On Painting Daily .... by Marian Fortunati

"Siamo Fortunati"

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 05:13:00 +0000

Looking out our front door as the Palisades Fire approaches Feelings of Gratitude Those of you who have spent time with me know that I often use the Italian phrase "Siamo Fortunati". That phrase translates to "We are lucky." Usually I have said this to my PAC6 buddies when we are out at some amazingly beautiful site painting. I'll throw out my arms and shout it out because I feel incredibly lucky to enjoy and soak in nature's wonders -- especially when I'm with friends who paint alongside me or with my family members who live and travel with me. The Holidays Our winter holidays were relatively quiet with few stand out events. Gastone cooked up a storm for a family Thanksgiving dinner at our home with Tyler, and Francesca's family. Our oldest son celebrated with his wife's family up in the Sierras. It seemed that this was the winter for everyone in the family (except us) to travel. Our daughter, Francesca, and her family spent three weeks in Japan and they all enjoyed the new sites and customs and experiences. They ate great food, saw beautiful new things and even spent several days skiing in Japan! Our youngest son, Tyler, left for Italy where he spent two weeks with our Italian family in Venice and traveled to the Dolomites, Milan and Florence. We were lucky to share Christmas day with our oldest son, Jon-Paul, and his wife. Of course Gastone cooked too much delicious food but we had a great time. They left the next day for a three week tour of Eastern Europe -- river boating and driving. They are enjoying the trip and will return soon. Short Escape To See Great Art Gastone and I took a trip up to Solvang for an overnight getaway. Solvang was cold and surprisingly filled with people celebrating a Danish Christmas season. It was lovely. Before returning, we visited the California Nature Art Museum where we enjoyed the amazing work of David C. Gallup and Nansi Beilanski Gallup. The museum was filled with life and color and the amazing textures of the worlds coral reefs and the animals that live in that habitat. The title of the show is "A Deeper Love". I highly recommend it. Check out this link to see some of the work in the show: Click to see the show New Year Gastone and I celebrated the New Year by enjoying a delicious prime rib meal at a new favorite nearby restaurant. We joke about it because it is very old fashioned and many of the clientele are older like we are. But that night the place was hopping and we totally enjoyed ourselves -- of course we both ate and drank too much. Happy New Year!! By early January most of the family has returned. Tyler, who closed escrow on his first townhome just before he left for Italy, has been staying with us until he cleans, renovates and moves his stuff over to his new home. Then came the fires "Eaton Canyon Twilight" As the news began pouring in more and more of the world began watching in horror as four fires were whipped by fierce super Santa Ana winds. Our house was buffeted but at this point we were aware of how devastating the first were becoming. Far to the east of us, Eaton Canyon which is near Alta Dena and Pasadena began burning. (See my painting of Eaton Canyon above) I have painted in Eaton Canyon and around the area many times and many of my friends live in the area. North of us another fire called the Hurst fire began burning. It was on the far side of the San Fernando Valley and was heading toward the area where my oldest son and many of his family members live. South of us was the fire called the Palisades fire. Again, I have many friends who live in the area. Sadly Malibu -- from the beautiful golden hills to the ocean has burned many times over the last several years, but this fire was attacking a much more urban part of the Santa Monica Mountains. Then after a day of fire news a new fire was reported in an area which in past years has burned all the way to the sea. It was called the Kenneth Fire. The fires raged for days with constant reports of high winds and frantic and heroic efforts of the first responders. On Thursday we began to feel like we were in a war zone because the wind speed had died down a bit and the water dropping helicopters were flying over head back and forth between the reservoir near our home and the fires. We were constantly amazed by the relentless battle, and selfishly thankful that the winds were not blowing toward us. The fire fighters were playing wack-a-mole first heading toward one hot spot then toward another that would pop up. On Friday it got frightening for us. We followed the fight closely on an app called Watch Duty. The winds had changed direction and the fires were edging closer and closer to our neighborhood. The picture you see at the top of this blog was taken before our area was surrounded by mandatory evacuation orders.

We left On Friday we evacuated. The experience has left me with a lot of self reflection. What were the important things to take with us. We had a bit of time while we were monitoring the fire ,but it still was interesting how different we were in what we thought was important to "save". Of course we took a few clothes, underwear, - overnight stuff and our important papers like passports and deeds, etc. It was the "other stuff" that showed our different priorities. For example Tyler thought it was important for me to take my framed college diplomas - I never gave it a thought. I have so very many paintings on my walls -- those of my own and other wonderful artists that I love. I didn't take any art supplies. I shoved photo albums and a couple of my paintings of family members into the car along with all the "necessary" things, but.... wow. There was no way to save it all. Memories would have to "do". After your family is safe.... what IS important? We spent the first night at Tyler's house. He managed to shove a blow-up bed and his mattress into the car so we weren't on the floor, but it was a rough night. We drove on the next day up to Santa Barbara to be with our daughter and her family. It was a blessing to be away. Now we have returned to "normal" Although the fires are not really over, I think they are mostly under control. Several friends have totally lost their homes and others cannot move back to the homes that are still there because of toxins, no electricity, water or gas -- all things most of us just take for granted. I continue to remind myself that we are sooooo lucky. Most of us take our lives and our surroundings for granted. Even though I know I am incredibly lucky that I still have a home, I remind myself that we are at the mercy of nature, governments, time and just plain luck. SIAMO FORTUNATI. -- We are so very lucky...... Prayers to all who have lost their homes, their livelihood and their sense of safety. I will be donating to Wildfirerecoveryfund I'm also including an email newsletter that I subscribe to about hiking in our area. Read the interesting article about Eaton Canyon below The Wild - Eaton Canyon Nature Recovery

Learning from the Masters - A Visit to the Masters of the American West with the California Art Club

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Sun, 12 Mar 2023 23:30:00 +0000

Marian's painting
The Lookout
inspired by Dan Pinkham's
colors

One of my favorite annual art shows is right near my home. The Masters of the American West is held annually usually starting on Super Bowl Sunday and hanging for about a month at the Autry Museum near Griffith Park and the Los Angeles Zoo.

It's not that I'm a great "western art" fan, it's just that its an opportunity for me to see the recent work of some of my super favorite artists. Usually each year I head straight for the works of George Carlson, Len Chmiel, Dan Pinkham, Matt Smith and several artists.

This year partly because I'm trying to hang out more with my husband and partly because I thought it would be a great way to see the show through a "different lens" -- (always hoping to learn new things) I signed up for a guided tour through the California Art Club. The Club works hard to provide a whole range of opportunities for its members throughout the USA (but mostly in California). It also has special connections with the Autry. This tour was one part of their educational efforts.

We met on a drizzly morning and were welcomed by both the Autry staff and the CAC staff. The docent from the Autry discussed various artists and their work and I learned new things about artists such as Logan Hagege, Howard Post, Eric Bowman, William Ascheff and others. We were lucky as well because Peter Adams, President Emeritus of the California Art Club and his wife, Elaine were with us and Peter often chimed in with anecdotes and information about the art and the artists creating a fuller picture of what we were seeing in the exhibition.

Howard Post
Ranch On The Border

Russell Case
Skies of Autumn

Sandy Scott
Marsh Master

John Fawcett
The Dance
(Gastone's favorite)

One of my all-time favorite artists is George Carlson. Usually he has two or three large paintings in the show which I drool over. His multi-layered painting style intrigues and inspires me. He has a great sense of design and often deftly blends in abstractions into his paintings. This year, there was only one large painting. The docent said it was the most controversial painting in the show. It also was the painting that won two fabulous awards. I must say I did not care for it. I can appreciate WHY it was painted and I always am drawn to Carlson's application of paint, but I wouldn't want to have this painting in my home.

George Carlson "Mayday"

Before I talk about my other favorites, I'll mention that the Autry website has very good images of all of the work and (if you can afford them) there are a few of the pieces which are still available. I DO buy art. Even though I have far too many of my own paintings on the wall (such as the one you see at the top of this post,) when I find a painting from another artist I've studied with or one that I just love, and if I can afford it, I buy it. Of all the artists in this Master's exhibit, the only artists work I've been fortunate to be able to own have been one from Eric Merrill and one from Matt Smith. They both make me smile.

The Autry website also includes oral interviews of some of the artists in the show. I'm going to include the interview that Jim Rea did with Peter Adams because much of what is in the interview was what we heard during the tour from Peter himself as he described his own work.

My husband, Gastone, is a great salesman and it was Peter's talk which brought the work alive for him. What I thought of as a great description of the work, Gastone thought of as masterful salesmanship. He and my son, Jon-Paul discussed this afterwards during our lunch as story-telling -- an essential skill for a good salesman. We artists are often told that it's important to tell the story of the artwork to potential collectors. Peter's story-telling really brought home that point and made it absolutely real. He conveyed the joy, the history, the color, and the artistic considerations of his work.

The whole day was inspiring -- both as an artist and as a student who loves to learn from my expert husband and son about marketing. I wish I was as deft as they are!!

So the next images are those of my "usual favorites". Hopefully you can enlarge them to see them better through your screen. I will remind you also, that the images are available on the Autry "Masters of the American West" website.

Dan Pinkham's work:

Some of Len Chmiel's work:

And finally, Peter Adams' work which we all enjoyed hearing about as he described them:

If you live anywhere near the Los Angeles area I urge you to see the show in person. It hangs until March 26, 2023.

Revisiting The Abalone

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 00:54:00 +0000

I studied with master artist David C. Gallup for many years and always love reminiscing on some of those lessons and experiences.

Back in 2012 was when I first heard the "Lesson of the Abalone". Over the years while on trips to various far-off places, I've had my eye out for beautiful shells -- especially the abalones. In this painting, you will see an abalone my husband bought for me in Mikonos, Greece, a nautilus shell from a trip through Florida, and another abalone I picked up in a local swap meet. I love the colors of the shells and the feelings they evoke...

