I have learned so much about painting portraits simply by practicing. When I say practicing, I mean practicing a lot. One of the trickiest things about making art is having your vision materialized. Making your nothing into something. Painting especially oil painting, there are a ton of choices and decisions. There are a lot of variables and you can go crazy into just involving technique and leaving out the element of surprise. Oil painting is a really old practice and has been around for centuries. I think what I realized the most in painting this portrait is striking the balance of technique and being free with my painting. My favorite sketchbook portrait so far this year. To read more about this project click here....
Developing an art everyday practice is extremely challenging, it forces you have to make decisions quickly about your work. It makes it easier to go with your gut and not over think it. If you do over think something than it's easy to move on and focus on the next thing. Just a few thoughts. Have a creative day :). To read more about this project, click here....
Happy Sunday! Flowers for your Sunday. We are on our way to the tulip festival and I couldn't be more happy. To read more about this project click here ....
Attack of the Cacti. I worked on this while using Periscope . Periscope is live videos from people all over the world, doing lots of different types of things. It's pretty brand new like less than a week old. The best part is that it's really fun too. It was a totally new experience for me because it's chatting while painting. It was pretty great connecting with new people and share some of my painting experience. I am a little shy in sharing my creations outside of the blog, but I have a feeling this will make me a little braver. I am totally addicted to Periscope and plan on doing it more often and squeeze in some adventures too. To connect with me on Periscope- just search for Erika Lee Sears. To read more about this project click here ....
Happy Friday! Chester subway stop. Before I had my 2 kids, I was obsessed with painting subways. I painted a whole series of them old dictionary pages. I don't know if it was something about the movement on the train or maybe the people gathering for the train. We don't have subways in Portland, but we have a max, but there is something enchanting about the idea of a train buried under a city and darting from place to place. To learn more about this project click here ....
Trout in a house. Something new that has been popping up in my sketchbook is painting very suburban homes. Since I live in Portland, well in the suburbs, and grew up in the suburbs. There is something that rings true and honest about it, at least for me. It also reminds me of that movie the Stepford Wives, maybe because the whole premise of the movie was it may look perfect on the outside but there is a whole lot of crazy on the inside. Happy Thursday. To read more about this project, click here ....
The Jealous Curator is doing a monthly creative unblock challenge. This month its taking a piece of paper and cutting it into shapes and seeing what happens. I paired mine with an oil painting sketch, but I really love it. It might be one of my favorite sketchbook pages so far this year. I'm never really creatively blocked but I suffer from having too many ideas, which is the problem of a dreamer. It's hard for me to hone in and commit to one thing which it helps that my sketchbook is the home to all my ideas and everything in between. To read more about this project click here....
I don't think I could ever get sick of painting vintage still life. One of my favorite things in the whole wide world is going thrifting or to estate sales. Tim hates thrifting and he doesn't like me collecting too much junk. When I come home with a big box from thrifting, he gives me a funny look and I tell him it's all for my creative inspiration. Ok, most of it is. :) When I was pregnant with my 2nd baby, I really looked long and hard at some of my collecting. I needed to get rid of stuff. I put things in piles of things to donate, think about, and keep. My think about pile was the biggest. There were some items, that I looked for a really long time for. As soon as I bought it and I immediately thought it just wasn't that great. Maybe it was the thrill of the hunt. Since I cleaned and purged some of my finds, I have room for more collecting. yay! I completely sound like such a hoarder but it made me realize all of the things I really loved. To read more a...
Brunch. One of my favorite things to do over the weekend is to go and get brunch. I just love how you can get breakfast and/or lunch and paired with coffee and/or cocktails. At the moment, I can't think of a better combination. The great thing about this project is that I have been able to really look at how I paint, like composition and technique. When I first thought about showing my work years ago, I was really worried about if my technique and if it was good enough because I am primarily self taught. Different artists and people have given me pieces of advice (heartfelt and sometimes even not nice). But I think the best advice that I have learned with this project, is that you have to trust your voice. At the end of the day, you have to love what you make and infuse that special magic in what you do. To read more about this project click here . ...
Here is my piece for the upcoming art show, Strike Away . It's an art show of matchbooks and this is my matchbook. A match book placed on vintage paper crawling with honey bees. My dreams lately have been filled with bees, and I still think it might be due to the lack of sleep. I mainly show my artwork in Portland. The curators of this show reached out to me and asked if I would be apart of this show. I said of course and it's my first time showing in San Francisco! yay! Details About the Show: Opening Night: 6-8:00 p.m. May 22, 2015 Location: Paxton Gate Curiosity, 766 Valencia St, San Fransisco, CA ...
Well it's a sad day. Nora refuses to take her nap for the second day in a row. I normally use Nora's nap time as art time, but things are changing! I would love to have her have her own art space in my studio but she isn't ready yet. She tends to be more interested in what I am working on then creating her own masterpieces. On the up side to no nap, we did make a big batch of chocolate chip cookies. I still have been inspired by patterns and repetition. Art has always been an outlet, but the way drawing in repetition has turned some what therapeutic. I'm not sure if it's the pen hitting the paper or having to draw the same idea over and over. I love the idea of placing a collection on top of a pattern but the collection having simpler lines then the pattern. TGIF. To read more about this project click here . ...
Need a bear hug? I have been thinking about putting animals in sweaters for quite some time. I know it's such a big departure from my usual pages. and you know what? There are no rules in making art especially in my sketchbook. It's feels liberating to make something a little different. Dare I say it, it feels good. To read more about this project, click here ....
I am grateful for art today. To read more about this project click here . ...
