Which medium? Pt. 2
Many people come into our gallery to begin the dream of their life-learning how to paint. When I begin asking which medium they’d like to work in, the certainty stops. This article is the second of a series designed to give information about the different media. This time we will discuss oil paints and painting. When people envision paintings hanging in a gallery or museum or the Old Masters; they are thinking mostly of oil paintings. There are certain guidelines about how to use oils, but if those are followed, an oil...
read moreWhat Media??
At the Lynda English Studio we have students of all ages coming in to start taking classes. The first question they ask is “Can anybody paint?” I believe that almost anyone who has the desire to paint, can paint. That desire, plus instruction, plus a lot of practice will usually give the student success. It is our job to help students succeed and enjoy the actual work of painting as well as producing something to hang on their wall. The second question is, “which medium is best to start with?” some...
read moreHow do I start? pt. 1
At the Lynda English Studio we have students of all ages coming in to start taking classes. The first question they ask is “Can anybody paint?” I believe that almost anyone who has the desire to paint can paint. That desire plus instruction plus a lot of practice will usually give the student success. It is our job to help students succeed and enjoy the actual work of painting as well as producing something to hang on their wall. The second question is, “Which medium is best to start with?” Some people have...
read moreLynda English Studio Miniature Competition and Sale
Lynda English Studio Miniature Competition and Sale ELIGIBILITY Adult Division-Open to all Artists, 13 and over residing in South Carolina Youth Division-Open to all Artists 6-12 residing in South Carolina Any 2 or 3 dimensional fine art media may qualify, but no photography. All works must be...
read moreTaking Care of Artwork
At our studio we often have people come to us with artwork that has seen its better days. We either clean it, repair it or simply freshen it up. Let’s look at ways to take care of those pieces. How are they framed? Certainly using a professional framer will help secure the work. For original work and work that means a lot to you, make sure that everything that touches the piece is acid free and archival. People used to back pieces with cardboard and use Scotch tape. Framing materials not up to today’s...
read moreA Good Artist-Pt. 3 Composition.
So sorry to have been lax in my blog post-good news and bad. The bad was a long, long cold and the good, a new grandbaby, a granddaughter. Girls are rare in the Wukela family so it took a while to get over her, actually she’s pretty great and I’m not over her yet. The idea of learning composition in art is very scary to most people. Several years ago I attended a workshop with Morgan Samuel Price and the most important thing I got from it was a simple sheet of things NOT to do and with it came three things TO...
read moreA Good Artist-Part 2-Materials
Well, I am back from two weeks of welcoming my new granddaughter (yes, granddaughter) into the world. What a wonderful time! However, with exception of a bit of colored pencil work, art has gone by the wayside (can we count a lot of photography?). I’m ready now to think again about what it is that makes a student artist a good artist. Last time we talked about really looking at what we were doing and getting ready to paint. In this session I want to discuss materials. When I have a student just starting I ask them to buy a limited...
read moreA Good Artist Pt. 1-Learning to See
I am often asked “Can anyone learn to paint?” My answer usually is, “Yes, if they really want to.” The real question is can anyone become a GOOD artist. The answer is the same-if they really want to, but the doing of THAT is more complex. Many students will find it fairly easy to paint an acceptable picture, but will have a much harder time moving up to that good artist level. Like anything else it takes PRACTICE, PRACTICE. The real question is practice at what exactly. I am going to use the next few blog posts...
read moreTransparent/Opaque
We may think that all we need to know about the colors that we pick for our palette is that we like it or that it generally does pretty much what we want it to do. We have already shown how dangerous that attitude may be especially if we are picking that beautiful pink for our flowers that just happens to be fugitive and will fade very soon as will Opera or Alizarin Crimson. We may also get frustrated when we try to cover up a mistake with Hansa Yellow in watercolor or glaze using one of the Cadmiums in oil. So lets learn a bit about...
read morePainting in Series
We have been very busy at the gallery for the last few weeks getting a very large collection of work to trade out at Victor’s restaurant. I delivered 49 pieces to them yesterday—I’ll say that again 49 pieces. They actually sent a van. That is the largest showing we have ever mounted and it was quite a job. One of the most exciting parts for me personally is the new wall of faces which will be around the bar area. It is clear to everyone who knows me that faces are my first love. Well–I have found a fellow...
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