Monday, June 30, 2008

Sign Painting Two



If you have no idea what you might want to paint on a $50, 30" x 40" gallery canvas...paint a SIGN! Geeze, what was I thinking? Mixed turp with blue and brown and outlined the lettering. Mixed some violet and painted the background. Worked on the lettering. Added flowers with a palette knife. They were too bold and overpowered the lettering. Scratched them out with the end of a brush. The thing is drying in my Studio window. Hmmm. What a way to waste an expensive canvas (luckily, I only spent $5 for it!).

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Commissions - huh?


In the last week (twice today), I have been commissioned to make three paintings!

The first commission came last weekend. A Ste Genevieve resident came into the Studio with two of her friends. They talked to me about painting a picture of her home. I offered to take some pictures of the house in the morning light. The next day, her friend came in and commissioned me to do a 10¨ x 14¨ oil painting of the house. I am still working on getting the right picture with the right light.

Today, a couple staying at a local B&B came in and looked at a 12¨x 14¨ painting I had started last fall of the B&B they were staying in. They asked me to paint the same scene in a 5¨x 7¨ size. We agreed on a price and a two week time frame. I finished the painting today! It sold for $50 framed.

Later, another couple from New Jersey came into the Studio. Their daughter was performing in a musical in town at the Orris Theater. They want a watercolor of the theater explaining that they have a wall of mementos of all the places their daughter performed.

This was a week of commissions! I haven't been commissioned since I was twelve.

Ste Genevieve Arts Forum


Inkeeper, and artist, Karen Kulberg (who will opening her own art studio with Bev Baker soon) has conceived the web log at www.stegenarts.blogspot.com to promote interaction among artists and art enthusiasts involved with the Ste Genevieve arts scene. The newest addition to the Ste Genevieve art scene is a monthly gallery and open studio walk on the fourth Friday evening of each month (beginning in July on the 25th). A map with the various venues participating will be published and available at locations throughout Ste Genevieve. For more information on this event, and other art news in Ste Genevieve, sign up at the blog Ste Genevieve Arts Forum (www.stegenarts.blogspot.com) or request to be placed on the Ste Genevieve Art Guild email list at http://sgag.typetching.com

Good morning and thoughts


This good morning begins with last night.

My Galerie de Artś exhibit is scheduled to open each last Friday of the month. Last night was the last Friday of June.

Artists new to the exhibition are Lulu, Barbara Olson and Nikita Wors. I cannot describe their modern art, but their influence in the exhibition and on my Studio is dramatic.

New work by artists Jacque Brillos, Matt Fels, Juanita Wyman, Iris Vincent and Mary Ann Roth were added to compliment the continuing exhibit of art by Jane Naeger, Cloice Linwedel, Pat Ferguson, Anita Alsup, Sara Best and Betty Joggerst. Many of these artists, along with Ali Cavanaugh and Karen Kulberg, spent most of the evening sipping wine, playing with children and talking art. Friends Richard Ellis and Arveda joined the artists and video taped portions of the evening. Others who stopped in were Bonnie Samuelson, Sam Conlon, Marjori Jokerst, Ken Kulberg, Carol (Bruceś Carol), Cathy Braun and Mary Peura.

Thoughts: These expressions of personal art which surround me, influence me.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Colored pencil painting


This new painting measures approximately 5" x 7" and is framed in an 8" x 10" frame. The subject is the Ste Genevieve Hotel entrance on Merchant Street painted from a photo taken one morning last summer. This is priced at $75.

Saturday, June 21, 2008

"Shaw House"...the Art Colony Studio


In the 1930's, in Ste Genevieve, there was an artist colony. Their communal studio was located at the corner of Second and Merchant. I took a photo of it one morning last year, and made a small 8 x 10 inch oil study of it. I started it last week and finished it up this weekend. Look for a better photo of it in the future. This is priced at $125 framed.


Oil monoprint with ink



These two oil mono prints were taken from the mono print published in a recent post. When the paint was still wet on the original mono print...two light impressions were taken. These impressions were treated with ink and brush to define the composition. The designs were too subtle for me without the ink.

These images measure approx 14" x 18" and are priced at $75 each unframed.

Nighttime at Studio de Michel



A few minutes after I snapped this photo, I was joined under the umbrella by Brett & Ali Cavanaugh. We talked about business, spirituality and art late into the evening. You can see Ali's art at alicavanaugh.com.


Last Saturday night, during the French Heritage Festival, Main Street was full of people. One friend counted 20 people in and around Studio de Michel, under the umbrella and sitting on the benches and stairs.

Friday, June 13, 2008

Sign Painting


One of the projects at Studio de Michel that keeps me busy is signage! When I was a teenager, I earned a little money painting signs here and there. This is a throwback to that time. My technique? Thank God for computer fonts! I picked Matisse ITC for my logo and enlarged it to 590 for the window and the small outside lettering; enlarged it by graph for the large outside and inside lettering. Inside I transferred the large font to the wall with graphite paper; outside I cut the lettering into outline stencils and patted paint over the paper for letter outlines. The rest is painting. Oh, the window? I used the stencil taped to the outside of the window, and painted on the inside. Picture coming! It's 6am...and I must make the signage!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

A watercolor from last weekend


The weekend before last, I made several paintings. I was inspired by some photos of Ste Genevieve I had taken last year. One of them, because of the large amount of light and white space, I decided to paint in watercolor and detail with ink. The final painting is about 12" x 14" and priced at $125 unframed.


The photo is of a side entrance of The Jean Baptiste Valle House taken in the morning light. This house belonged to the last commandant of Ste. Genevieve and was a center for government activity during the final days of Spanish rule before the French took back the territory and sold it to the Americans. Jean Baptiste Valle, its owner, came from colonial Ste. Genevieve's leading family, which had prospered in mining and mercantile business.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Oil monoprints with ink






I worked on Sunday with a technique I had never used before...oil monoprint from a glass plate. I started with a black marker drawing on the glass...and proceeded to colorize it with oil paint. I took the first impressions and they were very light. Adding more paint, I made several successive prints on the same paper, deepening the colors and adding definition. Finally, I used turpentine and the prints smeared and ran. I left everything to dry overnight.




Today I went in and added ink with a fine brush. The final paintings are about 12" x 14" and priced at $175 each unframed with a 1/2" border.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Tonite

I visited my new Studio tonite, and sat inside on my adjustable chair with the lights off. The reflected setting sun was filtering in from the east and I was listening to the wind chime moved by the window air conditioner. As I looked at last weekend's art, I felt like this was the place I always need to be.
Welcome to my new art blog! Studio de Michel is the name of my working art studio and small art gallery in beautiful Ste Genevieve, Missouri.