"Don't let the waves of others drown out your own ocean song.

Hold your heart as though it was a seashell.

And listen to it. Listen to its music. To the whispers of your ocean within. And then swim."

-S. C. Lourie

Since the new year began I've been struggling with some larger pieces.... I've been painting on them each day and although each day they get a bit better, they still seem to resist my efforts to be completely happy with them...

I have finally decided to take a breather... I'm not giving up, but instead, I thought it might be fun and refreshing to do a smaller painting which is completely different.

It WAS fun!... 😃. Abalones are always a challenge, but certainly being able to bring a painting to a level of satisfaction is good for my soul. I hope you enjoy the painting, too.

I thought it might be interesting for you if I revisited the original "Lesson of the Abalone" blog post from 2012. You can read it by clicking on this link:

The lesson of the abalone

Once I finally decided how to set up the various shells... (which one in front?, where to set the light source?, how do they overlap?, should I add other elements like other shells or onions or?????) I set out to determine the notan -- the value pattern. Here is the notan then a 3 value variation.

Early last year I decided to force myself to paint over old "not so great" paintings rather than purchase new panels all of the time. It hasn't been my finest resolution. Usually I don't need the extra distraction when I'm painting out in the field, so I forgo my resolution an start with a clean panel. However this time and with a fall painting I titled "Jack!" it did paint over an older painting. In this case, the older painting helped me with parts of the block in and painting. Surprise!

I took photos of the painting on the easel at various stages of paint application.

the "not so great" plein air I painted over

First steps..... lightest lights then darks

Almost there... photo at night ...studio light changes the look doesn't it?

Now I realize I need to make the dark areas of the shells darker...

..... Now the old last question...... Is it finished??? Who knows... I've uploaded it and will stare at it a while before I finally decide... But I think so. I posted it at the top....

Tell me.... What do YOU think about the lesson of the abalone??? I would love to hear from you.

Exploring Santa Cruz Island - The Largest of the Channel Islands - A Magical Adventure

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Sun, 23 Oct 2022 04:44:00 +0000

It Started Aboard the Conception
Each fall in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 I joined a group of painters aboard the dive boat Conception to paint, kayak, swim and hike around various of the Channel Islands off the coast of Southern California. Although we circumnavigated and painted off the coast of Santa Cruz Island and Anacapa Island, we did not go onto land there. We did hike, explore and paint on San Miguel, Santa Rosa and Santa Barbara. Each island has a distinct set of fascinating features and I totally enjoyed absorbing the island vibe over those years. I have always wanted to go back.

The memories and the friends I made from those painting trips have stayed with me all of these years. I blogged about the experiences so if you are interested, please feel free to browse the pictures and read the stories in those blog posts:

Click here to read blogs about the Channel Islands

Exciting New Opportunity!
I belong to a group of painters who live in and around Santa Barbara mostly because I used to go to UCSB and because my daughter and her family still live there. I've made several friends who paint with this group which helps support various environmental causes. The group is called S.C.A.P.E. (Southern California Artists Painting for the Environment). When I read in their newsletter that they were planning a show to support the University of California Reserve System and one of their paint outs was planned for the Field Station on Santa Cruz Island, I signed up right away!!

Most of the island is privately owned by the Nature Conservancy. The part most people visit is part of the Channel Islands National Park. That part is run by the U.S. Park Services. The UC Reserve System has cooperative agreements with both to help with conservation and to provide a base for students and staff to do research projects. The 17 painters who traveled to the island together stayed at the field station near the middle of the island. We brought food and slept in bunks. It was wonderful. The field station staff who live on the island and work for the UC Reserve System drove us in four wheel drive vehicles (quite necessary because of the steep and rough terrain) to various parts of the island where we painted and learned all about the plants and animals of the island. The island is 24 miles long and is as narrow as six miles in width. There is a fault line which cuts the island's length. Water to supply the plant and animal life is what comes from nature. Electricity is solar generated.

The island is incredibly varied in geology, plant life and has a variety of unique animals. The island bluejay is larger than the scrub jay of the mainland and the island fox is much smaller. The island fox was almost extinct on all of the Channel Islands because of our use of DDT many years ago. The main predatory bird on the islands used to be the bald eagle but they died off because the DDT weakened their shells. In their place the golden eagle came to the islands. Bald eagles dine on mostly fish while golden eagles found the foxes tasty. When the Nature Conservancy took over they worked with the park service and the UC Reserve system to try to eliminate non-native plant and animal species. They trapped and took the golden eagles back to the mainland and brought back breeding pairs of the bald eagles. Now the island foxes are thriving again. They have removed the sheep and cattle and hunted and trapped the wild pigs. They are still working to eradicate non-native plants. (I hope they don't get rid of all of the eucalyptus as I think they are really beautiful.)

We painted and explored the island from Friday after we arrived via the Island Packers boat to late Monday when we reboarded the boat to travel back to Ventura Harbor. What a terrific experience. I painted six plein air pieces -- some better than the others. I will use the plein air sketches, my photos and my wonderful memories to paint larger pieces (hopefully better) which I will submit for the SCAPE benefit show.

This is the first plein air piece I painted when we arrived at the field station:

UC Santa Cruz Field Station View Point
10" x 10". Oil/Linen panel

The SCAPE benefit will help support the UC Reserve System.

You can see all of the work which will be juried into the show on Saturday and Sunday,
December 3rd and 4th, 2022.

Come support the U.C. Reserve System and bring home a beautiful painting!

It will be at the Music Academy
1070 Fairway Road
Santa Barbara, CA. 93108

You Never Know......

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Sun, 28 Aug 2022 23:46:00 +0000

A Friend's Advice

My friend, Laura Wambsgans, is a wonderful artist whose work always sells well at the events where her work is shown. Even on the rare occasions when sales aren't brisk, she feels the event is worth it because of the connections she and her work make with people.

She has always told me that you never know about when and where those connections will lead. Sometimes to a new possibility, sometimes to a new friend and sometimes to a sale down the road. It seems she's right --- at least the last month has brought about a couple of happy surprises for me.

A Century of Women Painters West

Last November and December I had a large painting accepted as part of a fabulous exhibition at the Brand Library and Art Center in Glendale, California. The exhibit was created as a way to celebrate the 100th "birthday" or anniversary of Women Painters West, a large and diverse group of women artists. The premise was that participating artists would choose one of the founding artists and create their own piece of artwork as an homage to the founding artist.

I chose Marion Kavanaugh Wachtel. Wachtel was the wife of the more well-known California impressionist artist, Elmer Wachtel. However, I have always felt that her work -- both the water color work and the oil work -- was much better than that of her husband. I loved her work even before I knew she was a founding member of Women Painters West.

After several Covid-related delays, it seemed everyone was anxious to get out to a real in-person art event. The exhibition was a wonderfully planned and staged event and was very well attended during the time it hung at the well-known Art Center. I was proud to be a part of such an interesting event! Some of the work sold, but mine did not. It was, however, prominently displayed in a nice exhibition catalogue with artists' dialogue next to each of their works and was also displayed in an ongoing online exhibit. I was proud of my piece and enjoyed being part of a great group exhibition. I brought it home and it now hangs in my living room.

Surprises down the road

Now, 8 months after the show closed, I have received two different inquiries that were initiated by my work in that show. A few weeks ago an interested couple who had seen the painting at the show inquired through my website if the painting was still available and if I would be willing to lower the price. Because I thought the listed price was fair, we didn't come to an immediate agreement, but they indicated that they were still interested. Perhaps their finances will improve and they could make it work in the future. -- We'll see... you never know. I liked them and hope the piece ends up in their new home sometime in the near future. It did please me that they still were thinking about that piece after all of these months, though.

Then more recently a different person who had seen in the online show decided last week to look up my website. Perhaps she had also been reviewing the exhibition catalogue... Who knows. She browsed around my website and found two OTHER paintings which spoke to her. The two she chose reminded her of her time as a university student in Santa Barbara. Here are the two she has chosen for HER home:

I'm thrilled, of course. It makes me happy when my work can warm a home and put a smile on a face.

She picked up her new paintings today and my husband and I both enjoyed meeting her and learning a bit about her. It's thrilling to connect with people who connect with your art.

Another bonus of event like this, is that it forces me to look back at work I have done in the past and to realize that even though the work only graces my own home, it's pretty special. When I see artwork I created in the past it reminds me of happy places and happy times.

What makes you happy?

JULY -- FULL OF PROMISE ENDED AS A DIFFICULT MONTH WITH SILVER LININGS..

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 17:42:00 +0000

Follow The Leader has found a new home --

Missed all the gala events...

I've been unable to get out much this past month. I was so looking forward to celebrating my "Follow The Leader" duckie painting that was juried in to the California Art Club's 111th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition at the lovely Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. I bought a new dress and new shoes... I was all set to party.

On the way out the door to get my hair done, my husband came home from a luncheon with his friends in obvious distress. I rushed him to the hospital and there he remained being tested and poked and cared for all weekend. Needless to say, I never made it to the gala opening. I was very disappointed, but overwhelmingly happy that Gastone will be fine.

The next weekend was the gala for the Tehachapi Arts Council exhibit and sale. I still needed to stay near home to be with Gastone until the results of his more recent tests were analyzed. So another gala missed... but I had a good time together at home with Gastone. Nerve racking - but again - all seems to be resolving well.

In Isolation

Just as I was beginning to be relieved about Gastone, I began to feel lousy. I came down with Covid!! I've been vaxxed and double boosted, but going back and forth to the hospital or SOMEWHERE I seem to have caught the "VID". So I've been in isolation. Every test -- even on day 8 was positive. Yesterday, day ten, I finally am beginning to feel normal again. Again.... silver linings.... I wasn't really, really sick... just an almost comatose first day and then a cold and a lingering cough from then on.

