Next Art Goal: Get Paid to Make Art

Dear Reader,
I've been spinning around thinking about what to do next with my art.  I got a into a bit of a mire recently and haven't made more than a few sketches in the last couple of weeks.  Part of the problem is I'm not sure what I should be making.

Today I think my next goal should be to get paid for making art.  Right now I make art and I show it in a few galleries.  I can keep making art to show in galleries.  I pay to put my art in the galleries but that doesn't necessarily mean people will pay to buy the paintings I make.  There must be jobs out there that will pay me to make art; perhaps paint, illustrate, design. Now it's time to see if I can find some.

Social Media and Indecisive Art

Ah, it's time for another weekly installment of the art blog that does not have a readership.  It's actually kind of nice to think about this being out there in the public space of the internet but nobody reads it because there's just so much floating out there that people don't care.  It's a bit like going to the grocery store in ones sweatpants.  You're out in public but nobody really cares.  It's not as if I say anything that's deeply life changing on this blog anyway. If you're not me and you are actually wasting your time reading this right now, that's also fine with me.

Now that I'm done saying that - on to this week's art topic.

Now that I am thinking about how I use social media I am thinking about how there is this pressure to have something really cool to post and to consistently have something really cool to post.  Lately, I feel like my art is floundering around a bit.
I got started in November thinking about getting back into painting.  It had been so long since I had been consistently creating art that I was just happy I could still paint half way decently.
Then I started thinking about what I wanted to paint and how I wanted to paint it.  I felt like I really hit something when I painted "Carver Street Pine" so I wrote down the steps I took when I painted it. The idea was that I could recreate those steps and that could be my painting style.  So I created my next painting that way.
 At first I was happy with it.  Then I decided that idea of applying the same steps to all paintings wasn't working.  Something was missing.  I thought maybe it was the composition.  At that time I just happened to be teaching the rule of thirds (a type of composition) to my students.  Then I found an old booklet at school that I think it meant for high school aged students that talked a little about composition.
I really started thinking about how I am using light and dark areas and where I am putting things in the picture.  I feel very unpracticed in this area.  I think it's setting me back.
I started creating composition sketches and I made a few imaginary desert landscapes.  That seemed to start going in a direction that I wanted to but now that doesn't seem good enough either because working out of the imagination doesn't give me enough to work with although it has something.
Now I'm trying to tweak what I already see with what I am learning about composition.  So it's a combination of real and unreal.  I'm not sure what to make of it.
Here are the current results:

And here's a completely different direction to - hands - in part inspired by the recent drawings of hands by Tayen Kim and one other sketch artist who posts on Instagram.

What am I using social media for? (in relation to art)

I use several different social media sites.  I use Pinterest, Blogger, Instagram, Steller, Facebook, Etsy and Wix.  Often times a social media site will count the number of views, likes, comments or shares on a particular posting.  I begin to get sucked into the idea that these numbers are important and that I need to have as many likes or shares as possible.  The idea is that if a post has more shares or likes it's more popular and this popularity means I am more successful.  Now I want to question this idea.  Does chasing "likes" and "shares" lead to success?  Also, what kind of success am I trying to achieve?

I realize that social media can take up a lot of time in my day if I let it.  In a day I might spend an hour each on Facebook and Instagram and another half hour on my other social media sites.  That means I could be spending two and a half hours a day trying to accomplish something on social media while getting sucked into the idea of counting my "likes".

I need to think more about what I really define as succesful in terms of what I want to do with social media.  In order for me to feel like I'm not being manipulated into wasting my time by the instant gratification of social media I need to first think about what it is I am trying to accomplish.

Here is what I currently would like to use each site for and what I should stop using it for:

Pinterest
Use it for:
- pinning useful ideas for my job
- pinning references for my art work
- pinning books I should read or reference
Stop using it for:
- pinning stuffed animals for other people to repin
- pinning art work I think other people might want to repin

Blogger
Use it for:
- writing down a record my thought processes on the subject of art
Stop using it for:
- writing down what I think other people want to read about
- writing posts that make me sound like a know-it-all

Instagram
Use it for:
- finding artist community
-posting my pictorial meanderings
Stop using it for;
- trying to collect lots of "likes" on my posts
- trying to figure out what is popular

Steller
Use it for:
- (I may decide to stop using this all together)
Stop using it for:
- trying to collect "likes" and "views" on my stories
- trying to figure out what people want to see

