DAY 3- THE INTUITIVE PROCESS AND BEING VULNERABLE

I am about to do something that makes me nervous! I am literally sitting here typing with butterflies in my belly! I'm about to show you images of a painting in progress, from start to finish. There are MANY ugly stages in my paintings before I find the beauty. You will see also that the beginning layers of paint are only minutely visible in the end result. So... Here goes....

So now you see the process. The next part is naming the painting. This was at first I thought should be called "Impressions". I thought this because of it's impressionistic feel to it. However, the name and the painting changed shortly after taking a photograph of it. ( See yesterdays post)

I usually paint birds and trees. The bird is either a self portrait or simply portraying us, all of God's children. The tree always represents God. The fact that the bird was in the painting almost right from the beginning ( see above images) is pretty cool, right! If I hadn't taken a photograph, I might never have seen him! Hence the name: "I Was There The Whole Time!"

The irony of the name is that the tree, being God, was really the one that was there the whole time!

I hope you enjoyed todays post, as I feel I have made myself vulnerable for the sake of being real. Isn't it funny how much easier it is putting on our daily "mask" than it is "Being Real"

Maybe I went a bit too deep today. Tomorrow, I will try to be funny instead! :)

Day 2 "I Was There the Whole Time"

I had a BLAST painting yesterday in my newly cleaned and organized space. I had three paintings started, and all I had to do is pick which one I wanted to work on first.

The painting just flowed! I painted from 9:30 am - 2:15pm.

I never know I am finished painting until a few days after. I like to look at the painting prior to finishing the piece with varnish. The first thing I do when I finish a piece is I take a picture of it and usually post it on my Facebook page to see what comments and  critiques I get from my Facebook friends. Here's the first picture I took:

I wasn't planning on adding a bird to this painting... but look who was waiting for me to notice him at the bottom left of the painting... HA! I LOVE intuitive painting! So, I immediately followed his calling and finished pulling out /painting the little guy! (See image below)

"I was there the whole time!"

15x30x2.5

I don't think I'm done with this piece yet... but I love the process and evolution of being an artist!

If you want to check out my face book page:

https://www.facebook.com/kim.elleryartist

Hope everyone has a happy day!

Kim

NEW BEGINNINGS

New  Beginnings!

So, one of my mentors Flora Bowley (http://braveintuitiveyou.com) , challenged herself to write a blog everyday for 30 days. I decided to follow her lead and challenge myself to do the same thing. I’m not sure how interesting this is going to be, but I guess we are about to find out!

I just finished Coordinating the Fine Arts area of the RIBA Home Show. Although this is loads of fun, and I get to meet some amazing artists...This takes me about three months to prepare, getting all my artists in place, getting contracts signed and making sure everyone is prepared. Then, it’s six 12 hour days setting up and exhibiting the show. … Needless to say this takes me completely out of the studio for an entire month!

   I’ve decided that this will be my last year coordinating this event because I really would rather be painting! Also, while the galleries are selling my work, I am not producing new work during this time. So it is no longer possible for me to be both Coordinator AND Artist... So, I decided that I would think of today as NEW BEGINNINGS! Naturally what follows this idea must be a clean and organized studio! RIGHT!

I did get a chance to splash a little paint around… but I am so filled with joy to begin painting tomorrow! So, until then, I took some images of paintings I was painting a month ago… Hello old friends! Are you ready to finish our journey together!

To all my artists friends out there reading my blog, THANKS for taking the time to read this! Let me know if you begin the same 30 day Blog Challenge!

Happy Creating!

Kim

IT'S COOL TO BE SQUARE!

It’s Cool to be Square!

I was recently invited to exhibit in a special show called “The Square Show”at an amazing gallery in Providence , RI… Gallery Z http://galleryzprov.com/galleryzprov/upcoming-shows.html.

The exciting part of this exhibit is that the gallery provided each artist with the canvas’ to paint. Each one of us received  a 12x12, 16x16, and 20x20 canvas. My shape preference is usually square, so I was feeling right at home with this invitation! YAY! The thought of all of us painting the same exact canvas shapes seems really exciting to me! What will all the artists do with the same exact canvas’?!

