3 Moments that Every Artist Needs for a Successful Painting

sunflower inprogress

in progress image of “Brilliance” watercolour by Angela Fehr

There is a mystique about art. I think we all love watching an artist at work, and in my watercolour classes and demonstrations people invariably comment on how easy I make watercolor painting look. It’s a little secret among artists. You just know we all get together and plot on how to make painting look easy…until the observer tries to do it. It’s just our little scheme.

While I derive tremendous joy and satisfaction in painting, it has not come easily. Especially lately as I delight in painting and yet feel such a strong awareness of how much I have to learn. I am fatigued by every painting effort as I challenge myself with  new ideas and techniques, growing and always learning. The actual hours that go into a painting reflect very little of painting’s value.

When artists are asked (and we are asked this frequently) “How long did it take you to paint that?” we shudder a little. In an economy where most people are paid by the hour, we are wired to read value into time, and I rarely paint anything that takes more than 4-6 hours of actual painting time. I never want to give an answer that could potentially deprecate what goes into every piece of original art that I create.

(A)spir(al)ing, watercolour by Angela Fehr

Can I propose to you that the actual painting time is only a small part of the time that went into my paintings? Just as in my watercolour classes I am the first one to see promise in an area of a student’s painting and tell them to “Stop! Let it dry. Look it over. Leave that as it is,” the time in between painting sessions is possibly even more important than the time spent painting.

My paintings are made up of three different types of time:

  1. The time spent painting, usually measured in hours.
  2. The time spent away from the painting, coming back to look with fresh eyes, daydreaming possible outcomes, studying it for weak areas; usually measured in days. (sometimes weeks or years)
  3. The cumulative experience of a lifetime of painting, which never ends and is measured in years. I’m at eighteen years of watercolour experience, and a lifetime of art immersion.

Without any one of these time periods, a successful painting can never happen.

Make an Impression with Liquid Acrylics

After the fun I had creating this abstract watercolour, I just had to try it again using acrylic paint.(A)spir(al)ing, watercolour, 11x11" | Angela Fehr Using the same diagonal design, I started laying colours down using a limited palette of liquid acrylics. I used Pthalo Blue, Pyrrole Red, Raw Sienna, Green Gold, black & white. I am not really comfortable using black and white in paintings as it is so contrary to watercolour painting principles, but I love the way the white looks drybrushed over the vivid colours.
"Make an Impression" acrylic on canvas, 10"x10" | Angela Fehr

Liquid acrylics lend themselves well to some fluid watercolour styling, and you know I’ll always take advantage of that! I’ve titled this acrylic abstract “Make an Impression” because you know that’s what colour always does – it makes a wonderful impression. Viewing this online, I see one area that I’ll be tweaking yet, but on the whole I’m pretty happy with my first “finished” acrylic painting.

Brilliance: a Sunflower study exploring complementary colours

I love painting with complementary colours. When two colors that are opposite on the colour wheel meet in a painting, the results are vibrant and vivid. They can actually be disorienting in large doses (think those black & white optical illusion pieces) but for an artist, they are a great tool.
Brilliance: sunflower study | Angela FehrMy sunflowers here were just a result of playing with complementary colours, lots of water and letting things happen. And I love that little bee at the top!

This watercolour study measures 6″x10″ and is available for sale, unframed, for $80. Email me to arrange your purchase. 

(A)spir(al)ing: an abstract watercolour exploration

I wonder if any artists ever get past the feeling of “still so much to learn”? I love painting, but I have been so conscious lately of stretching myself as an artist, wanting to put more into my paintings. I think that’s why it’s so important to allow playtime in painting. All that serious effort can really hinder the joy and spontaneity I want to paint into my art.

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image created by riesling mama – click for source.

Recently I saw a beautiful stamped image on a paper crafting blog and I wanted to emulate it. At first I was thinking I’d just try a similar thing with stamping, but then I thought, “Why couldn’t I use this as inspiration for a painting?”
(A)spir(al)ing, watercolour, 11x11" | Angela Fehr

I’ve titled this piece “(A)spir(al)ing” which is a combination of the words ‘aspiring’ and ‘spiraling’. Painting this abstract (such a departure for me) was all about playtime, exploring the colour and shape and trying for a sense of symmetry without boxing myself into perfection.

