Abstracted paintings, figures,Matisse,Diebenkorn,exhibits art shows,acrylics Smashburger

There are certain things in life that are best experienced alone.

Smashburger immediately comes to mind. ( Partly because I haven't had breakfast or lunch yet and am very hungry) and largely because it's not a pretty thing to watch me eat one.  And it's just so exquisitely delicious that one wants to be fully present to take it all in without distraction. ( order the Colorado with the soft egg bun)

A friend once told me to get a room with my Starbucks apple fritter!

You get the picture.

( then she had the gaul to go online and look up the calorie count on those things and completely ruin the whole experience for me)

The Diebenkorn exhibit, eye candy at its finest, falls into the "best to do alone" category.

With over 60 paintings by Diebenkorn and 40 by Matisse ( sensory overload?), it will be nice to go at my own pace, linger as long as I want before my favorite pieces, and just soak it all in silently. 

Exquisitely delicious.  

Needless to say, I can't wait!

( and I get to see an old college friend while in SF, so I will get my people fix! 😄)

The four paintings below were inspired by these two amazing artists. They are on sale for a limited time.

Lady at Rest, 8x8 acrylic/ Birch

$ 95.00

 (The board is ever so slightly warped so I have significantly discounted this. Behind a frame I don't think it will even be noticeable.)

ship or pick up

pick up $95.00 USD shipping $105.00 USD

Jenny, 20x16 acrylic, $ 495.00

ship or pick up

pick up $495.00 USD shipping $520.00 USD

Table Setting 24x24 Mixed Media $ 750.00

Shipping or local pick up

Local pick up $750.00 USD Shipping $800.00 USD

The Cellist, 36x12x1.5 acrylic  $925.00

ship or pick up

pick up $495.00 USD shipping $990.00 USD

Artistic Success or Success in the Art World: How to become successful acrylic paintings

Defining (redefining?) Success 

I have an art marketing accountability partner. We talk weekly , encouraging each other in marketing our art and in brainstorming ideas.

One question we ask ourselves is, "what's the end point anyway.... what are we after?  What exactly is success?"  We need a clear view of what we're after so we can set our aim and reach it, right?

Is success attaining a certain yearly income with our art?  Is it gaining respect and fame in the art community?  Or finding  representation in the top galleries in the country?

All of the above would be nice, but the more I ponder this, I think it's the daily grind, the process itself, that really matters. 

In  looking back on various achievements in my own life, it's been the arduous process of becoming that's been more interesting and fulfilling than the actual attaining of the goal.

For instance, all the long hours of studying and training to become a doctor were, it seems now,  more satisfying to me  than the daily ins and outs of actually being a doctor.  All of the hours of practice in becoming a musician were more captivating and rewarding than finally being a musician in a band, stuck in smoky bars until 2 am and playing to a crowd that wasn't really listening to the music. Raising children to become independent adults was so difficult at times that I sometimes thought I couldn't wait to have an empty nest. Now the nest is empty and I realize raising the kids, despite some tough times was, without question for me, the most fulfilling thing of all. How much better to have embraced every single moment,  then to waste one of them wishing for something in the future!

Taking this back to art, what I've concluded is that, in large part,  success is found in the daily doing of the thing.  And that success can be lost the moment artificial goals supplant the unbridled joy in the daily doing.

I'm truly grateful that I have the opportunity at this point in my life to be able to paint every day.

As for the smaller part, well, supplies, workshops and classes, just to name a few items, are ridiculously expensive.  The painter does need to sell art in order to continue making art. ( and the spouse is only willing to hear and accept, "you have to spend money in order to make money" so many times before he kicks you out the door)

With that in mind,  are you in the market for a piece of art? 😉

On Sale:

Ken Caryl, Stylized

12x12 acrylic, framed!

shipping or pick up

Local Pick up $200.00 USD Shipping $215.00 USD Option 3 $200.00 USD

Abstracted Figurative Paintings A subset of the Annabelle Series

The Good Model
24x24x1.5 Mixed Media/Cnv

A busy last two weeks as I begin yet another series in a slightly different style.  Prevailing wisdom in the art world says the artist should develop and hold fast to one particular and recognizable style.  Galleries prefer this when taking on an artist.  Collectors don't always appreciate an artist's change in direction.
I started my art career focused on landscapes. I still love landscapes.  
But right now I'm in love with abstracting the figure. 
Last month floral mixed media pieces had my heart.
I don't mean to thumb my nose at prevailing wisdom, but I do believe my best art will come by following my gut and painting only what excites and delights me, regardless of style, medium or subject matter.

Ladies Night 56x24x1" Acrylic/canvas

Sweet Cat Sketch and Mixed Media Painting

This IS Cat's "Come Pet Me I'm Irresistible" look.  It works for Cat; she knows it.
Despite all the rotten things I've said about her lately, she has a nice side. A calm side. A cuddly, loving, caring side.

I liked this pose and , at a friends suggestion, did a mixed media painting of this sketch.

18x24x1.5

Mixed Media

$ 750.00

Shipping or local pick up

Local pick up $750.00 USD Shipping $800.00 USD

Storing Acrylic Paints by Tracy Haines

If you paint in acrylics and are tired of wasting paint because of the fast dry time, try this!


A short video on storing acrylic paints:

This painting has SOLD

Art studios,organization,oil paintings,acrylic paintings, studio tips,Tracy Haines art, flowers,floral paintings

Why my studio ( and perhaps yours too) must remain in a state of perpetual organized messy chaos:

Try as I may, I cannot, for the life of me, KEEP my studio neat and clean.  I do actually clean and organize it fairly regularly, but it immediately and always reverts back to something similar to the shot posted above.  I have fought this for years, but- no longer!  I am going to embrace the mess instead.  I'm going to have a mind-set change.
After listening to yet another #Artist Helping Artist podcast on the subject I finally gained some insight into this.
Artists are visual people, through and through.  Out of sight, out of mind.  We need to see it to know that we have it in our possession. The overly organized artist that hasn't yet recognized this, has, you can bet, more frames on hand than she thinks she has, extra tubes of that particular paint color he thought he'd run out of, and so on.

