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Preparing for a Show
Somehow, there is always more work to do before a show than there initially seems to be. As I begin choosing what pieces to put into the show, I also look over new work that may not be totally completed to my satisfaction. That leads to a flurry of putting finishing touches on unfinished work as well as applying a finishing coat of medium or retouch varnish to even out the painting months before a final varnish coat could be applied.
Next, there's last minute framing to do and coming up with titles and prices for the labels and lists that need to be made.
Then, there's the sending of invitations and calls to make and in the case of some shows, there's the hanging of the show to do a day or two before the opening.
The painting shown is one of a selection of my work that will be at the Mamaroneck Artist Guild Gallery Hot Stuff '08 Summer Art Exhibit which opens Thursday, August 7. Take a look in the Events Section for all of the particulars about time and place.
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Posted by Phyllis Tarlow on 7/30/2008 9:16:43 PM |
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A Wonderful Season for Painting En Plein Air
This is a time of year in New York that's been wonderful for outdoor painting. If it's not raining or very iffy because of thunderstorms passing through, the weather is just the right temperature for comfortably painting on location.
As Spring came along, I kept heading over to the shores of the Hudson River starting from an area just north of New York City with the skyline in view and going on up into the Hudson Highlands, that beautifully scenic area with it's mountainous peaks and unusual shoreline.
When I go up to the Highlands, I’m always on the lookout for another place where I can get a slightly different view of the river. At one spot at the base of a mile-long windy road, I was able to stand about three feet in from the water on a little strip of rocky beach about 12 feet wide and paint one small painting looking south and another looking north. The painting above is the southern view. While there, I also took some digital photos of West Point across the way with some interesting boats passing by—one a large sight-seeing boat and the other a tugboat. I could see the makings of another painting back in the studio.
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Posted by Phyllis Tarlow on 6/23/2008 7:40:55 AM |
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A Shelter Island Season Opening
Next Saturday's opening reception at the Wish Rock Studio marks the beginning of the busy summer season on Shelter Island. I will have a number of new paintings on display along with those of several other artists including Peter Waldner, the gallery's owner.
The gallery is in a building right in the middle of the area called The Heights which has quite an historic feel to it. It's homey and charming and enhanced by the fact that the owners, Peter and his wife are such nice people.
If you're coming out to the Hamptons at any point this summer, Shelter Island is a good place to visit. There's something about having to take a ferry to get somewhere that creates a different atmosphere from the mainland.
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Posted by Phyllis Tarlow on 5/12/2008 7:37:39 AM |
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Working In Pen and Ink
Historic Larchmont House
Every so often, skills that I acquired along the way in my evolving life as an artist, especially during my years as an illustrator, get called into action again.
In the case of the pictured pen and ink house portrait, I was asked to illustrate four historic old houses in the Larchmont Manor section of Larchmont, NY, for a brochure. The brochure will be distributed to people attending this year's Larchmont House Tour,Reception and Art Show that is organized as a fund-raising event by the Larchmont Historical Society and the original pen and inks will be framed and given as thank you gifts to the owners of the featured houses.
This is probably my fifth or sixth time participating in this event and my second illustrating the brochure. Pen and inks are quite time consuming since the work is built up by using tiny strokes from ink-filled pens with varied size points. I find it a challenge to create interest, texture, and tone by using all sorts of lines both straight and squiggly.
The art show and reception for the tour will be held at the beautiful Larchmont Shore Club on May 4. (See the Events Section on my website for more details.) Art work with an emphasis on Manor Park and the Sound Shore will be supplied by artist members of the Mamaroneck Artists Guild. As one of the members who enjoys painting that area, my work will be included in the show.
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Posted by Phyllis Tarlow on 4/25/2008 7:20:40 AM |
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Selling A Painting
Even though I've been professionally working as an artist since the early 80's, my career has taken me through a number of phases. Because of that it's only been in the past few years, that I've set my sights on the fine art market in a way that I had't done before.
That decision has been a direct result of finding that painting the landscape both on location and in the studio has brought me tremendous joy and satisfaction and a freedom of expression that is exhilarating and liberating. It make sales of those paintings feel extra rewarding. Each time a landscape painting sells and I know that someone has responded strongly enough to a work to want to own it, I'm as happy as if it's the first painting I've ever sold.
This past weekend, I participated in a large art show fund-raising event in Fairfleld, CT, at the Burr Homestead and sold two of the paintings I placed in the show. Not only did I come away once again as pleased as punch that my fine art work had sold but also delighted that the commission taken by the Jr. League would go toward good causes. A winning combination all around.
The painting shown above is one of the paintings that sold. As I've discussed in some of my other Blog entries, I've been experimenting with the long, narrow format and finding it just right for certain subject matter. This is one of those new paintings.
Now I'm itching to do larger versions of some of my smaller pieces. But here comes warmer weather and the season for painting outdoors and traveling and along with that has also come a number of portrait commissions. All wonderful, all requiring time and energy.
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Posted by Phyllis Tarlow on 4/8/2008 8:31:34 AM |
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Open Vistas at Day's End
I've spent most of my life living within an hour's drive of a large body of water. To the west, it's been the Hudson River and to the east, the Atlantic Ocean. Yet not having those locations visible from any of my homes, I've always particularly appreciated the feeling of expansiveness that one gets from being somewhere where the eye can travel a great distance without being stopped by buildings or trees.
