Mixing it Up

Paint palette of mixed colors.
Copyright 2014 Mary Rush Gravelle.

How we mix up our experiences in life is just as exciting, most times, more so, than the final destination of arrival. Chance encounters and meetings as we go about our day add to the flair and fun of our lives.

I often fall in love with my palette when mixing colors while painting. The accidental occurrences that happen when colors, water, and gel mediums run into each other delights me. Eye candy, soul intrigue, and new possibilities ignite my senses.  Imagination comes alive on the palette, many times after the painting session has been completed. What is left on the palette afterward is the mess of the creative process where magic has just had its way with me.

Paint palette of mixed colors.
Copyright 2014 Mary Rush Gravelle.

Life can be a colorful adventure like that too, if only we will let it have its way with us. Planned experiences can be mixed with openness, flexibility, and spontaneity. With a little imagination and a touch invention, we can allow life to get a little messy. And... have much more more fun that way.

How can you use your creativity today and throughout this next week to energize your life in an artful, colorful way? How can you allow the merging of life circumstances and experiences to alter the perceived reality of the situation? How can you create something new and exciting in your life? Leave a comment below.

And while we're talking about colorful experiences, head on over to my art website to see how I mix up colors on my canvas and in digital media. Also, check out my prints for more colors! Consider adding one of my colorful artworks to your home or office.

Paint palette of mixed colors.
Copyright 2014 Mary Rush Gravelle.

Until Next Week

• Create art
• Appreciate art
• Buy art

Mary Rush
(Mary Gravelle)

About the Author

Brianna Rush (Mary Rush Gravelle) is an artist who resides in Sedona, Arizona with her beloved cat, Sir Kitty. More about her art and paintings can be found on her website.

Copyright 2014 Brianna Rush (Mary Rush Gravelle). All rights reserved.

Sir Kitty

Commissioned Painting Update

Changed the blue sky to a colored sky, commissioned painting.
Dillon and Dexter Chilling at Bell Rock, 18 x 36 inches,
Acrylic on canvas. Copyright 2014 Mary Rush Gravelle.

Ummm.... well.... I delivered the painting. The sky was blue and that was a problem. Come to find out the buyer does not care for blue skies. When she takes photos, she puts a filter on her camera to keep the sky from being blue. My bad for not being or getting super clear on her expectations.

In reality, I very rarely paint blue skies in my paintings. The painting she purchased from me prior to the commission had a mauve and beige sky. She expected more of the same. She explained that she has no blue in her house, therefore, it doesn't really go with her decor. "Okay, no problem," I told her, "I'll put a color glaze over it... I want you to be ecstatically happy over this painting!"

So, back to the drawing board (painting easel) today. I tried the color glaze. It just didn't cut it. So, I took bold action and painted the sky the same colors as the rest of the painting, Sedona red-orange. I have to admit that I like it! It feels much more like my style. I was apprehensive in painting this work. I guess I was more nervous than I realized, trying to paint what I thought she would like. I wanted Bell Rock to look like Bell Rock. I wanted her cats to look like her cats. I guess I went a little too far in that direction.

I will let the painting sit overnight and see what it looks like in the morning. Perhaps I'll add some yellow and fuchsia to the sky. We'll see.

Original Painting. Dillon and Dexter Chilling at Bell Rock, 18 x 36 inches,
Acrylic on canvas. Copyright 2014 Mary Rush Gravelle.

So, what do you think? Do you like the colored sky? Did you like the blue sky? Have you had similar experiences with commissioned paintings?

Until Next Week

• Create art
• Appreciate art
• Buy art

Mary Rush
(Mary Gravelle)

About the Author

Mary Rush is an artist who resides in Sedona, Arizona with her beloved cat, Sir Kitty. More about her art and paintings can be found on her website.

Copyright 2014 Mary Rush (Gravelle). All rights reserved.

Sir Kitty

Making Art on Commission Dream or Nightmare

Pallet of colors working on commissioned painting.
18 x 36 inches, acrylic on canvas.
Copyright 2014 Mary Rush (Mary Gravelle)

The artist's dream: getting paid upfront to paint! Or is it?

Back in the day a long time ago, it was the elite, political, and religious who hired artists to create pieces that would portray certain images of power and wealth. Think about Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo. Artists could rely on making a living from creating their art.

Fast forward to late 1700's to mid-1800's when the American and French revolutions and democracy changed the way of life. This also sent the artist headlong into a new direction.

With their conviction to paint and make art that made them happy, or at least expressed what they deemed needed to be expressed, along with the fall of empires and wealth, the artist was now faced with the jubilance of newfound freedom and a need for self-reliance. For a quick and interesting look at art history, read this article.

