Art Lesson on line and color by Texas Artist Laurie Pace

Art Lesson using Line and Color

  

This week I want to work on an exercise to loosen your thoughts and inspire your creativity.  Painting is ahead but I want some foundation and work done before doing a lot of painting. You need to be using all the elements and having full grasp of different mediums at the same time.

If I gave you the math problem of 8 + 3 = N, you know how to solve for N.  But how many ways can you get there?  That is limited. If I give you the art problem of Line + Color = N , N is limitless. You can do this with Paint, you can do this with crayons, you can do this with markers, you can do this with craypas or watercolors or anything. You can even collage using lines and color.

There is no given subject, no given rules or guidelines.  Here is a painting I did in 2008.  Gives you an idea  to loosen you up with thoughts and plan a composition of maybe a vase with flowers...or a cityscape with the buildings in black and white and the sky in colors.

Hard Wired

Matthew 6:21 - Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Laurie Pace

A Texas Artist 

My Blog        

My Website      

Giclees on Canvas, Prints and Cards  

GALLERY LINKS

Mirada Fine Art Denver CO,  

The Rare Gallery Jackson Hole WY 

The White Dog Gallery Carbondale, CO.

Vino Dipinte Gallery   San Angelo, TX

South Hill Gallery, Lexington, KY

SR Gallery Hong Kong

© Graphics One Design 2014

SOLD ~ Warm Thoughts Geraniums and a North Texas Workshop by Nancy Medina

 Warm Thoughts Red Geraniums

by Nancy Medina

SOLD

16X12

Oil on Archival Panel

Flower Painting Workshops

Nancy Medina Web Site

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Warm Thoughts Red Geraniums is the newest small work on the easel in Flower Mound Studio, a break (or procrastination tool) from the 60 inch canvas filling up half my studio space today! I had a bit of a dilemma this afternoon, when I noticed the boss had fallen asleep right in the middle of my easel. See actual photo evidence of the above infraction on my art blog today.

Tomorrow I go on a shopping spree for fresh flowers for my 3 day workshop in North Texas this weekend. I have only one seat left, so don't delay - you can read how to register and more here!

Warm Thoughts on the easel!

Sunshine Sunflowers and Dallas Arboretum Blooms by Texas Artist Nancy Medina

Good Day Sunshine Sunflowers

by Nancy Medina

Class Demonstration

16X20

Oil on Archival Panel

Purchase Information

Flower Painting Workshops

Nancy Medina Web Site

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Good Day Sunshine Sunflowers was my class demonstration Saturday at the Dallas Arboretum, painted while it rained outside the classroom! Fortunately the big storm blew away quickly, so by the time class was over I was able to tiptoe around in the tulips and post more photos for you on my art blog. The azaleas are just opening up, the very brightly colored bushes behind the tulips, and the cherry blossoms were framing the sky along all the walkways. 

Read more about my workshops here

Art Treks: Tuscany with Niki Gulley & Scott Williams

"Morning Textures, Tuscany" • 10" x 8" oil by Niki Gulley

Last Day – ART TREKS: TUSCANY
 with Niki Gulley and Scott Williams

After a busy full day in Florence, we decided to take it easy on the last day of the workshop and paint in the nearby town of Pienza. Choosing this quiet alleyway and working on a vignette rather than the sprawling landscape, we each picked a doorway and concentrated on its individual character. The age of the stonework, dating from the era of Pope Pious II, and each home's unique heavy wood doors made for a fun study in texture, and some of the best paintings from the trip!

Two of our students painting in a quiet picturesque courtyard in Pienza.

Our last meal in Tuscany, filled with truffles, pecorino, pasta, vino, fun and great memories!

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If you would like to join us on future ART TREKS to Paris, France in May or Tuscany, Italy in September,visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=1420, which goes into detail about our upcoming Plein Air Painting and Photography Workshops.

Or, if you'd be interested in learning how to paint "plein air" or improve your location painting a little closer to home, visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13, which tells you about my upcoming Painting Workshop at the Dallas Arboretum and White Rock Lake, Oct. 29th and 30th. Space if filling up quickly, so e-mail Niki if you are interested.

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E-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information.

To see more of my contemporary landscape and Italy paintings, visit my website at NikiGulley.com.

Painting in Tuscany with Niki Gulley

"View from the Villa, Tuscany" 

5" x 7" textured oil by Niki Gulley

Day 3, Afternoon Location – ART TREKS: TUSCANY
 with Niki Gulley & Scott Williams

After a busy morning and afternoon in Siena, we were all content to stay at the villa for our afternoon location. With it being warmer today, the pool was calling us so we set up our easels under the beach umbrellas, and started sketching the distant hills, foliage, and stone houses. With a short amount of time, we decided to work small and focus on a simple subject. We thought it would be fun to make this quick study very loose and free. So using palette knives and small canvases we layered in the rolling hills, dark to light, and then added the details on top, completing these fun, spontaneous paintings.

Niki Gulley and two of her students in front of their completed paintings at the Tuscany villa.

That night we ventured into town for dinner, and had the best dessert of the trip, fresh figs stuffed with homemade gelato and drizzled with caramel sauce. It was so good, everyone had to order more for the next night!  A perfect ending to a fun, inspirational day.

If you would like to join us on future ART TREKS to Paris, France in May or Tuscany, Italy in September,visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=1420, which goes into detail about our upcoming Plein Air Painting & Photography Workshops. Early registration deadline for a $500 savings is due today!

Or, if you'd be interested in learning how to paint "plein air" or improve your location painting a little closer to home, visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=13, which tells you about my upcoming Painting Workshop at the Dallas Arboretum and White Rock Lake, Oct. 29th and 30th.

***

E-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information.

To see more of my contemporary landscape paintings, visit my website at NikiGulley.com.

Tuscany Plein Air Painting Workshop with Niki Gulley

5" x 7" textured oil by Niki Gulley

Day 1 - Afternoon Location - ART TREKS: Tuscany

Plein Air Painting & Photography Workshop with Niki Gulley & Scott Williams

After we finished our morning painting at the villa, and enjoyed a delicious lunch of proscuittos, pecorinos, fresh fruit and a little vino, we ventured out to our afternoon location. Just one of the unique aspects of the Tuscan landscape are the cypress that dot the horizon, so we picked this long curving road lined by cypress for our second subject. This was the only day that it looked like it might rain, but we lucked out and the drops stayed away. The overcast skies are actually quite nice for plein air work because it provides some shade while you're painting, and keeps the light more constant.

So we set up our easels along this overlook, and quickly blocked in our basic shapes and colors. Next we worked on creating volume in the hillsides, and then added highlights and shadows to the bushes to give them more dimension. Lastly, we added highlights to our road and finally the fun part - all of those cypress lining the road. Above you can see my easel set up - I like this simple lightweight pochade box by EASyL (http://www.windriverarts.com/pochade_boxes.htm), which holds everything: palette, paints, brushes and 2 wet boards.

As a reward that night, we treated ourselves to a fantastic Tuscan dinner!

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I'll have this Tuscany oil painting in addition to many more at the Cottonwood Art Festival, CottonwoodArtFestival.com, this weekend, Oct. 1st & 2nd from 9am - 6pm in Richardson, TX. Please stop by my booth to see them in person.

Or, if you would like to join us on future ART TREKS to Paris, France in May or Tuscany, Italy in September, visit nikigulley.com/?page_id=1420, which goes into detail about our upcoming Plein Air Painting & Photography Workshops. Early registration deadline for a $500 savings is quickly approaching!

***

E-mail me at Niki@NikiGulley.com for more information.

Visit my website at NikiGulley.com.