Play the Music

Play the Music

I have been working on a large oil painting " Play the Music" 30x40x1 1/2. It's almost finish but now I am debating if I should add more color to the figures in the work.

Apples and Raven

Apples and Raven painted in oil. The painting took a few days longer than I had planed but it is finished. Sometimes after I look at a painting for a while I make small changes, but right now I like it.


Apples and Raven 24x20x1 1/2
The painting is finish
More Detail

Still working on this painting

This painting is coming along one brush stroke at a time. I still have a lot of detail and finish work to do here.

I thought I would be done with this painting by now but I still have a few more days work here.

A painting in the making

I have started a new painting in my Raven Series. This one is larger then other other paintings. I was testing the idea on the smaller works. This painting is 24x20x1 1/2. I began it about two weeks ago.

Ravens have high intelligence and are perhaps the smartest birds. There is also a lot of mythology about the Corvus so it is an interesting bird to work with and play with diferent ideas on canvas.

A little look into my studio as I work out the details of the painting. I often start with one idea but change it while I am working on it. I sketched out a few ideas and started from there working out things that didn't seem to flow in the painting.

I put my paint on my palette with foil over it because it make clean up a lot easier for me.

This is where I have stopped working for today. I will post more tomorrow as I start to finish the painting.

For centuries the corvids, ravens and crows in particular (corvus corax is the Latin name for the common raven and corvus corone for the carrion and hooded crows), have had a special place in the mythology of various cultures. In modern times this fascination has barely diminished. From Edgar Allen Poe's literary classic to the film of James O'Barr's cult graphic novel "The Crow", these birds still exert a powerful hold over the psyche of a significant fraction of the population. The Goths who paint their faces with white make-up and the weekend warriors who expect Raven to take them to the Otherworld to meet the dead do not see the same animal as the farmers who set up decoys in order to shoot large numbers of them every year in late spring. This is, however, typical of a creature that presents a paradox wherever one looks

The Opening

Two of my paintings were juried into the 2008 Carnegie Center for the Art Juried Show. The opening was Jan the 20th and the house was packed. The show will go thru March 4th,2008. I hope you have the time to stop and see some great work from three states with 173 artist displaying their work from fabric to photograpy.

The Opening!

This is one of the paintings that I did that was accepted into the show. It is an oil on hardboard and is 12x48 without the frame.

Art Calendar Magazine

I am honored to be in the February 2008 issue of Art Calendar Magazine. My painting Iris and Poppies was featured in the magazine on page 29. The article by Elizabeth Russell, Attorney at Law, Changes at the Copyright office is a good read for all artists.

Iris and Poppies

This painting is done in oils.

It can be viewed at my website Art by Delilah

Prints are available at:

Everywhere we look we see design. It is in nature and it is seen in almost every product we use.It's amazing how many of us do not even think about the design of things as we go about our day. from our coffe cup in the morning to the auto we drive home in there is design. Who doesn't benefit from the element of design? The element of art are Composition and Design. What is composition and design?

Composition: The plan, placement or arrangement of the elements of art in a work. It is often useful to discuss these in reference to the principles of design, as well as to the relative weight of the composition's parts.
Art ">

lements of art or elements of design - The basic components used by the artist when producing works of art. Those elements are color, value, line, shape, form, texture, and space. The elements of art are among the literal qualities found in any artwork.
ArtLex

If you enter many art competions these principal of color, value, line, shape,form,texture and space will always be applied to your work as it is evaluated. I personally find value to be the most important element to study and one that a strong art work can be based on.

The principles of design and the principles of art - Certain qualities inherent in the choice and arrangement of elements of art in the production of a work of art. Artists "design" their works to varying degrees by controlling and ordering the elements of art. Considering the principles is especially useful in analyzing ways in which a work is pleasing in formal ways. How any work exhibits applications of these principles can further or modify other characteristics of a work as well. (See definition for further details of the principles)
ArtLex

No one is an artist unless he carries his picture in his head before painting it, and is sure of his method and composition.
Claude Monet

I'll be quoting from ArtLex extensively because (a) it's a very good resource and (b) it tends to be comprehensive while other sites can sometimes be rather partial.