So I spent my at home time cleaning out my painting room. (I am lucky to have a spare bedroom in the house which I had filled with old paintings, boxes and frames in no special order. It was dangerous to enter. ) Silver lining... now it's cleaned. I did a bit of a purge. This has always been difficult for me. Not because I think every painting I create is wonderful.... (or even good) but because so many of them remind me of special times or places. However... I prevailed and I'm getting better at the purge.... yet another silver lining.

And.... (YAY) my gold medal painting sold!! And my painting in the Tehachapi show also sold.... a very silver lining!!!

Revisiting and Redoing Older Paintings

While I was going through the purge, I found many of my older paintings that I felt I wanted to keep and make them even better. So I have spent a bit of time deciding what worked on certain paintings and what could be made better. The time to do that in itself is like a silver lining... (Of course I've also created some new clunkers too.... sigh) It has been fun.

Lots of time to read

I love to read murder mysteries. I have no idea why... perhaps it's the "who done it" aspect... but I like reading along and trying to stop the bad guys. Lately I've discovered the Louise Penny books featuring Inspector Gamache. I've read over ten in the series and I love them all although I wish I had read them in order... No matter -- each is great on its own. The one I'm reading now is titled, "The Long Way Home". As the Richmond Times Dispatch wrote: - It is 'A story that examines the making of art and the struggles of artists, 'The Long Way Home" is itself a work of art, a novel that transcends genre, engages heart and mind and, like all of Penny's work, leaves the reader awestruck by the depth of her skills and the decency of her spirit.'

Several quotes from the book are worth sharing here:

"Most people want to be led. But suppose they choose the wrong leader? They end up with the Donner party."
"Thinking is an action."
"Believe in using your head. But not in spending too much time in there. Fear lives in the head. And courage lives in the heart. The job is to get from one to the other."

Penny also uses a Robert Frost quote several times in the book:

“A poem begins with a lump in the throat; a homesickness or a love sickness. It is a reaching-out toward expression; an effort to find fulfillment. A complete poem is one where an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.”

"Fear lives in the head. And courage lives in the heart. The job is to get from one to the other. ---- "And between the two is the lump in the throat."

Penny's characters compare how a poem is begun with how a painting is begun.... I believe they are right.

A painting begins with a lump in the throat.... between fear and courage.... -- the silver lining

Painting Outdoors

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Sat, 05 Feb 2022 23:41:00 +0000

The Rock
12"x12" Oil on linen panel
Available

Finally!!!

Last October, my friends and I (the PAC6 - a group of 6 painters) finally emerged from our pandemic protective homes and ventured outside to paint together again.

We spent a week at a beautiful retreat in Carmel. This was our third such stay.

Rusty

It was a joy to get outside with friends and paint but it had been a while and I was rusty. I'd painted a lot in my studio at home, but it wasn't the same.

Morning shadows on the hills at Garrapata

On one of the mornings we ventured out to Garrapata. I was entranced by the deep shadow patterns on the hills beyond the main focus of the crashing waves and rock formations of Garrapata.

Three value block in

I quickly tried to capture the beautiful forms of the far shadows. Time passes quickly when you paint outside. The morning sun was rising and the shadows were changing rapidly so I tired to get their interesting shapes in first.

What am I trying to say?

It's always a battle with me. What am I trying to say. What was grabbing my immediate attention was that huge rock formation in the water being pounded by large and inspiring waves. I love the sea.

But wait... Isn't it about those hills and shadows??

Sigh... So now make sure you've got those shadows blocked in.... Just do it!

Darks...

Okay... now my darks of the shadows are in and my mid-tones of everything else is in.... I must leave room for the lights...

But don't be fooled.... Everything that is "white" isn't white and everything that is "white" isn't always lighter than other lights. Am I checking my values??

By now the sun was getting pretty high and the shapes and colors and really "what it was all about" had changed completely.

It was time to stop for the morning. This is how I left it

Three months later I revisited the plein air sketch you see to the right and while "finishing it up" I tried not to lose the things about it that I liked in the first place.

I have to say that plein air painting is exhilarating and wonderful. I need to keep going outside to enjoy our world and to try to bring a bit of it home to share with others.

The painting at the top was how it has ended up. Do you see what I was trying to "say"?😉😉

Musical Frames

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Sun, 02 Jan 2022 22:59:00 +0000

Malibu spring in a dark frame
Oil/linen panel
available

Malibu spring in a gold frame

Musical Frames?

Well, I'm not actually writing about frames which entertain the ear... I'm writing about frames which entertain the eye. If you are an artist (or maybe even if you're not) you've probably looked at paintings in different frames.

Right now for me, I'm trying to stop the habit of buying a new frame every time I have a painting I really like. It gets expensive! So recently when several of my paintings were juried into important shows, I decided to look though my "stash" of framed paintings.

"Paint paintings you love because they will most likely end up on your own walls."

My mentor and friend, David C. Gallup, has often told us this. He's not being cynical - he's being practical! And, for me it is true. The walls in my home are filled with paintings - many of which are my own. Of course I enjoy quite a few paintings from artists whose work I love (including David's) but many, many of those much-loved paintings are my own.

FASO's Framed View

My website, Fine Art Studio Online (FASO) is now offering a way for a potential buyer to see the framed view of a painting if it is available on your site. There are two little dots below the image of the painting. If you click them you can see the painting either unframed or framed. Which do you like better?

Which frame "fits" the best?

I took several paintings off the wall which were the right size and tried to decide which frame was best for the painting going to the museum show and which frame would look "just right" for the painting which would replace it on my wall. I was playing musical frames only there aren't any frames left over when the music stops..... (quite a few unframed paintings, though - LOL)

Sometimes I am surprised when I place a painting in a different frame because I thought it had looked great in the old frame. But now it looks better... and the one I removed from the frame will have to wait for a while in the unframed pile until my next game of "musical frames."

What about you??

Do you play musical frames too?? Comment below.

BEING HOPEFUL OR OVERLY OPTIMISTIC --- TAKING ADVANTAGE OF FASO'S CREATIVE FEATURES

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Thu, 18 Nov 2021 22:51:00 +0000

Sunshine and Reflections - Goleta Slough
Oil on stretched canvas
SOLD

Reconnecting because of FASO Newsletters

Several years back a college friend who was receiving my newsletter forwarded it to another friend who had also attended college with me. She was good enough to drop by one of my art receptions and say "hi". We hadn't seen each other in well over 30 years!! It was terrific. In 2012 she made it possible for me to show my art in a Solo Show at the Crain Art Gallery -- Part of the Crowell Public Library in San Marino, CA. It was a great experience!

This year I was invited to return to the gallery. My SOLO SHOW will hang in the Crain Art Gallery until January. The tags on each painting have the Title and a QR code which can be scanned using a smartphone to find out stories and provenance about paintings of interest AND there is a Pay Pal button if anyone wishes to purchase paintings.

RECEPTION
I'm very excited to be able to chat with friends and meet new people next Saturday, November 20, 2021.

Collectors

A previous collector contacted me to let me know that she would be at the reception. She had visited my website and had chosen two -- possibly three paintings she would like me to bring. She wanted them as presents for her daughter. YAY!

FASO Features

I decided to explore some of the features available such as the artwork and inventory reports.

There were several. I decided I liked the look of the report called a "wall label". I had already created labels using the QR codes because it would be the only way visitors to the gallery could find more details or even purchase artwork. HOWEVER, since I already had some potential sales, I decided to create sales receipts using the information on the wall tag plus price, sales tax and a "thank you". It gave the sales receipt a professional look that I liked.

Thank you, FASO

There are many great features that my FASO website provides. I don't use all of them but I did enjoy learning about some new features and trying to make them work even better for my needs.

What do you think?? What are the FASO features you like best???

I'm being hopeful -- probably overly optimistic so I created a "sales receipt" for each of the paintings in the show. Do you think I'll be able to use them????

Come on by the Crain Art Gallery this Saturday from 2-4 pm. I'd love to chat and to show you the artwork in the gallery.

Crain Art Gallery
Crowell Public Library
1890 Huntington Drive
San Marino, California 91108

Critiques and Growth

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 21:42:00 +0000

Garrapata Glare - Scattered Sunshine
8x16 Oil/panel
Available

Critiques are a touchy thing.

They are really only valuable if the artist whose work is being critiqued is able to accept sometimes unfavorable comments about the artwork they have worked so hard on.
They are only valuable if the artist respects the opinion of the person who is offering the critique.
They are only valuable if the artist is willing to use the ideas provided in the critique in further work.
They are also only valuable if the artist has enough of his or her own self-esteem to listen to a critique and to reject or accept ideas -- not to accept every idea offered.

While, in my opinion, it is necessary for artists who wish to continue growing to offer their work for critique, it is also awkward because in some ways it may seem like that artist is always a student. I think all artists should seek to grow and further develop their work and not remain stagnate and unchanging. How does one do it? Does one have to have an inner voice that guides change and leads to further developments? Perhaps the study of the work of historical artists and contemporaries to see what might be possible is what is necessary? Perhaps there needs to be some inner creativity that helps stretch our abilities and explore in ways others haven't?

Maybe that is why we learn about famous artists in history who became friends and painted together. Perhaps they critiqued one another's work just as friendly banter and not as formal critiques necessary for growth.

I keep trying to get better - to learn new ways of seeing and applying paint - to create a uniqueness that is all my own. Should I rely on my own inner eye to critique my work or continue to seek input from others?

