*NEW* Tri-Art Acrylics Facebook Page!

 

 

Connect to pure, colourful inspiration -
Tri-Art now has a page up on facebook. 

Join and contribute to Tri-Art's 
acrylic revolution!

Acrylic grounds for mixed media

It's really easy for me to fall in love with materials. These past few years I've been dating acrylics. First, it was Tri-Art's gorgeous Artist Acrylic colours that won me over, then their innovative recycled paint Sludge...then I fell madly in love with Dry Media Ground, and now I just can't get enough of Nepheline Gels (the following artwork is graphite, charcoal and pastel on Nepheline Gel Coarse, and it's published in the New Acrylics Essential Sourcebook: Materials, Techniques, and Contemporary Applications for Today's Artist mixed media chapter). Just as I'm known for charcoal, acrylics have now become synonymous with my mixed media works, blurring the line between drawing and painting. Acrylic grounds allow me to create a textured surface that is very exciting and different than just working on common surfaces. And just like paper, I can soften dry media (graphite, charcoal, pastel) to a velvet finish with a brush, and also leave crisp edges, intense with colour or value.

Dry Media Ground is simply perfect, and will always be my true love! When you apply it to a surface, the result is like a very fine sandpaper. If you have ever used a pastel paper or board, that's what I'm talking about - it's the same thing, only it's much more cost effective to buy the Dry Media Ground in a jar and then you can create your own surfaces the way you want them. You can add colour to it or even apply it on top of layers of acrylic paint, creating a new surface of possibilities! On the other hand, Nepheline Gels have a unique granular texture and appearance. It's available in a fine (which is not as fine as dry media ground), a coarse and extra coarse. Just like Dry Media Ground, Nepheline Gel can be mixed with colour or used on it's own, glazed over top of and anything else you can think of....and it's a brilliant surface for graphite, charcoal, pastel and other drawing materials.

Gesso is a common ground for sealing surfaces for painting preparation. I love drawing on Gesso with graphite or charcoal. Gesso is a very dense White, but it is also avail in Black, Burnt Umber or Canvas colours, and even better, Tri-Art recently came out with a Clear Gesso and it's absolutely fabulous for tinting.  I also find it particularly useful when I have a beautiful piece of birch that I want to prepare and yet incorporate the natural wood surface into the art itself. I use to draw right onto wood and yet have found that over time the wood gets oily and stained and dirty, and I can already see that my newer pieces will last longer simply because the wood is primed. On that note, though I am an experimental art materials pixie, I've learned that there are some rules you should follow...there will always be plenty of rules you can still break! A few rules I recommend for all artists: always use good quality materials, take the time to experiment and get to know your materials, and prepare, finish and safely store your art. 

A few secrets to relieve any fear of acrylics and mixed media:

• all acrylics and mediums are ok to mix. it's recommended to mix artist quality with artist quality/student quality with student quality and so on, but that aside don't hesitate to try new brands. Company's often has a signature colour or product, such as Tri-Art's new Artist Acrylic colour 'Golden Orange' and it's good to step out of your comfort zone even in regards to your favorite brand of paint!
• acrylics are the most versatile medium out there, and can be used on a variety of surfaces and combined with any dry or water-soluble medium....and you can really open up new worlds by exploring collage and sculptural materials. 
• Rheni Tauchid's book New Acrylics Essential Sourcebook: Materials, Techniques, and Contemporary Applications for Today's Artist will inspire and is a handy reference with detailed charts on how to prepare your surfaces, using acrylics with other mediums, media and materials.
• it's ok to fall in love with your materials ...the paint, the canvas, the brushes, the tools... and the play, the journey, the creative process ♥
  
   

 MY FAVORITE QUOTE TODAY!

Creative people are curious, flexible, persistent and independent with a tremendous spirit of adventure and a love of play. ~Henri Matisse

Cityscape mixed media paintings

My cityscape series was in a group show last October, and recently featured on the Empty Easel Blog with a fabulous review. These works explore offbeat urban environments, created by abstracting the architectural and natural design elements of our beautiful and yet edgy cityscape.

From my love of drawing, I have developed a process of charcoal worked into layers of paint. I begin by drawing the basic and most important shapes, then layering dramatic values with minimal, harmonious colours. I draw into the paint with a charcoal stick, and use large Escoda Bristle brushes to blend the dry media to create rhythm in the line. I live for the final stages of adding textured and dark energetic marks.

Working with charcoal reminds how simple line is pure and beautiful, and some lines are so wonderful that instead of working with them, I work around them. It is an intuitive process working in harmony with the properties of the materials. There are beautiful collisions of media that become the forefront of my work and I hope it allows viewers to be curious and imaginative about the artistic process and result. 

Please visit my website to see the whole series, and for prices and availability.

Sunshine Magazine covers Winter Fairy!

We can learn a lot from young artists starting out. I am privileged to know such talented kids who have such supportive and encouraging families.  I teach private art classes for some home schooled kids and more specifically a girl named Karoline once a week. I customize and work one-on-one with her, to discuss her artistic likes and dreams, and help her determine projects that will help her grow and reach her goals. One of our last projects of the year is her very best. Perfect for her portfolio! She created it and worked through the new parts, the hard I've never done this before parts, the I don't like this anymore parts and because of her courage and dedication, she is learning a lot quickly. The mistakes and the not every thing you do will work out but the more you do, the more will turn out reality-check is sticking, and so is the knowledge, persistence and encouragement. And encouragement and love is everything. And, I love love it when they succeed!
So this incredible piece was created by Karoline Kayser. I've been coaching her since May 2009, teaching her anatomy, portraiture, drawing, painting, colour and composition. She's only 12 years old now, and is talented, enthusiastic and dedicated. Her spirit and creativity is inspirational. I think she is remarkable, and I think this watercolour/pastel  painting 'Winter Fairy' is a masterpiece! Check out the emotion,  detail, colour, texture, story and character! I'm sooo proud to say that her mother submitted  the painting, and it was chosen to be the cover of Sunshine Magazine for the Winter edition www.sunshinemagazine.ca WOW!!! congrats Karoline! You ROCK darling girl!

