A Fun Art Weekend!

Laura Watmough
Capital Ex Gala

What a weekend!

Wednesday was the setup for Capital Ex. Sylvie Fergusson and I headed to the Agricom and helped Debbi Seymour with hanging the Northwest Originals Gallery while Pearl Der held down the fort and taught all the students who came for a drop in.

Four hours later Sylvie and I came back to the studio to find Pearl was doing a fantastic job and gunning for my job ( lol)!!

Sylvie Fergusson
Capital Ex Gala

Pearl Der
Capital Ex Gala

Thursday evening was the official Northwest Originals Gala and we had a overwhelming turn out of fans and friends. Our work was very well received, the lighting was a great improvement from last year, and the Mosaic Mural unvielling was impressive.

At Delta Art
Hot Dog Days

Saturday was the famous Delta Inventory Sale and I went hi tech (for me) this year and had a slide show on my laptop to show new students how we do things at Hidden Talent. There was lots of visiting and  I had some product info conversations with Jason from Golden and Briana from Gamblin - always a good thing to touch base with the experts. I saw lots of my students and many artist friends. It seems we reconnect every year and it is turning out to be a very social event complete with free burgers and pop. many thanks to John and his family and staff for another wonderful 'Hot Dog day' sale.

  

Bob and Linda Watt

                            

                                                               

On Location Gallery Demonstration

Pearl  Der and I had wonderful weather and a great location to paint plein air in the city on Saturday. We unpacked our gear in front of Tu Gallery, had the grid wall  and umbrella setup for us, hung our art and didn't have to wait long!

Pearl was busy putting the finishing touches on her Koi painting Hide and Seek and I took out the Shiraz and started to paint Okanagan scenery with my brush dipped in wine! Between the two of us, we were kept busy talking to the people strolling down 124 st. Most were making their way to the Dutchess, a fine french bakery just next door. This gave us a great opportunity to show and talk about our art.

Pearl Der Painting on 124 st.

Things to remember to bring:

1. Sunsceen and bugspray....ants like oil paint!

2. Promotional material

3. Join my email book/pen

4. Water and a hat...don't you LOVE the red one! Thanks Pearl!

5. A good fold up easel, a small table, a chair of some sort, an umbrella, paints, brushes, rags, clean up liquid, extra canvas, mirror ( to check if you have paint on your face!) or to look at your painting, a half done painting if you want to engage someone in conversation. Do not expect to paint very much.

6. Colorful paintings! Color is what attracts people first, then design. Variety of sizes and prices. Have a painting with RED in it.

7. Bring a buddy. It can get very busy and it is always nice to be able to take a break!

If the weather is not so nice....

Bring bungee cords, plastic sheets, weights for your easel, and park the car REAL CLOSE!

Showing in a Gallery!

Congratulations to the very talented artists/students at Hidden Talent!
Alex Paterson knows the art he wants in his gallery! He walked through and picked this one and that one and finally he had a room full of paintings. A few more go rounds and in relativly short time, Alex had finished jurying. Believe me it is hard to keep up to this man!
14 Artists and 24 paintings were selected
The talented artists that were selected for Tu Gallery are:
Wendy Pfeifer , Sylvie Fergusson, Jane Armstrong, Jeannette Sommers, Pearl Der, Bernadette Nuemann, Lucille Friend, Joan Stang, Gerry Mazer, Fay Avon, Rana Sleiman, Kayla Nagazina, Heather Dundas and Jackie Kakoschke.
With art work this good, this shouldn't be called a student show! So, for the summer and fall of this year the selected artists are now honorary members of the St. Albert Artists Colony and will be showing at TU gallery under that name!

More good news!
Alex asked if we would consider an Annual showing at TU Gallery! So, get those brushes ready and start snapping photos! You could be in the next Tu Gallery art exhibition!!!
Thanks to all the artists that brought in paintings for the jury. Alex thought that all the work was exceptional and is hoping to show more new artists in the next show!

