Artistic Endeavors Archives | Page 30 of 55

Artistic Endeavors

a slice of life

#happymailmovement giveaway no. 1 | mini oil paintings

Today is my first #happymailmovement giveaway for my blog readers! I have been working on these for a couple of weeks and I have over 20 to give away. Some of them I’m sending to friends, people who have sent me happy mail, and a few members of my mentoring group, but I’m going to be giving away ten here today! And, for those asking, I will be painting more to sell. At first, I wanted to build a healthy stash to give away as happy mail. I have absolutely loved painting these! They are quick and give me a huge sense of accomplishment when I can paint 4-6 in one sitting. I’m also learning a lot through the process. It’s easy to experiment and not feel too uptight on a tiny piece of canvas. I can just throw it away if it doesn’t work out. You can tell that

May 2, 2020 994 Comments

Art

Live Painting Class | Index Card Art | Edward Seago Study

Last week, I almost decided to take a week off of the live painting classes, but they have been such a bright spot in my week and I have received messages and e-mails from many others who feel the same way, so we’ll keep them going! Minnesota is still under a stay-at-home order through May 4 and there is the possibility that will be extended, but we’ll see. Anyway, last week, we did an Edward Seago study on an index card. The point of this class was to try working on a different surface (paper and gesso or just paper), and to study the colors, composition, and mark-making of a master artist. Whether the participants knew it or not, they were learning so much about handling the oil paint, mixing colors, and training your eye to paint what you see even if you’re not sure what you’re looking at! What

April 28, 2020 9 Comments

All Things Home

Live Painting Class | Clouds for beginners

Last Friday, we did another painting class! It’s become a fun little part of my week to look forward to (and because I’m doing a live video, I am uninterrupted!) I know I’m not the only one craving some time alone. On Sunday, I requested that everyone clear out of the main floor for a little while, so I could clean and putter, listen to my music, and have some productive time alone. This seemed like a perfectly reasonable request from my perspective. It was a beautiful day, we have two whole other floors where the three other members of my family could go, and my kids are not toddlers. But, alone time was harder to get than one might expect! After seeing that mom might blow a blood vessel if people didn’t give me a wide berth for a little while, I got some time alone. Anyway, let’s talk

April 21, 2020 10 Comments

Art

Live Painting Class | Mixing Color Charts & Books for Beginners

I hope you had a great weekend and a Happy Easter! We tried to have a weekend as typical as we could with cleaning, chores, and pizza/movie night. Jeff took advantage of the pretty weather and went fishing with Calvin. Sunday morning, we snuggled on the couch to watch our church’s Easter service in our jammies during a snowstorm. There was something sweet about it, even though that was far from normal! We’re back into school and work today, though, and hope to juggle it all a little smoother than we did last week. On Friday, I had another live painting class. We worked on color charts and I was surprised again at the great turn-out and all of the beautiful color charts people shared afterward. In the video, I show examples of different kinds of color charts, share how they are useful to improve your color mixing scales and

April 13, 2020 13 Comments

Art

Live Painting Class | Landscape for Beginners

Last Friday, I held my very first live oil painting class and it was such fun! I have to admit I was very nervous, butterflies in my stomach and everything, but it ended up going well and I was floored at how many people participated and then shared their work with me. And I was even more impressed by the quality of the work that came from people who were painting with oils or painting period for the very first time! Anyway, Friday morning I got my workspace set up and tested out my computer camera to make sure I could get a good angle. The tough thing about recording live is that I have to use the computer camera and the viewers need to be able to see the canvas, my palette, and me! That’s a lot to fit into the frame! So, I did the best I could

April 6, 2020 32 Comments

All Things Home

ruffled-edge farmhouse crochet dishcloth tutorial (for beginners)

I’m so excited to share another crochet tutorial! I know a lot of you are learning crochet or dusting off that skill to keep your hands and minds busy during this time at home. I, for one, thought I would have so much extra time, but it just hasn’t turned out that way! What I need to do for my business day-to-day hasn’t slowed and Jeff and the boys are home, which requires more help on schoolwork, cooking, feeding, and tidying-up. We’ve also been more intentional about spending quality time together – playing games, going on walks, and just paying attention to one another. Teen and pre-teen boys aren’t the best at expressing themselves, so them asking you to come watch them do pull-ups might be their way of asking for reassurance. In a way, this time has been so sweet. We haven’t been running from one thing to the

March 24, 2020 22 Comments

Art

Let’s do some oil painting together (from a distance)

Since last summer, I have been working on an oil painting course for beginners. Since it’s my own little project (and not for a client), I keep pushing it aside in favor of work with a deadline. While I still plan to release that course someday (since it will be more comprehensive), I don’t want to wait to paint with those who have been asking to learn from me. I know a lot of people are looking for fun, creative projects, so what better time to start oil painting if that’s been on your wish list? If anything, it’s therapeutic. It could be a jumping-off point to a whole new hobby, though! Here’s how it’s going to work… We’ll paint a landscape together and keep it small and simple. In the 5×7 – 8×10 range. We’ll only be using four colors with an optional 5th to keep costs down, two

March 23, 2020 110 Comments

Art

color samplers

Thank you so much for sharing your prayer requests with me and each other yesterday. My heart aches for those who are already in crisis and have had all of these new developments added to the stress and worry. I was also moved by my readers who wanted to help, encourage, and pray for those who left comments. This is a good group of people. I have been and will continue to pray for all of those who left comments and, of course, for our first responders, healthcare workers, all of the people who are serving us at the grocery stores, business owners who are facing tough decisions, and our leaders. I mentioned in yesterday’s post that I want to explore playing with combing yarn/thread and paint. I know there are so many amazing artists already combining different mediums, including yarn and paint, but I want to find my own

March 18, 2020 36 Comments

I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.

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