Making 2014 Amazing!

I've been busy this month planning for an amazing year in my art business in 2014.  My first step was to create a Manifeso or statement of intentions for 2014.  Of course, it had to be "artsy".  I had a great photo of my watercolor palette that had the coolest design of my fav colors, so I cropped that out for my background and spent several days thinking of what my over-arching intentions for 2014 would be.  I found this great idea for a manifesto at Megan Auman's Designing an MBA blog.  Here's my manifesto for 2014:

In keeping with the first point in my manifesto, I decided to create a business plan for 2014.  I read tons of blogs and newsletters from artists and art business gurus for business planning ideas.  I came across the most wonderful Business Planner via Andreea Ayers.  It's the 2014 Workbook and Planner by Leonie Dawson for the incredible low price of $9.95!  It's downloadable as a PDF file that you can type all your own info into and save/print.  I just finished my plan this week and have started working on mapping out all my activities on the calendar that is also included as a separate PDF file.  Just click on the humongous link below to get your planner and see all the other great products Leonie offers. (Hint:  don't click on the "P" in the middle or it will pin it to Pinterest.  You can do that too, but to get to Leonie's site, click elsewhere in the picture.)

Another of my top intentions this year is to use my precious time wisely.  I've become more and more of a time waster in my advancing years (:-D) and find I fritter away waaay too much time on Facebook and other online sites and watch too much TV.  Sound familiar?  So my intention this year is to be much more aware of my time and capitalize on it by creating art vs wasting it.

I'm a huge procrastinator and tend to put off doing hard things by checking email, Facebook, etc rather than just getting busy and getting the hard things done and out of the way.  So that's on my list of intentions this year too.  Plus I stay up too late and then don't get an early start, and mornings are my most productive times - not on my manifesto but it gets lumped into time waster/procrastinator.

Lastly, I've already begun my intention to spend more time in nature.  I started painting with two plein air groups in our area this fall and it's been such a joy being outside in the fresh air while the weather in Florida is so wonderful!  There's nothing like nature right in front of you for true light and color.  When I get home and print out the photo of the scene I'd been working on, it is so not the same. I now see what I've been missing by only painting from photographs all these years!

I hope you have a wonderful, productive, and artsy New Year and be sure to "Buy Local & Handmade" this year as often as possible.  Artists livelihoods depend on it. :-D

Vanilla Latte is in the News!

I made the newspaper today and I'm thrilled!!! My painting Vanilla Latte is in the White Show curated by Susie Cassens and is at the St. Lucie West branch of Harbor Community Bank through Jan 10th.  Susie sent in the photo of my work and the paper published it (approx 4" x 6" full color) in today's paper in the local events section.  My first press coverage!  Definitely excited about this.  Thanks Susie!

Here's the link to the newspaper online at TCPalm.com.

Back in the Studio

It's been awhile since I've had time to get into my home art studio and paint. Here's one of my two work tables and my palette scraped clean. It looks like a nice, colorful abstract in this photo.  I like to scape all the leftover colors off the palette and mix them together at the end of a painting session. It gives me some great grays for next time. I just put in a container and pop it in the freezer. 

Tonight I salvaged three 8"x8" canvas panels that I did a long time ago and just didn't like. I couldn't tell if I'd done acrylic or oil on them originally so the rework had to be in oils. I used a color palette of greens, yellows and purple and used the palette knife and impasto Liquin. I like to tape smaller canvases to a large piece of foam core so I can work either on the easel or hold the foam core in my hand to work more up close with the painting without having to hold the canvas and get paint everywhere.  Here are the three re-worked pieces - they're all abstracted nature scenes from my imagination.

While I've not painted a lot in my studio the past couple of months, I've been faithfully painting outdoors with my two plein air groups every week.  I tweaked a couple of plein air paintings tonight as well since I had lots of lovely greens and yellows left over from the re-worked paintings above.  I have more tweaking to do on a number of them.  So I laid all 12 of them out on my other table to study them and see which ones need more work.  I didn't realize how many I'd already done so far!