I wonder sometimes how artists become unique. Take Zoey Frank. I recently discovered her work and am in awe. First of all her artistic skills are superb. Her earlier work is technically brilliant but while brilliant, the work wasn't over-the-top different. Now, however, she seems to be reaching out and applying her talent and wonderful skills in a new and uncommon way. She seems to have taken a bit of this and a bit of that and a lot of her own "whatever" to create interesting, creative and inspiring new work that a viewer can look at over and over and each time discover a new something to smile about. Check out her website for more information:

I wonder who are Zoey Frank's muses?

There probably is never a one size fits all answer. I wonder if you have an answer. Feel free to comment below.

I guess I'll keep on looking at other people's work, exploring my own sense of beauty and trying new things. I may never be as unique as Zoey Frank, but I'll be happy if I can please myself as I continue on in this journey.

Playing With Paint - Brushwork

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Mon, 08 Mar 2021 03:35:00 +0000

BRUSHWORK -- MAKES ALL OF THE DIFFERENCE

Once again as I continue on this journey of playing with paint I find myself entranced by the beauty and variety of brushwork in paintings I like. Yet I still and will probably always struggle with appropriately using the vast variety of paint applications in ways that please me.

A while back I read this quote and liked it so much I put it on my wall near my easel:

"One can fall into the trap of believing there is a large chasm between abstract painting concepts and the goals of traditional realism. I feel that paint and its application is just as important as the subject matter. Hopefully the viewer will enjoy the surface quality and brush marks as much as the image depicted, because it is the paint itself that holds the toil, and the triumph of the artist." --Jonathan McPhillips

As usual, reading and believing something doesn't always make it happen in the brush, but I'm working on it. I am looking a all sorts of brushwork --- curating what I like best and also realizing that some paintings call for a certain type of brushwork while others benefit from another. All the more reason to practice until many of those brush marks are part of my repertoire.

“Bora Bora at Six Meters”

Oil on Wood by David C. Gallup 2021

I thought you might enjoy seeing some examples of the wide variety of brushwork that I've been admiring lately.

I'll start with my friend and mentor, David C. Gallup who during the last year as we've been on lockdown has done classes through Zoom. I actually LOVE these Zoom classes!

Dave uses every tool available to create the interesting textures, features and the stories in his art. He is a maestro with the brush, loaded, of course, with beautiful swirls of paint. But he also uses a variety of squeegees, paper towels, scrapers and other tools to make his art. He designs, scrapes off, paints over, blends, redesigns and ends up with wondrous and unique creations. His work can be photo realistic in places and in other parts the work creates mystery and additional beauty. This is one of his newer creations. He always saves room for the "person sized hole" -- the mysterious place for the viewer to add his/her own meaning. Check out his website.

As I've studied with Dave, we have talked about the work of so many other artists.

Of course Monet's impasto paint application is legendary.

I visited the Monet exhibit of work from his later years when it was showing up in San Francisco a few years back. I have to admit that his later work isn't as appealing to me as it is to so many. I did gain an appreciation of it though, when I read the book about his life titled, "Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies" by Ross King.

It became clear to me that in a way these last paintings were the beginnings of the abstract expressionist movement.

Among my favorite painters are Dan Pinkham and George Carlson. Each, of course, are widely different, but there seems to be a similarity in their brushwork. Layers upon layers of carefully planned paint seemingly placed in just the right spot and perhaps sometimes scraped or sanded off to reveal just the right colors to thrill and stir the imagination. Try as I might to capture the beauty of their paint layers, it hasn't happened yet.

Recently I was attempting to paint a scene from my husband's hometown, Venice, Italy. So far it has been a disaster, but while trying to master my painting I looked at many paintings done by Jove Wang and while much of his extremely lose and expressive brushwork is so attractive in HIS work, I really don't like it in my own. Here is one lovely example I enjoyed:

I have studied a bit with Matt Smith - I enjoy his easy style and deftness with the brush --- especially his wonderful rocks.

He always manages to create lovely shapes and forms by moving his brush in different directions, using different pressures and by pushing and pulling paint to create the shapes he wants.

When trying to paint a figure recently I decided to look at the colorwork and brushwork of Nicolai Fechin. David has often referred to a desert painting done by Fechin which each of us saw when visiting the Sorolla exhibit down in Balboa Park, San Diego. Although I admit that Fechin used soooo many devices to achieve his goals, I don't like the painting. But when I saw the painting on the right, I bought a book and a video to learn more about his brushwork.

There are so very many artists whose brushwork I love... Who could possibly achieve mastery of all of it? Well I'll just leave you with a few more to delight your eyes:

Derek Penix

Dan McCaw

(I also like his older work which is less contemporary but still has beautiful brushwork.)

Quang Ho

Len Chmiel

His use of abstractions in so many

of his designs makes my heart sing!

And speaking of design.... Check out the work of RON KINGSWOOD.... But I digress... I'll save this discussion for another blog post.

Who are your favorite masters of paint applications?

I'd love for you to read my other blog posts. Please click THIS LINK!!!😀

Inspiration.... Stealing, Borrowing, Learning... Whatever it takes...

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Fri, 10 Jul 2020 20:54:00 +0000

The Lookout
18"x14" O/L panel
www.marianfortunati.com

Several years ago a book came out by Austin Kleon which was titled "Steal Like An Artist". I read it and loved it. The idea spoke to me because, as an educator, I know that every idea is connected to something before it.

Somehow it got onto Facebook and people either loved the title or the idea as I had or hated it because they felt that Kleon was saying that all artists steal their ideas and nothing is original. - They hadn't read the book, obviously. Here are a few quotes from his book:

“Draw the art you want to see, start the business you want to run, play the music you want to hear, write the books you want to read, build the products you want to use—do the work you want to see done.”
“Plagiarism is trying to pass someone else's work off as your own. Copying is about reverse-engineering.”
“Imitation is about copying. Emulation is when imitation goes one step further, breaking through into your own thing.”
“The trouble with creative work: Sometimes by the time people catch on to what’s valuable about what you do, you’re either a) bored to death with it, or b) dead. You can’t go looking for validation from external sources. Once you put your work into the world, you have no control over the way people will react to it.”
“People love it when you give your secrets away, and sometimes, if you’re smart about it, they’ll reward you by buying the things you’re selling.”
“Seeing yourself as part of a creative lineage will help you feel less alone as you start making your own stuff. I hang pictures of my favourite artists in my studio. They're like friendly ghosts. I can almost feel them pushing me forward as I'm hunched over my desk.”
“What to copy is a little bit trickier. Don’t just steal the style, steal the thinking behind the style. You don’t want to look like your heroes, you want to see like your heroes.”

Years ago my husband and I enjoyed a BBC series of programs called "Connections". Each program took the viewer through history from one item we might take for granted today to the invention which made it possible. Then even further to the one before that and so on and so on. Most of us don't even think about all of the little inventions, alterations, enhancements which enabled the next inventor to create his or her invention. Nothing comes from a vacuum.

Let's take the painting above called "The Lookout". I was inspired by a hike I took several years ago to a new area. I saw many wonderful sights, made sketches and took lots and lots of photos.

Fast forward several years and one of my classmates in David Gallup's class painted a series of successful bird paintings. Now this classmate is a veterinarian and has a very good eye for correct anatomy etc. While accurate, her paintings went beyond accurate rendering and were compelling and inspiring. In every class, David will bring out examples of artwork which illustrate various ideas and lessons he wants us to assimilate - (steal?). Many "favorites" are pulled from the shelf or, now that we're online, from the internet, to demonstrate a color progression or how blue or purple or orange skin is "just right". Maybe he'll show some of the various types of edges or a series of choices about design. Since I have virtually no art history education except through David, I've totally embraced this method of teaching. David knows about artists from history and also more contemporary artists and shares this information regularly. I learned about design in Bob Kuhn's animal work and more recently about the unusual designs in Ron Kingswood's work. Years ago David introduced me to Dan Pinkham's work. I have to admit that I didn't like it at first. Over the many years that I've studied with David he has helped me to see differently. Now I love Pinkham's work. I have always liked Dan McCaw's older work and now really like his newer, more contemporary work.

We had a wonderful class discussion last week (on Zoom) about a whole series of contemporary artists as many of my fellow students are exploring less traditional ways of expression than I wish to use. We discussed Jean-Michel Basquiat and Sy Twombly. We've seen Rocky Hawkins' work and lots and lots of Alex Kanevsky's. We look at work from Fred Cuming who has a foot in abstract and another in realism - all at the same time. David always laughs at me and says that I come kicking and screaming into his teachings. Maybe that's a little true. It does take me a while to warm up to some of the less traditional work but I do see how I can learn from these works. I see how I might take a little from here and a little from there. Is that stealing? Is that borrowing, channeling, learning or is it simply growing and developing?

The painting called "The Lookout" came from a scene I saw on my hike, but it is also altered in many ways for design, for color, for putting it in a different historical time frame. Did I "steal" the bird idea from my fellow student Kathy? Maybe I loved the quail idea because I absolutely love George Carlson's and Len Chmiel's quails? Did I move the various quails around in the picture plane because I "stole" how to use Adobe Illustrator to make a more compelling design from Ray Roberts? Did the abstract squiggles of Sy Twombly influence my design? Did I steal the beautiful use of color transitions from Dan Pinkham or from David Gallup?? How about the brushwork? Is that stolen from David Gallup?

****

Whether we steal from one another or learn from one another, David always has stressed the importance of studying great art. Sadly, with my lack of art education, I tend to stick to what I already know, and that doesn't enable me to grow. I know what I like, but wouldn't be able to expand out and realize the possibilities of other types of "great art". I realized again last week how important it is to have a great guide along my path. -- Thanks, David!

What do you think? Should we all simmer in our own pool or should we steal, borrow, absorb and grow?

