Style, subject, techniques: change is inevitable

Tree and poppies, textured acrylic painting

Paint features for interesting techniques

Acrylic paint is extremely versatile and it can be applied in numerous ways and using countless techniques. It’s water-soluble, has hardly any smell. It consists of pigment particles dispersed in an acrylic polymer emulsion. When it dries, it becomes hard and changes color. Paints which contain more fillers and binders, but less pigments, become darker. However, properties of this paint make it possible to use many layers and it could be used as a glue. All these features are perfect for creating very textured art, sometimes, it can be described even as sculpted.

Textured art

I created the first textured paintings around 2007. Since then, there have been so many from very large 6 feet by 4 feet to small ones, just 12 x 10 in. They sometimes sold very swiftly. I do not have any pictures of some. I didn’t try to showcase very textured paintings on my website, too, because pictures never looked right. As you could imagine: the highest areas of textured surface capture light more and camera creates a total disbalance of colors and contrast, therefore, these pictures are always off. In reality, however, they are extremely attractive and impressive works of art.

Old tree painting, textured painting
The old tree, 14 x 11 in or 36 x 28 cm

Vintage frames for impressive art

I went through my inventory recently since I have more time before live art classes resume. I added a new protective layer, so they are as bright and neat as brand new, not to mention removing some dust from corners and frames. The vintage frames which will be visible in some pictures are really old, but they make any art look like real art. I didn’t restore them to the extent they’d lose the feel of being old. The imperfections help them look more authentic.

Pears still life painting
Pears still life, 12 x 10 in or 30.5 x 20.5 cm
Poppy painting, textured painting
Textured poppies, 12 x 10 in or 30.5 x 20.5 cm

Distinctive creative periods

As I go through all my collections and create new products for sale pages, I cannot help but notice how each creative period is distinct with the use of specific color palette or subject. I’ve had the warm, earthy color period, the many shades of grey painting chapter, vivid blue and green landscape phase, as well as passion period for white, pink and red floral art, and then there are series of still life, birches and snow scenes. Reflecting on creative path from a distance of almost 20 recent years clearly reveals how I liked or disliked some colors and subjects over time.

Welcoming change

I wouldn’t say that paintings from 2010 are better than the ones from 2015, or the recent ones are the best. They are different, and each period of my creative journey emphases the dominant vision of that particular time span. We as humans change, and imagine the boredom if we as artists wouldn’t step off the beaten path! In fact, the greater the challenge, the more I love my new creations whether that refers to techniques, materials, subject or color palette. The pictures show art created around 2008 and up to 2015.

Textured flower painting, art for sale
Textured flower painting, art for sale

Time-consuming, yet, gorgeous

I used to paint everything as pairs of the same subject, quite frequently. I still continue that way, not with every single artwork, but there are many “twins” in my collections. The nicest feature is they work as series right away and look extraordinary great on the wall. Textured paintings are usually abstract by nature. While I am creating the texture layer, there is no outline, color or value. These are added later with layers of paint. Colors of textured art change depending on light and its placement. Photos capture some moments in time in a light which was present, and it might be that these images are able to convey the context and thought within the actual painting.

I hope this post inspires you to paint and create, as well as there might be somebody who loves the current featured paintings. I’d like to mention, that this is the first time images of these particular paintings are published. I will add them to art deals page soon, as well:

All other acrylic paintings can be seen here:

Shop original acrylic paintings

Thanks for reading!

Seasons in art, seasons in life and nature

Acrylic painting, spring nature

Living by seasons

I live by seasons, and seasons make me do, want or pursue something specific just like people who lived thousand years ago. I live in expectations of spring during the winter months. I look at trees not that far away, just behind the window glass. Deep down the roots of a tree are alive, and the tree is just collecting and accumulating energy for the big blast of blossoms and buds when the time is right. It’s a very good time to keep refining my skills because we always must go forward. When we believe there is nothing more to learn, we stop moving ahead. The progress ends, and we become old. Who wants that? Nobody!

White forest anemones is a square acrylic painting. This subject has been always very attractive to me.

Lovely green when it’s grey outside

Many artists are genuinely afraid of using green color because it makes painting look abusively green, because nobody likes green on their wall, it is a bad taste and because there are so many colors in the rainbow. Classy art is supposed to have lots of grey, earthy colors, blue shades and different white tones. No green, or at least green with purple neutralizing undertones, red or burnt sienna injections and aqua colors. When I got my first acrylic paints in 2007, I was very fond of them. I come from watercolor and pastel drawing, and I loved the extremely beneficial opportunity to effortlessly create volume with acrylic paints.