What is a Juried Art Event?

We are pleased to have Alex Paterson from Tu Gallery jury the Hidden Talent Students artwork for an exhibition for the Edmonton Gallery Walk! The last day to deliver art is by 2:00 Sat June 19th.

Many of our students have never entered into a juried competition and I thought I would share what goes on behind the scenes.
Remember that not all artworks can be picked. If yours isn't it DOES NOT mean it is not worthy! There are 100's of other factors that come into play for the selection of a show. The art that is produced at Hidden Talent is far far above average...the jurors will have a heck of a time picking only a few! There is limited space on the gallery's walls and the gallery owner must select works with his clients in mind.

Your artwork is placed in an area where the juror or jurors can see them. Sometimes the names are covered over so that the judge is not influenced by who did the artwork instead of the artwork itself.

There are many ways for the jurors to pick their favorites. Sometimes each is given a list and they place their top 20 pieces on it.If there is total agreement the jurying is complete. You can imagine this rarely happens!


 Sometimes each juror is given a post-it note or something similar and then these are placed on the artwork. Those without a paper are removed, then the judges ween down their selections by talking about their selections and why they were chosen. There is alot of negotiating and thinking about things other than just the artwork. For example: will these pieces hang well together? Is there a theme? Is there enough or to much size differences? Are there enough subjects? Are these works that will sell to gallery clients? This is where the real WORK comes in. I have been a juror many times, and believe me it is real work. At times you must defend your choices, compromise or just disagree.


After the exhibition art is selected ( and this could be a LONG time), the artists will be notified . If there are any concerns about framimg, pricing or printing, the artist will receive a call from the gallery owner (or me!)

In Hidden Talent's case, all artwork can be picked up on Monday and taken home. Those paintings that are selected are 'saved' by the artist for the fall Gallery Walk to be delivered at a later date. If you need to giclee your original, make sure it is done before October. You will be required to fill out forms from the gallery, a contract and info page, then, at a later date supply Tu Gallery with a list of names for them to invite on your behalf.

Please note: give as many names as you can! Doctors, dentists, accountants, relatives, neighbours, friends, church people. Remember that who you invite does not necessarily need to love your art. There will be plenty of great art for them to look at! Besides, it is quite the honor  to be personally invited to attend an artists showing. A minimum mailing list for a gallery going to the expense of showing your art should include 50+ names. Sounds like alot? If you really think about it, must of us can come up with considerably more if we think who we interact with each day.

Next, as the exhibition gets closer, GET ON THE PHONE! SEND OUT EMAIL REMINDERS! Make sure 'your people' will be there! A good friend of mine and one smart artist, Sharon showed for the first time in a posh gallery. She will always be welcomed there because she presold her art before it even got hung up! She sold out her first show! Did the gallery owner do all the work? No, Sharon was on the phone and promoting herself where ever she could. She made sure that she had clients ready to come and talk with her at their opening. And it was impressive!

Maybe you don't have buyers yet, but your friend and family should be encouraged to bring along their friends. Every painting has an owner. We just have to make sure they meet!

I hope this is helpful! If you have any questions please leave a comment or call me at the studio.Good luck to everyone!! It's going to be very difficult to chose only a few when there are so many great paintings!
Laura

Portraits in Oil Techniques for Beginners

Jane has captured the bubbly personality of her daughter in this oil painting. Our usual colors for flesh are yellow ocher, a red- (cad red light , permanent rose or alizarin crimson, and whit)e...with lots of other colors as well.

Many of Hidden Talent students chose to paint portraits or figures . Melanie has just finished this portrait of her father. 

Janelle LOVES painting children and has put many of her nieces and nephews on canvas. Janelle has a really great technique for painting hair...it looks so life-like, but painterly at the same time. 

Racel painted this picture of her and her daddy as a surprise....of course he was emotional when he got it!!!!. Rachel is in grade 10 and has a great future as an artist. Don't I wish I had started that young!

