Tag: art classes

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Nostalgia for old times and ability to create gifts is a gift, too

Snow paintings, village and countryside

I’m probably getting old or older, but I am definitely having recently some nostalgia for these times which won’t ever return.

I believe, I am not taking too well the huge overload of commercials screaming at me from everywhere. Wherever I look, it’s just buy this and get this for free and hurry up because these discounts won’t last. Endlessly. It might be also because we never had a large family, and when I was young we were not that much about gifts.

My most memories are about preparations to celebrate Christmas or the New Year. This brings back some fantastic smells of pies and pastries in the oven, the fresh scent of fir-tree and aroma of candles. And real lights of real candles, so warm and so alive. We used to sing a lot, as well. These are sounds of old songs, partially forgotten, but I can still sing them in quite a few languages: my first foreign language was Russian, the next was German, I picked it up early and was able to use fluently by the time I was 12, the third was English quite a few years later. I am a native Latvian, and we have millions of folk songs, so many that every Latvian can call one his or her own. So, yes, we were following the very ancient Latvian traditions which are actually more ancient than English or German traditions since Latvian along with Lithuanian belong to the most ancient still alive languages and can be traced back to the ages of Sanskrit.

I can also remember how we were walking through the deep snow to the nearby forest to get the most beautiful tree. I was told I was only 4 years old. That’s amazing, but I can recall the walk, the snow and the forest. That’s how I’m painting my fir trees, they look exactly as those ones which I saw 52 years ago.

However, my intention was to share the idea about how kids and teens should rather create and make their gifts than try to buy something for money which they probably haven’t even earned yet. We were a lot about creativity, and that was all we were doing when not reading or working: sewing, drawing, painting, making toys, household items, and jewelry, things for our house and for our living space. There were so many ways to bring beauty into our home, and nobody was really worried about expenses because these self-made things did not cost anything or just a little in materials.

White snow painting

I maintained this ability to create everything from practically nothing all my life. I find it exciting, way more exciting than going to the store and buying stuff made in China. I find some of the decorations they sell absolutely tasteless. How much of attraction can actually plastic things have? Fake trees are still somehow OK, even artificial berries and fir and pine cones, but if you ask me, I’d say nothing compares to self-made decorations. However, I love glass balls and ornaments. We used to have some from 1912 and 1938. I asked my mom how that was possible to keep these ornaments not broken through all wars and troubles, and she said they were so small and so lovely, and they were associated with so many memories that everybody was taking an extremely good care about them.

Snow paintings, acrylic

So, finalizing the previously said, I was asking quite a few people:

Instead of buying your gift this holiday season, you could paint one, couldn’t you?

Snow paintings, village and countryside

It takes a few hours which is such a tiny moment compared to the huge amount of positive energy residing in this gift. It stays with one forever.

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Poppies pop and red color to lift our moods

Red color is eye-catching and warm. Poppies is a much-loved subject in art classes, and since November is the month which many people in Canada associate with poppies and Remembrance day, we just couldn’t resist and painted some, too.

Red color must be fantastic for lifting up one’s mood because I cannot remember when else we were joking and laughing so much.

Acrylic painting classes

Flowers and easy flowers, such as poppies, are excellent painting subject for beginners. Also, while red color is supposed to be difficult to scale down and up, it still works very well as contrast. We have painted poppy fields, individual poppies, bunches and arrangements with poppies: every time these paintings come out nice and attractive.

Poppy field, acrylic painting

The best part of being able to create is probably that we only depend on our intentions and goals. There are no limitations in subjects or ways to create something. It is almost an absolute freedom, and pretty much nothing but our personal situation can be a set-back. Freedom in creation means doing what one wants and prefers.  If it is technique that doesn’t work for you yet, you will just have to practice more.

Red color - Poppies pop

Work in progress adult painting class

Red is an attractive color. More so, if you want to explore all shades of red. Painting flowers is easier if you start on canvas which has already a layer of paint in medium dark color. It also saves time because you have to work on the dark and light colors without worrying white spots between some parts. Secondly, acrylic paint is applied easier also on a previous layer of paint.

Our classes are listed here: Art classes

A few of paintings for sale: Shop art

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Accomplishment: the meaningful measuring unit of time

Spring orchard, sold, acrylic painting on canvas

Idleness makes hours pass slowly and years swiftly. Activity makes the hours short and the years long.

