New Painting!

I love when my rhododendrun blooms in the spring. It is not there for long but it is so pretty for as long as it lasts.

"Spring" by Monica Vanzant

First Wine Glass Painting Party

Thank you to Flora Maxwell for opening her home to host the first Vanzant Brush painting party! I had a great time with friends painting our beautiful glasses. A donation has been made to one of my favorite charities www.waterislife.com.

Think Creatively!

Bob Ross "Who Was He" by Simon Whistler

Greetings All! Found this great video about Bob Ross. Have great memories of sitting in front of the TV watching him paint his happy, happy trees. Visit his website for more information. Think Creatively!

The Day After Election Day 2016

Well, not much to say right now except tomorrow is another day. God Bless America.

We asked @SaraBareilles to imagine what Obama might be thinking about this election and Trump. She wrote this song. @leslieodomjr sings. pic.twitter.com/0uAI37qlZS

— This American Life (@ThisAmerLife) October 28, 2016

New video: @ActuallyNPH sings the part of Paul Ryan in our election song written by 'Frozen' songwriters @lopezbobby and @Lyrikris10. pic.twitter.com/MnQv0w0Sp3

— This American Life (@ThisAmerLife) November 3, 2016

"Lest We Forget" by Monica Vanzant

Book Recommendation 1 - "Creative Workshop" by David Sherwin

 

I was at my local library and was leaving when I saw the book. I think it caught my eye because it was so colorful. It was called “Creative Workshop” by David Sherwin. I looked at the back cover, scanned through it and was hooked. I checked it out. When I got home, I immediately started reading my new design bible. The author Mr. Sherwin has brilliantly put together 80 design challenges to teach and motivate you into learning about maximum creativity.

 So, first let me tell you what happened and why I think this book is so awesome. I read the first challenge and knew there was no way I was going to be able to complete it within the 30-minute time frame given. I decided to give myself the best advantage by using the tools provided by Mr. Sherwin in the Introduction. Well, long story short - I did it! One of my main challenges is coming up with ideas within a given time frame. There are times I have an idea but it might take days/weeks to flesh it out on paper. So this exercise showed me that with practice I can hone my design skills in all areas of my life and for that I will be forever grateful to this talented author.

Moving on, I got a little busy after the first Challenge and had to renew the book. I worked on Challenge two, finished it and again ran out of time before I could start the next challenge so I decided to do myself a favor and just buy the book. So now I am working on each challenge and having a great time learning new things. One thing that I found particularly helpful were the techniques Mr. Sherwin provided to help with time management and structuring your ideas, such as:

Time Boxing – Allocating a time period for each activity.

Mind Mapping – Using a diagram to visually organize information.

Word Listing – Using words to visually organize information.

Picture Association – Using pictures to visually organize information.

Brute Thinking - Using attributes attached to random words or pictures to find an association.

There is so much more and I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. This book should be used to teach students how to create and document concepts on the clock and it is not just applicable to art.

Think Creatively!

Gold Hill, Shaftesbury England

Two weeks after September 11, I traveled to England. One of the towns on my list of places to visit was Shaftesbury England, specifically, Gold Hill. I stood on the hill after a two hour train ride and only hours after I first set foot in England. This steep hill had the most beautiful cottages and I was so happy to have made it! When I got home, I wrote this poem about it. I hope to one day see it again.

Gold Hill – Shaftesbury, England

By: Monica Vanzant

A quiet moment on a hill

of man made stone and crafted skill

I stand in awe, my mouth agape

Amazed at finding heaven's gate

For what I see is beauty wide

My soul is full and swells with pride

A scene with cottages askew

All shapes and colors, none are new

Atop a hill in Shaftesbury

Broad images that touch my soul

I wonder at their stories told

A long walk down, I stand and sigh

This journey will my strength defy

But I must go, I know that now

Way down Gold Hill I do avow

And so I start my trek downhill

The easiest part and needs no skill

Atop a hill in Shaftesbury

With little breath and steady heart

From this long hill I do depart

Some happy greetings come my way

From friendly locals I survey

Their nods and smiles at me so sweet

I'm more surprised each one I meet

Three times I hear, “It looks like rain!”

I find myself refreshed again

Atop a hill in Shaftesbury

With shaking legs and beaming smile

I look up at my traveled mile

Well not a mile but it feels so

The distance from that place I know.

