tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10752681135285724702024-02-06T20:17:14.519-08:00Susan EscobarRecent art, upcoming events, and blog.Susan Escobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14862544430403944828noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075268113528572470.post-83890665584080235682011-03-02T16:20:00.000-08:002011-03-02T16:31:34.255-08:00Work or Art?It's been a long time since I picked up a paintbrush. (Sigh!) My intention, of course, was to work part time and devote the rest of the day to painting, but work has a way of expanding until there's no time left for anything else. I suppose one must simply choose between being an artist or garnering a monthly paycheck. Or, perhaps, work will "unchoose" me once the economic crisis decides the Susan Escobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14862544430403944828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075268113528572470.post-90944914949609961732010-07-29T22:30:00.000-07:002010-07-29T22:44:50.792-07:00To Donate or Not to DonateI've had another request to donate a painting for a good cause. I'm flattered, of course, but I know many artists think donations cheapen our work. Usually the donated piece is raffled off for less than the cost of the matting and framing. Then there is also the challenge of choosing an appropriate piece to donate. Because it usually nets only about $50 in proceeds for the charity or Susan Escobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14862544430403944828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075268113528572470.post-60710686073642802532010-07-15T19:46:00.000-07:002010-07-15T20:04:33.655-07:00Back to AcrylicsA visit to several galleries in Carmel leaves me pining to do oils again. Watercolors could scarcely be found in the Monterey area! "Watercolorists are popular on the East coast, not here," sniffed one gallery owner. But, realistically, I cannot do oils in our tiny living space, so I'm going to try acrylics once again. I've been watching some how-to videos online. It seems that acrylic Susan Escobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14862544430403944828noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075268113528572470.post-90238198556128268352010-06-23T18:48:00.000-07:002010-06-23T19:03:27.345-07:00Summer PaintingThese long summer days certainly encourage my painting. I have done more painting in the last few weeks than I have in many years. Most recently I pulled out an old painting of some irises that I had removed unfinished from the stretcher board for some reason. After painting in the foliage background, I decided that the sky looked rather plain, so I got out my painter's tape and began paintingSusan Escobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14862544430403944828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075268113528572470.post-32998769858321043442010-06-18T07:11:00.000-07:002010-06-18T07:22:43.643-07:00Elk Grove Fine Arts Center ShowingI'll have two watercolors on display at the EG Fine Arts Center in Old Town Elk Grove this month, and another two next month. There is an artists' reception on First Friday, 5:00 to 9:30 PM. First Friday is becoming a fun event with a fair-like atmosphere. I hope all you readers (ha,ha! If there are any!) will stop by and support all of us starving artists. Really, it is so hard to get Susan Escobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14862544430403944828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075268113528572470.post-40238865974584257262010-05-22T07:33:00.000-07:002010-05-22T07:46:09.870-07:00What?!! Not accepted!I guess it is not so easy to get your art into the fair. Neither of my paintings was accepted by the jury judge, some Joan Moment who is a professor at Sac State. I suppose I shouldn't be so surprised as there were over a thousand entries and only about a dozen watercolors could be accepted. But I'm not used to rejection when it comes to my art. I keep imagining this judge looking at my Susan Escobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14862544430403944828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075268113528572470.post-62187401206501308682010-05-04T15:24:00.001-07:002010-05-04T15:24:32.957-07:00Susan Escobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14862544430403944828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075268113528572470.post-65532774171580831762010-05-04T15:09:00.000-07:002010-05-04T15:21:20.744-07:00Stand Back and Watch the Paint MoveOkay, I decided to force myself to work wet-on-wet. I'm painting an open rose, so after soaking and mounting my paper, I waited about ten minutes and then did the background. At first the edges of the lower rose petals were pleasingly fuzzy, and the "blooms" I created with water splatters were spectacular. But then the fuzzy edges grew and grew, consuming the outer petals entirely, and the Susan Escobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14862544430403944828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075268113528572470.post-69653537711252508082010-04-30T19:04:00.000-07:002010-04-30T19:24:57.969-07:00My Fair Entries CompletedWell, here are my two paintings that hopefully will be displayed at the California State Fair. I was pleased with the first until I painted the second, which I think was much more successful. Still, neither has that fresh watercolor character that I so admire. I might as well be working in oils with my reluctance to let the colors work their magic wet-on-wet! Susan Escobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14862544430403944828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075268113528572470.post-22311240996811412952010-03-31T16:07:00.000-07:002010-03-31T16:26:05.971-07:00The Frustrations of Watercolor PaintingIt's spring break. The deadline for entering art in the California State Fair is April 23, so I've been painting. I spent three days working on a watercolor from a photo I took at Table Mountain, and today I was nearly finished. But the wash I'd done for the sky was nearly colorless, so I decided to redo it. Bad idea! First the trees I'd already finished began bleeding into the sky. I Susan Escobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14862544430403944828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075268113528572470.post-80178928575741289072009-09-18T20:28:00.000-07:002009-09-18T20:34:29.391-07:00Art HiatusThe school year has begun and my paint supplies gather dust in a cupboard. I really should continue doing watercolors throughout the year, especially since I am only teaching two hours in the morning right now, but I keep filling up my free time with other endeavors such as swimming laps and singing in Women's Ensemble. Maybe I am only a hobbyist and not an artist after all. Or maybe when the Susan Escobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14862544430403944828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075268113528572470.post-35171551634759156482009-09-17T23:10:00.000-07:002009-09-17T23:11:44.787-07:00Pardon the DustStill working on the gallery. Don't worry, it will be up soon. Please check back again.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075268113528572470.post-89053977199111033862009-06-21T20:38:00.000-07:002009-06-21T20:45:12.102-07:00Learning acrylicsI'm currently working on an ocean scene using acrylics. This is probably a good medium for me to experiment with because it forces me to work fast. I hate to waste paint, and it dries so fast, even with gloss medium! Normally it takes me many hours to finish a painting, but I am nearly done after two sittings because of the paint drying issue. It should be posted soon.Susan Escobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14862544430403944828noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1075268113528572470.post-72603798052065197702009-06-11T16:03:00.000-07:002009-06-21T20:48:56.539-07:00Representational vs. whimsical artJust read about an artist who started painting in her late fifties, got discovered, and is now making a decent living at it. The funny thing is that she is doing these simple, little whimsical scenes of mountains and villages. All her work looks alike--no perspective, trees look like lollipops, flowers are colored dots. That would sure be easier than spending hours trying to make something Susan Escobarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14862544430403944828noreply@blogger.com0