Monet's "Mad Enchantment"

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Thu, 30 Apr 2020 23:07:00 +0000

Last year around this time I visited the deYoung Museum in San Francisco, CA to see the Monet Exhibit. I was traveling with my painting buddy, Laura Wambsgans, and we met my friend from college, Beverly Dahlstedt, who lives in the Bay Area.

It was a terrific day and we all enjoyed seeing the work first hand while comparing our thoughts and experiences. Beverly had visited the show before and had some insights. I guess we all bring little bits of knowledge of Monet's life and work with us whenever we view his work. (She's the one who pointed out the red dots that you can see is so many of his water lily paintings.)

Monet's earlier works are among my favorites, but it was interesting to see this group of artwork from his later years after his fame and after his eyesight became clouded with age and cataracts.

During this last year an artist friend recommended a book about Monet which I found fascinating. It was called, "Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies" and was written by Ross King.

The book covers most of Monet's life but really delves deeply into the late years when he painted the paintings I had seen at the deYoung exhibit. As I read it, I wished I could once again browse through the rooms to examine the work being discussed in the book.

I found the whole historical background and social / political connections related to Monet's success and status really engaging.

Because of his early success and many social connections, his fame and wealth was greatly enhanced. He was great friends with Georges Clemenceau who became France's leader during World War I. His many artist, literary and political allies helped him weather the ups and downs of life and art.

World War I surrounded him in his self imposed isolation in his beloved gardens at Giverny. His work was in collections and museums around the world. He was one of the world's wealthiest and most celebrated painters, but as time passed younger artists such as Matisse and Picasso were challenging his achievements.

The Spanish flu pandemic began a great trail of death, but Monet remained safe and secluded with his gardens and ponds.

The book tells the story of the creation of the "Water Lilies". One would have thought he could find peace and solace during this time because of his isolation, but he was driven almost mad to create this "asylum of peaceful meditation".

By 1914, French newspapers were reporting that the 73 year old artist had retired his brushes. He had lost his beloved wife, Alice and his eldest son, Jean. His vision which the French felt had been almost magical was blurred by cataracts. But despite ill health and a great deal of self-doubt he began this series of immense paintings which would one day be considered his best paintings. During these last years he raged. He painted then destroyed his own paintings. But he painted and painted and painted even more.

He had promised the French government all of these paintings on the condition that they build an oval exhibit hall just for them. The negotiations went on for years and years. But even after the government had completed the exhibit hall to his specifications, he refused to give them up.

Finally, after he died, the paintings were installed in Muse'e de l'Orangerie in Jardin Tuileries, Paris, France.

By that time, the people of France had lost interested in his work and for many years almost no one visited the museum to see his work.

It wasn't until after World War II when Americans went to Paris under the GI bill to study art and painting that his work was rediscovered and Monet's name once again became revered.

It was loose and wild and very expressionist and it fit right in with America's Abstract Expressionist movement.

The paintings at the de Young Museum are not the same ones as I would see at the l'Orangerie but the majority are from the same period in Monet's life.

One day I hope to go to Paris to see the paintings installed in l'Orangerie and to visit his beloved gardens at Giverny.

Have you ever been??

If you want a good read, check out Ross King's book!!

I've started his book about Brunnelleschi's Dome in Florence Italy. So much to learn. So much to admire about and from the people in our history.

Seeing a Different Realism

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Sun, 15 Mar 2020 23:06:00 +0000

David Gallup
David Gallup has been my teacher, my mentor and my friend since I joined a wonderful group of artists he had gathered together to paint and explore California's Channel Islands. That was in September of 2010. (Click here for blog posts about these trips -- Start in 2010 to see earliest posts.)

At the time, David was in the process of painting for a hugely important and successful show at the Weisman Museum near Malibu, CA and it was fascinating to watch many of the paintings for the show evolve. After that initial trip, I was privileged to join groups for four more annual painting adventures and, more importantly, I began studying with him regularly.

Studying with David

During those early years David's work was centered around plein air experiences on and about the Channel Islands and, while impressionistic, his work was more easily described as traditional. Over the years David's work has continued to evolve. Still based on realism, he has incorporated his love of the undersea wonders, of scuba diving and of working together with his wife, Nansi Beilansky Gallup, on some jointly created paintings. Now his work seeks to create interest through more contemporary notions of motion, distortion, design, color, texture and wonder. As always, though, when he teaches us how to work through the problems we create for ourselves as we move forward on our own paths, he not only does demos to illustrate an example but he uses the work of the masters - both living and dead --as examples to help us visualize how to progress. Although most people paint during the class, this last year, I have chosen to listen, ask questions, bring paintings in for critique and to watch the critique of others. It is always inspiring.

Challenges
My latest challenge (among many) is trying to wrap my head around design. I have tried to read all of the usual books. I have even taken a workshop with David about design. Somehow, I still struggle to figure out how to implement these ideas into my own paintings in the best way.

Ron Kingswood - Compelling Oddness
A few months back David showed us the work of Ron Kingswood. Wow! I find Kingswood's use of really well-done realism juxtaposed into very unusual - even odd - designs really compelling. Although my rendering skills don't compare to Kingswood's, I've been experimenting with various designs trying to have fun and create odd and perhaps compelling designs of my own. Here are several of Kingswood's work:

I'd love to know your thoughts on Kingswood's work. (Go ahead... add a comment!) Also... what you might have to say about your own efforts to experiment and challenge yourself -- I mean as long as we are all supposed to be practicing "social distancing" why not experiment and play with paint.

Move the "f....ing" duck

I love bringing work in to class for critiques. Following several class discussions, live on-the-spot David demonstrations, and then displays of examples of Kingswood's work, here are a couple of paintings I tried (and then changed) of a very ordinary drainage ditch near my home. As mentioned, my drawing skills don't come close to Kingswood's, so moving an element like a duck to improve a design is no small matter..... but I did it. Fun!


The wash And the wash with ducks in it

The top photos are of the wash near my house which often delights because of the ducks who love to eat the slime and duckweed which grows there.

The three in the middle are photos of my "Ducks In A Row" painting as it morphed and with a little 5 minute demo David did to illustrate a point.

The two on the bottom are my "Duckies" versions. I would imagine you can't tell much difference between the two, but the last one is after I "moved the f*&%ing duck" on the right 1/2 to 3/4 inch down so it would not align with the edge of the slime on the left. Design - composition - judgement.... always a challenge.

A fun note.... AS I WAS WRITING THIS BLOG ........David called me to let me know that our regular class will be suspended during this virus outbreak. He wants to experiment with doing virtual classes and I think it's a TERRIFIC idea!! Go David! We all benefit.

STAY HEALTHY!!

One of the downsides of having to stay away from everyone is the depression and isolation people feel who are forced to self quarantine. Hopefully none of us gets sick from the virus, but we all need to exercise our bodies, our minds and our emotions to stay well. So good for David!

Visiting the Masters

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Sat, 15 Feb 2020 02:56:00 +0000

Every February I enjoy the "Masters of the American West" Exhibit at the Autry Museum near Los Angeles, CA. Whenever possible I try to go on the Sunday after it opens, because often the artists who attend the exclusive opening of the show to meet big time collectors return the next day on Sunday to meet and discuss their work with those who don't have the big bucks to collect their most pricey work. I'm one of those.

Although I do collect artwork and even own some small gems from great artists, some of the artists' work in the Masters show fetch rather huge sums and I am not in a position buy them. The smaller pieces are almost always all sold by the end of the first day, anyway.

Dan Pinkham

While I may not be able to own most of the work, I certainly can enjoy it and learn from it. The bonus is when the artists are there to share stories about their work. There were many pieces that stood out for me. I'm sure when I return (luckily the Autry isn't too far from my home) to just absorb them a bit more, I will find others to appreciate.

Dan Pinkham

I totally enjoyed my time there. I saw many artists friends that I sometimes paint with and we shared insights and opinions. I got to see see several other admired artists that I don't often get to chat with so that was also a bonus.

George Carlson

I felt lucky to spend time chatting with Dan Pinkham about the thoughts and techniques behind several of his pieces and he told some fun stories about his family, his efforts at home building and his plans for creating artist retreat in the future. He is a gifted story-teller and had everyone entertained.

George Carlson

I also got to talk with Jennifer Moses and Chris Kirkegaard. Jennifer, who is also inspired by Dan Pinkham's work, is the inspirational artist I wrote about in my last blog post. Her friend Chris Kirkegaard makes frames to die for. One day I hope to create work which is surrounded by a beautiful Kirkegaard frame.

I have my favorites and look forward to see what they have created for this show in the year since the last show. I like to look from a distance and from far away. Both Dan's and George Carlson's work is layered and sanded and layered again. They are both beautifully designed.

I have taken a workshop with Dan. I enjoyed a Mentor day with George Carlson. I have taken a workshop with Matt Smith and I study Len Chmiel's book often.

Those favorites didn't disappoint. I can't show them all, so here are just a few.

Matt Smith

Although it's a close call, I think this painting by Len Chmiel is my favorite from the show. He doesn't always do the thick, thick layered paint like Pinkham and Carlson, but oh, my, does this painting just GLOW!!! Generally I admire his paintings because so many of them have such terrific almost abstract designs which still being firmly in the traditional realism genre.

Len Chmiel

Len's other painting was also interesting to me because I was currently painting a snow scene with brush and tree in the backgrand. Guess what? He did it better.

Len Chmiel

If you can, try to magnify the work so that you can see the brushwork and layering of each. So much to admire. So much inspiration.

If you get a chance to go, don't miss the Masters of the American West!

Finding Inspiration

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Wed, 05 Feb 2020 00:54:00 +0000

Jennifer Moses "Fire and Ice"

I recently attended a "Learn and Mingle" Session hosted by the California Art Club and featuring the work of Jennifer Moses.

