~ Musings of an Artist

Golden Glass Bead and Clear Granular Gels

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

I remember there came a time when I was so over loaded with learning about how to paint and what the qualities of my arsenal of tools are that it soon became apparent that I needed to step back and concentrate on one thing at a time. Then something odd happened, I became so comfortable with using a set of supplies that I had no interest in experimenting with new things.

Well that's just way too boring a state of mind to be in. So this year shall be the year of experimentation. There are so many new tools out there like a whole line of texture enhancing tools made by Golden that just beckon to be taken for a spin.

So as I make new discoveries I love to hear suggestions what mediums you are using that you just find awesome. These glass beads and granular gels look pretty fun as well. I wonder if they work with oils?

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A new Horse Painting

2012-01-23T08:37:00.000-08:00

Update:
Work on the horse is moving forward and I wanted to post some updates. One of my blog readers and fellow artist friends asked me how I built up the texture and what medium I am using. So far on this painting I have used WN Titanium White, which I allowed to get tacky and which I apply with a little dentist tooth scraper. I want there to be scattered texture for visual interest. Did I ever mention, I have this odd feeling that in a past life I must have been a miniaturist?! Here is my tool of choice when working on small scale paintings. The Brush is a spotter size 10/0 and the scraper was picked up at a Fair from a vendor who sold new dentist tools.

The shades of grey are accomplished with WN Ivory black and a ever so slight hint of Still De Grain Brown by Rembrandt. I had no need for the use of any medium as of yet. This horse has these round markings in it's coat that have been driving me crazy, hotting the right shades has been a slight challenge, but what's painting without challenges, right?!

Anyhow, I have already started to add Wn French Ultra Marine Blue and really punched up all the detail work, which you will soon see in the next update. It's back to the easel for me :)

I love it when I have more than one painting in the works and while I waited for the French Bulldog painting to dry, I started this painting. The original photo was taken at the Nellie Gail Equestrian Center

while this horse was going through a training routine.

I also have a contest going on my Facebook Page Help me find a suitable title for the painting. The winner will receive a print of the finished painting!
Here are some of the titles already suggested:

Clifford Hamblen How about Equine Majesty.
Susanne Namdar Humble Beauty
Liz Walker ‎"Solace"
Jeff Davis my suggestion for a title: "Acquiescence"
Crazee Granny along with your training story...how about "As You Wish'
Joanne Swadron or the way the right ear is slightly turned.... how about "Yes I'm listening..."
Joanne Swadron looks like "Equine Concentration" to me.... Love it!
Maude McDonald Sorry about your knee, Enzie.:(
Magestic Bow
L Risor Artist ‎"Step Lightly!" ;)
Ambra Tesori The bow
Murielle Hamilton I Know Who I Am
Deborah Kotaka Prayer
Margaret Williams I like Maribeth's title. Trying to think.... How about something simple like "Courage" or "Acceptance".
Maribeth Friedman McFaul Humble Warrior

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Painter's Palettes

2012-01-22T08:30:00.000-08:00

Source: google.com via Enzie on Pinterest

Many artist are exposed to a variety of color combinations used by their teachers and mentors as they embark on their educational path to become a better painter. Over the years, I have collected a variety of notes on painters palettes and keep looking for new combinations just to see how they differ from my preferred color choices.

In a book called "A Manual of Oil Painting" I found a palette combination used by Alma Tadema. Placed in order colors are:

1. Brown Ochre
2. Yellow Ochre
3. Naples Yellow
4.Flake White
5.Orange Vermillion
6.Light Red Chinese Vermillion
7.Rose Madder
8.Burnt Sienna
9.Raw Umber -used on occasion
10.Cobalt
11.Ivory Black
12.Emerald Oxide Chromium (permanent green) -deeper green than combination of cobalt and yellow
13. Deep Cadmium Yellow-used on occasion

Medium: equal parts of copal, linseed-oil and turpentine (for faster drying time reduce amount of linseed oil slightly)