When it comes to choosing subject matter to paint, this delight I take in open spaces often finds me journeying to places where there are beaches or to the river's edge. It also explains my love for the Southwest and the abundance of open areas there where the sky is particularly visible.
What I'm finding over and over again, is that in those locations, the sky has a much greater presence and impact. When it comes to day's end, it often, although not always, shouts at you to take notice and when I happen to be there on one of those evenings, I sure do.
Since I feel that I can't quickly enough capture those moments when painting on location, I shoot dozens of photos and then scroll through them looking for one or more that I can work with to attempt to express that sense of glory and wonder the sky has evoked in me.
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Posted by Phyllis Tarlow on 3/4/2008 6:58:36 AM |
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The Long, Horizontal Format - #2
I've been enjoying painting another couple of paintings in a long, horizontal format. It seems to work especially well for certain subjects like points along the Hudson River where land formations meet the River on both sides. Instead of choosing one side or the other I feel that the viewer can get a greater sense of the whole expanse of the scene by painting it this way.
The other piece I'm working on is a long stretch of beach. That also seemed to work well in this format. I'll post it shortly.
I'm always happy to receive comments and I'm wondering whether other people like this kind of format and whether they think it's more difficult to find a place for it to hang, therefore making it less likely to be purchased.
If you haven't taken a look at my New Works Collection, I hope you will. Several new pieces have been posted with more to come because I've been on a roll-- finishing up some plein air paintings and starting new work in the studio. I will keep putting up the work as I finish it but it's also now time to get back to a couple of portrait commissions that are calling me. It's quite a juggling act, this life of an artist!
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Posted by Phyllis Tarlow on 2/20/2008 8:37:29 AM |
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Final Touches On A Plein Air Painting
I can't think of a better way to spend a stormy day filled with a combination of snow and sleet than going back to a painting of a sunny, warm day and putting the finishing touches on it.
The painting above called "Above It All" was painted on location at Manor Park in Larchmont, NY, a wonderful little strip of a park that I've been going to since I was 11 years old. Working on that subject transported me to that time and place and left me feeling perfectly content to be shut in for the day because of hazardous driving conditions.
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Posted by Phyllis Tarlow on 2/14/2008 7:45:17 AM |
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Giving Thanks
This past year was a very exciting one for me. I decided to make a much bigger effort to shift the emphasis of my art activities away from portraiture and toward fine art. This shift started a number of years ago but in 2007, I was in earnest about making it happen faster.
Several things were needed to increase that shift. I needed to paint more paintings and then I needed to get them out into the world and make people aware of them. That needed to lead to more sales or I wouldn't be able to afford to make the shift.
Today I want to acknowledge the help I got from this wonderful world called the Internet. Without the new marketing and business-related skills I learned from online sources and without this wonderful website that was made possible by Clint Watson and his staff at Fin ArtStudiosOnline.com, the shift would have continued at a snail's pace. Instead, it feels as if I've been coasting down a long runway very gradually building up speed and suddenly I'm experiencing lift off.
Watch out, folks. Here I come!
Thanks to the following people: Alyson Stanfield and her marketing advice at ArtBizCoach.com and ArtBizBlog.com; Ariane Goodwin who organized the smArtists Telesummit and brought together so many helpful and knowledgeable people who shared their business and marketing expertise and made it relevant to artists; The Blog Squad with their Blogging and Beyond site and newsletter and helpful information about setting up a blog and how it can help. Robert Genn of the PaintersKeys.com and his words of wisdom for artists. Lori Woodward Simons and her helpful blog posts and tip about Jack White and his helpful ebooks at Senkarikstuff.com.
I could go on and on as these people and their sites and email newsletters have put me in touch with other valuable people and information.
I also need to mention how wonderful its been to be a member of the Lower Hudson Valley Plein Air Painters group and the sharing, cameraderie and support that the members give to each other.
And lastly, a very big thanks to all of the people who have purchased my paintings this year and those who have commissioned me to do portraits for them. Your support keeps me afloat and allows me to continue this magnificent journey I'm on and that I love to share with others.
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Posted by Phyllis Tarlow on 1/1/2008 11:07:05 AM |
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Pausing to Reflect Upon the Year
As an artist who has made a continuing commitment to art as my chosen career, I've been making it a practice to take some time out just before the New Year to sit with a journal and look back over the year and then to look forward and jot down some plans for the following year.
I've appreciated Alyson Stanfield's list of art-related questions to consider. They can be found on www.ArtBizCoach.com. The idea behind this practice is to list and acknowledge your accomplishments, even the small ones from the past year, see what still needs to be improved or has not been addressed and then make some plans to tackle those areas that need improving in the New Year.
I was very pleased to find this year that after many years of doing mainly portraits, my increased efforts to get my fine art work out into the world are really starting to pay off. Since I so love making art and especially the oil landscapes of the past nine years, it's just wonderful to be able to share them with more and more people.
I've chosen this painting of my grandson, Hudson, caught in a moment of reflection to symbolize the reflecting I'm doing this week.
Season's Greetings and Happy New Year!
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Posted by Phyllis Tarlow on 12/31/2007 7:55:55 AM |
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| 914 428-1224; phyllis@phyllistarlow.com |
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