Nora is two and half years old and it really marks a transitional point in life from baby to kid. It's time for potty training, giving up the pacifier, getting a big girl bed, and the list goes on and on. It seems like having kids, everything or at least most things are phases. You are constantly weaning them off of something to start something else. So this week, we gave up the pacifier and it was pretty awful the first night. She would cry, then take off all her clothes, throw everything out of her bed including the sheets, then laugh for awhile and then maybe fall asleep for an hour or two. Then she would just would repeat the process. Ugh. Parenting is hard. Since I am not getting a whole lot of sleep.. yet. I am having these vivid dreams and constantly hear bees humming. To read more about the project click here ....
I can't believe I am at day 75! I actually a little surprised at myself, that I haven't given up yet and I am making it a priority to make art everyday. Sharing every single day is hard. It's like putting a little piece of yourself out there, for the world to see and judge. If I like it or not. I have to share, everyday. This week I can already tell that it's going to be a struggle to find time for art this week. I really loved what I made this last week, but this week is going to be tough. Between Nora's shenanigans and Tim having minor surgery, I hope to squeeze in time. I was cleaning out my studio and found my old roller skates! They bring back so many happy memories. I can't wait to get Nora a pair, when she gets big enough. To read more about this project click here ....
Botanical study. I feel extremely creative today and can't wait to paint more in my studio. To Read More about this project click here ....
In honor of Pi Day, I decided to make pie! yay! Since it was the perfect excuse to bake and have pie for breakfast. I made a delicious marion berry pie. The berries, Nora and I picked last summer and they were just waiting to be put into a pie. It has a sugar coated crust that makes the crust flakey and cracker like. It was so good. To read more about this project click here....
TGIF! I am so glad it's Friday. I am ready to enjoy the weekend and am planning a little lady date with just Nora. This week has been one of those weeks, that nearly everything has gone wrong or maybe things just haven't gone right. In these types of weeks, I really doubt myself as an artist and the ability to be a maker. I think one of the hardest things as an artist, besides making art is believing in yourself and quieting the negative voices. Even though those negative voices can be loud, there is still that quiet voice that says anything is possible. To read more about this project click here . ...
I have been incorporating more patterns into my work, which I am loving the change. I have always loved a good pattern but never really thought about adding it into a traditional landscape. Maybe I should explore this more. Happy Thursday :) To read more about this project click here ....
A lonesome branch. I am committed to my sketchbook practice everyday but now I have to make room for some new projects. Yay! but I am also really terrified because I need to make room for it. Juggling a baby and a toddler is really hard because they both need individual love and time. Which sometimes, actually a lot of the time, I feel like there isn't enough of me to go around. Maybe if I do one thing at a time and try my very best, it will all work out. To read more about this project click here . ...
I remember the first time I saw a real life whale when I was on a beach in Hawaii. Everything and everyone got extremely quiet, like the sound was vacuumed out of the room. Someone yelled out, "Look," and pointed out the to the ocean. I remember myself squinting in the hot sun and then a large crash. One big whale bobbed his head and flipped back into the ocean. One of those times, you realize how small one person is and how big the world is. To read more about this project. Click here ....
More portrait practice. I'm in this journey to get better at my craft and sometimes I wonder if I am growing. I was cleaning out my studio and came across an old painting from 5 years ago. I remembered how much time and love, I put into it. Now since I have two kids, I feel like I am in such a hurry to make art. I'm slowly realizing that art isn't bound by time but by the amount of that special "magic" put into it. Are you making anything today? To read more about this project click here....
More art should have laser beams. To Read more about this project click here ....
I have been doing a of thinking this week about how important it is to have a certain sort of practice at whatever you make. I have always been in the artist more involved in making work for clients and shows, that I have completely forgotten the practice. Practice makes perfect, but I don't really need to reach a level of perfection. I need to be thinking more about the bigger picture of the piece versus having a perfectly straight line. So I will continue to practice and make art everyday. To read more about this project click here. ...
Happy Friday! I always have had a soft spot for painting still life. There is something just romantic about it. I think because we are in spring time and things are blooming here in Portland, I feel like inspiration is around every corner. ...
This week is going by far to fast for me. How is your thursday? ...
Sometimes I feel like I am going no where with my artwork and other times I feel like I can see signs of progress. I have enjoyed making art everyday and can't wait till I get further down the road and see how my paintings have changed. I know an artist that draws a portrait of himself everyday, for the last couple of years. It's amazing to see, where the work is going and where it has been. I particularly enjoyed this portrait practice today but who doesn't love a girl with glasses? ...
This was the first week that I had to make art on the road, which always makes me a little nervous. I love to make art in my studio and to make art alone. With this yearly project, I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and be more fearless which means making art not in my studio. I was only away from my art studio for a couple days, but I missed it dearly and I know it was good for me. To read more about this project- click here . ...
It seems like a reacquiring theme in my work is bees. Even though bees scare me a lot, there is something special about them (especially the big fat honey bees.) Happy Tuesday! ...
This week I literally had no time to make anything but some of my favorites are in this week. I've taken classes were the teacher says you need to commit to your work and spend lots of time. I always have that in the back of my head but sometimes I am reminded that you don't have to spend a ton of time to make things you love. To read more about this project, click here . ...
This particular week I started incorporated some of the projects I am working on other than my sketchbook. I started really feeling the pressure to actually go beyond just a sketch, since I needed to turn in a piece to a gallery. I have some larger projects coming and worry if people would just get bored of seeing my sketchbook or my daily progression.. but I realized that I am doing this for me. To read more about this project click here . ...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)