Art + Such is a blog about painting and grateful living by Beth Cole of Beth Cole Art.
So who else likes attending face-to-face art workshops, raise your hand. Oh good, glad I’m not alone.
Real time art workshops are my favorite. I love being in the same room with the instructor, watching yummy demos, making new friends, and trying out new techniques in paint. I love workshops so much I could go to one every month. But a couple of not so smallish things stop me….can you say moolah….and, you guessed it, time.
Read MoreLet’s imagine you are working on a new painting you are very excited about. You’ve done everything you can to prepare – i.e. editing your photo reference, doing a value thumbnail, maybe even a color study to choose your color palette. You have blocked everything in. You stand back to take a look, and……blah….yuck…..nothing. It is just not working! It is not what you imagined. You don’t even like it. Now what?
Read MoreSince January I have been pushing paint to create a group of paintings to show at the spring show of Antique Week near Round Top, Texas. I was invited to display my work by the very kind and talented owner of Loblolly Goods, Marc Elson.
Read MoreSo far this year I have set a record for myself – the most wipers ever! By wipers I mean just what the phrase implies – wiping the paint off the canvas so as to start over. Ahhhhhh. Such a good feeling.
I went through all the steps for the wipers – i.e. value thumbnail, sketch on the canvas, and value under painting. But when the color was on and I stood back, the painting just did not work. Gah. I’m not sure what happened! I could have messed up the values when I added color, totally possible, but I just did not like the painting. So. Off came the paint.
Read MoreThis Friday, February 1st, 2019 is the opening for a group show at the Burkholder Project in Lincoln, Nebraska. The show is titled “Big Land, Big Sky,” and you’re invited! The opening will be from 5:30 to 8:00 pm on the 1st.
I am honored to be part of this show along with these talented Nebraska artists:
Read MoreI wanted to share with you some of this month’s efforts. And when I say “effort,” I mean this with all sincerity! I have wiped off at least three, ha!
This painting, “Fallow,” is one of my favorites. The sky is what drew me to the scene, but the suggestion of the farm is dear to my heart. Having been raised on a farm, I have such good memories of those growing up years.
Read MoreMy most recent master study is a painting by Alexei Savrasov entitled “The Sea Shore in the Vicinity Oranienbaum.” Oh how I loved painting this!
Read MoreI like to take at least one great workshop every year and I have been considering several for next year but haven’t decided anything for sure. While I wait, my learning continues in my studio with the selection of several master paintings I want to study. You can read more about the ones I have chosen in this blog post.
I kicked off this series with Isaac Levitan’s “Sunny Day.” I started with this one because I think (I’m not sure though) it might be the hardest one. Why I do that, I do not know! Gah. I think it’s because my dad taught me to do the hard things first, and it is a lesson that has helped me so much in life. Thanks, Dad!
Read MoreI’m happy to share that I will be leading a painting workshop on Saturday, January 19th, 2019, from 10am to 2pm at the Wild Rose Gallery in Broken Bow, Nebraska. The cost is $35 and lunch is included.
Read MoreLately I have been loving the work of a few master artists, long gone from us. Asher and Durand and John William Casilear were American artists of the Hudson River School era. Their landscapes are a wonder. I was lucky enough to see a John Casilear in person recently at the Denver Museum of Art. Wow. I will be studying both artist’s work in the coming months and sharing what I learn as I go.
Read MoreLast October I spent a few days in Mullen, Nebraska, for a painting workshop with Shanna Kunz. (Fabulous). The last morning, I got up early and went out with my camera to the place we had painted the previous afternoon - a meadow with the Middle Loup running through. I wanted to see what it was like in the morning light. It did not disappoint. The water was glittering. The air was cool and a little misty. And the sun was starting to warm everything and give it a glow.
Read MoreIt’s a bit brisk in the hinterlands, but I’ve been forging outside to paint as much as possible. My teeth chatter, my fingers are numb and the wind blows my trash bag away, but hey….I’m outside painting and I couldn’t be happier. I was standing on our back deck painting a few weeks ago. It was drizzly and …… well, just kinda miserable. My husband came outside for a bit and said, “I guess you must really like painting, otherwise you’d never be out here.” That pretty much sums it up.
Read MoreI always want to write about things here on the blog that I wrestle with as an artist, so this new series is on talking about your art. So awkward, right?
This first post will be about writing an artist statement, and I also will share about writing art descriptions and writing your artist bio.
Read MoreFive artists from the Nebraska Rural Living Gallery will be showing work in a group show at the Red Cloud Opera House, November 2 - December 28, 2018.
Read MoreThere is a most lovely art oasis for Nebraska art in Bassett, Nebraska, thanks to vision, many hands, and a multitude of big hearted givers. The Old Feed Store Art Center opened in early 2018 with an exhibit of Joel Sartore’s “Photo Ark” in cooperation with the Museum of Nebraska Art. Since then, other Nebraska artists, musicians and poets have shown and performed in the space.
Read MoreBy Beth Cole
This is the second in a series of posts about taking photos for art, you can read the first post here.
Rarely does a photo come straight from the camera ready to paint. I have found that taking a little time to analyze and edit the photo makes for a stronger inspiration photo and a stronger painting.
Read Moreby Beth Cole
This is a new series on taking photos for your art. I believe taking your own photos is a big part of the artistic process. When you use your own photos for painting you are already connected in a way to the scene you want to paint. It is always just a good policy to work from your own photos.
Read MoreKearney Art in the Park is happening this Sunday, July 8th, in Kearney, Nebraska at Harmon Park. It is always a wonderful show with lots of beauty to behold, great food and an all around great vibe. If you are local, I hope you can come, and if you do, please stop by and say "hi."
Read MoreI was reading an article in Tabletalk magazine recently about disappointments in life and how we shouldn’t be surprised by them because the world in which we live is not perfect and WE certainly aren’t perfect. The article is much deeper than this and I thought it quite helpful. I mention it because I believe the principles also apply to art or any creative endeavor, as well as to our attitude about ourselves and our relationships.
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