HOW TO DESIGN YOUR ARTWORK BORDERS (OR NOT)

HOW TO DESIGN YOUR ARTWORK BORDERS (OR NOT)

BETSY ROSS

Greetings everyone from the C.A.M and happy Memorial Day Weekend. I hope you’ve had a fantastic spring.

I’m here today to drop a quick blog on the topic of “BORDER WORK.” 

So you’ve finished up your masterpiece that you’ve been working on so hard, and now you don’t know what to do with those border details?

Should you paint them a solid color?

Black them out?

Extend the painting around the edges?

Add a design?

What to do, what to do?

Well my friends, the  COMPLICATED ART MAN cannot make that decision for you. What I can tell you though is, that border details are very important to your masterpiece & may be even more important to the potential buyer of said masterpiece.  Border details may make or break a sale for you.

TREE OF LIFE (6x6)

So what do you do? Leave them alone? Go touch up all of your past paintings’ borders? I don’t think there’s any reason to hit the panic button. The intention of this article is mainly to bring attention to this issue. 

In my experience, I’ve noticed that attention to border detail is very important to many people. I’ve overheard many people chatting about border design & details at many art exhibits.  Sometimes giving kudos, sometimes not.

Deciding what to do about the borders on your paintings will be up to you. I base my decisions case by case.

I’ve had conversations with other artists and they’ve run into similar scenarios where they’re unsure of what to do. As artists, we are all extremely different. Some say,  “That’s the way the painting comes, take it or leave it.”   Others will try to accommodate the buyer, within reason.

I fall into the latter category: WITHIN REASON. 

This topic has prompted me to shed some light on my experiences with this “Border Detail Dilemma.”

Recently, I sold a painting and explained to the buyer that the piece came as is. The borders were part of the creation process specific to the organic design of the piece. They understood and voila, everything was copacetic . The piece found a new home. 

Below are some pics  of my creations and the border detail that I’ve incorporated into the pieces. 

CANTO VII

Canto VII was a piece about greed and excess, hence the dollar symbol design.

I custom made a dollar bill symbol stencil specifically for this painting. 

The Econ Sees You

For The Econ Sees You, I wrapped the trees around to the edges.

6 Hibiscus Upside Down

For Six Hibiscus Upside Down, I used a flower stencil design. I tapped the brush with varying amount of pressure, to give the stencil design a distressed look.

Serenity #5 (Serenity on the St. John’s River, St. Augustine)

The Serenity series was based all around being near or on the water in Florida. For this series I used a raindrop/mermaid scale design. 

Serenity #3 (Serenity on the St. John’s River)

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Serenity #1 (Serenity on the St. John’s River)

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OLD GLORY (spray painted resin on wood)

For Old Glory I used spray painted resin. I ghosted the spray paint all the way around to the edges. This was a really fun painting. If you haven’t tried working with spray painted resin, I highly recommend it. I have a video of the creation process to this painting on my You Tube Channel. Here is the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXkg782W7rw

PEPPERMINT SPLATTY 2019 (on wood)

Peppermint Splatty: I used acrylic paint and wrapped the design around to the edges. Then finished it off with two coats of resin. The seashells are from our beautiful Florida beaches. Here is a video of the creation process for Peppermint Splatty

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbAYDoIHYCc&t=18s

TREE OF LIFE 2019

With the Tree Of Life I used a loose broken stroke technique. I love this technique and use it often. It’s very free and rewarding. That is how I like to paint: free and loose.

This technique makes me feel great and elated, not stressed and uptight.

Here is the link to the time lapse video of the TOL paint process:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c0irh2xfvU&t=2122s

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With all of this being said, sometimes I add a design to the borders and sometimes I don’t . It could be a stencil design or maybe some sort of artistic technique. The decision will be up to your individuality and style to decide what to do.

BIG DECISIONS MY FRIENDS!

What kinds of border techniques do you incorporate into your masterpieces?

I hope this article helps you out. Let me know in the comments down below, even if it didn’t help lol.

GOOD LUCK & until next time you know what to do:

STAY CREATIVE and KEEP ON PAINTING!