Jennifer Moses "Fire and Ice"

I first met Jennifer in 2010 aboard the dive boat Conception during a week-long painting adventure to the Channel Islands off the coast of Southern California. The trip was led by my friend, teacher and art-mentor, David C. Gallup. It was the first of several wonderful painting trips to the islands. David had asked Jennifer along to assist him as he and she offered help to the group of artists on board. She had been his student for several years and he knew her skills to be top-notch.

Jennifer Moses "Matilija Poppies - Spring Bloom"

Over the years I have admired Jennifer's work and have attended shows and presentations she's done in the past. Her work represents many of the things I would like to emulate. I don't want to paint just like Jennifer. I don't want to paint just like David. But I would like to learn how they make their magic so I can use bits of it in my own work. In his book, "Steal Like An Artist", Austin Kleon advocates learning from many different sources. Picasso was said to have said, "good artists copy, great artists steal."

Jennifer learned from other artists including Dan Pinkham. She studied with David Gallup. I expected to learn from Jennifer during this presentation. We all build our own "look" or style from things we take from other artists we admire. You can see the color mixing influences of Pinkham and Gallup in her work, yet she has added her own specialness. She has gotten many awards for her tonal work, but I confess I like the pieces with subtle color better.

Jennifer Moses "The Clearing"

Although her plein air work is wonderful, it was the studio work I was most interested in hearing about as the brushwork and "feel" are intriguing. I enjoyed hearing a bit about her technique and work habits. She is a hard worker! I didn't know that she used the palette knife for a good part of her work. She also uses a hand sander to deal with certain passages - something I've heard David talk about, but have yet to try.

It was a fun afternoon. Of course I always enjoy smoozing with fellow artists and seeing those I don't see on a regular basis, but I definately did come away inspired! Thank you, Jennifer.

To see my current work and to check whether I actually have encorporated what I may have learned from Jennifer, check my website at www.marianfortunati.com.

GIFTS TO ALL OF US... Reflections on a visit to the Hilbert Museum to see "Gifted" - The art collection from Gardena High School

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Fri, 27 Sep 2019 21:52:00 +0000

Class of 1921
Edgar Payne
Rockbound

GIFTED

I had heard about this exhibit from several sources, some through word of mouth as I worked in LAUSD. A former colleague who knew I liked art wrote me a long note about his visit to the collection and encouraged me to see it a couple of months ago. I also read about it in several magazine articles. One of the best articles came from the August, 2019 edition of American Art Review.

But I didn't take the time to drive down to Orange, CA to see it until yesterday. My friends, Sharon Weaver and Laura Wambsgan and I wanted to see it before the exhibit closed in mid-October.

I urge you not to miss it if you can go!!

Class of 1922
Hanson Duvall Puthuff
Morning In Montrose

Starting in 1919 the senior class of Gardena High School, which primarily cam from a small farming community in southwest Los Angeles County with low population density, a diverse populace and not a lot of money compared to other parts of the county began selecting, purchasing and donating works of art to the high school as class gifts.

Despite changing times - the depression, World War I, Japanese internments, each year until 1956, the students added to the collection.

Most of the work prior to the depression era were those of the California Impressionists. These are the ones I loved best, but the entire collection is magnificent.

Class of 1924
Orrin A. White
The High Sierras

Starting in 1919, the Principal, John H. Whitely and his teaching staff encouraged the students to visit artists' studios in small groups with a teacher. They learned about art from the artists themselves. Many of these artists of the time lived in and around the Arroyo Seco area of Pasadena.

Principal Whitely described the artworks as "silent teachers".

Class of 1925
Franz A. Bischoff
A Cool Fog Drifting

Many of the artists whose work is included in the collection worked en plein air or outdoors, finishing their canvases in the field or in their studios working from outdoor studies.

They came from all over the country and the world and enjoyed Southern California's beauty and mild climate.

Class of 1924
William Wendt
Along the Arroyo Seco

Class of Winter 1946
Marion Kavanagh Wachtel
Mt. Moran, Teton National Park

Imagine if you will, a high school where senior students had a class called Senior Problems that was a requirement of graduation. Students voted on the Class Gifts after weeks of study and discussion. Ten paintings were chosen for extended examination giving students, teachers and visiting artists time to discuss their essential qualities. Heated debates about the merits of the paintings were common and encouraged.

Class of 1928
John Frost
Desert Twilight

In 1928 the high school began to invite one hundred regional artists to submit paintings to an annual invitational Purchase Prize Exhibit. Students organized the exhibits and hosted the gala special teas, receptions and events. The general public and other students from other schools were invited. This became a primary venue for Southern California artists and was closely watched by the art critics from the LA Times, the Art Digest, The Christian Science Monitor and other media of the times. It was considered the cultural event of the year in 1930!

These events continued even through the tough depression years, WWII and when Gardena HS lost about 1/3 of their student body to the internments.

In the thirties, the Public Works of Art Program, part of the New Deal arts program donated several paintings and works on paper from the PWAP.

Class of Summer 1943
Jessie Arms Botke
Cranes Under a Giant Fern

There are seventy-two works of art in the Gardena High School Art Collection. During the early years, works were exhibited in the school library. Later, in 1923 Gardena High School designed its new auditorium to properly house the permanent collection. It was the first public gallery in Southern California for regional art. When the high school moved to a new campus in 1956, the collection largely went into storage and became unavailable for viewing by the public.

At the end of the school year in 1956 with the expansion of the student population and less room to display artwork, the principal announced the end of the program.

Class of Summer 1944
Maynard Dixon
Men of the Red Earth

I will include a few more examples from the collection below, but really, to see them in person is absolutely inspiring!! - ENJOY the gifts from these artists, students and educators.

Class of Summer 1947
Loren Roberta Barton
Day's End

Class of Summer 1934
Dean Cornwell
Weeping Over Jerusalem

Class of Summer 1938
Carl Clemens Moritz Rungius
Along the Slope

Class of Summer 1945
Sam Hyde Harris
Desert Design

Marian's work is included in American Art Collector Magazine!

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Wed, 03 Jul 2019 23:03:00 +0000

The Editors of the American Art Collector Magazine contacted me because they had discovered images of my seascape/coastal artwork. Their June issue would feature coastlines and my work would be included. I was thrilled!

They selected two images for this article. One, "Skimming The Cambria Coast" is on this page.

The other, "Sea Foam and Shadows" is on this page. (although a bit dark in this copy.)

They included a nice little paragraph about my work and philosophy below.

FASO's Always Trying To Promote Our Art

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 23:39:00 +0000

Daybreak Over The Grand Canyon
12x12 Oil/Linen
SOLD

FASO
I have my main website on FASO (Fine Art Studio Online). It's professional looking, easy to use, provides fabulous customer service, is relatively inexpensive and has a huge variety of templates and color schemes so you don't look EXACTLY like all of the other websites out there.

BLOG
As I said in my last blog post, it also incorporates a blog, a newsletter and many other features which allow the artist to self promote. As Jim commented in my last post, the blog is mostly read by other artists... sort of "preaching to the choir", but that's okay... artists buy art too. I know I do, at least.

Since the beginning of the year, I've had a few sales which were not from galleries or shows. This is something I find particularly gratifying because somehow it verifies that a NEW collector is looking at my art... not just the group that frequents a certain gallery. The first two paintings were purchased by a new collector who had seen some of my work up in a show in Santa Barbara, but the one she had been interested was already sold so she has been following my website for about a year. Hmmm... Interesting and wonderful of course.

Then I received an inquiry from a person in Arizona who didn't want to use PayPal. (My work has prices listed with a PURCHASE button which goes through PayPal.) In almost every case the inquiries from people who didn't want to use PayPal in the past were scammers, so I was wary. BUT I was happy to find out that this person was a real person with a real interest in my work. While discussing payment and shipping arrangements, I asked how they happened to come across my work.

Multiple Marketing Efforts by FASO
Apparently she receives the Informed Collector Newsletter from FASO. She is not an artist although she has ties to theater arts and enjoys fine art. The particular Informed Collector Edition was one which had lists of upcoming show receptions on it.

Special Edition USA Gallery & Museum Exhibits Issue #SPEXUS121

February 1st - 7th, 2019

Sequit 12x12 O/L
Available

I always put my upcoming shows in my upcoming events section of the website and FASO gathers relevant ones for this edition of I.C. They also have editions with articles about specific artists or those they consider especially noteworthy. This particular issue had one featured show and several regional shows. My work was in a show called "Blue".

The collector had evidently been looking at several of the artists in these newsletters but found that she liked my work and thought my price range was reasonable. She selected the Grand Canyon piece because it was from near her home. (I had a wonderful Grand Canyon painting adventure a while back and have several paintings created from the places I was awed by.) (Click this link to read about the adventure (LINK) )

WELL THANK YOU, FASO!!!💕❤💖💋🌹👍

Incidentally, after all payments were arranged, but before I had shipped the painting FASO came out with another promotion which included this:

Marian Fortunati

Oh Beautiful 9x12 O/L SOLD

Learn More

I also found out when I was looking at new subscribers to my newsletter that FASO indicates those which have come to by website through ART ALERTS such as those two kinds you see above. I have several new subscribers to my newsletter because of these efforts on FASO's part.

Would you like to sign up for my newsletter -- Get the latest updates on shows, current thoughts and perhaps some news you can use?
Sign up here:

EMAIL NEWSLETTER SIGN UP

I've been with FASO for over 10 years and they keep changing, improving tweaking and trying to market our art!! You can tell I'm a great believer!!!

How about you. What web service do you use for your business?

