I LOVE to Teach

Teaching is What I Do!

Anyone who knows me,

knows I love to teach.

I've taught countless church classes,

I was a retail manager and loved to train people,

I have taught hundreds of people how to paint

in River Run Gallery,

and I've created an online beginning painting course,

(see link at the end).

So, it is safe to say I really do love to teach.

Recently, I published six videos on my 

Painting With Acrylics 101 facebook page,

for this painting.

   Here's a close up of the nest.

I thought it would be a good idea to put the six videos all in one place,

so here they are.

• Video one - about the blue sky background,  Click HERE to view this short video.  
• Video two - My brain said I was painting a pine tree branch, but my hand went a different way, as you can see.  Click HERE to view video #2. 
• Video three - Beginning to add the nest in here.  Click HERE to watch video #3.  
• Video four -  It's starting to get fun as I show you how to highlight the tree limbs and the nest.  Click HERE to view video #4.
• Video five - Adding fine touches to this painting.  Click HERE to view video #5. 
• Video six - We're adding the leaves to this tree, in three different values.  Click HERE to view video #6. 

This was a fun, beginning painting that I hope you'll take a chance on and prove to yourself you can do this.

Give it a try, watch the videos, purchase your supplies if you don't already have them and 

trust that you will be able to do it.

Painting has opened up a whole new world to me,

not only talent wise, but also in seeing things around me that I might not have noticed in the past.

Where are the lights and shadows in the scene I'm looking at.

Paint You'll Need

1. Titanium White
2. Ultramarine Blue
3. Hookers Green
4. Burnt Umber
5. Burnt Sienna
6. Cad Orange Light
7. Cad Yellow Light
8. Dioxazine Purple, (but you need such a small amount you could do without it.)

Brushes I used

1. #12 Bristle for background
2. #6, 4, 2, Bristle brushes (you could get by with the 6 & 2)
3. #4 & #2 flat synthetic 
4. #0 Script liner 

Canvas is an 11" x 14" stretched canvas.

 Click Here to Win a FREE Painting

Click HERE to Learn about my online beginning painting course.

This course was created for beginning painter and homeschool families who would like to incorporate art in their curriculum, but aren't really artists.

This course will show you what paints and brushes to purchase, how to figure out perspective, how to practice, brush strokes, composition, and then take all that knowledge and show you step by step how to create two paintings.  

There are 11 modules with over 50 videos in it to make sure you are successful in your art journey.

I also through in a few bonuses just for good measure.

This course is packed with information you could garner from many other sources all neatly packaged in one place.

Sounds like a great gift to me.  

 

Life Changing Events

Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?

It's not often easy,

and it's not often kind,

Did you ever have to finally decide?

Yeah!  I'm a child of the 60's

and I had to finally decide.

 This fun, cute, even spunky little art gallery,

will be closing it's doors for good,

Saturday, December 19.

I know, it's sad, but it is what it is

and I can't make it otherwise.

I've had a really great time though,

teaching many children and adults

all about painting.

I want to thank all  my loyal customers 
for coming into River Run Gallery
and painting, drawing, and shopping
from the bottom of my heart.
I have so appreciated your support and friendship!

The artists in River Run Gallery

will begin to move their art out of the gallery 

on the 18th and 19th,

so,

if there's something you've had your eye on,

NOW would be a really good time to come on it

and get that wrap, purse, photograph, jewelry

or painting.  

All garden stones are 50% off

and all paintings are30% off.

I have a great selection of earrings that are 20% off.

And for those of you who want to learn 

how to paint from the ground up,

I've created an online beginning painting course, with the absolute beginner in mind.

Click HERE to give it a look,

(no obligation, you're just browsing).  

Our website at www.riverrungallery.com

will come down, December 15

and our blog will come down sometime 

before the first of the year.  

But on a happier note, this blog will continue

as I continue painting and creating

and teaching beginning art classes.

I plan on putting together art camps in the summer,

although I'm not sure where,

it might be out at our farm.

And I will continue giving away a painting every single month,

so get your name in the hat by clicking on the link below.