My studio looks really messy, but it's controlled chaos. I could have a studio twice this size and I'd somehow fill it up and still be wishing for more room.  ;-p

I've been reading several books and tons of blogs the past month to put together a business plan for my art biz which is why I haven't been in the studio.  I'm planning to make 2014 the year I turn a profit in my art biz.  This year, all my goals will be in writing with a complete plan to get there and all mapped out on a calendar. I'll be learning to use oils and cold wax medium next month for a whole new twist in abstract painting and will be working up 20 small canvases for a show at the Ft. Pierce library in June. I also plan to enter lots of shows this coming year and get my work "out there."  Do you have any ideas for where I can put my art locally this year for greater exposure and hopefully, sales? I'd love to hear your ideas and suggestions!

Ivy by Marcy Brennan

Ivy,  5" x 7" watercolor and ink on paper - $50

My sister-in-law bought two beautiful pots of ivy at a wonderful place called the Red Barn in Lake Alfred, FL when we went there to explore, shop and eat!  What a great place.  I have lots more reference photos that I took there to paint from - I need to get busy! ;-)  Comes in a white 8" x 10" mat ready to pop in a frame and hang.

Click here to buy.

My Solitude - Abstract by Marcy Brennan

My Solitude - 20" x 20" x 3/4" Acrylic on Gallery Wrap Canvas - $250

This is from an image of a very serene green and turquoise room that I abstracted.  While the paint was still web, I scratched out two starfish to give it a coastal vibe.  The sides are painted in a turquoise and it comes ready to hang.

My Solitude

Buy Original $250.00 USD Option 2 $100.00 USD Option 3 $100.00 USD

Art Shows

I was a busy girl this past weekend.  Friday evening was the "Our Beautiful Waterways" show at Gallery 14 in Vero Beach.  This is me with my abstract painting, Shoreline:

Saturday evening was the Art Mundo Calendart Show at the Navy Seal Museum.  It's Art Mundo's big fundraising event of the year.  Each Calendar artist put two larger paintings in the show.  Here I am with my two, Inlet Sunset and Exuberance:

Below are my twelve abstract paintings (5" x 7" oil on gessoed paper) for the Calendars for Calendart. Art Mundo displayed them rather uniquely, I think.  This display was at Art Mundo in October:

This afternoon was the White show at Harbor Community Bank in St. Lucie West.  Here's my painting, Caramel Latte in that show.  I know I took a picture there on site but can't seem to find it now:

Earlier this month at Art Mundo was the Brush with Nature show.  These are paintings either done on site at various venues this past spring or done later in the studio.  The first one is a large 24 x 24 oil painting of Immokolee I did in the studio and donated to the Realtor Association of St Lucie County.  It was silent auctioned and the owner is now Wally Swords of First International Title Company. The other two are 5" x 7" watercolor on paper.  Immokolee house was done onsite and the anthuriums were done in the studio from photos:

The next photo was also in the Art Mundo Brush with Nature show and was from our trip out to Adam's Ranch.  I had two paintings from that venue at the show but got only one photo. They were both done in the studio on 16 x 20 canvas in oil:

It's been a rather busy and hectic month, but it's really great to get my work out there and seen by the public!

In the Pink by Marcy Brennan

In the Pink - 7" x 5" watercolor and ink on paper  $50

The water lilies were absolutely gorgeous last month!  These were painted at home from close up photos I took with my plein air group.  I usually paint in oils when painting plein air, but wanted to also paint a close up lily in watercolor.  Comes in a white 8" x 10" mat ready to pop in a frame and hang.

Click here to buy.

Lagoon II - Abstract - by Marcy Brennan

Lagoon II - 16" x 20" acrylic on 3/4" gallery wrap canvas - $250

This is the second piece in my lagoon series.  It incorporates the beautiful blues, greens, whites and off whites that I see every time I cross our bridge from the main land to Hutchinson Island.  It's an incredible treat to live on the island and have such an incredible vista to see every day.  I feel so lucky to live here!

Lagoon II

Buy Original $250.00 USD

Lagoon III - Abstract by Marcy Brennan

Lagoon III - Abstract - Acrylic on  24"x24"x1.5" gallery wrap - $500

This is the third in my lagoon series.  Having fun with the beautiful blues and turquoises, my favorite colors.  This would look wonderful in a contemporary space or even a traditional space for something a little different where a splash of color is desired.