Facebook
Use it for:
-Sharing my art with family and friends
Stop using it for:
- A source of world news

Etsy
Use it for:
- possibly as a way to connect with other artists. ( I may stop using this)
Stop using it for:
- Selling crafts and craft supplies

Wix
Use it for:
- A professional website to display finished quality works of art
- A place to direct people to who want to view my professional art
Stop using it for:
- mediocre paintings

Imaginary Desert Landscape: Round 2

Dear reader,
I recently decided I needed to do something about the composition in my artwork.  I decided that my composition skills are holding me back from making better artwork.  So, I gritted my brains and decided to grab composition by the scruff and shake it.  The results we're (long pause) not what I had hoped.  Instead of improving my painting I seem to have tensed up my creative muscles and made something choppy and garish.

Just having resolve to do something better doesn't always mean the results will really turn out better. I think I may have to revise my ideas about how to work on composition in my paintings.  I think I have to go about it with a softer touch and use some of my intuition that I've built up from creating paintings over the years.

Here is some of my current process in creating imaginary desert landscapes:

This is my first attempt at an imaginary desert landscape before I decided I needed to work on my composition.  I'm in the process of revising this one.  The mountains on the left are too dark and draw too much attention.  The dirt and shrubs at the bottom are too light.  They look too minty.

Here's my "grit my brains" painting.  It's obviously worse than my first attempt. The colors look garish.  The red mountains in the foreground are awful. The composition looks terrible. 

So I decided to sketch out a new idea.  This sketch reminds my of some of my older paintings with the way I drew the sky.  The rocks remind me of how rocks are painted in Chinese paintings. The sketch is to work on an idea so I'm not concerned about whether I like everything about it. 

Today I started this painting.  it was going to be based on the sketch but it only partially references the sketch I made. This one is changing as it is being painted.  The end result may be similar to this or it might be quite different.

Inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe: Desert Landscape

I'm going to start off this post in a seemingly off topic way here by saying that yesterday I went to an art reception in which I have one painting.  I got a chance to look around at a lot of art that had made it into the show; and there was a lot of it. There were some pieces of exceptionally well made art as well as some mediocre art.
Awards were given at the show; and when awards are given it leads me to think about why the art that won awards won them.

Then, today I was reading a booklet written originally in 1948 entitled " Secrets of Famous Artists: How you can make the most of your creative talent".  Despite a somewhat tacky sounding name it's actually quite insightful.  The wording sounds like it was written for high school aged students.  The booklet goes over a few basic ideas about composition within a work of art.  When I read it I thought , "Ah ha, that's what I've been ignoring when creating my paintings." I've been concerned with brush strokes and colors all the while leaving my composition to a matter of chance.  I realized that I need to think about and plan out my compositions more.

Recently I was creating a painting of the ocean and some part of the sandy cliffs reminded me of the desert.  Paintings of the desert in turn remind me of Georgia O'Keeffe.  Georgia O'Keeffe was one of the artists I really admired when I was in high school.  For myself, when I think of her paintings I think of her desert paintings in New Mexico where she lived when she was older.  I also think of the way the color values transition smoothly in her paintings.

This is my most recent painting of a desert inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe.  I like the idea but I think the composition needs work. 

So now I have a desire to compose mental deserts and create paintings of them.  Maybe I wish I was in New Mexico because of the way I think New Mexico feels.  Maybe I feel that there are mentally dry places in life.  Maybe I want to paint the way I think Georgia O'Keeffe paints (which is not the way she actually appears to paint when I look at her work).  Whatever the case may be imagined desert places is my next jumping off point.

Working as an Artist - Next Work in Progress

Dear unknown reader,
Now that I have been making paintings as well as having the opportunity to show some of my paintings I really feel like a working artist.

I have not sold any paintings recently so I'm still not currently able to make a living as an artist.  However, my other job is covering my expenses and allowing me to create.

Recently one of my students asked me if I was a real artist.  I think those were her words.  I told her that I am.  It's nice to know that I can honestly say I am an artist and that I am making art.

Here is what I am working on in my tiny studio right now:

This is the first couple of layers of my current painting.  I started with a few colors as an under layer.  Then I sketched out the parts of the painting using dark brown paint and a thin liner brush.

This is after I've added more colors with a medium sized round brush.

I'm painting in my small studio space at home. I keep my paints on the left because I'm left handed. This canvas is 20 x16.