I actually started off painting 8 canvas’ at the same time. I know, crazy… right! Well, I had also signed up for a class on intuitive painting during the same time that I needed to be working on the three pieces for the show. I figured I am Super Woman… I can do it all! … Did I mention that the whole time I am doing this class along with the eight canvas’, I am also coordinating the Fine Arts area of the RIBA Home Show held at the Providence Convention Center!

Needless to say, I am not as super as I hoped to be! I didn’t quite finish the class because I realized I would need to finish at least the three canvas’ needed for the Square Show! So I focused on the three canvas’ and here’s what came to fruition.

                                          “Love In The Garden”

I painted these shapes from my memories of scuba diving. There were these beautiful pod type greens growing about 60feet below the water. I sketched them out right away and realized they looked an awful lot like roses. The first shape that came to me was the beautiful heart at the bottom of the canvas. For me, Everything grows out of love… It seemed to me to be the seed that planted this beautiful garden.

                                          “Walking Out of The Darkness”

This painting started with drips of paint. I immediately saw a forest. Recently, I have been studying the work of Gustov Klimt. I just love his use of color, and his mixture of patterns and shapes. The bird in this painting tells the story of coming out of the darkness of the woods, and walking into the light, seeing hope and beauty.

                                          “Klimt Tree”

I’m not sure which came first, the tree or the birds. This painting just took on a life of it’s own. Again, studying the work of Gustov Klimt, I was inspired by his color palette and shapes in the tree. In this painting, the birds seem to be stopped in their tracks by witnessing the beauty of the tree.

You’ll have to wait for the next blog to see what the other canvas’ ended up as!

Until next time!

It’s Cool to be Square!

;)

Kim

I Need Your Help with an Idea!

I Need Your Help with an Idea…

So I woke up at 5am thinking about painting… Not unusual for me as of late! 

I am just in the beginning stages of this painting. I saw the tree yesterday and outlined it in white, but the rest of the story has to evolve. This is how I paint, intuitively! Then I started to think how cool it would be to have a bunch of people’s input in the story!

My goal in painting is always to make the viewer feel Joy, Peace, Love,…. Basically great positive emotions! I personally love trees and birds ( no secret there!). Trees for me represent God and his love and provisions for us. Birds represent us, the viewers of the painting, God’s Children.

So here’s my idea!...

I thought how cool would it be to try to have an interactive painting in progress! I always paint my paintings so that the viewer has a huge desire to touch and feel the painting, and I encourage this! I want my paintings to be interactive! This is what brought me to this idea…. 

What if I had a bunch of people make suggestions about what brings them Love, Peace, Joy…, and then somehow incorporate the suggestions into the painting to make one big beautiful story!

So, if you want to help me out with my new challenge to myself, here’s what I need you to do:

Simply send me a message ( www.facebook.com/kim.elleryartist ) or email ( you’ll find my address on my website www.kimelleryart.com) 

and tell me what makes your heart sing? 

What would you like to see in this painting? 

I am SOOOO hoping to get a bunch of suggestions and have this painting be a community of Love and Happiness painting!

So how about it? Want to help a girl out?! PLEASE?!

Joyfully Waiting in Anticipation!

Hugs,

Kim

Eternally Loved

Eternally Loved

A Journey in Painting Dedicated to

My Grandma

Sadie “Tex” Fein

   I don’t know where to begin in this blog. It is such an emotional journey…

   My Grandma was one of my best friends and greatest influences in my life.  At 99 years of age, she was still telling dirty jokes and her brain was as active and clearer than mine on my best days!

   We spent the last twenty-five years or so having lunch and shopping at the Dollar Store or Job Lot on a weekly bases.  We had more laughs and fun….

