Field of Paint

One of the main problems many artists have with credentialed shows is that the effort upsets the natural flow of personal process. The better artists I know get up in the morning, put on their pants, and go to work. Figuring out where the work is to end up and who they are as artists comes afterward. This is the brilliance and uniqueness of our job. Artists who forget this become caterers and polishers of brass. Robert Genn

Oh so true Robert, so guys get out there and paint. I paint for myself I feel like that he did in  Field of Dream, " if I paint it they will come". Well maybe only the muse,will come  but most days that' s enough. In the mean time I paint it . So build your  dreams and your customers will keep coming back. One day your dreams will become a reality.

" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.com Home Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

Artist Tip of the Week

I an doing the art show Art On the Rocks in Marquette Mi this weekend July 30 and 31.  As I was getting my list of things together for the show I thought I would share some of the must have items with you.

Item	Intended Use
Duct Tape	XXX Important - attaches anything to anything.
Bungee Cords	Hold a display to a table, or possibly hold up the table.
Spring Clamps	Good all around fastener.
Step Stool or Ladder	If you were tall, you would be in the NBA not doing craft shows.
Hammer	A must have for pounding in stakes and fending off unwanted visitors.
Nylon Rope	Keep it handy for attaching tie down screws or dragging your car out of the mud.
409 or Similar Cleaner	Because even despite your best efforts stuff will get dirty.
Waterproof Coat	I know it's not gong to rain, just bring it.
Pliers	Tightens any bolt and converts Mesh Panels, so you don't have to try with a spring clamp.
Did We Mention Duct Tape?	You will need it. Do not leave home without it.

" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.com Home Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

Daily Paintings

Here are a few of my daily paintings. Most of these will be on exhibit at ArtPrize 2011. I will be in the Waters Building. The title of my exhibit is a Year of Daily Painting by Delilah Smith. I hope to see you there.

P

" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.com Home Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

Ann Arbor Art Fair

The Ann Arbor Art Fair use to rank in the top 10 art show in the US. It has since slip to the bottom 100 but it is still a wonderful show to visit and is certainly the best show that Michigan has to offer.

I attended the Ann Arbor art Fair yesterday ,the opening day of the art show. I like to go the first day early because it is not so crowded and I can talk to the artist, many of them friends of mine that I just don't get to see much of.. The crowd was heavy at first. I was there for about an hour and had seen some of the best art in a show that I had ever seen at this show. It was over the top and got a big WOW from me,
The temperature had climbed to over 95 and I just couldn't take the heat any longer. I stop and got a cold beverage and went on for about another half hour made a few purchases.I wasn't alone in the leaving because of the heat the crowd had thinned to a trickle. I stock up on my Christmas gifts So many really quaint items to select from. I had only seen about half of the show when I decided to head for home ,I was feeling ill from the heat and decided to call it a day.

Bring an umbrella to help keep the sun off of you and go take a look; it is wonderful a wonderful art show with warn friend artist. If your time is limited or you think you couldn't see much of the show, here is a list of the   artist and their booth numbers so you make them your first stop.

A few of my daily painting that will be available at Art Prize 2011 or visit my Painting of the day Blog.

" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.com Home Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

You Tube Video

Making a You Tube Video is not as easy as you might think. I have a great camera a Canon GL 2 which I have been told is outdated and does not work with my new lap top. I bought the camera  2 years ago and

it was not cheap.I paid over $ 2000.00 for it.

 I considered it an investment in my artistic career at the time. I said, gee whiz,when I was told it was outdated; I just bought it. I was told that it had been on the market for several years and was considered dated now.

I have been trying to learn how to use it over the last 2 years, I'm a slow learner. I have made about 5 video with it, none that  will get any awards but I have started.

I bought the software for video editing and started. So I have a big investment into five not very good videos now.

 My old desk top HP was getting slow and I thought it was time for a new computer . I got a New top of the line HP laptop. It was one of the New Entertainment PC from HP. I didn't  realize that my bright new new lap top doesn't have a firewire port and also had no place for a application to make one.

I went back to the store where I purchased it and ask about an adaptor of some kind for my new laptop to be able to run my camcorder download to the computer and edit them, and publish to you tube or make CD's. They said HP doesn't make it for their new lap tops because the new cheaper model of camcorders do not need firewires. They told me I should have bought an Apple.

I went home and called Canon and HP support. Canon doesn't return my emails and HP sent me India where the person had no idea what I was talking about nor could she understand my English.She ask me to spell my name 3 times (SMITH) . I felt like was talking to that guy on the Discover Card commercial
Peggy.




I also called B&H where I purchased the Camera and buy all my video supplies. B&H told me the camera was out of date and they offered nothing to help me with my PC problem.

