Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Art Marketing

What? No painting! While I am finishing up several large pieces for my show at the Center for Visual Arts in September (I will post those as the date gets closer), I want to share a link about a great art marketing blog and blogtalk radio show. It is called "Artists Helping Artists" and is hosted by two very generous artists, Leslie Saeta and Dreama Tolle Perry. The show airs every Thursday morning at 11 am CST. They always have great tips to help you take the business part of your art to another level. Tomorrow's episode is about getting into galleries. Be sure to tune in...

Monday, July 26, 2010

Just Playing

"Sunset on the 18th Green"
© Nancy Laliberte
12" x 16" acrylic on professional quality watercolor paper mounted on canvas
private collection

In my last post I talked about painting what you see vs. painting what you think you see. Well, how about painting what you know? How about painting what is in your heart? How about just playing around with paint, no agenda, no set up? Just close your eyes, breathe, imagine, dip your brush in the paint, and play.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Water Colors

"Summer Reflections"
© Nancy Laliberte
9" x 12" Acrylic on panel
Available at the Center for Visual Arts, Wausau, WI
Available

My good friend Sharon Rotz has a book called, Your Artist's Brain by Carl Purcell. It talks about what you see vs. what you think you see and teaching your brain and hand to work together to paint/draw what you see. Sounds simple right? Try it. This is a plein air painting I did of Thunder Bay in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. My challenge was to paint the colors I actually saw in the water, and not what I thought they should be. It was great fun putting all of the spots of color together to get water colors.
Links:

Thursday, July 22, 2010

There's a New Cupcake Lady in Town...

"Ode to Joy"
© 2010 Nancy Laliberte
8" x 8" Acrylic on panel
Sold

...and her name is Sweet Lola's Cupcakery and BakeShop. She (actually, it's Tara Nowak and her family) shows up every Thursday on the 400 block of Third Street. But I need to tell you, don't sleep in or wait to take your coffee break at 10, because her culinary delights sell out fast! This was a vanilla cupcake heaped with creamy chocolate frosting, chocolate sprinkles and a cherry on top. Two tips for painting cupcakes; don't paint on an empty stomach, and share your still life with your family. They will love you for that :-)
PS: Just so you know, soon you will be able to get a daily fix of Sweet Lola's treats. In September they are opening a bakery across from Washington Square on Third Street in Wausau. Yummy.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Get Outside and Paint!

"Birches at Brockmeyer Park"
© 2010 Nancy Laliberte
8" x 6" acrylic on panel

The other day I took a much welcomed break from studio painting. I threw my plein air gear in the car and set up while my daughter had soccer practice at Brockmeyer Park in Wausau. I was attracted to the grouping of birch trees at the edge of the park. It was a beautiful day, albeit a bit warm for my thick northern blood, and the sun kept playing hide and seek with the clouds. It was a challenge for a plein air painter like me, but the point was to just get outside and paint.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Petite Peinture and the Art of Healing

"Healing Echinacea"
© 2010 Nancy Laliberte
4" x 4" x 1-3/8" Acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas
SOLD

There is a drink I like to buy every now and again called "Lemon Ginger Echinacea" by the R.W. Knudsen company. It is like lemonade with a bit of a ginger bite. It also has some echinacea extract in it. It was introduced to me by a church friend while I was going through cancer treatments several years ago. Whenever I feel the need for a pick me up, I pour a glass of it over ice. It is refreshing and soothing, similar to painting. I like that.

Friday, July 9, 2010

Culture & Agriculture Exhibition

"Farm and Field: Winter Light"
© 2010 Nancy Laliberte
6" x 6" acrylic on panel
Available at New Visions Gallery, Marshfield, WI
SOLD
"Farm and Field: September Afternoon"
© 2010 Nancy Laliberte
6" x 6" acrylic on panel
SOLD

I am very pleased to share that two of my paintings have been juried into New Visions Gallery's annual, "Culture and Agriculture" national exhibition. Being a Wisconsin farm girl and all, this has always been one of my favorite shows. The opportunity to be a part of it makes it all the more special. In addition to the above paintings, I also have several other original pieces available for purchase in the gallery gift shop.
Opening reception is this Sunday afternoon...if you are in the area, please join us!
July 12 - September 3 Culture & Agriculture
New Visions Gallery — Marshfield Clinic
1000 North Oak Avenue Marshfield, WI 54449-5703 (715) 387-5562
Opening Reception
Sunday, July 11, 1-3:30 pm

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Artful Influence

"Field of Gold"
© 2010 Nancy Laliberte
5" x 7" acrylic on archival paper
Sold

Ok, I'll admit it. Besides painting and drawing, I love art history, art books of any kind, frequenting art galleries and museums, reading art blogs, etc. I love being under the influence of art!
Living in Wausau, Wisconsin, I am very fortunate to have access to a terrific museum in town called the Woodson Art Museum. Their annual Birds in Art show juries in artists from all over the WORLD. It is spectacular. And, every year through generous donations they are able to purchase pieces from the show to add to their permanent collection. That said, one of my favorite artists (and there are many) who has been often included in the show is a painter from the Netherlands named Ewoud de Groot. In my opinion, everything about his work is outstanding, but I especially like his brushwork. In this piece I wanted to experiment with a kind of mosaic type of brushwork in the field to give it depth and show the layers of color a field has when you take the time to really look at it. I had a lot of fun with and will definitely try it again.

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Celebrating the 4th of July

"Freedom"
© Nancy Laliberte
24" x 36" acrylic on canvas
Private Collection

I hope everyone is enjoying their July 4th holiday weekend and counting the blessings and freedoms they have. Our home is all decked out with flags, stars and buntings compliments of my husband and 7 year-old son. In case you hadn't figured it out, my husband is a patriotic guy. For him, this holiday ranks right up there with Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Enjoy your day!