fall Archives - Page 2 of 3 - INESE'S ART STUDIO

October 12, 2021October 12, 2021

Lifting morning fog, birches, classic landscape

The lifting morning fog is the most recent addition to my art collection. Birch trees have always been a favorite for autumn paintings, especially, when I have a few students who want to learn painting fall colors. The classic involves an artwork which we started in 2018, and it got not finished until now. Half-done paintings sort of nag and urge me to not be lazy and just add a few layers of paint.

Every day is only worth what its accomplishments are. I believe every day is good when I can show something for it. Therefore, time I devote to each artwork feels as a well-spent day. While everything else is rather slow and inconclusive in our life at the moment, one aspect of it is always unchanging: the creative aspect and pleasure of creation.

Acrylic paints dry darker, that’s why we need to learn what color combination is suitable for background, middle and foreground. I’ve talked a lot before that applying color is not the same as building it up. Building up color creates volume and color shifts, as well as allows implementing color temperature.

Textured birch trees on bright forest ground takes its origin probably in 2015 if I am recalling this correctly. I apply textures on canvas which is painted in the base color, grey or brown usually. I cannot judge yet whether it will become a good painting or not, therefore, many layers of paint are required to make it work.

Textured paintings are more problematic to photograph because the textures are raised and reflect more light. Color play is important part of textured paintings, but it comes to full expression seeing the art in person.

Here is the Rusty gold of autumn birch: it’s the same painting, compare with the image below; but pictures show completely different background colors. Unfortunately, neither one is absolutely true. The actual painting isn’t yellow, and the background isn’t bright blue, but the options are either to publish or not, and I would most often choose to publish. Rusty gold of autumn birch painting is 24 x 20 in or 61 x 51 cm.

I started to paint the lifting morning fog at the beginning of August. I had a very diligent student who attended private classes, and she was interested in fine detail of acrylic painting, layering colors and achieving a certain grade of realism. Nobody without experience can just jump in such art right away with the first brushstrokes. We managed, but such art takes much longer than a few hours. In my case, it’s rather a few weeks.

The lifting morning fog painting is created on my favorite size canvas: 24 x 18 in or 61 x 46 cm. I love this size for both, watercolor and acrylic.

Pictures were taken with iPhone, and that sometimes adds way too much contrast and changes the color temperature. Colors usually on pictures are either stronger or weaker, but not my actual colors. My experience is that grey becomes strong blue and that disturbs color balance of my artwork. I’m using a grey-bluish shade which is carefully crafted, unfortunately, it looks very blue on the images.

I hope you like the new additions to my art collection, and some will also be put up for sale soon. Currently, there are quite a lot of acrylic paintings, and I update the sale pages quite frequently. Stay in touch and all the best enjoying the October colors!

Shop original acrylic paintings

Art collections by Inese Poga

Group art classes

October 1, 2021September 17, 2022

Fall season and fall colors – let them in

Who doesn’t love painting during the fall season and applying the vivid and bright fall colors? I haven’t met any nature artist so far who is intentionally avoiding the warmth of golden tones and sparkling red, orange and yellow, as well as rich and saturated earthy colors. I have posted recently many watercolor paintings because I switch from one medium to another, and acrylic art will be posted soon.

Here are Bright autumn leaves, original watercolor 20.5 x 16.5 in

Fall leaves watercolor — Bright autumn leaves, original watercolor 20.5 x 16.5 in

I have accumulated numerous half-done paintings during the years of giving art classes. While I had my own studio-gallery in downtown Whitby, I sometimes gave art classes and workshops almost every day, including weekends. Especially busy all art classes were during the fall season and that is understandable: subject is so attractive, traveling and garden work are in the past. Most people have free time on their hands and using it smartly is a big deal.

fall fruit still life — Fall fruit still life, original watercolor painting 11 x 14 in

My problem has always been framing, that’s why I try creating more acrylic paintings because frame isn’t a must for acrylic art on canvas. Yet, I have the need to bring to conclusion any painting which looks promising, especially the ones I have started on very thick and heavy cotton paper which has become quite unaffordable now. I sure have throwaway pieces, too, which I use for color testing and just toss in the garbage.