My eight-year-old told me she thought it looked like a butterfly. Sweetheart.

There is something special about painting without borders, just starting with an idea and seeing where it goes. Truthfully, I felt a little self-indulgent, being able to do whatever I wanted, use the colours I love most, throw in shapes wherever they felt good – it was kind of like enjoying a guilty pleasure. Maybe that’ll be the title of my next abstract!

Watercolour Lessons with Angela Fehr: Recap & Schedule

My winter 2013 watercolour classes ended last night. We had a small group this January-March, just three students, and it was so much fun! I enjoy teaching watercolour more and more and it is important to me to create a relaxed, positive environment in which to learn.

Eight weeks goes by quickly, but we got a lot done. The first class is a little intimidating for a new painter, so instead of launching into a “serious” painting, we did some loose, wet sketching.

Poppy Trio watercolour sketch | Angela Fehr

This is a good way to introduce colour mixing and my theory of watercolourtivity: <W = <m (more water equals more motion) I’m like the Einstein of watercolour!

In our second and third classes we worked on a more controlled floral, my classic sunflower:

Lit watercolour | Angela Fehr

We use the same sketch to create a lovely sunflower portrait. It is always exciting for the students to see a “real painting” take shape! Working step by step breaks down a complex subject into manageable pieces, while giving real instruction on technique, colour theory and just getting familiar with the medium.

Then we moved on to landscape:

class landscape

This is actually from my fall classes; I don’t have an image of the class demo from this year. Sometimes I use my in-class paintings to give additional demonstrations – showing several ways to paint clouds, for example, and my demo painting is more for hands-on demonstration than exhibition, if that makes sense.

Saskatoons in progress - Angela Fehr

For our final painting together I asked for requests and the ladies agreed they’d like to paint saskatoon berries. One of my favourite subjects so I needed no persuasion! Each student interpreted the reference photo from a different angle, and it was exciting to see their strengths and style appear through the process.

I’ll be starting another watercolour class series in just a couple of weeks, on April 4th, and for eight Thursday nights, 7-9pm, will be exploring the beautiful medium of watercolour in my home studio, ten minutes east of Dawson Creek, British Columbia. Cost for the class is $250 (and I offer a student rate to teens and college students) with an additional materials fee of $75, which will provide you with a palette filled with my favourite colours, brushes, and artist quality watercolour paper. Please contact me for more information by emailing me or phoning (250)786-5562.

Measuring Painting Progress: A Look Back.

I spent a little time yesterday looking at old paintings from my files. It’s hard not to be critical of older paintings, and for some reason, instead of seeing the tremendous growth in my style and skill over the years, I tend to feel embarrassed or discouraged by the weaknesses I see in past paintings.

The truth is, it is very hard to see how far you’ve come unless you look back at where you’ve been. In my mind, all of my paintings are perfect, and I wouldn’t see growth at all if I relied on memory. Knowing that I’ve improved as a painter is encouraging, because I believe that art never stops. I will never achieve the limits of my creativity; as my technical skill grows, I will only be freed to be more creative, never less.

This clematis painting brings back memories, because it was one of the first paintings where I concentrated more on expression than on realism. I even titled it “Expressly Clematis.” I love the hard and soft edges, and now, as I pursue expression almost exclusively, I can learn from this piece and remind myself of the lessons I began to learn starting with this one painting. expressly clematis

One day I will look back on the paintings I am making now. What will I see?

Posted in Art

“Withered” watercolour painting (Rose Hips)

"Withered" watercolour painting (rose hips) | Angela Fehr

“Withered” watercolour painting (rose hips), 8″ x 10″ by Angela Fehr $600

The wild roses bloom abundantly in June, richly pink in shaded hollows, bleached almost-white in dusty ditches, swarmed with bees, heady with fragrance. By late summer, the petals have long since fluttered away and gnarled crimson rose hips are all that remain.

Grandma always says that rose hips are healthy, full of Vitamin C. She’d peel off the skin and pop it in her mouth, discarding the fuzzy inner seeds. “Or they’d make a good tea,” she’d remind me. Well, maybe, but I don’t think we ever bothered to make any. My Aunt Zola would have. She was a true artist, always trying out interesting ideas. She passed away in 2001 and we all miss her.