Another teenager, Emily is painting a photo of her sister. She has already finished a great painting of her 'baby brother' and is working her way through the family! You can see her applying the color to the warm underpaintint in the hair. Almost finished!

Our Spring session is just about to start! Everyone starts the same way- with two required paintings to begin to learn the techniques. No, it is NOT a fast painting process, but it is a real education. It changes the way you see things and colors....and even how you take photographs from now on! So, don't be intimidated! Call 780-419-2055 if you are interested in joining us! We are also showing off our student's art at the trade show at Servus Place April 16,17, 18 in St. Albert, Alberta. You can visit and ask the student volunteers any questions you might have.

We will also have a 'MY ST.ALBERT" mural at the trade show...come help us paint it and see it in our gallery in May at the Mona Lisa Show! More info on classes is at my website.

Happy Easter to all!

Wildlife Art School!

Clare's Squirrel

Wildlife holds a deep fascination for all of us. I, for one, am not embarrassed to say I am a fan of Bateman, Seerey-Lester , Brenders and Banovich-all great realistic painters who breathe life into the animals they paint. They are popular because their art strikes a cord within. Unfortunately the ‘art world’ tends to dismiss those artists that resonate with the silent majority. I’ll get on my soap box in another post. Stay tuned!!

Clare was looking for help with the fur. Surprisingly, the more ’chunky’ the values are painted, the better the fur will look when the fine strands are place where they can be seen. She has captured the enviorment wonderfully. Her underpainting was in the warm tones-yellow ochre, light red and white.

Sylvie's KUDU

My good friends Marta and John experienced their dream of a lifetime-a Kenyan Safari! Marta brought back some great shots and is letting Hidden Talent students paint animals they might never see in the flesh.

Sylvie has finished an awesome tiger and is now painting a very large Kudu. It is such a royal animal; it deserves a lot of canvas. Her monochromatic is almost finish-she’ll be working on it during the break, I’m sure! It is so inspiring to see how excited she is every week when she comes to paint! She has found her calling-wild animals are definitely her style.

Sylvie lives on an acreage where there are lots of deer. This spring she had to rescue a new born fawn from a slippery wet area where it was born. She dried off the fawn, warmed it up and left it for mama deer to find. A happy reunion thanks to a kind heart!

Shawn's Panda

Shawn has travelled to the San Diego Zoo to observe the animals and take photos to base his paintings on. He became very interested in pandas and has dedicated his painting time to honour these fascinating animals. Shawn has also approached a gallery in another city who is excited to have his animal art on their walls!

We love having Shawn in class! This is an artist that researches methods and materials and SHARES his results! Shawn studies many techniques and artists and is the inventor of many 'artist friendly' gadgets. If there is a better or easier way to do something, Shawn will find it!

Painting the Perfect Flower in Oils!

Step by step beginner lessons almost always include a flower. Flowers are always a popular subject to paint...challenging, beautiful, fleeting. At Hidden Talent there are some FABULOUS florals. Janet is working on the last bits of her monochromatic in greys and will be putting color on...probably the background first. This sunflower is Janet's third painting. She is great to have in class,, and is a pretty good curler! I am always amazed at the interesting people that come for lessons.

This poinsettia is in it's monochromatic stage-stunning in yellow ocher,Van Dyke Brown and white. It doesn't seen large, but it's about 20x30, maybe a bit more. Candace has been pressured by the rest of us to keep it this way...but I think she'll be putting red on her palette next week. She has another poinsettia that she's started  on the mono as well. We'll have to get her to share her popcorn, then all will be well at Hidden Talent. ;)

Christine's third painting is also a flower-a waterlily from Wales, where her family toured last summer. She has two charming sons that also take lessons and are soooo proud of their Mom. Christine has quite a challenge- each water drop is unique, no formula painting here. Her cool greens are very rich, you can feel the moisture!

 

This photo really shows the scale of Linda's painting-LARGE. Is painting a larger canvas easier than painting a smaller one? We'll ask Linda when she's done! Great control of red/pink. It's a challenge to keep the pinks from going to bubblegum.