This is a Fast Dry Color Palette, which Mr. Daniel Green used at one point.
1. Flake White
2. Naples Yellow
3. Cadmium Yellow Medium
4. Yellow Ocher with White added to lighten
5. Raw Sienna with White added to lighten
6. Cadmium Red Light with Raw Sienna and White to tone down and lighten
7. Burnt Sienna with White added to lighten
8. Yellow Ochre with Burtn Sienna and White to lighten
9. Alizarin Crimson plus Sap Green plus Cad Yellow Med - Use for warm Shadows - Deep Rust Brown Tone
10. Raw Sienna plus Black and White (Check this one)
11 Burnt Umber
12. Raw Umber plus Yellow Ochre
13. Raw Umber plus Burnt Sienna - to lighten add Yellow Ochre instead of White (Warm Tone)
14. Raw Umber plus White to lighten (Cool Tone)
15. Sap Green Plus ?
16. Thalo Green
17. Prussian Blue
18. Ivory Black

Here is the movie of Daniel Greene, which for some reason is not showing on my blog .

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A young Girl With Her Doll

2012-01-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

"A Young Girl with her Doll" was painted by Kate Perugini (1839-1929) and is such a charming little child portrait. I find portraits take on so much more meaning when personal items are included that are dear to the sitter. With children it is often a favorite toy that years later is fondly thought of. Do you remember what your favorite toys where? I actually googled some of mine and was stunned to find an Italian doll I owned called "Patatina" . The doll would wear toddler size clothing and shoes and more than ones was mistaken for a real child.

In Tehran, my mom took me to a shoe store for kids to look for new shoes for Patatina (doll clothes were hard to find in Tehran). Being that I myself was still very young I plopped the doll onto a glass counter to peer at the selection of shoes on display. Right away a very frantic looking shop owner came running and yelling to remove the child from the counter, before it broke and we both would get hurt. Needless to stay we had a good laugh and a shop owner that could not believe the size of that doll!

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Lilly The French Bulldog - Portrait

2012-01-20T06:34:00.000-08:00

I love the way Lilly has turned out! Her sweet expressive face is just like I remember when I first met her. The nose was giving me a bit of trouble, but I finally breathed some life into it. My favorite are the eyes however. I posted these detail shot so you can see what I mean.

The finished painting in high res can be better viewed here

Below is a detail shot of the ear ~

This is the 2nd stage of the dog portrait in progress. Lilly's coat is a light beige and she has a lot of pink tones around the muzzle. Here I have started to apply the color keeping always in mind what the underlying skull structure is like. As I continue to apply paint, make corrections and pay attention to surface texture, the painting will take on a very life like quality.

Meet Lilly a little French Bulldog with a very sweet face and demeanor. I started to create the painting by putting down a foundation of monochrome color.

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Princess of the East now as Acrylic Print

2012-01-19T10:39:00.000-08:00

This painting has been a favorite of many people. Now it is being offered as an Acrylic Print as well, just click here to see the various options.

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The Zulu Bride

2012-01-07T06:30:00.000-08:00

Photo courtesy of Arts Connected

Learning about the customs of other cultures has always been very interesting to me and I really wanted to find out more about the odd shape of the hats the women of the Zulu tribe wear. Women of all cultures have always taken great pride in their appearances and in the 19th century Zulu women created cone shaped upward coiffure designs.

Over time it became fashionable to make removable hats. I found a wonderful web site Ezakwantu.com,
which has a great number of photos showing the evolution of these hat designs. What I found most interesting was that the early hats had human hair woven into it, in order for the hat to remain as an extension of the individual's head.

Photo Courtesy of Ezakwantu.com

The hat above was made from palm fiber, cord, fabric , hard board and human hair. Because of the basket style weaving technique there was no limit on how large the hat could be, so if bigger is better, Zulu women adopted some rather elaborate hat designs. After Europeans introduced beads to the tribes decorating theses hats with elaborate bead designs became also very fashionable.

Photo by Walter Callens

Bright colors are very popular, especially for wedding ceremonies. Brides, unlike married women who wear black hats, wear red hats that are adorned with colored beads. The bead design is repeated in the design of the earrings and belt. In Zulu culture wearing a scarf around the shoulders is a sign of respect. For a young bride entering into marriage the scarf demands respect from the grooms family. In this video Zulu clothing designer Rose Mabunda explains how she is making merging traditional designs into more modern variations for today's Zulu women.

