Year End Stats

Just a few stats-I promise!
I know how much we artists like dealing with numbers....

Stats for http://www.laurawatmough.com/
Total visitors -39,000
The most actual visitors (not hits) were in April (4033) May (4190) June (4147) July (4248).
Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario were the top Canadian visitor locations. The top US locations were California (by a large number) Arizona, and Virginia, Germany UK and Sweden were the top three in Europe.
I am hoping to decipher how to get blog stats very soon...any suggestions?

Thanks for spreading the word!

The Artist's Christmas

I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and thank you for following this blog. I love all the comments and suggestions, even spelling corrections. I am especially thankful for being able to share my artistic life with you!

Christmas has just passed! If you are very lucky, your loved ones will have guessed ( with strong suggestions from you) what to pick out of the confusion at either John's or Kim's and you have a wonderful new-( insert art supply here) to play with. If you are only a wee bit less lucky, you will have the GIFT CARD, and have to postpone your enjoyment a day or two. Now the fun begins...

There have been a few new toys this year, but even the old standbys will be appreciated because of the advanced warning of an over the board price climb the beginning of 2009. This is truly the sign of real inflation coming to the market ...

After collecting a few supplies, the artists needs a place to set up and paint. One of my students has to put everything away after painting and time is wasted setting up each time she gets a few hours to paint. Two things need attention here. First, you can paint for mere minutes and still show progress. You don't need a few hours, just squeeze a few minutes in when ever you can.
Keeping your easel in view lets you paint those precious few minutes at a time and helps sharpen you artistic eye, BUT...it also keeps the mess in plain sight.
The second solution I've found is to throw a vinyl table cloth over the whole thing, easel and all, with an 'Under Construction' sign on it...sometimes a 'Don't touch' sign is a better choice!
So, if you have the time,( and now we know we really do) enjoy the holidays with a brush in your hand! I'm looking forward to a productive and colorful 2009!

Insider Scoop on Ducks Unlimited

John Eggerton from Ducks Unlimited visited us again on Sat Nov 22. He brought a print of this year's Sponsorship Print Winner- our own Barb Girouard! The prints look fantastic Barb! Well done!

John explained that the artists get to keep their original painting, but gives up only the copyright for paper prints to D.U. for one year.The artists may sell canvas Giclees of the image at any time.

There are 2000 paper prints made to give to people who donate to D.U. thus the Sponsorship Print. 12 of the 2000 prints will have a Remarque, or a small painting (acrylic or watercolor) on the bottom of the artist's print) that relates to the big print. The size is about 2"x3"These special Sponsorship prints will be auctioned because they have a mini original on the print and are more valuable. The artist will receive 100 AP( artists proofs) to sell once the year is up.

There were 86 entries this year, including some from students from very well known artists ( RB). All entries are sent to Ontario to see if they will be chosen for the Merchandise catalogue. John will deliver one as soon as it is available.

Changes for 2010

The Provinces will no longer have individual sponsorship prints. the top three picks from Alberta will be sent to Ontario and three National Sponsorship prints will chosen. One entry will be chosen as the D.U National Artist. There will be the regular procedure for the Merchandising Catalogue.

John uses Priority Printing for all the D.U. prints. If you are interested seer Ann Bussy. They are located at 107th Av and 178st in Edmonton.

This is a unique and wonderful opportunity to get National Recognition for your art! all the info, Forms and subject categories are available at Hidden Talent. The submission date is early July! Lets keep the brushes busy and see what happens!!!

GAMBLIN Colors!

Many thanks to Scott (Gamblin colors) and Kim (Paint Spot) for the informative workshop on color space, palette selection and color mixing! The handouts were extremely helpful and we loved the Radiant Blue! I have small samples at the back for those who would like to try it. There are also two different sample mediums , Galkyd and Neo megilp to try.

I am interested in the Sketching Oils and will probably pick up a few.
Let me know what you think of the paint and what your new favorite colors are!

Another One Gone!

Congrats to Pearl Der for selling her "9 Koi" original to JF in Sherwood Park. I went to hang the Sun Sisters Irises and the 9 Koi and they look fab! It's not often an artist can see where their art hangs and how it is presented in the art patrons home.

Studio's Open Weekend

What a great turn out for the St. Albert Artists Colony's first Open Studio! This summer has been a test of the Art Drive Brochure and establishing a Colony in order to share more of our art with more art lovers in the St. Albert area.


One comment we keep hearing is that yes, it is HIDDEN Talent! The Mayor NOLAN Crouse came by and asked why he didn't know of this wonderful gallery....Now he does! He's especially keen to see St. Albert Art as there are a few empty walls in his office. Some of the positive comments are- "Incredible work, I never knew we had this level of art in St. Albert! ". "I came in from Sherwood Park and this is the best display I've seen!" So... the calibre of art is very high, we just have to get ourselves known!
Sold!Judy from Sherwood Park will give "Sun Sisters" a good home!


