Read more about the article #144 Michelle Sakhai: Abstract Artist Using Metal Leafing and Oils

#144 Michelle Sakhai: Abstract Artist Using Metal Leafing and Oils

New York-based artist Michelle Sakhai painted landscapes in oil for many years. She mostly created her paintings outside, in the method of plein aire painters. She started adding metal leafing to her paintings to show light, and before she knew it, the leafing had taken over her artwork. She now uses oils and leafing to make beautiful abstract expressionist art.

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Michelle Sakhai

Michelle's book is available through her website.

Michelle’s website is michellesakhai.com.

Her Instagram is@michellesakhai. 

You can purchase her book Awakening here.

Here is a list of her current exhibitions.

Here are some great takeaways from our conversation:

  1. You can take inspiration from anywhere. It could be art from your childhood, inspiration from nature, or from a different style of art that you are interpreting. Keep your eyes and mind open to many possibilities.
  2. Don’t be afraid to change your art style if you are getting bored with it. Michelle did plein aire landscape painting for many years, but then gradually changed over to working with metal leafing and making abstract paintings. It’s easy to stick with the familiar but sometimes you just need to be brave enough for the challenge of something new.
  3. Allow your style to evolve over time. You’re not going to change your style completely overnight.
  4. Plein aire painting can be very exciting, because you’re constantly chasing the sunlight, and reacting to what the shadows are doing to your scene. Even what you hear and feel from the weather can effect what you’re painting. It can be a fast way to work, and Michelle generally worked on smaller canvases when she was painting outside.
  5. Michelle feels that the skills that you learn doing plein aire painting are a great foundation for other types of art. You’re just diving in, you’re learning to work quickly, you’re learning to react to the scene, and it’s great practice no matter what you end up doing.
  6. Michelle has painted a few series of works. Painting in a series will help you to develop your style, but it will also be attractive to others who are looking to show an artist’s work.
  7. When you are holding an opening for a new body of work, consider including more than just the artwork. When Michelle did an opening for her Arcana series, she did a workshop and a lecture about the pieces, and she had a tarot card reader.
  8. Residencies are great opportunities for artists to go and make art in a different setting. Michelle did an artist residency for the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, and during that time she made art for the hotel. Residencies can be for art schools, cities or communities, parks, or just in unique locations. They’re a fun way to challenge yourself to do a new project.
  9. Don’t hesitate to apply to shows that are not in your state or country. Of course you can ship your art to the venue and you don’t need to be there. Michelle shipped her art to Qatar for an art festival, and she may go out for the opening but she didn’t have to be there in person for the take in day.
Read more about the article #143 Jenny Brown: Mixed Media Art Bringing the Future to Old Stories

#143 Jenny Brown: Mixed Media Art Bringing the Future to Old Stories

Artist Jenny Brown lives in Providence, Rhode Island. She uses vintage papers in her art, bringing the future to old stories when she adds paint and ink to create something new. Her layered and detailed art is inspired by botanicals as well as celestial scenes. She’s shown her work in galleries and soon will be showing at a gallery in Brooklyn.

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Jenny Brown

What We Found on the Moon
Celestial Sea Drop
Remapping the Multiverse
Collage Clippings
Flowering Beach Rocks
Marvelous Undergrowth
Celestial Roots and Branches
Jenny's studio

Jenny’s website is jennybrownart.com.

She also can be found with that same name on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

In April, 2020, she will have a solo show of her art at Collier West in Brooklyn. The show will be called Small Stories of Flowers on the Moon.

She also has artwork at the Candita Clayton Gallery in Pawtucket, Rhode Island and at Lore Collection in Providence.

Here are some great takeaways from our conversation:

  1. Jenny tries to start every day with a little drawing. That way, no matter what happens the rest of the day, at least she’s started it with some art.
  2. If you’re making art and you think you’ve messed it up, like you’ve spilled paint or ink, or you’ve made mud when mixing colors, look at that as a challenge to fix something. When you put it in a positive perspective, you’re more likely to keep going with the art and break through to the other side of something good.
  3. When using charcoal or pastels on your artwork, it’s a good idea to spray the final piece with a fixative. Otherwise, it’s not necessary. You can protect your art by just matting it and framing it under glass or acrylic.
  4. Jenny did a painting live in an Alex & Ani store. She pointed out that it was a great way to meet local people who have followed her on Instagram. Do the promotion ahead of time, and people who follow you will want to come and meet you in person. That also might help you if you’re nervous painting in front of people because you’ll know that familiar names will be coming to see you.
  5. Jenny finds art opportunities through open Calls, galleries, and publications. You can find these in local art magazines, through Instagram with specific hashtags, and on community and art event boards.
  6. We talked about how people can find you on the internet. It’s actually better to use your name rather than a different business name because after people meet you it will be easier to find you when they can remember your name.
  7. Don’t underestimate the power of Instagram. Galleries have found Jenny through seeing her work on Instagram. Try to create a feed that reflects your work and shows a lot of your artwork.