Which leads me to the....

Studio Tip of the Week

Install open shelving in the studio.  Place wire baskets on the shelves and label everything. This "open" storage system is working much better for me than the old "neatly tucked away" system ever did.   

Open shelving and open baskets, installed and ready and waiting to be filled in an organized manner of some sort. ( it's on the To Do list, towards the bottom.....I'm getting there!)

A non-artist friend, a neat-nik,  ( you know who you are, JB) told me open wire baskets, though neat-looking, would look messy on the shelves once I filled them up. She's right, they do look a bit messy once filled with my stuff, but at least I always know what I have on hand and where it is.

So, learn to live with a bit more of a mess than you like-embrace it, and drop the guilt. It's your studio!

*************************************************

Playing around with a different palette the other day, and with a different style, I produced this piece, which I really ended up liking.  It's currently at a local boutique.  I am interested in hearing some feedback on it!

             Flowers, 20x20x1 1/2 acrylic on wrapped canvas
                                           $ 495.00

This painting and many others are now available as prints ( on paper, canvas, tote bags, pillows,etc).
Here is one example of a painting on a tote bag:

Prints from Fine Art America

Well that is it for now!  Thank you for reading! Until next week:

EnJOY your days, embrace your mess :)

How to get started in pastel painting, youTube videos, oil paintings birds cardinals

Greetings!  Oh Happy Day! 

If you are new to painting in pastels or would like to get started, I just launched my first teaching video which covers materials for painting in pastel.  These videos can be seen on YouTube under Tracy Haines Fine Art. 

 (In the last post I wrote out materials that were discussed in the video for your convenience. )

Fresh off the easel:

I love the attitude in this little guy! Just look at his body posture.  Cardinals, especially, seem to convey attitude in the way they hold themselves and stare you down. This one is a 6x6 oil on Ampersand Gessobord and is mounted on a black 8 1/2x 10 1/2  plaque, as shown. It's ready to hang.
$ 95.00

In my next video I will demonstrate how I do a pastel painting on sanded board. Stay Tuned!

Today's Quote:

I heard this while listening to Lesli Saeta on the podcast, Artists Helping Artists:

" You get one chance in this world to enjoy every day and if you don't enjoy it it's your own fault, when the day's done. The more I do the better."   So true!  I love that.


Today's Studio Tip:

Once you have laid in the foundation of your painting and you are at the point when you can put the left brain to bed and start using the right side,  listen to a podcast of Artists Helping Artists.  I have learned to much listening to these fantastic, free and information-FILLED podcasts and love that I'm multi-tasking.  If you don't like to listen and paint at the same time, then try downloading these to an i-pod or from your smart phone while you walk or jog.

The podcasts are about an hour long, so you can knock out a 2-3 mile walk and get exercise!  Again-multi-tasking! 
:)

Below is a preview of some new styles of painting I am trying out.  I will be unveiling these at the next Summer Art Market June 13 and 14th at 2nd and Grant in Denver, booth # 6. Please stop by!

Aspen a'Glow is a 30x40x2" mixed media ( charcoal, pastel and acrylic) painting on gallery-wrapped- style Birchwood. Sides are painted black and it is ready to hang!  $ 1200.00  Free shipping

Have a wonderful, beautiful, joy-filled day and be sure to enJOY every minute of it!

Tracy haines Original fine art for sale affordable pastel oil acrylic paintings on canvas wall art impressionism expressionism colorful colorado trees snow winter red green blue purple mountains streams skies sunsets

Who can improve upon
 the subtle play of grey
that canvases the landscape
 of Creator God, Yahweh?

This 5x7 Acrylic on watercolor paper will be soon up for bidding on eBay.
Search on eBay for Tracy Haines Fine Art EB42

Tracy haines Original fine art for sale affordable pastel oil acrylic paintings on canvas wall art impressionism expressionism colorful colorado trees flowers floral red green blue purple mountains streams skies sunsets

Deer Creek Rhythm is a 5x7 mixed media painting using acrylic, marker, ink and pencil on 140lb watercolor paper.  There is a small margin around the image to allow for  framing with a matt, if desired. This piece is up for auction on eBay and through Daily Paintworks ( link to your right) and starts at 99 cents.

Driving along Deer Creek one evening, while driving my son Nick's friend home, I was forced to a screeching halt by this scene. The play of cool blues against warm willows just arrests me everytime!

Oh, the beauty of this earth!

Note to artists: Did you notice what I just noticed? The composition sort of slides the eye right down and off the left side of the painting, doesn't it? Don't you hate it when you inadvertently break a rule you are well aware of? I  bet lifting the tree on the left up and over the mountain, or sloping the mountain on the left up and to the left, instead of down would help. I will sit on this for the time being, and just try to remember the rules next time.

Tracy haines Original fine art for sale affordable pastel oil acrylic paintings on canvas wall art impressionism expressionism colorful colorado trees flowers floral red green blue purple mountains streams skies sunsets

Snow-Covered Road is an acrylic and pencil sketch on 140 lb watercolor paper.  What a versatile medium, acrylic!  Love it!  There are many ways to apply this medium for varied effects: thick, like an oil, thin like watercolor, or layering, as in pastels.

I am very thankful to work as an artist.  I truly can't wait to get to the studio and work every day!!

This painting is presently on eBay.  If you would like to bid on this piece, click the link below:

Bid on this piece now