analogy

 Since I started painting last July, I’ve completed seventy five paintings. Fifteen of them are in oils. I began painting in oils just before Christmas. In the beginning I had given away many of my acrylic paintings to family and a couple of friends. They were so impressed with my new found talent, that they just had to have some to display in their homes. Naturally, I was humbled by their want to display my creations and their response, once they saw them. Acrylics dry quickly and putting on a finish coat to preserve them didn’t take too long. Oils, on the other hand can take up to a year to totally dry. Putting on a sealer is not recommended for at least six months. They are unfinished and in the mean time, I keep painting new ones.

I have sold several of my acrylics to neighbors and other friends. They approached me looking to acquire some of my paintings after seeing them displayed in my family and close friends’ homes. I knew then and there that my paintings were something that I didn’t just want to give away for free. Paint supplies aren’t cheap and the time and effort involved in creating them should have some value to the public. I already have some future orders for my oils once they are sealed and dry from folks other than family and friends. I could have given them away, but if I had there wouldn’t be any value to what I do. It would have been demeaning and my efforts worthless. They would have just wanted more free stuff at my expense.

When I began my journey with paints, the thought of selling my art, never crossed my mind. All I wanted to do is find out if I could do it and do it well. I was curious to see where this new thing might take me…nothing more. I really didn’t have any thoughts on what I was going to do with the finished paintings and the idea of an art burning party did cross my mind. I had no value to what I was doing except in trying something I’ve never done before. The value came as soon as folks began wanting my art. That’s when I had to set the price on art, to give it value.

Many artists/bands in this case, on  music sites such as Sound Click or Sound Cloud, simply give their music away as a free download. What they are telling the public is that they don’t value what they do nor about the music. I learned years ago that the only time someone comes back to my music page was when I uploaded a new tune and had a free download. Once they had It, there was no reason to come back until I posted a new tune. I don’t know about you, but it takes me several weeks to write and prepare one tune for a recording session. There is a lot of time and effort invested just with one tune and I’ll be damned if I’m going to give that away. One or two free samples/downloads is my limit for the most part. As for the rest, I have to set some value to what I do as a musician. I've even made a few bucks doing it this way and have plenty of listeners and followers stopping by my music page at Sound Click just to check out my music.

The music business has really gone down the toilet in the past years and it's getting more difficult for musicians, full time musicians that is, to make a living at it. The big problem I've noticed is that young bands are willing to play for free just for exposure not realizing that they have fucked it up for everyone else trying to make a living at it. Sure a club or a bar owner is going to want someone to play for free, after all they have nothing to lose and only to gain a few more customers. In the long run bands playing for free are screwing themselves at the same time for future gigs for money. Let's face it these bands are saying that they have no value for what they do and are making the club/bar owners a little richer at their own expense. Stupidity

inexpensive paint palette for acrylics

Artist stuff can end up costing one an arm and a leg. It's not cheap being an artist. As a newby and retired I'm always trying to save a buck or two. I was using plastic and foam plates for my palettes but often times there just wasn't enough room on one plate and had to use several for what I'm doing. They just took too much space already in a cramped area I'm working in. I decided to make my own palette, customized for me. It had to be lightweight and made from inexpensive material. It also had to last for at least a couple of paintings.

I bought couple of pieces of foam board (poster board with foam center), the stuff you can find almost anywhere that caries office supplies. I got mine at Dollar Tree. The boards were 20" x 30" and cost me a mere $1.00 each.

poster board with foam center

From the 2 boards I was able to make 4 15"x20" palettes large enough to handle plenty of paint by cutting each board in half.

poster board with foam sandwich

They are easy to cut-simply with scissors to your own custom fit. The thumb hole, I used a 1 1/2" hole saw added to my cordless drill. I could have just cut out a hole using a utility knife. Using my cordless and the hole saw made quick work out of it and a perfect hole to boot. The corners were rounded off using scissors. What I couldn't cut with my scissors, I used my utility knife.

Because the top layers on the boards are very thin, putting any kind of sealer on them will make the top layer come off and the palate will become too flexible, altho the foam will handle the paint easily. Just go ahead and use the new palate as is without a sealer. It'll work just fine. When I can't remove anymore paint off it, I just throw it away and grab another I had made earlier.

Here is a pic of one I've been using. I made it so that I can use both sides when I need to.

my first foam board paint palette

Here are a couple of other styles I also made for myself. The thumb hole was cut out for a distance comfortable for me.

foam board palette

foam board palette I made

 I decided to take this project a bit further and make one out of 3/16" luaun plywood. I went to my local lumber store and got me a piece of luaun 24"X24" . I drew out how I wanted it on the board and then cut it with a jig saw. It came out 16" x 22". A standard size would be about 16" x 20 1/2". Next I sanded all the corners with coarse sandpaper and then filed areas I couldn't get in with my sand paper block. I also took some steel wool size 000 to the top of it to smooth out. Once I got it cleaned off, I took some clear gloss oil base spray paint to both sides and let it dry. The paint has primer included. On the face of the palette I put about 4 coats and on the back side 2. The sides also got the clear coat. Here's what it looks like after I got it completed. It wouldn't hurt to use the steel wool before each coat for a smooth finish.

wood paint palette I made from luaun

paint I used to seal my wood palate

For added protection so that the acrylic paints won't dry onto my palette, I rub on some wax, any wax just to put something between the paint and my palette. Now it's ez to clean the palette for my next painting. All in all, the wood palette cost me a total of $15.00, if that to make. To buy one, I've seen them go for over $40.00.

paint manipulator

For the last five and a half decades I've been proud to call myself a professional musician. I paid my dues and therefore deserve the right. By dues I mean studying practicing hard and long, having plenty of ups and downs and getting paid in the end. I've also called myself many other things: carpenter, electrician, plumber, tile setter, woodworker and sport fisherman, just to name a few. I've worked very hard to earn those titles and got paid well for doing each and every one of them.