/Cesare Pavese “This business Of Living”, 1938/

Accomplishments as measuring unit

Time flies: are we going to stand by and watch it disappear? I’m using accomplishment to mark the days, months, years. Most of us have some daily duties, jobs, schedules, routine, obligations and problems. Fewer of us have big achievements, satisfaction, passion, happiness and things that make this life a pleasurable experience.

Private art lessons for 12 years plus

One of my youngest art students with her creation

Be passionate

I have noticed people who are passionate about something are simply better off. They are better off in many ways, not only because they don’t know what boredom or wasted time is, but they have something more than just routine, duties and obligations. Time really flies, and there are so many reasons to interact with life.  My accomplishments don’t have to be always important things, but “accomplished” things. Watching TV, for instance is wasted time. Watering plants is an “accomplished” thing. Calling mom is an “accomplished” thing. Painting or sketching is an “accomplished” thing for sure.

Giving art class as accomplishment

I am happy that my art classes allow other people achieving something good, as well. That can be even to make a dream come true. I am obviously happy that spots for the fall art classes are already taken in spring. I hope we will be able to arrange an exhibition of my students and my demo artworks either in October or December.

Spring orchard, sold, acrylic painting on canvas

Everybody loved following steps on spring orchard painting.

Rich in inspiration

Not all art which I am putting on this blog is finished works, but it is easy to understand: we all are unique and our creative ways are distinctive. The passion for art and creation is a common feature of all my students. The inspiration is so vibrant in this studio that it is simply impossible not to paint, draw, sketch or create.

Virtual art marketplace paintings

The blossoming road, acrylic painting done during art classes as a demo.

Thanks for reading! It’s time to start painting.

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Enhance your personal space with positive energy

Use art for your personal space

Personal space is our most important place

Art can be a miracle that turns your life into positive, rewarding direction. Keep this source of positive energy always close to you, always in your personal space. The birth of a miracle may be not always easy, but there is undeniably some magic in it. How can doing art and painting make one’s life better, more balanced, more enhanced and richer?

The hidden benefits

Along with time-well spent and new skills at every step along the way, there is one more advantage: any artwork can become a beautiful decorative element. It could be just the missing final touch for the room, it could be the accent piece; or it could be the part tying the entire space together and making it complete. This artwork radiates clean, uplifting and positive energy in our personal space or workplace.

Positive energy

The story is actually about the energy: energetic interaction, consumption and release of energy, good, bad and neutral energy. Since energy is present anywhere and in anything, and not even the simplest thought could be made without consuming some of it; the question is as follows. Do we pay enough attention to our nearest surroundings, our closest environment and the dominant energetic features within that space? We really don’t, and we are most often between two ditches: following punctually every newest design trend, or completely disregarding any design  and common sense.

Inese's art in room settings
Best selling original art and art prints, fall tree print
Best selling original art and art prints, fall textures
Fall art
Best selling original art and art prints, white magnolias

Good color

There are lots of reviews about impact of color, lots of advice how to create a cozy, welcoming space, but what matters most is energy in that space. I do believe we’ve seen this all: museum-like houses or sterile living rooms, living rooms which are collections of one’s past, and top-modern minimalistic spaces.

Update your personal space with art

In my opinion, the best and the fastest way to update and adjust a space to our needs is using color, art, textiles and plants. Furniture becomes secondary, and all these previously mentioned things also take care about a great energetic flow and preserve the positive energy. Provided, they have such. It matters what hangs on your walls. I’m not talking about the purely esthetic aspects. Walmart print will have at the best some neutral energy of printer, cheap canvas and paint.

Careful with inherited and old items

Inherited art or an antique item may have both: very positive and extremely negative energy. So can an original painting. Painting during its creation process absorbs our thoughts, emotional vibrations, delight and excitement, or hate, misery and anger; anything. That way, the energy of a painting is equal to the energy artists put in their creation. Most people naturally give their art the best part of themselves by visualizing all these places they are re-creating on canvas: light, wind, flowers and leaves, waves, streams and the atmospheric vibrations in the air.

Use art for your personal space
Always bright, always attractive, always enhancing mood

Painting retains the ambient atmosphere

One thing I can say for sure: the atmosphere during our painting sessions is extremely positive. It’s such a pleasure to grab the shiny paint and just put it on canvas. The classroom itself contains plenty of art in all completion stages: just started, half-done and finished. This contributes to the relaxing state we most often find ourselves in. I mean, it’s very unlikely, these beautiful works could have some bad energy. We challenge ourselves, and the results are more than satisfying.