Making Serious Art

I dropped of my piece of art at the gallery today.  I'm proud to have been accepted into the art show.

When I was there I took a peek into a room where some paintings were being stored.  I assume the paintings I saw were going to be hung in the upcoming show.  What I saw looked impressive.  I feel honored that my work has been chosen to hang alongside of these other works.

This makes me feel that my art is a serious endeavor and not just something I play at.

Another of my paintings was recently accepted for an annual show at a winery.  Although I have not seen the location I have a feeling that the show will equally impress me as a professional one.

I'm grateful to God for being able to find these opportunities to create and show art.  I have spent many hours painting to practice my skill in art.  I believe that through hard work I have improved in painting but I also believe that painting has come more naturally to me than many other people because of the skills God has given me.

On the Road with Art

I just returned from a trip to Yosemite National Park.  While there I had the opportunity to do some plein air painting.  It was really exciting to be out in nature painting.  Normally if my feet are cold it bothers me but I find that when I am painting the cold doesn't bother me as much.  I can tolerate it much more.

The white truck is the vehicle we drove in. We were fortunate enough to find a parking spot along the road with a fantastic view of Half Dome.  There were large rocks placed along the side of the road so I sat on one and painted out of a travel painting box.  About an hour and a half into our painting time it started to snow.  I put up an umbrella for myself to paint while it was snowing lightly but pretty soon the snow started to fall more thickly on my easel.  I decided to move to the inside of the truck to keep painting.   Clouds began to cover our view of Half Dome as it was snowing.  However, I was not detered.  I decided to do what I could with what I could see and remember.  I also worked a little from a photo that was taken of Half Dome while it was obscured by the snow clouds.  

Overall I had a great time.  It was a new experience painting in snowy weather.  Also, how could I not have a great time when there were such majestic views to be seen.  It really is amazingly beautiful there.  

Plein air painting in Yosemite.

The weather got snowy so we went inside the truck. The clouds were painted just before the thick snow clouds moved in.

I want to make a note that I am not painting inside the truck with turpentine or mineral spirits.  That would not be advisable because it is such a small space and those products have fumes.  Instead I am using Medium W both as a medium and to clean my brushes.  It makes oils water mixable so that I can just clean with soap and water (no harmful fumes.)

Art Will be in Juried Shows

Two of my paintings have recently been accepted into two separate juried art shows.  I'm excited by the prospects.  My goal in entering these juried shows is not necessarily to win an award.  This will be my first time having my work in juried shows.  The accomplishment is that someone thinks my art is good enough to be in the show.

Although I am not hoping to win an award I am hoping that my art will sell at these events.

Here are the two paintings that have been accepted:

Carver Street Pine, 2016

Moonstone Beach, Cambria, 2016

Whose approval am I looking for?

Dear unknown reader,
Nowadays it's so easy to get sucked into the idea that we need more "followers" , "shares" and "likes" on different social media platforms.   It's easy to get obsessed with the idea that everything is one big popularity contest. If I could get enough followers would people buy my product? If I get enough followers will I be famous? I start thinking about what other people want to see instead of what I should be doing. I lose focus on what's really important.

I understand that there are things that are generally more well liked by many people. If I try to play the game of posting pictures of cute animals or pretty flowers or drawings of celebrities I will get more likes and followers. But if all I do is pander to the lowest common denominator I've lost the point. If I do what I already know is liked there will be no creativity, no real beauty. It will be an empty facade. A cute animal is not a bad thing but if I'm only posting it because I know it will get more likes then I've missed the point.

Recently, I've noticed that if I post a painting related to Yosemite it gets more likes just because Yosemite is a majestic and popular place. But if all I make are paintings of Yosemite I will have missed the beauty of the places that don't have important sounding names. Also, I've been trying to force myself to paint in a certain way because I think it will be noticed more. But if my motive is just to be noticed I'm doing it wrong.

My real motive should be to honor God. I know that God has allowed me to have and develop skill as an artist. To make art to honor God rather than to obtain the "likes" of people should be my ultimate goal. If people like it good. If not that is up to them. There is a lot of poorly done "Christian art" out there. I would like to make paintings that strive to be highly skilled and also honoring to God. Whether that is a landscape, an abstract or a historical painting so long as it is to honor God that should be my real goal.