Many of you have promoted Hidden Talent Fine Art School and Spot Light Gallery and we owe you a great big THANK YOU! Even the students who wish to paint strictly for enjoyment have helped the other students wishing to show in the gallery by bringing their friends and relatives to our Gallery events! With your continued support, we will be on the Art Map in a big way in a short time!


With the success of the Art Drive, we will be opening up the Colony membership to those that come twice and three times a week at Hidden Talent. Our reasoning is that these are the students that are very serious about pursuing sales of their art as well as producing more. There are special meetings dealing with marketing and gallery management, pricing and other subjects that are of interest to those that want to take their art to the next level. We anticipate a Christmas sale as well as a spring Event. We would like to establish a core membership prior to the next brochure being published and have images and bios ready. If this is for you, call me ASAP and I will give you more details. The St. Albert Artists Colony events are separate from the regular art exhibitions that are held for Hidden Talent Students.
We are very excited about the future of the St. Albert Artists Colony! Come join us!

Summer Fun!

Carol and Pam working on a Plein air painting in Pam's tropical backyard!

Hidden Talent Member News and Birthdays

What a summer for students of Hidden Talent Fine Art School!

Barb Girouard's painting 'Spirit Island' was selected for Ducks Unlimited in one of the catagories! We are very proud of her and wish her lots of luck with all the activities and (!) fame!!!

Marianne Konanz participated in the Art Walk on Whyte and sold 2 paintings and had an offer of $1000 for one of her paintings but she couldn't part with her 'baby'-that wonder painting of the the sun shining on the water !

Heidi Ferguson showed for the first time at a fundraiser for the Valley Zoo, of course outside the Tiger's cage and will be featured in the upcoming ART Trends Magazine!!!!

We had a great time painting in Pam's garden and a big 'way to go' to our plein air virgins!! It's alot of fun to paint a picture in a few hours!

Jeannette Sommers , one of our Event Artists , showed at Rock n' August and has a years worth of commissions!!!Dontcha love it when a plan comes together!!

Speaking of commissions, Memory Roth has finished both a pet and a portrait commission and is working on a business commission now!

We will be celebrating Memory's birthday and our Open House this weekend- Sept 20/21 so drop in for cake and if you want to get back into painting, a special drop in is from 10:00-4:00 for only $30 each day on both Sat and Sun.

Gamblin paints will be hosting a demonstration at Hidden Talent on Oct 10th at 7:00 free literature and some samples will be handed out. Mark this on your calendar and get your questions ready!

Plein air time, Drop-Ins and Special Events

Hi Art Friends!
I am finally coming up for air! It has been a busier July/ August than I had anticipated, but my brushes and canvas are now waiting at the door for me!
Here is my tentative schedule:

Plein Air
If the weather isn't great, we'll paint inside! Bring something to drink.
Plan to go for lunch afterwards if possible! Please join me...

Tues Sept 02 9:30 am meet at the School
Sunday Sept 7 9:30 meet at the school
Sat Sept 13, Sun Sept 14 9:30 Meet at the school

Drop Ins
Tues Sept 2 6:00-9:00 Drop In at the School $30
Thurs Sept 11 6:00-9:00 Drop In at the school $30
Sat Sept 20 and Sunday Sept 21 10:00-4:00 Drop In/ Open House for all day $30

Special Event
Saturday Sept 6 is the official Albert Art Day. The School will be open, but there will be no instruction. Come work on any of your projects and bring a donation to the Food bank.

St. Albert Artists Colony

The St. Albert Tourism department will be putting out a brochure called the ART DRIVE, which gives maps and details about artists and artisans in the Sturgeon county area. We have a few students who would like to start selling and take steps to begin their art careers.
On four Thurs. this summer, the newly former St. Albert Artists Colony will feature Pearl Der, June Haring, Memory Roth and myself at the easel. We will have homemade refreshments and will answer any of your questions about art.....bring a friend and enjoy an art night out!

Would you like to participate too? We welcome all Hidden Talent Students as our GUEST MEMBERS who would like to show and sell their art in the gallery as well as set up an easel- ( $30 plus 30% commission) This is a nice informal way to introduce your friends to your art. To book your easel call Laura at 419-2055
When?
July o3 - the same Thurs as the Downtown Art Walk.
July 17, August 7 ( Art Walk Night) and Aug 21.
All the info is at http://www.stalbertartistscolony.blogspot.com/ Thanks for your support!

Jeannette Shows How to Marketing your Art

I went to see Jeannette Sommers at the St. Albert Autorama today at St. Albert Mall. It was part of the Rainmakers Rodeo and sponsored by the Cruiser's Club....