Uncle Alfresco out- CHEERS!

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TREE OF LIFE TIMELAPSE VIDEO

Greetings from the C.A.M & Sassy Girl Chihuahua.

It’s a beautiful day here in Otown and I thought it would be awesome to sport my new Cocktailer Hat from Head N Home.  This amazing Steampunk top hat was a treat to myself, celebrating the recent sale of a painting. 

I’ve been bartending over 20 years and this American made leather hat by Head N Home out of San Francisco, was a perfect to myself.

My Mother’s chihuahua wasn’t impressed with my Cocktailer hat, so I decided to put her on my blog- Even though she wasn’t participating in my shenanigans.

I wanted to give you guys a quick update on my Tree Of Life time lapse video that’s coming out soon on my YT Channel (Complicated Art Man).

The TOL vid is currently in its final stages of production and should debut in a couple of days. My intention for this video is a straight up painting tutorial for people who have a difficult time putting their ideas down on canvas.

Greenscreen editing

During my downtime I like to travel around the small Florida towns and talk to people. Often, I will pop into a cafe, or bar and talk to strangers about art.

One of the most common fears people have about painting is that they can’t translate their ideas onto canvas or paper.  That’s why I decided to do this tree of life painting tutorial. I wanted to get back to the basics of my art, and just paint. While at the same time, hopefully, demonstrating to the masses that they can do it too.

”If I can paint it, so can you!” 

The TOL vid will be a time lapse video, along with commentary of some of my techniques, methods of painting, & as always a few of Fresco’s Tips mixed in. 

BEHING THE SCENES

Thanks for stopping by the CAM BLOG

and in the meantime, you know what to do my friends:

Stay Creative and Keep On Painting!: 

FRESCO OUT!

TREE OF LIFE (ACYRLIC ON CANVAS)

TREE OF LIFE

TREE OF LIFE

Greetings from the C.A.M.

This TREE OF LIFE painting had been eluding me for a while, but I was finally able to capture it on canvas. A few months back I had painted a small version (6 x 6) & ever since then, I had an itch to paint it bigger. 

I resined the trunk and branches on the smaller version for an embossed effect. I liked the end result so I may do it for the bigger version.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments. 

I felt it was important for the bigger version, to paint a big bold beautiful T.O.L with the underground roots exposed and revealed. I feel that it is symbolic of, how we never really know what is going on “behind the scenes”. In this case, beneath the ground. Also of note is that I painted ten main branches. The number ten is sometimes associated with the Tree Of Life.

I finished the borders with some “atmosphere” effects using a broken stroke method with a script liner brush. 

I hope you enjoyed the Tree Of Life. Have a fantastic spring and as always,  

“Stay Creative & Keep on Painting!” 

COLORS I USED: 

Titanium white

Pthalo Blue

Ultramarine Blue

Yellow Ochre

Raw Sienna

Sap Green

Pthalo Green

Aliz Crimson

Honeycomb stencil for enhanced effect. 

COMPLICATEDARTMAN OUT! 

T.O.L. (TREE OF LIFE) Sketch

Greetings from the C.A.M.  

I’ve been working on these TOL sketches for a hot minute. Never ever underestimate the importance of sketching.  

PAINTING COMING SOON!

Until then my friends: 

STAY CREATIVE & KEEP ON PAINTING! 

Have a wonderful Friday! 

SKT 1

SKT 2

SKT 3

CANTO VII (7) : A Philanthropic Art Endeavor

CANTO VII (7)

Giving back to the community can be very rewarding and a great act of selflessness. Giving away some of my artwork has been part of my journey in art so far, and is becoming part of my repertoire— for now.

I find it very rewarding at times to give a piece away, and I enjoy how the gesture surprises the hell out of some people.

Once, I gifted a painting to this woman and the look on her face was priceless. She was so shocked, she almost looked disgusted. I couldn’t stop laughing. I loved it.

These examples are not always the case though. Some people react awkward, even though they wanted the piece in the first place.