The Day Job vs. Earning a Living with Art

During the day I have a different job.  It's the job that pays the bills because my art does not right now. Many of my coworkers really enjoy their jobs.  They express how much they appreciate being in this line of work.  Many people outside of this line of work or those who have retired from this line of work also are positive about it. Since I consider it my day job and not my career I feel a little fake when I hear how committed others are to it. I try to do a good job but I'm also just there to earn a dollar.

In the afternoons I come home and create my work as an artist.  At home there is cooking and cleaning to do.  Sometimes I need to go to the store or do other things.  But I try my best to put in my time with painting.  When I think about the possibility of making art for a living instead of working at my day job I'm motivated to work as hard as I can.
Recently, I met some artists in galleries around this area and found that they first retired from other jobs before creating art full time. I really don't want to resign myself to being someone who waits until I retire to create art.  1. Putting off the creative process is not acceptable. How can I consciously tell my creativity to dry and and blow away for the time being and then expect it to just be there waiting for me 30 or 40 years from now? 2. Art is my career. 3. I don't expect retirement  to be a plausible option for most people when I am 60 or 70.  I am a pessimist and I don't see America being able to sustain things like social security.

I recently bought the book "Artists and Graphic Designers Market".  I have been trying to think about how to earn a living with my art. It's hard to know who to ask when I have questions about how to earn a living with art. It's also difficult to sift through which information on the subject of selling art I should be concerned with.  I'm not sure which information is more important and which is less important.  What I can say is this, I'm working towards the goal of being a full time artist rather than a part time one.

When I go out to beautiful scenic locations I try to take photos I may be able to use for paintings. 

Sometimes I have the opportunity to paint on site.

I sometimes make a watercolor sketch before I make a final oil painting.  It helps me to work through the composition, colors and details before creating the final painting. 

I try to apply to put my work in art shows. 

If I get my work in to a show I prepare it for hanging.  This painting has been framed and I have attached a wire to the back for hanging. 

How to find your art style

Finding a style to paint in?
It's often suggested that an artist should find his or her style but that's easier said than done!  I've heard the idea that an artist should find a style stated but not explained.  People don't tell you how to go about finding a style.  They tell you to find one but I've often found this instruction vague and frustrating.  There are so many many maaaaaaannnnyyy ways to put paint on a canvas.  How am I supposed to decide what I want to do?

I've spent time making many paintings.  One of my college professors once told me not to worry about creating a style.  I took his advice and didn't force myself into locking myself into a style right after graduating. However, if you want to sell art professionally you eventually have to find your style.  So, here are my suggestions for going through the process of finding your style.


1. Test out ideas
In the beginning it's good to try out different ideas.  Try out different medias or combinations of media.  Try out different brushes or other tools. Try using different techniques that you have learned in classes.

2. What's working vs. what's not?
Take a look at what's working and what's not.  Some things may be working better in your art than other things.  Sometimes it's obvious what's working but you shouldn't just depend on your own eyes.  It's good to have someone else, preferably another artist friend, take a look and give you some suggestions.  Go over the process of analyzing and critiquing your work more than once.

3. Keep trying
Keep making more work.  As you keep working you may decide that you definitely don't want certain things in your work.  Or you may see some things come up as a theme over and over again.  There may be things that you keep trying because you like how it's coming out.

4. When it looks like you it's ready!
Don't give up working on your art. It may take a long time and many works of art to figure it out.  As you keep processing your thoughts about what you are making things may start to form up.  If you start to see yourself in your style that means something is going in the right direction.

5. Keep it consistent
Once you decide on a style you have to keep it consistent.  In order for people to recognize your art as your art it needs to have similarities.  If you keep changing it people won't be able to recognize your work.  If you aren't ready to stay within a consistent style you can go back to #3 and keep trying different things out.

Organizing an Art Studio with Limited Space

I live in a small one bedroom apartment.  Keeping my studio space small is a necessity.  I keep my studio work space down to one two foot by four foot table and a chair.  If you are looking for a way to organize an art studio work space in a limited area here are my tips for you:

1. Weed out items you don't use.
Weeding out items you don't use is very important when space is limited.  Sometimes art supplies accumulate over time and you may not have taken the time to assess what you actually use and what you don't use but keep holding on to.  There may be old worn out paint brushes that can't be used anymore or ones that never seem to get used for any projects.  You may have a large supply of oil paints that you bought thinking you would use them but later decided you preferred working in watercolor. Or maybe you used to use polymer clay and now you don't but you're still holding on to lots of half bricks of clay.
Take out all of the items that you don't use.  You can give them away, donate them to a school or throw them away depending on what they are and how much they've been used. Do not put the items that are worn out or that you no longer wish to use back in a closet or storage box. If you do you are just going to have to go through them again later and decide that you still don't want to use them.