From awe to dread I pick my way

O'er cobbled roads where children play

For now I know the time has come

To turn again, so I succumb

Atop a hill in Shaftesbury

With labored breath, I start my walk

My legs move slowly as they mock

My foolish pride that drives them so

Beyond the length they want to go

But on I push to higher ground

Until the top is once more found,

With gods good grace I have my end!

Up steep and winding path to wend,

Atop a hill in Shaftesbury

My panting breath comes back to me

As I turn back and there I see

That I have filled my latest dream

I've walked up THE GOLD HILL - I deem,

As sure as rain will come today

I know I will return and stay

For though my own land's miles gone past

It feels as though I'm home at last

Atop a hill in Shaftesbury

Visit Me At - Arts In The Park 2016

I will be participating in Arts In The Park this year at the historic Smithville Mansion this year and I am so excited! Please join me and other artists on Sunday, September 11, 2016. I will be accepting pre-orders for selected prints and the originals will be there for viewing. Look forward to seeing you there!

Historic Smithville Mansion
803 Smithville Rd, Eastampton Township, NJ 08060
Sunday, September 11, 2016 - Bring the Family Rain or Shine!
10:30am - 4:30pm
Click for Flyer Info

A Quick Word About My New Painting, "Death Of The Charity Box"

Oil on Board 

I saw a donation box one day and incorrectly assumed it was a charitable donation box. But as I kept looking at it I realized it was actually a donation box from a company that collects and resells used items. I did a little research and apparently there are quite a few of these companies that use these boxes for commercial retail purposes (they come in multiple colors). I am assuming that most, if not all, of these companies are legal, but somehow this just seems...wrong. And judging from the hits I received after I researched, I am not alone.

Now, I am not saying you should not give items to these companies (after all, everyone's gotta make a living), but I would ask that if you are donating items for the purpose of giving to charity please make sure that you read these boxes carefully to ensure that your donations are being used for the purpose you intended.

Think Creatively!

Limiting Your Brushstrokes May Just Increase Your Creativity

I was talking to a young artist the other day and she said that she was having a problem with an oil painting. She said she kept painting the same area over and over again until the paint was too thick and she had to scrape it off and start over. Oh, how I remember this problem! I went through this same thing when I first started painting. Not only is this frustrating, because you have obviously lost your original concept (or maybe you never had one to begin with) but this also gives your paintings a tight or overworked look.

I told her about a fun challenge that I came up with to help me.  

Start with a small sketch and pick a certain number of brushstrokes it will take to complete it and try to stay within that number to finish it. Simple! For example - if you only had ten brushstrokes to finish a small landscape do you think you might be a little more conservative with your choices? Most definitely. You could also, of course, try this with bigger paintings and you might not always finish within the estimated number but I believe it does help the artist to focus on what is important. This little exercise helped me to make every brushstroke count and to stop “torturing” my artwork. Good Luck!

Think Creatively!

Is Our Society Lost?

I usually only write about art on this blog but I have been watching entirely too much TV news lately and felt the need to post this piece I wrote years ago. Besides, as an artist, I am allowed to occasionally be whimsical.

Think Creatively!

________________________________________________________________________________

“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

Sir Winston Churchill

Our world seems to be on the brink of a major transformation. A kind of energy is brewing just beneath the surface that may signify change on a massive level. Can you feel it? I am not referring to changes in global environment, nor the recent powerful upheavals of Mother Nature. I am talking about us, human beings and our thoughts and actions as a collective society.

We have moved into the information age at an incredible speed. Knowledge is literally at our fingertips, yet as a people we have not grown spiritually as rapidly as we have technologically. I am not talking about theology here. When I say spiritual, I mean working on our minds and hearts to evolve into better human beings and using this knowledge to advance society to a greater level of humanity. Though more physically connected through numerous electronic devices we seem much less emotionally connected. It is almost as though we had to make a choice between external stimulation and internal personal growth and the iPod won.

War, genocide and amazingly unbelievable greed – traits that have destroyed previous societies still live with us today. Possessing moral character seems secondary to living a self-fulfilled life, as if we must give up one to have the other.

A colleague and I were having a conversation one day and she said “The Holocaust could never happen again. We’re too evolved now...”

A deep, deep sigh from the bottom of my soul escaped me and I said, “Do me a favor. Google D-A-R-F-U-R and then let’s pick this conversation up later.”

