Sherry Meidell's Blog, page 6
May 17, 2023
Falling in Love With Paint
There is much time and care that goes into a painting. You get that first burst of creative excitement that compels you to paint. Then there is the planning, and the spending of hours with the paint and brush and subject. You fall in love with the painting. In the past it was hard to part with those paintings but now I find great joy in seeing the happiness that my art can bring to others and to see that they fall in love with the painting.
Lois went home with this beautiful watercolor painting, “Cold Duck Under White Flowers”.. She fell in love with it. It joined some other fine art on the walls of her home.
I also was on a great search for this painting. I knew this painting was somewhere. I just didn’t know it was buried on the bottom shelf, the last place to look. This will be a gift for a graduating granddaughter. There is great joy in creating and sharing with others.
May 10, 2023
John Salminen in Grapevine Texas – we’ll sort of.
What do atomizers, masking tape and pill bottles have to do with John Salminen? Those are all tools he used in his demo for the American Watercolor Society in New York City on April 27th. I was able to watch it on zoom. I drew the above sketch during the demo. A lot of the things I’ve seen him use in his workshop but I picked up a few new tricks from watching the demonstration.
‘Then a week later I was off to Grapevine, Texas for the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies Show. There was a John Salminen painting hanging on the same pillar as my painting “Auditory Perseption”. It was a great opportunity to examine an original painting by John in person which is much better than on the iPad screen over zoom. I was able to study his use of value and marks that he made on the buildings that added interest to those spaces. If you get a chance to see paintings in person, they can teach you more than photos of the art. If you get a chance, check out the exhibit in person.
SWS is to host the prestigious 48th Western Federation of Watercolor Societies (WFWS) Exhibition in Grapevine, TX.
Exhibition Dates are May 6 – June 2, 2023
Tower Gallery in Grapevine, Texas
636 S Main St, Grapevine, TX 76051
The Juror was Mary Whyte
The Western Federation of Watercolor Societies includes over 5,000 artists in ten societies across the western states. The juried show is hosted each year by a different regional member society. We showcase works on paper created with a variety of water-based media. Membership in WFWS is automatic for any member of one the ten societies.
It was nice to be juried into the show.
March 9, 2023
A Super Power
The interrupting grandchild came into the art studio. He pointed a Harry Potter Wand at me and said, “You are frozen.”
“I am not frozen. I’m not looking at the wand I’m looking at your eyes,” said the interrupted artist.
The interrupting grandchild moved the wand up by his eyes, “Now you are frozen.”
“I’m still not looking at the wand. I’m looking at your eyes.” The artist said, “I, have a super power.”
The interrupting grandchild said. “No you don’t.”
The artist said, “Yes, I do just like Sonic or Superman or Spider-Man.”
The interrupting grandchild said, “What is it?”
The interrupted artist said, “Ok hold still and I’ll show you.” The interrupting grandchild did not stand still. I sketched his picture anyway.
The interrupting grandchild said, “I have a super power too.” He took the paper and drew a truck pulling a trailer. Before he disappeared out the art room door he left a parting shot, pointed at the sketch and said, “My nose is not a circle and that’s does not look like me.”
Sketching is a super power. You can grab a pencil and capture the scene in front of you in your sketch book. It doesn’t come easy. It takes practice. The practice comes from carrying a sketchbook around with you and taking the time to sketch what you see around you. The more you do this the better you get, the quicker you get. You can observe someone walking past you and do a pretty good job of capturing their likeness. So grab your sketch book and pull it out today. Try sketching in ink. There is no need to erase because you can’t erase ink. It will save you some time.
