Wind Racer, New Horse Painting by Froshay

"WIND RACER" ©Wendy Froshay

                 

               "Give yourself room to fail. . .

                                          and then fight like hell to achieve." 

                        ~ Irwin Greenberg

The Artist's Recipe For Success

Guest post written by Tien Frogget

Take 1/2 cup of pure, unrefined inspiration and mix it with 2 cups of passion in a saucepan over medium heat. 

Stir occasionally. Add 1/2 cup discipline and let simmer.

After it begins to thicken, pour through a fine strainer to remove as much negativity, doubt, and self-criticism as you can. Do this a few times if necessary.

Return to heat and continue to stir occasionally.

In a large mixing bowl, combine equal parts books, classes, and life experience. 

Knead together gently until a soft dough forms.

Be careful not to over-knead it however, you still want your dough to be nice and flexible!

Put your dough on a clean surface and roll it out into a circle. Take care to keep from rolling it out too thin; you want an even foundation.

Once your sauce has become thick and aromatic, add 1 cup of innovation and 3 cups of mistakes.

Remove from heat and pour evenly over your dough. 

Congratulations! You now have your talent. 

A lot of people try to skip some of these steps (especially the mistakes!) and then give up. If you’ve made it this far, you’re doing great.

Next, you’re going to want to sprinkle your talent with plenty of patience, and a lot more passion. Don’t worry about measuring; just go ahead and eyeball it. Then put it in the oven, and bake it for as long as it takes.

Every talent takes a different amount of time to cook, and you can’t rush it. Check the oven occasionally, and if you notice any bubbles of negativity or self-criticism popping up, be sure to scrape them off. Sprinkle with more patience if need be.

If you give up and walk away too soon, or if doubt bubbles take over your talent, it can completely collapse and never see its full potential. The key is endless loving care and the willingness to stick with it for as long as it takes.

You will know when your talent has finally baked into a success when people begin crowding around the oven, asking you if they can have some to take home with them.

Understanding Color: Why Black Is Not Really Black

Black isn't black?
Remember that white vase from a previous post White is Everything but White? Let’s resurrect that vase, cast some shadows on it and study those shadows. Go back outside and take the vase into the shade. Better yet, take it only half way into the shade.

Notice what happens to the white now? It's gray - not black, but it's a gray made of color.

Given a set of paints and a brush, a novice will automatically think, "black" for shadows. An Artist however, sees what I can only describe as the idea of “opalescence”.

The Impressionist Painter Renoir was quoted as saying “No shadow is black. It always has a color. Nature knows only colors … white and black are not colors.”

Chromatic Black
Black tends to dirty colors rather than simply darken them and so, many artists use a mix of rich, deep color that appears to be black. This type of black is referred to as chromatic black and can be mixed in several ways.

My beloved watercolor instructor, Kathy Sutherland taught me this years ago and I love the method. I always mix up a puddle she referred to as “soup” prior to starting a watercolor painting.

Soup Mix
The mix involves a red and a blue mixed with an earth color. I use Ultramarine Blue and Permanent Alizarin Crimson.

Next, depending on the tone of my shadows, I’ll add either Van Dyke Brown, Burnt Sienna, or Burnt Umber. (Some artists prefer Prussian Blue over Ultramarine, but I’ve found Prussian Blue to be too staining for watercolors).

I can adjust the shade to more reddish by pulling in more Alizarin, more bluish by pulling in more Ultramarine or more brownish by pulling in the earth color.

Mixing a small amount of this ‘soup’ into my colors will darken them without killing the color, as a regular black will do.

Thinning this mixture with water will give you that beautiful opalescent look I spoke of earlier.

This concept works for oils as well. Mix it with any color to tone your oils.

Video: A Peek into Froshay Fine Art Painting Classes

The BEST Adult Fine Art Classes in Orange County!



... and the BEST darn students in the whole world. I LOVE You All!

How to See More Colors than Most People!

Want to really SEE what I’m talking about?

Grab a pencil and paper. Now go find a rose - a real one (you don't have to pick it). An artificial flower won't work - honest.

Choose a colorful blossom that is pink or peach or variegated, to make it easier this first time (dark reds or whites are more difficult).

