited about it! I hope to make a lot of sales but if not, make a lot of contacts. I set up yesterday so all I have to do tonight is show up. We will be meeting with people before and after the play and during intermission through Sunday night. The play is What I Learned in Paris but it'sa love story in Atlanta in 1973. Check it out at http://alliancetheatre.org/en/Our-Plays/Now-Playing/What-I-Learned-in-Paris.aspx. I will have originals and giclees available.
If you are going, be sure to look for me in the lobby. Wish me luck!

Marsha