Click here to buy.

Here are some photos of my work in the process of this painting this piece - they were taken at night in my studio so the quality of the photos isn't so great, but it gives you an idea of the layering and process I go through.

Abstract - Lagoon I by Marcy Brennan

Lagoon I - 20" x 20" acrylic on canvas - $250

Our beautiful Indian River lagoon and inlet has inspired the colors I used in this abstract piece. I never plan an abstract other than the colors I intend to use. I just let the brush take over and the shapes form. When I'm pleased with colors, shapes and marks, I know it's completed.

SOLD - Buy a print here

Vanilla Latte - Abstract by Marcy Brennan

Vanilla Latte - Abstract - Acrylic on 24" x 30" x 1.5" gallery canvas - $750

I approached this piece with a whole new color palette for me.  It has more muted colors than I generally use and I found myself really liking the colors.  It's softer and "quieter" than my usual work, and I found it was nice to get out of my comfort zone and do something very different.  I named it vanilla latte because it reminded me of the colors of coffee and cream with a bit of blue and grey.

Buy the original here

Buy a print here

"Birds of Paradise" by Marcy Brennan

This 8" x 8" oil on canvas panel has been framed for the Bird & Nature Art Show at the Cultural Council of Indian River County in Vero Beach this weekend.  The show opens at 3 pm Friday, Nov 1st.  The reception is from 4 - 6 pm and the show continues on Sat, Nov 2 from 8 am to 5 pm.  The show will be located at Mac Williams Park (NE side of Merrill Barber Bridge in Vero Beach).

Grace Within - Abstract by Marcy Brennan

20" x 20" x 3/4" acrylic on gallery canvas

I just discovered this awesome app for my iPad called Camvas and it abstracts photos really cool.  I'm getting better looking at an image and abstracting it on my canvas, but this app really abstracts in such a cool way.  That's what I used for this painting.  Just did it directly from the iPad image.  The good and bad of that is, the screen shuts off after a bit and you have to keep turning it back on (rather annoying when you have paint all over your hands), but it makes you less dependent on a photo and more dependent on your own intuitive creativity.

Anyway, it was so much fun using my slow-dri acrylic medium for the first time in a long time and really getting to do some blending work.  I named it Grace Within rather sarcastically because while I think these types of water lilies are interesting, the big clunky center pod is anything but graceful looking - so this flower's grace must come from within.  I hope you like it ;-)

No Other - Abstract by Marcy Brennan

20" x 20" x 3/4" acrylic on gallery canvas - $250

There is "no other" thing that I'd rather be doing than hanging in my studio painting and playing with color and shape.  In looking through the images on my blog, you may get it that I love pink like no other color!

Buy Original Here
Buy A Print Here

Ocean Swept - Abstract by Marcy Brennan

24" x 24" x 1.5" oil on gallery wrapped canvas - $500

I simply love conch shells but have never painted the beautiful inside of one.  My goal was to do an abstracted version of one I had laying around my house.  I had such fun blending the pinks, greys and corals together in this work and added just a hint of our yummy ocean blue water peeking through at the corners to give it that "sense of place."

Sheer Joy - Abstract by Marcy Brennan

20" x 20" acrylic on 3/4" gallery canvas - $250

I envisioned a beautiful pink rose garden in full bloom when I painted this.  My underpainting has oranges and blues in it, so you will see some of that peeking through on the finished image.  This painting just flowed out of me and was sheer joy to paint ;-)

Buy this painting here

Close to Your Heart by Marcy Brennan

20" x 20" x 3/4" acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas - $250

An abstracted painting of gorgeou red and pink roses.  This is one of those paintings that just flowed out of me effortlessly!  Wish they could all be this way ;-)

Purchase original here

Sea Spray by Marcy Brennan

20" x 20" x 3/4" acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas - $250

When I finished this last layer with the palette knife it reminded me of an ocean wave coming into shore.  It's not something I had in mind while working, but the end result looks that way!  There's lot of texture and blues in this.  Great for a lover of water - like me!