Bernie is one of our most productive painter...I am sure she has a brush in her hand when she's sleeping! This intricate Indian Paintbrush is a great study of the red/green combination. She has a Mahl stick that she is resting her hand on. One of our inventors-Shawn- sold quite a few of these handy tools to the students. Keeps a steady hand and great in easing fatigue.

As you can see, if I told you how great my students were doing, you wouldn't believe me! NOW YOU CAN SEE FOR YOURSELF. Any favorites yet? I still have more student work to post so check back often!

Top Ten Art Magazines THE REST!

Time to add to my list of GREAT art magazines
3.  The Artist Magazine
 The Artists Magazine has been around forever. It is the magazine that covers every niche! I 've enjoyed the high quality images and the advice and step by step instruction that this magazine offers every month. It now has a sizable online presence and very worthwhile to join up (for free) There is a blog, marketplace, networking area etc. A great advantage is now back issues are available on CD and DVD!

4. American Artist
Sister site http://www.artistdaily.com/
This is the oldest publishing art magazine that I have read. I have copies from the 70's hanging around somewhere in the basement. Just can seem to throw away any art book! It's getting a bit thin, but the online network is fantastic...they have a great and helpful newsletter ( a bit to sales oriented at times), but a way to communicate in an arts community. They are embracing the future of online mags and providing free infomation, an easy means to keep in touch with other artists and great promotions like the Weekend with the Masters.

5. American Artist Oil Painting Highlights
6. American Artists Workshop
All from the same publisher and all availalbe through the same website portal. My personal favorite is the Artists Workshop because I happened to be at a featured workshop with Greg Kruetz and the write up was bang on.  Once you've been to a professional artists workshop you soon realize that it is impossible to remember everything! The next thing question is who do I take a workshop from? This magazine eliminates hours of research on the computer and if you like a certain teaching style, you'll find the right workshop by going through the magazine. NEVER throw them out!

7. Art Business News
Art Business News was recommended to me when I first passed my professional framing course. It offered advice on framing tachniques, gave me the trends in the art industry, colors for the year, what is a giclee, what are print companies interested in and their newest lines, how to run a gallery and how galleries were doing across the United States.It now has a submission area online for articles and art, along with regular catagories of emerging artists, print and original artwork, what is selling where and also a great newsletter. This is for the serious career artist!

8. Decor Magazine
It is the art and framing resource that I trust. They are also sponsors of art expos around the US and have the lastest art and trends and advice. I use to get it when it was almost a thick as a phonebook, but those days are fast disappearing! Go online and check it out and see if you want to subscribe. Again, for the serious career artist.

9. Canadian Brushstroke Magazine
Great and timely writing, high quality pictures and it's free only online. There are contests, reviews, hints and tips, interviews and it is great to see an upstart magazine do so well...and it's Canadian! Be sure to sign up for this up and coming ezine!

10. Southwest Art
This is a must have if you are interested in highest quality images of contemporary realism. I use the images in this magazine to instruct on color and composition. I think the Southwest has been a hotbed of great art for many years and has a loyal and well educated following. I have visited Scottsdale and have seen many of the featured galleries and yes....the art is THAT good! Inspiring and educational.
Did I miss yoou favorite magazine? I'm sure there are others and I'd love to promote any that help us artists!

Old Masters Oil Painting Technique for Beginners!

At Hidden Talent we want to 'make it real!' Our focus is to be able to accurately paint what you see...and use the best and simplest ways to do this. So we look to the Old Masters of Art and find that many of them underpainted in a neutral color and once all the details and composition were worked out, the color layer was added. At Hidden Talent we keep the color layer thin and smooth ( no visible brush strokes), which allows us to glaze the canvas and ensure luminosity.
Here are a few students who are working on their monochromatic underpainting ....And just think-this is only the beginning. Every painting brings more challenges and techniques to learn. (I love the moment when a student realizes that they can paint ANYTHING with this method!)

