Warm Wishes

ATC acrylic on cotton canvas, collage

Sending warm wishes to all. However you may celebrate I hope it is with people you care for and care for you. 

Hugs from Canada

Small Wonders

Inner Space 1 acrylic on canvas

Inner Space 2 acrylic on canvas

These are my paintings in the Small Wonder Exhibit and Xmas Sale at the Fort Gallery. 

Inner Space 1 & 2 are sketches for larger paintings I am planning for an exhibit in June 2015 at the Fort Gallery. They are based on brain MRI images.

I'll post more pieces from the exhibit later this week.

Scratched Surface & Torn Edges oil, wax on cradled board

Lower painting: Intuition, oil, wax on cradled board

Life on Mars oil, wax on cradled board

Small Wonders exhibit & sale

Fort Gallery 2014 Christmas Exhibit and Sale 
in Fort Langley, BC 

Come to the reception Saturday December 6, 1pm - 5pm or spend an afternoon in historic Fort Langley, visit the Fort Gallery, have lunch at Beatnik's Bistro then take in the Twelve Days of Christmas Trees exhibit at the Langley Centennial Museum and Exhibition Centre.

Artistic Alternative

I have been following Robert Genn's letters at his blog Painter's Keys for at least two years. He has been a mentoring voice gently shifting my point of view as another possibility. I think this article "Artistic Alternative" goes well with the previous post because it emphasizes the wide range of artistic expression rather than this is what's good and this is what's bad. The point of involving people in a discussion isn't to persuade but instead get to know each other. By doing that I would hope the person who is likely to buy your art will be revealed.

Dancing Lights

I can imagine talking about my art in the terms described in Genn's letter. "It's a matter of giving power to the mind's artist and allowing him or her to imagine some of the ways a given job might be done. The variations are really quite limitless: Bright primer, mixed media, blind palette, glaze gradations, big dumb brush, scumble, scrape out, roll on, chain saw." Framing the discussion about art in this way and combine it with the question "how does it affect you, the viewer?" might make for an interesting and revealing conversation. It's not that everyone has to like everything but maybe appreciate the "making".

Market Research for Artists - How to Sell More Art

I have exhibited in both juried and non-juried shows and received positive feedback about my work but I haven't sold yet. I realize that people buy for different reasons and tastes range.  I wonder who would be interested in buying my art. 



This article "Market Research for Artists - How to Sell More Art" describes how one may go about finding out. It encourages the artist to have an event in a non-art environment to find out how one's art is perceived by the ordinary person who hasn't taken art history or is a collector of fine art. It sounds like an interesting prospect. The goal is not to sell art (although no buyer would be turned away) but to be able to talk about your art in an accessible way and understand how your art is perceived.

I am curious if anyone has done an event to invite comments and feedback from people outside the "art world".

Create Anticipation By Promoting Your Art Event Early and Often

Create Anticipation By Promoting Your Art Event Early and Often



I am working on a new series for an exhibit at the Fort Gallery June 2015 and Alyson's article helps me think about ways to share my experience outside the studio.  I am very excited about the show which comes from creating new work for a specific destination in time and space.



I highly recommend Alyson's blog if you're looking for marketing info specifically designed for artists.

Emancipating Genius | Dorothy Barenscott | TEDxKPU

Let me introduce Dorothy Barenscott one of my professors at Kwantlen Polytechnic University Visual Arts degree. Her talk about artistic genius challenges us to examine traditional beliefs about what is art and what makes an artist.

Children Learn and Create

I came across this article about what skills children learn from the arts and want to share with you. Top Ten Skills Children learn From the Arts

Painting by one of the children in my 6 - 8 years old Sketch and Paint class at the local community centre

Event Alert for Photographers and People who like toTravel with a camera

Photo Walk:

 Finding a Sense of Place sponsored by National Geographic

Go here to find out more info.

