New painting

Rhiannon Reborn in the Surf by Sara Star

I entered this painting in a competition for Spring Paintings made with Cobra Talens Water Mixable paints.  I am crossing my fingers that I win and that I win something cool like more paint, or some auxiliaries or such.  I really love this paint brand, its is fairly new and I just tried it recently and it is my favorite for color and consistency. (please ignore the glare from the flash).

This the Welsh goddess Rhiannon.  She is associated with horses, the moon, the ocean and night song birds.  I really love to tell stories about her from the Mabinogion a cycle of Welsh Legends.  She moves like the moon in that as she is riding her horse, no matter how fast you follow her you can never catch her, she just moves along just out of reach.  She is also a cognate goddess with the Pan Greco-Celtic Goddess Epona.  I have painted a saint Anna icon based on a relief of Epona before:

St. Anne Icon based on Greco-Celtic Relief of Epona

That was one of my first icons and one of my first paintings way back in 2003 when I was just learning to paint.  It is nice to see how I have progressed in painting horses and such, but it is also humbling to see how much charm the more primitive earlier pictures have.  I want to manage to capture both in my more mature work.  I hope Rhiannon has some of the charm that Anne does.

Various sketches from classes

Sketch of a horse head cast, from Eduardo Fernandez's mentored drawing

Portrait Sketch/Underpainting for Craig Srebnik's Class

Life Drawing for James King's Workshop

I am on a major education kick.  Just taking tons of classes so I can break through to the next level.

Shooting for the Stars

Artemis' return attack on Aceton by Sara Star

I suppose rather than resolutions, I will write a few dreams.  As I said before so many of my dreams came true in the last year, that it is time to write some new ones.

1) Obtain a classical art education. (either self teach, cobble various classes together, or join an atelier program)
2) Visit more art cities and see the beautiful museums
3) Show in galleries or museums in some big art cities
4) Have my art sales provide a reliable income (enough to take a little time off for vacations, or go part time)

Now these are not one year goals. They are just a new set after most of my other "life goals" were met already.

I've got style!

To accept this award, I have to do the following things in return...

• Thank and link back to the person who awarded you.  

Not only is Stephanie an excellent blogger, she is a friend! The Co-Exist Cafe. Check out that recipe for Stuffed Artichokes, nummy!  Co-exist is an excellent theme for me and my artwork for a variety of reasons.

• Share 7 things about yourself.

1) While Stephanie Co-Exists with Matt on their religions, she is pagan and he is Jewish. My artwork exists on that plane. I was once Christian (for a couple of years) and now I am not (and haven't been for many years).  Some of my art connects strongly with a Christian tradition of Catholic Iconography.  But I am exploring new directions and my art co-exists on this website and in my studio.  I am lucky that art history is full of artists who painted both in a classical and a Christian tradition, so that I don't feel as though I am the first to go this direction.

Sara Star little fashion witch.

 2) This is a stylish blogger award, I first saw it doing the rounds in fashion blogs.  Which leads me to share a little detail about me, I read a lot of fashion blogs! I love to see the unusual mixtures of colors, patterns, shapes, and textures in couture fashion. I love even more seeing regular women of all walks of life, incorporating high fashion style into their wardrobe on a budget or not. I dress quite eccentrically myself, in the same colors you see me paint with.  Red hair, turquoise, greens, pinks, reds and oranges. I even have a few capes.

Sara Star posing Pre-Raphaelite

3) I am hoping that one of my art friends will want to paint or draw me soon (hint hint). Then I can wear one of my lovely outfits.  I even have a few pre-Raphaelite style dresses I could wear.  (I want to be a Rosetti Lady).

4) I am pretty tall.  Over six foot in flats and I still wear high heels.  My boss tells me I am not to be taller than him around clients.  He needs to maintain the illusion of authority. 
5) I am not very accomplished with drawing.  I struck out to learn how to paint due to an idea I wanted to paint.  Up until this year, I have mostly projected photographs onto canvases and made changes as I saw fit.  I have began learning to really draw and I am also learning to re-size images with grids, free hand, and using the block in method.

6) I have more art opportunities than I can keep up with.  Folks always have awesome ideas for me to make extra money or get more shows with my art. But unfortunately, due to working a regular job full time, I am behind already on art projects.  I really look forward to when I can be a professional artist part-time or even full time.
7) I have always loved art.  I drew and painted a lot as a child.  But I never took it seriously as a potential career until it was already working out to be something I was making pocket money doing.  Now it is my dream to be a full time professional artist when I grow up.






Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers*.




1) Chelsea Rose Oh the hair, perfectimso, her outfits super cute. I doubt I know a more stylish artist in town. If you haven't seen her striking photographs of her striking body paintings--you must race over to her blog now.
2) Diane Hoeptner  Okay I am partial towards red heads. But isn't her apron lovely? And somewhere in the last year she posted a lovely picture of herself in overalls.  But really, her art is very stylish and I love seeing her colorful and unique perspectives on still life.
3) Petar Meseldzija  I can't get enough of this man's paintings. He makes fantasy art with a lot of personality and a very classic feel.  The dresses he puts on his figures! Lets just say if he weren't an illustrator, he should be a costume designer. Exquisite.
4) Janet Amundson-Splidsboel  Janet is a very stylish Portland blogger who hosts lovely private painting parties at her home. And I am absolutely blessed to be one of those occasionally invited (there is a long waiting list).  She has a very hip house that she has converted into a studio and private gallery for her work. 

5) Ariel Grimm  has created a lovely world entirely oriented to the forest. She dresses in greens and browns like a little Merry Woman with Robin Hood leading the band of tree dwellers.  It is always a treat to see what she picks up at the thrift shops, and she has a lovely job looking cute and working at the library.
6) Graveyard Dirt. Well technically she doesn't much wear clothes persay. But she is sexay! And her magical way of decorating is dark and edgy.  I love to see what she has brewed up for the living room when she knows her in-laws will be away.
7) Gracey  is a new fashion blogger. She is tall like me, and lives in the same area. So her fashion adventures are of noted interest to me.  Check her out!
8) Obaki. Well sorry Obaki, you are not particularly stylish yourself--that ear piece--not on trend. However, Obaki puts some pretty awesome clothes and costumes on his characters in TMI.  I read his comic from the beginning after meeting Andy. The plot is very intriguing and forward thinking. 
9) Shybiker. Shybiker is exploring the wonderful world of feminine clothing.  I love watching her grow and develop a lovely collection of things she has always dreamed of wearing. (Shybiker is trangendered and intersexed.)


*15 is a lot, and most of the blogs I read are fashion blogs who have already won this award. I only got to 9.

• Contact these bloggers and let them know you awarded them.--(I already spent like an hour on this post, so maybe I will get to this...)

The joy and challenge of commissions

Demeter, a new stylistic direction I went for a commission.

 Working with patrons and creating commissions is a collaborative creative act. I find that it offers me challenges that increase my creativity and take me in exciting stylistic directions.

Commissions always come to me out of patrons seeing my other work and loving it. I start talking to them about the work and ask them if they have a favorite saint or mythical figure. If I haven't already painted that subject, I reveal that I would be more than happy to make one especially for them for an upcoming special occasion.

A more naturalistic icon of Mary Magdalene

The excitement of tailoring something specifically for a patron has pushed my style and skills to new heights. For my first commission I pushed myself to paint more naturalistic. For another commission I improved my skills painting loose hair. There is a part of the movie Goya's Ghost where Goya reveals his commission sliding fee scale, a thousand per hand shown in the portrait! My extras are wings and horses--especially horses. And of course, one of my patrons wanted: the four horseman of the apocalypse!

A patron gave me the opportunity to explore the theme of fallen angels.

After agreeing on subject, size and cost. I go to do some research and make some concept drawings. I return to the patron and show them the the drawings or color studies. If the client likes what I have planned, I might ask for a bit of money to pay for supplies (gold leaf is something I often run low on and a new book can be $50).  I usually feel very confident that if a patron falls through on paying me (which hasn't happened yet), that I could sell my paintings elsewhere so I don't demand payment upfront. It protects me in case I am unable to complete the project for any reason or it takes longer than planned.

In addition to providing commissions, this year I began taking care of framing for the patrons too. It is very satisfying to bring the piece and put it directly on the wall.

You are the week's link

My favorite painting this week: Dot Courson' Driver's Ed

 
Natural Amber's Advice for getting front page coverage on Etsy

The Virtual Paint Out's September Map is: Manhattan Island

Calypso Moon's September Painting Challenge: Colorful Self Portraits


So those were my favorite art blog entries for the week. I hope to do the two painting challenges, but with my big show the first week of October, I might need to wait to take on new challenges until next month.