Three 5x7 Cute Cows, oil on canvas

Three more commissions finished. (Sorry for the bad photos).  These three paintings were done for my neighbors up the road. It was a lot of fun since I love to paint cows! Now all they have to do is decide where to hang them.

What I learned on Ebay

I sold more than 200 paintings on eBay over the course of 18 months. It was thrilling. It was agonizing. It was exhilarating and it was exhausting.

 I followed to a tee all the advice I read in an article by Jack White (Making It on eBay) in the December 2009 issue of Professional Artist Magazine. It was good advice in every way.

I took a break from eBay last June (2011) and haven't returned, although that isn't an impossibility. I learned a few things about eBay and about myself as a person and an artist. I thought I'd share some of those things with you. The negatives first.

1. I'm not as thick skinned as I'd like to be
2. I don't like to, or want to, paint every day
3. I need to set boundaries for social media just like I do for face to face relationships 
4. I tend to let tasks become taskmasters

The Positives

My drawing board where I put paintings to dry

1. Don't take myself too seriously
2. I can paint a lot
3. There are tons of people buying art
4. I love my galleries!
5. I still like to at least feel like a free spirit when it comes to painting
6. How to organize my record keeping in a simple way
7. How to establish a good work flow
8. How to make and keep a schedule
9. How to organize my studio
10. How to stop buying art supplies I don't need
11. Gained confidence in my ability to tackle new things

My desk at it's organized best

My framing/shipping center

 As you can see, a lot of what I learned from my experience on eBay wasn't in Jack White's article, but grew out of necessity and the overall experience of producing and selling so much work. Pushing myself yielded rewards far beyond the actual sales made.

I may go back to eBay sometime in the future. It has it's allure. If I do, I'll be even better prepared by my own experience, as well as Jack White's valuable information.

How about you? Have you considered eBay? Or other online selling venues? What have you learned about yourself through tackling new ventures?

Commissions Welcomed!

Evening Watch 8x12 oil on canvas

The Homestead  10x20, oil on canvas

Morning Welcome 10x12, oil on canvas

These are three commissioned paintings I recently finished for some friends I met years ago at the Douglas Invitational Art Show in Douglas, Wyoming. Every year they would mention having me do a painting of their house on the river. They had designed and built the house themselves and when they contacted me early in the summer I was excited to do the painting. As the commission evolved it turned into 3 smaller paintings instead of one large. Before I had them finished it was learned this family would be moving to a new town, so it was even more sentimental than it would have been otherwise.

I delivered the finished and framed paintings to them a couple of weeks ago and was blessed to see their response. I hope the paintings are helping them make the transition to their new home a bit easier.

Going Grey, Looking Great

I have a book titled Going Gray, Looking Great by Diana Lewis Jewell. It's been very helpful for leaving the world of colored hair behind. And though that may seem unrelated to painting, it's not. I've also "gone grey" with some of my equipment and I like it! (I like my hair too).

The instruction for this is from one of my Virtual Art Academy lessons on plein air equipment.

I tossed my old white glass palette in favor of a grey one, added a grey color isolator to my equipment, and attached a value scale to the glass and the panel holder of my box. I'll show you how I did it.


For the Value Scale:
I used a Glidden grey paint chip from Hardware Hank and cut it in half lengthwise so I had two narrow strips of value scale. I used clear shipping tape to attach each half to their respective places. I was careful to make sure the one on the glass was in the same position -light to dark - as the one on the box.

My value scale from a paint chip and my new grey glass palette

For the Palette:
I got a piece of single strength glass cut to fit my box. I used a medium grey spray paint to coat the glass, after I had taped the value scale to it. When the glass was dry I dropped it into my box and it was ready to go.

For the Color Isolator:
I used the same spray paint to coat both sides of an old credit card. (A friend suggested coating the card with gesso first to really cover the numbers. I didn't do this, but you might want to try it. I'm not sure if the gesso would stick). I used a paper punch, which took some time, to put three holes in the card, evenly spaced. This is for isolating color and judging value when out in the field. It is my favorite new tool!