Awhile ago I saw a video about Marie Kondo who wrote the book "The life-changing magic of tidying up". She describes her method as the konmari method.  She talked about how we tend to hold on to too many things that we no longer need or use.  Getting rid of the things that we don't need or use provides more space for the things we actually do use.  This way our spaces don't get overcrowded. It's worth looking at what she does.  I found it very helpful in deciding what to keep and what not to keep.
Click the link to see a 42 minute video of a talk she gave: Marie Kondo talking about her ideas
Click this link if you would like to see her book on Amazon: Marie Kondo's book


2. Make use of vertical space.
When horizontal space is limited vertical space can be used to help maximize the potential of an area.  The photo above is my personal work space containing a two foot by four foot table.  Keeping things stored well creates easy access to the things you need to use often.  I have broken down my space into different areas to describe how I make use of vertical space in my own small studio.
I use a board behind my table to to pin up information I will need and inspiration.  Think of it like a Pinterest board but in real life. On it I keep some reminders to myself and a written goal for myself.  I also keep some of my previous work so that I can think about where I have come from stylistically and where I am going.
On the table surface I keep my current project and the basic tools that I need for all my projects.  I am a painter so I organize my brushes in one container, my paint tubes in a separate container and a tray for mixing paint.  If I have an item that I do not think I will use for all my work I don't keep it on the table top.  I store it.
Under the table I store extra supplies and items that I don't use often.  I keep a box of panels that are ready to be painted.  I use the same box to store some of the finished paintings that are already dry.  In another box I store watercolor paper and drawing paper.  I also have a small brush box that keeps brushes I don't use on all of my projects but would like to use on some projects.


3. Declutter the work space. Keep frequent use items out for use and store away infrequently used items.
It's important not to put everything out on the work space itself.  When the work space is limited it can be tempting to put one thing on top of another creating a jumbled pile.  Doing so makes it difficult to keep track of what is on the bottom of the pile. It's more difficult to keep track of needed items that are not visible.
Clutter makes for poor work flow.  If you have to lift some things to get to others you may end up knocking other things off of the table.  Or you may have to keep your arms in difficult to maintain positions to avoid hitting things or touching wet paint.
Clutter can also create visual disorientation.  If you have too much in front of you it can be more difficult to know what you are supposed to be focusing on.  All of the extra things that you don't use or only use infrequently will still be out on the table.  Every time your eye passes over them you are taking the time to notice something you do not need to focus on. I find that taking away the extra things helps my mind to think more freely because I am not focusing on all of the extra things I don't need too.

Happy organizing and creating!  I occasionally think about and update how my space is organized to make sure everything is working well for me.

Turning in my art to the gallery

Dear reader,
Today was an exciting day.  I was nervous this morning because after all the painting and preparation to try to get into a local art gallery the time had finally come for me to turn in my art work for a show.  I had previously paid a member's due to become a member of the art association.  I had had my art work juried to see if my art qualified for showing in the gallery.  I had chosen the work to put in the show, framed it and put the hanging wire  on the back of the frame.  Now it was time to bring the work to the gallery for the show.

When I took my work to the show I was nervous that something would go wrong and I wouldn't be able to show after all.  I thought maybe they would take a second look and reject my pieces.  Or perhaps they would say I had framed the work incorrectly. Fortunately when I got there things went smoothly and I was able to leave my work at the gallery for them to hang.  I felt relieved after leaving my art in the gallery. I was glad to know I had finally reached this goal that I had been working towards for several months.

Now that my work is there I look forward to going in to the gallery to see it hanging on the wall in a professional setting. I consider this one step in the direction of trying to be a full time artist.  Right now I earn very little money from creating my art but I want to continue to work towards a goal of earning a living from art.

The next goal that I have in mind is to choose an art competition to participate in.  I don't expect to win an art competition on the first try but I would like to find an appropriate competition and then successfully submit my work so that I can go through the submission and competition process.  I'd like to see what it's all about.

The photo below is an update to this blog entry.  I am standing next to two out of three of the paintings I entered in the art show.

