Where is the Niche??

The Tree Faeries
original oil painting on canvas board, 9 x 12 inch, unframed
copyright 2008 MaryAnn Cleary

What is a niche? According to the dictionary, a niche can be many different things: a recess on the wall, a person who has found employment that fits his or her needs for the speciality that the person may work in, or a niche can be a specialized market.

The past few months I have been struggling with figuring out what my niche is with my artwork. What drives the passion? Where is a place where I can excel and do something that is not common place? I have always had a love of drawing or painting children and especially mothers with their children. There is a special bond. My greatest enjoyment comes from painting the little ones with their expressiveness and mannerisms so pure.

After finishing The Tree Faeries, I realized that I really enjoyed this painting. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy painting and drawing always. However, sometimes there are those that drive the passion and almost set the world on afire with the intensity. This was one of those paintings. All I could think about, all I could do was this painting. I loved the work involved with creating it and guess what, it came easily. It just clicked.

My small daily paintings are fun to do, but I view them more as an exercise for honing my skills as an artist. Sometimes they click, sometimes I feel like they require a lot of effort...but I am always learning.

So what is my niche? Painting the portrait of the child, or a mother and child in a natural and capturing way.

Currently, I am working on a charcoal of my daughter and her son. Look for the finished drawing in a couple of days. I promise to post it.

So what is your niche? For any who are interested in portraiture, Making a Mark is starting an awesome resource.

What Do You Mean Priorities?

A Fairy Smelling Flowers and Fushias

manipulated photography copyright 2008 MaryAnn Cleary

Recently, I read that in order to truly be successful one needs to prioritize. What does this mean, especially to one who is creative and artistically inclined? It seems to me that most artists are not the best business people. We tend to think, "if we create it, they will come". Wrong.

One of the things that I am desparately trying to do is to stay on track and not get my creative mind and energy into to many directions. I must admit that this is extremely difficult, especially as I try to find my niche and direction.



There are so many things that I have put onto my plate:

• entering contests for my oil paintings (one is due July 3rd)
• being accepted into the Little Falls, MN Arts Festival to be held Sept. 7th & 8th
• trying out photo manipulation to make mandalas (what fun, but this is getting me sidetracked)

Mandala Created of a Sleeping Baby
photography by MaryAnn Cleary
copyrignt 2008

• committing to doing 29 small pieces of artwork for the 29-Day Giving Challenge (I am behind schedule for this)
• doing a "painting a day" to hone my skills and keep them honed as an artist
• writing not one blog, but two
• keeping my website up-to-date (it is up, but not so up to date)
• doing another arts festival near my home in August in Rush City, MN (it would be a great place to do a trial run prior to the Little Falls show)
• finding a part time job so that I can remain an artist (I really have been procrastinating this one as I know that my time will be even more limited....but the bills do need to get paid)
• getting my new printer setup so that I can have control over glicee prints and paper (it has archival pigmented inks and I choose the paper!!!)
• posting a few daily paintings to ebay
• posting to etsy

.........the list goes on

The above are things that keep me busy. Yet my focus on the business side is lacking.

• what about my mailing list
• what about cool business cards
• what about updating my business plan
• what about my artist statement and bio

It is time to focus and stay on the right priorities!!!!

Peonies

manipulated photo

copyright 2008 by Maryann Cleary

My First Attempt at a Mandala...

A Four-Sided Mandala from a Sunflower
original photograph by MaryAnn Cleary
copyright by MaryAnn Cleary




Mandala No. Two
copyright MaryAnn Cleary

The mandalas above are my first attempts at making them using Photoshop Elements. It took some time to figure it out, but what fun once I did. The first is a simple four sided one and the next is a six-sided and my favorite as far as making mandalas. The photo for the above actually came from a calla lily that was growing and blooming in my kitchen area. What a beauty.

Look for more of these. I may also going to try doing some with watercolor and pen & ink, but so far I really enjoy the manipulation of a photograph.

Enjoy and feel free to leave any comments.

How to Develop a Series.....Oh, my!!!

Pink Dahlia I
Opening
Image copyright by David Bookbinder
Flower Mandalas by David Bookbinder
The above blog has some spectacular photos of mandalas created by the author.

This past week I have really been trying to focus on paintings or drawings for a series that I plan on doing for Cami Walker's 29 - Day Giving Challenge. With this challenge, one begins to realize how fortunate we are and how simple things can and do change people's lives with our actions or words. The gift of giving does not need to be something significant. I realized many years ago that sometimes it is just a person's kind words or a simple compliment that can make a difference in how another person thinks of themselves.

But back to this thing of developing a series....29 paintings. Goodness!!! I think that I have finally decided that breaking big things down into little things is so much more manageable! So the plan is to do several groups of paintings or drawings and then one major work as the grand finale. I am still contemplating on the little groups. They will be seven groups of four similar items.

My daughter, Julie, had a most wonderful suggestion and it would be fitting with the theme of the 29-Day Giving Challenge...a group of mandalas. Prior to her suggestion, I had no idea what a mandala was. Of course, I have seen them and been exposed to them many times. They do surround us in nature. She suggested that it would be a way of developing a feeling of peacefulness and contentment. Lately, I am feeling so overwhelmed with what is going on in my life...and at times it seems a bit frightening. After all, I am now semi-retired and looking to find some type of job that I enjoy while my art becomes established. It certainly would be simpler just to go back to a full time regular job, but I want the passion of what I love doing so......

