Sunday, May 18, 2008

May Issue of Wisdom and Art Inspirations

In this issue:
--Beauty is You
--Feel Better--Look at Landscape Paintings
--26 Top Marketing Tips for Fine Artists
--Daisy Paint Splat Design on CafePress. com
--Silver City Treasure: Motavenda Melchizedek
--Wisdom Painting Schedule for June & July

You can view it here:
May Issue: Wisdom & Art Inspirations

Landscape Paintings Make You Feel Better

(Copied by permission from Painting Blog by Nancy Reyner)
The Healing Power of Landscape Paintings
I recently found an uplifting and interesting tidbit for those of us who enjoy painting landscapes. According to Dr. John Diamond, in his 1979 book Your Body Doesn't Lie, when a person looks at a landscape painting it will raise their level of well being, balance their right and left brain hemispheres and increase their life energy. The book describes Dr. Diamond’s research and practice for Behavioral Kinesiology (BK), which uses muscle testing from Kinesiology to test for factors in the environment that raise and lower a person’s energy or life force. He muscle tested patients for music, electronic devices, picture symbols, food, just about everything, as well as paintings. He found that a photograph of a landscape or an actual view of a landscape did not come close to the life giving qualities from a landscape painting (!)

Here is a quote (p. 76 in Dr. Diamond’s book) “…The results are not nearly so satisfactory with line drawings or with photographs. Looking at a beautiful scene in nature may or may not be as effective, depending on the ability of the viewer to abstract certain qualities from it, which is, after all, what a good painter has already done for us. I have found that if people take an “energy break” every so often – just to recite a verse or two of poetry or to look at a picture postcard of a painting, stress and tension will be considerably reduced……and the Life Energy will be high…”

How cool is that?

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Fantastic Article on Artists Seeking Gallery Representation

Artist, Lynn Dunham, has just published a fantastic article "Top 26 Marketing Checklist for Fine Artists". This article is full of helpful information for any artist that is on a quest to acquire gallery representation. I will be referring to it for my own use for sure. Check it out here: Top 26 Marketing Checklist

Friday, May 2, 2008

Art Ramblings ...

Last week I dreamed another painting series, more abstracts. Now I have about 20 paintings to complete. I wonder if I will continue with the southwest landscape paintings? Can I fit them into the abstract series -- doing an abstract and doing a landscape at the same time?

I'm pleased with the two paintings I just completed. They are southwest landscapes with a twist. I've painted frames onto the canvas around the landscape giving it a window view effect. I painted datura flowers at the corners. This was an idea I had in the beginning stages of my landscape painting. I'm tickled that I finally gave myself permission to paint it.

I wonder if I will stay in Silver City? I just don't seem to be "finding my people". I'm really wanting to build community here with like-minded people and artists. I wonder if there are any like-minded people here in which to build community? Am I just plain weird or what? There seems to be more competive spirit here than I had originally thought. That does not help in building commaderie.

Okay ... I need to get back to work on my website.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

The Place to Be Painting up on CafePress.com


Mugs, pillows, t-shirts, greeting cards, prints, magnets, buttons, and more have been added to my cafepress.com/maryart online store. All these are being printed with my southwest landscape scene painting, The Place to Be. This is an orange colored southwest scene of the desert, sky, and pathway leading into the mountains. The original painting has been sold.