Buffalo Spirit - My Newest Painting

 

Buffalo Spirit. It's acrylic on canvas, 60 x 60 inches. An abstract painting with the feeling of the wild west. If you tune in, you can see American Indians and buffalo roaming the land with the sun shining.

The buffalo spirit is a strong, gentle mighty presence. The American Indian's spirit attunes to the natural world flowing with the rhythms of Mother Earth and the elements. The strength of the wind carries both the spirit of the buffalo and the American Indian forward. A deep abiding respect for life is honored between them. Life is sacred on the plains of the Southwest where buffalo spirit roams.

Survival, stamina, and strength is required for life in the wild wild west. Living from the wild place within is advised. Rock steady presence in tune with your center, ready for anything that comes your way. Buffalo spirit aids your journey.

This painting is available. Inquiries can be emailed to Mary@WildfeatherFineArt.com.

Vibrant Painting For Your Home or Office – Red Subtlety Triptych Yellow Red Purple

Left to Right:
Red Subtlety on Yellow, Red Subtlety on Red
and Red Subtlety on Purple

Triptych Painting: Vibrant, Energetic Impact for Home or Office

For the interest of art lovers and art collectors, I will explain my process and theory behind this triptych.

Idea

This was the last in a series of triangle paintings. The idea behind this triptych was to see if I could "bury" the triangle.

Theory

If I paint over the triangle with enough layers, the triangle shape will disappear.

Process

I began with painting each panel a different color for the background with the idea of being a graduated value from light to dark. The first panel was painted yellow; the second, red; and the last panel, purple. Then I used the same three colors on all panels for the top layers.

I made many stencils out of oaktag, which was leftover from my dress designing days. I drew various triangle sizes, differentiating them from solid to outlined. I then cut them out with an x-acto knife. 

Vibrant and energetic impact to your home or office.

Paintings - Tryptych

Acrylic and Oil on Oak Panels

Each panel measures: 48L x 24W x 3D inches

Hung together with 6 inches apart, they measure:

48L x 84W x 3D inches

Silver City, New Mexico

I worked with all three panels laid down on a table surface, painting the same color on each panel as I progressed. I laid selected stencils on top of the panels and proceeded to paint thinned-down acrylic washes over the panels. With the thinned acrylic paint, I wanted the background color to show or shine through, thus giving me the graduated colors of panels with the final product. Where the stencils lay, it would leave its shape behind. I proceeded in this fashion alternating yellow, red, and purple layers over various stencils. I kept at it until I could barely recognize the triangle shape as part of the composition. 

At the end of the process, I realized that it was next to impossible to entirely "bury" the triangle. It is a part of me as it is part of the infinite.

Red Subtlety on Yellow

Red Subtlety on Red

Red Subtlety on Purple

These handsome panels are made of oak wood construction (my own construction), each panel measures 48 x 24 x 3 inches. Hanging them six inches apart, gives a full wall width of 84 inches x 48 inches tall x 3 inches deep.

The final painting result is a non-objective, monotone effect. They have a rich luster. They are painted with acrylic. I completed them with final oil glaze layer. They make a vibrant and energetic impact to your home or office.

Red Subtlety Triptych on Yellow, Red, Purple

For inquiries, please contact me, Mary Rae, at MaryRaeStudios@gmail.com.

About the Author

Mary Rae Rush (Mary Gravelle) is an artist, author, and creativity catalyst and consultant. She resides in Sedona, Arizona with her loving and efficient assistant, Sir Kitty. Her other services are Sedona Art Hikes, Fluid Expressions Workshop for Empowerment, Igniting Your Intentions, and Wisdom Painting.

Contact her today with painting commissions, requests for creative work, consultations, or one on one coaching sessions. She is happy to paint something just for you. Or she can help you delve into your creativity and come out with your own unique expression.

Inquiries

Inquiries can be made via email to MaryRaeStudios@gmail.com.

And, as always, I would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below. 