My blood is still boiling over at all of this but I will figure it out.
I am using my tiny little travel HP TouchSmart which has a slid out adaptor to accommodate a fire wire Express Card so I am still in business for a while.

As I said the learning curve can be steep if you do not just dive in and start. So I am really going to start working at this part of my marketing effort, road blocks and stumbling stones aside. Today was my first attempt at put my voice with a video clip. I accidental edited  out parts of the sound. I have lots of work to do to get better at this. But I have a goal and a direction in mind.  I wanted to keep this as a reminder of where I started. and I hope to get better real soon.




"The future belongs to those who believe in their dreams."
-- Eleanor Roosevelt



" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.com Home Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

Tip of the Week

Delilah Smith

;

Tip of the week:

I am starting this tip of the week and I will see how long I can go before I run out of great ideas.

 This weeks tip is: Make a viewfinder.

A viewfinder is a simple yet extremely useful painting tool which helps you to select and isolate particular elements in a scene to get the best composition.


The shape of the viewfinder's opening must correspond to the shape of your drawing or painting. Simply put, a viewfinder is a piece of card with a rectangular window cut in the middle. It works like a window in that it helps the artist compositions for painting whether this is landscape or portrait mode. All the artist has to do is look through. Making one requires a few simple objects and about half an hour. To get some simple instructions on making one click here. Or do what I do use an old slide frame that I have taken the slid out of. Jerry's Artarama sells a really nice one for about $3.00.


In the video clip below Mike Rooney shows you how to make a few homemade artist gadget and hi own version of a view finder.







" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.com Home Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

A New Art Form

Flash Mob is a new art form. If you are not sure what Flash Mob is read on and watch the video below.
A flash mob is a group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual and sometimes seemingly pointless act for a brief time, then disperse, often for the purposes of entertainment and/or satire.


Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music, literature, film, photography, sculpture, and paintings. 


The meaning of art is explored in a branch of philosophy known as aesthetics, and even disciplines such as history and psychology analyze its relationship with humans and generations.







" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.com Home Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

Primary Colors

What are the Primary Colors? Red , Yellow, Blue are the Primary Colors. Primary colors are important in art because when mixed together they can produce every other color in the world (with a little white or black added as well). 

THE BASIC PAINTS:  Limited three color palette.   This is a “dead color”  (black) group.  (I’m choosing to go for very unsaturated.}

1. raw sienna  or yellow ochre for yellow

2. burnt sienna or Indian Red for red

3. French Ultramarine Blue or Cobalt Blue for blue.  If you were working in oil, you could use black because in dilution with white and in the right context it will read as blue.Some black are green when mixed.

If you try this palette send me the painting and I will post it to the blog or put a link to your blog in the comments.

" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.com Home Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

Impasto with a pallet knife

Delilah Smith

A small Pallet knife painting a did recently. This painting is available at my web site Delilah Smith.>Painting with a knife is a bit like putting butter or jam on bread and produces quite a different result to a brush. Painting knives are excellent for producing textured, impastowork and sweeping areas of flat color as well as tiny shapes of color.

Today's daily painting is done with a brush on canvas. This is one of my small daily paintings.

Just Peachy

About This Painting:
Just Peachy
5x7
oil painting on a museum quality panel

Media: oil painting
Size: 7 in X 5 in (17.8 cm X 12.7 cm)

How to Purchase:
click here to bid on this painting

Or, send me an email

"post your opinion in the comments" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.com,,Thank You:Visit my web site Art by Delilah http://www.artbydelilah.comDelilah Smith" Daily Painter"

" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.comHome Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

How to Add a Light Bridge to your Painting

Light bridges add interest your art work.You can achieve this by eliminating the outside edge by dragging two wet layers of paint, the light and the shadow together and blend their edges. Also the far edge of an object also can be removed as a place of focus by lightening the background where the edge and background meet.

Edges on the lighted side do not start darker. When light hits a surface it is as lit up at the edges as it is inside.

A soft edge shows continuity, the softer the edge the duller the look, a hard edge shows ending. The harder the edge the from riveting your painting is in that area.

" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.comHome Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

Art on The Rocks

Got Beaches

5x7

I have been so busy in my studio for the past few weeks getting ready for my next art show Art on the Rocks. in Marquette Michigan. I haven't been doing to many art shows lately because I prefer galleries and on line marketing but if you have ever been to Marquette Michigan it is worth doing the show just to be by Lake Superior. I hope to do some paintings while I am there and take lots of pictures.