A dyed-in-the-wool realist, I know that “paradise” is only another word in the “P” section of the dictionary. I am not predicting some fantastic utopia where we are all barefoot, wearing robes, growing our own food and greeting each with daisies. Nor am I arrogant enough to make yet another “startling” end-of-the-world prediction just because I fear the current state of affairs. But I believe, absolutely, that we must build our future using a solid foundation of what not to repeat from the past.

Do I believe that this is the end of us as a society? Of course not! I believe this is just the beginning. I believe in the power of wisdom, compassion and strength of character, and I do not feel that I’m alone. I sense the energy of those who, like me, burn to leave this world a better place than they found it. I feel a turning point has been reached in the evolution of our world and I hope this will continue. Maybe we can come up with a color to signify that we are going to treat our fellow man more considerately, compassionately and fairly. Maybe we can call it “going blue” and wear ribbons that signify our unity of purpose. Yes, this may sound silly, but I think you get my point.

Leaving a legacy of honor and a sense of purpose can last so much longer than a trust fund.

With so much yet to learn, we are still, as a race, in our infancy. To put this in perspective, if the world is really billions of years old, it could take a hundred, maybe even a thousand lifetimes before we finally “get it right”. Our possibilities are limited only by our thinking. Each generation has a chance to do better than the last. And even though we can not count on future generations to mend everything that we have broken, we should expect them to make the effort and should prepare them to succeed.

As human beings on a seemingly endless road towards emotional and spiritual self-discovery, we must remember and cherish the good of what was, enjoy that which is and optimistically look forward to what can be. This is how I feel that we will evolve as a people and as a society.

De-Stress With 10 Minute Meditation

Please enjoy this 10 minute relaxation exercise from the website On Being.

Have a Creative Day!

The Drawing Tools of Leonardo da Vinci

Hello,

I saw a short but interesting video on Leonardo da Vinci's drawing materials on the Royal Collection website. Enjoy.

Think Creatively!

Monica

The Vanzant Brush Tip #2 - Copycat - The Best Form of Flattery?

I just completed a study of Daniel Gerhartz painting titled "Green Velvet". I fell in love with this painting from the moment I saw it, (which was just an image on Google when I was looking for something else). When I first saw it I thought is was from an older master painter, but after some research, found that it was done by one of my favorite contemporary painters, Daniel Gerhartz. When I finished it, I realized that what was drawing me to it was not only the composition but also the muted tones which makes it look mysterious.  

So, If you are in between paintings or you just want to challenge yourself to learn something new, try honing your skills by copying a painting by a master painter. You will be following in the footsteps of previous academically trained students who had to copy master paintings as a major part of their academic education. As a matter of fact, it was not only accepted but was demanded as an important learning tool of the students learning process.

Just a heads up, Mr, Gerhartz has many instructional books and DVD's available on his website. I watched his video "Her Mothers Locket" years ago and and it was a complete learning intensive video.

Think Creatively!

Monica

**This idea is for practice and learning purposes only. If you copy paintings of other artists for commercial selling purposes, make sure you look into the legalities of obtaining the proper advice/permission to distribute.  

Study "Green Velvet" by Monica Vanzant after Daniel Gerhartz

Vanzant Artist Paint Brushes Now Available!!

3-Boiled Bristle - Multiple Shapes & Sizes Available

Choose Shape and Size

Flat - 3 $4.93 USD Flat - 5 $5.25 USD Flat - 7 $5.73 USD Filbert - 3 $4.93 USD Filbert - 5 $5.25 USD Filbert 7 $5.73 USD Round - 8 $6.05 USD Fan - 8 $5.41 USD Script/Liner - 1 $4.93 USD

3-Broiled Bristle Set of 9 (1 Round - size 8, 1 Script - size 1, 1 Fan - size 8, 3 Filbert - sizes 3,5,7, 3 Flat - sizes 3,5,7)

Take Me Home - $21.57

Sample Set of 3 Brushes ( 9-Layer Squirrel, Boar Bristle, 3-Boiled Bristle)

Take Me Home - $14.61

A Different Art Form - "Neighbours" (1952 Film)

I sat in the museum in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, stunned. I was watching an artistic movie short with a concept that I had actually thought of two years before. Except this wasn't mine. It was an art piece made 64 years before by the Scottish-Canadian filmmaker Norman McLaren. 