My assistant, Sir Kitty

En plein-air painting:  Eden, Cathedral Rock, 

9 x 12 inches, Acrylic on Wood,

Copyright 2016 Braylee Rush/Mary Gravelle

8 Tips on Collecting Fine Art

As an artist, it is integral to my art career to gather collectors and patrons of my art.
As in any business, it becomes important to not only locate customers–for artists that would be art patrons and collectors–but to educate them as well. Collecting fine art might be easier than you think.

Follow along as I give you some tips that I think will make your fine art collecting a meaningful experience. Whether you are purchasing fine art in person or online, I think these tips will apply. I will be referring to painting in my tips, as that is my medium of choice. But, you can substitute work of art for painting, if you want.

Tip #1: Take Your Time

The first tip in collecting Fine Art is to take your time. Once you purchase a painting, you will live with it for a long time. So, take your time in selecting just the right pieces. They will become your friends over time and offer you enjoyment for many years to come.


Crystalline Energy and the Blooming Century Plant,
Acrylic on Birch panel, 12 x 24 inches, en plein air,
copyright Mary Gravelle.

Tip #2: Go Where There is Art

Go to museums, galleries, artist’s studios, browse online galleries and artist’s websites, and anywhere else where they show and sell art. As in Tip #1, take your time looking at different paintings. Begin to get a feeling for what style of painting you like.
My collectors have bought my art online, from my studio, from my home, from galleries, and hopefully not dark alleys… lol. The point is that you can find and buy art anywhere there is art. Don’t limit yourself to the typical experience of purchasing only at fine art galleries.


Walking in Paradise, en plein air, 11 x 15 inches,
acrylic on canvas, copyright 2016 Mary Gravelle.

Tip #3: Allow Your Tastes to Grow

Taste is acquired over time. Just as you may have started drinking Boones Farm wine in your teenage years, you have most likely graduated to fine wines over time. It’s the same with your taste in paintings. Once you begin collecting, you will become more sophisticated about what you like in a painting. But, don’t let that stop you. Dive right in and begin to experience making the purchase and enjoying what you have bought. It’s a process that can be fun. You will delight in how your taste in painting changes once you get the hang of it.


Waters of Birth, 36 x 48 x 1.5 inches, Acrylic on Canvas,
Copyright Braylee Rush / Mary Gravelle.

Tip #4: Learn How to Appreciate Art: Curiosity is Key

As an art patron, appreciator, or collector, stand before a work of art in your home, a gallery, museum, the artist’s studio, or an online art gallery or website. Pick out one painting.

Let yourself become curious about that painting. Imagine yourself being taken into the painting and becoming part of it, ala Alice in Wonderland. Where is the painting taking you? What is happening to your thoughts? What is happening in your body? Are certain areas of your body, such as your gut, or head, uneasy or tingling? Or maybe parts of your body feel joyous and delighted. Are certain emotions arising? Allow your curiosity about the painting to open you up to what it might have for you. Your Curiosity is the key to understanding or at least appreciating the painting.

Summer’s Song
Acrylic on Canvas
60 x 36 x 1.0 inches
©2008 Mary Rush Gravelle.
In private collection.

Tip #5: Do You Love It?

When it comes to purchasing fine art, buy a piece that you love. If you connect strongly with a work of art, go ahead and consider purchasing it. The joy and happiness that this original painting will give you will prove to be immeasurable and priceless.
One collector found one of my paintings online. Her and her husband had just inherited a small amount of money and wanted to use part of it to purchase a southwestern landscape painting. They made it a fun adventure while drinking wine one night as they googled “southwestern landscape paintings.” They found one of mine that they fell in love with. They contacted me, I shipped it, and as they told me, “made them smile.”

In Situ. Cherry Tree Promise, 36 x 24 inches, Acrylic on Canvas

Copyright Braylee Rush / Mary Gravelle

Tip #6: Ask Yourself Questions

Listed below are some questions that you might ask yourself.

• Why do I like this painting?
• What does it remind me of?
• How do these colors make me feel?
• Overall, how does this painting make me feel?
• Would it make a great gift for someone special?