I have little experience painting for commission. Currently, I find myself doing just that. I am so very grateful to be able to paint, knowing that payment is imminent, already receiving half upfront.

The Painting Setup.

I have discovered a few interesting things about painting on commission.

First, I want the client to be very happy and pleased with the final painting. Because of this, I involved the client in the composition of the painting. This took quite a number of back and forth discussions and conversations. My original vision for the painting changed dramatically. And yet, I am happy with it because I think the buyer will be more content with the final painting having been a part of its creation.

Second, because I want the buyer to be thrilled and ecstatic with the piece, I was sending updates of my progress up until two days ago. The idea for this was to keep the buyer involved in the process. What I discovered, however, was that it was inhibiting my creative process for allowing the painting to have its own voice and expression. Since I do not paint totally realistically, it is important for me to allow the creative muse to visit me during my painting process. And, the buyer kept telling me she wanted to let me do that. But, something inside insisted I keep her informed.

Nov. 13, 2014.
In Process Commissioned Acrylic Painting by Artist Mary Rush
(Mary Gravelle), 18 x 36 inches, acrylic on canvas.
Copyright 2014 Mary Gravelle

Now that I have let go of the idea of keeping the buyer apprised of every move I make with this painting, I feel so much happier and relieved while painting. The creative muse came out to play. The painting is breathing its own life now. I can't wait to see where this painting ends up. I am so excited about delivering the final piece to the client. I want her to be surprised by the painting instead of knowing every little detail about it and quite possibly suffocating any excitement of anticipation from the experience that she might be feeling.

What's your opinion of art making for commission? Artists, do you like this way of working? Art buyers and art collectors, do you commission artists to do work for you?

Here are some articles I ran across about the process of commissioned art that might be of interest:

Making Art on Commission: Tips for Artists

Commissioned Art: Tips to Make it a Success

For other articles, google "artists working on commission".

More about my art and paintings can be found on my website.

Until Next Week

• Create art
• Appreciate art
• Buy art

Mary Rush
(Mary Gravelle)

About the Author

Mary Rush is an artist who resides in Sedona, Arizona with her beloved cat, Sir Kitty. More about her art and paintings can be found on her website.

Copyright 2014 Mary Rush (Gravelle). All rights reserved.

Sir Kitty

New Painting Merges My Love of The Landscape and Animals

The set up.
Commissioned Painting, 18 x 36 inches.
Acrylic on canvas. Copyright Mary Rush (Mary Gravelle)

Painting Studio Set Up

Nov. 11, 2014. I have been preparing for a new painting, a commissioned work. I set up my painting space today.

Under Painting

Commissioned Painting under painting in process, 18 x 36 inches.
Acrylic on canvas. Copyright Mary Rush (Mary Gravelle)

I did the under painting of the sky. After spending quite a bit of time in the initial pre-planning stages, it felt great to finally put paint on canvas!

Landscape Meets Animals

Also, I have to say that as I was painting today, I loved the idea of painting the landscape again. With this painting, my love of nature and the landscape merges with my love of animals.

The Landscape

The landscape is in Sedona, Arizona. The mountain is known as Bell Rock, one of the major vortex sites in Sedona.

The Animals

The animals are the buyer's cats, Dillon and Dexter. They are both Maine Coon cats and quite large.

My Sir Kitty is attempting to become their friends, so far unsuccessfully. I encourage him to keep trying. So far, Dexter just hisses at him. We'll see what happens over time.

So far, this painting is a delight.

Until Next Week

• Create art
• Appreciate art
• Buy art

Sir Kitty

About the author:

Mary Rush Gravelle is an artist who resides in Sedona, Arizona with her beloved cat, Sir Kitty.

Making Art is a Lot About the Artist Getting Out of the Way

Tracing a drawing onto my canvas for a commissioned painting.
I will use my own advice while doing this painting.
I have done the initial preparations toward my vision,
receiving input from my buyer. Now, it's up to my creative
process to take over. I will work on getting out of my own
way and let the painting breath its own life into existence.
I am merely the messenger at this point.
Copyright 2014 Mary Rush (Gravelle). All rights reserved.

As much as we artists would like to think that our art is all about us, I believe more and more, it isn't.

I think a lot of the creative process of making art has to do with the artist getting out of his/her own way. The "way" I speak of translates as "mind and brain". Too much thinking can impede our progress. It can inhibit new and exciting expressions from coming forth.

The Joy has Stopped

I was talking with an artist friend over the weekend who is in the midst of painting toward a show that will begin in about three weeks. She told me that she was no longer enjoying her painting process. And furthermore, 3-4 pieces were either in ruin or had been started and stopped. She was shut down creatively and had lost her joy of painting. The impending deadline weighed heavily upon her shoulders and mind. As the conversation unrolled itself, I realized that she had a big sister criticizing her, the little sister, both in real life and internally. This criticism and advice was robbing the fun from her inner child's creative process.