Summer Art Class in Paradise

I organized another 'Art Day in Paradise' last Sunday. What an incredible group of artists! I must say, it is equivalent to bliss, eating, drinking, drawing and painting. And it goes far beyond that, as we share artistic visions with each other. The concept is similar to an open studio, with direction, and one of the coolest things is all acrylic paint materials are provided for by Tri-Art. I usually bring in other media (I love drawing mixed with painting) and really goal to make it as experimental and inspirational as possible. I'm an uber-curious person, I question everything! I believe experiments, samples and notes should be made.....like an artistic scientist in a mad lab! muahahaha.

I've booked another class for Sept '09 and was thinking about scheduling one every month! Stay tuned.....

www.sharlenawood.com

New Acrylics Books: FIRST REVIEW!

Here's Rheni Tauchid's first review of her second book, released today! Please take a moment to read it, it's a 5-star review and says it all ~ I will just add that the book itself (tech info, writing, focus) rocks soooooo much, I truly am honored that 3 of my personal artworks were featured in the mixed media chapter!

Click here to read the New Acrylics Essential Sourcebook by Rhéni Tauchid: FIRST REVIEW!
by Marion Boddy-Evans, About.com Guide to Painting since 2002

Tri-Art and The New Acrylics books by Rhéni Tauchid

CALLING ALL ARTISTS! Have you been loving Rhéni's first book 'The New Acrylics'? Check out her call for reviews and testimonials here:
New Acrylics Books: Reviews, Testimonials...Bring it on!

I just got back from Kingston, ON where I was invited for a tour and to train at the Tri-Art paint factory, and with my enriched acrylic knowledge I'm now teaching for their Acrylic Educational Program along with Donna DeVries Buchan, who works at North Art Supplies in Huntsville. And well I just adore those that are cranking the wheels behind the scenes of Tri-Art Manfacturing :: Owner and operator Steve Ginsberg is most adorable in his life-long passion and respect for paint. Rhéni Tauchid, Artist and Author, is smart, gorgeous, so cool and down-to-earth...and the biggest paint geek I know next to Steve...and they are incredibly perfect for each other ♥. Connie Morris, Artist and the Co-Ordinator of Tri-Art's Acrylic Educational Program, has super powers (I'm sure of it!) with the sweetest personality and a smile that could melt the arctic. (more about Tri-Art here). Working with these wonderful and genuine people have reminded me of many happy moments in my life...thinking all the way back to my sunshiny days in Ottawa working with John Wallack and crew at Wallack's Art Store.
So this is an amazing opportunity for me that has added an extra sparkle or two (or three) in my eyes!!! I'm so excited, and working on class/workshop concepts as we speak - I'll post details soon....

For more news and musings relating to The New Acrylics books (noting the highly anticipated release of the second one!) published by Watson-Guptill/Random House and written by Rhéni Tauchid
visit www.newacrylicsbooks.blogspot.com

SHARED PALETTE art entertainment

What is Shared Palette? Well, it's one of the major things in my life that keeps my heart beating...it's my passion, my dream job. I can relate to many people when the say that it took them a long time to discover what that was because, well, I had to create it! And Shared Palette was designed out of my love of art and people, teaching and sharing ideas = Art Entertainment! The most important part of the concept is that it is an interactive experience. The magical formula consists of an artist (me!) and many guests who all happily create together. From the Corporate suit to the red carpet ballgown, my aim is to engage everyone to collaborate with me in the creation of a single painting. You do not have to paint the whole canvas yourself, this is a team effort! The painting comes together as everyone makes their own unique brush stroke of colour! And I not only provide the opportunity for everyone to add their own mark, but to also be involved in the process of making a work of art, with the same approach, techniques and materials that a professional artist does.
So what is Shared Palette? Well, it's really an amazing, shared experience that you will never forget.

visit www.sharedpalette.ca for more info.

New Acrylics Essential Sourcebook

Rheni Tauchid’s bestseller The New Acrylics was an overview of modern acrylics. Her New Acrylics Essential Sourcebook is a more in-depth resource for today’s working acrylic artist.

Her new book, (release date : July 14 2009) New Acrylics Essential Sourcebook’s main focus is on the vast array of paints and paint mediums that are available today. It places special emphasis on documenting a variety of paint and medium combinations, showing in side-by-side comparisons how such “recipes” can alter and affect the final result. Because acrylic paints are available in so many formulas, ranging in consistency from liquid to high viscosity, the range of effects and painting styles is virtually infinite. The choice in mediums is even greater, and can be used to create glazes, build texture, and work as gluing agents for collage. Through the author’s own artwork and that of leading acrylic artists, each effect is gorgeously illustrated.

Why am I excited for this book release?
Rheni steps it up a notch by offering serious technical information for all artists, and in a way she challenges us all to be involved in what is happening now...the history of acylics in the making. Let's be curious, experiment and document our work for future generations. Learn, specialize and share our discoveries!
I've submitted art work to this book as well, and worked specifically with Rheni to create new work that supported her discussion of dry media on acrylic grounds. Look out for my contribution in that chapter :)

About the Author
RHENI TAUCHID is the head of product development at Tri-Art, a manufacturer of acrylic artist paints and mediums. An accomplished artist, she conducts workshops and lectures on acrylics throughout the United States and Canada.