Tammy's Art Blog

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Helping Animals Through Art

Last week, despite being on routine flea and tick preventative and daily skin checks, our dog, Frylie, was diagnosed with Lyme disease. After several days of antibiotics and anti-nausea medications (which he will continue to take for at least another month) and pain medications, he is finally beginning to show some improvement. However, in addition to the stress and worry about our little furry family member, the financial impact of treating this illness has also been quite substantial already and with follow-up scheduled to monitor for long term effects, will continue to grow. Fry is fortunate that my husband and I are able to pay his medical bills, but this situation made me think about the many animals out there who are not so fortunate.

Together, we can help those needy animals. I’m the Guest Artist for the month of July here in Wake Forest, at The Artists’ Loft and I've decided to use this opportunity to donate a portion of the proceeds from any and all painting sales during this show to the Good Samaritan Fund at Animal Emergency Hospital and Urgent Care of Raleigh. This fund helps pay emergency veterinary bills for companion animals and wildlife with urgent medical needs. So I hope you’ll come out to The Artists’ Loft above Wake Forest Coffee in Wake Forest during the month of July, buy some original artwork and help support a very worthy cause.

The opening reception for the show is Friday evening, July 10, 2015, from 6 to 9 p.m. at The Artists’ Loft above Wake Forest Coffee, 156 South White Street, Wake Forest, NC, phone 919.554.8914.

Friday, June 5, 2015

Opportunity Knocks

Opportunity knocked and I'm so happy I answered! I've been fortunate enough to get a chance to try some Henri Roche pastels, which have a long and rich history in the art world. You can read all about them here, but suffice it to say they are the world's most expensive pastels and now that I've tried them, I can see why. They have a feel that is unlike any other I've ever used, and the pigment load is incredibly rich and full, depositing vibrant luxurious color with the lightest touch. They play nicely with my other pastel brands and work beautifully over a hard pastel underpainting too, which is an added bonus in that I can reserve these precious sticks for the final outermost layer and let the less expensive sticks be the workhorses. Despite feeling rough, almost pumice-like, and hard to the touch, these leave a beautifully soft and delicate layer of rich color that stays vibrant even with blending. Unless I somehow manage to win the lottery, I don't ever see the full 800+-color set in my future, but who knows? Maybe someday I'll be able to afford to buy a small three-piece set or something. With color this rich, it doesn't take much and I think they'd likely last a long time when handled with the light touch they seem to prefer. :-)

© 2015 Tammy Kaufman - A Peaceful Mind - soft pastels on Sennelier La Carte Pastel Card 9" x 12"
(painted primarily with Henri Roche, Terry Ludwig and Sennelier pastels)

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Time Flies

They say time flies when you’re having fun. And recently the weather has been just glorious for experiencing the joys of nature by painting outside, so perhaps that's why it's been so long since I updated this blog! As much as I enjoy studio painting, there’s something about painting from life – en plein air – that is a unique and wonderful experience. In light of that, I've attended two plein air paintout events this spring, in addition to some small local "unofficial" plein air gatherings, and hope to be able to do more this year.

In April, I went to Southport, NC, for their "Paint the Town" paintout. The location is spectacular, and it was a joy to see some current artist friends and meet some new ones. So many gorgeous paintings and other than getting sun- and wind-burned, I had a terrific time painting the marshes from a gazebo at the end of a boardwalk on the sound. I used soft pastels with sanded surfaces for these two little studies, one painted in the early morning and the other mid afternoon.

Then in early May, I had the pleasure of attending the Town of Cary's "En Plein Air Paint the Town" paintout. This was only their second year hosting this event, but it was a topnotch affair. I did a quick oil pastel color study which I donated to the staff at the Cary Arts Center, and then did two small soft pastels later in the morning. The paintings from this paintout were displayed in various Cary businesses for the month of May and then the Arts Center held a silent auction during their Plein Air Gala at the end of the month. I’m delighted that both my paintings sold, and have gone to their lovely new homes!

For the past few weeks, I've been working a lot in oil pastels and am finding myself more and more enthusiastic about this medium. It's so versatile and works on a tremendous variety of surfaces. There currently isn't much information available on techniques, so I'm more or less teaching myself through trial and error, but it's been a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to doing more with OPs in addition to continuing work with soft pastels, and will be exhibiting both oil pastel and soft pastel paintings in a show at The Artists' Loft in Wake Forest next month. I love both media so much - they're very different but each delightful in their own ways.

I'll write more later, but now I really want to go paint. There are just too many beautiful places waiting for me! J