Wow, have we been busy! It seems like autumn is the busiest time of year for creative work: pet portrait commissions, photo orders, greeting cards, art shows…the list goes on and on. And that’s just the way we like it! Somehow we fit in time to put together our monthly newsletter (you’re welcome!).
Here's what we're covering this month:
Paint something fun for the holiday season!
Art shows a-poppin!
You might enjoy: Google Arts and Culture
Our favourite thing this month: Paint wedges
A peek behind the scenes during the making of one of Diana's recent videos. Looks like fun, doesn't it?
Paint something fun for the holiday season!
If you’re looking for something to do this holiday season, why not join us in painting a fun Snow Pal on our Make Art With Diana YouTube channel? To answer your question (you know you were curious!) a Snow Pal is like a snowman, but much friendlier and a unique artistic creation all your own.
In the video Diana guides you through every step of creating your Snow Pal, starting with a blank wood panel and ending with a fun creation you can use to decorate your home or give as a gift to your friends and family members. To help make it easy we’ve prepared a Snow Pal template that you can download, print, cut out and use to get started.
If you like this video, don’t forget to check out our other recent videos: How To Mix Colours and Expand Your Palette and Quick Tip: Get Every Last Drop From Your Paint Tubes. All of them are available here, on Make Art With Diana!
Two of our pieces you can see in art shows this month: Diana's painting Tints Up (left) and Paul's photo Autumn Vines. You should see them in person!
Art shows a-poppin!
If you have the time, drop by to check out our work in these art shows:
PDCAC AiR Open Studio Sale: Diana is an artist in residence with the Penticton and District Community Arts Council (yes, that's what those acronymns mean!). From Dec. 3-5, she and the other artists in residence are opening their studios to the public from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily and offering all sorts of artistic goodies for sale. You'll find the event at the Leir House Cultural Centre, 220 Manor Park Avenue in Penticton,
Under 500 Exhibition and Sale: We’re both in this show! Paul has three framed photos in the show and Diana has three paintings. The show runs at the Penticton Art Gallery from Nov. 19 to Jan. 8 and it's also online on the gallery’s website.
Down The Rabbit Hole Show: Diana has two paintings in this show, which is presented by the Penticton and District Community Arts Council and runs at the Leir House Cultural Centre in Penticton from Nov. 20 to Jan. 30. You can also view the show online on the PDCAC website.
Come to any or all of the shows — we’d love to see you there!
You might enjoy: Google Arts and Culture
We all use Google. But did you know Google has a special area just for artists and art lovers?
Google Arts and Culture is an incredible resource, featuring educational tools, games and a collection of high-resolution images and videos of artworks and cultural artifacts from around the world. It’s like the channel you always wished they had on TV but never would — and without commercials.
One fun feature is being able to zoom in on high-resolution images of artwork — closer than you would ever be able to get in a museum or gallery.
Another is the ability to search for a work — say Édouard Manet’s “The Balcony” — and learn about its creation, critical reception and current location. Again, you can zoom in so close you can see the paint strokes on the canvas. You can also view the painting in street view, seeing it as it hangs today in the Musée d’Orsay in Paris.
Maybe best of all is the opportunity to virtually tour artistic and cultural locations from around the world — and it’s surprisingly good! For instance, if you wanted to look at the paintings housed in Versailles, you could book a ticket, fly to France and wait in line for hours to enter the famous palace. That’s no picnic, especially during a pandemic. But sit down with Google Arts and Culture and in no time you can find yourself touring the Queen’s Chamber or admiring Jacques-Louis David’s huge painting “Bonaparte Crossing the Grand Saint-Bernard Pass” up close. Amazing.
Check it out! We think you’ll like it. (Now if you’ll excuse me I’m off to attend Douglas Coupland’s 2014 exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery…)
Our favourite thing this month: Paint wedges
There are a lot of ways to apply paint to a canvas, the most popular being traditional brushes and palette knives. But there are other options — one of our favourites is the humble paint wedge.
Paint wedges come in a variety of shapes and sizes, some with flat edges, some with serrated edges and others with angles and bevels. They are similar to the tools bakers use to smooth icing on cakes or scrape dough from a countertop. The best ones are made from food-grade silicone, which is slightly flexible, feels good in the hand and is easy to clean.
In our experience, paint wedges let you spread paint in an even layer across the canvas and change the thickness of the paint by varying the pressure you apply. They allow you to be freer and make different marks than you might with a brush or knife. Yes, you may be able to accomplish the same thing using a credit card (expired, we hope) but in most ways a purpose-built paint wedge is more satisfying.
You can find paint wedges at all art supply retailers, including these ones at Opus and these on Amazon. Have fun!
Thank you for reading! Please let us know if you have questions or just want to chat.
If you know anyone who would enjoy or benefit from the content in this newsletter please forward it to them.
Diana and Paul
Timid Turtle Creative
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