If you plan on giving away a piece you should, unequivocally expect nothing back. Not a pat on the back, not even a thank you note. Don’t expect much praise. You should do it because you want to and because it’s for a good/helping cause. Sometimes I do it, because I feel people “need” it.

Here’s a few tips and advice on this topic:

• A huge advantage is the tax break for your charitable donation. Obtain some sort of receipt from the foundation. You can write it off.

• Be selective on which cause you are donating to/for - Don’t be a philanthropy whore

• Create something provocative and that people will talk about. Make your piece stand out.

• Brag about it on social media. Seriously. Do it.

• Be mindful of how much time you put into your project.

• Set up a firm deadline with ample time before the event date.

• Donate the piece and be done with it.

• Que cera cera.

If you’re going to donate a piece for an auction, be ready for whatever the piece fetches at the auction. If you attend the auction and the piece doesn’t fetch what you valued it at, don’t be surprised.

It may feel like a punch to the gut and a bitter pill to swallow, but remember why you did this in the first place:

Out of generosity, and to helping to promote the causes of others is priceless.

This is why I don’t get attached to my art. I know that someday it will be out of my possession. Whether it is sold, donated, gifted, or given away. I’ve heard many artists say they’re attached to their art and I don’t get that concept. My intention for creating art is not to keep it. I read somewhere that art should be “given away to the world.”

I CREATED THIS PROJECT TWO AT A TIME. SINCE I WAS DONATING ONE, I WANTED TO KEEP A SECOND ON STANDBY.

NOTE: THEY ARE NOT THE SAME BY ANY MEANS.

I made two CANTO VII’s because I wanted to keep one for my next exhibit. Not for me to keep.

CANTO VII led me on a different path that I had been on, and propelled me into unchartered territory in my art journey. I found myself operating on an entirely new level. The ideas that came out of this project were ones I never imagined. It all started from one simple idea: the shells.

COCOA BEACH SHELLS AND SAND INCORPORATED INTO THIS PROJECT

CANTO VII: I NEED MORE CHEESE

I started a whole “beach life” series incorporating the shells. My friend in Miami was so excited for me that he and his wife donated a whole bag of beach shells they had picked on their vacation near Sanibel. I was blown away by this gesture. He was so excited to see on my IG feed (alfresh22) that I was picking shells in Cocoa Beach, that he called me that same day to offer me a bag of shells from Sanibel. This was completely unexpected.

glitter, beach sand, shell, and resin finished.

BEACH LIFE SERIES

BEACH LIFE SERIES

PEPPERMINT SPLATTY

I created a triptych using the beach shells and named it PEPPERMINT SPLATTY.

Peppermint Splatty, really? Are you kidding me? Never in my mind did I think i would paint something that looked like peppermint bark, let alone name it Peppermint Splatty. I didn’t even know peppermint bark was a thing.

After sharing the triptych on social media, and with people in person, the peppermint bark comment kept coming up. I swear I didn’t know what that was. One girl said to me, “Yep, you painted peppermint bark.”

I made a video for my You Tube channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbAYDoIHYCc on creating the resin coated backboard and mounting Peppermint Splatty.

PEPPERMINT SPLATTY

I made this amazing mixed media flow painting mirror piece. I used the beach shells, glitter, acrylic, beach sand and coated it with resin.

MAKING A POINT

My point is this: all of these amazing things happened because of one simple idea of creating a piece and donating it to a fundraiser. This was pretty amazing. All this happened because of my desire to create and donate this idea that I sketched out on piece of cardboard and titled it CANTO VII.

CONCEPT SKETCH 1

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CONCEPT SKETCH 2

SK3: FINAL SKETCH & IDEAS… ON A NAPKIN. NOTICE THE DIFFERENCES FROM THE FINAL VERSION?

Sketching is an integral part of my creation process. Notice the difference in the ears between sketch 1 and 2? I shared my sketch with a coworker who is a big Disney fan. She pointed out that the ears in SK1 looked like “Pooh” ears, not “Mickey” ears. I hadn’t even noticed. I would’ve been upset with myself if the finished version looked like Pooh ears and someone pointed this out to me after the fact. This is just one reason why sketching is important.