I also recommend that you take a look at the links I'm collecting in Composition and Design - Resources for Artists - which now contains a section devoted to elements and principles. I'll be developing other modules for the different components.

Books listed at the end, other good resources include:

• Associate Professor Charlotte Jirousek's website on the Cornell Website which provides a very good introduction to elements and principles as part of her online interactive textbook Cornell University - Art, Design and Visual Thinking - it also has an excellent set of images to accompany the text
• Graphic Design Basics - which cover both Elements of Design and Principles of Design - no images but very succinct and easy to print off for educational purposes
  
• Nancy Doyle's series of lessons on composition - which you can find links to either at the end of this post or in Composition and Design - Resources for Artists

The Elements of Design and Composition

The elements of design are the building blocks - they provide the structure for a design or an artwork.

Value

Value - An element of art that refers to luminance or luminosity — the lightness or darkness of a color. Value is an especially important element in works of art when color is absent. This is particularly likely with drawings, woodcuts, lithographs, and photographs. It is also true with most sculpture and architecture.
ArtLex: Value

Values in two dimensional artwork create gradations in light and contrast - and without these everything would be flat. Values can be created in different ways - by line and by colour.

To my mind, value is the most important element in the design of a painting. Without values there is no design. It's more important than colour because there are great works of art which have no colour and value can be a component of colour but colour isn't a component of value .

"The first things to study are form and values. For me, these are the things that are the basics of what is serious in art. Color and finish put charm in one's work."
Jean Baptiste Corot (1796-1875), French painter. Keith Roberts, Corot, 1965.

There will be more about value in subsequent posts. Aids to composition include grey scales or value scales.

Colour

An element of art with three properties: (1) hue or tint, the color name, e.g., red, yellow, blue, etc.: (2) intensity, the purity and strength of a color, e.g., bright red or dull red; and (3) value, the lightness or darkness of a color.
ArtLex: Colour

Colour will be the subject of another of my projects later this year. You can see links to information on the Internet which has already been collected in Colour - Resources for Artists

Shape

Shape - An element of art, it is an enclosed space defined and determined by other art elements such as line, color, value, and texture. In painting and drawing, shapes may take on the appearance of solid three-dimensional object even though they are limited to two dimensions — length and width. This two-dimensional character of shape distinguishes it from form, which has depth as well as length and width.
ArtLex: Shape

Both form and shape require space (see below) to exist - shape needs at least two dimensions while form requires three. Two dimensional shapes can be defined by lines alone or values alone.

Notan defines three dimensional forms in terms of two dimensional shapes and values.

Form

Form - In its widest sense, total structure; a synthesis of all the visible aspects of that structure and of the manner in which they are united to create its distinctive character. The form of a work is what enables us to perceive it.Form also refers to an element of art that is three-dimensional (height, width, and depth) and encloses volume. For example, a triangle, which is two-dimensional, is a shape, but a pyramid, which is three-dimensional, is a form. Cubes, spheres, ovoids, pyramids, cone, and cylinders are examples of various forms.
ArtLex: Form

Forms can be organic and natural or constructed. Either can be geometric in form. Artists often talk about finding the 'big shapes' when starting a composition - but the shapes might be three dimensional forms. You can 'abstract' from a natural object to find its geometric equivalent - eg an apple is a sphere.

Space

An element of art that refers to the distance or area between, around, above, below, or within things. It can be described as two-dimensional or three-dimensional; as flat, shallow, or deep; as open or closed; as positive or negative; and as actual, ambiguous, or illusory.
Artlex: Space

Positive space is the space taken up by objects. Negative space is the space in between objects. Focusing on the latter often enables us to see the true relationship between different objects. Empty space can be highly regarded in some art forms and cultures and is exemplified above in this sculpture by Henry Moore currently on display as part of an exhibition of his work at Kew Gardens.

