Ruthie V. “Gravity” acryla gouache on panel, 36×36″ Painted during CoCA’s 24 hour marathonI wonder if I’ll ever enjoy having my picture taken. More to the point, I wonder if I’ll ever have a picture of me that doesn’t have that pained expression.
I just finished CoCA’s 24 hour marathon: 20 artists making artwork in a room for 24 hours. It’s a fun and fabulous premise. CoCA ran a great event, and I can’t thank them enough for inviting me, and for all the work they put into supporting the artists. Thanks to the excitement of the challenge, I made 2 paintings in 24 hours, I met new wonderful people, and I enjoyed myself immensely.
Below are the wonderful artists I shared company with, and in this post I share my thoughts about the event, including the challenge of being available/unavailable about working without a closed studio, and then at the end, at the very very end, I put an opportunity for free classes, and an invitation to the art auction.
None of the people in this photo approved of this photo
In my classes, I don’t specifically teach the steps of my (ever-changing) process because it’s particular to my own style and limitations, and I encourage students/artists to develop their own steps based on their talents, limitations, and interests. That said, this seemed like a good time to share what it is I do, and how I do it. How do I start, and how do I make decisions along the way? When, how and why I manipulate my source material, etc. In the next few days, I’m going to share everything from my process of idea creation to the prep, materials, step-by-step painting techniques, signing the dang thing, support/self care, and even the pricing. No taboo unmentionables. I’ll tell ya everything. I’ll be posting these as a sequential series in the coming days.
Ruthie V. “Levity” oil on linen, 30×40″ Painted during CoCA’s 24 hour marathon
Part 1: The Challenges of being Available/Unavailable
The only part about the marathon that I didn’t enjoy was how conflicting it is to be in an open and social environment with wonderfully interested and interesting people, while also wanting to stay on task with a project that requires focus. At the beginning of the event I felt relaxed, social, and interested in everyone. After a few friendly conversations and no work done, 25 people in the room and strangers drifting in, I started to do the math, and realized this was going to be a big problem. Yikes! My painting time was cut from a long well-paced 24 hour deep momentum into “I can be disturbed at any minute.” Everyone from parent to office worker encounters this problem to some degree. It can be really challenging to be productive in an open environment, especially when you’re the attraction (the event was part of Capitol Hill Art Walk). The art walk was, I’m sorry to say, the worst part. Everyone thinks they’re just saying a friendly hello, but for me social interactions and productivity don’t mix, and I couldn’t re-route my plan from productive time to networking time.
I have a lot of moves to protect my focus. Scheduling is enormous for me. In my classes I schedule the time so conversations and interactive lessons are separate from focused studio time. I schedule my art time, even separate studio time from visual research. If I didn’t schedule studio time I’d never have any, and that’s probably why I was so incredibly uptight about the CoCA interruptible 24 hours. It’s hard to work in an environment where you can be interrupted. Many work places have set breaks or cues to say when someone is open to interruptions. Parents… well… I have no idea how parents do anything ever. Without structure, focus gets convoluted and for me as soon as there’s any question at all, focused studio time loses. In an unstructured social environment, the simple feel-good “quick fix” solution for how to be an available/unavailable person has eluded me. Most of the time I opt for focus. Some of the time this is information delivered to people in a way that leaves me with remorse. I’m working on this. In addition, I missed some valuable opportunities to connect with people in enjoyable ways and that is a thorn. I was entirely surrounded by kind and interesting people, and I barely talked to any of them.
I did, however, pause a moment to take funny pictures of artists taking naps during the less-than exuberant hour of 3:00am.
Ok. Gripe’s over. Next V. Note post is about the good stuff! How I choose and use source material, how I start my paintings, and how I make decisions for what to do from moment to moment. Stay tuned!
Send V. Notes to a friend
If you know someone who might be interested, cut and paste this note to them so they can get V. Notes in their inbox too:
Hey Fabulous Friend! I’ve been reading an interesting art blog I think you might enjoy. Posts will magically appear in your inbox if you sign up. I could forward them to you but I think that contributes to climate change. Check it out and let me know what you think about the next posts! Here’s the link: http://eepurl.com/ceqYRL
Art Class Giveaway ends Sunday!