Blogging, Social Media and Other Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Sun, 03 Mar 2019 00:06:00 +0000

Awakening 8x16 Oil/Linen
Available

When I started blogging way back in March of 2008, I was blogging using Google's Blogspot. I had developed my own art website by myself and it didn't have any of the great features of my current website by FASO. It didn't have a blog or a newsletter or anything except a place to display my work.

For years I really enjoyed blogging because it was one way to connect with other people who had similar interests. It was also a way for me to keep track of life, really. I explored and shared thoughts about what was happening -- mostly around my art, but also about family and life and adventures in the world. I documented many of the workshops I took and shared what I had learned. (Those seemed to be especially popular with other artists.) I really enjoyed writing -- and I wrote either daily or several times a week.

Spring Enchantment 11x14 Oil/Linen
Available

Even after I signed up with FASO I continued to use my Blogspot blog AND my FASO blog because there were still people I was connected to that weren't part of the FASO group. All in all until this post there were 756 posts on the Blogspot blog.

Whenever I copied the info from Blogspot to FASO, I tried to steer readers from Blogspot to FASO because I wanted them to look at my art which really became the reason I thought to start blogging in the first place.

Twitter 7x5 Oil/Panel
Available

Somehow, though, with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and with fewer and fewer friends using blogging to connect, I now rarely blog. This post is the first I've done in 6 months or so. Looking back over many of those years of posts, I realize it was a FABULOUS way to keep track of so much of what was happening in life.

Facebook is nice and really does reach more of my friends from my education career and it connects me with people I might not have known otherwise, using social media isn't as satisfying as writing or analyzing my thoughts by blogging.

What are your experiences?
Did you ever blog?

Do you still blog?

If so, why?

If not, why?

How do you think blogging compares with the various social media platforms?

From Venice With Love

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 21:26:00 +0000

To celebrate meeting 48 years ago in Venice, my husband Gastone and I decided to travel together back to Venice and then take a cruise to the Greek Isles. Gastone usually visits home without me. And he usually avoids summer because of the sticky heat and the crowds. But Tyler wanted to go and then we all visited.
It has been a great trip!!

Enjoying a first day in Venice

Coming home in the vaporetto

Music in Saint Mark Square

Family

Lion near Bassano

More proof of Venetian influence

Bassano

The Veneitan Lion

All of us have enjoyed it and the cruise was a welcome break to see new visits, escape the humidity and heat briefly and just chill.
We stayed at Gastone's parents home. They both passed away last year so it was a convenient place to stay as our home base. My in-laws Roberto and Vania took us on a few trips when they weren't working. And of course we ate well everywhere.

We went to Burano one day and plan to go to Chioggia tomorrow for our anniversary.

I took many pictures of the Venetian lion which was sort of a seal indicating the reach of the Venetian Republic. Most of the Greek Isles had at one time been either part of the republic or sort of a stopping off port for crusaders who traveled on the Venetian ships. The Veneto area includes Bassano where we went the first weekend and CastelBrando where we visited the weekend when we returned.

Leone

Colorful Burano

Burano

The church where we were married.
Santa Maria dei Miracoli

Santa Maria de Miracoli

More lion "proof"

Back in Venice

The Lion in Saint Mark Square

The Moors and the Lions

Roberto's Glass Store
Marco Polo International

Saint Mark as seen from our Norwegian Cruise Ship "Star"

Corfu

OPA!
Tyler tries Uzo.

Corfu

The main atrium of the cruise ship

Leaving Corfu

Lion in Corfu

Santorini was quite a surprise!

From the top of Santorini... a volcanic crater.

Mykonos

The Bridge of Sighs

Saint Mark Square

Roberto's glass shop

I took photos from Dubrovnik using a waterproof camera because Tyler and I went kayaking along the coast. I won't have those photos back until we return home and I can have them developed. (I almost don't remember what using film is like!!) The highlight for Tyler of THAT trip was his jump off a 30 foot cliff into the ocean.

All in all it was a great trip!!!

Hope you enjoyed my photos and also hope that you will have an adventure of your own to share.

Venice is truly the city of love!!!

Dawn Patrol - Prelude to a wonderful art party and paint out

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Fri, 22 Jun 2018 20:50:00 +0000

Dawn Patrol 9x12 O/L Available

I was anticipating the upcoming gathering at Laura and Dwight Dreyer's home, so I looked through images taken the previous year and found a few that I wanted to paint in order to get in the mood. "Dawn Patrol" is one of these.

Last year our group, PAC6, (Linda Brown, me- Marian Fortunati, Nita Harper, Debra Holladay, Laura Wambsgans and Sharon Weaver) were introduced to the Dreyers by a friend we had visited in Tehachapi, Julie Bell. Dwight showed us some great places to paint, showed us around his absolutely stunning sculpture and art studio and invited us back for cocktails. Then we were invited to their paint out and party weekend. We all had a ball and were thrilled when we were invited for an encore this year.

Both Dreyers are generous hosts and great supporters of the arts and artists. They also engage their neighbors and friends in big ways to create a fabulous retreat-like event.

We arrived at the Dreyer's studio Friday evening for a cocktail party! It was a perfect evening and between the delicious out-of-this-world appetizers, the friendly artists and other guests, the amazing-ever-changing art to be seen and the perfect weather, you couldn't ask for more. I enjoyed talking with Karl and Diane Dempwolf, Otto and Maria Sturcke, Karen and Glen Winters, Chuck and Athena Kovacic and Brenda Swenson and her husband. Carolyn Lord and her husband were there, too - I hadn't seen her in a while and always enjoy talking with her. It was fun to see Frank and Jena Ordaz again this year, too. There were many others there, but I didn't get a chance to chat with them. I missed some of my artist friends from last year, but know that schedules are always crowded. We'll see them somewhere again soon. We ALL enjoyed ourselves.

The next day we met again at Laura and Dwight's home for breakfast goodies. We collected pre-selected (and delicious) box lunches and then caravaned out to a neighbor's ranch estate called Three Peaks Ranch. Much like last years' "Tejon-adjacent" paint out, there were wide-spread golden California hillsides repleat with California oaks and sycamores. In addition, however, this year there were reinactors... costumed models for those figurative artists to enjoy. There was also a gorgeous gardened ranch home and pond with a waterfall for those who like architectural challenges.

I decided to go for the golden hills and gullies. One of the neighbors carted me off in a quad vehicle to a spot I thought might work and I was in heaven! After a bit, Jimmy Wisnowski (James Wisnowski) joined me. He had chosen a spot up a gully from me with great yuccas, etc., but decided to come down a bit to the lovely sycamores near where I had settled. We talked a bit about composition -- he likes the L composition a lot. Fairly satisfied with my morning's efforts, I packed up and used my cell phone to request "pick up". Jimmy decided to stay.

I enjoyed a great lunch in the shade of the ranch house surrounded by neighbors and guests who had come to join the fun. What a lovely home and gracious hosts!

After lunch I felt really good so I tackled a subject I usually try to avoid. (No -- not the figures... the results of that would have been woefully laughable... although I do like to try figures on occasion.) I tackled a bit of architecture.... Actually the garden area leading up to the house was so beautiful, it was crying to be painted and the house itself was somewhat obscured by the trees so it could be said that I really didn't tackle the architecture... but I sorta did... LOL.

Surprise... I was happy with that one, too, so I packed in the afternoon and headed out (with a guide) to head for the hotel so I could clean up up the grime and get ready for the evening's party. At some point when I'm home I may fiddle with both plein air pieces, but I have to say, on the whole, I felt good about each of them.

We all enjoyed a great dinner, musical entertainment and the company of friends! Paintings were display and there were some great sales!! My only disappointment was that the people who bought my painting last year were not there. I had never met them because I left last year's party early to head home. I was hoping they would come this year so I could meet them. But maybe we'll meet another time. It is, after all, a very small and wonderful world.

What an uplifting and fun weekend. Many thanks to the Dreyers, their relatives and friends.

PACE18 (Plein Air Convention, 2018)

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Sat, 09 Jun 2018 22:26:00 +0000

Tribal Land 6x12 -Available

My friend, Laura Wambsgans, and I drove to Santa Fe to attend the Plein Air Convention in April. We were excited to see friends and learn new things. Both of us had been at PACE 2017 and when we found out it was going to be in Santa Fe we jumped on it. New places to see, explore and paint!!

Laura and I arrived on Sunday and the convention didn't begin until Monday afternoon so we took off early on Monday to find a place to paint. We looked at all of the info we had been given and decided to head out to a place north of the Buffalo Casino where the Convention was housed. We passed several painters we knew along the way and settled a bit further along the road. What a lovely morning we had....... until the Tribal Police showed up! We did not know that we were painting on tribal land. Happily the officer was very nice and did not give us a citation. Also happily we were almost finished up anyway (and besides, he liked Laura's painting... LOL.). The little painting at the top of this post is my effort. I was thrilled to get off to a good start.

Each day was filled with information about painting, marketing and a bit of art history of the area. Our first meetings began at 6:30 with Eric Rhoads' "Boot Camp" -- filled with info on marketing and went non-stop until evening. Participants could attend workshops, demos, and talks every hour of the day and party all night if they so desired. There was barely time to squeeze in meals (but, of course, we managed.)

Chimayo Hills study 8x8

After the first day, each day included a plein air spot where everyone who wanted to give it a go could go and paint together. The Plein Air crew really worked hard to find and make arrangements to have a larger group go to various places (legally... on sanctioned spaces). There were 1,100 artists at the convention so this was no small feat!! We drove out through gorgeous tribal land to a sacred area called Chimayo. There everyone spread out and found something to paint. Many painted the church. I tried to capture a bit of the criss-crossing angles of the nearby hillside. (Not my best painting, but fun none-the-less.)