   My Grandma was so proud of me being an artist. She would carry around a magazine where one of my paintings had made it’s way to the cover and show everyone! She would ask all about my exhibits, how many paintings sold, what I was painting now…

"Looking Back"

   Anyway... Grandma did everything on her own terms. It was time to let her old body rest, so my very large family gathered around for the last three days of her life.  I didn’t leave Epoch ( the assisted living facility) during that time. Actually, many of my family members slept with me on the hard floors of Epoch just so we could be near Grandma in case she called for us or needed anything.

"Conversations"

   Two days prior to my Grandma’s passing, I received an email from Gallery Z inviting me to exhibit in their small picture show. Now… Grandma knew that Gallery Z was my next  “goal” I set my sights on.  So when I received the email, I ran upstairs to her to read her the email. I could see the email gave her joy! What a gift! My Grandma would know I had obtained my next goal!

"Swooning"

   It wasn’t until after she had passed that I thought through what I would paint for the small picture show at Gallery Z. I decided to paint a new series in her honor. I would call it “Eternally Loved”.  Each painting would show the many different ways we loved each other. I would tie them all together physically with an old doily that was hers. I would use the doily as a stencil to bring texture into each painting.

"Beautiful Branch"

   Each of the paintings displayed in this blog were painted on small canvases 12x12 or smaller for the Gallery Z exhibit. I plan on continuing this series on larger canvas’ until I can no longer think of ways Grandma and I shared our love for each other. I guess it is my way of both holding on to my Grandma, and trying to have Grandma’s love live on forever at the same time.

   When I paint these paintings; it brings me great joy thinking about the person who might view them, and see their own love story in the painting. My hopes is to spread Joy and Love through this series!

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my blog and viewing some of the paintings! Please continue checking my website for new paintings I will be adding to this series!

www.kimelleryart.com

Hugs and Happiness,

Kim Ellery

MY WEEK IN RESIDENCY @ JERRY'S ARTARAMA PROVIDENCE!

MY WEEK IN RESIDENCY @

JERRY’S ARTARAMA PROVIDENCE!

I had such a great time in my week of Artist in Residency, I hardly know where to begin!

…. When Jonathan Florez,, the manager at the Jerry’s in Providence Rhode Island, first approached me with the idea of having an Artist in Residency program I really didn’t know what to think...

All I knew was that Jonathan has been doing so much for our artist community here in our little state of RI, that I thought I probably should help him out with his idea…

 So, I made a few suggestions, and informed Jonathan I would be happy to be an Artist In Residence.

http://providence.jerrysartaramastores.com/index.php

Turns out, I was the first ever ARTIST IN RESIDENCE in all of the SIXTEEN Jerry’s Artarama Retail Stores throughout our nation!                                       WOW! What an honor!!

There were so many exciting and FUN things I experienced in that one week, I thought it would be easiest to list them!

* I met a lot of really awesome people!

* I was able to experiment and learn about some new art materials!

       * I was given a wonderful space to create in, as well as exhibit my work!

* I went to work everyday and got to see my friends! ( Jerry’s staff in Providence are AWESOME people to hang with!)

* I was approached by two different people with new opportunities to exhibit my work! 

* I met some wonderful women who are working on the  DAY OF PEACE  here in Rhode Island ( which is really a month long!)  I am honored to be included in an exhibit for Peace AND...                                                                  I will also be working with them on the Peace Flag Project! 

                                                                               http://www.internationaldayofpeace.org/

http://www.thepeaceflagproject.org/

* I had the opportunity to show many artists how I create my work, what makes my passion stay exciting and FUN...

...AND I got to hear their stories as well!

* I participated in Opening Night/ Gallery Night…

*AND…. I finished one, almost two paintings!

I’m sure there are things I forgot, but you get the idea!

To wrap things up...if you receive an opportunity to either participate as an Artist In Residence, OR get an opportunity to visit and Artist In Residence at any of your local Jerry’s Artarama’s… I suggest you go! It’s mad FUN and you just might learn something or make a new friend along the way!

Happy Creating!!

Hugs,

Kim Ellery

www.kimelleryart.com

www.facebook.com/kim.elleryartist

kimellery.blogspot.com