Cryptic: The Use of Allegory in Contemporary Art with a Master Class from Goya | Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis

In my quest for getting outside myself and experiencing other points of view I came across how the device allegory is used in contemporary visual art. Curator Laura Steward discusses and shares an exhibit, "Cryptic" she curated which combines the work of Goya with contemporary paintings and sculpture. She asserts that the question needed to be asked about art is not "What does this mean?" but instead "How does this work create meaning?"

Cryptic: The Use of Allegory in Contemporary Art with a Master Class from Goya | Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis

Hollyhock: Robert/Sara Genn (White Rock Gallery)

A little Canadian art experience from Canada's west coast where I live.

Implement a Postcard Strategy

Implement a Postcard Strategy



I have been following Alyson for over a year and she has helped me to visualize my art practice outside my head and into the world. I encourage you to take a look on what she is offering especially if you find art marketing overwhelming.



Alyson Stanfield is an artist advocate and business mentor at ArtBizCoach.com. This article was originally published in her Art Biz Insider, which is sent weekly to thousands of artists who are elevating their businesses. Start your subscription now and get Alyson's 6 free art-marketing video lessons athttp://artbizcoach.com 

Fort Collective

Happy to announce that I am a member of the Fort Collective. My  my portfolio should be up on their web site soon. I'll keep you posted.

My first activity as a member is to participate in the annual Blue Plate Special fundraiser. I finished two new paintings for it.

Reflections 1, oil & wax, cradled board, 18" x 11" x 2"
© Elizabeth B Anderson 2014

Reflections 2, oil & wax, cradled board, 18" x 11" x 2"
© Elizabeth B Anderson 2014

Children Are Artists, Play Learn Create in Mixed Media

I am excited to share that I am partnering with the Langley Arts Council to offer art classes for Grade1 to Grade 3.

Sunshine flowers

Wishing you all wonderful weekend.

Postcard watercolour, inspired by Van Gogh, sunshine and warm summer breezes.  

6"x4" watercolour on paper                                                              Elizabeth Anderson ©

I'm Back

Way more time than I wanted has gone by since my last post. I've been painting, joined a mail art group, an index card a day group and started teaching kids art. 

The kids are ages 6 to 8 years old. It's been both challenging and rewarding. I am thankful to all the art teachers who share their art teaching experiences. This knowledge helped me to plan for activities that suited the time frame (five one hour classes).

I just finished five days of one hour classes teaching drawing and cartooning. They were hard workers and displayed a range of interpretations of the projects. At the end they all received certificates of excellence for completing the course. I said I hoped they continued to draw and one boy's response was "I plan to because I love to draw". I'm getting ready to do a mixed media at the local Arts Council in August.

On the art making front I finished "Running" and am happy with it (photo to come).

I also finished a new painting, "Clouds", for the Langley Arts Council exhibit Summer Magic. 

Elizabeth Anderson ©


Another bit of news is that I was accepted into the Fort Langley Art Collective. I am in the process of signing a contract at which time I will be listed as a member. I'm quite excited about this new venture.

Getty Publications Virtual Library free downloads!

I want to share this great resource at Getty Publications

There are a whole range of virtual books free to read online or to download. Browse the selection and start reading! Below are just a few samples available.

Have a great week everyone!

Call to Artists: Women Painting Women: 2014 Juried Women Painting Women Exhibition - Prin...

image by: Mia Bergeron, Soundless, 20" x 14", oil on panel

 

   Principle Gallery Charleston

Women Painting Women: 2014 Juried Women Painting Women Exhibition - Prin...: image by: Mia Bergeron, Soundless, 20" x 14", oil on panel Women Painting Women is pleased to announce that P...

Everywhere is anywhere is anything is everything

Douglas Coupland featured on my Arts and Culture in Canada page

How to make art journal with index cards

This journal is super easy to make and you can think of your own variations of what to put in it.  I want to use it in my community kids art classes. This project goes with my new found passion for making small art and sharing/trading with others. Mail art and artist trading cards are a great vehicle to do this.

How to make journal book

 




 


Another vehicle for sharing art is the "Art Abandonment" project. This is similar to mail art except you leave the art in a place where someone, a stranger can find it. This is something that children artists can do.