My idea was going to be a short story about two people who were the only two left on earth. They both ended up in this beautiful area of land that they split. The size, flora, fauna were the same on both pieces of property and everything was idyllic. Until one purple flower grew right in the middle of their properties. And that is when the trouble began. That was the basic synopsis for my story but of course I never did anything with it because, well, I'm no writer. And I'm a bit of a procrastinator. 

Yet there I sat, in Canada on my vacation years later, looking at my story on film, yet not my story but the product of someone else's imagination, another artists creation made years before I was even born. A part of me was proud that I had thought of something that had been conceived by an artist of Mr. McLaren's brilliance. But another part of me wondered how unique any of our ideas really are.

So I sat there, on that small wooden bench and watched the second loop of the film "Neighbours", since the first viewing was interrupted by the egotistical meanderings of my own thoughts. That is when I realized how this film was making me feel.  I was horrified and unbelievably sad. 

Norman McLaren had the guts to show what no one really wants to admit. That there are some of our species who will never be satisfied with anything. They will always want what they don't have (even if they don't really want it!) and heaven help those who possess what they want. These are my feelings about this film – I'm sure you will have your own.

Neighbours by Norman McLaren, National Film Board of Canada

The Vanzant Brush Painting Tip #1 - Resurrecting Ruined Brushes

Hello My Creative Minions!

This is a new addition to my blog that will have painting tips that I have learned through the years. If any of you have something you would like to share just send me an e-mail and I will add it along with a giant kudo to you!

**No product manufacturer is paying me to advertise for them so, if I ever recommend any product, it is from my own personal experience in using that product. 

Vanzant Brush Tip #1

If you have paint brushes that you left out by mistake without cleaning and you think they are ruined , think again. Try Winsor & Newton Brush Cleaner and Restorer. I can honestly say this stuff is fantastic. I have used it with oils and acrylic and it has saved me a lot of money. You can visit the Winsor & Newton website here to learn more. 

Hope this helps!

How Do I Love Thee...

I love paint brushes! Last week another artist and I were discussing our love of brushes. I buy new brushes all of the time but I especially love using a brand new brush when I start a new painting. That anticipatory feeling that something special is about to happen is mirrored in the beautiful shiny wooden surface and the bright - never to be seen again - clean bristles of a wonderful new brush. (I know, I have issues...)

Have a Creative Week!

Brush Types and Anatomy - Monica Vanzant - 2015

Next Exhibit - Philadelphia Sketch Club

Please join me at the 2015 PSC Benefit Juried Art Show to benefit the The Philadelphia Urban Creators. My paintings "Camden Overpass in Winter" and "Hudson River Valley Pasture" will be on exhibit. Hope to see you there!

Reception Info   

Sunday June 21, 2015, 2:00 – 4:00 PM 

The Philadelphia Sketch Club:

235 S. Camac Street

Philadelphia, PA 19107-5608 

215-545-9298 

Directions

Camden Overpass In Winter - Oil on Board

Hudson River Valley Pasture - Oil on Board

Scarves Are Now Available for Purchase!

Hi Everyone!

Some of my artwork is now being offered on beautiful '57 x '57 scarves on Redbubble . Below I am wearing Smithville Park. You can view it and more in my Redbubble landscape gallery located here.

Thanks and Have a Creative Day!

Original Painting - Smithville Park

Proportional Calculator

I know it has been a while and will actually be a bit longer. This is just a quick re-post of a great reference link to an on-line proportional calculator that I found years ago and that I use all the time. I have never found another as simple and easy to use. Thanks again to Scripty Goddess for creating this!

Have a Creative Day!

Proportional Calculator

Just When You Are About To Give Up...

I am writing this blog about Vincent van Gogh because I am struggling a little with a concept for my 2013 exhibit. I have always felt an affinity for van Gogh, not only for his unique painting style but most importantly because when I look at his artwork his struggle as an artist is palpable. His early work was, well, average. I particularly like the example below which shows two of his sketches. The one on the left of a simple figure, strangely proportioned and two years later the one on the right vastly improved and beautiful.

 

Vincent van Gogh

  

I know from his biography that he loved art and was a plodder like me. He kept painting until he was satisfied and even if he wasn’t satisfied he kept painting anyway. He started painting late in life and continued on to become one of our most admired master artists. Mental illness may have ended his life prematurely but surely he lives on in the wealth of artwork left behind.