I've found this going grey to be one of the most helpful and simple changes I've made to my painting routine. It's been much easier to judge the values and colors as I'm working. I haven't spent much time actually consciously comparing things, but because my panels are coated a medium value (from the leftover paint scrapings) and my palette is the same value as the color isolator I don't have to mentally try to make adjustments for the different values, as I did in the past. And when I do want to make a conscious comparison I whip out my color isolator and line up my holes to see the actual local color and the color I have in my painting.

A comparison made easy. I usually don't hold the isolator right on the painting, but this worked for a photo.

Let me know if you decide to try this and how it works for you.

Something to Cool a Hot Summer

Muddy Creek                    Ginny Butcher

This painting is already sold, but I thought it would be nice to look at when the temps are 90's+.

Leftovers Again? What to do with Palette Scrapings

When it comes to food, I love leftovers. It's probably because I'm the cook around here. But when it comes to paint leftovers, it used to bother me terribly to throw all that good muddy paint away. Eventually, when it was too sticky to do anything with, I'd end up throwing it away anyway. How many times have you scraped your palette of mixed paint and thrown it away? Or left it in a great pile and wished you could put it to good use? Well, now you can.

Two mud mixtures from palette scrapings

Some people put it in tubes. You can buy the tubes through art supply catalogs. But it always looks like a lot of work to me - and would I actually use those tubes of mud? My solution to the leftovers is to use it to coat or tone panels or stretched canvas.

Usually I use it on gessoed panels because I really don't like the extreme absorbency of the gesso. It just sucks the paint off my brush faster than I can reload. But if I coat them with these leftover mud colors it leaves a nice oil skin to work on. It gives me a choice of interesting ground colors which I can choose according to my mood or setting. Whether I'm outdoors or in the studio, the paint goes on smoothly and the color does interesting things for the painting.

Some panels with different mud mixes on them

To coat my surfaces, I simply thin the mud with a bit of gamsol and spread it on evenly or haphazardly using my largest brush which happens to be a #10 bristle. If I'm coating a larger canvas or panel - 16x20 and up - I use a house painting brush. I let them dry for a week or two before using them. I keep them in stacks according to size and just grab one or more when I'm gathering my equipment for outdoor painting.

A few more - varying sizes and colors

Now you know what I do with my leftovers. What ideas or practices do you have for your leftover paint?

Blaze of Glory, 6x12, oil on canvas

Blaze of Glory                    Ginny Butcher

This is a painting I did last fall. I'm hankering after cooler temperatures and this was a nice reminder. The painting was originally larger; closer to 9x12. I decided to crop it. The result is a more intimate view. This is headed to Deselms Fine Art Gallery in Cheyenne this week.

What's it Like to be a Gallery Owner?

Harvey Deselms is the owner of Deslems Fine Art Gallery in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I've been represented by Harvey for a number of years and decided to interview him about being a gallery owner. He was kind enough to indulge me as we chatted over burgers in the gallery kitchen. I hope you learn as much as I did as you read the interview.

Deselms Fine Art Gallery in Cheyenne, Wyoming

Harvey, how long have you owned the gallery?

I just celebrated my 20th anniversary this year.


Congratulations! How did you decide to open a gallery?

I had a degree in archeology and anthropology and was working at the Old West Museum in Cheyenne. I found I was more interested in fund raising events and the art at the museum than the curator was. As I dabbled in some art classes at the community college, I found there were a lot of people with more talent than I. With that knowledge and some business classes it seemed a natural drift into the gallery business. It was a good way to be involved in art and help those with the talent.


Harvey, you do a lot of promotion of the artwork, artists and the gallery. Can you tell us what sort of things you do?

Sure. I keep an online presence through facebook pages and posts, and a website with the artwork, which is going to be updated soon. I do a lot of print advertising and post cards as well as TV a couple times a year. We have A.D.D. here in Cheyenne which stands for Art, Design and Dine, every second Thursday of the month. That always features an artist or designer from the area and involves various restaurants. In the past we've hosted BYOB, bring your own brush, on Thursdays, during which time artists demoed their work. The gallery does a lot of community sponsorship of non art related events also.

Some of the work at Deselms Fine Art Gallery

Can you tell us why artists should seek gallery representation?

So they can have more time to create! If they have to do all the promoting also, their big creative ideas get eaten up with that process of promoting.