Painting by Enzie Shahmiri

January 1st, 2012 signals the start of a new exhibit at the Artist Eye Gallery titled "Faces". I was hoping to have "The Zulu Bride" ready for the exhibit, but I changed my mind. Although I sort of liked the way this painting was going I decided to rework it into a more realistic version. An update of the painting will soon be posted again.

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Faces Exhibit at Artist Eye Gallery

2012-01-06T10:44:00.000-08:00

I have been a bit absent from the on-line world, because I wanted to spend some time catching up with things around the house that needed my attention. So after spending days painting a fence and getting covered in Rustoleum Glossy black, getting changed for last night's event was a nice break. Little did I know what a huge success the exhibit
would be. The paintings managed to evoke some very interesting responses in people, some found the Iranian man's chuckle heartwarming, other's agreed that the Sadhu must have wisdom unknown to us and many very intrigued by the stories behind each work. We all agreed that traveling the world and meeting people from different cultures is wonderful and a must for anyone who truly wants to experience everything that humanity has to offer. During the evening so many people shared their travel experiences and photos with me that we all ended up exploring different corners of the world through each others experiences. What an evening!

I want to thank everyone who came to the show for making this evening so special! Here are some more photos taken at the beginning of the evening, before it got really busy.

Artist Ernie Jones was talking about his paintings to a customer.

Artist Giorgio Dimichina talked to visitors about his lovely Tuscan style inspired paintings. I love to see how people take in the art.

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Color Properties

2012-01-01T19:29:00.000-08:00

Color properties and the history of pigments can be rather fascinating.Pigment through the Ages is a website that allows you to learn more about certain colors by clicking on certain colors.. I also find the color rotate feature a fascinating tool,because it allows you to play around with sets of color palettes. A nice tool to determine what color combinations might work well together.

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Faces of the World New Exhibition at the Artist Eye Gallery

2011-12-29T16:14:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and is looking forward to a wonderful new 2012! I know I can't wait because I feel it in my bones that this year will be a year full of energy and exciting new things. To start the new year off, I will be celebrating 2012 with a new exhibit at the Artist Eye Gallery titled "Faces of the World". Come and join me at the Artist Eye Gallery on January 5th, 2012 from 6PM until 9PM and let's celebrate the new year in the company of great art and a wonderful group of artists. As always refreshments will be served - I look forward to seeing you there!

Artist Eye Gallery
1294 S. Coast Highway #A (between Cress and Brooks - south Laguna)
Laguna Beach, CA
Tel. 949-497-5898

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Last Minute Christmas Ideas

2011-12-18T08:50:00.000-08:00

Available via Etsy

Here is my latest collection of last minute shopping ideas that don't break the bank, but make for some cute gifts. All items are available via Etsy

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Charles Silem Lidderdale - Rejected Addresses, 1876

2011-12-15T07:54:00.000-08:00

Charles Silem Lidderdale - Rejected Addresses, 1876: found via Golden Age Paintings

I love Victorian art and I urge you to visit my friend's blog. He has a wonderful collection of art from this time period and posts on a regular basis some wonderful finds.

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Creating a Brush-able Isolation Coat for Acrylics

2011-12-06T07:30:00.000-08:00

This year I have received a lot of requests for embellished canvas prints of my work. When adding embellishments however, the surface of the work becomes uneven and blotchy looking. Since I work with acrylic paints to embellish the pieces I apply 2-3 layers of a protective isolation coat as soon as the paint is dry to the touch. An Isolation coat is a permanent, protective barrier between the painting and the varnish. A Soft glossy gel medium like the one featured here makes varnish removal and overall conservation easier and evens out the added embellishments to give the canvas an unified and even look. It also adds a nice sheen to the canvas and protects the surface from any environmental pollutants.

The following video by Golden Paints shows exactly how this medium is mixed.

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All Natural Beige

2011-12-05T09:44:00.000-08:00

Available on Etsy
I find beige to be an elegant and calm color. I hope you enjoy today's selection!

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Old Master Palette - Dagnan-Bouveret

2011-12-02T12:16:00.000-08:00

"Orpheus's Sorrow"

Just like any other artist, I tend to get very comfortable with a certain choice of colors for my painting palette. To keep things fresh however I force myself to experiment from time to time with other colors. That's when I try to look for paints used by the old master.

The palette of artist Pascal Jean Dagnan Bouveret (1852-1929) was listed on the Web Art Academy and looks interesting.

