"Skinny Breakfast"6.5"x6.5" Oil on unmounted canvas.
I haven't been able to get to my easel for a couple of weeks now. My husband has been using our shared computer a lot lately and next to my easel is where the shared computer lives. Ever since my Mac crashed in March, we have learned how difficult it is for the modern couple to share the same computer. Aren't we spoiled?
So Yeah!!! I got my "new" iMac this last Wednesday and I've been spending time getting acquainted with it. I bought a 2009 iMac Leopard and it is a beauty and fast! If you ever want to purchase a refurbished Mac I highly recommend Powermax.com and Gary Mead was exceptional in customer service. Thanks, Gary! After a lot of research before buying online I found that this company is known to be the very best in the market for what they do. They did not disappoint!
Because my Mac is so much newer than my last, it was necessary to upgrade Photoshop Elements from 2 to 8. I can't wait to see all that it will do. The learning curve will be slow for me but I do have a smart hubby to help. I'm a bit overwhelmed with adapting to the many new "toys" but I'm also feeling very blessed!
Meanwhile I've been studying new artists, techniques and watching art videos. Getting back to the easel today on this piece, it felt a little like learning to ride a bike all over again. Lately I've been trying to paint with a greater emphasis on values, simple shapes and with broader brushstrokes. I still seem to stay in that uncomfortable place between my tighter style and the loose minimal style I'm trying to achieve. I know this will be a long road and I'll just have to keep moving in that direction until I start to "get it". For those of you that don't paint, it must seem very strange for an artist to want to move from painting realistically to a style of simple shapes and loose, minimal brushstrokes. I think the allure is the challenge it is to move to this other end of the style spectrum. It looks so easy but much harder than it looks! Painters will know....
So Yeah!!! I got my "new" iMac this last Wednesday and I've been spending time getting acquainted with it. I bought a 2009 iMac Leopard and it is a beauty and fast! If you ever want to purchase a refurbished Mac I highly recommend Powermax.com and Gary Mead was exceptional in customer service. Thanks, Gary! After a lot of research before buying online I found that this company is known to be the very best in the market for what they do. They did not disappoint!
Because my Mac is so much newer than my last, it was necessary to upgrade Photoshop Elements from 2 to 8. I can't wait to see all that it will do. The learning curve will be slow for me but I do have a smart hubby to help. I'm a bit overwhelmed with adapting to the many new "toys" but I'm also feeling very blessed!
Meanwhile I've been studying new artists, techniques and watching art videos. Getting back to the easel today on this piece, it felt a little like learning to ride a bike all over again. Lately I've been trying to paint with a greater emphasis on values, simple shapes and with broader brushstrokes. I still seem to stay in that uncomfortable place between my tighter style and the loose minimal style I'm trying to achieve. I know this will be a long road and I'll just have to keep moving in that direction until I start to "get it". For those of you that don't paint, it must seem very strange for an artist to want to move from painting realistically to a style of simple shapes and loose, minimal brushstrokes. I think the allure is the challenge it is to move to this other end of the style spectrum. It looks so easy but much harder than it looks! Painters will know....
2 comments:
This painter knows EXACTLY what you are talking about. You have achieved your goal in this lovely piece...oranges reflecting in a polka dotted mug...you go girl!
Good to see you back!!
Your right Marilyn, I never thought of it that way, but yeah, you would think trying to paint looser would be easier! but, it's so challenging to get all the information you need in fewer brushstrokes!
Also, thanks for sharing your experience with purchasing your computer!
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