Friday Find: Time to paint



Self Portrait, 8 X 11



End of summer + Back to School = 0 time to paint

At least that's the way it seems.

When you feel you have no time to paint, try painting smaller. Work on a quarter sheet, a 9-by-12 or a 5-by-7 or even an artist trading card.

If you can carve out only 15 to 30 minutes to paint at a time, you may be more satisfied completing a small painting than you would be with the start-stop process of working on a large painting.

All of the paintings here are "fast" by my standards -- although I admit to being a slow painter. The coffee mug is a 10-minute painting, the self portrait was completed in a little over one hour, and the landscape was a 90-minute outdoor job with a few finishing touches once I got inside.

Morning Coffee, 6 X 9



Sycamore Springs, 10 x 15



Friday Finds: Good news/bad news

The good news: You can find great buys right now at the Preston Arts Center at 315 Pearl St. in New Albany. The sale started yesterday and everything I bought was marked down 25 to 30 percent. 

The bad news:  The store is closing forever. Although that means deeper discounts will follow, the 200 or so customers gathered outside the doors yesterday morning expressed sadness about the loss. The Louisville store on Bardstown Road will remain open, but the family intends to liquidate all merchandise and fixtures in the New Albany location.

The closing sale will be announced publicly Aug. 10, so get there before then for the best selection.

Pointless?
Do you have a brush that has lost its point? Here's a tip found in the most recent Daniel Smith catalog: Mix up a solution of 50% gum arabic and 50% water. Dip the brush into it and reshape the hairs into a point. Let it dry before using. I add that it's a good idea to hang it up point down for the drying part.