So back to the series.....initially I thought of just doing all small oil paintings. However, why limit myself. I also enjoy watercolor, pen and ink, color pencil, charcoal and photography. Why not do them all??? Today the plan is to do seven groups and they will be:

• four mandalas probably using pen and ink with watercolor....I will need to think on this
  
• four charcoal/conte drawings on toned paper....maybe flowers or portraits
• four miniature oil paintings of flowers...(bud, opening, open, and going to seed)
• four sunrises or sunsets
• four elements of air, earth, fire and water (I am not sure how I am going to pull this one off)
  
• four trees (trees give so much to the earth...so look for a tree)
  
• four things that usually go unnoticed (this is my way of saying, I don't know yet ;-) )
  
• the finale....a mystery so far.....

Of course all of this could change as I do have the option of changing my mind. However, I will attempt the mandalas first. I have a feeling these will take a few hours to create, but they will be a good starting point for the rest of the series.

Also, if anyone has suggestions or ideas, please drop me a comment or email. I would love to hear from you.

As far as the 29 paintings/drawings, I plan on creating the works first and then I will give one piece of art for 29 days in a row. If you would like to be eligible for a "free" piece of artwork, email me and I will put your name in the drawing. I will need your name and email address. The give away will begin in July or August!!! This is absolutely free with no strings attached. I will pay the shipping!!!

Enjoy!!!!

What to Do with the Old Book Press??

The Old Book Press ~ closed

Here is a brayer rolling ink onto it on a piece of glass. Next to the brayer is the lineoleum (or other material that can be carved) inked up. The dark areas are ink and will transfer to paper.

Here is the block after the ink has been pressed on to paper. The block previously had brown ink left on it from a previous use a few years ago.

And here is the old book press open without any thing between the plates.

To use the press one first has a wood block or lineoleum block that has an image cut into it. The block is then inked using the brayer....different colors could also be painted on. I use a couple of pieces of felt as padding with one on top and the other on the bottom. So one would have felt, inked block, paper and felt. This sandwich then goes into the press and the plate is brought down. (The book press is extremely heavy!) Once pressure is applied, the plates are separated and the sandwich taken out...and a print is made.

I plan on trying out different ways to see what gives the best print. The paper used here was just typing paper....just to test it out. Better paper will be used for a good print as well as signing and numbering them.

This old press was found in an antique store several years ago...finally it will get put to use.

If anyone has any suggestions or knowledge of print making, I would love to hear from you.

Self-portrait 1994
charcoal on Rives BFK paper, 40 x 36 inches
copyright MaryAnn Cleary

As I do my daily painting thing to help hone my skills as an artist, I realize that just painting a picture only hones my painting and drawing skills. What about putting a painting or drawing together? Why are we drawn to certain paintings? What makes others so-so?

I believe that it will be helpful to look at not only the process of "putting things together" with my own paintings, but only looking at others, both historically and today, to see what makes a good painting.

Are there rules one should follow? Can the rules be broken?

One of my drawing instructors a few years back commented on a person needs to be able to draw in order to produce a great piece of work. It did not make a difference if it was an abstract or realistic. To make a good piece of artwork, choices are needed. Where to add contrast and the reasons for doing it all make for producing a great work. Hard and soft edged lines... patterns.... reasons why the eye wants to stay and look ... adding depth... the list goes on. Drawing skills gives a person the confidence to make those choices and also knowing the reasons for making them.

How do others go about doing a drawing or painting? Do you do preliminary sketches or take photos? Does anyone have a drawing or painting that they would like to share?

In the future, look for more of my process steps and also the reasons for why or I do things that I do.

MaryAnn

The Art Studio or Getting the Place Ready

The Ceiling and a View of the Back Yard....the artstudio

The past few days I have been focusing on the area on the lower level of my log house. My house sits on the Spirit River and is not that big, but the location is wonderful. The lower level has never been completely finished. The place had cedar tongue and groove for the walls and the ceiling was just untaped drywall. Also there is no molding or finishing touches. The washer and dryer are also under the stairs with no door. The other half of the lower area is a garage.

So for the last couple of weeks I have been trying to get the place turned into an art studio. Yesterday, I finally finished putting last coats of drywall goop on and had the surface ready to paint! If any of you have ever done taping of drywall, you will understand my great dislike for the goopy stuff and getting things just so.

I thought that I was incredibly smart finding an extension pole to put on the roller when I began painting the ceiling yesterday. This was after I went around the entire room painting along the wall/ceiling interface to make sure that I didn’t get paint on the wall. I found the extension pole on my mop that I use for the hardwood floors….perfect fit and no more climbing a ladder to paint!!! Anyway, I am now painting vigorously thinking that I am doing such a terrific job…..when quite suddenly SNAP…..THUMP……OOOOO……what the hell hit the back of my head??? Then knock – knock at the door….Fed Ex knocking …..aiyee. ….To top all else off, I am in a white T-shirt, braless, and a huge gob of white paint dripping down the center of the back of my head ….and barefoot (but who the hell is going to notice that). I am sure the Fed Ex guy is wondering who the nut case is who lives in the log house.

With my vigorous painting of the ceiling, there is a thing called leverage and a weak point on the “plastic” handle of the roller, I managed to snap the roller handle in two. The roller brush then came tumbling down, hitting me on the back of the head, running down my back before gingerly finding its place on the now white-streaked carpet floor.

Timing could not have been better for the Fed Ex guy as well. The only thing good about all of this is it wasn’t UPS as that guy is quite a piece of eye candy ………