Well, Jeannette and her hubby Phil went all out, purchased a trailer as a showcase gallery for her art and prints, had a great presentation, a great gimmick ( she has MOTOR oil in her oil paintings!! ask her how she did it!) and has everyone telling her about their first/best/restored car. They love her art!

What great marketing! I think the first thing was to specialize in a certain type of painting that would appeal to a niche market. Jeannette built up an inventory, so she wouldn't panic if a few paintings sold. Next, she made copies-paper and giclees with different price points. She had easy-to-buy art cards made for those who wanted something smaller. Commissions? You bet!

The trailer was a stroke of genius- great if it rained, art actually could hang in it,comfortable and homey, storage for bags, stock, chairs etc, can have a logo put on it, ready to go in an instant, classy and the perfect accessory for an auto show!

Well done Jeannette and Phil and good luck this summer at the auto shows!

Ducks Unlimited Opportunity

We had a great presentation by JOHN from Ducks Unlimited to 20 very enthusiastic Hidden Talent students. DU takes very good care of it's selected artists-great publicity, prints, fundraising, appearance's etc. Certainly a feather in the cap of any artist selected!!

Some important pointers- each image needs a form, but up to 5 images can be submitted on a single CD. Your copyright is returned after a year, you receive prints as compensation. There are different levels of competition, such as Alberta Artists of the Year. Almost any subject will be considered-more forms will be available at Hidden Talent for those of you submitting this year. Good luck to all of you!

Art Drive/ St. Albert Artists Colony

The City of St. Albert is putting together a spiffy brochure called the Art Drive. This brouchure will encourage art lovers to visit local and regional studios and watch art being produced. Some of our artists will be featured - June Haring, Memory Roth, Pearl Der and me.
We will be painting four Thurs evenings during the summer...July 3/17 and August 7/21 from 6:00-9:00.
We invite everyone from Hidden Talent to come paint with us as we have an Open Studio for the public. You can even hang you art in the gallery! Cost for studio time is $30 and 30% commission if you sell.It's a great way to get in some painting time during the summer.
Feel free to bring your friends by for a visit, as we will have great homemade food and drink, as well as works in progress.
Check out the blog:
www.stalbertartistscolony.blogspot.com

Torrit Grey Contest/ Gamblin Website

Artists love a challenge! Here is a contest that is perfect for our Art School!
Each year Gamblin paint company collects the pigments from their air filters and mixes them with linseed oil and produces a beautiful TORRIT grey that changes slightly every year. This paint is given away free of charge. Gamblin then runs a contest that limits the artist to using Torrit Grey, White and Black only to produce a painting! Kind of like a company sponsored Black and White Art Event.
I have some torrit grey to share with you!
If you are interested in the contest download the form at http://www.gamblincolors.com/.
I give this website 5/5 stars...lots of good info on paints, how-to's and loads on color. I have their DVD on color and will be sharing it with you during our break time!
Perhaps we can incorporate this into our Mona Lisa Club Art Show!

The Black and White Art Event

These original paintings (and a few more that wouldn't load) were sold at the Spot Light Gallery's Black and White Art Event featuring members of the Mona Lisa Club, whose members are dedicated to promoting realism in art.

The turn out was overwhelming with over 350 signing the guest book for the two day event. Many thanks to the members of the Mona Lisa Club volunteers who were on hand to answer questions and give out information.

If you are interested in purchasing an original Black and White please visit www.laurawatmough.com and look under Galleries/Black and White.

The LEARNING ZONE

I am getting better at reading my "stats" about my website, and although painful, I am amazed at how we are connected to the world.
This week California citizens were the #1 visitors to my website! Closely followed by Alberta, Florida, BC and then Ontario. My only problem is that I would love for you to leave a comment on this blog! If you haven't figured it out email me at lwatmough@shaw.ca for some tips.

The one thing that I showcase on my website is the dramatic progress that Hidden Talent students make in only a few paintings. I certainly didn't reinvent the wheel, but am passing on the experience of much better artists than myself (as well as the experience that 20 years painting has given me).. It seems that there are easy and hard ways to do things like painting but the hardest thing is to get to the LEARNING stage.

One student just recently turned the corner and has opened her eyes with the intent of learning how to paint instead of having the' ego thing ' happen....you know...if this isn't good I'll look bad, what if my husband doesn't like it? What will the grandkids think? She has progressed more in the last month than in the last year. She is focused, because learning is what we humans do better than anything, and she doesn't get bent out of shape if something isn't quite right. The one thing about how I teach is that nothing is permanent...we can always fix/change it. This takes the pressure and the anxiety out of painting. It will be wonderful and you will LEARN a great deal! I think you might even live a bit longer!!!