Monetary value does not affect energy

One more amazing thing is that the monetary value actually does not affect the true energy which some item possesses. That means we should stick with things which make us feel good, not only to the ones which cost a lot and are supposed to be “value”. The monetary value only shows one’s financial power while the energetic value has something much more important and substantial: it possesses the ability to ensure the well-being of our soul.

Art prints from Fine Art America

Art collections by Inese Poga

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Advantage of sketching in watercolor

Sketching in watercolor what is the advantage

Reality of sketching

I’m usually advising my students: if you ever would like to learn drawing free-hand and manually, do not use photos, grids and other tools, but only your eyes in addition to paper and pencil. That gives us huge artistic freedom and allows not to depend on camera, printer, computer and photo editing software. That also saves a lot of time. It is more difficult for some people to draw and paint from a real subject initially, but it is like everything else: once you’ve understood how it’s done, the improvement is continuous.

Creating without devices

I grew up and learned painting without any cameras and photos. There was no internet, there were no computers. I suppose, that’s why the number of artists was noticeably smaller, too. In order to paint or draw something, you simply had to use your visual abilities and imagination. I am disagreeing with those who are trying to convince us that everybody was using some kind of camera obscura in the past in order to capture accurate details, proportions and perspective. It’s believed, that mostly amateur artists were using it since they did not have the knowledge and capability of producing good drawings. I know, everybody has heard about Canaletto whose drawings were created that way. Well, there were others, too. Some people can draw and capture everything flawlessly. I am one of them.

Why you can’t draw yet

I find that most people are unable to draw not because they have problems handling pencil and creating the image, but because they don’t know what to look for when they would like to recreate the subject on a paper or canvas. That takes practice and work, that’s all. I love doing drawings or sketches just for the sake of pleasure. It’s so great to see something evolving on a sheet of blank paper. Nothing really compares to this fantastic feeling! That always excites me, and I can spend hours drawing alone while other people are watching TV, for instance. As a kid, I was drawing my garden, street views, buildings and similar simple things. I used to draw portraits of my sister, other kids and later my daughter and my group-mates at the University.

Painting and sketching the easy way

Paintings are sometimes very labor-consuming, especially the large and very large ones. It is simply a lot of work. It can be hard physical work, as well, when handling huge canvas. Sketching with pencil, watercolor and pen is a quick way of capturing the desired view or subject. I do not draw anything tiny because I am trying not to use glasses. Glasses, just like camera can distort the image, and I wouldn’t like that to happen. These sketches were created while travelling, and sizes are between 10 x 12 to 12 x 16 in (25 x 30 and 30 x 41 cm). They were done in about 2 hours.

Sketching in watercolor what is the advantage

Advantages of using pen with watercolor

There are many advantages of sketching with pencil, watercolor and pen. First of all, sketching allows to stay focused. It’s like a daily exercise which keeps us in good shape. Our senses stay sharp and fresh, and it’s easier to get back to larger artwork after a break. It is also a great tool to overcome artistic blocks. Just start sketching without worrying about results. We allow our creativity to unfold and follow our imagination and inspiration.

Sketching in watercolor what is the advantage

Sketching is the quick way of capturing reality

Sketching does not take much time, it is very relaxing. Many artists and people, who are doing art for pleasure, know that. Lack of time is an ongoing problem. Not everybody is willing to sacrifice their free time only to drawing and painting, but they should. Doing painting and sketching regularly is already an achievement and it will certainly result in better skills. Sketching is very suitable to experience a new subject or style. There are millions of different ways of sketching, and that means: there is something for everybody.

Become a master in drawing

Finally, sketching is crucial for those, who want to master free-hand drawing from live subjects, or to capture a plein-air view. We can learn writing by reading a lot; we can learn many things by just watching how others do them, but drawing is a skill which we can  learn only by doing it. The more we draw, the more we sketch, the more artistic and skillful we become. We might get a new approach this way. We also might find a completely new style which works for us. I have always something on my studio desks: flowers, cups, jugs, brushes, paint tubes and similar items. Jars and cups are my favorite still life subjects. I have a large collection of them. I’m already looking forward to spring impatiently because that’s when the true sketching starts. Nature wakes up and takes us outdoors.

Framed sketch: why not?

It is also possible to frame sketches and use them as beautiful art for decorating your space. Sketches can make great illustrations and they sometimes serve as a standalone artwork.

Sketching in watercolor what is the advantage

Happy sketching! Please share your experiences with different media and subjects if you have time.

Link to sketching:  https://inesepogagallery.com/2018/05/02/how-to-bring-art-in-your-life-start-sketching-and-drawing/

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My art prints:

Art collections by Inese Poga