 

Read more about the article #142 Katrina Berg: Oil Painting in a Candy Colored World

#142 Katrina Berg: Oil Painting in a Candy Colored World

Artist Katrina Berg is an oil painter in Midway, Utah. Katrina has developed a unique art style and color palette. She’s had success showing her art in galleries and selling it from her website. She now helps other artists with their businesses through a monthly series of talks and lessons. Katrina even has a weekly podcast called The Candy Colored Studio where you can hear her talk about life and speak with other creatives.

Listen here or use a podcast app, such as Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify, or Stitcher.

Katrina Berg

These are some of Katrina's products that could come in her every other month Candy Boxes.
Katrina and her very cool family.

Katrina’s website is katrinaberg.com

Her Instagram is @katrina.berg

On Katrina’s website, you can sign up for her email list where you will receive weekly fun and inspiring emails about what Katrina is up to.

You can sign up for Katrina’s Candy Club, which is her art business membership. Signups are through March 7, 2020. This is also where you’ll find her mini courses, and three new ones will be offered the first week of March.

You can also sign up for Katrina’s Candy Box where you’ll receive every other month boxes of her products.

She also has a Youtube channel and a Podcast. The Podcast, The Candy Colored Studio, can be found on most podcast apps.

Katrina recommended Winsor & Newton Artisan Water-Mixable Oils. Here is some information about them.

Here are some great takeaways from this episode:

  1. Katrina paints exclusively in oil. However, instead of the traditional, smelly oil paints where you have to clean your brushes with turpenoid, she uses a product from Winsor & Newton called Artisan water-mixable oils. She can mix water right into the paint and clean her brushes with soap and water. This is a huge plus when your studio is in your home and you don’t want to use hazardous solvents in your art.
  2. Katrina first started selling her art from her own website rather than from a gallery. You need to figure out what works best for you and what makes you feel comfortable.
  3. I feel like I’ve talked a lot in the podcast about working on small items if you’ve only got a small amount of time to work on something per day. At least if you paint a small canvas, like a 6×6, you can feel like you’ve accomplished something if you can finish it in a day. Well, Katrina, worked on larger items from the beginning, because she really wanted to develop her style. That’s a good strategy too.
  4. If you have enough art and you think you’re ready to do your first show, approach your local library to see if they’d let you do a show. Other places to contact are community centers, your city hall, or local coffee shop. These are great places to get the experience of preparing for a show and executing a show.
  5. If you feel like you’re in a funk with your art making, then why not change sizes in what you’re doing. If you usually go big, then go small, and vice versa. This may be just the thing to do to get your art to feel fresh again.
  6. I really think that an artist should name every piece of their art. When you’re finished, pick a title. Katrina named a series of her artworks after girl names, because she had thought of so many names when she was pregnant that she just wanted to use them. When I talked to Brandi Kincaid last week, she used character names from her favorite books for her products. A title will make your art that much more interesting.
  7. Katrina applies to juried art shows so that her art can be seen and people can be aware of her art. That will bring people back to her website where she sells her art. So it doesn’t matter if people aren’t buying at the galleries because eventually they’ll buy from her website. People may just need to spend some time getting to know you through your website and Instagram before they decide to buy.
  8. Katrina believes that the best way she’s gotten sales from her website is by committing to her email list and sending regular updates of what she’s working on. She’ll include photos of new series and describe her inspirations or color choices. She’ll also balance how much personal information she’s including. Enough to keep it interesting but not so much that it turns people off.
  9. When Katrina talks with someone about creating a commission, she finds out if they need it by a certain date, she’ll give them an estimated date, and she takes a deposit. She’s created a google form that they can fill out. It asks things like which of her series do they like; what subjects; which colors they like or don’t like; the size; framed or unframed. She then gessoes the board and draws out the design and gets approval from the customer before she starts.
  10. Remember that you can say no to a customer that is looking for a commission. You don’t want to work on it if it doesn’t feel right to you. One thing you can do is recommend other artists to them that might fit their style desires.
  11. Katrina has an online business help group she calls The Candy Colored Club. At the end of the month, all the members can get together to talk. She uses Zoom, which is an online video conferencing platform.
  12. Katrina has a great philosophy of just trying to be 85% with your business. You don’t have to be 100% to be successful. This attitude will take a lot of the stress out of the process. It’s imperfect, but still good enough to meet the goal of the project.
  13. Katrina has a podcast called The Candy Colored Studio. We talked about our podcasts and how we try to be consistent with what we’re doing. One of the ways we do this is by having a regular schedule of episodes, so people know when to expect the launch of the next one. Katrina also stays true to the original goals of her podcast. This also helps to keep people interested in what she’s doing.

 

 

Read more about the article #141 Brandi Kincaid: Thinker. Maker. Sharer.

#141 Brandi Kincaid: Thinker. Maker. Sharer.

Artist Brandi Kincaid is an illustrator who creates digital products that she sells on her website. She’s also designed products for other shops, and licenses her designs for other businesses to use. She’s developed a daily practice to further her skills, both on paper and on a tablet, and she shares her latest creations to the world through Instagram.

Listen here or use a podcast app, such as Apple Podcasts, Castbox, Spotify, or Stitcher.

Brandi Kincaid

Brandi Kincaid

Brandi’s website is brandikincaid.com.

On Instagram, she is @brandi_kincaid

You can sign up for her newsletter here.

Here are some great takeaways from this episode:

  1. If you’d like to start an art practice but you don’t know what to draw, ask people to send in requests. Brandi did that and she would send the little drawing to the person who requested it. This was also a great way to get followers to her Instagram.
  2. It’s always nice when you name the products you sell. Brandi has named a few things after characters in books that she’s enjoyed. The name can be the inspiration for the product, or the product can dictate the name.
  3. Releasing a new product on a regular basis, like once a month, helps to create followers to your shop. They will look forward to what you are releasing next.
  4. Digital downloadables are a great option for your shop. It saves you having to ship things, and the purchaser can download and print it for their use.
  5. It’s a good idea to list Terms of Use on your website for the digital items people are buying from you. If you don’t want them selling the items as their own, then state that. If you don’t want them passing on these downloadables to others, then state that.
  6. It’s O.K. if you need to take a break from making so many products. Brandi introduced a new product every month for 3 years. That’s a busy life. After that, she took a year off so she could get back to making for herself and decide what she wanted to offer next.
  7. Brandi makes time every day to have a practice hour. That’s one hour a day where she practices her art. I love this. By scheduling this time, she ensures that she is always working on her skills and not getting too tied up in the business side of things.
  8. Brandi does some of her designing on an iPad Pro using Procreate. She tried using the Adobe products but it just didn’t work for her. If something doesn’t work, just move on and embrace what is working for you.
  9. When Brandi composes her newsletters, she uses a typewriter. That slows her down and she’s not apt to make so many corrections. That allows her to write the first things that she thinks of and she’s not editing and overthinking what she wants to say.
Read more about the article #140 Erin Gleeson: Author, Photographer, and Illustrator
© The Forest Feast LLC

#140 Erin Gleeson: Author, Photographer, and Illustrator

Erin Gleeson is a cookbook author, photographer, and illustrator. Her art career began with photographing food in restaurants in New York City. After moving to a cabin in California, she took photos of food in the forest setting of her backyard. Beautiful photos in her blog posts eventually lead to writing her first book, The Forest Feast. She’s added handmade watercolors in the layers of her recipe photos, and now, after four cookbooks, she is well known for her unique photographic style and fabulous vegetarian recipes.

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Erin Gleeson

Erin has combined watercolors and photographs in her cookbooks.
Erin's latest book, The Forest Feast Mediterranean, recently came out.
© The Forest Feast LLC

Erin’s website is theforestfeast.com.

You can look at her current and past blog posts here.

Find out about all her cookbooks here.

Erin also offers products on her website, like placemats, notebooks and journals, and cards. You can Shop here.

Erin is also on Instagram @theforestfeast.

Here are the great takeaways from this episode:

  1. When Erin was doing her MFA thesis, she created a book of images showing what she can do. She approached a local chef and asked him if she could photograph his food and recipes, and that’s what she used as her example. If you’re a photographer, this is a great way to showcase what you can do. You can use it as your artist portfolio when you’re meeting potential clients in person.
  2. Erin also started posting her photos to her blog, and she quickly received a lot of interest. Today, I think the best place to post your art photos are Instagram. You can essentially use Instagram as your portfolio now. Just make sure that your Instagram is focused on your art, and you don’t intersperse a lot of non-art photos. You can always have a personal Instagram as well where you can post your family and home photos, away from your artwork.
  3. Erin worked with a book agent to develop the proposal for her first book. This helped her create a book that really looked like her aesthetic and included a lot of photographs and watercolors. This also enabled them to shop the book around to a few publishers.
  4. While she was creating the book, she kept putting content on her blog because she didn’t want to lose the followers that she had there.
  5. When launching a book, a book tour helps to gain a lot of interest. A book tour can be local or in just a couple areas. Erin launched her first book going on tour in California and New York, because she had connections in both places.
  6. For each subsequent book, Erin has stayed true to her original aesthetic, so the books will all go with another. Also, she has changed the design of the artwork enough to make each book look different.
  7. In terms of posting things on your blog or Instagram, photographs from your travels make great background photos for your artwork. Erin had a treasure trove of photos from her family’s Mediterranean trip that she could then use for her latest cookbook and Instagram posts.
  8. Erin uses Photoshop to layer the different components of her photos. It’s almost like the final product is a photo collage, because she has layers with her watercolors and her photos and her handwritten text.
  9. When she gets to the design stage of her book, she is using InDesign.
  10. She started making the handwritten text on paper and then scanned that in, but now she uses a tablet to write the text. That makes it easier to translate her books into other languages because that can be done on the tablet too.