This time, I’m presenting Summer place 1 which actually started the series. This painting should have been posted right after the Summer place 2 which is shown in the previous post, but I got done very little these days. That is especially true about posting pictures, but not creating paintings.
I wish I had some clear vision about all this situation and where it is heading, but it is quite difficult at the moment. I’ve run out of acrylic paints. I ordered some, and the waiting has been about a month so far. In normal conditions, I do not ever prefer online shopping, but it is the only option right now. I’m also waiting for some other things which are essential for me because the previous computer died and I lost good software which I cannot get back. The realization that I have left not that much good watercolor paper and I will be still missing some acrylic paints because I simply forgot to order them the first time, makes me feel not good.
To create good art, I use high quality art supplies, often the best available. I do not want to waste these good canvases and papers and paint on them with leftover paint. The shipping might be faster when ordering online in other countries, but it is quite slow in Ontario.
There is one more important aspect to all of this: I love giving live art classes. They ended by the second half of February. I had to take off my art show halfway through, and without any physical showings, I just haven’t managed to sell anything either. I took off the “Buy now” buttons for a moment because I just would not be able to handle and cover the shipping right now, in particular, for large paintings which many of them are. In fact, I do not have tiny paintings. To somewhat facilitate my presence online, I intend to widen the social media circle and I updated my website nicely, too. More work will be done, but I’m not rushing it.
Springtime is usually spent in the garden; therefore, I can devote less hours to art. I always appreciate interest in art and people, who have bought it. This time is stressful for many people and bloggers. I would be probably wrong to expect somebody trying to buy art at the moment. Meanwhile, there is so much of it that lack of space is becoming a serious issue. We have moved almost every year for a while, and carrying around large numbers of sensitive paintings is very difficult. Sometimes art gets damaged, sometimes I’m struggling.
The Summer place 1 is an updated canvas. I had painted the fence during previous year, and it just never looked as a completed painting. I added more trees and drew in the building, and it came to life immediately. I do frequently travel in my thoughts and imagination, that includes time traveling. Summer place 1 looks like that adorable place where I spent my youth.
The white daisies were updated, too, because the previous version needed a facelift. I find that it is much easier to paint on textured or previously painted canvas. Acrylic is such paint: the more we add, the more layers we build, the better it looks. Any of my paintings take about a few days to a few weeks to paint. Photography unfortunately cannot capture the transparent layers or halftones, and that annoys me slightly.
I have numerous Mother’s Day cards and paintings, from which the most viewed was Rose for my mom.
Enjoy!
These are beautiful Inese. I understand how challenging it is during these times. I do hope things will shift soon, but I agree, beauty like you create and art in general I feel is much needed now in the world. Lots of love to you. Stay well.
Thanks very much Tania! It will be a while until I have classes again. I’m thinking a year. During that time I have to figure out how to make some money from art in other ways.
I only hope we won’t have to move this year again because that would be 3 years in a row which is just too crazy.
I am prepared for a long waiting until something gets better.
Stay safe, say hi to Astrid!
beautiful work!
Thanks you very much Raine Dawn! I appreciate your comment.
Lovely paintings dear Inese 🙂 Wishing you happy, healthy, and joyful days….
Thank you very much! We all have some joy here and there, it’s ok and it could always be still better, and that’s what I’m looking forward to.
Summer place is a paradise. Beautiful paintings!
Thank you! I agree, summer place is place we go to when everything else isn’t right. A place where it’s always sunny.
So beautiful and detailed work! Loved it.
Thanks very much! The second summer place was actually posted before. I agree, this one is even sunnier than the first one.
There are more getting created in this series. Times are such that I’m longing for a calm, happy place, although, it exists entirely in my fantasy only.
Hehe same here, at this difficult times Birds painting makes me happy. Only other artists can understand their fantasy world and the happiness.💕
That might be true, who hasn’t tried it, won’t know.It is a perfect escape.
I LOVE YOUR WORK, IT IS FANTASTIC, IL MAGNIFICO, CHINA
Thanks very much! I think some of paintings are very good. Well, the only problem with my work is the huge number of finished paintings which is higher than 1,500.
That takes space and requires storage, plus, nobody gets to see what’s in storage.
I love the way your paintings look like beautiful real places that I want to step into.
Thank you! I like keeping the subject somewhat realistic, but I do not want it to look like photography. I mean, there must be some space left for personal interpretation on the painting subject.
I usually relocate mentally into the subject whichever I’m working at. I appreciate your nice comment!
The painting is such a great inspiration!
Thanks! I think that is one of art functions: to serve as inspiration.
I remember how very many years ago I was looking at other artist’s paintings at some exhibition, we didn’t have internet those times, and trying to figure out what technique or sequence they used, what composition works and what doesn’t, things like that.
Inspiration is fun. I also look for others work to inspiration a lot. And as an artist, its common the figure out the techniques behind (as a hobby sewist I like to do that too) 😊. Have fun a around!
I do not any longer check out other artists’ works too much i recent years because it is easy to get derailed. I did that about 15 years ago when I kind of looked for too long at other painters’ works and damaged my style. Inspiration is always great, I think we all sometimes lack it or are simply lazy, and that sure helps.
I have been sewing and designing my outfits, I think for some 50 years. I made the first blouse for me when I was just 12, then I kept sewing pants, coats, jackets, etc. By 14, I was sewing for other people, too, like wedding dresses, etc. We couldn’t buy anything at the store in 70-s and 80-s. Latvia was in the USSR those times. I moved to Canada in 2004, that’s when everything changed.