July 30 & 31, 2011

Mattson Lower Harbor Park

Located near the waters of Lake Superior just seconds from downtown Marquette. Enjoy the 53rd Annual Art On The Rocks at Mattson Lower Harbor Park on July 30 & 31, 2011

" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.comHome Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

Business Card for Art Prize

Business cards are always a must for Artist.

I would expect that most artists have a business card with current contact information and the very important web address and email. As ramp up all my marketing efforts for ArtPrize 2011 business cards are at the top of my list. For many artist, this event is about more than making the top ten or the grand prize; it is an opportunity to expose your work to a new audience.

That is how I am looking at ArtPrize, a way to show what a daily painter can do in 365 days.

Does your the card also have an image of current artwork? Mine always do. I'm not sure what to do for ArtPrize: one large image of a painting, several images or something that shows the whole exhibition that I am planing.

That quick view, even though small in size, can have a big impact on a brief encounter where cards might be the only things that helps a visitor remember your work after viewing 1582 other artist. I know I was on overload by the end of the first day when I went to view ArtPrize 2010 last year to see if was anything I wanted to do in the future. The amount of really good art and the variety was over the top.

I suspect, though, that with so much promotion being done online today that the business card doesn't get used as much as it should. I still like business cards. I like it when I have something in my hand from the artist or gallery, it always makes an impact on me.

I always get my business cards from Vista Prints and have been satisfied with them. You can download your artwork and they can print on both sides you can have a picture of your artwork on the front and contact information on the back. They have a high gloss card style that I prefer, it really shows off your artwork. The photo at the top is some of the business cards I have used in the past. some have the information printed over my painting, then I use the back to write on. The bottom one is a free card available at vista prints I use it with my aceo sales it is about the same size as the art so it is a great fit in the little bag card. I spoke to an artist last year that by the 4th day had give out 4,000 business cards. It I do it right maybe I will be remember,

maybe it will help me not to get lost in this crowd of the best of the best.

1,582 artists from 36 countries and 43 states will show their work in 164 venues within three-square miles of downtown Grand Rapids, Mich. Each artist will compete for the world’s largest prize for art, which will take place Sept. 21-Oct. 9, 2011. Participating artists and venues can all be viewed on the Artist List.

" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.comHome Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

The Trials of the Artist

Delilah Smith

You would think that painting the small daily paintings for Art Prize would be challenge enough but getting ready for it is even more of a challenge.

Robin said...

AWESOME! So only 260 of your paintings--does that mean the others sold??

To answer Robin's Questions: My original proposal was to have 365 painting on display at art prize, a year of daily painting. The display would have been 20 feet long and 5 feet high. With 1582 Artist participating in this even obtain a venue to display my work became problematic.

There was lots of out side space available like the lovely Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park .

A large wall for display was limited.Part of what make ArtPrize so interesting is that the art is displayed in building through out the town. If you think you are going to make a quick trip to Grand Rapids and see it all in a Day you will need to put on your running shoes.

I had lots of sorry we would love to have your work but do not have enough wall space for it. So I had to get creative think outside the box and take a leap of faith that I could do what I purpose with a small tweak in the exhibition plan.

I change the proposal to display on a free standing 10 feet long display where the small painting would be displayed on both sides. I changed the number to 260 leaving out weekends and helping to downsize the display.

As an artist you must be flexible an able to change as needed, if at all possible. It also helped for the sold paintings which I have been painting extras for sold works and I am still painting. If you follow my daily painters blog, Painting of the Day, you will see many of the paintings that have been painted since September 2010 through September 2011 at the show. All paintings will be in 5x7, 7x5 size like you see ,at the top of today's post. The paintings will be painted in oils, if you follow my Art on Paper blog none of those works will be displayed. There will be 260 of them. There are eight paintings shown at the top of today's post so take 32 times it and you get an idea of the size of this project. I will see you at ArtPrize 2011 God willing and the artist stays healthy.

" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.comHome Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com

ArtPrize, 2011

Delilah Smith

A Few of my Daily Paintings

Well, it is official I am in Art Prize 2011. Securing a venue was difficult. I had gone to Art Prize 2010 and it was wonderful. I knew at once that I wanted to be part of this art happening. I had started planing in September 2010 for the show. What would I show? How would I display it? I decided on my daily paintings. So my display is a year in the life of a daily painter with 260 of my small daily paintings. I will keep you updated as I get ready for the show. Count Down 78 days until ArtPrize Starts.

ArtPrize 2011: September 21 - October 9
ArtPrize® is a radically open competition. Open to any artist in the world who can find space. Open to anybody in Grand Rapids, Michigan who wants to create a venue. Open to a vote from anyone who attends.

" POST YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS" or email me at delilah@artbydelilah.comHome Page Art by Delilah = http://www.artbydelilah.com