DRAWING-now that's a learning curve! I had a great turn out last Sat. and am expecting another one this weekend. We will be learning how to place our objects and draw their envelope so to speak. I had a great drawing course from Bill Williams from California and he had suggested to practice just the envelope until you KNEW they were right. ( That may take a bit of time!)
What do you draw? From teaching so many students, I find that the fear of drawing is what holds us back from painting! I am thankful for the grid system, because it starts us on our way and prepares those of us that want to draw.

A book for the next step!!!

I have followed Alyson Stanfield for about 3 years, reading her blogs and enjoying her wisdom when it comes to the art world. She is THE marketing guru for emerging artists as well as a major information lady for all of us in the business of making art and learning the skills of marketing! I highly recommend her new book" I'd rather be in the studio"....The title says it all! A link to her book in on the right hand side panel.>>>
I will be sharing a few tips in later blogs!
Do YOU have a favorite Art book? Let me know, I would love to list them!

10 Steps to Finding your Style!

At some time or another, artists worry about their style...do they have one?, is it good?, what is it?

Art lovers KNOW that artists have a specific style, and they can usually pick out an artists work in a gallery. These are some tips to help you identify your strenghth and therefore your style!

1.Do I prefer to paint a certain subject-still life, people, animals?

2. Do I have favorite colors that I love to use in all my paintings?

3. Do I like a certain brush because of how the paint gets applied?

4. Have people recognized my art work without reading the tag?

5. Do I prefer dramatic subject or moody atmospheric ones?

6. What are my favorite combinations for light colors? for shadow colors?

7. Have I done enough paintings for my style to fully develop? Try many subjects to see what is your passion!

8. Have I visited galleries to see how other artists stay within their perceived style- do they paint a series/ their travels/ only heads?

9. Do I reserve time to paint, so holding a brush and applying paint becomes second nature-just like handwriting?

10. Is there Calligraphy in my art?-do I paint certain shapes in a unique way? Do I always include a personal element? Some artists put initials or a small flower etc. that are hidden in the painting and this becomes their unique selling point.

Nikki is 'horse crazy', and spends alot of her time riding and grooming. As a result...she paints ONLY horses...she paints what she knows, she paints her passion. Nikki is 14 years old...How wonderful to find you passion so young!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I love this time of year-Have you ever had this experience? I pulled into the drive through at Tim Horton's and that wonderful person (who must have ordered the whole office's lunch) paid for my coffee!It made the wait worth while and I still believe there are good people out there!

This is a great time to thanks all of you who have shown random acts of kindness-bringing rags, buying coffee, baking goodies, offering encouragment to the other students, and helping out at the school! Your kindness is greatly appreciated!

HERE IT IS:

www.incompetech.com by popular request, this is the web site you can down load your grids from!!! print them, then go have them copied onto transparencies!

Check the random acts of kindness section in the St. Albert Gazette!

Feb. ART challenge

With the recent plunge to -35 I. find myself reflecting about my recent visit to Cuba...ahhh warm sand, fruity drinks! To get into the spirit, I challenge you to a quick -paint. Here are two of the Cuba photos that I took...can you do a quick, ALA PRIMA ( done all at once) painting that captures the essence, not the detail of CUBA???

Just to make it interesting, lets try for a finish date of March 1st...remember, not alot of detail!!!Paint away!

February is a COLD Month!

I am desperately waiting for the Feb. thaw! Winter scenes are truely Canadian and I love to paint them! The challenge is to discover the color that is waiting in all that whiteness-oranges, magenta, cool teal blues!

This painting is from a trip to Terrace BC, where they get to -10 and have LOTS of snow! There are old growth forests and many rivers and streams to check out and of course paint. The original and Giclee are available. Contact me if you wish to see it in person!

While you are tucked safely inside to keep warm visit Jeff's website at http://www.jeffhayes.com/ . It is a great find-a realist painter who does a glorious job of painting everyday object....a reminder that all things are fair game when it comes to putting paint on canvas! A Painting-a -day is a very popular theme for painters. We get alot of paintings done and they are small and affordable for our collectors!

Speaking of small....The Mona Lisa Club will present a Black and White Art Event in April, Sat 12 and Sun 13 from 1:00-4:00. There will be a gallery filled with $100 8x10 painting, all black and white with a touch of color. This is a remarkable opportunity to buy originals that will go anywhere in your home. This will also introduce you to our methods of painting-we do a monochromatic underpainting, sometimes in black and white, then layer color overtop. You can have a sneak peek at www.laurawatmough.com under galleries/black and white.

Currently I have a pear still life on the go, as well as a large Iris painting that is in the gallery, ready for me to do more underpainting.....come by and see the progress! When you get cabin fever...the gallery is open and the coffee is on!