Artful Endeavors Seminars

Please check our new seminar information page! You can now register for the Ros Stallcup seminar on line.

Artful Endeavors News

I have lots to tell you, so get a cup of tea or your preference of beverage and get comfortable.

While I was driving to the studio today all of a sudden I realized that everything is very green! Once again the earth has renewed itself and is coming forth with beautiful trees and flowers after a season of greys and browns. It's the season for us to bloom and grow also. We've been through such a very bleak season with our economy, but now it's time to look around, see the opportunities that are waiting for us, and begin to come out of our cocoons. Last weekend I visited my best friend, a business woman also, and after a couple of days of commiserating, discussing new opportunities, and then planning to implement the first of these ideas, I came home excited with all the new possibilities that have been sitting there waiting for me to notice them. Now, I hope you will watch and join me.

The first of these opportunities is already happening. I've been saying for years that I wanted to publish more, and this year I did it. I hope you are all Society of Decorative Painters members because I have 2 articles coming out in the Decoartive Painter! In the Summer issue you'll see my sailboat in the window and then in the fall you'll find the little New Dawn rose bag. Hope you enjoy the lessons.

Something else that I have wanted and needed to do is make it possible for you to pay for a class or seminar on line. You'll now find on the schedule page the option to pay for classes. I'm working on the seminar page and will soon have it operational. You can register and pay for Ros Stallcup's seminar on line.

Watch for changes to our web site also to make finding up to date class information easier. And the option to buy original art by ME. Exciting! You know you need one of my paintings.

Our summer class schedule is developing and I am arranging our classes in a manner that I hope works for our summer lives and vacations. I already have one of our classes schedule for morning and afternoon so that you can minimize driving. Look for the wonderful Ronnie Bringle Garden Fresh. You'll also find shorter one and two week classes and I'm working on more. Of course you'll find our yearly seminar with Ros Stallcup, always a treat with six brand new designs, and a special seminar with Ronnie Bringle, her Five Days in Focus, a very special opportunity for indepth study with Ronnie. You won't want to miss these special events.

With Gail's help I'm working on videos that will be available on her Creative Workshops instructional site. For those of you who have asked for on line classes from me, they are in the works! Let me know if you have requests. Be sure to check out the Shabby Cottage Studio's Creative Workshops for classes already available by some excellent mixed media artists.


Enough for now. I hope you will enjoy taking this evolving journey with me and see all the green.

Spring is God's way of saying, "One more time."

Photos by Rick Ward.

Scharff Brushes

Since Betty Byrd Brushes are no longer available in the market, Liz has been researching and trying out new brushes for the studio. She was introduced to the art brushes offered by Scharff Brushes and was immediately impressed with their excellent quality. The studio has since started ordering a selection of Golden Talkon and the new Bringle Blenders. We do have the #2 round Bringle Blender that we have needed for our portrait classes.
Scharff Brushes is a family owned business that has been in business since 1968.
They offer a wide selection of brushes for multiple mediums and to date their service has been courteous and prompt. We look forward to continuing our new relationship with them.
We still have some Betty Byrd brushes in stock. If you are interested in purchasing a few before they disappear, come in to Artful Endeavors and check out our supply.

Trudy Beard's Little Red Wagon

I've been painting again. This time it's Trudy Beard's Little Red Wagon for our Friday, May 15th classes. You have a choice of painting during the day on in the evening so be sure to register soon for this delightful little painting.

No experience is needed to paint this fun design in our single, 2 1/2 hr class.
Come paint with us and bring a friend!
Register with Liz at artfulendeavors@earthlink.net

What makes an artist?

One of our painters, Vroukje, and I were talking the other day about what makes a good artist or decorative painter. It's not about learning techniques and products but more about interest and learning to see to world around us.

I think that interest is one of the most important ingredient in creating an artist. If you are genuinely interested in anything you will seek learning opportunities to gain insight, ability, and skill. This is especially true of art. It takes that drive to create and the joy derived from creating to make a good artist.

"Learning to see" is another necessary ingredient. You may learn to pull the strokes and use your brush proficiently, but if you haven't really looked at a primrose flower you are going to have a difficult time making your painting look like a primrose flower. On the other hand, art makes us want to "see" or study an object, it's structure, where the light is hitting, where the shadows fall, how the values change to create shape, how proximity changes the apparent size of an object, and much more. Since you have been painting you are probably looking at leaves in a whole different light or studying vegetables in the grocery store much more closely. So you have been painting a portrait and now you are noticing the subtle shadows or contours of faces. You are just appreciating the details in the world around you much more and with new eyes.




With your new ability to "see" with your artist's eyes and your desire to learn, using art techniques and experimenting with them is wonderfully enjoyable and exciting. The most thrilling part is looking forward to the next painting experience.

Garden Bunny

It's the Garden Bunny our Friday workshop on April 17, 1p - 6p! A great Trudy Beard design.

Adaptability

We are adaptable. Sometimes we just need to regoup.

To all of you who paint with us on Wed evenings, and also those who have been missing from class recently! And you daytime people too.

In our Wed. evening classes we’ve had painters out recently with illness or illness in the family or a vacation cruise (I would choose missing because of the cruise), and our schedule has lost its integrity, so…………

Here is a schedule revision that I hope works for all of us:

Next week, Apr 8 will be a makeup/open class. Those of you who missed days of this last class can come to finish up. Anyone else can come to finish a project, start one, or come sign up for the next class. That should include all of you evening folks. Please email or call to let me know that you will be here on 4/8.

We have some exciting new paintings planned.

On Apr 15 we’ll start the “Country Vineyard”. My vineyard has become the rye field behind our house. I’ve been wanting to paint it for a long time. You can paint your choice of vineyard, beach, mountains, field, or anything else you can think of. This will be a simple (big brushes with pounces and dabs), slightly misty scene that is seen though our arch, since the primary focus is on the foreground stone arch and wall with your choice of plant sitting in our pot. We’ll use different texture products for our stone, wall, and pot. Don’t wear good clothes and roll up your sleeves. Fun! I’m working on this painting now so watch for a photo soon.

You can use lots of creativity. This class will last 4 weeks.

The next class will start on May 13 and is Peggy Harris’ Ducklings. So cute! You don’t want to miss this one. It’s a two week class. Fee

Everyone has loved this design and I’ve had to add 2 more Duckling classes to accommodated everyone.

You can also catch this class on Tue evening in Cary starting May 5. Or, Apr 15 at 10am Wed morning.

Be sure to let me know which class you can attend.

Peggy painted this design on a watering can and I painted on a tin tray. You can paint on anything you like.

Plan ahead for our next class which is Paint Your Own Scene. Start looking for a photo of the scene that you would like to paint. Make it something that is special to you. I’ll help all of you and we can learn from each other too.

We’ll start on this painting about May 27. Bring you photo in to show Liz before class and make plans.

After seeing the Jo Sonja pineapple design which is part of the harvest fruit,the afternoon class has decided that they want to paint it also, so we've added it to our schedule as soon as we finish the pumpkin design. If you've been wanting to paint a cool pumpkin this one's for you.

Keep checking the schedule bog for updates and new photos!