Cattails at Las Golondrinas 8x8

We went to paint out at El Rancho de los Golondrinas on the next afternoon. Sadly it was cold and VERY WINDY!! The dust was up and while this may have been a lovely place to paint in other seasons and weather conditions, on this day it was pretty miserable. Be that as it may, it was great to walk all over the area. There were burros and historical buildings and long stretches of landscape. I tried to huddle in a somewhat less windy spot to paint a cattail infused creek. Another of my less than wonderful efforts, but still a fun challenge. I packed up and hiked back to the car to wait for Laura who was definitely a more hardy soul than I. By the time Laura finally hiked back to the car, long after most have left, I was afraid she was suffering from hypothermia! She was like a block of ice! But.. and this was the most important thing, you know... she was happy with her painting!

On Thursday afternoon we were given the opportunity to paint in Santa Fe. However, the PACE faculty had also issued a really fun and different challenge at the same time. They give us a list of many of the galleries in old Santa Fe which had agreed to stay open late for us. Each gallery listed the title of one painting and we were to identify the artist. Those that completed the most in this "scavenger hunt-like challenge" could submit their list for a drawing for a great prize. Neither of us won the challenge, but we saw lots of great art, met many wonderful people and had a really fun evening of walking the streets and galleries of Santa Fe! Some people did both, but Laura and I were exhausted just doing the hunt. We happily found a great place to have dinner, then headed back to the casino/hotel for the always-fun last night party.

Early Morning With A Touch of Snow at Ghost Ranch 9x12

Late Afternoon Chill at Ghost Ranch 9x12

On the last day of the convention, painters are invited to paint all day at a certain location. A very special person had made a financial donation which enabled ALL of us to go to Ghost Ranch to paint all day. Although not everyone went (some had flights to catch others had other obligations) Laura and I really wanted to go.

Ghost Ranch was made famous by Georgia O'Keefe. She summered at Ghost Ranch for many years and seemed to think it soothed her soul.

Red rock formations astounded and it was fabulous to see the places made famous in so many of O'Keefe's paintings.

It was cold in the morning... So cold that actual snowflakes graced us as we painted at the location Laura and I settled on in a canyon beyond the dining area. Happily we each anticipated the cold and had dressed accordingly so it wasn't too bad. Before long we had to pack up and head to the dining hall before it closed, so I actually finished that first Ghost Ranch painting after we returned home.

After we ate lunch we wandered through the museum and saw a film about O'Keefe's life at the ranch, then we went back to the stables for a trail ride which circumnavigated her home and took us in to some amazingly beautiful areas with rock formations in the chinle formation. Previously I had thought that Chinle only referred to the town just outside Canyon de Chelly in Arizona. It's always great to expand my learning.

After our ride we drove up a winding road in back of the housing units in the ranch and set up to paint overlooking the valley of Ghost Ranch. It was cold and the wind was biting, but the cloud cover had dissipated and the drifting cloud were absolutely gorgeous!

Thank you, Eric Rhoads, and the whole PACE18 staff for a wonderful experience!

See you next year in San Francisco!

Getting Outside

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 23:18:00 +0000

getting outside

3/3/2018 10:05:08 PM | By Marian Beach Fortunati | 5 Comments

Low Tide At Leo Carrillo

It is interesting... I haven't been going outside to paint as often as I feel I should. I always feel happier and less stressed when I'm outside painting. But I don't go often enough.

Here in Southern California we have no real excuses. While I might whine about the cold... it really isn't cold. So the other day when my friend, Sandy Hall, who manages and promotes the California Art Club's Ventura / Malibu Chapter paint outs, sent out reminders, I planned to go.

The fires and floods have pretty much passed and now we continue to face the drought. But in the days leading up to the paint out it was COLD. Okay.... Not cold like the rest of the country experiences, but cold for us. I had three thick layers and gloves each morning for my daily 3 mile walk and was still cold. I got up on Saturday, the day of the paint out, and asked myself... "Do I REALLY want to go to the beach and freeze?"

But as I mentioned earlier, I haven't gotten out much. So I sucked it up and put my gear in the car and drove to my favorite of all painting places, Leo Carrillo State Beach. I got there before the other painters and just walked around to take it in. Honestly, that place is different every single time I go, but on that day, the tide was so far out!! I don't think I'd ever seen it like that. I love the way it is such a changing environment. Seasons, time of day, tides and weather, make it always intriguing and beguiling.

I decided to paint the almost waterless area between the cliff that I so often stand on and paint from and the area I call cormorant rocks. I loved the lacy pattern of the waves and the way you could see the sand because there was so little water over it.

The other painters came all morning and it was nice to meet so many new people -- from Santa Barbara, from Moorpark, from the valley near me and all around. I even saw a friend who had moved south to Temecula who had driven up to paint. It was a perfect day. Not windy, not too cold and not too hot. It was just right!

I'm going to include some other paintings I have painted at Leo so you can compare how different it looks from time to time. If you look at these paintings, it will probably surprise you to realize that they were painted from with 30 yards of on another. Different angles, times of day, direction, season, and weather. Enjoy! (Any favorites?)

Achieving A Long-Desired Goal

noreply@blogger.com (Marian Fortunati) — Tue, 06 Feb 2018 18:48:00 +0000

Moon Music Oil/Linen 11x14 SOLD

Since the beginning

Pretty much since I began learning about painting, painters and the people who paint well, I've known about the California Art Club. The California Art Club (or CAC) is THE premiere group in California and is a well-respected organization throughout the USA in the realm of traditional fine art.

Join an art group
When I first started out, I didn't know much about any of the groups or how one might be involved with them. I was encouraged to join local groups so that I could learn, gain friends and enjoy an art community. I did join a few groups. It was a great experience. Because of these groups, I've been able to become friends with people who have widened my views and opportunities and made my life better. I learned from demos and from painting alongside my new friends. Along the way I worked on the boards of several of these organizations and learned a lot through serving in various leadership positions as well.

The California Art Club
At first I didn't realize that the California Art Club was much different than my local groups. In many ways it isn't. It too, offers members a variety of opportunities to learn, to make friends, to expand their knowledge of art and the art world. I even served on one of the CAC volunteer boards for many years. However, I soon learned that through the diligent work of leaders such as Peter and Elaine Adams, the CAC has attracted a very high calibre of artists and has gained a well-respected reputation in the art community at large. Its purpose is to promote and support contemporary-traditional fine art. The bar for participating in some of the activities and exhibits was extremely high and I wasn't producing work that provided me entre' into those levels. However, after many years of learning and growing and striving, I realized that even as an associate member, I could participate in most of the CAC events and activities and many exhibits, so despite being unable to move up from associate status, I was still content to make friends and have fun with so many wonderful people in the organization.

However, it has always been a major goal of mine to achieve Artist Member status. I'm not quite sure why... it just was something I yearned for.

Goal Setting and Studying With A Master
About seven years ago, when I first started studying regularly with master artist David C. Gallup (who served as the Vice President of the CAC until a few years ago), he asked his students to write down our artistic goals. We were to also list those artists (living and dead) who served as our role models and explain why we had chosen them. I have grown over the years since I started studying with David and I have reached some of those initial goals and added new ones, but the goal of achieving CAC Artist Level remained elusive. One of the many, many attributes that has made David an exceptional teacher is that he not only demos his own work but illustrates ideas with the work of others (living and dead) as examples of what one might achieve or how we might stretch as we grow as artists. This insures that we all learn about many artists we might not have known about before including those whose work was not traditional realism. I came to realize that many of my role models were CAC artists and signature level artists and this reinforced my objective. I studied regularly with David until early in 2017 when I decided to take a break and explore on my own. If you ever get the opportunity, I highly recommend studying regularly with David. Guidance such as that which he provides is a rare gift.

Trying Again
After taking a break from applying for a couple of years, I was encouraged to apply again to try to achieve Artist Level Status by my wonderful friend and mentor, Karl Dempwolf. I worked hard on some new pieces and submitted once again in November. I was hopeful, but didn't want to get my hopes up too high. In the past I had received my notification in January and that's when I've gotten the "almost made it" letter a few times or the "so sorry" letter a few more times. This time, just before my birthday I got a wonderful phone call from Peter Adams, CAC's president. He congratulated me. I was accepted!! Peter also knew when my birthday was because I usually go to the CAC holiday luncheon which falls around the same time as my birthday so he wished me a happy birthday as well. What a great birthday gift! Then he said he probably wasn't supposed to let me know yet, so I took that to mean I shouldn't tell anyone until I got my official notification letter.

Was I dreaming??

I kept waiting to get the mail -- running to the mailbox each day. It didn't come ... I began to think I was dreaming the call. But a friend emailed and told me that she had checked the Online Juried Shows website and found out her results. So I looked and, yes, Marian, there is a Santa Claus. It too, said I was accepted. That was good, because I have been out of town on a Caribbean Cruise for two weeks and can't get mail, so now I don't have to worry about running to the mailbox each day when I get back.

It's true!!Believe in yourself. When I told my daughter how excited I was, she laughed at me. We had just finished watching The Lego Movie with her kids. She said, "Mom, you're silly. You have always been an artist. You didn't need the CAC to tell you that you are an artist. You just need to believe in yourself, just like the master builder in The Lego Movie" She's right, of course. It's most important to believe in yourself, but it sure is nice to think that other people believe in you too!

Thank you, California Art Club!

New goals....

Now I need to continue developing my skills and trying new things so that I can continue to improve and complete work which is on par with my artist heroes and heroines. A new goal is to have my work accepted to hang alongside the work in CAC shows like the Gold Medal Show or On Location in Malibu. I will never stop trying to get better and I will do my best to believe in myself!

Addendum: I arrived home from my holiday family trip to find the letter waiting. Feeling once again thrilled, honored and very fortunate.