Tip #7: Imagine Living With It

Either physically or in your mind, peruse your home or office. What room or space could you imagine it fitting into or adding some sort of ambiance or atmosphere?
Paintings add energy to your space. From the questions above, what kind of energy does this painting give off for you? Which area of your home would benefit from that type of energy? Imagine in your mind’s eye, the painting hanging where you think it would be a perfect fit. If that excites you, get out a measuring tape and measure your space to the dimensions of the painting. You might need to rearrange furniture to create just the perfect place for it.

Tip #8: Allow Art to Fulfill Its Destiny

If you connect to a certain painting, allow it to fulfill its destiny of energizing your space. Allow the painting to be in service to you. Paintings can soothe or instill passion or anything in-between

Once I have completed a painting, I wish for it to fulfill its destiny by finding the right buyer, someone who will appreciate it and give it a good home.
Serenity, 24 x 48 inches, Oil on Wood, in private collection.
One of my collectors has several of my paintings. She is in the medical field and travels with her job every 13 weeks, sometimes staying as long as a year. She has been collecting my art since 2006. You can imagine how many times she has moved into a new home, taking my paintings with her. She tells me how much joy they bring her every time she moves. She carefully wraps them in a moving blanket and off they go to her new home.

Summary

Paintings have much power to fulfilling your long lasting joy. They will become your friends. So, get out there–look at some art, appreciate art, and buy art! It’s easier than you think.

I would love to hear from you. Make a comment on this blog article, or go to my Contact page.

Become a Patron of My Art

I have made it easy for collectors and patrons to support me and my art via the platform, Patreon. Here is a YouTube Video where I explain the four reasons why you might want to do that.

https://youtu.be/LBgdkNvBjZM

Further Reading

Now that I have shared my tips, there is a great article on theInvaluable website that will enlighten you even more.

About the Author

Braylee Rush is an artist, author, and creativity catalyst and consultant. She resides in Sedona, Arizona with her loving and efficient assistant, Sir Kitty. Her art and other work can be found at:
Art Website,
Art Blog,
Sedona Art Hikes,
Wisdom Painting for Self-Discovery,
Igniting Your Intentions.

How to Get Started Mixing Colors for Fine Art Painters

Color, beautiful color!

Recently I have been hearing artists talk about how challenging mixing colors can be. Do you think so too?

A long time ago, I dated a guy who was incredibly talented with drawing in black and white. He was afraid of color. The idea of mixing color and how to do it befuddled him. Being a painter who adored color, I thought him silly. Mixing color is easy to me. But for some, not so much.

This Christmas, I gifted my neighbor and friend a painting session. She was so excited. She began mixing colors on her palette with her brush. The painting started out fine with her first attempt of color brushed onto paper. Then, she kept adding colors and mixing them on the same palette with the same brush. Yikes, before I knew it, she was mixing mud. I was taking the approach of letting her go and have fun painting. So, I just stood back and let her play. She was having a blast and seemed to like the muddy colors. She went home all excited and hung the painting in her bedroom. A week or so later I asked her how the painting was doing. She told me that she had taken it down and did not continue to paint on it. She felt totally overwhelmed with it. She is sticking with black and white for now, she says. So, there you go, another one bites the dust of color mixing.

Mixing colors for a plain air landscape painting.
Using a limited color palette helps.

Plain Air Painting, see my color palette below.

The plain air painting above required only a few colors.
Each painting dictates your color mixes.

And, just as I'm writing this, a beginner artist friend messaged me a photo of her current painting. Guess what she told me? She is having a hard time with mixing color! For her, it's brown and gray that are difficult. She's copying another painting, so I imagine the browns and grays are specific to that painting and she's trying to match them.

Colors sometimes mix themselves on the palette.

So, how do you get started mixing colors? My advice is to start small and keep it simple. There are so many different colors available to us. How many blues, greens, reds, and yellows does an artist need anyway? You might be able to shirk the color mixing entirely, just by buying the exact color you want. This method could get costly and could take up a lot of space.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

Titanium White is opaque, Zinc White is translucent.

White: Zinc white will stay true white, but it is quite transparent. Titanium White is opaque, but can turn some colors gray and dull. Experiment with these two whites to lighten your colors. Take a red, add Zinc white and mix. Take the same red and add Titanium white. What happened? How different are the results? When will you prefer Zinc white over Titanium white? You could try this for any other color as well. Ultramarine blue is one of my favorite blues. Adding Titanium white makes it turn into a purply / lavender / periwinkle color, which I love.

