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Greetings,

Welcome to the Cooper studio, Jefferson, Iowa.  There's this painting on my easel at the moment--oh, wait.  Let's start at the beginning, when you've got the magic going on.

If you are an artist, surely you've been there.  The canvas is on the easel, the paint is flying into place, the exact right place, mind you.  And it's happening, you've got the magic going on.  You can't seem to make a wrong move.  Your hand might be attached to the brush, but you are certainly not controlling it.  It's just happening. 

I know, I know.  I don't believe any of that mumbo-jumbo either, but I certainly do believe that one little success making you feel good, sets you up mentally to achieve the next little success, and the next, and the next, with increased certainty.

Then what happens when the canvas is not done, but the person attached to the brush has to be?  Oh come on, you know the scenario.  The light is changing/gone.  You're worn out. Somebody has to go make some dinner.  You've got a meeting you absolutely cannot skip.  Those of you with kids at home---another whole list of interruptions there.  The magic is forced to come to a grinding halt.

The next day/studio time dawns bright and clear.  That canvas that was painting itself yesterday is still on the easel.  Nope, it didn't finish painting itself overnight in your absence.  Can you pick up where you left off?  The brush hand begins to shake a little.  What if you can't get back into it?  What if today, in your attempt to finish the painting, you can't get your act together and  you wreck all the good you did yesterday?  What's an artist to do?

What IS an artist to do?  I think we have to become Gretzky artists.

 "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

I've always liked that quote.  I think it works for painters as much as it does for hockey players.  You've got to take the shot.  Yup, you might mess up what was looking so good the day before.  But what about the possiblity that, renewed and refreshed, you find exactly what the canvas needs for the final brush stroke?  To not go for it, is certain loss.  Give it your best shot, and the sky's the limit.  I like that possibility.  Happy painting.

Later, Cooper

Greetings, 

Welcome to the Cooper studio, on a beautiful November 9th, in Jefferson, Iowa.  Surely much can be accomplished on a day like this?!

But before the easel grabs me, I want to give you some sky thoughts.  Whew, sounds like large thinking, right?  Let me explain.  My husband and I just returned from a marvelous trip to Colorado.  (Yes, the kids are all doing great, and the grandbaby charmed us completely!)  But I regress---we are talking sky here, aren't we?

We spent much of our time outside, and you certainly can't blame us.  Wow, what a place to live outdoors.  In Longmont, Colorado, the vista is talllllll.  Long's Peak is 14,259 feet up there, one of the big ones, and when we stand on the upper deck of our kid's house, there it is.  After you look at the mountains for a while, you can't help but notice the sky around them.  Blue.  Very blue. 

Very, very blue.  We've been to Colorado quite a few times, and I've always written the color thing off to heightened senses.  This time the trees were holding their fall color, and the contrast between that gold and the blueblue of the sky was stunning.  No, I didn't try to paint it, I was too busy playing :) 

But, I somehow managed to mentally imprint that blue color.  As we crossed the border back into Nebraska and headed for Ogallala, yesterday morning, I suddenly was able to mentally contrast the blue of Ogallala with the blue of Longmont.  NOT the same.  In fact, let's think in terms of a value scale.  (value scale:  a simple tool that helps you see, and replicate lights and darks using comparison)

 If we turned this scale into blue, the Ogallala sky would be about a 2, and the Longmont sky would have to be up around a 5, possibly even a 6.  I am sure scientific types have lots of reasons for me as to why one sky could be a two and the other a five, even though it's all the same sky.  Have I mentioned before that I am not a details person?  In fact, I'm pretty sure honest labeling requires me to say I'm a color person.  I prefer to believe that two colors were put in the same sky for us to enjoy.  And I do. 


Thanks for stopping by.


Later, Cooper

Your art is center stage, first and last. Nothing should detract, draw attention away from, or usurp your viewer’s focus on your art. Period.

If black is engaging, dominant, holds our attention and draws us in, doesn’t it go without saying that a black background trumps your art?

Two awesome websites to look at: 

http://www.karinjurick.com/ZemArt/beach.html
http://jacquelynbischak.com/collections/17952


Did you notice how those paintings were trumped by their black back ground?  Yeah, I didn't get that so much either.  Wait!  Could it possibly be that all of our paintings are not quite alike?  While a black background might trump some people's paintings, what are the chances that a white background might trump someone else's?  Is not uttering a generalization the quickest way to be wrong? 

Here's a quick test if you are a FASO artist:  go to that great toolbar and look for an icon that is a circle divided into quadrants.  If you hover over it, it will say "edit color scheme".  Click on it, and then look down a few lines to "click here to select from pre-made color schemes".  You'll get several options, and to the right of each is a place to "select this color scheme".  I was worried that I would do irreversible damage (like never get it back to normal) for my website, so I made sure I knew which color combo I was already using, and could just click on it to get back to it :)  Then I just started clicking on those selects.  First I clicked on the option that was close to what the aforementioned guest author said was "law".  I used my "preview website" button (fourth from the left) to view the results.  Eeeeeeew!  Proof positive that what works for one artist doesn't necessarily work for the next.  And why would our website designer give us so many wonderful options if there was really ONLY ONE that worked?  :)

Varied opinions are good for us to think about, aren't they?  They can stretch our imaginations.  Just now, I am thinking about clicking back to my toolbar and trying on some new color combos.  Who knows?  Maybe I'll start a "background color of the month" system for 2011? 

But think about it folks.  We have to be big kids and make our own decisions.  We can read other people's opinions, but remember to stop and look hard enough to determine if they are fact, or really just another well written opinion.   Hey, one man's trash is another man's treasure, right?!

Later, Cooper