Line

line - A mark with length and direction(-s). An element of art which refers to the continuous mark made on some surface by a moving point. Types of line include: vertical, horizontal, diagonal, straight or ruled, curved, bent, angular, thin, thick or wide, interrupted (dotted, dashed, broken, etc.), blurred or fuzzy, controlled, freehand, parallel, hatching, meandering, and spiraling. Often it defines a space, and may create an outline or contour, define a silhouette; create patterns, or movement, and the illusion of mass or volume. It may be two-dimensional (as with pencil on paper) three-dimensional (as with wire) or implied (the edge of a shape or form).
ArtLex: Line

Lines in visual art do not have to be on canvas or paper. They can be marks made within the environment.

Texture

texture- An element of art, texture is the surface quality or "feel" of an object, its smoothness, roughness, softness, etc. Textures may be actual or simulated. Actual textures can be felt with the fingers, while simulated textures are suggested by an artist in the painting of different areas of a picture
ArtLex - Texture

Texture can be represented in visual artworks in either two or three dimensional ways. It's often a pictorial illusion - which is dependent on line and value.

Books with a good explanation of the elements of design

• "The Elements of Drawing" John Ruskin (1857) and never out of print!
  
• You can search the text for specific terms on this Ruskin College Oxford website
  
• Letter 1 concerns the basics of drawing which involve the elements
  
• Letter 3 concerns itself with "On Colour and Composition" and Ruskin's 9 laws
  
• scroll down to see all the information that is available on the Internet.
  
• It appears you can download a complete copy from the Canadian Libraries.
  
• If you want to buy a copy, then I recommend that you get this edition with editing and annotations by Bernard Dunstan.
  
• "The Simple Secret to Better Painting" Greg Albert (Paperback 2003)- if you buy one book for this project, make it this one.
  

Links to sites which provide further information

• Composition and Design - Resources for Artists - includes a section of the elements and principles of composition and design
  
• Cornell University - Art, Design and Visual Thinking an online interactive textbook created by Associate Professor Charlotte Jirousek
• Navigate to the Elements of Design and Principles of Design (and see the rest of the textbook) using the menu in the left hand column
  
• Graphic Design Basics
• Elements of Design
• Principles of Design
  
• Nancy Doyle: Design Lesson IV: Elements of Design
  
• Wikipedia - Design Elements and Principles This Wikipedia article is rather limited in its explanation and seems to confuse elements and principles. NOT recommended. The folowing articles are also very basic - the subject matter is covered better on other websites
  

Spilled Drink

I want to have a spilled drink in one of the paintings that I will be doing. So I am playing around with different glasses and types of drinks.







I am trying to workout the details before I start a large work, where this will be just one image.


Here I am playing with colors. I hope to have a pile of images to work with when I start. If I am lucky I will have a lot of the problems worked out and just do the creative stuff on the big painting, but it never works that way. Something always pops up.

This painting has been sold.

Happy New Year

New Years Cupcake

About This Painting:

Happy New Year:

Creativeity can be nurtured and developed. I find ideas around every corner and deliberity make choices about their possibilities. All anyone has to do is look around and really see.

Each New Year we toast the happy moments of the past year and I have had many. Most of us will ring in the new year to the tune of

So tonight I will raise a glass and reflecton my blessings,my accomplichments of 2007 and my hopes for 2008.
Happy New Years from the daily painters. A new years cupcake.12x6 in oil on gallery wrapped cavas.

CHORUS: For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we'll take a cup o' kindness yet, for auld lang syne.And surely you'll buy your pint cup !And surely I'll buy mine !And we'll take a cup o' kindness yet,for auld lang syne.

CHORUS: We two have run about the slopes,and picked the daisies fine ;But we've wandered many a weary foot,since auld lang syne.

CHORUS:We two have paddled in the stream,from morning sun till dine? ;But seas between us broad have roaredsince auld lang syne.

