Ladybug-Maybe Not a Lady or a Bug

It was only about two weeks ago that I did this 8 x 10 Pen and Ink/colored pencil sketch of a ladybug resting on a dew covered daisy petal. It is actually a piece that a couple of my painting students are working on and I worked out the details a head of them.  I thought I might add a few more embellishments to the composition.  Perhaps some leaves or a stem but I got busy on other projects and commitments and it sort of got buried.  You know how that goes, "Out of sight Out of mind" kind of thing.  

Well I had to pull it back out on Saturday to show my students so they could start working on their piece and that was when it hit me I should try to write a poem for this sketch also.  I scribbled down some notes and began formulating a rough draft on my computer.  I took a printout with me this morning to work on during my morning coffee ritual.  McDonalds once again proved to be just the place for the creative juices to flow.  I managed to pull the piece together and I'm rather happy with how it has turned out.  I hope you also enjoy it.

Please leave me a comment and if you like what you see, check out the rest of my work on my website gallery at Julie Townsend Studio

Excuse Me Sir For Calling You a Ladybug

By

Julie Townsend

There is much about you that is quite confusing
From your little black spots to a bright red coat so assuming
I find myself puzzled and scratching my head
Maybe you're no lady but rather a boy bug instead

I suppose you can see the dilemma I face
As I try to grasp how this may impact the whole human race
So with my naked eye with certainty I can not speak
Only with the aid of a microscope to take a peek

So no matter if a he or she you are called
I'm rather surprised to find that you're really no bug at all
But instead a beetle in the family of Coccinellidae
While no entomologist I claim to be, so who am I to say

But I could have swore that beetles and bugs were one in the same
I stand here and hang my head in shame
For this was a belief I have held onto since my youth
Now my eyes have been opened to the shocking truth

While you are an insect, to call you a bug isn't proper
It all comes down to your wings and the shape of your chompers
A friend to the gardener of roses, veggies and fruit
For many other helpful insect aren't nearly as cute

I hope you find my garden and decide to stay
You have such an appetite and will keep all those aphids away!

YOU GOT TO LOVE A BLUE RIBBON

This is me and my EXCITED face!  I was thrilled to find that my piece called "Edge of the Herd" took first place in the acrylic category at the Helldorado Art Show this past weekend.  This is a really nice western themed show that I have participated in for the past several years.  I just didn't think this small piece would receive any type of singling out or I would have done something with my hair!   

"Edge of the Herd" 1st place winner in the Acrylic category

To even add to my surprise, my entry called "Stories Around the Fire" also took second place.  I'm just tickled pink here.

"Stories Around the Fire" awarded 2nd place in the Acrylic category

Western Themed Art

My Newest Western Themed Pieces

Light'em Up- 12x12 Acrylic

This is a fun action filled piece inspired by a photo I saw shared by my artist friend who is the real life Marshall of Dodge City, Kansas.  There is just something about this red headed cowgirl, sitting high in the saddle,  reigns clutched in her teeth, six-shooters blazing that draws you into action of the scene.

It reminds me of the thrilling feeling I would get as a child when the beautiful and athletic cowgirls would fly past me with the American Flag flying proudly behind them and their strong horses kicking up the rodeo arena dirt with their powerful hoofs  as they circle the arena.  An exciting display in preparation for the singing of the National Anthem to soon follow.  Every summer this would be my memory as we would always travel to see the rodeo in Coffeyville, Kansas where my Uncle Dick Diveley would always sing the National Anthem.  To me that made him something of a celebrity in my young eyes!

"Edge of the Herd"- 10x20 Acrylic

The American Bison has always held a fascination for me.  I recall as a small child that as we traveled the 50 miles to my grandmother's house in Swedeborg, Missouri, we would pass a large property where  several of large beasts could often be seen from roadway.  

I was also raised on stories of my father's past professional rodeo days when he hung around with Buddy Heaton and his famous buffalo Grunter.  Several old newspaper clippings of my dad riding a buffalo during a rodeo event cover pages in the family album.  So for pretty much as long as I can remember, buffalo have been of real interest to me.  

This past summer I got to enjoy a close up encouter with a very large herd of buffalo we got to see while traveling near Jackson Hole Wyoming.  I have for some time wanted to paint a scene that reflects this American Treasure.  "Edge of the Herd" is the result of that experience

"Stories Around the Fire"- 16x20 Acrylic

There is just something about sitting around a nice fire with friends and a hot cup of coffee and with this piece I wanted to bring you along and stir up memories of your own campfire experiences.