Recently, like July, I began painting. Painting, as in art and on canvas or whatever material I find useful. People tell me once they have seen my paintings that they are incredible and have a hard time believing that I've never painted before, until July. I've done about twenty paintings so far, each better than the previous, so they tell me. One of my musician friends said I should try painting, I'd probably be good at it too. One day I took him up on it and tried it. Now I'm hooked.

No matter how good my paintings might be, I can't come to call myself an artist. I don't feel that I've paid my dues. I haven't earned the right yet. I've never had any schooling for it, nor have I had to practice painting for years to get to where I am right now. I'm not hungry, nor am I poor. I certainly have not earned the title as far as I'm concerned until I actually sell one or two, if I'm lucky. I decided to simply call myself a paint manipulator for now.

me practicing paint manipulation

Here's a few of my recent paint manipulations.

tide coming in

rough seas

Canadian Rocky Mountains

Some wise guy asked me today if I had painted these by numbers. I told him no and showed him the backs of the paintings. I painted them on luaun plywood. They're all different custom sizes, what I had left over from previous remodeling jobs. Cutting down a full sheet of luaun using a utility knife is a hell of a lot cheaper than going out and buying individual stretched canvas pieces. For what I pay for a three pack, even at Walmart, for just a few more dollars for the cost of luaun, I can get a lot more out of the 4'x8' panel saving myself a lot of money. I just use a wood primer to seal it before beginning with the base coat. Even with a wood primer the cost is less than purchasing the canvas.

the letter

Hi sis,

I’m at the house in the Hts sitting on one of the rocking chairs I built for your outdoor table and chair set, writing this letter. They are all completed and I have to admit, they look pretty darn good and comfy.

I’m glad that you’re finally beginning to live a little rather than hiding in the house. There’s a whole world of amazing sites out there yet to be discovered. Not only that but it’s great for the soul. We all need something to do, places to go and things to look forwards to, otherwise we just sit there waiting to die.

My hive situation was over once I figured out what caused it. The culprit was cranberry juice. I noticed the hives come on again immediately after drinking some. I guess I’m allergic to the stuff…bummer. I prefer drinking it rather than other sugary drinks or even pop. Beer or wine is okay but one needs something else every so often. For the last few years, especially during the winter months, when I was drinking more cranberry juice, I began noticing a rash in several locations but never associated them with the juice, perhaps even with cranberries themselves. I love cranberries, especially home made cranberry sauce. It reminds me so much of lingon berries.

The plumbing situation although a bit difficult to muster, was resolved within two days of hard work. I never did dig yet due to all of this rain and heat. I don’t know if my arthritis could have handled it either but there will be a day in the fall where I’m going to have to just do it.

Creativity, whether artistic, musical or other supposedly comes within however, some of us need a kick in the ass every so often to trigger some sort of emotion to get the juices flowing. I find this true for myself especially in the past. For the last couple of years coming to the house here in the Hts and after creating my special area in the basement with natural cedar, colors of red, beige and browns, I find that I tend to feed off the positive energy. I have discovered talents in me I never knew even existed. I’m even contemplating on doing something on canvas. I’ve never done that or even tried but who knows how it’ll turn out. It will be fun to see. It’s hard to believe that I’m pushing 66 and I’m just now discovering new things about myself. I suppose it’s all because of this house.

I have a prospective buyer which I’ve been going around and around with all week. We’re in the process of negotiating the price. I am not looking forwards to selling, because I will not only lose my creative energy flow I absorb from this house, but a place to discover my potential and a place to create. I can’t do any of that at home. Unless I find another creative energy force to draw from, I suppose I will not find my full potential. That being said, I can definitely relate to your situation with art and having the lack of inspiration to do much in that respect. I’ve been lacking the same all week, knowing that everything will be lost, for now. Perhaps you too need a quiet place like mine to draw energy and the creative force to inspire from. Maybe even learn new things about yourself along with talents you never knew existed.

Simple color changes with different wood like cedar may be just what’s needed for that special place. It’s not expensive and the paint can be changed easily enough until you find the combo that works for you. I painted this basement twice to get the feel I wanted. Putting in the wood on the walls in a small area wasn’t rocket science and everything compliments each other, especially with the dark brown trim. For me, I could sit here for hours and the creative juices begin to flow. Not only that but the hassles and everyday B.S. just disappear. I think that as artists we need those natural tones of wood and colors in our every day lives to make us tick better. I know that you have wood in your kitchen and living room area and a new floor. But you have to say to yourself do you really draw energy from those rooms to the point where your creative juices flow daily? If the answer is no, maybe you need to create a place or change the colors in your existing one where you will and even at 68 can discover the hidden talent(s) that are hidden inside. Perhaps looking deep inside and asking yourself, what would make my creative juices flowing? What is it that I really want to see and then going with it is in order!