Most artists I know aren't comfortable selling their own work.

Yes, sometimes it does take some finesse.

As a gallery owner, what qualities do you look for in an artist?

Reliability - I like to see that an artist is able to furnish the gallery with enough pieces to replace them as they sell. I like to see their work is well done, as well as priced in an affordable range for the market here. I have limited wall space and the work must be priced high enough to meet the artists' needs, but low enough to sell here.    

What advice do you have for artists who are looking for gallery representation?

Check out the gallery first to see if your work will be a good fit, both style wise and price wise. Then make an appointment to show the gallery your work. My pet peeve is when an artist shows up with an armload of paintings and wants me to devote my undivided attention to them and its the first time they've stepped foot in the gallery.


That seems fair. We all have schedules to keep. 

You do a lot of work for us. What can we, as artists, do to help you sell our work?

Be organized! Any organization, such as consignment sheets like you have is a huge help. And if possible, participate in any art events the gallery sponsors. Also, links on your website, facebook page, and things like that are all helpful, as well as word of mouth.


You also do custom framing here. In view of that, is there any thing you like to see as far as framing goes from your artists?

Consistency is nice, but different artists have different ways. Presentable and consistent is good.


One last question. Have you ever had an artist ask you to price their work?

Yes, and I steer clear of that. If I make it too low and it sells too quickly the artist thinks it should have been higher. If I price it too high and it doesn't sell in a timely manner then the artist isn't happy with that. I let artists price their own work. Occasionally I'll give advice to someone who asks and is just starting out - like a high school student.


So there you have it. Interviewing Harvey was a very enjoyable, as well as educational time. We became better friends and I was most surprised by the answer to the question about how I could help him sell my work. Who knew being organized would help my gallery so much?

Harvey and Dot

Thank you, Harvey, for your time and a glimpse into your life as a gallery owner. I'm more determined than ever to do all I can to help my galleries be successful. How about you?

Lazy Days of Summer, 11x14, oil on linen

Lazy Days of Summer              Ginny Butcher

Being serenaded by chirping crickets, and trickling water are some of the reasons I love plein air painting. And who can resist cool mountain air stirred with warm sunshine? Intoxicating in every way!

Kathleen Dunphy's palette

Every time I paint outside I feel a little panic. Not because of bugs or wind or even snakes. It's the changing light and color that always get to me.

I recently read a couple of blog posts by Kathleen Dunphy about her color palette. I decided to give it a try and I've used it 3 times now with great satisfaction! I thought maybe it was beginner's luck, so I used it again on a commission I was working on in the studio also. Great again. And yesterday I used it at the lake, painting red rocks which I love, but always have found to be a frustration. My previous post about painting at Alcova is about the process.

Color has definitely been my area of struggle since taking up oils. When I worked in pastel I had a limited palette because I had a limited number of pastels I was willing to haul around. They're heavy! Since moving to oils, I've had more trouble because I have so many choices of colors I can mix. People who see my work may not thinks so, but I know so. That's why I'm thrilled with this palette.

So, what is this palette? It's a limited palette, using only 6 tubes of paint. The brands are important so if you decide to try this, make sure you get the right brands. They are Rembrandt Cold Grey, Rembrandt Naples Yellow Deep, Rembrandt Permanent Red, Utrecht Cadmium Yellow Lemon and any brand of Ultramarine Blue and a White. 

If you're wondering about the piles of color on the right, those are leftovers from the last time I painted, all mixed together to make some nice greys.

I followed Kathleen's order of premixing my colors at the location before beginning to paint. 

I found the process of getting the color and value I wanted much easier than any other palette I've used in the past. I also found I got a wonderful variety of greens much closer to our muted landscape colors here in the west. For instance mixing some cold grey with lemon yellow makes a great green. Then you can warm it up with a little red or cool it off with a bit of ultramarine. Pretty simple. Red is warm, blue is cool. I like that.

Middle mixture is Cold Grey and Utrecht Lemon Yellow, cooled with Ultramarine Blue on the left, warmed with Permanent Red on the right.

Middle mixture is Cold Grey and Permanent Red, cooled with white and more grey on left and cooled with Ultramarine Blue on the right, warmed with a touch of Utrecht Lemon Yellow below.

