Oil Painting Paper?!

I have this feeling that I'm late to the party, but there's apparently paper designed for oil paint!  I love painting on the smooth surface of board as opposed to the texture of canvas.  This might change my world forever.  Seriously folks, FOREVER!  

Drunk Tank Pink

Is it just our associations with the color pink that causes people to be calm, or something physiological?  I might just have to pick up this guy's book, to learn more.

Here's the article on Big Think.

Read All About It

There is nothing like making work to improve your skills. Recently, I have found that reading about making art helps a great deal, too. You will find techniques, inspiration, tips. You may get a critique of your work by proxy. It's really quite wonderful.

One of my favorite new resources is Artist Daily. It's a community and forum, but they post lots of great articles. This week included debated tools, pricing tips, and a discussion on why being sociable helps you sell.

Take a look here.

Van Gogh Restoration in Cincinnati

I went to school in Cincinnati, and I didn't even know they had a Van Gogh at the Cincinnati Art Museum.  Anyway, they're restoring it.  It's amazing to be able to see the care with which this work is done, and I love the idea that they are restoring it in view of the public.  It's a part of the art world that is not often seen.

What Do I Call It?

Lately, most of my energy has been put into fixing up my house.  I mean, dark paneling and hearts-made-of-flowers border are nice and all, but not really my style.  Check out the transformation so far:

Last night, I had some free time and broke out my art brushes.  I paid very close attention to my values this time.  This is something I have struggled with in the past.  The result is a much ore interesting painting than just a likeness.  At least, I think so.

The last step is coming up with a title, which is never much fun for me. I even struggle to title my blog posts.  How do you name things? 

Good Online Karma

I learned a little trick about the interwebs from Rachel.  She got her first smart phone in October (I'm still in the dark ages), so natrually, she had to get an instagram account.  The goal: lots and lots of followers.  The purpose:  well, I still haven't really figured that out.  But her strategy makes a lot of sense.

She started taking pictures of the vinyl albums she buys, and tagging them appropriately.  Then, she started liking photos of other peoples' records.  Lo and behold, people who like records started following her!  She did the same thing with a host of other topics, and very, very quickly built up a following of people who liked all the things she posted.  Amazing!

I started to apply the same practice in Etsy, and in no time, I had sales where I had none before!  It's also a great way to build a network of support, of colleagues.

Moral of the story: the best way to get positive attention is to give it!

Most Amazing Table

I'm a sucker for beautiful things.  I love tiny decorative containers that could not possibly hold anything of use.   That said, there is a special place in my heart for very practical things.  I get all weepy when form and function blend perfectly.  Ok, not really.  But I have a great respect for designers of practical things.  Today, I stumbled across this table.

Here's some other amazingly well designed furniture.  Who else wants their entire home to function this way?!