The League is giving away free classes and $50 gift certificates! Have you entered to win our Art Class Giveaway? To enter, all you have to do is follow us on Instagram or Facebook and tag two of your friends. Yup, it’s that simple. I’m looking to get more good people involved with the League because I like you, and I like the stuff we do together.
Two pieces from each artist have been chosen for auction at CoCA’s gala. My piece “Levity” will be on silent auction, and “Gravity” will be live. Both have a starting bid of $950. Contributions support the Center on Contemporary Art’s mission: to serve the Pacific Northwest as a catalyst and forum for the advancement, development, and understanding of Contemporary Art.
My apologies for the silence this last week. We’ve been putting our new Spring schedule online, and finalizing the summer teen camp schedule. Spring classes and workshops for adults and teens are now open for registration. Summer Teen Camps will be posted February 15th. Whew! #? Throughout the month of January, artists posted over 1,270 …
…Unless it’s very pretty that way. Here’s some snow for the Seattle Snowpocalypse survivors. This woodcut is made with black ink on long fiber board paper. Herschel Logan printed this in 1930. According to Logan, the image was taken from an early photograph. You may have noticed, you astute reader you, that the composition is …
Thank you to all the friends of banjo players who forwarded this post, and thank you to all the banjo players who contacted us. We have found our banjo player: Charlie Beck will be serenading our steamroller printmaking event. See you Saturday! Saturday, August 24th Event Location: Seattle Artist League 10219 Aurora Ave N We’re …
[vc_row type=”in_container” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]From the Latin (via Italian) fumare (“to smoke”), sfumato describes a painting technique with no harsh outlines. Areas blend into one another through tiny brushstrokes, which makes a hazy, atmospheric depiction of light and color. An early example of sfumato can be seen in Leonardo’s Mona Lisa. A more modern example is in Y.Z. Kami’s …
My Process (Part 1)
CoCA’s 24 Hour Art Marathon
Painted during CoCA’s 24 hour marathon
I just finished CoCA’s 24 hour marathon: 20 artists making artwork in a room for 24 hours. It’s a fun and fabulous premise. CoCA ran a great event, and I can’t thank them enough for inviting me, and for all the work they put into supporting the artists. Thanks to the excitement of the challenge, I made 2 paintings in 24 hours, I met new wonderful people, and I enjoyed myself immensely.
Below are the wonderful artists I shared company with, and in this post I share my thoughts about the event, including the challenge of being available/unavailable about working without a closed studio, and then at the end, at the very very end, I put an opportunity for free classes, and an invitation to the art auction.
20 artists worked in paint, encaustic, collage/assemblage, fiber, jewelry, and poetry. Participating Artists: Kamari Bright, Lisa Myers Bulmash, Julie Devine, Carrie Dinah-Rivah, Makena Gadient, Leah Gerrard, Kathy Gore-Fuss, Catherine Grisez, Jody Joldersma, Karey Kessler, Eliaichi Kimaro, Anna Macrae, Savina Mason, Natalie Niblack, Flora Ramirez-Bustamante, Erika Rier, Lisa Sheets, Jenny Jun Smith, and me: Ruthie V.
Upcoming Posts: My Process
In my classes, I don’t specifically teach the steps of my (ever-changing) process because it’s particular to my own style and limitations, and I encourage students/artists to develop their own steps based on their talents, limitations, and interests. That said, this seemed like a good time to share what it is I do, and how I do it. How do I start, and how do I make decisions along the way? When, how and why I manipulate my source material, etc. In the next few days, I’m going to share everything from my process of idea creation to the prep, materials, step-by-step painting techniques, signing the dang thing, support/self care, and even the pricing. No taboo unmentionables. I’ll tell ya everything. I’ll be posting these as a sequential series in the coming days.
Painted during CoCA’s 24 hour marathon
Part 1: The Challenges of being Available/Unavailable
The only part about the marathon that I didn’t enjoy was how conflicting it is to be in an open and social environment with wonderfully interested and interesting people, while also wanting to stay on task with a project that requires focus. At the beginning of the event I felt relaxed, social, and interested in everyone. After a few friendly conversations and no work done, 25 people in the room and strangers drifting in, I started to do the math, and realized this was going to be a big problem. Yikes! My painting time was cut from a long well-paced 24 hour deep momentum into “I can be disturbed at any minute.” Everyone from parent to office worker encounters this problem to some degree. It can be really challenging to be productive in an open environment, especially when you’re the attraction (the event was part of Capitol Hill Art Walk). The art walk was, I’m sorry to say, the worst part. Everyone thinks they’re just saying a friendly hello, but for me social interactions and productivity don’t mix, and I couldn’t re-route my plan from productive time to networking time.