Shane has a collection of beautiful old barns and buildings (even outhouses) that were on his family’s property in Southern Alberta. Sadly, many of them have been torn down. This painting is the front porch of a homestead from the 1920’s-1930’s. The turquoise blue gives it away! He paints a unique view point of looking through the front door from inside the porch.

June is working on a beautiful stylized floral of daisies. Her underpainting was in black and white and her color layer has been a big surprise...she didn’t think there was soooo much color in white! We actually went through the color spectrum from yellow to indigo and added glazes to bring out the flowers without overpowering the white.

Scale is a fun element to play with...these larger than life daisies look like a elegant abstract when painted so large. Infact many ‘abstract’ artists take their cues from cropped and manipulated images of nature.

Ron is dedicated to painting wildlife and has completed ‘Wallice’, a leopard and a very large elephant from Africa! Next on his list is an owl picture that he has gotten permission to paint from a newspaper photographer. Sometimes it is just a matter of asking to get!

He is planning to spent alot more time at Hidden Talent in the next year (between golfing in Palm Springs and travelling the world)....retirement has its advantages!

Jeannette was born with a wrench in her hand! She loves to paint classic cars and you can imagine she has a long list of commissions. Jeannette has actually turned down invitations to car shows so that she can finish the restored car painting she has already taken on. This is an old abandoned tow truck. What makes her car paintings so unique is that the backgrounds are as well done as the vehicles. Jeannette prides herself on being an automotive ‘oil’ artist...so clever! Jeannette's monochromatic is in the warm neutral tones to give an overall sun filled feeling to her finished painting.

Irene is painting the view of the lake from her BC cabin‘s front porch. Her trees are still in the monochromatic stage and you can see her gradually adding color on the right. A good rule of thumb is to add color to the area that is the furthest away-this helps with issues of overlap and not having a ‘cut out’ subject. It is so very important to integrate everything on the picture plane, sometimes by blurring or eliminating edges, or having a color harmony strategy.

The Orchid Show Painting Competition winner- Yoon Joo Kim!

First Senior Catagory

2010 Orchid Show

Every year the Orchid Society holds a competition for the best artwork depicting orchids. This year YOON JOO KIM from Hidden Talent received three ribbons! Her artwork was honoured with both first and second in the Senior category, and first in the Other category! We are all so very happy for you Yoon Joo!

Second - Senior Catagory

2010 Orchid Show

First- Other Catagory

2010 Orchid Show

Yoon Joo loves flowers and even grows orchids herself. One of her favourite paintings is her daughter’s bouquet with the wedding rings perched on a lily. How lucky her daughter is to have this painting in her home!  These beautiful paintings are on display at  our Art School-- #107, 25 Chisholm Ave, St. Albert. Phone 780-419-2055 for information!

Yoon Joo getting her photo taken by Ben , photographer from the St. Albert Gazette.

Be sure to read Scott Haye's article in the Wed March 03 edition!

Just a few on Hidden Talent's dedicated artists!

Yoon Joo has painted numerous striking and colourful florals. She has a good eye for composition and her colors are very elegant. We enjoy having Yoon Joo in class, she is always so helpful and positive. She is taking painting on Tues am and drawing on Thurs afternoon and is excelling at both.

This is the fourth time that students from Hidden Talent have come home with ribbon!  Hidden Talent's 2009 previous winner was Bette Hogg who currently resides in Vancouver.

Spring session starts April 06!Check out http://www.laurawatmough.com/ for information on class times, our 'Spring into Spring 'Trade Show booth, and our upcoming Mona Lisa Art Exhibition  May 16th.

Creative Artists at Hidden Talent

I got a bit carried away with the Olympics (Yeah Canada!) so I am scrambling to get these images up for those of you who are following the progress of the students at Hidden Talent.
Many of the students you see here came to lessons with no prior experience in painting. I am as proud as they are of their accomplishments shown here. To be able to paint is a 'teachable skill'. I hope you will enjoy the artistic journey of these inspiring students.

