Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘Little Known Facts’ Category

Steinlen Cats

Posted in Animals, Little Known Facts, Travel, tagged , , on March 12, 2018| Leave a Comment »

While at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts last week I got to see the “Steinlen Cats”.  Beautiful!

Read Full Post »

Terracotta Warriors

Posted in Little Known Facts, Serendipity, Travel, tagged , , , on March 7, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday I got to see an amazing exhibit at the Virginia Museum of Fine Art in Richmond….the Terracotta Army.  This whole story just fascinates me.  It was discovered in 1974 while farmers were digging a well.  Can you imagine???!!!!!  Here is a description from the VMFA website along with their link.  It’s worth the time to take a look.

“First discovered in 1974 by farmers in China, an underground army of nearly 8,000 life-size terracotta figures is known as one of the greatest archaeological finds of the 20th century. Discovered one mile east of the known burial site of the First Emperor of China (r. 221–210 BC), or Qin Shihuang, the terracotta army was created to accompany the emperor to the afterlife. This exhibition features ten majestic terracotta figures, including a cavalry horse, among 130 works that tell the story of China’s birth and one man’s lasting imprint on a nation.”  Read more here.    And while on the VMFA site there is a link in the story to an audio tour.  It’s worthwhile to listen and see the beautiful photos.

Read Full Post »

Happy Birthday Jackson Pollock….and Mama

Posted in daily painter, Little Known Facts, Serendipity, tagged , on January 28, 2018| Leave a Comment »

SAMSUNG DIGITAL CAMERAKnown for his drip style of painting, Jackson Pollock was an abstract expressionist painter.  Born on this day in 1912, he led a volatile life.  You can read more about him here.

And today I am also remembering my mama.  My biggest wish is that she would have lived long enough to see The Studio.  I think she would have loved it and what we are doing there.  I hope she knows.  Happy 76th Birthday Mama.  We miss you every day. (Read more about my mom here.)

 

Read Full Post »

Happy Birthday Edouard Manet

Posted in Flowers, Little Known Facts, tagged , on January 23, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Manet - Carnations and Clematis in a Crystal VaseToday we celebrate Edouard Manet’s birthday.  He was a French Impressionist painter who painted modern life.  His works of art are beautiful.  We’ve always loved his flower series. Learn more about his life and work here.  And in Manet’s honor we will paint one of them, Carnations and Clematis in a Crystal Vase, 1883, for our February Famous Painter Party. Click here to register for that Paint Party. (We honored Manet in June 2016 at our Famous Painter Party by painting his beautiful Roses.  You can see those here.)  Happy Birthday Manet.

Read Full Post »

Show at Belle Grove

Posted in daily painter, Furniture, Little Known Facts, Serendipity, Travel, tagged , on January 13, 2018| 3 Comments »

I’m excited to announce that I have been invited to show my art at Belle Grove this June along with two other regional artists. We visited the house yesterday to meet and discuss the show.  It’s the first time they are going to display local art throughout the house.  I’m so excited.

This beautiful old home is a terrific place to show art and for people to see a wonderful example of a manor house.  We will keep you updated on all the details as we get closer to the show on June 22-24, 2018.  There will be an “Meet the Artists” Reception on June 23rd as well as classes and workshops on June 23rd and 24th.  It will be a great time to visit Belle Grove.

Read Full Post »

Prussian Blue

Posted in Little Known Facts, Other Bloggers, Tips for Better Painting, tagged on December 5, 2017| 1 Comment »

HPIM0097.JPGFrom time to time I run across interesting articles about art and paint that I feel should be shared.  This is one of those.  I ran across this on The Artist’s Road…a terrific little site with interesting articles.  This one was particularly good.  It starts like this:  “It is hard for artists, spoiled as we are by the easy availability of all the colors of the rainbow, to imagine a world wherein one of our important and necessary colors costs more than gold. But that was the world before 1703. The strongest and most useful permanent blue at that time was ultramarine, from the words “oltre marino”—referring to it being brought from “over the sea”. So expensive was it that artists had to rely on their wealthy clients to buy it for them. ”   Read the rest of it here.  Some of the best known paintings using Prussian Blue is Van Gogh’s Starry Night and The Great Wave off Kanagawa by Hokusai.

Read Full Post »

Wowser! That’s a LOT of Money!!!

Posted in Little Known Facts, Serendipity, tagged on November 15, 2017| Leave a Comment »

151017salvator“The rediscovered masterpiece, Salvator Mundi, by the Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci sells for an historic $450,312,500, obliterating the previous world record for the most expensive work of art at auction.”  Read more here.

Read Full Post »

Grasshopper Found in Van Gogh Painting

Posted in Little Known Facts, Serendipity, tagged , , on November 8, 2017| Leave a Comment »

VanGogh Olive TreesYIKES!!!  A grasshopper has been found in Van Gogh’s painting of the Olive Trees.  One of the things that painters who work outdoors (en Plein air) face is the elements….bugs, dirt, etc.  And it appears that Van Gogh dealt with them too.  Here is what he wrote to his brother, Theo, about it in 1885:  “But just go and sit outdoors, painting on the spot itself!” Vincent wrote. “Then all sorts of things like the following happen — I must have picked up a good hundred flies and more off the 4 canvases that you’ll be getting, not to mention dust and sand … when one carries a team of them across the heath and through hedgerows for a few hours, the odd branch or two scrapes across them….”    Read the entire article about the grasshopper discover here ….and see the grasshopper!

 

 

Read Full Post »

Christmas Already?

Posted in Holidays, Paint Party, Trivia, tagged , , , on November 1, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Warhol Sled.jpgAs much as I despise starting with the Christmas “stuff” already, it is something we have to do to prepare for parties with a Christmas theme.  So here is our next Famous Painters party with a holiday theme.  We are painting a Warhol sled.  Join us on Tuesday, November 28th at 6 pm and personalize your sled and packages.  Click here to register.

Read Full Post »

Christine’s Inanna Project

Posted in Little Known Facts, Other Bloggers, Serendipity, tagged , , on October 20, 2017| Leave a Comment »

Last night I had the pleasure of attending a local Women’s Resource Center lecture featuring Christine Andreae, an artist and writer from our community, who gave a fascinating account of her Inanna Project.   It is amazing!  She shared her wonderful world of woodcut art  with us through a Facebook Live interview with Eka Kapiotis (you see them in the photo below) and Christine answered many questions concerning her process.  You can read about the project here.  And see each woodcut and explanation here.  Take a little time to look.  It’s extraordinary!

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »