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While a painting's surface may begin as a random selection of color, marks or other objects, when I work intuitively, my goal is to bring those random elements together into a well-orchestrated, well-designed finish. The intuitive part of this process of painting is that each layer of paint or mark-making comes about from a direct response to what has come before.

The trick to successful Intuitive Painting lies in understanding the principles of design and how colors relate to each other. Together with these essential principles, the artist is then free to apply other creative elements to bring their paintings to a more dynamic finish. In this way, intuition guides the artist to work from randomness to cohesiveness.

UPCOMING DEMO AND WORKSHOP

On Friday, September 27, I will be presenting a FREE demonstration on Intuitive Painting in the Central Art Classroom in Medford, Oregon. Time is 5:00-7:00 pm and, due to limited space, registration is required to attend. You can register by clicking this link.

My Intuitive Painting workshop begins on Monday, October 7 and meets each Monday in October from 10:00-1:00.

In this lively and fun workshop, artists who sign up will be creating a cohesive series of artworks, learn how to compose a painting, work with color combinations, learn about value and mark-making, experiment with mixed media, and learn how to incorporate realistic images into their work, even if they don't know how to draw.

For more information or to sign up, click here. If you have any questions about the workshop or other courses, send an email to [email protected].

Meanwhile, keep your pencils sharpened!

--Cheryl

Classes in Medford, Oregon

Just a reminder that a new set of classes begins on July 8th in the Central Art Classroom in downtown Medford. Every Monday from 10:00-1:00 you will find me immersing artists in a full course of instruction in drawing and painting the portrait and figure. Unlike other courses of instruction, these sessions have the ability to take curious artists beyond realistic rendering and color theory into the realm of impressionistic and abstracted concepts. Working with charcoal, pencil, acrylic, oil, pastel and other media, participants will begin to explore methods of creating art in a style all their own. And, they will have fun doing it! To register, click here.

Don't want to leave the studio? If you are the artist who would rather stick close to the studio, I offer 4 unique ways to connect with me and other artists through my Patreon page and live Zoom calls. Private instruction, Critique sessions, Demos and Challenge groups are available online. Click here for more information, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected]

Whenever I am introduced to the work of other artists, no matter the time period, I find it interesting to discover what kind of life they led and how their environment and the people in it influenced their art. Many of these artists may be relatively unknown, but the essence of their work comes through in their paintings.

Whether you care for his work or not, Van Gogh is a good example of this. It seems, he painted his environment and everything that came to him through it—from a stirring nocturne to a moment of angst in a self portrait, some flowers, his room—whatever presented itself. And this had something to say about who he was and how he felt. His work was full of passion and he didn’t waiver from his need to paint it all.

The only thing I used to paint was portraits. No backgrounds. No story. If there was a story to be found, it would be told through accessories and that story was more about the sitter than the painter. The only statement to be made by me, the painter, were the subjects I chose to paint in the studio.

We have to challenge ourselves as artists in order to not get stuck in a rut. By including new subject matter into my work, I feel more inspired to be a more versatile artist. And, it is more fun. Besides getting to know more about landscape and still life painting, I get to learn new things and go in new directions with my art. Even incorporating abstraction and pattern begins to change the mood of my work.

I still prefer painting portraits above all else and they continue to challenge me, but my goal is to expand the space around the portrait or figure to bring something else to my work. This idea unlocks my imagination and makes painting much more fulfilling.

If you haven’t stretched yourself as an artist, try going off in new directions. Discover and express yourself in new ways. Treat your art as a journey into uncharted territory. Revel in the highs and lows of it. Paint what you don’t know so you can paint what you know.

Happy Arting!
--Cheryl

Many artists lead pretty solitary lives when it comes to producing art. They may spend hours and hours alone in their studios, hashing and re-hashing their efforts. If an artist has a question about process or technique, they can usually find references from the internet. And, that is fine, but unless you can actually ask questions about what you are researching, you can fall back into the same rut. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to have a personal mentor at your side when you have those questions? Sure there are plenty of professionals out there who offer mentoring programs, but prices can be exorbitant.

An alternative to researching your question online or joining a mentoring program is to join an online art community. These groups can be free or cost very little to join, depending on what the host offers. The artists in the group generally consist of all skill levels, and approach their art in a variety of ways, which is why these groups are so valuable. A good group will stay focused on providing informative and generous support. If you have questions, you can bet someone in the group was faced with the same questions and found a solution they are willing to share with you. And likewise, you will be able to offer some suggestions from your own experiences, as well.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, as they say. A strong group of artists will share information they have gleaned from workshops, introduce you to artists who inspire them, share information about gallery or museum exhibitions, and provide constructive criticism when asked. You might even be lucky enough to get into a group whose members come from other countries, which expands your learning even more.