I have a lot of moves to protect my focus. Scheduling is enormous for me. In my classes I schedule the time so conversations and interactive lessons are separate from focused studio time. I schedule my art time, even separate studio time from visual research. If I didn’t schedule studio time I’d never have any, and that’s probably why I was so incredibly uptight about the CoCA interruptible 24 hours. It’s hard to work in an environment where you can be interrupted. Many work places have set breaks or cues to say when someone is open to interruptions. Parents… well… I have no idea how parents do anything ever. Without structure, focus gets convoluted and for me as soon as there’s any question at all, focused studio time loses. In an unstructured social environment, the simple feel-good “quick fix” solution for how to be an available/unavailable person has eluded me. Most of the time I opt for focus. Some of the time this is information delivered to people in a way that leaves me with remorse. I’m working on this. In addition, I missed some valuable opportunities to connect with people in enjoyable ways and that is a thorn. I was entirely surrounded by kind and interesting people, and I barely talked to any of them.
I did, however, pause a moment to take funny pictures of artists taking naps during the less-than exuberant hour of 3:00am.
Ok. Gripe’s over. Next V. Note post is about the good stuff! How I choose and use source material, how I start my paintings, and how I make decisions for what to do from moment to moment. Stay tuned!
Send V. Notes to a friend
If you know someone who might be interested, cut and paste this note to them so they can get V. Notes in their inbox too:
Hey Fabulous Friend! I’ve been reading an interesting art blog I think you might enjoy. Posts will magically appear in your inbox if you sign up. I could forward them to you but I think that contributes to climate change. Check it out and let me know what you think about the next posts! Here’s the link: http://eepurl.com/ceqYRL
Art Class Giveaway ends Sunday!
The League is giving away free classes and $50 gift certificates! Have you entered to win our Art Class Giveaway? To enter, all you have to do is follow us on Instagram or Facebook and tag two of your friends. Yup, it’s that simple. I’m looking to get more good people involved with the League because I like you, and I like the stuff we do together.
ENTER TO WIN FREE ART CLASSES FOR YOU AND A FRIEND
CoCA’s Gala & Art Auction
Two pieces from each artist have been chosen for auction at CoCA’s gala. My piece “Levity” will be on silent auction, and “Gravity” will be live. Both have a starting bid of $950. Contributions support the Center on Contemporary Art’s mission: to serve the Pacific Northwest as a catalyst and forum for the advancement, development, and understanding of Contemporary Art.
Read more about this incredible organization here: https://cocaseattle.org/about
Auction: Saturday, September 14, 5:30-10:00 pm
Location: The Summit, 420 E Pike St, Seattle, WA
Purchase Tickets
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My apologies for the silence this last week. We’ve been putting our new Spring schedule online, and finalizing the summer teen camp schedule. Spring classes and workshops for adults and teens are now open for registration. Summer Teen Camps will be posted February 15th. Whew! #? Throughout the month of January, artists posted over 1,270 …
Composition Rule: Never divide the picture plane in half
…Unless it’s very pretty that way. Here’s some snow for the Seattle Snowpocalypse survivors. This woodcut is made with black ink on long fiber board paper. Herschel Logan printed this in 1930. According to Logan, the image was taken from an early photograph. You may have noticed, you astute reader you, that the composition is …
Banjo Player Wanted
Thank you to all the friends of banjo players who forwarded this post, and thank you to all the banjo players who contacted us. We have found our banjo player: Charlie Beck will be serenading our steamroller printmaking event. See you Saturday! Saturday, August 24th Event Location: Seattle Artist League 10219 Aurora Ave N We’re …
Sfumato
[vc_row type=”in_container” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]From the Latin (via Italian) fumare (“to smoke”), sfumato describes a painting technique with no harsh outlines. Areas blend into one another through tiny brushstrokes, which makes a hazy, atmospheric depiction of light and color. An early example of sfumato can be seen in Leonardo’s Mona Lisa. A more modern example is in Y.Z. Kami’s …