November Painting Giveaway

 

Click Here to Enter for a FREE Painting

Let's not be strangers.

Stop in to see me before we close December 19,

and then,

open up my blog posts or newsletters to see what's going on

in my little corner of the art world.

Finally,

I have some fixtures and signage I'm selling if you're local and 

would like a pretty good deal on it.

Just let me know.

An Art Work of Fiction?

Girl With A Pearl Earring

by Tracy Chevalier

Last week I picked up a book at Half Price Books

mainly because of the cover.

The Girl With The Pearl Earring by Vermeer was on the cover.  

Chevalier takes the painting and weaves a tale about the girl in the painting, who she was and how she came to be in the painting.  It is a beautiful painting and a wonderful book.

It is on the New York Times Bestseller list.

Here's a link to the book on Amazon 

This was a quick read, but more than that, it really brought the painting to life and explained what life was like in the 1660's in Copenhagen.  

Another way to enjoy beautiful art. 

I may not be able to teach you to paint like Vermeer, but,
I can teach you to paint from the ground up
with my new online beginning painting course.

Click HERE to preview the course.

 Learn to paint at your own pace in your own home.
3 a.m. - no problem.

 

Enter for a FREE Panting Here

Acrylic Painters Buyer's Guide

Putting Together an Art Kit Gift
(say that three times)

Why put together an art kit, and not just go buy one of those neatly packaged sets in the art store?

Here's your answer.  PRICE!   You can probably buy twice the supplies in any size kit for the price you'll pay for a pre-packaged set.  There's lots of packaging involved in buying a kit and they usually come with small, cheap sizes of paints and brushes.  Buy your own supplies, make it into a gift basket and stand back and prepared to be loved.  

Paint 

If you have a budding artist on your shopping list or you would like to learn to paint and don't have a clue what to buy or where, here's some great info.

Acrylic paint is a most forgiving paint in that you can give it 15-20 minutes to dry and then you can paint over it or put a wash over an area.  It also cleans up with soap and water.  No fumes!!!!!

In the beginning it is really good to limit your palette so you learn how to mix colors, that's why in my beginning painting classes, I usually only use Cadmium yellow light, Alizarin Crimson, and Ultramarine Blue.  Then I add Burnt Sienna and white.  You can make Burnt Sienna by using all 3 primary colors, but getting it consistent is a challenge.  

If I were putting together an artist kit, I'd get student grade tubes of the 5 colors I listed.  Student grade is less expensive than artist or professional grade, and for a beginner, the difference in thickness would not be an issue.

Brushes

For brushes as well as for paint, you should always get the best you can afford, without going into debt.  A good pack of brushes can be purchased for between $15-20.  Or you can create your own pack.  You need several synthetic flats, sizes 3, 7, 12, a few bristle brushes, the same size as the flats, a script liner, and maybe a 0 & 3 round brushes.  (I seldom use a round brush, but they are handy).  

Supports

Supports are just what you paint on.  A beginner could use several small stretched canvases like 8" x 10" and 11" x 14".  You can also purchase packs of canvas covered boards, masonite boards, cradled boards, and then there's paper.  I would go with a few canvases and a package of canvas paper.  It has the took like a canvas, but is actually paper.    If you're going to get paper, you will also need some painters tape to tape the paper down to another board.  It will keep it from warping.

Miscillaneous

Water basin

Paper towels

Soft Vine Charcoal

Table top easel

Boxed palette or large pack of styrofoam paper plates

Palette paper (same size as the box)

Palette box sponge

Color Wheel 

Palette knife (knives)

Use the palette box as the container for the gift.  It's a very thin box, but you could open it up, lay out the other items and then use the top as the back and use a cellophane wrap to encase it.  

Any of the components of this list would make a great gift for someone who want s to learn to paint.  You could make a super gift of some nice brushes and a wrap to store them in, a table top easel and some canvases, and the list could go on and on.   Don't get overwhelmed in the art store.  Pick a budget and do your best to stick with it.  Get good quality basic items to get your artist started and you can branch out in the future.  

 

 Click HERE to see my online beginning painting course.