CHORUS: And there's a hand my trusty friend !And give us a hand o' thine !And we'll take a right good-will draught,for auld lang syne. CHORUS ---------m

media: oil
Size: 6 in X 12 in (15.2 cm X 30.5 cm)
Price: $100 USD

How to Purchase:
send me an email

The start of a series

I hope everyone is having a happy holiday season. I have started to work on a new series that I have been thinking about for about 6 months now. It has taken me that long to get it organized in my mind. The concept is still coming together but I think I will start on a few small paintings and drawings as I work up to the large paintings that I have in mind. The below study is the first of many small paintings that I have do for a much larger work.I am hoping that over the next few months it will all come together as a cohesive body of work that makes the statement I am thinking about.As I start to work out my idea I will post lots of small paintings and drawing here.To get a feeling for the larger project that I want to put on canvas.I want to have a finished series of 12 works that are 20x24 and larger. I will post them as they come off the easel and let you see how each get tweaked,changed or rejected as I work things out. I will also post the final large works.

After the Party

About This Painting:
Kick your shoes off after the party. 8x10 oil

Media: oil
Size: 10 in X 8 in (25.4 cm X 20.3 cm)
Price: $100 USD

How to Purchase:
send me an email

The History of the Wreath

History of the Wreath
The wreath has a long history and many religious associations dating back to the ancient cultures of the Persian Empire. Originally, the circlet was called a "diadem" and took the form of fabric headbands which were sometimes adorned with jewels. Beginning in 776 B.C., wreaths made of laurel leaves were used to crown victors of Olympic Games. Later, when the Games began to move to different cities, each host city would award head garlands made of branches of local trees. Exactly when the transition from head ornament to wall decoration occurred is unclear. It is likely that celebration attendees simply hung the leafy headbands on their walls as souvenirs. Today, beautifully decorated wreaths are not only an integral part of the December holidays, but they're popular throughout the year, decorated to fit each season. Perhaps the loveliest use of this symbol is the Advent wreath. Although its true origin is not know, some believe it was inspired by the Swedish Crown of Lights, a candle-bearing crown worn by young Swedish girls on St. Lucia's Day. St. Lucia was a young Christian martyr who gave her entire dowry to the poor

The making of wreaths is an ancient and honored art that began about a thousand years before the birth of Christ. The Christmas Wreath symbolizes the strength of life overcoming the forces of winter. In ancient Rome, people used decorative wreaths as a sign of victory and celebration. the custom of hanging a wreath on the front door of your home probably came from this practice. At Christmas, the wreath is symbolic of Christian immortality. the circle and the sphere are symbols of immortality. The use of evergreens and wreaths as symbols of life was also an ancient custom of the Egyptians, Chinese, and Hebrews among other people. The use of evergreens for Christmas wreaths and other decorations probably arose in northern Europe, Italy and Spain in the early 19th century. The traditional colors of Christmas are green and red. Green represents the continuance of life through the winter and the Christian belief in eternal life through Christ. Red symbolizes the blood that Jesus shed at his crucifixion. but for most of the 20th century, the word "wreath" conjured up visions of rings of evergreens with red ribbons hung on doors at Christmas. The traditional Christmas wreath is hung anytime from right after Thanksgiving to mid-December and left hanging through the winter months.
Did you Know
In the early days in Europe, people would put wreaths on their doors to identify their home in the same manner that house numbers are used today. Each house would have a different wreath made of quite exotic flowers, most likely grown by the home owner right on their own land. Today, wreaths are a common custom in New England, with a different wreath for each season.

The word wreath most often invokes thoughts of Christmas, but its roots can be traced back to the ancient cultures of the Persian Empire, where they were originally used as a sign of importance and victory. Originally, the circlet was called a "diadem" and took the form of fabric headbands which were sometimes adorned with jewels.

Beginning around 776 B.C., The Greeks placed wreaths made of laurel on the heads of victorious athletes in the original Olympic Games. Later, when the Games began to move to different cities, each host city would award head garlands made of branches of local trees.

In ancient Rome wreaths were worn on the heads of leaders such as Julius Caesar much like the crown of a king.