Blue: My favorite blues right now are: Ultramarine blue, Cerulean blue, and Manganese blue. Try mixing all three of these and you will see that it comes out to the most glorious blue I have ever experienced. I'm sure there must be a blue on the market that I could buy, but it's really so much fun mixing colors to please myself and the painting before me. So, go back to the whites, and add each white to each of these blues and see what you get. Try mixing combinations of two of the blues together and see what blue you end up with. Mix those colors with each of the whites and see what happens.

Can you guess which blues are located where in this painting?
I learned a lot about my favorite blues while painting this one.

Purple: For years, I could not figure out how to mix purple. Recently, I discovered how to do it! The secret is Primary Magenta. Mix that with one of the blues, Cerulean or Manganese, for a delicious purple. Add the whites for lavender. The painting to the right is an example of mixing purple and lavendar with this combination.

As you can imagine, that is just the tip of the colorful iceberg on color mixing.

So, tell me, do you have trouble mixing colors? What happens when you try it? Are you good at it? What are you favorite color mixes? What is your greatest challenge with color mixing?

Until Next Week

• Create art
• Appreciate art
• Buy art

Mary Gravelle (Mary Rae Rush)

Sir Kitty

About the author: Mary Rae Rush (Mary Gravelle) is an artist and writer who resides in Sedona, Arizona with her beloved assistant, Sir Kitty. Her art can be seen on her website.

Painting Helps One to See

Painting by Cody DeLong.
Read the article I refer to online.
Download this issue.

"Learning to paint is largely about learning to 'see' with greater sensitivity and expressing those ideas in a skillful painterly way". I love this quote by artist, Cody DeLong from Jerome, Arizona that I found in an article this morning. The paragraph that contained that quote also quoted DeLong as saying:

"To paint well requires more than just good technique, and it's more than just a raw emotional response to nature's beauty. It's also about knowledge, experience and a concerted sustained effort toward personal growth and insight. Learning to paint is largely about learning to 'see' with greater sensitivity and expressing those ideas in a skillful painterly way". –Cody DeLong

Drawing

This is one reason why so many painters and artists believe that learning how to draw well is a required technique allowing one the ability to paint better pictures. Learning how to draw something requires one to actually see the thing that they are observing and drawing in order to render it as a recognizable something to the viewer.

In-Sight

Work in Process. Painting, for me, is
all about recognizing my relationship
with each particular painting. This painting
is no different. I struggle to 'see', to
'listen' to what the painting wants from me,
and pray that I can deliver on its message.

I personally love the middle statement within that quote: "It's also about knowledge, experience, and a concerted sustained effort toward personal growth and insight". As artists it is up to us to grow our person as much as we grow our skill set. As we grow as a person, our vision expands, our art deepens. With a deeper well within, we can create a deeper-welled experience for our viewer.

Drawing, then takes on a different and whole new meaning. Drawing from the inner well of knowledge, experience, and insight. Seeing inwardly, or in-sight, helps the artist to understand and see something beneath the surface of their subject. It allows the painter to dive deeper into the work to deliver a painting that has depth and soul. The inward journey of the artist is paramount to becoming a great artist.

Source Material:

The article I read this morning about local artist, Cody DeLong, from Jerome, Arizona can be found online here: Kudos Art & Gallery Guide, April 1, 2015.

Until Next Week

• Create art
• Appreciate art
• Buy art

Mary Gravelle
(Brianna Rush)

Sir Kitty

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

The Artist Self-Portrait Continued

http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/gogh/self/

"Self-portrait - A portrait an artist makes using himself or herself as its subject, typically drawn or painted from a reflection in a mirror." 1

While researching the subject of the artist self-portrait to discover more about the subject as I challenge myself to do one, I came across a fascinating website (see citation 2 below). The author of the website is unknown, but goes into more detail on the subject than what I really want to do in this blog article. This article / website is an in depth study of the artist self-portrait and why they do it.