Sea Spray

Buy Original $250.00 USD

Antiquity by Marcy Brennan

20" x 20" x 3/4" acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas - $250

This painting, with it's mysterious and ancient looking markings made me think of the word "antiquity" when looking at the final image, so this is how it got it's name.  

Antiquity

Buy Original $250.00 USD

Calypso by Marcy Brennan

20" x 20" x 3/4" acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas - $250

This was fun to paint with all these hot colors.  It's multi-layered, so it has some nice texture and lots of movement, especially with the last layer as I used the palette knife to paint that layer.  This painting would add lots of energy to any room!

Calypso

Buy Original $250.00 USD

Shoreline by Marcy Brennan

30" x 40" x 1.5" acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas - $1200

This has so many of the colors of our inlet shoreline in it and the way some of the area looked like falling water, it reminded me of the waves coming in against the shoreline.

Buy original here
Buy a print herehttp://www.imagekind.com/SHORELINE_art?IMID=fe2dd1fc-b7e7-47ac-9717-1a56919e58cf

Inlet Sunset Abstract by Marcy Brennan

24" x 24" x 1.5" Acrylic on gallery wrapped canvas

Inspired by the colors of our gorgeous inlet in Fort Pierce at sunset, this painting has multiple layers and lots of texture.  It is currently submitted to the AE Backus Gallery for the juried show "Best of the Best."  Wish me luck!  Will be for sale for $600.

Sunset Abstraction by Marcy Brennan

Sunset Abstraction - 8" x 8" oil on canvas panel

This abstract was done in oil with warm colors and the way it turned out reminded me of a sunset, thus the name Sunset Abstraction.  It is ready to frame or can be placed on a small easel to enjoy on a counter or shelf.

Purchase here

Ixoria Blossoms by Marcy Brennan

Ixoria Blossoms - 5" x 7" watercolor and ink on paper in 8" x 10" mat - $50

These wonderful shrubs are blooming around south Florida like crazy now, so I had to paint them!  Loved the pink flowers and the chartreuse new leaf growth against the deeper green leaves.

Purchase here

Spicy Hot by Marcy Brennan

Spicy Hot - 16" x 20" oil on 3/4" gallery canvas - $250

I painted this from a photo I took of colorful peppers at the Saturday morning Fort Pierce Farmer's Market.  It was fun to paint in a larger format and take my time with the layers of glazes.

Spicy Hot

Buy Original $250.00 USD

Immokolee Home & Garden by Marcy Brennan

Immokolee Home & Garden - 5" x 7"

This is another plein air painting I started onsite at Immokolee, an historic home in western Fort Pierce.  I sketched everything on site and did the ink and watercolor in my studio.  It was a beautiful, fun day of painting.

Purchase this painting here

Immokolee Historic Home by Marcy Brennan

Immokolee Historic Home - 5" x 7" watercolor and ink on paper

I absolutely fell in love with this French Country style historic home in west Fort Pierce called Immokolee.  I painted this on site at the annual artists' day there.  It was a beautiful day and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Purchase this painting here

Happy Garden by Marcy Brennan

Happy Garden - 5" x 7" watercolor and ink on paper

Love the gardens at Hackberry Hammock, a homestead west of Fort Pierce.  The owners open it to artists once a year to come out and spend the day painting.  This was a little watercolor I did from photos taken there.

Purchase this painting here

Country Lake & Garden by Marcy Brennan

Country Lake & Garden - 5" x 7" Oil on Gessoed Paper

Abstract landscape painted from photos of my day at Hackberry Hammock.  This is oil on gessoed Bristol paper done with palette knife (no brushes).  My goal was to make this as bright and colorful as I remembered from the wonderful day I spent there and I think I managed to do that!

Purchase this painting here

Garden at Hackberry Hammock by Marcy Brennan

Garden at Hackberry Hammock - 5" x 7" watercolor on paper

Painted from photos taken while at artists' day at Hackberry Hammock, a homestead in the western side of Fort Pierce, FL.  The colorful flowers inspired me to paint this scene.

To purchase, click here