Link for my “sketching” blog is located at the end of this blog.

CANTO VII EARLY STAGES

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MOUSE EARS STENCIL SKETCH

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HAVING FUN WITH THE MOUSE STENCIL

This project took longer than I had anticipated. To date, this is the most hours I have put into a painting. I kept the mood light by having fun while putting in the work. Also, by poking fun at the mouse via social media.

I knew I was always going to incorporate the Cocoa Beach sand and sea shells into the project, but didn’t know exactly what the project was going to be.

It wasn’t until I visited Disney Springs one Saturday night that I got the vision for this piece. All I saw were mouse ears everywhere and dollar dollar bills ya’ll being spent. The machine was strong, fully functioning, and being well fed. I said to myself, “The mouse needs more cheese, and he’s going to get it.”

Mickey was not thrilled by my take on a dystopian society, greed, and feeding the machine.

PICS FROM MY SOCIAL MEDIA FEED.

Disclaimer: I don’t really have anything against the mouse. My original intent was to paint a seascape sunrise for the fundraiser. I knew there were going to be local artists also donating artwork, so I wanted to ensure that my piece was going to stand out. I needed to think outside of the box. I had to challenge my artistic creations up to this point.

CANTO VII was unlike any other piece I have created to date.

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THE CASTLE SKETCH

CASTLE AND THE FOUR RINGS OF HELL

The idea for the castle was to give it the illusion that it was floating in space. It also tied into the action/drip painting theme of painting in the “space” of thin air. I designed the road curvy to give it a surreal, magical and whimsical feel.

The rings represent four of the nine levels of hell in Dante’s Inferno. The planet Pluto is the “fourth ring of hell: GREED”. That is not Earth’s moon.

PLUTO SIDE NOTE: Isn’t there a Disney character by that name? Interesting.

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ANOTHER SKETCHING DESIGN

For the words (I NEED MORE CHEESE) I designed a spiral paying respects to the golden ratio. The spiral is also symbolic of Mount Purgatory’s spiraling pathway to paradise in Dante’s Inferno. This stage of the project took many hours to get visually “right”.

I NEED MORE CHEESE

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CUSTOM DOLLAR BILL SYMBOL STENCILS

For the CANTO VII borders, I used the custom dollar bill symbol stencils that I created specifically for this piece.

I felt that decorating the borders with the dollar bill stencils was apropos to this project because of the message of greed in CANTO VII, and it also brought everything back to the purpose of the whole project: THE SURFSIDE PLAYHOUSE FUNDRAISER. Raising money for the theater. Dollar Bills ya’ll.

People like it when an artist pays attention to the smaller details. I’ve been told my border work is like another layer of artwork added to the painting.

Don’t be fooled: It’s not as easy as it looks. It’s tedious at times and it can take hours to get the borders to your liking.

Sometimes I stencil on borders, at other times I drag the paint right over the edges.

BORDER WORK ON THE ECON IS WATCHING YOU (SOLD 12/18)

If your intentions are to make a happy buck off of a painting, this may be something to consider. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to incorporate this technique to every painting you create. It doesn’t always work on every painting. It’s strictly up to the artist.

““When you buy your first tube of paint, you get an artistic license with it.””

— Bob Ross

The protruding seashells are camouflaged into the design. They’re probably my favorite aspect of this painting. When you look at it from a slight angle, they pop out and the painting appears to “move”.

It’s a very cool 3-D optical illusion and it makes people physically move around the painting.

BORDER WORK & PROTRUDING FLORIDA SEASHELLS

In closing, my philanthropic endeavor (albeit not from a financial standpoint), has been an enlightening experience. Many great ideas and projects came from one small idea, over a three week period. They say good things come in small packages, and the CANTO VII sketch is truly the epitome of that adage.

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I hope you enjoyed this insight into my journey in art.

Until next time my friends, you know what to do:

“STAY CREATIVE AND KEEP ON PAINTING”

CANTO VII FINISHED.

—UNCLE ALFRESCO… OUT!