Fall season still life — Still life with onions, original watercolor 15 x 11 in

This time, I’d love to share one big watercolor painting which wasn’t added to my store yet and a few smaller ones which were in the beginning stages. I added a few more layers and brought them to completion. The common feature is subject relating to the fall season or painted during it. If you are blogging for many years, you most likely now how everything becomes invisible over time because attention is on the most recent or most viewed posts.

Fall season has lots to offer, including harvest vegetables and fruit, stunning colors, inviting views and late blooming flowers. The combinations of fall season painting subjects are endless. We can certainly use any style we prefer: from abstract wash to detailed focal points and so forth. Painting nature is an excellent practice for any potential or established artist because it really moves and activates our imagination.

Fall season colors — Golden fall reflection, original abstract watercolor, 14 x 11 in

Teaching drawing and painting is an almost impossible undertaking. We can teach and explain many aspects of art creation, but the fact that one knows these principles and techniques doesn’t mean they are going to apply them. Also, there are aspects we can teach, and many other things we cannot. In my opinion, the most important part of creating art is gearing it towards your personal preference. My group art classes focus on personal palette, preferred color combinations and original style: Art classes, schedule and registration

The other area which is practically not teachable is the emotional aspect of creation. That can only happen when we have already good technical skills, efficient brushing and drawing techniques, as well as knowledge of basic painting principles. Blindly tracing a photo is not the key to a successful painting. Understanding all elements of painting and adding our personal touch to every one of them make all the difference. My private art classes focus on that; Classes specifically for your needs

The adorable fall season is here, and all we have to do is let it in! Canadian Thanksgiving is on October 11, here you can find inspiration, click on image:

Have a wonderful time viewing, watching and painting fall colors!

October 28, 2020January 4, 2023

No-rush life mode and energetic value of art

Distractions

These days, there are many distractions which do not allow working peacefully and devotedly on whatever we’d like to accomplish. I never give up painting, unless it’s so that I cannot get physically to my easel or painting desk. That is rare. I am working on additional paintings which will be included in the fall/winter sale event. It was supposed to take place in reality, but it’s safer to do this event remotely in the current situation.

Things which depend on me

I get done efficiently everything which directly depends on me. I wish everything depended directly on my own abilities and decisions! Just as always, iPhone gives me hard times. Especially when painting is large, it seems impossible to just snap a realistically looking picture of it. iPhone tries to enhance everything and I just don’t need that: contrast in excess, all blue or all yellow image, too light or too dark parts. These pictures look good on the phone screen, and that’s about it. Once I upload them on computer, it feels like disaster. It feels like that’s not the same painting.

Energetic value of original art

I post only original art on my website. That means I have created every single drawing and painting from scratch. There is no other one exactly like the ones I have painted. Original art is unique, one-of-a-kind and it displays features which are not visible or not present on a print or digitally multiplied image. Original painting has energy, and this energy vibrates in the space and captures the viewer.

Original art feels alive

Original painting upon completion starts living on its own. It’s a new energetic entity, and it has become a part of the universal energetic exchange. Art prints are copies, and they carry only the energy of materials and machines applied in the printing process, there’s nothing alive about a print. Yet, it is a good solution for decorating some certain spaces.

Texture plus multilayer paint

Many of my paintings have texture under multiple layers of paint. Textured spots enhance the image and usually look very attractive. It is more difficult to paint on a textured surface than on a smooth one. However, when used correctly, texture adds to volume and interestingness of art. I always use many layers of paint allowing them to dry between painting sessions. That also adds color play to painting and works towards an impressive impact. Photo cannot react to every tiniest nuance on canvas, and therefore, it goes almost unnoticed online.

Display and photo features

To be honest, if you haven’t seen art in person and with your own eyes, you pretty much haven’t seen it. Online is ok, and it can be anything: much better or much worse in real settings. If this pandemic had happened 50 years ago, we couldn’t even dream about connecting online and being present where we cannot be physically. Just keep in mind that no image can be like the original from which picture was taken. Every device, every screen will change it.

No-rush life mode

I’m living in a no-rush mode and moving ahead at my own pace. That also means putting no extra pressure on myself. Days are getting shorter swiftly, and I can do only what’s possible. That doesn’t involve lowering my personal standards, however. Every single one of my paintings involves a lot of work, many hours, numerous tubes of paint, countless decisions and millions of brushstrokes. It shows in the finished product. I actually wouldn’t change a thing when it comes to my art. It deserves attention and it deserves love. Slowly, but surely: art sales will take place.

As always, for prints you go to FAA:

September 30, 2020January 4, 2023

New fall art, online art show and sale

Finding the right conditions to work

I’m very pleased I can finally publish my newest fall art. If you read my posts, you probably know, we have to go through a live-in renovation. It hasn’t been easy, in fact, I had to take a break from anything I was doing for a while because it just wasn’t possible. I can only work in silence and when there’s no direct presence of anybody. I normally do not answer phone and also do not talk while painting. I’m all consumed and taken away by the creative process. I paint in silence without any music, but I open the patio doors and listen to birds and other sounds of nature if the weather is good.

Strict preventive measures prevent public access

My show should have been on from October 1^st. After visiting the exhibition site, we decided not to go ahead with the real show. We have new restrictions in Ontario, and it basically comes to this: if hardly anybody is attending the exhibition site and they have to go through a strict procedure to be allowed on the premises, there’s no point in putting up a show. It is time-and effort-consuming process, and I just don’t see any value in exhibiting my art at this time.

Show and sale move online

The show will be all online. People, who reside in Ontario and can make an appointment to come to the studio, one person at a time, would be another option. I have numerous Thanksgiving pieces of art: from ecological prints to handmade unique cards, boxes and more. The ecological prints are created using nature materials like flowers and leaves and arranging them on thick watercolor paper. The process involves boiling and drying and then framing this art or using it in mixed media pieces.

Time-consuming creation process

My large paintings usually take up to month to finish, some – even longer, like 2-3 months. For medium size art, it’s approximately 2-3 weeks of work. I have never painted anything just in 1 sitting in acrylic. That is because of acrylic paint properties. Acrylic paint dries darker, much darker with some colors, therefore, I am glazing and adding new layers as I go. I want my art to be something impressive and something where one can literary feel like they are walking into the painting. I also take about 200 pictures of each painting, download, cut, resize them, then watermark and chose the most appropriate. That’s why I usually cannot post sooner than every 2 weeks at the best.

The birch valley

Fall art for sale — The birch valley is large painting, its size is 81 x 66 cm or 32 x 28 inches. Here it is on the easel. On the monitor screen, a picture of another fall painting is visible.

Fall art by Inese Poga — Birch valley, textured, large acrylic painting. As always, I have painted around the edges and painting is ready to hang on the wall.

Fall in the hills

I suppose it would look great on any wall. It depicts excellent mood and I think my color choice supports that. The first layers on this canvas were put down in 2015. It’s amazing how long it took me to add the final touches and turn this art into something I wanted to.

Fall in the hills, fall art by Inese Poga — Fall in the hills, beautiful soft colors and good composition

New red barn

And finally, the “New red barn’ which we started painting during art classes exactly a year ago. Just recently, I decided to finish it up so that one more painting is completed. Students were rushing, but I decided to work out this painting properly by adding enough layers and some detail.

Online art sale — The new red barn, acrylic painting on canvas, 20 x 16 in or 50.5 x 40.5 cm

Beauty has no price

I assume, my paintings when sold from the studio are not expensive. I don’t think you know anybody who’d work for $25-$40 a day and add even materials. Compared to all abstract and animated, as well as very amateurish art out there, my paintings are very recognizable on this background since I use certain colors, paint certain subjects and have a distinctive personal style. The truth is that fewer and fewer people can draw or create somewhat realistic looking art nowadays, and that works for me and lets me stand out.