Stop Thinking So Hard

I basically suggested that she just let go and paint. Let the materials do the painting, much like I teach in Wisdom Painting. Stop thinking so hard and get back to playing at the painting process again. Allow herself to experiment a little since she told me she had bought some gel mediums that she wanted to try. The theme of her show also was all about channeling the paintings, a condition where you must be open to the process.

Commissioned painting, 18 x 36 inches.
The drawing part of the process is complete.
Now it's time to paint!
Copyright 2014 Mary Rush (Gravelle). All rights reserved.

Jazzed Again

I am happy to report that my friend just sent me a photo of the painting she worked on today. It is a dynamic and strong visual piece, not yet complete, however. She is totally excited and jazzed again. I would like to think that my conversation with her helped loosen up her process.

What I Suggest

So, here is what I suggest if you feel yourself stuck: just show up and then surrender. Take yourself out of the equation as much as possible.

Just Show Up

Just showing up to the materials will send a message to your inner child or creative muse that you are ready to paint. It's a physical commitment to your process. Show up with intent to paint.

Surrender

Surrender to the creative process. Let the colors, brushes, palette, and canvas all have a conversation with your intuition and your vision for this painting. There is an intelligence built into the creative process itself. Surrender to it and let it have its way with you and the painting. All those years of art school or training / learning will ensure that the painting is a painting and not a disastrous mess.

Try It

Try this out and report back. How did it work for you? Was it really bad advice? Or did it help you break through a block of some sort?

Mary Rush
(Mary Gravelle)

Until Next Week

Sir Kitty

• Create art
• Appreciate art
• Buy art

About the Author

Mary Rush is an artist who resides in Sedona, Arizona with her beloved cat, Sir Kitty.

Copyright 2014 Mary Rush (Gravelle). All rights reserved.

The Visual Artist is a Unique Breed

Number 1: The All One.
24 x 24 inches, acrylic on wood,
Copyright 2009 Mary Rush Gravelle

I have changed my mind and thinking lately about artists being like any other professional such as a plumber or a lawyer.

I have made statements in the past that lean toward fighting for fair payment to the artist. I have written blog articles, see below, on the plight of the artist. They are serving humanity just as much as any other profession, right? Shouldn't they be fairly compensated for this service? Yes and...

Visual Artists Vs. Performing Artists

Visual artists are a different breed. I separate them from performing artists who get paid for performing their art. Yes, I do realize that they practice their art and on their own time.

On Their Own Dime and Time

The visual artist practices and makes their art all on their own dime and their own time. If they have prepared themselves well in the marketing aspects, they will succeed in possibly selling their work. They have to build up an inventory in order to have something available to be shown to someone who might want to buy it. They have to create first. And then, they can think about the sale. This is what separates visual artists from other professionals who get paid for the work they perform as they perform it. This is what makes visual artists a unique breed.

Number 4: Four Squared
24 x 24 inches, mixed-media on RayMar panel.
Copyright 2009 Mary Rush Gravelle. All rights reserved.

Need Alternative Ways to Get Paid

Unless the visual artist has built up an art patron relationship that pays them a monthly stipend for creating, they are not getting paid to do their art. Until they grow their reputation as an artist, they most times will need to perform other work for pay. Art materials are costly. It costs money to create art. The bills still need to get paid. The artist needs to eat. Costs for transportation need to be met.

Unique Space

Yes, visual artists inhabit a unique space in the world. They are creating from ideas and curiosities. They are following their hearts. They are creating beauty. They are helping us see our world in new ways.

They Have to Create

Most visual artists have not made the choice to be an artist. It is something that is innate. There is a driving inner force to create. If they do not heed the call, they pay for it in their depleted spirit.

Me

I am a visual artist. I am a unique breed in this world. I feel so much happier when I create. I have to do it. And, I would really love for my art to prosper me.

Other blog articles I have written on this subject.
Will Sell Art for Money
Give the Gift of Art
Is Everyone an Artist

I want to hear from you!

Please leave a comment below.

If you are an artist

Do you consider yourself a unique breed to humanity? Have you figured out how your art can prosper you? Do you work a job so you can pay for your art supplies? What are your thoughts on this idea?

If you are an art collector

Are you supporting a visual artist to create, to live their dream? Would you consider it?

Me, Mary Rush

Until Next Week

Sir Kitty

• Create art
• Appreciate art
• Buy art

About the author: Mary Rush Gravelle is an artist who resides in Sedona, Arizona with her beloved cat, Sir Kitty.