As we fast approach the end of 2016, it is a great time to look back on the year to consider what we have accomplished and what goals we have for the future. For me, every year gets better and better. I continue to grow in my printing business. Thank you to every one of you who have become clients. I am honored to create prints of your artwork! I am growing in my painting through workshops and trying new things. Thank you to Robert O'Brien for his workshops in portraits and Plein Aire. They have broadened my horizons and encouraged me to paint things I used to think were too hard. And thanks to the many artists on Facebook that share their work- I am so inspired by your passion, and the beauty that you capture. My family is growing too, with a new granddaughter- Mia. There will be so many adventures and fun to be had with her. It is so exciting! I am actively working on living in the moment as much of the time as possible. I find that this awareness brings me to constant awe and appreciation of the beauty of the world around us. It is so inspiring. A painter sees the world differently: colors, shapes and values, hard and soft edges, etc. take over the minds eye. Thanks for the beautiful images on Facebook, @Hartland Wildlife, @Tom Cruickshanks and @Judy Clark. So for goals in 2017- to name just a few of mine: Paint more. Print more. Take more photos. Live in the moment. Enjoy every minute I can with Mia. Actively try to see everything in its best light, both visually and emotionally. Continue trying new subject matter and new techniques for my watercolors. Begin working with the Academic Artists group as part of their board. Participate in more local shows and keep working for acceptance into the American Watercolor Society. What about you? |
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9/22/2016 0 Comments Try something new...Many of our local artists paint outside onsite or “En Plein Aire”, creating lovely landscape paintings. Typically these are oil and acrylic painters, but there are pastel artists, and a few watercolorists. Having always worked from a photo and taking weeks or even months to complete a painting, to me this seemed like an impossible task. I have tried it with the Granby Artists Association when they have their annual Granby Land Trust Paint Out day. It is a challenge with watercolors. The drying time changes, the colors never seem bright enough, the light changes, the palette dries out, sitting on the ground is awkward and uncomfortable, etc. I said to myself “ This is not for me.” That was several years ago.
I find that if I am going to grow as an artist, I need to continue to step outside of my comfort zone and try new and challenging things. And so I tried plein air painting again, only this time in a workshop with Robert O’Brien. I was better prepared this time- bringing a chair and an easel, a view finder, smaller paper and larger brushes. Robert’s demo emphasized choosing your topic, composition and color, drawing minimally and working quickly. Learning to ‘see’ is key to creating a painting. Preparing larger puddles of the needed colors also lets you paint without the interruption of having to mix paint. Because everything dries so much faster than in the studio, once you are working on the painting,you have to work more quickly. The goal is to capture the essense of the place and your feelings about it. Let the details go and only "suggest" the less important portions. You might not finish your painting, or you might just be doing sketches to work from later. Taking some photos will also be a helpful reference if you will work on it later in the studio. This time I was better able to enjoy the experience and learned alot about working in a much different manner than I am accustomed to. I will definitely have to try it again on my own. Nothing ventured nothing gained, right? 7/25/2016 0 Comments ThanksgivingSo what do you have to be thankful for this year? Of course there are the usual sentiments- family, friends, health, employment, you know that kind of stuff. Do you remember to be thankful your gifts and talents? What about our ability to see and appreciate the many colors and the beauty in our world? What about the world itself? It is a pretty amazing place. Let's not forget to be grateful for artists' skill in interpreting and capturing all that beauty and all those amazing images, for all of us. You know the expression about taking time to stop and smell the roses.. for me as an artist I think of it as "Have the awareness to look for and really see all the beauty in everyday life". Happy Thanksgiving to you. 7/25/2016 1 Comment The days are getting shorter...The days are getting shorter, the locusts sing their songs, and the back to school sales are upon us, reminding us to enjoy each remaining minute of the summer season. It is not too late to paint (or eat, or both!) summer's treasures. I’m still gathering in the special things about summer- I’ve decided that for me summer isn’t over until the end of September. Did you know that August is peach season ? That apple picking begins in August? There are fall raspberries, and the grapes are ripening. Local spots to savor some of these include Lost Acres Farm in Granby, CT, Bushy Hill Farm in Granby, Kuras Farm in Suffield, the 4H Farm in Bloomfield, the Appleberry Farm in West Suffield or the Sweet Wind Farm in East Hartland. Farmer’s markets will have these and much more, many markets end in mid- late September, so don’t wait. 7/24/2016 1 Comment It’s Farmer’s Market Season!It’s Farmer’s Market Season, have you been to one yet? Most of the local towns have them. In our area there are many: East Granby Farmer’s Market at the East Granby Library, as well as in Granby, Simsbury, Suffield, Windsor, Bloomfield, even the Old State House in Hartford- all have markets to visit. Summer season brings wonderful fresh vegetables and fruits, all locally grown. 12/15/2015 0 Comments Peace and Joy
7/10/2015 1 Comment It's summertime- Be Inspired
4/21/2015 2 Comments Jump into Spring
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AuthorLori Rapuano ArchivesDecember 2024 May 2024 June 2023 December 2022 December 2020 December 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 December 2016 September 2016 July 2016 December 2015 August 2015 July 2015 April 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 March 2014 January 2014 December 2013 Your local Fine Art Reproduction source! |