Palette:

Cremnitz white
Cobalt violet
Cobalt blue
Ultramarine
Emerald green
Cadmium colors
Mars yellow
Venetian red
3 different shades of rose madder: light, medium and deep
Burnt sienna
Mars violet
Ivory black

Soure: Web Art Academy

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The Toy Maker

2011-11-22T16:18:00.000-08:00

Update: There has been a slight change on the theme of this painting. Originally I wanted to just paint a toy store, but the image started to get more and more cluttered. After going through my photographs I found a man who would work great as a toy maker. Now the painting will revolve around him and his creations. For now you can see how I take different props to create the fictional space for my character. Lighting and colors are still off and more props are needed, but I am getting antsy about starting the painting. The canvas has to be larger as well so this will go on a 36 x 36 inch support. What do you think? DO you think this will make an interesting painting?

In case you are wondering - the toy maker is testing a zither he just finished making. Here is what this instrument sounds like ~

I could not decide what portrait to paint so I decided to start work on a new large scale painting of a toy store titled "Juguetería" (means toy store in Spanish and has a nice ring to it). The idea was sparked by an article I read about Toni Foster who repairs all sort of vintage dolls right here in Orange County, Ca (dolldoctor.net).

I want the painting to feature an old store full of interesting toys, something where the viewer can get lost in discovering cool things. As with every painting, once I have the idea I start to gather the props. I already found an old photo of an old 120 year old Apothecary in Sweden which will be the backdrop of the store. Now I am spending time finding toys to fill the space up. If you have a vintage toy you like to add to the painting send it to me. I think it would be fun to have a variety of cool things in the painting of the store.

These dolls here are already on the shelves! :)

Image Source: Theriault Dolls

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Abstract Art

2011-11-21T11:47:00.001-08:00

Image Source: ©Enzie Shahmiri Portraits and Fine Art

"Abstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. " Source: Wikipedia

This photo was taken while I was in Washington DC on a business trip. Part of a glass and steel structure the play of light and shadow added further dimensions to the existing shape.

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Vincent Van Gough as Book Art

2011-11-13T07:36:00.000-08:00

I came across these interesting faces through a friend's post here and just had to re- share. Van Wanten Etcetera came up with this great book idea for the Dutch Book Week event. Digitally created the characters of Vincent Van Gough and Kader Abdolah added great intererst to the books they represented.

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Winter Trees

2011-11-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

"Winter Trees"

12 x 24 inches ~ oil on canvas

"Sold"

As the ice queen breathes across the plains the vapor of her breath has settled over the landscape obscuring everything that has crossed her path in a soft haze. The chill of winter is upon us and in this painting, titled "Winter Trees" I aimed for a soft tonality to convey the stillness of a snow covered landscape. The trees are handled almost as if they are a line drawing and modeling is kept to a minimum. The frost has settled between the branches in lieu of the missing leaves. By keeping only a few trees towards one end of the picture plane, the feeling of solitude is emphasized. I avoided looking at real trees for reference, because I wanted to create an almost dream like setting and have each tree slightly differs to avoid monotony.

Last week two more paintings of the Winter Wonderland series have sold and I will need to paint yet again more winter scenes before starting on the new portrait series. I had no idea paintings of winter themes are so popular in southern California! :)

I received a special request for a more contemporary looking snow landscape and have been working on this oil painting. This is a quick Iphone upload to give you a peek at what's on the easel right now.

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Winter at the Cabin

2011-11-07T06:30:00.000-08:00

"Winter at the Cabin"

9" x 12" - Oil on Museum Board

For Sale

It was a mad dash to the finish line, but I finished Winter at the Cabin and it is now on display at the Artist Eye Gallery in Laguna Beach, CA.

I took some detail shots so you can see the texture as it was built up using the tiniest of brushes in my tool arsenal.

I am pretty happy with the outcome and am glad that I am almost done with the winter themes. I received an order for another winter landscape and then it's off to work on another series.

I am painting what seems like non-stop to get all paintings finished for the winter exhibit. This will be the last one of the bunch titled "Winter at the Cabin" measuring 9x12 inches oil on panel. It's a bit on the whimsical side, but I think it will look charming when done. Because the setting is evening I need to play ip the light of the moon and lamps, this is why for now the building is much lighter than the original reference photo.

