Holiday Photo

Dear Friends and Artists,

Happy Holidays! Enjoy this special time of year with your family and loved ones!

Take some time during this time to paint or draw!

I will paint something and share with you all after the first of the year.

Happy Holidays

Hello Fellow Artists (and Art Lovers)

Wishing you all a joyful and healthy holiday season. For your view pleasure today I have included a painting of a parsonage in the Hudson Valley owned by dear friends of ours. While it is not purely a Holiday painting the quaint home in the snow reminds me of the holidays

Peace & Joy,

Carl

Balance

Since the title of my blog is artistic balance and is as much about my balance as a painter / photographer as much as it is about the balancing act of having an artistic soul and full time career here is a photo I took of Indian Brook Falls in Garrison NY. I hope to get to it it again in a few weeks when there is a fresh snowfall and a blue sky. It is one of my favorite waterfalls. I seem to be a sucker for photographing waterfalls and painting lighthouses. I have to force myself to use other subjects... but they capture my imagination so I tend to return to these two subjects over and over again.

Keep Painting (and Photographing)

Carl

Creative Juices

Hello Again Artists...


What gets your creative juices flowing? For me it is seeing a scene in nature that strikes me. That is why I never leave the house without my camera bag... but the real world gets in the way doesn't it? Seeing a great scene and saying "I'd love to paint that" doesn't mean you have time to stop and photograph it when you are heading to work and a re dangerously close to missing your first meeting of the day. Then one day you are so busy... the creative spark takes a vacation and the idea of painting seems to take way too much energy... What then?



Well gentle reader then I turn to you all for inspiration. I read blogs about painting or visit one of the many great daily painters blogs. Reading about other people going thru the same thing or finding a way to tune out the outside noise and finding time to paint gives me hope! So keep reading and writing those art blogs... and if you have been lurking here, but not writing anything just send me a reply with a link to your site or blog. I'd love to see it and will mention the ones I find here. While art is a singular and sometimes lonely pursuit it also feeds off of the fire and inspiration of other artists.



I also have shelves full of books on watercolor instruction. Some are good and some are bad, but they all have something I can use. Maybe it shows a great color combo i may not have tried or has an inspiring image I might try to make my own version of (as a warm up exercise). So what is my favorite book on Watercolor? It is the one pictured here. the "Basic Watercolor Answer Book" by Catherine Anderson. Her glazing techniques are wonderful and really glow. I really enjoy Catherine's paintings. I do not always paint in her glazing style, but I turn to the book often for humor and inspiration. I am always mindful of keeping my colors clean and enjoying the act of painting. Thank You Catherine. Your book has gotten me out of a couple of painting slumps!

Keep Painting!

Where to Paint?

Hello Fellow Artists!

This painting is of Nauset Light on Cape Cod. It was done in the summer of '06. I have painted it a couple of times. I'd love to say I painted the finished piece on location. Alas I have not managed to work out how to enjoy Plein Air painting, at least not for finished paintings. What I like to do is to to watercolor sketches in a watercolor notebook I keep and take photos. The sketch and the photo help me to create the finished painting in the studio. I just find there are too many variables with watercolor (lighting, wind, temperature, equipment and sand to name a few) for me to be both happy and productive. I get a lot of satisfaction out of the sketches and enjoy looking at the book from time to time. It helps me capture the essential feel that made me want to paint it in the first place and can tell me things a photo can not.

How do you paint outdoors? What process works for you?

Nature Photography

Hello Again Fellow Artists!

Here is the other side of my Artistic self. I have been a nature photographer since I saw my first Ansel Adams' photographs. I have been lucky enough to spend most of my life near the Hudson Highlands and Catskill Mountains where beauty is everywhere you look, and has been inspiring artists since the days of the Hudson River School of painters in the 1800's.

My interest in nature photography has been rekindled in the last couple of years as Digital SLRs have come into their own. Having a workflow that allows that much control over the final image and can yield finished prints at home the same day you hiked into the mountains to get the shot is amazing. I will spend time in later posts discussing my photo equipment and my digital workflow. I'll also talk about the experience of having my first art shows this year.

Do you miss film? or have you embraced digital photography?

Watercolor

Hello Fellow Artists!

I promised in my last (ok my first post) on this blog to share some of my art with you.

This painting is a watercolor of the door of the train station in Ramsey NJ. I was drawn to this subject by the angled light falling on the different parts of the door. I am pretty happy with it and did sell it last year, but will probably try it again as it feels a little over worked to me. Watercolor is one of my favorite mediums and it is also the most difficult one I have come across. Watercolor is a balancing act of control, planning, spontaneity being able to quickly capitalize on the opportunities that present themselves. Over the coming months I will speak a lot about watercolor and my love - hate relationship with it.

What is the medium you struggle with, but love and would never give up?

Why Art?

Hello Fellow Artists!

I'm Carl. I am an artist! (Say it proud). My passions are for painting and photography, but I am interested in all kinds of art.

What do I want to get out of this blog?

I want to share my passion for art and discuss with like minded people how they manage to balance work, life and art! I will share my latest projects and talk a little about style and technique.

What is it about art?

Art is in my blood everyone in my Mom's family is painter. My dad worked in the photo industry for 40 years. So it is no surprise that I am a painter and photographer. It is something I just need to do. Don't get me wrong. I work for a living... I am an IT manager, but I need to do something artistic everyday.

How about you? What drives you to be an artist?

Next post... I'll share some of my art with you.