I wanted this piece to portray the rendezvous of an old mountain man and his two cowboy companions.  You can see that the old man is sharing a story as his two companions listen intently. One sipping a cup of steaming hot coffee while the other cowboy holds a stick to poke the fire.   One look at this scene and you know that this old timer must have accumulated enough stories that he could easily keep you up all night listening to his adventures.

Blogging about my 2nd favorite subject-COFFEE

This morning I'm sitting here drinking my coffee and looking at this blank blog screen.  I was just considering how drinking McDonalds coffee in the morning is a long standing ritual with me that dates back to the late 90's when my favorite McDonalds handed me one day a little white sticker about 3x3 that might as well been made of 24k gold.  Oh I was there to pick up an order in the drive-thru but they gave me SO much more.  That sticker would soon become a prized possession because it would entitle me to to a free large cup of coffee (no purchase necessary) each and everytime I passed through the drive thru.

It didn't take long after sampling this free gift that the addicting effects of the caffeine took hold of my heart and my head.  Soon I was waking up each morning and yearning to partake in my morning beverage.  This habit deeply rooted went on for over a year when like the cliche, "all good things must come to an end" when on one hot summer evening my world was rocked as I became the victim of auto theft.  When I got that phone call from my son informing me that my car had been stolen out of the Office Max parking lot my first thought was "Oh NO!  My drive thru club sticker."  My second thought was of the old west and how horse theives (the ancestors of the modern car thief) were strung up on the nearest tree and I had an momentary urge to be transported back 100 years.

Long story short, my 89 Toyota Camry was recovered a month later and my drive thru club sticker was still clinging to the windshield.  When that McDonalds management finally stopped honoring my little sticker I was hopelessly addicted to their product and have purchased a cup nearly every morning since then.  My perfect vacation spot is when I realize that there is a McDonalds within walking distance of the hotel. I almost think Expedia should have that as a useful filter option along with price and stars they should include "the distance to the nearest McDonalds" available when sorting out hotels.  Maybe I will contact them next to suggest it to them.

Regardless of what my day will bring this blessed Wednesday morning, it is starting out good as long as my husband will keep my cup refilled in a timely manner.

"Taking a Break"- finally complete

It seems like I have been working on this piece for longer than I care to consider but it is finally ready for a coat of varnish and framing. Yesterday I included the piece on my website gallery and my Fine Art America site.   It has been a challenge not only because it was a more complex painting but because I suffered the loss of my dear mother-in-law during the process.  I'm really going to miss taking each piece over to show her as I complete them.  She was so encouraging to me and really acted as she genuinely loved seeing each and every painting as I finished them.

I've already started another prospector piece but this time in acrylic.  Hopefully I will be able to showcase that one here in the next few weeks.  I have always loved American history and trying to capture the rugged beauty of the American west is a challenge that I really want to pursue.

"Taking a Break"  18 x 24 Original Oil painting

I've Got Homework

I've been taking private painting lessons now for almost a year and I have to say that I have learned so much.  I would recommend taking lessons from a local artist if you are at all interested in improving your skills.  Even if painting is only a hobby, there is so much satisfaction in tapping into your creativeness.  In a world that is crazy out of control, painting gives me the ability to escape and create my own world.  It might be a mountain stream, an old barn or the ruins left behind by some long forgotten miner. They allow me to escape to another time or place.

Not only do I learn from painting the lessons with my instructor Lily Adamczyk, I find that I actually learn more when I bring an original piece that I have worked on myself and have her critique it.  Her experienced artist eyes can see small flaws and areas of needed correction.   I have on several occasions shared these critiques on this blog with the hope that as I learn there is someone else out there that actually can benefit from my lessons.

This piece that I'm calling "Taking a Break" is an 18x24 Oil painting that I have worked on for several weeks.  It is a particular challenge for me because of the size and detail of the prospector.  I usually paint in acrylics and appreciate the speed that the paint drys and so when I paint in oil I find myself impatient because you often have to wait for the paint to dry before you can proceed.  Often I will find that I'm just pushing muddy paint around the canvas which is what I did in this piece as I struggled to paint the rocks and the water.