So the next time you struggle with a composition, a subject or a concept, please keep trying. And trying. And trying…

Best Regards, 

Monica

I Am Marble by Monica Vanzant

 

Rubens and African American Skin Tones

Hello! I found this interesting video on YouTtube by documentary maker IDTV Docs. Very interesting video about Rubens and his painting of an African American man. I am having a problem creating links tonight so I will cut and past the bio of this filmaker directly into the blog (see below) and of course, you can always follow the link from the video itself. Please enjoy and pay a visit to this interesting site. Best Regards, Monica

IDTV Docs develops and produces documentaries, auteur films, commissioned films, art films and TV series with a widely varying look and feel to them. Socially engaged and quality-oriented, the makers cover a very wide range of socially relevant and cultural subjects. The productions are made for regional and national broadcasters; local and central government; non-profit organizations, arts and cultural funds; as well as companies. IDTV Docs has built up an impressive track record, including many productions that have received national and international awards.

Philadelphia Sketch Club

Greetings All!


 I have been painting up a storm, venturing into the world of figurative and portrait art. I am finding a new love on this complicated journey. Our artwork should grow with our life experiences and right now I want to paint people in our all of our glory and despair. Thanks to the wonderful Philadelphia Sketch Club I have access to a model every week for a very small fee and this has been invaluable for me. I should be posting some of it soon on my website but here is the latest piece I completed.

 I just wanted to share a word about Americas’ oldest art club in existence today; The Philadelphia Sketch Club. Over 150 years old, it is, to this day, a wonderful energetic forum for artists to learn, share and improve their craft. Whether sketching or painting, this is a place for you to grow! Please visit their website to learn more about this exciting non-profit organization run by artists for artists and also to obtain up-to-date information regarding their workshops, exhibitions and opportunities for membership.

Remember, even if you are not an artist, there are other ways to support the art community.
http://www.sketchclub.org/.

Best Regards, Monica

Poem Titled "Solitude"

When I am alone...
My thoughts become tangible, their validity halted only
by the barriers erected in my own mind. Freedom is no longer unattainable.

When I am alone...
My childhood memories envelop me. They smell acrid
yet wonderfully familiar. I was loved.

When I am alone...
My emotions are docile. Volatility evaporates, leaving only –
Serenity. I am finally appeased. Happiness is but a breath away.

When I am alone...
My fears dissipate, halted by the quiet. The fearlessness sits on my palate like a fine delicacy. I am proud.

When I am alone

Video of Printmaking Technique of Rembrandt

Greetings,

A quick post to share a wonderful video on printmaking from the Philadelphia Museum of Art showing Rembrandts' technique for drypoint and etching. Enjoy!

Click here to view video.

New Painting - Burqa

Dark, mysterious and heavy with the burden of ancestors.
Religious freedom to some – frightening to others
Some see only the lack and not the essence of what is real
What is hidden never as important as what is.
Judge me by the language of my eyes not by the clothes that I bear
Please see my eyes speak.

Oil On Canvas

I started this painting after I read that the French placed a ban on woman wearing burquas in public. I am thinking of doing a series on what makes people afraid but I wonder if it will ever be finished…

.

Time For New Ideas!

It's been a long time. I have been a tad busy but everything is going great. I have been accepted as a finalist for The Icon Prize . A chance to participate in this project, the republished book cover for the wonderful novel "The Unfastened Heart", is very exciting and I am truly honored. I know, I know - it sounds lame but it's true!

Also, I have just returned from a workshop at the Watts Atelier studying with Jeffrey Watts . What an experience! I will write about this in a blog by itself soon.

I feel the need to stretch my artistic wings! I have some new ideas for the next stage of my artistic journey. It involves abstracts...

Every time you knowingly hurt someone you lose a piece of yourself. I believe we are a culmination of not only our environments but also our actions. In the end, how much of us is left? The working title of my new series is titled “Fractured”. I am not sure when I will have the first painting completed or even started. I am sketching out my ideas now. I hope for productive thoughts, exciting ideas and I wish the same for you.