Kasandra has finished her daughters portrait and really enjoyed the design aspect of the background. She used a dry glaze technique to quickly change the colors of her background without covering over all the detail. I am totally dedicated to realism and prefer an honest, well done painting to one that is all about emotions but lacking in technical skill. Creativity is not sacrificed by having painting and drawing skills, it is enhanced! Well done Kasandra!

Dorothy has got a massive canvas going here! She is refining as she paints and is always looking for something to 'fix'. Dorothy is our best kept secret- she keeps us entertained and happy ( butter tarts help too!)...She's got to stop calling me 'teach'everytime I catch her doing something fun!. We are refining the trees and  adding more 'sky holes' for a natural look. The snow shadows are coming along nicely.

Gerry has this commission for his daughter. He had a great reference photo, and can actually see the shine on the fur and the structure of the dog. The chew toy should be finished this week and then off to Calgary it goes. He has some interesting ideas for the next one...stay tuned.

Pat is painting her charming twin granddaughters and brought in the snowman from another reference. The girls will be in bright red PJ's that will go extremely well with the taupe foreground. Jaimie, the girls' mother also attended HT, but you can imagine how busy she is now!

Pearl had a special request to paint this for an office. There is a great overwhelming feeling of tranquility and peace in this painting. Pearl is also a member of our St. Albert Artists Colony and shows at HT and Spot Light Gallery during the summer. She is a very serious painter and because of her dedication and amazing output, she inspires us all. She managed to talk me into participating in ' Career Days' at her daughters school...I LOVED IT! It was so refreshing to see how many grade 4-6 had a career in the arts as a possible choice in life.  The students' excitement was so refreshing! I'm already planning to do it again in 2011.

Dee is another artist that keeps on going and going- and she is definaltely a floral painter. These lillies have many layers and she is really seeing all those colors in the white. Dee got alot out of John from Delta Art's talk about varnishing. Dee uses a spray varnish, and boy do you have to be carefull putting that stuff on.  You can find Dee at HT on Thurs am making the mornings a fun time!

Luise is a natural born landscape artist. She choses subjects that fit her style so well- including bike paths, a beautful winterscape that ended up as her Christtmas card, and this green paradise. She has a wonderful sense of values that allows her to move certain trees and bushes forward or backward on the pictoral plane. She is slowly covering up her brown monochromatic painting as seen at the bottom. Isn't it amazing that the colors cover the brown so well?

                                               
Rana has been working on this 'project' for a very long time....in between studying and becoming a nurse. Her Mother took this photo on her travels and Rana has done a remarkable job of capturing the heat.... and the camels! I am ordering the framing and she is very excited to get this on her parent's wall. She is also gicleeing this painting for a friend.
Check back for more student progress during the next week.
For more art, you can also visit my blog and read about my artistic process.
Spring session starts in April along with the St. Albert trade show...and the Mona Lisa Show! It's going to get VERY BUSY!

Oil Painting techniques at Hidden Talent

Oil painting techniques are very important to master before the artist can be truely creative. It is a pleasure to see the develpoment of the paintings as well as the artists! Here are the latest student updates.

Debbie is working on her third ever painting and is creating great colors! Red is a hard color to keep pure and not go 'bubblegum' when white is added. Light bulb moment: The reflected light is actually giving off a BLUE light on the red petals!

                                                     

Gerry is working on a commission of a family pet. This is his second painting after doing the first two required learning pieces. He has a photo that shows the details and shine of the black dog. He has since added more color to the cushion and eyes-the fur is very well done Gerry !

                    

                                                   

Anita is working on her own family portrait...this beautiful photo was taken by her husband a semi professional photographer among other things. Anita is finishing up the underpainting and dealing only with values. This will give her a strong foundation to apply color to- the darks will be darker, the lights will be more luminous.