More fun with mail art

My latest mail art. The theme is Wings. This one is going to someone in Australia!

Girls of a Feather, postcard mail art

Journal and Mail Art

I am always looking for ways to encourage me to make art every day. It sounds easier than it is, as least for me. I'm fine if I have a big project. I can get lost for hours everyday working on it and can be quite obsessive about it. However in between these projects I tend to stay in research mode and in my head. I plan to sketch and do begin but get distracted easily. To address this shortcoming I joined two Facebook groups Daisy Yellow and Mail Art Groupies both are very supportive and encourage activity.

I like them both because they encourage me to experiment on a small scale which gives a more immediate satisfaction. I may or may not use the ideas in a larger painting but that doesn't matter because the main purpose is to keep my momentum going in making art daily in between the big projects. Below are some example activities.

Gustav Klimt inspired Christmas decorations, felt pen in art journal

oil pastels resists with black ink on index card

Doodle shapes drawn in pencil, traced with black felt pen and coloured with felt pens in art journal

"Solitude", paper collage on Arches oil paper using paper napkins and matte medium

paper collage using photocopy of photo, paper napkins, matte medium on Arches oil paper

"Running" new painting

I think I'm finally satisfied with this painting! I'm letting it sit for awhile before I close the door.

The painting was inspired by a smalI close-up photograph of water running over debris at a deserted building site. I really like the movement of the water and rusted metal. The water running over debris seemed to have a variety of messages - nature washing the debris, humanity running out of time.

"Running" acrylic on canvas 48" x 36"

What Good Are Artist Awards?

 Another excellent post from Alyson Stanfield.

This is a very interesting discussion in the comments. As a recent graduate I am looking for ways to show my work and for me juried exhibits are a way to begin. However I am heeding some advice from the commentators that there are more effective ways to present work as in social media. 

What do you think?

What Good Are Artist Awards?

Transitions Do they ever end?

I completed my course work for my BFA degree December 2011 and had to wait for the spring of 2012 for the convocation ceremony. It seems like a long time ago. I was excited to focus on starting my art practice. And indeed, since graduating, I am slowly establishing myself  through exhibiting in group shows at various galleries in the greater Vancouver area. I am honoured to be included in the Discovery exhibit at the Seymour Gallery and excited about the opening reception this Sunday. It's always satisfying to be accepted into a juried show, a validation that I'm where I'm suppose to be.

However, I am ready to reconnect with my passion of helping others to achieve their goals. I have been involved with what is often referred to as the "helping profession" and love the experience in being a part of someone's learning and to be able to assist with mastery over a new experience from a handicap child learning to dress, parents learning how to talk to their children in a new way and being pleasantly surprised at the results to children growing their very first garden. I want to bring my two passions together and use art as a way for expression and learning about the self and others. In the scheme of things it may seem small compared to discovering a cure for some disease but sometimes more often than not it's the small things that can have a great impact in someone's life at the right moment.

I thought this would be an easy transition to make since I have many years experience. However I have not worked in the field for a few years. My focus has been on my education and community involvement at the university. Since graduating making art has been my work. This makes it difficult to get current references to successfully apply for employment. It never occurred to me that it would be difficult but it is so. It is like being a youth fresh out of school with no work experience except I have 30 years work experience. I just can't connect with people who are qualified to vouch for me because they did not supervise me in a work capacity. Those who did supervise me was before I went back to school and are no longer working in those positions. I understand a hiring committee's position. They have a very specific requirement to verify that I am who I say I am. It's just a very strange place to be.

In any case, over the holidays, I have been preparing lesson plans for children's drawing and painting classes and am very thankful to all the art teachers especially Mr. E.  He visited my blog and made a comment on my post Seize the Limitations and shared it with his followers. This small act had a big impact for me because it connected me with others who have the same passion for teaching. I was able to benefit from their generosity and adapt projects for a community setting. 

As the transition continues I am looking forward to the time I will connect my two passions creating art and helping others to do it too.

Happy New Year everyone.