I think all of my paintings have some kind of familial connection. If musing on a wild rose hip can make memories of loved ones close and fresh, isn’t that wonderful, and a worthwhile reason to paint? I wish for everyone who buys my paintings to find a personal connection in my brushstrokes.

A Lifestyle Palette

“I don’t like great ideas. I like magnificent ideas.” –overheard from my eight-year-old daughter this morning.

Don’t we all! I’m feeling like this might just be a magnificent week. My painting table is sprawled with three potential paintings, my nails are vibrantly floral, and my watercolour interview for CJDC TV Peace Profiles airs at 5:30pm PST Tuesday evening on cable channel 3 – Bell Expressview 258 and StarChoice 323.

chintz nails | Angela Fehr

I discovered this nail blog, Chelseas Get Nailed last week and it’s inspired me to take painting my nails a step further to painting ON my nails. It’s tricky to get the dominant hand painted using my non-dominant right hand. But I’m happy with the results and when my nails are this spectacular, I should really plan to film a new painting video so I can show them off!nails2I know my little nail obsession is kind of a frivolous thing, and at 36 years old, I’m a little late to the party. Most nail bloggers seem to be college students, not homeschooling mothers of three! But I’ve discovered how much colour makes me happy, and over the last year I’ve found that my style is much more vivid than I’d have expected. According to beauty site Julep, I’m “Boho Glam” in my style, and I think that describes my style transition nicely.

The thing about fashion is that it’s kind of like being art.

floral dress

click for source

 

And on the other hand, it’s not just fashion. I picked up the latest issue of Country Living magazine this weekend, because I was swept away by the outsized sampler on the cover.  

the-next-chapter-zoological-posters-0313-lgn

click for source

I could make that! And don’t even get me started on those amazing teal blinds. There’s a red set in the issue that are equally stunning. Also, I’ve been yearning for a vintage card catalogue for years. Isn’t it fun to make your home your palette?

Actually, I think this falls more under making your life your palette. Colour is everywhere, and life becomes art with a little intentionality.

 

From sunrise to sunset.

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I’m spellbound by skies. Especially sunrises and sunsets. I’m a rearview mirror driver when there’s a sunset at my back…watch out! In rural Canada, we have some pretty nice ones, and the best thing about short winter days is the opportunity it affords to enjoy both sunrise and sunset, almost bookended on each other.

Summer is the opposite; there’s nearly no darkness in the longest days of summer, just a kind of indigo twilight between 2 and 3 in the morning. It gives the birds a moment to rest their voices before they resume serenading the glory of sunlight.

I’ve been painting sunrises lately. Sometimes they turn into sunsets:
sunset

The difference being the richness of the colour. You let a watercolour sunrise get away on you and you experience painting time travel!

sunrise sketch | Angela Fehr watercolor

This one I labelled. You know, just to remind me what I was painting. There is a little artistic license in this painting, since the sky may sing “sunrise” but the vista is actually the western overlook from my home.

sunset crop 1

I wasn’t happy with the clump of trees in my sunset study, and tried a couple of different crops in the computer, just to see.

sunset crop 2

I’m never certain if I need to add more to a landscape like this. The focus is the sky, after all. I don’t want to clutter it up with scenery. There’s a delicate little brushstroke in the bottom left that is kind of a happy place for me. Oh, and this is also a western vista, minus the highway to town. Can you see the city lights at the base of the hills?

Painting Frost.

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frostI was so inspired by the frost yesterday that I immediately started trying to paint it. It’s a tangle, and my first attempt was a dog’s breakfast, I tell you. I’m trying again, channelling that beautiful blue.

Today I was interviewed by the local TV station, CJDC in Dawson Creek for an artist profile. I’m hoping I sounded like the passionate watercolourist that I am, but on the friendly side of crazy, you know? Sometimes I think there’s a fine line, and when I find myself gushing to heavy duty mechanics and carpenters about the play of light and colour on paper, I know it’s time to dial it back a bit.

Actually I’m referring to my husband in that sentence; he’s both a carpenter and mechanic. He listens patiently and if he thinks I’m crazy it’s more because I try to pull off wearing a skirt over a skinny jean.

My artist profile will air on Tuesday, March 12th at 5:30pm PST on cable channel 3, Bell Expressview 258 and StarChoice 323. You just might see a peek at two new paintings!