I Didn't Stop In Time!

It has been spotty working in the studio. Since we moved into a large house with a large back yard and loads of plants to care for, I seem to find many other things to do rather than paint.  I could pretend that I do all this extra work, but actually I have a wonderful assistant and he can do everything and I mean everything; gardening, plumbing, electrical work and he is also my studio assistant. Of course the stumbling block could be that once again I screwed up a perfectly good painting by thinking I could improve it. Well, I certainly didn't.

Also I have been a bit under the weather and that became a real challenge 5 days ago. All will be well. I saw my dear doctor this morning and he assures me that I will be perfectly well for my planned trip to Veracruz Dec, 5.

I decided to attack a lovely encaustic diptych that had a few scratches. I painted oil and cold wax on the first layer

Next, I went back with black cwm and oil. I should have stopped at this point

This could have been a painting on its own.

Same painting. Getting worse and worse. if I had used encaustic, I could scrape it off and start again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The saving grace was ordering 3 perfect boards that my assistant prepared; one for encaustic and the other 2 for cold wax and oil. Now the fun and challenge can begin.

I had a nice surprise. I opened a Face book post by one of the authors of the new Cold Wax book and found that one of my paintings was posted as an example.

http://www.artistsnetwork.com/medium/cold-wax-art

DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE HOLIDAY SALE FROM NOW TO DECEMBER 22. 30% off plus free shipping from Mexico. The online workshops will be discounted also, BUT in order to participate you must sign up for my mailing list. If you already have subscribed, you are registered and can choose what you want. I can offer gift certificates if you want to choose something for a someone else.

How Important Are the Arts?

I got that question this morning during a live interview at a gallery opening in Denmark. It was an honor to be part of the opening exhibition even though we are in different countries and different time zones.

How important are the arts? this reminds me of my father's comments as I pleaded with my parents to go to art school. He said. "What good is art? You can't eat it or wear it?

My answer to the question today was something like, "Without art, life is colorless"

Here are some other artists' quotes; "Art is art. Everything else is everything else." Ad Reinhardt

"Art is lies that tell the truth." Picasso

Perhaps my favorite quote, at least for today;   "A great artist...must be shaken by the naked truths that will not be comforted. This divine discontent, this disequilibrium, this state of inner tension is the source of artistic energy." Goethe

I am sure not only artists feel the divine discontent. It is what we do with that discontent, isn't it?

I was discontented with this painting several years ago and I destroyed it. The image popped up on  a post from Pinterest. Someone had saved it. I thought, "Wow, that was a good painting. Why did I not let it live?"

encaustic. I may try to re-create it.

Paintings, Workshops, Books, All Will Be Reduced For Holiday Shopping

My studio is filling up again, although I have had a great year for sales.  I am planning very  special offers for everyone on my mailing list. If you are interested in being included in this promotion, you must sign up for the mailing list. You will receive a free video of 60 years of my work and a monthly newsletter and the special sale. Only the people on the mailing list will be included. I promise not to fill up your inbox. My usual newsletter is one time a month.

There will be gift certificates for commissions, workshops and art; 30% discounts on existing paintings and free shipping the the States and Canada. Never have I offered this much. See the sign up on the right of this blog.

Check out my website: www.ezshwan.com and choose which painting you want for yourself or as a gift. A gift certificate can be sent to you if don't know someone's taste. Also I am offering 30% off my workshops.ezshwan.blogspot.com

Here is just a sampling of paintings that will be available. Something for everyone and don't forget I will include commissions in this sale, but you must sign up.