January 26, 2023
When is a Tree, More Than A Tree
‘Draw a tree. That should be simple enough. You can almost picture it in your mind. But a tree is much more than what you may picture in your mind. It tells a story of time and struggle reaching upward. It bears scars of limbs lost, no longer there. It speaks of roots reaching into sandy soil to withstand winds blown in from ocean storms. It’s top leaves stretch skyward seeing a view of life from great heights. Wounds rip it’s side but still it lives creating a umbrella of green to shade others from a hot tropic sun. Draw a tree but tell the story of that tree with your brush and paint.
sherrymeidell.com
January 18, 2023
Finding Joy in Sketching
Here’s the old and the young of it. Sometimes you can take great joy just in the process of sketching. It exercises the brain and the hand. You try to capture a feeling with pencil and paper. It helps to keep your powers of observation sharp. It helps to keep the drawing in your muscle memory. You’re practicing capturing value, angles and shapes. It helps to practice capturing those things so that when you are sketching directly onto your watercolor paper, you’ve got it. Someone in a workshop I attended asked how do you learn to draw the figure? This is how you learn. It’s not an easy way but it’s a doable way. You take your sketchbook with you and you sketch people. You sketch their posture, their hands, and their faces. The more you sketch, the better you get. You can see it in the history of your sketchbook. The improvements are right there in the pages of your sketchbook. So get out your pencil and sketch.
January 11, 2023
Sending Two
”At The Cliff’s Edge” is also getting ready to head down to the Sears Invitational in St, George. This is a watercolor that has a varnish for the finish. With this kind of a finish, the painting was framed with no glass. You have to think about the painting you are doing and how it’s going to look framed. Some paintings work with the varnish. There is no glass between you and the painting but other paintings like the flowers from last week will look better with a mat and glass. You have to decide which will be better for the painting and frame them in the best way.
It’s like that with the painting also. Before you start on a painting you have a picture in your mind how it will turn out. As you dive into the work the direction of the painting can change. That’s what makes each painting an adventure.
January 4, 2023
When is a Painting Done
The above painting was finished and even hung in a show. I was pleased with it. Sometimes it takes a little time away from a painting to see it clearly. Something bothered me. The vase had a hard edge on both sides and it was taking away from the painting. Also the grey shape above the bottom sunflower was boring. The painting was already framed. I would have to take off the back paper and do some additional painting and then replace the paper backing. I decided it was worth it.
I lost the edges of the vase which took attention away from the vase and put the focus back on the flowers. I added some details in the grey shape which added some interest and made it a more interesting shape. I glazed over the shape under the glass which helped to draw attention away from that area. Now the painting seems to vibrate with energy.
I’m preparing to send it off to the Sears Invitational in St. George at Utah Tech University. The show will run from February 19th through April 2, 2023. Plan on going to St. George and seeing original art in person. Also I’ve had my website updated and you can check it out at sherrymeidell.com The store is still being updated.
December 28, 2022
The Year Ahead
What does the New Year have in store for you? Maybe another question should be “What will you bring to this New Year?” There are parts of life which we have no control over but we can always look forward and plan where we want to head.
Where I May Be Heading?
Heading to the Western Federation watercolor show as alternate delegate.Another edition of Eating CrayonsThinking more about color theoryBalancing life and artworkLooking people in the eyes and listening more carefullyBeing open to adventuresKeeping my art studio organized (HAA HA HAAA HA CHORTLE GUFFAW) Being always grateful for blessingsWorking on some book ideasContinuing to enter showsBeing open to opportunities that come from left fieldI always have ideas I’m working on. It doesn’t have to be the first of the year to make goals. Hope you have some things you’re working on. Write them down and see where they lead you.
December 22, 2022
Silent Night, Holy Night
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. -Luke 2:11-12
Thanks for joining me this year. Take a bit of time this rushed season to enjoy your family, the quiet moonlight on snow, or the quiet moonlight on ocean waves, and the holiness and peace that comes from that quiet belief deep within your heart.
‘Merry Christmas
December 14, 2022
Finding Beauty in the Every Day
Every day, on my way to BYU Hawaii, I would walk past this beautiful scene. It would change everyday but every change was beautiful. Some days the sun was shining, other days I would be greeted with an instant downpour that would dump from the sky and then be done. Other days my face felt a slight misting from heaven. If we take some time to look, we can find beauty all around us. So first take sometime to see, give a little thanks, and maybe try to capture it in paint.
Below is the value study for the watercolor painting above.
