Welcome to 2012, and back to getting started in a hobby and a Blog! What have I begun for myself?
My new art class begins next week and my weekly "open studio" painting group reconvenes. I will be busy trying to keep up with assignments in the class with a new painting and theme each week.
I will try to keep my posts current and perhaps that will help me with the class projects.
The poppy painting represents the concept of
"Vibrancy".
I paint with acrylic paints. This means that a plastic-like fluid or "vehicle" is used to mix the pigments (colors) to make the paint spreadable. The primary reason that I paint in acrylics is that is how I began in classes, and at this point, I am most comfortable with this form of paint.
Since I began my adventure in the art world, I have had to expand my knowledge of what makes a
good picture. This is a struggle since there are so many factors in this one concept-"good picture".
Think about what that means to the viewer, why do you want to look at the picture?
I usually take photos to document an event, children growing up, or travel scenes. Once I began to
paint, I began to look at photos as a painting, or parts of a painting, and had to start actually
composing a picture. How does a photo or painting draw you into the picture? The emotional side of
painting or the hidden meaning is an enormous area that I have not begun to unravel. I have
basically been trying to achieve the "pleasant-decorative-arts" style painting.
One of my first classes was through the "Rufus Porter Museum" in mural painting. Rufus Porter
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjpKkVOpY6dISChUb1W8Nq0rVLpFjAgyoY245z5-Oa1d-oIe6hXpuYTkoQo0uj9W1pcwJUiz62gVdz8vdyoakvD227dWEjw05zpFyOXYEuLoW5wzGYMaKzOfqnJpJz8WWSQ6a-aswGBs/s400/P1000409.JPG)
was an early 19th century itinerant mural painter. He painted to decorate homes in the 1800's, and this was my first style of painting:
These two paintings are from scenes of
Rufus Porter Murals.
Classes in Rufus Porter and other early
American Arts are taught at the Rufus Porter Museum in Bridgton, Maine, rufusportermuseum.org.