Spend 10 minutes studying the color of this rose. Write down every color you see.

After about 5 seconds you'll have listed the basic colors and feel like you are done.

Keep looking!

You'll begin to see subtle color differences. Make up names for them. You might see: soft peach, rosy peach, orangey peach, golden peach, pinkish peach, pale pinkish peach, pale pinkish-yellowish peach, greenish peach (yup, I said greenish peach).... you get the idea.

Aim for a listing of 100 different colors.

The point isn't to uniquely "name" each color. The point is to "SEE" the differences in the colors. Make note of all those subtle, subtle changes.
 
When you can see it, you can paint it. When you can paint it, your paintings will glow.

Now obviously, these images that I have on my blog can't possibly show you the amazing variations of color. You can look at photos and images on the web - but you still won't see all the colors until you sit down with the actual object (rose, tree trunk, lemon, whatever....) and STUDY it with the eyes of an Artist.

How to Store Art Brushes So That They Last For Years

What's the BEST way to Store Your Art Brushes?
Protect your investment - take good care of your Art Brushes and they can last you for years. Store your brushes by either laying them on a flat surface, or standing them on the handle (bristle end up) in a storage container.

Before storing your brushes this way, make sure they are as clean and as dry as possible. (Read Caring for Art Brushes)

Never, never, EVER store your brushes, bristle down in a brush holding container.

In fact, don't leave your brushes sitting bristle down in your water or cleaning fluid - even while you are painting!

Types of Storage
My favorite method for keeping your brushes in great condition is a canvas brush holder that allows you to place each brush into it’s own pocket. The best ones allow you to stand your brushes up while you are using them and then allow you to fold, creating a protective case, or roll the canvas and tie it into a bundle. These are great for transporting your brushes to workshops, for plein aire painting and traveling with your supplies.

If you prefer something more durable, there are many styles of boxes and canisters that will keep your investment safe. Some double as water or solvent containers. Be sure that you purchase something that will keep your brushes suspended and secure, to avoid damage during transportation. Be careful of canvas brush holders that do not have separate pockets.

Here are some great canvas brush holders on Amazon:

Bamboo Mats as Brush Holders I also caution students about rolling brushes in bamboo mats. These can be rough on the hairs of fine brushes and cause them to break off.

There are new types of brush holders that allow you to hang your cleaned brushes with the bristle end pointing downward, while keeping the hair or bristle end free-hanging. These are great for storing your brushes while they are still wet and allow the moisture to drain away.

Water Basin
For keeping your brushes moist during the painting process (especially if you are using acrylics), you can use a brush basin that allows your brushes to lay suspended in the water or solvent. I don't recommend leaving your brushes in the solvent or water for long periods of time (overnight or for days), unless you are trying to remove dried medium from them. Clean your brushes thoroughly and them store them properly at the end of each painting session.

The easiest and least expensive is to use a nice jar, bottle, coffee can, potato chip can, or whatever strikes your fancy (this works best if you intend to keep your brushes in your studio and not transport them). Just be SURE to stand your clean & dry brushes with the handle down and the bristles UP!

Death of a Brush

Never, never, NEVER, tote your brushes loose in a case, box or bag. This will ruin your brushes just as fast as not thoroughly cleaning your brushes!

Having A Great Time - Wish You Were Here!

Sometimes it's just uber fun to show a typical day here at Froshay Fine Art Studio!

This is Shel.

He's lovingly referred to as our Studio Mascot!












Teresa is always trying something different — and always pulling it off!












Chanel curls up on the studio stools and gets as comfy as a cat.

How DOES she do that?!












Quiet and shy, Chi creates masterpiece after masterpiece - and always with a sweet smile!

Corrine tackles her glorious paintings with enthusiasm and style.

(She makes everything look sooooo easy!)








Roberto brings class to class every time.

Here he's just arrived but looks ready to hit the coast for a plein good time!

 

Ritu and Mary discuss the finer points of mixed media.

We share and share and share!











Mary giddy over creating a super fun 'bling' project.

Bet you can't guess how she did it!











Jamie helps Qiuqu find her missing palette.

There's a really funny story behind this photo...

There's one in every crowd . . .

 Shel our Mascot shows off once again!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY EVERYONE!