Exactly when the transition from head ornament to wall decoration occurred is unclear. It probably came about when a warrior or athlete decided to save his or her award as a memento of victory.

Perhaps the loveliest use of this symbol is the Advent wreath. The origin of the advent wreath is claimed by several groups although it is now thought of as a Catholic custom.

It probably originated in Northern Europe at a time when Pagan customs were practiced. The evergreen circle or wheel was a symbol of the recurring seasons or the “circle of life” and the candles were to symbolize the coming of light, or spring. The candles were lit to ward off the dark and cold of the winter night in anticipation of the light and warmth of the coming season.

The Swedish custom of the wearing of the crown of lights by young girls on St. Lucia’s Day is another popular explanation for the origin of the Advent wreath.

Others claim the custom was started by the German Lutheran’s and taken up by the Catholics in the early 1500’s

Which explanation is the true one will probably never be known, most likely it evolved from all of them into what is known today as the Advent wreath, the circle of greens decorated with four candles to signify the four weeks prior to Christmas as the Advent weeks and the coming of light.

Today, beautifully decorated wreaths are popular throughout the year, having taken on many different meanings plus using many different types of vegetation.

But by far the most popular use is the Christmas wreath made from evergreen boughs which is hung on a wall or door to invoke warm feelings of Christmas cheer.

Leave a Trail

Do not go where the path may lead

Go instead

Where There is no Path

Leave a Trail

RALPH WALDO EMERSON

Art is not an easy profession to work in but it is a sanctuary, a silence,a place of concentration. My studio is where I create. It is my sanctuary where I travel with out a path.Everyone needs a sanctuary a place of silence a place to creat.

What Lies Within

Wild Poppies
Oil on Canvas
20x24x1 1/2












What lies behind you
and what lies before you
are tiny matters compared to WHAT LIES WITHIN you.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is at the end of the year that we think about our past year of accomplishment's. The goals we set for ourselves. The 5lbs that never got taken off. So we set down and plan for the next year to do better reach higher. The artist in me knows that I must look within to find my artist voice to meet my own challenges and as always to paint on.

Impasto

What is impasto?

Sometimes you will see me using the term heavy impasto to describe the painting technique I use. It is a painting technique of using thick textured paint that is almost three dimensional in appearance.

Using an impasto technique often leaves visible brush strokes in the finished painting. Many times those brush strokes are actually as important as the subject matter itself because the brush work is telling you something about what the artist is thinking while painting.

You could almost say impasto is a type of sculpture—but for painters. My area of concentration was sculpture in art school so sometimes I get carried away with the globs of heavy paint on my canvas.

On my trees by the lake there is heavy impasto.

From the front, impasto paint is highlighted by whatever natural light is in the room (since it sticks out so much) and with heavy impasto you’ll be able to see shadows underneath the paint too.
Impasto really makes a physical statement, it is very expressive. I often call my style expressionist/post-impressionism because of my use of heavy impasto and brush work.

You can see some if it here in my painting circle of friends.

People often say I paint like Van Gogh because I use impasto like he did however my subject and colors are nothing like that great artist and impasto was used long before Van Gogh, artists would build up layers of paint to add realism to their work, making objects appear more three-dimensional.
But Van Gogh was different. He used impasto to gave weight to his brilliant colors, movement to his skies, and emotion to his landscapes.
He could have painted with the exact same colors without the impasto, but what would have happened? There would have been no movement, no feeling in the painting. I don't always use impasto only when the subject or the mood feels right.

G is for Gum Drops

G is for Gum Drop
part of my alphabet series of paintings.

Gumdrops are a type of confectionery (candy). They are usually brightly-colored gelatin- or pectin-based pieces, shaped like a truncated cone and coated in granulated sugar. Gumdrops come in (usually artificial) fruit and spice varieties; the latter are also known as spice drops. They are often used for decorating cakes and cupcakes. Around Christmas time this candy is a key ingredient in making gingerbread houses.
In the USA, National Gumdrop day is February 15. This is a day where all gumdrop lovers can join together and appreciate the sugary candy.
The Apollo 9 Command module was called Gumdrop, on account of the blue cellophane wrapping in which the craft was delivered. Christmas is a good time to enjoy the spicy ones.