Making it in the Art World

Dear reader,
A friend recently posted on facebook a question about what it takes to make it in the art world.  For the past year and a half I have been thinking about that and similar questions.

How do I earn a living making art?  What kind of art should I make?  Should I make art that looks pretty and likable and could sell for a low price?  Should I make art that has a lot of thought put into it? Should I strive to make art that requires a high degree of skill?  What is the right venue for selling my art? How should I price what I make?

I find that there are often so many questions related to this topic that I start to become confused and start to think around in circles.  ( Then I start to wonder if I should make art on the topic of directionlessness.)

I can't claim to be any kind of expert but I'm starting to notice that there are several different paths for the creative visual artist to sell his/her work depending on the type of work he/she does. The options I am listing below are based on my experiences and books I have read on the subject.  Here are the categories and paths that I have come up with.

1. The Craft Artist
Price of art: low
Education Needed: A few classes in the area of specialty
Time spent of each piece of art: Not much time.  The artist has to balance the idea that the product should look good but must still be profitable for the artist to sell.
Where to sell: craft shows, craft fairs, farmer's market, online stores, online marketplaces
Goal: Create art that is easy to sell to a wide audience at a low price point.

2. The Artist
Price of art: medium
Education Needed: A degree in the area of specialty
Time spent of each piece of art: one day to two weeks. ( I speculate)
Where to sell: art shows, art fairs, galleries, online store
Goal: Create quality pieces of art that involve a high degree of skill and that possibly look good when placed above a couch. Enter art in contests in the hopes that one's art will win and one can therefore be justified in charging more money for his/her art.

3. The Contemporary Artist (An artist who deals with contemporary issues)
Price of art: medium to high
Education Needed: A degree in the area of specialty
Time spent of each piece of art: one week to two months (I speculate)
Where to sell: galleries, art shows(?), artist's website (?)
Goal: Create art that provokes thought.  Talk about art and their thoughts on social issues.

Submitting art work to the jury

Dear reader,

I mentioned some weeks ago that I was joining an art association.  As a member of the art association I have the opportunity to submit artwork to be juried.  If the judges feel that the art work is good enough to be in the gallery then I can show there.  I'm submitting images of the three paintings above for their consideration.  If they accept the work my next step is to prepare it by putting the work in frames.  

If I can get in to this show I'm hoping to try to get in to other shows as well.  I'm not sure what shows I want to be in.  I'm also not sure what direction my art is going in.  However, I figure I'll have to keep going and making art and see how things develop.

Update:

After writing this I found out that my art work has been accepted!  I will be showing my work in February.

Looking at Light - Impressionism

Roses and Succulent in a Vase

2016

Photographed outside with natural light using an ipad

Roses and Succulent in a Vase

2016

Photographed inside with indoor lighting using an ipad

Roses and Succulent in a Vase

2016

Photographed inside with shade and some indoor lighting using an ipad

For my most recent painting I set up a still life with two rose stems and a succulent in a vase.  The vase is a clear glass and a little water was added to the bottom.

When I began mixing the colors and applying them I noticed that the vase and flowers were in the light and my painting was in the shade.  So when I began applying the paint to my board it looked very different from what I was mixing. I decided not to correct the colors to look right in the shade. Instead I decided to make a point of mixing all the colors while viewing them in the sunlight and trusting that in the final painting all the colors would match up even though the painting itself was in the shade.

This is different from what I normally do.  I usually start by mixing one of my main colors and then mix the colors more relative to this color rather than matching them closely to the colors I actually see.  In this way I am looking at how they are working together on the canvas or board rather than matching them strictly with the colors I see.  I notice that because the canvas starts out white this tends to influence me to make my light and medium values lighter than what they actually are.  By matching with the colors I see and not matching the colors with each other I notice that many of the colors I mix have darkened a lot.

I made a comment on facebook about the painting I was working on and light. One of my former students commented on how light in painting relates to Impressionism.  This got me to thinking about how I was approaching my painting in a way that was like Impressionism. I had not previously considered making a painting from the point of view of an Impressionist. It has prompted to think more about how and why the Impressionists made paintings the way that they did.

Above I have posted three photos of the same painting in different light settings.  They show some of how I am seeing the colors change when the painting is in light and shade.  What first started me thinking about the colors and lighting was the two shades of green on the rose leaves.  In the sunlight they look different but in the shade they look very similar.