                                                        

Kasandra has discovered the joys of scrumbling; a beautiful blue was dry glazed over the grey/yellow ochre and white monchromatic resulting in very realistic water patterns. Finishing touches on the hair and a general look-over and Kasandra will have captured the childhood fun of her daughter!

 

Dorothy, our famous 'Queen of Tarts' has chosen her first oil painting scenery after a string of grandchild portraits! She's not afraid of anything! This is a big painting and Dorothy has to be careful in a stiff wind that she doesn't blow away! The monchromatic was in the grey tones and now she is getting around to the greens and using color therory. Her painting technique involves two to three layers of green...  one dark, one medium amd one light. 

Joan is putting on the finishing touches and by this week will have a rich chocolate brown/red background to showcase the Cala Lilly.  The reds from her underpainting are peeking out throught the top oil paint layer of green and makes the colors very rich. A stunnning painting.

Creativity- the creative minds at Hidden Talent Painting Update

Follow along as I update the oil paintings of the Art School students. This is  artistic creativity at it's finest!

Pearl has selected a large Koi /waterlilly painting. Her oil painting technique is to use an underpainting, then layer on colors to get rich colors and great depth.

Kayla is a wildlife artist and is inspired by Carl Brenders. She is contining her art education and will be a high demand  graphic artist! I love being her art coach...she's going to paint a tiger next!

Cathy is adding the second layer in her step by step oil painting of Sweetpeas.Her approach to Realism is to correctly paint the values in a unified color, then glaze and paint the rich oil paint overtop. Stay tuned...the result will be spectactular!

Janelle is doing an oil painting portriat. This child portrait is larger than life, and is sooo appealing! The background color will really set off the hair. What color will she pick???

Barb is finishing her pencil drawing of an orchid. Shading and details are the last step. Barb does both- painting and drawing lessons.

Hidden Talent Tip "How to Varnish an Oil Painting"

Tricia from Delta Art

Varnishing Workshop

We are lucky to have John and Tricia  from Delta Art give us a seminar on Varnishing oil painting! Thanks!
As usual, it was full of useful information and it was great to get to see a painting varnished before our eyes.
Why varnish in the first place?
Dust, grime, smoke, air pollution are everywhere. Varnish acts like a piece of plastic that covers your painting and helps keep the colors clean and bright. It should be removable, beccause it is the surface that all the dust, grime, smoke and air pollution sticks to. Usually it is removable with mineral spirits or turpentine.
When can a painting be varnished?
Oil paintings oxidize instead of evaporate. You want to make sure you do not trap any moisture under the varnish, sooooo for a thinly painted painting the wait is from 6 months - 1 year!!, more heavily applies paint at least 12 months.
How do I know when my painting is dry enought to varnish?
 Take a cotton ball or Q-Tip , dip it in mineral spirits and rub a small area of the painting...NOT IN THE MIDDLE. Choose sides or edges that a frame will cover. If any color comes off, wait another month.
Is there something I can do now, before my painting is completely dried?
 Yes! Mix Stand Oil 50/50 with mineral spirits and apply very thin coats. This will insure an even gloss to all the painting surface. A final varnish can be added about 3-6 month later. Drying time is about 3-6 hours between coats
How do I put on varnish?
Place cans around your  just varnished painting and cover with stiff cardboard or 'tent' your painting to keep the dust off,. Use  a large soft brush and apply in a rectangle shape as opposed to stripes across the canvas.
What brands are recommended?
Gamvar by Gamlin is the easiest to mix and use. Other MSA varnishes ( Golden/Liquitex) are available, equally as good, but have to be mixed with mineral spirit and are quite smelly.
 What about Damar Retouch Varnish?
Darmar varnish is not recommended anymore! A final varnish can be brushed over the retouch varnish, but Damar varnish of any sort is slowly coming off the market. Seems it was good for it's time, but the MSA type varnishes are better. ( I have used  retouch damar varnish and am relieved that all I need to do is apply a finishing coat of Gamvar!).