Giving Thanks

This is a great time of year to give thanks for everything that you have. We are celebrating Thanksgiving in America, which is one of my favorite holidays. It is my favorite because it is focused on spending time with family and friends and being thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving!
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving;
full of family, friends, food, and of course, LOVE.
I am so thankful for everything in my life. Blessings to you all....

Here are some famous quotes for you:

Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed." Mark Twain


"It is another's fault if he be ungrateful, but it is mine if I do not give. To find one thankful man, I will oblige a great many that are not so." Seneca


Hopi Elders' PrayerHold on to what is good, Even if it is a handful of earth.Hold on to what you believe, Even if it is a tree that stands by itself.Hold on to what you must do, Even if it is a long way from here.Hold on to my hand, Even when I've gone away from you.Hold on to what is good.Hold on to what is good.Hold on to what is good.




All the best for a Happy Thanksgiving!

Art as a Gift

Art as a Gift

How do you find the perfect gift?

Everyone wants to give something unique, evryone wants to buy american made. When you buy art from an American artist you don't have to wonder if there will be a recall due to some danger,you know who made it.Orginal art is a smart present for friends and family as well as business clients. You can visit the daily painters Daily painters blog where many paintings are for sale for under $100.00.

Four Sour Cherries

About This Painting:

If you would like to give this painting, or any of my paintings as a gift they can be wrapped and sent directly to that person for you with a lovely card at no extra charge.
Oil on gallery wrapped stretched canvas with painted sides. This painting is wired and ready to hang or it can be framed if you like.

Media: oil
Size: 6 in X 6 in (15.2 cm X 15.2 cm)
Price: $100 USD

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $100 USD plus $3 USD s/h
Or, send me an email

E is for Eggplant

E is for Eggplant

Eggplant got it's name in the 18th century because it was thought to resemble goose or chicken eggs. Yes, eggplants do come in white but why would you want a white one when you can have this wonderful pendulous purple one?

About This Painting:
E is for Eggplant. Eggplant,tomatoes,and a green bean some great vegetables for a daily painting. I love Eggplant. When I was a little girl my great grandfather would plant eggplant just for me. Now you know I was always a little crazy. At the age of four I was in love with the shape and dark purple almost black color of the vegetable. Who's says, kids don't like there vegetables? I love this one. Daily painting number 219.

Media: oil
Size: 6 in X 6 in (15.2 cm X 15.2 cm)
Price: $100 USD

How to Purchase:

Buy this painting on PayPal
Price: $100 USD plus $3 USD s/h
Or, send me an email

Alphabet Series of Kitchen Art

C is for Cupcake

D is for Dessert

D is for Dessert

These are the two latest paintings in my alphabet series of kitchen art.

If I am not painting everyday. I feel that I lose my momentum. I have so many ideas: so many things I want to paint. These small daily paintings I do give me a feeling of accomplishment. The large paintings take weeks to be complete but these little gems are the bright spot in my day.

A New Series

I am creating a new series of small paintings. They will be small 6x6 and 6x12 paintings with a central theme of kitchen items food,vegetable,fruit, and utensils. Prices at $100.00 each. I will be posting paintings here as I complete them. They will start with the alphabet A-Z in the title and who know where they might go after that. The first in the series is A is for Apple.









A is for APPLE



6x6x1 1/2


oil on gallery wrapped canvas


I love doing these small contemporary oil paintings. Working small is a challenge. The second one in the series is B is for Beets. I just had friends over for dinner and Steve told me the only food he hates are beets. Hummm I love beets, especially when it comes to painting them. The deep purples and cadmium reds with those lovely heart shaped leaves. The stems and leaves have purple reds running up into the leaves.







B is for Beet
6x12
oil on gallery wrapped canvas




House art is fun and visual art makes a great gift.