My personalized realism

Ever since that first time I got to use acrylic paints, I’ve been extremely happy that I can create anything which looks exactly as I like. People sometimes want to squeeze me in all kinds of categories, and none of them actually fits. I don’t paint realism if we think realism as art genre. The reason for that is I rarely use photographic reference as the base for my painting.  I check out parts of my nature views, but I usually have a certain color palette in my mind and I can picture it on the blank canvas. That takes me somewhere, to an imagined landscape or still life components which I visualize. Tackling memorized and imagined views is more difficult than tracing and copying a photo. However, I frequently receive comments in art groups how people can place themselves in my paintings, how they can recall some particular site or place, or feel they are surrounded by my painting.

Spring, forest anemones. This picture was taken with my old Canon camera, and it displays great colors.

Adjusting process

My painting process is simply longer. I go over some areas many times, and I try to achieve exactly what I feel should be there. The difference is, when repainting a photo, you know where what is. I don’t know that because I improvise. I’m usually happy with the result. Then there is picture taking. You have painted a great acrylic or watercolor, you take pictures in different settings with all kinds of backgrounds. Then, you download these hundreds of pictures and it can happen so that not even one is exactly as painting. We can edit pictures, sure, but the changes are global. If the device has added more strong contrast in dark areas and lightened more the light areas, there are just more abnormalities after such editing. Somebody said on their blog (I don’t think they were artist; they just teach artists) that pictures always look better than paintings and that is just not true. I have the opposite experience: paintings look better.

Playing on emotions

So, here you have it: I don’t paint reality except for watercolor still life and some watercolor floral paintings. It isn’t abstract art also because I like my subject to be recognizable, yet, I introduce abstract areas in any painting a lot. I love color and art to impress, but it isn’t impressionism. I love precision of a few details and let go undefined other parts. I stop painting when there is nothing more to say because my art isn’t a demo of technicalities. I always want it to work on the emotional level. Therefore, I cannot say what color I have used on any part, but I can name a few colors which started the painting. I mix these few colors in all possible ways and that unites the painting in one organic bundle. Harmony and balance matter to me a lot, and I do everything in order the view had flowing lines and smooth color transitions.

Spring creek, acrylic painting

Artistic spring starts in January

Continuing my long-time tradition, I always paint spring and flowers in winter. These images were supposed to be presented in two posts, but I run out of time, and it’s one post now. I decided to show steps and reveal small painting secrets in PDFs for download. They will come, I’m just a bit too busy at the moment.

I always paint around edges of canvas, thus, extending the image. This allows using painting without a frame.

Healing art

Creativity and necessity to create something new never stop, never go away or cease. 3 things stronger than pain for my own conditions have been drawing and painting, taking care of garden, plants and room plants, as well as reading. It’s been a year we have been struggling with COVID-19, and we have the second complete lockdown here in Ontario. I don’t feel like painting masks on faces or injection needles. There’s already too much of that. The main healer for me is creating something at my own pace. Stay safe! Thanks for reading!

Art prints are available here: Many choices of my paintings

Virtual marketplace and my art in room settings

Virtual art marketplace paintings

It’s amazing that I had no idea my art had been added to a local virtual marketplace. It was somewhat encouraging to see that my art was appreciated.

If I knew about that, I’d had kept working on new paintings instead of spending the last week in the backyard. I had intended to post images of the previously unpublished paintings also at least a week ago, but life just sometimes demands dealing with other things.

These are images of paintings which were sold, but I hadn’t actually gotten a chance to publish them anywhere.

Positive energy art

I painted at least 4 versions of “Nostalgia, gardens of dreams”. This painting was sold about 10 years ago. It’s size was 22 x 28 inches or 56 x 71 cm, acrylic on canvas.  I actually do commissions also which means one can order any size of my painting and in any colors they prefer. Variation of my own art certainly works the best.

Spring orchard, sold, Virtual arts market

The Spring orchard (20 x 16 in) was sold in 2016. One of my art students bought it. Since the pictures of paintings were taken briefly before their sale, I cannot get any better photos. This particular painting had a very nice play of colors in textures since trees and grasses are very suitable for that.

Pears and daisies, Virtual arts market

The still life I still have. It was hiding in the storage room. Pears and daisies, 12 x 16 inches or 30.5 x 41 cm; sunny still life in acrylic.

Virtual arts market

At that time which might be about 8-10 years ago, this painting was named “Flower hill”. We did it in acrylic painting classes and my painting was a demo. Its size was 16 x 20 inches or 41 x 51 cm acrylic on canvas.

Fits any style actually

A few weeks ago, I was simply playing around with placing pictures of my art in room settings. While many people would dare using only abstract art with their light, white or minimalist style, I think my paintings make each one of these rooms look great.

My art prints on Fine Art America:

Stay in touch and stay safe! I will have something new soon, especially for art students; now, that gardenworks are almost done.