You can see how easy it is to get some variety and harmony.

Grant's Sheds 9x12, oil              Ginny Butcher

Because of the limited palette I couldn't get myself into trouble with too many choices. I found it easy to get a strong sense of place through good color.

This is the Cold Grey mixed with the Naples Yellow Deep in the middle, a bit more yellow above and a bit of Permanent Red below.

And some purer color mixtures, Naples Yellow Deep with Ultramarine Blue and the same yellow with the Permanent Red.

I hope you'll try this palette yourself if color has been an issue for you as it has for me. And let me know how it's worked for you. I'd love to know.

Happy painting.

Summer Whites, 9x12, oil

Summer Whites, 9x12, oil                            Ginny Butcher

This one is finally finished. It's been hanging around the studio for awhile, being scrutinized every now and then, when my attention lights on it. I noticed a couple of things and changed them. One was the sky. It was a big blue mass. A nice blue, but kind of boring. The clouds seem to fit right in and gave me the idea for the name. I'm satisfied that I got the feel of a hot, sunny, summer day with this one. As you know, I love old buildings, especially white ones. It was really a lot of fun getting this right.

Is There a Lion in Your Street?

Two Buds, 8x10, oil                 Ginny Butcher

While the two calves above don't look very threatening, there has been a predator lurking around the edges of my life . . .

And it's a lion! "A lion!" ,you say. Well not exactly, but . . .

Reading the book of Proverbs in the Bible I came across this scripture the other day. "The sluggard says, 'There is a lion outside; I will be killed in the streets!'" (Proverbs 22:13)

As I pondered this (because it seemed so absurd to me at first) I began to realize the sluggard has an excuse, no matter how outlandish, for not doing what he or she ought to be doing, which is something productive.


Now, I don't like to think of myself as a sluggard. After all, I do quite a bit of work, but I had to stop and think about this. Especially because I've also been reading Alyson Stanfield's book,  I'd Rather Be In The Studio, after it was recommended by Keith Bond, as deserving to be read and heeded. Between the two (Proverbs and Alyson's book) I'm getting the message loud and clear - no excuses! no whining!

I had to admit that I've used every excuse Alyson titles her chapters with, for not doing more self-promotion. Ouch! As Nike's over used motto goes, just do it.

Just get ready. Just paint. Just make a contact list. Just write a blog post. Just write an artist's statement. Just update my website. Just call that person. Just show up! Get that lion out of your way! Put yourself in the right place with the right attitude and do the work. One task at a time.

Before you know it, you won't be saying "there's a lion in the street!", you'll be encouraging others to chase away their own lions and get on with whatever they're making excuses for not doing. So . . . get out there and chase your own lions away.

Alcova Red Cliffs, 9x12, oil on canvas

A better photo of the finished painting after I picked the bugs out of the wet oil and touched up a few things at home. I'm looking forward to returning to this area when the weather cools off this fall.

I used a different palette for this painting, which I'll share with you soon. It made things a lot easier for me and hopefully will for you too. Happy painting.

Problem Solving at Alcova Lake

We drove out to Alcova Lake this week for our regular Tuesday painting day. It was just one friend and me. After driving around checking out different places we stopped here.  We chose this scene minus the foreground trees.

We found a great little perch atop some red cliffs.

My drawing of the scene. I like to indicate the shaded areas in a scene like this because I get lost in the rocks and the light changes so quickly. I didn't want to chase the light across the scene.

My initial block in.

You can see the paint mixtures I used.

My finished piece, with a little glare from the sun, a 9x12 oil on canvas. 

Since all painting is really a series of problem solving, my problem here was going to be keeping the shadow pattern despite the light shifting quickly. We got here around 7:30 a.m., a little later than I like to start.

I did some notan paintings as I had promised myself I would. (Oh the agony and glory of discipline!) And it did help. I chose this view because of the notan paintings. This one had the most impact because of the large shadowed areas. And I remembered to keep it in mind as I did my block in, even though the light was changing so quickly.

 I pretty much ignored the shifting light and just used it to inform my color choices, while sticking to my original plan. All in all I was pretty happy with the results.