LINK FOR BLOG ON SKETCHING Sketching: why it’s important 

COMPLICATED ART MAN ON YOUTUBE

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9PZgp42O6w6qrge-QtQBBw

PEPPERMINT SPLATTY TRIPTYCH: A RESIN PROJECT

GREETINGS & HAPPY MONDAY!

PEPPERMINT SPLATTY

Here is the video to the Peppermint Splatty Tripytych resin project.

Thanks in advance for supporting my art and please subscribe to my You Tube channel, Complicated Art Man.

Thank you for your interest in my art and stopping by the C.A.M. blog.

In the mean time my friends you know what to do:

KEEP PAINTING & STAY CREATIVE!

C.A.M.

ART PROJECTS: CURRENT & REVISITED (PIC BLOG)

Hello everyone. Thanks for stopping by the C.A.M. blog. I’m writing this blog to post pics of my recent projects as well as a couple of older projects that I revisited and touched up. 

This is mostly a picture blog, so enjoy the pics.

HONEYCOMBS AND ABSTRACT FLOWERS CLOSE UP (RESINED ON WOOD)

HONEYCOMBS AND ABSTRACT FLOWERS (RESINED ON WOOD)

This project is actually from 2015. I created it when I was living in Miami. Just recently, I resined over it with some leftover resin from a different project.

ARTIST’S TIPS:

When working on a resin project, have a second project nearby for the leftover resin. Resin is expensive and there is no sense in wasting the leftovers. Even if you use it just to experiment with. Resin projects are fun there are alot of cool things you can do with it. One example is mixing it with paint.

The more you practice working with resin, you’ll become more familiar with the characteristics of it, and in turn, the better you’ll get at creating projects with it.

BONUES TIP: ALWAYS WEAR GLOVES

WAITING FOR BREAKFAST (2016 Lake highlighted with resin)

For this piece, I rubbed resin over the lake portion of the painting, with my fingers. The resin really made the lake pop and gave it a cool effect and brilliance. I also rubbed the borders with resin and gave them a nice finish. I think I will put this painting in a shadow box and call it finished.

TREE OF LIFE 2019 (6” X 6” RESIN ENHANCED)

I’ve been wanting to paint a “Tree Of Life” painting for quite some time now. Many of my landscape paintings have multiple trees in them. However, I never got around to creating a T.O.L. painting.

For this one, I started off by sketching some ideas out in my journal. The initial idea was to make a big painting, about 18” x 24” or 12” X 36”.

Building on that original idea, I decided to downsize the project and enhance the outline of the tree by resining it. This idea came out pretty good and I was quite satisfied with the results. I think I’m ready to move on to the bigger version now. Sometimes it’s best to keep an idea simple and start out small, or even with a minimalist palette. Some of my coolest paintings have been done by just using three or four colors.

FROM THIS ANGLE THE TREE OF LIFE REALLY POPS.

MY FIRST TRIPTYCH (MIXED MEDIA W/FLORIDA SEASHELLS, GLITTER, AND ACRYLIC RESIN)

I created a variety of colored resins using acrylic black, reds, white, and clear resin for this triptych. I added the Florida seashells to this project to lighten up the pieces.

For the technique, I dripped and swirled the resin mixture onto the canvas with bamboo skewers. The skewers never touched the canvases. I was painting in thin air again.

To solidify the seashells to the canvas I dipped them into resin and also drizzled resin around their edges.

THE NARCISSISTIC FLAMINGO (8” X 10”)

This is one of my rare paintings. Mainly because I hardly ever paint animals or people for that matter. It’s just not my thang. I was very intrigued by the Flamingos I saw in Las Vegas.

I enhanced the lake with a light coat of resin. Once again, I applied it with my fingers. The picture doesn’t do justice to the resin techniques.

BEACH LIFE AND TREE OF LIFE (6” X 6” RESIN COATED)

MORE SHELL WORKS IN PROGRESS.

I hope you enjoyed this quick blogpost on my recent art activities. If you have any questions or comments about the artwork, techniques, or just want to say hello, contact me via email or SM

IG: ALFRESH22

As always, thanks for stopping by the Complicated Art Man Blog.