Before taking my painting to my lesson

Here is the piece as it looked when I took it to my lesson yesterday with the following corrections brought to my attention.  Now I have lots of homework to bring this painting to the FINISH LINE.  I'm certain that I will share in a blog post very soon the finished product when I get all my homework done.   Here are my needed corrections:
    1.  Background trees are too bright and detailed.  Below you will see that one tree has been adjusted to better reflect the distance element.  I have to fix all of them to match this one. HOMEWORK
    2.  The water has too many lines and is too bright especially in the distance.  This makes the water look unnatural.  I have also not done a good job of painting around the rocks.  Normally in a composition like this you will have painted the water before proceeding on to the foreground but because of my going back and making changes I've actually worked on the water after my prospector and rocks were already painted in.  Lily helped me by showing me how to correct the water and so have to finish the river.- Homework
3.  We added depth to the foreground by adding more dirt area between the log and the rocks.  I have to correct the rocks by changing their general shape and color...More homework.
4.  The details in the grass blades need to be more defined.  I have painted them to uniformly by making them all the same size.  The grass in the background appears too clumpy and needs to have a more random appearance- More Homework
5.  We fixed the fire by adding more Naples Yellow to the flames rather than yellow and smoothing it out.  I have to add back in the smoke once I have finished with the rocks- You guessed it- more homework
6.  We added more highlighting to the log, the hat, the cup and plate, the gold pan and shovel.  By adding a darker background color the result was the prospector and the log popped more.
7.  The shirt required more rounding out in the back and adjusting in the front where he it would meet his pants.  Now my prospector has a little more natural look rather than the appearance of being stiff.  I had painted his suspenders with paynes gray and didn't think that as they came up on his shoulder the sunlight would change that color to a blue hue.
8.  The tone of his skin that was shadowed from his hat wouldn't only be grays but would have a glaze of skin tone.  Lily had me brighten up his cheekbone and nose to finish off his face with a more rounded appearance.  We also made a correction on his wrist where I had painted the shadow of his sleeve too dark.

My painting waiting for me to make those final details that will bring it to the finish line

Finding Your Art Market

MAKE SURE AND CHECK OUT MY WEBSITE AT Julie Townsend Studio


I had the privilege yesterday morning of carrying on a small discourse with Artist Mentor Online (AMO) artist, Linda Fisler on Facebook.  She published a blog yesterday titled "Starbucks Anyone?" Here is the link if you would like to check it out: Linda Fisler Blog.  Now if you know me at all, you know that while I don't frequent Starbucks, I am a McDonald's regular for many of the same reasons that Linda discussed in her blog.  Good coffee, good service and free WiFi are just part of the reason that I am a loyal fan of the Golden Arches.

Morning favorites...coffee, i Pad and my Nevada map

I loved that she discussed the 4 P's of advertising that any student of business has memorized (Product, Price, Promotion and Placement).  When I was in the business world I was required to read a number of books on marketing that talked about creating raving fans, flipping the funnel to retain your customer base and on and on..so it's not a topic that it foreign to me.  Linda talks about knowing your collector in  her blog and since I am new to  the whole art  scene I can't say I have any collectors.  Well actually, there is a old dear friend of mine from Oklahoma that has purchased 4 paintings from me in the past two years so if old dear friends count as collectors, then I guess I have one.

Now that I am trying to make a little mark in this world with my art, I find that many of the same business principles apply, but most artists don't stop to consider a marketing plan.   In my short experience I told Linda that my marketing plan basically consisted of "Keep painting and blogging and they will come." I loved Linda's encouraging words back to me...

Linda Riesenberg Fisler-Artist "Collectors---cultivating them is hard work Julie--gee no new news there!  You aren't alone in your belief. We just need to keep doing what we are doing, being fearless, entering shows, talking with galleries when we are ready and not let anyone stop us from doing what we believe in! Onward!! xo."

Paint Better- TAKE OFF YOUR ROSE COLORED GLASSES

I've started reading a book called "Fill Your Oil Paintings with Light and Color" by Kevin Macpherson and so far it is an informative read. His book starts out with several pages about the equipment of a well prepared painter and even explains how to clean your brushes.  Very practical advice for any want to be en plein air painter.

 Mr. Macpherson refers to colors as "NOTES" which I found very interesting.  Chapter one is titled "Seeing Color Accurately"  He states that "You must train your eye to see and simplify."  A color note is the combination of the Hue (name of the color), + Value (degree of grayness) + Chroma (intensity or lack of) =COLOR NOTE.  On page 19, the author tells us that "Our preconceived thoughts limit our sensitivity to seeing."

I have often realized this with my own painting because preconceived mental images of simple things like rock, grass, trees and clouds all impact my paintings and cause struggles in my attempts to paint more convincing landscapes.  It is like I spent most of my life "not really seeing" the nature around me.  My natural tendency is to paint my landscapes too uniform and rigid.  I have often mentioned my struggle with painting something as simple as rocks looking like smooth river rocks and my bushes being soldiers at attention.

I was chatting about some of these points with my husband over our morning ritual of McDonald's coffee and he made the comment about looking at the colors out of focus.  I was pretty shocked at his intuition when I flipped the page to page 21 titled, "A Colorful World out of Focus".  Mr. Mcpaherson actually suggests taking off your glasses so that you are focused on the COLOR rather than the image.  He even talks about and gives examples of entire paintings he did without the aid of his glasses.  What a concept!