I also have had this blog since 2011, but the wrong thing was to move blog in 2015 to a self-hosted website. That’ s when I lost followers, I had like 3,000. Well, I think it’s working better now. Live and learn, always.
Thank you for the inspiration experience. So it has double sides right? As for the self-hosted thing, may I ask if you think its better to upgrade to wp itself? I will need to do this upgrade sooner or later this year (now free version). Recently I heard some fellow blogger also bought a self host and started the “drama” of losing followers and new posts not showing on wp’s feed.
I don’t know, it probably depends on you. I always do anything myself. But you have to be prepared that there still will be needed lots of changes. You also will need new theme and many other things. While they can transfer the blog to website, you still will have to do adjustment.
It’s not crazy difficult, but it takes work. You have to be prepared to lose something and change everything because it is like starting fresh, just with your posts already there.
I’m not in coding, so, I needed to chose from no-coding theme which there are plenty nowadays. I did that 5 years ago and it was different. Just choose good host. There are numerous instructions and tutorials how to do that online. Website is more expensive, too. It’s not only hosting, there are other things, too.
Thank you!
You’re welcome.
Love the texture in those daisies. Beautiful work, as always, Inese.
Thanks very much Jo-Anne! That comes from working it over and over.
I’m impatiently waiting to receive paints. I’m so short of some colors. It’s been month since ordered, still waiting. To be honest, this online shopping is really bad and slow. So many mix ups and other issues.
Nice painting, I really like how it is overgrowing with life, and the pink flowers add a lot of contrast.
Thanks Shawn! I think so, too, Initially, the fence alone didn’t make any sense. Adding the pink shade helped with toning down greens.
I am so short of paints, and I’m just waiting and waiting for delivery. It will arrive eventually, it’s just so, that I possibly now need other colors and that might one more month of waiting.
Your paintings just ‘come to life’ . I haven’t really achieved that yet but I persevere…. Diane
Thanks Diane! It takes time. My floral art is always based on drawing and I’m really good at it, I mean, I can draw with brush. It’s also important to use a lot paint, and layering for such paintings because one layer just doesn’t do anything.
I also work layers over and over because paints are not always good.
I’d always advise to start on painted canvas, whatever color you like or choose.
About ordering online I could tell you my own sad story, specially the high fees I have to pay, since I moved back to my country, and now the long delay for anything to arrive, for once I cannot order to my address, for fear of the local mail distribution, everything has to be handle by a private company, since the state operated mail service, it long ceased to be effective, and now infamous by their service, if you want a letter or a parcel, to be lost, use it.
Once I was forced to use it, and a simple letter that was sent to me with a birth certificate I needed took three months to arrive…my only consolation was that it arrived.
About a month the private mail carrier I use told me they were to suspend the service for three weeks due to the quarantine, and they did for a month, finally they called me and told me the once 3 times a week service will be one time a week now, but due to the ongoing situation fear the service will be bad, since so much people is using it, like you ordering your painting tools online, rather than go to the store.
And now Governments around the globe, before ordering quarantine, now desperate to lift it, just when the numbers of contagious, and death people keep up soaring, at least on my place.
I took a couple of months here for people to believe they needed to quarantine, now after more than a month, people is beginning to be fed up by it, and just go back to the streets wearing a mask, and business reopen, except those who went under, never the less, there will be more cases in the near future, am afraid since people its totally lackadaisical about the whole thing, not to talk about the fact here, 70% of the people cannot afford not to work.
In other words people just have to play Russian roulette, everyday with their lives, or face starvation, period.
I just hope the whole thing will bring an awareness for change, that is needed.
About your paintings, I can see the love, and beauty as a result, gorgeous, just keep doing them, regardless being hampered by the crisis.
Best wishes, Inese. 🙂
Thank you very much!
I know how many other countries are really struggling with this pandemic.
The rest of my family is in Latvia, and they not only underreport everything, they put people at risk so that the big companies and elite can have money still flowing in.
It is like Russian roulette for many people, but we still can keep ourselves somewhat protected. No place says to wear gloves, but that helps, too, and wearing face shield plus fabric masks is probably doable for anybody. One can glue them together, stitch them or sew if they have some sewing machine. Any protection is better than none.
I’ve seen also how people automatically shake hands and hug, and we just simply shouldn’t do that.
There is also a personal protocol everybody can work out for their needs, like the sequence of putting on and taking off mask and gloves.
It can be so that you are short of everything, so it is possible to clean disposable masks.
It is annoying, everything about this, but this virus definitely tests the global attitude, the global way of living. I also think the help must be targeted, like this goes to that place and that person in order it didn’t get lost along the way.
I don’ t go anywhere because of all my health conditions that are still present, I just never think about them too much. I cannot recall the last time I was somewhere, it was a long time ago.
Art is great healing experience, reading, too. I just don’t have any new books. Was going through all yesterday and every single one I have read and remember. I will write instead.
I wish you all the best and try staying well and healthy if at all possible.
We personally are fine, and really do not lack anything, but I cannot say the same for so many people in need.
Thank you for your response, we appreciate it. 🙂
That is very good to know, I started to worry.
I know that somebody always falls through cracks. Which is very unfortunate, but I don’t think there’s any society which can provide equally for everybody. We’ve tried, it never worked so far.
Have a good weekend and talk to you soon!