Updating website and tackling shipping

I will work towards making my sales pages better in the upcoming weeks. They need update big time; I just didn’t get to that yet. Unfortunately, shipping is always what Canada Post charges me. They give great deals to huge customers so that their clients get free shipping, but a single person business pays way above the global average and also about 40-50% more than in the US.

Only original art

I am only selling originals for now. The new fall art looks amazing. For prints, I can order them myself and then resell, but that’s a risky process. I trust sites which specialize in creating and framing prints, such as Fine Art America, for instance. They do good job and nobody could ever compete with options for frames, as well as prints on numerous materials including wood and metal.

Art prints and other artistic products:

August 20, 2020September 17, 2021

Find inspiration on the birch path

Birch path painting: no reference required

Birch path paintings did not have any reference. I’ve done many paintings without any references, just having some imagined concept and adding to it as I paint. Paintings with birches inspire many established artists and beginners, and birch path in early or late fall is such an inviting landscape since the viewer can walk into it. As you may know, I come originally from Latvia, and birch path and birch grove is a very characteristic view over there.

Simple composition

The composition is usually simple and leads to the focal point which might not always be very accentuated. However, some other of my paintings are just plainly depictions of colorful abstract leaves. My students always asked for birch path and birch tree paintings; therefore, I have many of them. I always paint along with students. After a while, when acrylic paint has reached its complete drying and settling moment, I’d evaluate the painting and add or remove some parts of it as required.

Original landscape paintings by Inese Poga — Close-up details of Birch path, 1. Phone camera applies very long perspective, but the detail is still visible and so is sponge and fan brush work

Birch path paintings — Details, Birch path 1 and Birch path 2, this picture shows some tiny red spots

Stepwise approach

My process is usually simple, too. I start with application of texture by randomly creating leaf and grass patterns. After that, I prime and paint canvas. I don’t use any special acrylic primers any longer. I find that using acrylic paint which can be just leftover paint is much more beneficial to the final colors and impact. I use sometimes fairly dark grey, lighter grey, mix of burnt umber, burnt sienna and yellow ocher or cardboard color. These underpainting colors work the best with my art.

Original paintings by Inese Poga, Birch path paintings by Inese Poga — In company of other birches: the combined picture shows colors better

Defining the landscape

The next step is pretty much blocking in large areas on which I follow up with sponge and fan brush. When the background is set, I paint in main tree trunks. Using fan brush, I apply more layers. Any of my paintings has numerous layers, as well as switches from cool to warm colors. Camera cannot capture that, and it is painful seeing that photo can never show the fine-tuned colors I’ve used. Camera tends adding too much blue, too much yellow or green while sometimes omitting red completely. These particular paintings contain no blue color, but it might look as if they do on photos.

Fall birch, acrylic painting — Birch path 1, it has the most detail, 16 x 20 in or 41 x 51 cm, acrylic on canvas

Achieving balance with finishing touches

My painting is finished when the flow of colors and lines is balanced and I am satisfied with the most part of a painting. Balance in my art means quite a lot, and I’m aiming for it intentionally. The birch path originals are certainly very impressive and abstract parts compliment the detailed areas. It’s such a pleasure to look at these paintings when they’re next to each other. They are similar, but also have distinctive features.

Plenty of inspiration on birch path

I found my inspiration on the birch path and colors came to life. One can paint realistically imaginative landscape, or abstract trees from reality – it doesn’t matter what approach we use – to me personally, painting becomes art when it tells us something. I mean, it tells something without lengthy description. I hope you can feel the leaves under your feet, as well as more trees in the distance. Enjoy! Prints are available from Fine Art America site.

Category: fall

Lifting morning fog, birches, classic landscape

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Fall season and fall colors – let them in

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No-rush life mode and energetic value of art

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New fall art, online art show and sale

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Find inspiration on the birch path

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