Spring mix, staying at home creatively

Rose painting in watercolor

Last day of March 2020, enjoy spring mix

Just like always, time passes swiftly. Whether it is bad or great spring, we go through it. I just couldn’t get myself to the point this time to post something new. I have started working on projects in downloadable format, and that is tough. My previous main computer crashed, and lots of software which I cannot get back went with it. While I had backups for most picture folders, it is sort of impossible to recreate everything which has been carefully put together over the course of 12 years. Every device has its limits, but crashes come always at a wrong moment. Therefore: spring mix!

Poor choices for realistic editing of picture

While there are numerous, I’d even say countless apps and software for manipulating photos and using all kinds of effects on photos, there is practically nothing anymore for simple editing which makes image of a drawing or painting look like it is in reality. The last great editing software was Microsoft Digital Image Editor, but that’s gone now. I still have it on laptop, but my laptop display is so poor that I cannot do any sensitive adjustments on it. My much loved watermark is gone, too. I bought another one which is kind of ok, but doesn’t do the same at the same speed as the previous one. I don’t have many things on this computer yet, so, putting up my content on the internet is problematic at the moment.

Projects with watercolor pencils

I would like to introduce the use and application of watercolor pencils for beginners in watercolor. It is easy and it is better for people, who are very good at drawing and not that good at watercolor wash control. I read in a Facebook group how people complained that they got horrible results using watercolor pencils. I would completely disagree with that. If you use watercolor pencils sensitively and you have an idea how to do that, the result is fantastic. I have great watercolor pencils which I bought maybe 13 or more years ago. They last long time. I actually use them only in classes. For my personal use, they are too slow. However, one can really learn well everything about painting principles, values, contrast, shadows, shapes, highlights and composition using good quality watercolor pencils which contain decent amount of pigment.

Now is the right time to learn

When else are we going to learn new things if not now when we have to stay at home? Drawing and painting has very good ability to consume all our thoughts. While we are creating, there is absolutely no space for being afraid, scared or depressed. There is no space for being worried and frustrated about the future. It is extremely calming and rewarding process when we let it to be that way.

Floral watercolor by Inese Poga

Stay tuned for home projects!

I wish I could work out the home projects faster and put up them for download, so, that everybody can be creative and busy in a nice way. I know that drawing is the most difficult part for most beginning and even advanced artists. Therefore, I intend to allow tracing template drawings.

Stay safe and create! Have a bit of patience and you will be able to paint with me beautiful spring flowers, landscapes and more!

Inspiration: Light and shadow

Inspiration: Perspective

Art prints Art collections by Inese Poga

Spring flowers are in bloom at the studio

Soft yellow spring daffodils

While the weather is still changing swiftly outdoors, my studio blossoms in full force. Spring flowers are in bloom!

Art is timeless, it can easily survive us. Art is a gentle reminder that we never know everything and we are here just to learn and to give our skills to others.

We are adding new projects practically weekly, and I am finalizing some paintings at least twice a week. Light is great during the day and days are becoming longer, too. I am not sure how much brighter the light should be for video recording. It is very sufficient when painting, but for video recording it is still not enough as it appears.

Doing is better than watching

My personal point is, nobody has ever learned anything by watching others do it. We can either paint or draw, or watch others paint. It’s pretty much so that we cannot do both at the same time. I would say, if you want to learn, just go for it. Everybody damages many watercolor papers and paints over previously painted canvas many times and until they manage to use the brush properly, as well as understand what colors they like and how to create them.

What is important

It was never about how to paint or draw an apple, or one particular flower, or one particular landscape. Painting and drawing is a skill which follows certain principles and teaches one to become efficient with decision making.

No need to be afraid

It is silly to be afraid of damaging paper or canvas. While we learn, we are in process of discovering so many aspects of our subject. This is a path which involves many sideways and much blundering around until we find the right way for us.

White and yellow daffodils, watercolor

Trillium forest, watercolor on paper, one of my recent watercolor painting projects. It is so lovely to paint fresh greens!

This was an amazing project, and we really enjoyed creating dark background around the white blossoms.

More spring flowers from previous projects

That’s what I do every spring: disappear in flowers until it is time to start digging and planting seeds in the soil.

Enjoy the spring blossoming and lovely colors of flowers. This subject really works well using any medium, but especially watercolor, thanks to speed and fast coverage of large areas.

New art prints on Fine Art America: 

Art collections by Inese Poga

Apply for art classes: Sign up here

See my framed prints on pixels.com:  Framed art prints of Inese Poga’s paintings

Copyrights of the displayed art belong to artist Inese Poga. Please, do not copy, or use, or place images of my art on any other websites without written consent from Inese Poga. See full Copyright notice on the widget area.