If you know a group of artists who get together in person on a regular basis, by all means look into that. If one online group is not right for you, I encourage finding another that aligns with your goals, or start your own community. Make sure the group you join sticks to the discussion of art lest it becomes just another tea party. The important thing is to find your support group by whatever means possible. The benefits to your growth as an artist will more than make up for the time you spend sharing your experiences with other artists.

Happy Arting!
--Cheryl

Aside: If you have not yet found your support group, you might consider trying out the MFA Monthly Art Challenge--a community of artists who draw, paint, experiment and share their art twice a month during live Zoom calls. The cement that keeps artists working are the challenges offered each month. The artists work in various mediums and styles, from realism to abstraction and beyond. There is a limit to how many artists can join this group. Building trust is best done in smaller groups where artists have a safe space to discuss their successes, as well as their frustrations. You can access this group by going to https://patreon.com/cmagellen.

As artists, the questioning of our abilities can come from many directions. Oftentimes, this feeling of inadequacy comes from feeling guilty for not having had “proper” training. We are constantly looking at artwork online and telling ourselves “there is no way I could ever be that good.” Or, perhaps a friend, family member, or other artist has discouraged you from continuing your pursuit of art.

This social anxiety can cause artists to feel like impostors or that their work has no value. They can feel they will fail no matter how hard they try, and may eventually give up entirely. Expressing our feelings through art can be a very vulnerable act, especially when you first decide to share it publicly. I am reminded of an analogy presented by a friend who shared this thought with me many years ago…. “If you tell someone you are a banker, no one will ask to see your portfolio, but if you tell that same person you are an artist, they want to see your work so they can decide for themselves if that is true.” Does anyone’s opinion mean you aren’t an artist?

The beauty in creating art is the journey itself. Most artists pursue art because the act of creating something from nothing is a powerful feeling. It can be meditative, it can take away the outside pressures of life, and it can provide them with a time and space to express their feelings, no matter what those feelings are. Sure. Not everyone will love your art, but not everyone will hate it either. What matters is how YOU feel about it.

That is why, if you are feeling your art isn’t good enough, you need to change your perspective. You may not even be producing art at the moment, but that does not mean you are not an artist. Artists view the world differently. If you are at a sporting event and everyone in the audience is screaming and shouting, you might be focused on the feeling of the moment, or the way the bright lights create deep shadows on the faces of the people next to you. Those feelings are stored and then released the next time you begin your creative process. The life around you spurs your creative process and no one can take that away from you, unless you let them.

Building self-confidence.

• If negative, self-doubt begins to creep in, nip it in the bud by trying something new with your art. Be a risk-taker. You are less likely to be critical of your work and give yourself some slack if you are trying something new.

• Don’t compare yourself to others. You may like or not like the artwork other artists, but remember, everyone is on a different path. And the same is true for you. Go your own way, keep trying, and realize everything you do now is all you can do. Your improvement will come with practice, and that practice will make you better.

• Everyone is a critic. Only pay attention to those who support your process and be grateful for it. Likewise, if someone asks your opinion, be kind and offer creative suggestions when asked.

• When someone recognizes your work, you get invited to show, or when someone has something nice to say about you or your work, write down what the accomplishment was, how it made you feel, why it was a success, and what lead to the success. When you are feeling you aren’t good enough, go back and review these successes.

• Remind yourself why you wanted to be an artist in the first place. Go over the reasons and continue on.

The bottom line is “keep at it” no matter what. Your self-confidence will start to show in your work and others will notice it, too.

Keep Arting,
--Cheryl

If you are interested in joining a supportive community of artists, click here.

For me, any excuse will do, but generally my best excuse is the weather. Today, we are in the middle of a late, heavy snowfall. Upstairs in the studio, I can look out over the garden and watch the juncos flitting around in an effort to find little morsels of seed that are invisible to me. I am soothed by the snowflakes continuing to cover the already accumulated 2 feet of snow. A perfect day to paint.

It is easiest to find reasons why we CAN’T paint and the main reasons for that are basic survival. Let’s face it, there are things that NEED to be done in order to make the world go round—our families, friends, jobs, exercise, studying—the list goes on and on. Let’s debunk some of the excuses you may have.