Until next time my friends, you know what to do:

Stay creative and keep painting!

ALFRESCO OUT!

GIFTING ART VS. GIVING ART AWAY

GIFTING ART VS. GIVING ART AWAY

BUFF BUDDHA - JACKSONVILLE

Every now and then I feel compelled to gift away a piece of my artwork. There is no rhyme or reason to my decision on this matter. Sometimes it could be someone who was really impacted by my artwork, or someone who made an impact on me at some point in my travels and adventures in this thing we call life. Or just me simply giving recognition to someone for something they did for me.

I do feel there is a big difference between someone wanting a piece of my artwork, versus someone needing it.

The first piece I ever gave away was Buff Buddha. Incidentally, Buff Buddha is the ONLY person piece I have ever painted. I rarely and I mean rarely paint people and animals. They just aren’t my thing. I have been sketching around with a jelly fish lately though.

At my first ever art showing, my lifelong best friend and his wife showed up to support me. His wife wanted to purchase BB from me, and I told her that I couldn’t sell it to her. I also told her that I wouldn’t give it to her.  What a dilemma, right? It wasn’t that I was attached to the piece, I just couldn’t accept money from my friends that I’ve known for over 30 years. She looked at me in disbelief, but accepted my decision and logic. We moved on.

Fast forward a year later, they came to visit me at another showing in New Smyrna Beach, Fl. It was a super windy day and I had two canvas get damaged that day due to the elements and travel. After I was all set up, I found myself having to babysit some of the artwork due to the high winds. I realized a third painting had been damaged. Then I saw Buff Buddha staring at me. Buff Buddha was swaying back and forth gently on my tent wall/fence. Buff Buddha was toying with me, as if saying, “I’m next buddy.”

At that moment, I had an epiphany. I knew that I had to let Buff Buddha go. Especially before he became a casualty.  I made a decision that I would gift it to my friend’s wife that day. Not only did she wan it; she needed Buff Buddha. After they finished lunch, they came by my tent and I remember his wife looking at BB indifferently saying, “There he is, Buff Buddha.” Then she shook her head and walked away. 

Slowly, I went over to the piece and took it down. I walked up behind her, tapped her on the shoulder and said, “here you go, he’s yours.”  

She couldn’t believe it. She was stunned. I couldn’t believe how grateful and shocked she was. I felt so awesome that someone felt that way about me giving them a piece of art that I was stunned, lol.  By the way, if you ever feel inclined to give away some of your artwork, don’t expect a reaction like the one she had. More on that later.

I knew that something had happened to me at that moment, on that day. I had come to a realization that my endeavors in art were not all about selling my art. It was the story about my journey through art and the experiences with people I would have and have had, because of art. I never sold a piece of art that day. I gave away a piece to someone who needed it. A few weeks later I sold my first piece of art, right out of our home to a friend of my folks. 

Moondancin - Orlando

Moondancin and Return of the Perseids were gifted to a gallery owner and his wife in Orlando. He helped me launch my first ever public gallery exhibit. I sold three paintings that night and another a week later. If it wasn’t for his invitation for me to exhibit, I may not have for a couple of more years. Thank you.

I was extremely grateful for the opportunity that was presented to me. The look on his wife’s face was priceless when I took her favorite painting in my exhibit, right off of the wall and handed it to her.

Return of the Persieds -Orlando

DREAM DOORS & ROSE (CIPHER IMBEDDED) - JACKSONVILLE.

ROSE AND CIPHER CLOSE UP

One piece I gifted, called Fuzzy Flower, was to a coworker at a bar in Miami. This guy made me laugh so hard at the dysfunctional operations of the establishment that I was borderline hysterical. I’ll never forget that night.

A couple of years later, he and his wife had just moved to Idaho and knowing how financially difficult and exhausting a cross country move can be, I mailed them a piece he had been eyeballing about a year before. The piece was sitting in a box and I can across it one day looking for another piece that I was about to sell. Again, I knew what I had to do with that piece. Someone “needed” it, and I was going to gift it to them.