While at a wonderful wedding at a ranch very close to Solvang I took a photo of this lovely cabin.I really liked the look of this old farm house and wanted to incorporate it into a winter scene.

Once I had a good idea where everything should go, I started to place the 1st layer of color. As I continued to apply paint I also started to think about lighting and shadows.

I started by doing an in drawing of the cabin and surrounding areas. This will help me keep the the building in place while I put down the paint.

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Portrait Artist Enzie Shahmiri shared a post with you.

2011-11-02T18:13:00.000-07:00

Jonie S.John posted this interesting article:

Underpaintings: What's the Matter with Madder?

In examining the working methods and materials of oil painters of the past, a pigment which frequently appears on the palettes of these artists is an ancient color called madder lake. It is a historic...

View or comment on Portrait Artist Enzie Shahmiri's post »

You received this message because Portrait Artist Enzie Shahmiri shared it with enzieshahmiri.artenzie@blogger.com. Unsubscribe from these emails.

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The Artist Showcase

2011-11-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

I am super excited to share with you that my painting of "Cinnamon" was chosen to be in the inaugural issue of "The Artist Showcase" Winter 2011 issue. Published by Art Market Publications this quarterly magazine aims to bring together mid-career artists and galleries with art collectors. You can read more about the Artist Showcase here

I am represented by my art agent Ms. Lisa Freedman, who I also like to publicly thank for all her support and efforts to promote my work. If you are an artist and like to be represented by a reliable art agent contact Ms. Freedman here

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Art Change Out

2011-10-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

Today I packed up all my paintings for the "Winter Wonderland" exhibit and hung them at the Artist Eye gallery. The day started with two sales and I hope that it will be an indicator for great success with this exhibit.

I find it interesting how many people walk into the gallery when we have a change out. The place is a mess with paintings not only on the wall, but stacked against walls, ladders and step stools all over the place and artists touching up walls with paint. The whole gallery is teaming with activity and somehow it attracts people in such a way that they have to come in and mingle among the total chaos. A rather funny sight if you ask me.

Photo source via Tumblr

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Skating Dreams

2011-10-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

"Skating Dreams"

5x5 inches ~ oil on panel

Sold

Prints and Cards available here

I received some title suggestions for this painting via my Facebook page and decided to go with
@Margaret Williams "Skating Dreams" suggestion. Thank you Margaret and thanks to all the the other people who have submitted suggestions through the social networking circle.

At one point I realized that the skates looked too yellow and needed to be lightened considerably. I also added a bit of snow, which I felt was needed to emphasize the feeling of winter. I think everything looks crisp and clean now and therefore can call this painting finished.

Work continues and here is another updated image of the painting in progress. I have given the shoes much more definition and spend a great time on the laces. Since I managed to pick upa lot of the snow (white paint) in the foreground with my hand as I was working on the laces, I figured I will rework that part when I am completely done with the skates. This painting measures on 6 x 6 inches and I am working with a dentist tool to get the paint to go where I needed it to be.

Will need to read up on how to paint an icy lake, since I have never painted one before. I remember from my ice skating days that ice shavings are sometimes left on the surface, so those should be there. A bit of reflection from trees in the distance is there to offset the warmer tones of the skates and laces and to add some more visual interest. The background still needs some work though, it's missing something that is eluding me at this time.

The painting of the "3 D Santa" is almost complete, the winter scene with trees is giving me problems and painting number three featuring these old skates by a lake have been today's work in progress. Making the ordinary into something extra ordinary is the challenge. Part of the November "Winter themed" exhibit at the Artist Eye Gallery in Laguna Beach it is currently crunch time at my studio.

I sure could use some title ideas for the skates - any ideas?!

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Great Decorating Ideas

2011-10-21T09:16:00.000-07:00

Source: leberpr.com via Enzie on Pinterest

I love DIY projects. The idea of repurposing old items for new functions helps reduce the waste in our landfills, is easy on the budget and can produce some interesting decorating results.

Source: myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com via Stacey on Pinterest

I can totally see this is a shabby chic room. Placing vintage keys or even old silverware in the frames would also make for an interesting display.

Source: re-nest.com via Enzie on Pinterest

The last photo is something I have always wanted to try and never had the time to. I wonder how easy it is?!

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