Top 10 Artists Magazines!

I love a good art book or art magazine. They are helpful, usually contain alot of info that I can use or pass along and they motivate me to get back into the studio and keep painting. These are the ones I will continue to subscribe to, probably forever! They did not pay me to promote them!  but I'm going to anyways! :) Here IS THE COMPLETE LIST!
1. International Artists
Great high quality photos and articles that speak to the beginner and experienced artist. I have been with them since issue #1. They publish every two months. You can reserve your copies at any book store, or if you don't want to chance missing an issue, subscribing is easy!
Look for:
Their  popular art competitions.
Support for portrait artists.
Interviews with well known artists.
Something for oils, watercolors and acrylic painters.
Marketing tips.

2. American Art Collector
If you are a serious artists and can only afford one magazine, THIS IS IT! Galleries across North America spend big bucks promoting their best artists. These are the people you need to know!  A treasure chest, not only for the collector, but for the aspiring gallery artist!
Look for:
Glimpses inside of galleries across the states.
Ideas on how to promote your work.
What is popular in certain areas so you know your market.
Price rages for professional and emerging artists (extremely valuable info).
Art  that is actually sold from being seen in this magazine.
Representational and some abstracted  artworks
All mediums.
Major Art Exhibition locations and information

3. The Artist's Magazine
The Artists Magazine has been around forever. It is the magazine that covers every niche! I 've enjoyed the high quality images and the advice and step by step instruction that this magazine offers every month. It now has a sizable online presence and very worthwhile to join up (for free) There is a blog, marketplace, networking area etc. A great advantage is now back issues are available on CD and DVD!

4. American Artist
Sister site http://www.artistdaily.com/
This is the oldest publishing art magazine that I have read. I have copies from the 70's hanging around somewhere in the basement. Just can seem to throw away any art book! It's getting a bit thin, but the online network is fantastic...they have a great and helpful newsletter ( a bit to sales oriented at times), but a way to communicate in an arts community. They are embracing the future of online mags and providing free infomation, an easy means to keep in touch with other artists and great promotions like the Weekend with the Masters.

5. American Artist Oil Painting Highlights
6. American Artists Workshop
All from the same publisher and all availalbe through the same website portal. My personal favorite is the Artists Workshop because I happened to be at a featured workshop with Greg Kruetz and the write up was bang on. Once you've been to a professional artists workshop you soon realize that it is impossible to remember everything! The next thing question is who do I take a workshop from? This magazine eliminates hours of research on the computer and if you like a certain teaching style, you'll find the right workshop by going through the magazine. NEVER throw them out!

7. Art Business News
Art Business News was recommended to me when I first passed my professional framing course. It offered advice on framing tachniques, gave me the trends in the art industry, colors for the year, what is a giclee, what are print companies interested in and their newest lines, how to run a gallery and how galleries were doing across the United States.It now has a submission area online for articles and art, along with regular catagories of emerging artists, print and original artwork, what is selling where and also a great newsletter. This is for the serious career artist!

8. Decor Magazine
It is the art and framing resource that I trust. They are also sponsors of art expos around the US and have the lastest art and trends and advice. I use to get it when it was almost a thick as a phonebook, but those days are fast disappearing! Go online and check it out and see if you want to subscribe. Again, for the serious career artist.

9. Canadian Brushstroke Magazine
Great and timely writing, high quality pictures and it's free only online. There are contests, reviews, hints and tips, interviews and it is great to see an upstart magazine do so well...and it's Canadian! Be sure to sign up for this up and coming ezine!

10. Southwest Art
This is a must have if you are interested in highest quality images of contemporary realism. I use the images in this magazine to instruct on color and composition. I think the Southwest has been a hotbed of great art for many years and has a loyal and well educated following. I have visited Scottsdale and have seen many of the featured galleries and yes....the art is THAT good! Inspiring and educational.



Did I miss your favorite magazine? I'm sure there are others and I'd love to promote any that help us artists!