FUZZY FLOWER- RESIDES IN IDAHO

HONEYCOMBS AND VINES (ORLANDO)

SEASCAPE DREAMSCAPE- Resides in Castle Otttis Vilano Beach (near St. Augustine)

Seascape dreamscape was gifted to the owner of the Castle Otttis in Vilano Beach Florida. He granted me permission to visit the castle and I was very thankful. I waited over 20 years to visit the Castle. Since my first visit, I’ve returned to the Castle a few times and the owner and I have become friends. The Castle Otttis is located about ten minutes North of St. Augustine in Vilano Beach. Castle Ottis is a stone cold stunner and a work of art.

Moondancin 2 - Resides in Hollywood Florida

MD2 was gifted to my friend and his wife. They came up from Miami with their son to visit me one weekend. We had an awesome time at Universal, catching up and riding the coasters. Before they left my friend commented on how much he liked this painting & how my artwork had progressed. I thanked them for the visit and before they got in their car, I surprised them with Moondancin’ 2. I guess you can say I like the element of surprise.

GROWLER PRJECT- Brewz N Dawgz restaurant (St Augustine)

TRES PALMAS Y TORMENTA (3 PALMS & A STORM) ORLANDO

Tres Palmas was gifted to a checkout girl at Publix during the holidays in early December 2018. As I was checking out, we realized we both shared a mutual unenthusiastic feeling for the “holiday season”. Although, I was a bit concerned that someone so young was so disinterested and unhappy during the holidays. It kind of bothered me. Possibly because I had recently found out that someone I had crossed paths with a few years ago, had taken her life. Reading about it had really left an impact on me. We had a lot of talents in common.

I guess that’s why when I saw the lack of Christmas joy in this young girl’s face, I was compelled to do something about it. I felt like she needed some holiday cheer and uplifting, so I gifted this one to her. Giving this one away during the holidays helped put me more into the Christmas spirit.

Tulips for Mary - Resides in Hallandale Beach, Florida

My great great friend Mary lives in South Florida and she has made a huge impact on my life. She’s Irish and my original idea was to paint her an abstract Shamrock for her birthday. Luckily, I found out from a friend that she loves, loves, loves tulips. I did manage to fit in that abstract Shamrock though. Can you find the Shamrock? Slainté.

TIPS ON GIFTING OR DONATING A PIECE OF ART

• DON’T EXPECT ANYTHING IN RETURN

  This includes recognition, a thank you card, or any sort of gratitude. Some people just don’t know how to react when you give them a piece of art. It could be awkward or maybe they just didn’t like it lol. Don’t expect them to jump up and down either.

• DON’T EXPECT THEM TO HANG IT UP CENTERSTAGE IN THEIR LIVING/DINING ROOM

  Once you’ve given it away, you’ll probably never know where it will end up. Try not to be upset if you find out your masterpiece ends up in the guest bathroom or on their floor. It’s theirs now. They can do whatever they want with it.

• DON’T GIVE AWAY A PIECE YOU CAN’T PART WITH

  Enough said.

• SIGNING

  Make sure you sign the back if you have time. I try to include some sort of thank you, or gratitude statement.

• DONATING

  Donating a piece of art to your local community for fundraisers or benefits is a great way to get your name out there. Make sure you give them a short backstory on the piece and your social media info. The story behind a painting is just as important as the artwork itself. If they have a social media exposure, try to work out an angle where they promote the piece of art that you donated.

I have a future blog I’m putting together about a piece I donated for the Cocoa Beach Surfside Playhouse. It’s for their annual fundraiser. We’ll dive into philanthropy projects on that blog and the story behind CANTO VII …

CANTO VII (MIXED MEDIA ON CANVAS) 3’ X 4’ -acrylic, sand, sea shells, tree twigs, spray paint, and glitter.

Until next time my friends, you know what to do:

STAY CREATIVE & KEEP PAINTING!

DEUCES, C.A.M.

EARLY 2019 PIECES PT 1 VENOMOUS

Good day to you. Thanks for stopping by the CAM BLOG. Today I wanted to take a quick moment and share a recent project I’ve been working on...So let’s get to it, shall we?