Referring to artists such as Rembrandt, van Gogh, Dürer, Gustave Courbet, Frida Kahlo, among others, it uncovers the artists' possible motivations for painting oneself. Here is a paragraph that sums it up:

"All of these artists gazed into their mirrors and attempted to grasp their identities. They sought to portray their image, whether it showed a clear representation of their features, a walk through their childhood or an outpouring of emotions. Some self-portraits show only what the artist wants us to see, some chronicle the history of the artist, others reveal personal secrets and a sense of isolation. Whichever method is employed each artist took a long literal and figurative look at him/herself. Each portrait is an exploration of the self."

And...

"For all artists, the self-portrait is an exploration, an opportunity to see beyond the image in the mirror and begin to search into the soul."

Self-Portrait with Animal Hat. My first
self-portrait in drawing class.

I love this last statement. I think that is true for me. The self-portraits that we were required to draw in college revealed aspects to myself that were not available on the surface of what I saw myself to be. Rather, they portrayed a deeper sense, a sadness, a more serious aspect, that I never show to people. However, at that particular time, it had only been six weeks since my dear baby brother had died suddenly in a boating accident. I was sad. Possibly, the sadness showed to others as well. I'm not sure. But, the self-portraits I drew at that time made my sadness visible to me.

I wonder what this current self-portrait will show? What will I discover in my innermost being while painting this excursion from looking in the mirror? Will I allow a realistic portrayal? Will I edit parts of self that I don't want to show? Will I do an abstraction? Stay tuned...

Citations:

1. Quote

2. Article/website -- http://userpages.umbc.edu/~ivy/selfportrait/intro.html 3. My first self-portrait -- read more at http://wisdompainting.com/inspirational_images_22_Mary_Gravelle_Self_Portrait.htm

Pink Painting 3 Auction Fundraiser for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Details... October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month

My goal is to raise $1,000, enough for 10 free mammograms for women in need. I intend to raise this amount by auctioning my paintings that have a dominant color theme of Pink. If you win the bid, I will donate, either in my name or yours, 25 percent of the winning bid amount to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. It gives me great pleasure to place my art in service to helping women.

About the Current Fine Art Painting

Today's painting, the 3rd one so far, is from my Numbers mixed media series - Number 7: Seventh Heaven, 24 x 24 inches, mixed media on wood, framed in a wood frame. Copyright 2009 Mary Rush Gravelle.

Layers of swirled acrylic paints in pinks, gold, and silver depict the synthesized meaning of number seven. Alternating layers of transparent acrylic mediums add depth in beautiful texture. Pink glassy domes accent the painting giving it dimension. Number seven is about higher realms lifting thoughts Heavenly bound in pure loving blissful energy that defies definition. Art merges with spirituality in this sensuous acrylic mixed media painting.

Imagine Seventh Heaven hanging in the perfect place in your home or office. Which room would be best served by its soft-spoken strength, spirit, and beauty?

The retail value of this painting is $1,100. The starting bid is $500. The deadline for bidding is Sunday, October 27, 2013. Good luck.

To place your bid, comment below, comment on my facebook page,  email me at mary@maryfineart.com, or call me 575-956-7315 leave a message.

Artist Angst

I resist. I squirm with uneasiness and overwhelm. I want to paint. I have set up my canvas and paints. They sit tantalizing me with their promises of easing my emotional unrest today. A phone art image taunts me. It begs me to put it to canvas with paint. I bring it into Photoshop to see how it will look in a square format. Will it lose its essence? I don't know.

Possibility of painting my phone art image in a
36 x 36 inch square format.
©2013 Mary Rush Gravelle

Are there any other artists out there with "Artist Angst"? Would you like to share it here with me on this blog? Leave a comment.

My original phone art image.
will painting it in the square format
lose the essence caught here?
©2013 Mary Rush Gravelle

Contact Me

Until Next Week:

• Create art 
• Appreciate art 
• Buy art 

Do you Have Something to Say? Comments are welcome, click on the "comments" link below. If it says, "no comments", be the first one to share your thoughts. Let's get the conversation going.