Best Regards, Monica

Why I Love To Paint Landscapes

The other day I was working on a new piece and I wondered why I loved painting landscapes so much. I think it is because nature is ever changing, regenerating itself despite season, desolation or man's interference. The elements of nature will be here long after man has disappeared. A volcano erupts, lava flows and what do you get? More land. Something that can be so destructive actually creates more than it takes. A fire burns, leaving the acrid smell of smoke and ashes and what does that leave? Regrowth. Buds burst from the burnt cinders and generates the wonderful gift of nature for us to enjoy once again.

The ability to destroy yet also renew, to be both as beautiful as the first bloom of a spring flower or as glorious as the most ominous storm cloud is why I love landscapes. It is never the same. I see something new in every leaf and every petal. My senses glory over the smell of newly cut grass, the scent of an impending rainstorm, the wonderful quiet of a hidden field of wildflowers that only I have managed to discover; at least in my own mind.

When I paint landscapes, in some small way, I try to show the viewer that though the nature of a season may remain the same, none are ever identical.

Monica

2010 Renoir Exhibit In Philadelphia

I visited the Renoir exhibit on Sunday at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. I could not get enough of his beautiful, soft and wistful canvases. Captivating people painted with whimsical expressions having fun and looking delightfully cheerful. Pretty girls in frilly dresses that now would be called costumes. A style so distinct you recognize it immediately as a Renoir. This is a man who, like many of his peers, dedicated his entire life to his craft. In his later years even after developing arthritis he still painted for another 20 years. I strive to learn from this artist. Not necessarily his style but definitely his passion for painting, which never faltered.
　
My favorite Renoir quote -

“I think I’m beginning to know something about painting,” said on the day he died.

To learn more about Pierre-Auguste Renoir visit here or here.

Best Regards, Monica

Blick Art Materials Sponsored Red Bubble Winner!

Congratulations to the very talented George Paul Miller who won the Blick Art Materials sponsored challenge on Red Bubble.

George's winning entry titled "Lauren's Gift - With Hope" and more of his work can be viewed on the Red Bubble site by visiting here.

Thank you Blick Art Materials for your continued support of the arts and sponsoring this challenge. The products you offer and your fantastic deals keep me coming back! I hope others will discover what your website has to offer.

Best Regards, Monica

George Paul Miller

Blick Sponsored Art Challenge!

Announcing an oil painting challenge currently in progress in the Oil Painting group (OPG) on a site I am a member of called Red Bubble (RB). If you don't know about it, it is a social networking art and photography website and is a wonderful forum for communicating with other artists and also exhibiting and selling your art. Unfortunately, the contest is for RB members only, but now that you know about it - check it out! You may want to become a member and enter the next contest. Please visit the Oil Painting Group Challenge Page to follow the challenge titled "Artists Choice". This challenge is sponsored by Blick Art Materials . If you haven't visited their website you're in for a treat! They are currently celebrating their 100 yr anniversary so please visit their website http://www.dickblick.com/ to discover all this company has to offer.

Best Regards, Monica

Results of the Red Bubble Challenges Sponsored by Kama Pigments

And we have our winners! The talented artists who won the Kama Pigments sponsored challenges on RedBubble are:

Graham Clark won the Landscape challenge with his painting "Brimham Rocks".

Elena Oleniuc won the Still Life challenge with her painting "Happy Morning" .

and Elena also won the Human Figure challenge with her painting "Dance" .

To learn more about Graham...Graham Clark or
here.
To learn more about Elena...Elena Oleniuc .

Red Bubble hosts thousands of talanted painters, photographers and writers. Please pay a visit to the wonderful art networking site.

Thanks again to Kama Pigments our sponsor for these challenges and visit their website to discover all this company has to offer.

This was a wonderful challenge but I have one question. Are you ready for next year?

Best Regards, Monica

Announcing Oil Painting Challenges

This message sponsored by Kama Pigments






Announcing numerous oil painting challenges currently in progress in the Oil Painting group (OPG) on a site I am a member of called Red Bubble (RB). If you don't know about it, it is a social networking art and photography website and is a wonderful forum for communicating with other artists and also exhibiting and selling your art. Unfortunately, the contest is for RB members only, but now that you know about it - check it out! You may want to become a member and enter the next contest.

Please visit the Oil Painting Group Homepage and then click on the challenges tab to access the three current challenges - The Landscape, The Still Life & The Figure In Movement all sponsored by Kama Pigments.

