Books and Stuff

For days now I have been cleaning and reorganizing my studio. How did I ever collect so much stuff?

The job has taken longer than it should because of the books. I have a large collection of art books that need to be reduced. I sorted them into three piles – keep, sell and maybes. It’s the maybes that have taken the most time because I have to go through them all, sometimes just flipping through pages, others are put aside to be read again.

Books have always been a very important part of my life. I grew up with a den full of books and a library within walking distance of home. Today we still have a den full of books, plus a large bookcase in my office and, of course, another large bookcase filled with art books in my studio.

The art books to be sold have been listed in my Ebay Store and only a few maybes are left to be added after I check them out.

I am also a collector of still-life stuff – old crocks, vintage copper, brass and silver items. Old figurines, vases and other vintage and worn treasures. Chips, dents and cracks only add to their character. Most are remnants of our antiquing days and trips to flea markets and thrift stores. Some are family heirlooms. These are my painting treasures and have been dusted and replaced on their shelves.

It’s so hard to get rid of anything. Maybe I just need a larger studio, or more shelves.

Here is the link to the book section of my Ebay Store  - just in case you need to add another art book to your collection.

Thanks for visiting with me,

Celene

www.CeleneFarris.com

Bees, Hornets and Plein Air Painting

When painting outside, bees and hornets are often attracted to your wet oil paint with painful results. If you get stung, relief is right at hand. I thought I would share this amazing old-time remedy with you.

Yesterday I was stung by a small hornet while painting. Ouch! I immediately found some plantain leaves, crushed them between my fingers and applied them as a poultice to the sting. In less than five minutes the burning pain was completely gone. Today there is only a small red area to remind me - no itching or tenderness.

  

Plantain leaves are easy to find in lawns, fields and along the sides of the road. This humble weed seems to grow everywhere, at least here in the north. The crushed leaves produce a liquid that is good for all insect bites, poison ivy and other skin rashes, minor burns and abrasions. You can also use it in combination with olive oil to make a healing lotion.

Wishing you happy painting adventures.

Celene

www.CeleneFarris.com

The Colors of August

This month's painting and computer time will be taking a back seat to canning and freezing. My studio has moved to my kitchen and is full of color.

Strawberries 

Strawberries and raspberries have been transformed into freezer jam and sauces. So many reds!

Raspberry Freezer Jam

Today I canned the bushel of Jersey peaches we ordered through our local Amish store. Maine blueberries have also been ordered and I will order a bushel of Pennsylvania peaches in a few weeks. Our vegetable garden is doing well and there are green beans to can and beets to pickle. Red tomatoes, bright green and yellow squash and more. So many colors!

Jersey Peaches before

And after

And we can't leave out the lush green fields and bright blue sunny skies. The abundance of color everywhere. The list is endless. We have so much to be thankful for.

More art news:

I was so pleased to be invited by two well-known artists to join their new art groups on Facebook. Artist Sandy Askey-Adams’ new group, Professional Fine Art Artists Gallery Group and artist Allen Bunker’s new group, Oil Paintings for Sale. Since these are “membership by invitation only,” I feel honored.

Our Virtual Paint-Out Group is visiting the Monterey Peninsula in California this month. I’ve been exploring the area via Google Street Maps and hope to paint a few scenes. I snap digital photos from my computer and transfer them to my Kindle. I can then use my Kindle in the studio.

In September, artist Leslie Saeta will host another Thirty Paintings in Thirty Days Challenge. I hope I will have enough free time to participate. Last year I was too busy with the garden produce to paint as much as I would have liked. I will try harder this year. I find that it is a great exercise in discipline to challenge myself to paint every day. We will see what happens this time.

I hope you are enjoying your colorful summer. Thank you for visiting with me.
Celene

www.CeleneFarris.com 

A Reluctance to Study.

This morning, sitting in the car waiting for my husband, I was looking at the trees surrounding the small parking lot, thinking how I would paint them and what colors I would use. This brought to mind my early days of teaching art class and the problems we all had with painting trees.

I believe that the only way to paint a realistic tree is by direct observation and sketching the trees you see around you. I suggested to my students that it would be very helpful if they would take a few minutes a week to study the trees around their home, making sketches and noting the colors of the bark and leaves. A few minutes a week would be time well spent. Some students did as I requested. For others, “can’t find the time” was the reason given, as they continued to paint stunted trees with brown bark and sap green leaves.

All of the arts – dance, music, acting, to name a few, require many years of practice. Missteps, wrong notes, forgotten lines are all a part of the learning process. You continue to study and work at it until you improve. Why is painting any different? Direct observation of nature in all her moods is the best teacher. Painting many small studies gives you an opportunity to improve your skills. The studies that are failures are very important to your growth, showing the areas that need more attention and continued practice. Would you take your first few piano lessons and expect to play Carnage Hall? Therefore, you should accept the fact that not all your paintings will be successful, but with each failure there is opportunity for growth.

So going back to trees again, over the years I whittled down my art classes to my most serious students. The students that made the greatest progress were the students that studied, read books and had an open mind to learning. They were serious about their art.

I have been painting for many years. Do I know it all yet? No way! I continue to study, slogging my way through the myriad of art theory available in books and on the internet, picking and choosing the information that I need and the information that seems to fit my style of painting. I believe that each of us has our own innate painting style and if we are serious about our painting, that style will continue to develop. I will be a student all my days. What a fascinating journey!  

Thanks for visiting,
Celene

www.CeleneFarris.com 

Exploring Old Santa Fe

Exploring Santa Fe, New Mexico with our Virtual Paint Out Group.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine, Santa Fe, New Mexico 8x10, oil

This is an interesting church dating back to 1777.  I'm glad this is a virtual paint out. It looks too hot to be painting outside for this Maine girl.

This painting is available in my Ebay Store.

Thanks for visiting with me,
Celene

www.CeleneFarris.com 

Santa Fe, NM - July's Virtual Paint Out

Traveling to Santa Fe, New Mexico with our Virtual Paint Out Group.

Two Horse Trail, Santa Fe, NM  9x12, oil SOLD

This painting was available in my Ebay Store.

To see all my paintings from our Virtual Paint-Out tours, please click here.

Thanks for visiting, Celene

Estonia - a bit of history.

I enjoyed visiting this area and reading its history because all four of my grandparents immigrated to this country from neighboring Poland and Lithuania.

On the left, The Herman Castle in Estonia, the first known stone castle ever constructed, was built by the Danes in the 13^th century. Across the Narva River stands the Russian Fortress, Ivangorod, built by Ivan III in 1492, (the same year that Columbus was sailing to the New World).

Herman Castle, Estonia & Russian Fortress, Ivangorod, 8x16, oil

Estonia has a very long and complex history, with centuries of wars, battles and foreign occupations that repeatedly changed the borders and ruling factions. Artifacts have been found dating back to 10,000 BC. Google Street Maps now show a country filled with farms and rolling grasslands, dotted with modern towns and cities, old stone buildings and magnificent churches. Bordered by water on three sides, harbors are abundant. Estonia became an independent country in 1991.

This painting is available in my Ebay Store.

And click here to see all my Virtual Tour Paintings on Ebay.

Thanks for visiting, 
Celene

www.CeleneFarris.com