Fine Artworks and Original Paintings From A Creaky Easel

Inside The Painter's Studio

noreply@blogger.com (SueEllen Cowan) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:29:00 +0000

Since I have not been able to complete any new art, I thought I might share a peek at the inside of my paint studio. Click on any of the images below for a bigger picture.

This is the area to the left of the creaky easel, the cupboards where I stash a lot of the stuff for my crafts like sewing and a lot of the excess materials I have managed to accumulate for painting. I keep the lesser used items like the oil paints and all the paraphernalia that goes along with it inside there as well.

This is the area to the right of the creaky easel where I work on my ceramic dragons and other craft projects. The shelves hold a lot of the magazines and videos and craft supplies, the black baskets on the top shelf hide a multitude of small items like fabric scraps and lace trimmings etc. You can see some of the ceramic dragons in various stages up there as well. There on the table is the carousel of small bottles of craft paints that I use for decorative painting. Underneath the table, hidden behind the fabric is a stash of old frames and canvasses and paintings that are not fit to be seen.

This one is directly facing the easel and you can see the various pots of paint on the little folding table and the wooden stool. Also on the table is a carry tray of smaller tubes of acrylic paints my gesso and brush basin. I keep a roll of paper towel on the easel behind the canvas and always have some clutched in my hand as I paint.

On the floor beside the creaky easel, you can see the dog basket where my little companion Oscar, the chihuahua sleeps as I paint. He always loves to be underneath a blanket. On the creaky easel, you can of course, see an original acrylic painting in progress and its companion, part of a diptych, on the floor leaning on the front leg.

This is my 'art gallery wall' in the living room where I usually arrange my artwork to see how it looks on the wall before taking it to the gallery shop for sale.

This is the wall just outside the studio where I keep a lot of the paintings between showings.

There is a lot of stuff that gets collected in order to create the origninal oil and acrylic paintings. Even though it does not show, I had to do a bit of tidying to make it this presentable, I am a bit messy when painting and tend to forget about everything else, like the housework!

How Does Life Affect Artwork?

noreply@blogger.com (SueEllen Cowan) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:08:00 +0000

I was just thinking the other day how great it was that I had not let the awfulness of my childhood affect the way I paint. I have seen the darkness in the work of many other artists' who had similar childhood experiences and I felt good that my own work is very colorful and cheerful in subject. Then I realized that it was because of my lfe that I painted this way. I have been determined my whole life not to let my experiences ruin my life and to think of the good and I automatically filter the evil from my paintings, preferring rather idyllic scenes and bold, vivid colors to brighten my work.

To paint in any other way would be, to me, letting the evildoers win. There is simply no way I can allow that. I spoiled my family with kindness and I paint pretty, happy scenes to reflect the goodness I want from life. Amazed, I realize that life always affects art, it just depends on what we want to show - the ugliness and evil or the exact opposite. Artists have used their art to show their despair, their happiness or their political feelings for centuries and I guess I am no different than anyone else.

My Design Depot Interview

noreply@blogger.com (SueEllen Cowan) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:59:00 +0000

I am very excited to announce that an article has been published about my artwork. I am this week's featured artist on Designer's Depot a website by Noelevz. Check out this site, there is a lot of interesting information available at Designer's Depot and I am honored to be chosen for this article. Noel has done a lovely job on this article as on everything on the site. After you read the article, please drop me a comment and let me know what you think about it. Click here to read the article.

I am working on a new painting as well as trying to find local art associations to get involved in and looking for a local gallery or even just some wall space in a coffee house to exhibit my artwork. It is quite a challenge to get established in a new town, but I am determined to do it.

Arte Pico Award

noreply@blogger.com (SueEllen Cowan) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 06:25:00 +0000

I was pleasantly surprised to receive the honor of an Arte Y Pico award which I had never previously heard of. The award was given to me by Caroline, a fellow artist whose work and website I greatly admire.

Upon winning this award you are tasked with the following rules...
1) You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also for contributing to the blogging community, no matter what language
2) Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.
3) Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.
4) Award-winner and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of "Arte y Pico" blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award. http://arteypico.blogspot.com/.

There are so many blogs deserving this award and was a very difficult process to choose just five. The following are my nominations:

Artbeat Inspirations - Life's Little Wonders Caroline has such colorful artwork and a great blog to go along with it. I visit her site on a regular basis.
TexasMedicalFreak Mandy has a fascinating blog full of helpful information. She has put her own and her family's medical problems on public display in order to help others. Her grit and determination are awe inspiring and make Mandy, in my humble opinion, an everyday hero.
DesignersDepot Noel has a great blog and regularly honors other artists and designers with interviews and features them on the blog.
Waterrose Waterrose is a wonderful site of fabulous handcrafted treasures and a charming blog is included at no extra charge!
LaketreesArtist Kim is an outstanding artist and has a wonderful art blog where she honors so many other artists with her wonderful articles.

I hope you will visit each of these sites and see why I have chosen them for this award. Thanks for reading!

Bloggers Excellence Award

noreply@blogger.com (SueEllen Cowan) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 05:38:00 +0000

A while ago, a fellow blogger gave me this award and I was not sure what I should do with it since my blog is really about the artwork and not so much about the blogging but I wanted to thank Mandy for the award and decided to do a post about it anyway.

This award was unexpected and a total surprise to me as I was not sure that anyone actually read my blog. This is a result of my joining Entrecard, a traffic generating site. If you want to increase your blog traffic, I recommend joining this free site.

Mandy has an excellent medical blog with fantastic links and I highly recommend it. This is Mandy's article.

I am now to nominate 10 other blogs that I like, which was not as easy as I thought as there are so many good ones, including Mandy's that I visit regularly.
1.Designer's Depot is one of my favorite sites, Noel does excellent reviews and feature articles on artists.
2.Daisy the Curly Cat is a very different sort of blog written from a cat's perspective.
3.Pencil Drawing Sketch Artis another art blog. Sue produces fabulous artwork, often music related.
4.Photography by KML is full of fascinating photos and is a good blog to read.
5.Ragtree Funky and Fun Sculpture is an art blog featuring some very unusual sculptures and a lot more.
6.Inspired Art Beat has been a favorite since the first time I read it. Caroline's art is fantastic and her blog is a joy to read.
7.Heart At Work is an excellent site, Mari-Lyn has great advice for artists who want to market their artwork.
8.Amy Lilley Designs is also a lovely blog to visit, with her jewelery and great photos and articles.
9.Laketrees is another fantastic art blog, well worth the visit.
10.Inspirit Blog is a very good resource site. Abhinav Sood has incredible advice for bloggers and has helped me immensely.

Back At The Creaky Easel!

noreply@blogger.com (SueEllen Cowan) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:22:00 +0000

Well I am finally settled in to my new home near Grande Prairie, Alberta. My creaky little easel is set up and I am getting back to work on a new painting. I have been trekking the area close to home with my little companion Oscar, an adorable white chihuahua who is full of mischief. I discovered a lovely marsh with ducks and geese and lots of other birds singing and seeming to enjoy life.

I am hoping to post the new painting soon and also to get out and about and explore the local art scene. It would be lovely to find a new place or two to exhibit my own artwork. I have been interviewed by another art website and will post the link as soon as the article has been published.

Paintworks,and The Loquacious Artist, my other weblogs will soon be updated as well. Take care, thanks for reading, I hope to see you again soon!