“Venomous”

FIRST UP: A Black & White piece. Black resin on 12” X 36” canvas. 

COLOR AND TOOLS/MATERIAL

BLACK ACRYLIC  

BAMBOO SKEWER

EPOXY RESIN by Envirotex

In all actuality, this was an experimental side piece I created from left over black resin. I knew that I wanted to create something from a minimalistic perspective and try something new. I kept the palette simple and used large bamboo skewers for the drip technique.

My window of opportunity was not too wide open. The resin was starting its firming up process. As the project continued, I had to change dripping techniques with the bamboo skewers. The experiment was taking on a life of its own. I was just there for the ride, lol.

The resin went through a four stage metamorphic process:

1️⃣ Loose

2️⃣ Firm

3️⃣ Gluey

4️⃣ Spider/Arachnid 

Each stage took me on a different ride. 

When I first started the project, the resin was still very loose and drippy. I was able to manipulate my curves with ease. As time went on, the resin got a little firmer and I had to change my dripping technique. With more ticks passing by on the clock, the resin transformed itself into a glue like character.

The glue stage actually created a new effect on the painting and thinned the resin down some. I used this opportunity to give myself another layer to work with. This stage also added another layer & depth to the painting. As I got comfortable with each stage of the process, my comfort zone was short lived. The resin decided it was time to transform, yet again. Each transformation was dictating in which direction the project was headed.

Lastly, the resin transformed to a spider web like substance. This was the trickiest stage to work with. Once again, I had to change my technique. This time, dripping the resin from about 18 inches from above the canvas, then working my way towards the canvas and hovering the skewer all over the canvas. It was just as if I was working with spider silk. That’s what it looked like as well. Oh, what I tangled web I had woven.

That voice in my head was telling me that this experiment had ran its course. Let’s call this one finished. Venomous. 

Resin is alot of fun to work with, even though that manipulation time may be about an hour. Once the resin is setting, you can add more layers and colors to your project. this will give your project a 3D effect.

TIPS AND TRICKS:

Have lots of gloves handy (ha! Puns aren’t funny)

Cover your floor and table with trash bags

Use a blow torch for bubbles.

Be prepared to cover when finished

Give yourself a couple of hours. Never rush a resin project.  

If you’re planning to do a simple clear coat (table top) finish, you will only have about 45 minutes of time before the resin starts to cure.  Using a blow torch to blow out the air bubbles is a must.

Below is a link to my YT channel, complicatedartman. It is short vid on pouring resin on art.

 https://youtu.be/FbCCknkCAuY

Until next time, you know what to do; 

stay creative & keep on painting! 

Deuces,

Uncle Alfresco. 

Sketching: why it’s important

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So just why is sketching important? In my experience, I’ve found that sketching is a great exercise to get your mind in a creative state. Sketching also gets me hyped up & motivated to start painting my project ideas.

I’ve also found out that sketching is a fantastic way to work out potential obstacles that may be lurking ahead in your project. These obstacles may potentially spoil your future art endeavors. I guess u can say it’s like a pre gaming for your big project.

In my experience, I’ve figured out that sketching has been very beneficial to me helping me become a more efficient artist.

Another benefit of sketching is that it can help you gain a different perspective from the initial “masterpiece of an idea”, that you had in mind. Recently, I found out that sharing your sketch ideas with someone may be a huge benefit to your project. Their perception of your concept may give you a different perspective or other options in which direction to take your project.

Sketching can also be a way for your ideas to naturally evolve into a painting. It can help make the transition from paper to canvas a smooth one. Possibly pre organizing your ideas from super complex and too many, to a less is more type of methodology.

in conclusion, sketching & doodling are your friends.

For me, it’s a way to “wake up” my brain’s creative juices and get my projects going. Working out those potential pitfalls through the sketching process has saved me time, and will save you time and headaches as well in your future projects.

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS my friends,

Until next time, you know what to do:

STAY CREATIVE AND KEEP ON PAINTING.

C.A.M.