More on Notan Paintings

This post is about one of my mistakes. (There are so many!).  I had gone with my husband to LaBonte Canyon where he likes to fish and I try to find a scene I want to paint, which is always a challenge since I don't find it especially inspiring. But that's a different subject altogether.

 Unfortunately I didn't get a photo of the actual scene so you can't see what I was working with. I will tell you that it was pretty flat with the sun bathing everything. Very few shadows and very few value changes in the grasses and foliage.  But, the photos I do have will work for the point I want to make.

And that point is this. A notan painting doesn't do you much good if you don't follow what you've discovered with it.

 I knew I would have to add some interest in value if I was going to make a harmonious arrangement of dark and light masses (the definition of notan). Below is a page from my sketch book showing some notan paintings I did for this particular scene. You can see a similarity between them, yet they're all different. The one I chose is on the lower left.

 The notan clearly has 4 values with a distinct identity. As I transferred my notan design to my canvas I paid close attention to the darkest values and the middle values at the horizon, as you can see in the block in below. Good so far.

Then I abandoned my notan painting because I got distracted by the actual scene in front of me.  Not so good.

When I got this far I didn't like what I had. I messed around with it, trying warmer and cooler colors in the foreground. Back and forth I went with no satisfaction. Finally in frustration and philosophic attitude I wiped the whole thing off and packed up, telling myself it was a valuable experience because I had at least done some notan paintings.

It wasn't until I got home, and pulled out the camera and looked at this photo and the one of the notan paintings, that I realized my mistake. (Too bad I wiped it off). Too bad I forgot to follow my notan painting! I think this could have been a good painting if I had realized I hadn't put those middle values in the foreground in the same pattern as in the notan painting. (And if I hadn't wiped it off I could have corrected this later).

So, I guess it may have been my most valuable lesson yet concerning notan paintings, after all - remember to follow the harmonious arrangement I've chosen.

Happy painting till next time.

Demos at the NIC Fest

The NIC Fest is an annual event held in Casper, Wyoming. It includes artists showing their work, musicians entertaining and a variety of food and drink among other features. It's held at the Nicolaysen Art Museum in downtown Casper. This year the Casper Artists Guild was invited to present demos in various mediums.  Above is Ellen Schreiner with here watercolor demo.

 Ingrid Burnett showing her pastel demo.

A very bad photo of my oil demo.

Country Cottage, 6x6, oil on panel

bid on this painting

A cute little building that reminds me of a cottage. I love sunlight and shadows on white buildings, especially ones that look like you should stay awhile and explore.

Sunny Hillside, 6x6, oil on panel

 

bid on this painting

This is a little  painting done in a rural area of Wyoming. The sun was wonderfully warm without being too hot the morning I was here. And better yet-no snakes!  

View From The Creek, 9x12, oil on canvas

I headed out early yesterday to my favorite spot along Boxelder Creek. My favorite spot is a ranch owned by a family who has worked it for generations and they're always kind enough to welcome us painting there. It was a bit windy, but I found a quiet corner right down the hill, next to the creek. I have to admit, much to my chagrin, I forgot my sketchbook and pens and didn't do a notan painting before starting this. (As I said in a previous post, I have some bad habits to break).

What In the World is a Notan?

As promised here's a glimpse at one of my lessons from Virtual Art Academy. My first lesson that involved a lot of doing, was unit 1 of the Notan Module. If you're like me, you're wondering what in the world is a notan? The definition is "the harmonious arrangement of dark and light masses in a painting".  (I memorized it so I could remind myself that I get to do the arranging).  These little paintings look like mini value paintings or thumbnails. I have done about 200 of them in various modes. Some with only 2 values, 3 values and 4 values. Some with white as the dominant shade, some with gray dominant and some black dominant. Others were from photos or from old masters' paintings. Some from life, some from imagination.  All in all, I think it's sinking in to my thinking to make this something I do every time BEFORE I begin painting. The module sub-title says "two minutes to a successful painting" and I like to remind myself of this because my tendency is to feel very rushed, especially in an outdoor setting. It helps me slow down and take a deep breath before I dive in. The lesson itself covers much more than this little glimpse, going into detailed explanations and illustrations of what to do and what not to do. It's a great lesson.