A friend pointed out to me once that “we all have the same amount of hours in our day and it is our choice how we use them.” In other words, set priorities for the things that are the most important to you. Identifying your priorities takes time. If creating time for your art is important, you need to find the time to do it, even if it is only a few minutes a day. Those few minutes will keep you focused on your goal.

Have your sketchbook at the ready.

The first step in keeping focused is to get one or more sketchbooks and keep them on hand. One of my favorite things to do is to keep a sketchbook with me so if I am stuck waiting for something, I can use that time to do some quick sketches of my surroundings. I also use this time to plan out personal deadlines to keep the workflow going.

Create a personal space to do your art.

I hear many people say they would like to make more art but they have no room to do it. You might think that all the extra space at home has been taken up, but if you think about it hard enough, you may find there is a little corner of a room that you can fit into. A place to store your supplies, a fold-up table and a table top easel can work well if you are sticking to creating smaller works. The size of your finished art will be the determining factor of the size of your studio space. As your desire to create larger and larger work arises, you will soon notice how the size of your studio space will change along with it.

Paint with friends.

Having a group of artists to share ideas, thoughts and experiences with will keep you inspired and accountable toward your artistic goals. These artists can be found in your local area or online on a global scale. The best thing about having a group of other artists around is for building self confidence in your work. Everyone has to begin their art journey somewhere and you will find artists at varying levels of experience in the art world. And, your group will be richer by having you in it.

Start now to keep records of your work.

You may think you won’t be creating that much work, or at least work you feel is worth documenting. This isn’t further from the truth. You may have a small closet of your work, or you may have a garage full of it. In either case, if you haven’t already done so, start keeping an electronic file of your work that includes the images, dates, titles, mediums, sizes, and other details. It is a lot easier to see what you have and where it is located electronically than it is to try to dig through an overstuffed closet.

I can’t express enough the importance and rewards of keeping your artistic flow alive. Staying consistent in your practice, having a personal space to create in, connecting with other artists, and recording your progress will serve you for a very long time. Here is a list of my favorite resources:

Artwork Archive for documenting work and planning work schedules. https://www.artworkarchive.com/?ref=b9a1d7

Fine Art Studio Online for an easy-to-use website platform: http://faso.com/ref/58874

The MFA Art Challenge group through Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CMagellen

I hope this has inspired you to get busy, be challenged and keep creating great art.

Happy Arting!

--Cheryl

Frankly, when I took Art History in college, I was bored. I was not producing much art at the time and was only interested in life drawing in pencil and/or conté. Of course, it was interesting, but I had no way to know what all those artists were really thinking of when they were creating art, and I certainly didn’t understand their processes or their materials because it was beyond my scope of understanding at that point in my journey. Looking back on this now, I wished I had been more enthused.

It was only when I started using color that my interest in art history started to inspire me. (Okay, so sometimes it takes me a while to “get it.”) After taking dozens of workshops and following hundreds of contemporary artists, I realized I need more to fuel my creativity. That was when I started researching the brave and tortured artists from the past, to try to understand what drove their passion to pursue their art.

Doing this on my own was a lonely pursuit. My studio is in a remote location, an hour from town and any kind of social art activity. I miss the experience of taking in-person workshops, talking about art, and working toward a common goal alongside other artists.

As working artists, the last thing we want to do is spend more time on the computer. It robs us of our time to create. We all want to see what other artists are doing and we probably spend more time on our phones than we care to admit, following, liking, sharing and promoting art.

What if you could meet and work alongside other artists from around the world for just a few hours a month to share your progress, ask questions and get feedback on your work? The MFA Monthly Art Challenge is a community of artists who study a variety of painting styles, challenge each other to try new approaches and styles of creating, give each other constructive input, and share their art adventures together in a safe and supportive environment. Community is powerful.

You can try it out by going to https://www.patreon.com/Cmagellen. In order to maintain the intimacy and trust of the group as a whole, enrollment is limited, but our imaginations are not.

Happy Arting!
--Cheryl

Keep your pencils sharpened!

--Cheryl

My long time friend and art mentor, Gabriel Lipper, has hosted a series of 3 FREE Art Workshops that deal with merging representational subject matter with abstraction. The work is vibrant, fresh and unhinged. He has been creating art for over 20 years and his new process is guaranteed to put fun back into creating art through a method he calls "Call and Response" which allows you to develop a communication with your art-making process.

These workshops will only be available for a short amount of time and you can check them out here:

Since it's free, you've got nothing to loose. Treat yourself and see what you can create as a result.

--Cheryl