Please visit their website www.kampigments.com to discover all this company has to offer. Two of their unique pigments now have a permanent place of my palette so I hope that you will visit their website - you will not be disappointed.

Best Regards, Monica

The Cubism Movement and Why I Finally "Get It"

I visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art today and saw the Picasso and the Avant-Garde in Paris exhibit and I now have a new and utterly profound respect for the Cubist Art Movement. Previously, I liked the art form but I was not in love with it. I am a lover of nature; show me a Turner, Moran or a Constable and I am in heaven. But Cubism, though interesting, was just not all that fascinating to me. I never “got it”. Until today. Walking through that exhibit I finally understood the concept of this wonderful and energetic movement, it’s ability to take the average and make it exciting, forcing the viewer to experience this world in a different and, in my opinion, wonderful way. I know now why these innovative artists hold a very important place in art history. I learned today that what might seem boring and mundane can be shattered and remade. What may have been plain and uninteresting before I now know can be dissected, and a work of art can be created by eliminating my preconceived ideas of what reality and beauty look like.

Why did it take me so long to see it? Maybe viewing the actual artwork in all of its glory helped or maybe as an artist who is continuously expanding her art education, I wasn’t ready to understand it before now. Strangely, it wasn't even a Picasso piece that enlightened me. It was Gris. Juan Gris to be exact and believe me I want to be exact because standing in front of his painting “Still Life Before an Open Window. Ravignan” was a very strange experience. My first thought was (exactly what I always thought when looking at anything abstract, including cubism) -“Hmmmm. Interesting”, while walking away. And then I stopped, backed up and really looked at it. And there it was. For some reason Gris was able to communicate to me through his canvas and finally I understood Cubism.

The painting I am speaking of is below. Is it pretty? Well, quite honestly, I don’t think so. Does it have a stunning color palette? Again, no, I don’t think so. But, for me, it is now one of my favorite works of art. I will tell you what I saw when I looked at this painting and why I like it so much.

The trees above framing the top half of the composition gives me the impression of being enclosed as if Gris was looking out of a window. I then saw what looked like a balcony with a table in front. I saw the writing which made me think it was a newspaper on the table and I also saw what looked like a cup. I imagined Gris sitting at his balcony deciding to share the view of his world at that moment but on HIS terms. Through Cubism.


Juan Gris, Spanish
1887 - 1927
Currently on exhibit here

Everyone has different taste. Maybe you don’t like this painting and believe me, I respect that. But I would ask that you use my story as an example to please keep an open mind when experiencing new things or, like me in this case, try looking at the previous in a different way and you may notice something you hadn’t seen before. And just in case you don’t know, this advice does not apply only to art.

If I could talk to Juan Gris today, I would say thank you! Thank you for taking me on a magical journey and allowing me to see the world through your eyes if only for a moment.

To learn more about Juan Gris
To learn more about Cubism

Best Regards, Monica

African American Artists

This blog post is dedicated to master African American Artists who many may have never heard of. I will try to add links to their work, biographies and their movement. There are so many many more that are not included on this list. To continue your art history education and to learn more about these and other African American artists not included in this blog, a great start is Artcyclopedia. This site provides the artist, date of birth/death and worldwide locations of their artwork. These artist’s have contributed their creative vision to the history of art and I hope some will research and view their body of work and enjoy.



Robert Scott Duncanson, 1821-1872. Hudson River School Painter. Beautiful and serene, Duncanson’s work sheds light on American art that has been forgotten over the years…






Edward Mitchell Bannister, 1828-1901. Painter/Tonalism. Although primarily known for his idealized landscapes and seascapes, Bannister also executed portraits, biblical and mythological scenes, and genre scenes…








Harriet Powers, 1837-1910. Quilting. She used traditional appliqué techniques to record local legends, Bible stories, and astronomical events on her quilts…










Edmonia Lewis, 1845-1911. Neoclassical Sculptor. Was the first African American and Native American woman to gain fame and recognition as a sculptor in the international fine arts world…







William “Bill” Traylor, 1854-1949. Folk Artist. William Traylor was a self-taught artist born into slavery on a plantation near Benton, in Lowndes County, Alabama…







George Joseph Herriman, 1880-1944. Illustrator/Comic Art. was an American cartoonist, best known for his comic strip Krazy Kat…









James Van Der Zee, 1886-1983. Photographer. He was a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance…