"Shape Up or Ship Out"
22"x 30" Transparent Watercolor Representational Abstract
March, 2019...Newsletter
*Left click on the images for a larger view
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Focus on the shapes
A couple of years ago I wrote an editorial about the importance of communicating with your viewer through shapes. After all, that is what we mostly use to identify what something is. If you were to go outside on a foggy day you would see faint shapes that you could readily identify as trees, buildings, cars, etc. In most cases the fog would obscure the colors of the subjects and it would also make it very difficult to see what lies within the exterior of the shapes such as leaves or doors and windows. Nevertheless, you would know right away that it is a tree or a building solely by it's shape. That's because we have been trained to identify objects as symbols. Even though there are probably thousands of types of trees, we seem to have no difficulty identifying that gray and muted shape as a tree because it falls into the category of being the symbol for a tree. So why then do we always feel the need to show the viewer what is inside of the shape's edges?
If you examine the monochromatic sepia study below you can easily see that there two buildings in the snow with a backdrop of trees. There is some grass in the foreground. If you look closely at the grass you notice that it is composed of just a few shapes with absolutely no detail. The outside edges of the grass create a symbol that we associate with grass so we identify those shapes as being grass. The buildings are symbols that we identify as buildings. The trees behind the buildings are really just a dark shape with an outside edge that looks leafy. The leafy edge helps us identify the shape as trees. Would it look more like trees if I had spent a couple of hours with a two hair brush painting thousands of leaves within the outside shape? The answer is simple, no it would not. People would still identify it as a tree even though they can only see it's outside shape.
When I was a photo-realist painter I would paint every leaf on a tree, every blade of grass in a field, and every texture of wood grain on a barn. I had to because that's what people expect in a photo-realist painting. Some of my early paintings would take several months to paint because of the time consuming and painstaking detail that was necessary to achieve my goal; a painting that looked just like a photograph. It wasn't all bad because I was very successful painting in this style. My problem was that I lost my enthusiasm to sit for hours on end working on a painting that seemed to take forever to do correctly. I often hear some of my students say the same thing. They want a faster and more exciting way to paint. I hear them and I know where they're coming from. This is the reason I am on a mission to help artists learn to paint with large brushes and focus on the shape of subjects rather than the monotonous and often unnecessary interior details.
The landscape below,
"A Day in Yosemite" , is another example of what I am talking about. The background trees are undoubtedly trees but all we really see are the outside edges and shapes. They were mostly painted on dry paper with large brushes and took very little time to paint. The foreground and distant rocks have little indications of detail but are mostly identified as rocks by their shapes. In fact, just about everything in this painting is a symbol that leads the viewer to the desired conclusion. This mindset allows the artist to use more expressive brushwork and color interpretation resulting in a looser and more artistic piece of art. So the next time you began a painting that has varied and interesting shapes take a moment to remind yourself to focus on the shapes of the objects more so than the interior details. Just for fun, try creating a painting using nothing but shapes and symbols and make it a specific objective to leave out all detail. It's a real eye opener and pushes you to be loose.
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This is an 11"x 15" monochromatic sepia study. Although there is very little detail it's quite evident what we are looking at. The shapes say it all.
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"A Day in Yosemite"
15" x 22" Transparent Watercolor
This was painted on Fabriano Artistico 300 lb cold pressed paper using Holbein paint. About 90% of the painting was completed using large brushes.
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Do you need an artist's website?
If so, go to
www.faso.com
(Fine Art Studio Online). This company will help you design your own custom website to your specifications. They have numerous templates that you can choose from and a great support system. I designed and built my website even though I am very computer challenged. The best part is the price. I'm only paying $28.00 a month for my website even though it is very lengthy and there are less expensive programs if you don't need a huge website. If you haven't already seen my website go to
www.sterlingedwards.com
and check it out. They can also assist you with registering your domain name. When I find something good, I pass it on.
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Wholesale pricing on original watercolors
A few months ago we announced a way for current and former students to purchase original watercolor paintings from my website at the same price that they would pay if they purchased the painting at the student wholesale price in one of my workshops. This has proven to be a very popular concept and we have sold quite a few paintings through this special offer. Here's how it works:
If you are a former student of mine and have taken a workshop you are entitled to the same special wholesale price on my original watercolor paintings on my website that you would pay in a workshop. The prices on the website are my retail price and do not apply to my students. If you see a painting on the website that you are interested in possibly purchasing, DO NOT click on the "BUY NOW" tab. If you do it will take you to PayPal and charge you the full retail price of the painting as seen on the website.
Instead, go to the "CONTACT" page and send us an email requesting the student wholesale price of the painting. Please tell us the title of the piece, what workshop you attended, and whether or not you are a U.S. resident. You will receive an email with the student wholesale price plus ordering instructions. All of the paintings are unframed and unmatted and shipped in a heavy duty mailing tube for protection. Each will be accompanied with an Artist's Biography. As a special bonus, we offer
FREE SHIPPING
on watercolors that are shipped to a U.S. address.
This offer does NOT include Whiskey Paintings.
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Sterling's 2019 Workshop Schedule
***Please Read***
Beginning in 2021 Sterling will be doing fewer workshops. Currently our 2019 and 2020 workshop schedules are full and we are booking the 2021 workshops. If you would like to schedule a workshop for your group in 2021 please contact us soon so we can send you the information that you will need to make a decision. Email;
sterling@sterlingedwards.com
and request a workshop information packet. All spots are filled on a first come, first served basis.
Note:
When you write be sure and tell us the name of the group that you represent and where you are located.
- January 7-11, 2019, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
This is a five day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on a wide variety of watercolor styles and subjects.
WAIT LIST
- January 21-24, 2019, Mission,TX
This is a four day watercolor workshop for the
Hidalgo Watercolor Society.
This workshop is for All Skill levels and will focus
on a wide variety of watercolor styles and subjects. The Contact person is : Joyce Capen,
capen1jl@cmich.edu
WAIT LIST
- February 4 – 8, 2019, The Villages, FL.
This is a five day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on a wide variety of watercolor styles and subjects. Two of the days will cover floral and landscape watercolors and three days will be devoted to creative and expressive deign with watercolors (abstract and stylized).
- February 20 -24, 2019, Grifton, NC
This is a five day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on a wide variety of watercolor styles and subjects.
WAIT LIST
- March 18-22, 2019, Santa Fe, NM
This is a five day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on a wide variety of watercolor styles and subjects. Contact: Heather Atherton,
misa@madelineschool.com
715-747-2054.
- April 8 -12, 2019, Hummelstown, PA
This is a five day watercolor workshop for the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society. This workshop is for all skill levels that will focus on Creative and expressive deign with watercolor (abstract and stylized). Contact: Linda Young,
pwswrkshops@gmail.com
.
- April 29-May 3, 2019, Calabash, NC
This is a five day acrylic abstract workshop for all skill levels that will focus on a wide variety of acrylic techniques on paper and canvas.
- May 20-23, 2019, Folsom, CA
This is a four day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on a wide variety of watercolor styles and subjects using mostly big brushes. Contact: Barbara Otey, cawatercolorworkshops.com, 916-608-9153
WAIT LIST
- June 10-14, 2019, Boone, NC, Cheap Joe’s
T
his is a five day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on painting floral and landscape watercolors primarily with large brushes. Contact:
Edwina@cheapjoes.com
1-800-227-2788
- June 24 -27, 2019, Petoskey, MI, Crooked Tree Arts Center
This is a five day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on a wide variety of watercolor styles and subjects. Contact: Megan DeWindt,
megan@crookedtree.org
, 231-347-4337
WAIT LIST
- July 15 -19, 2019, Belfast ME, Coastal Maine Art Workshops
This is a four day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on a wide variety of watercolor styles and subjects.
207-594-4813
- July 29 – August 1, 2019, Evergreen, CO
This is a four day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on a wide variety of watercolor styles and subjects.
- August 12-16, Grand Marais, MN; Grand Marais Art Colony
This is a five day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on
Stylized Interpretations
of a wide variety of subjects. Contact: Ruth Pszwaro,
programs@grandmaraisartcolony.org
- September 9 -13, 2019, Hendersonville, NC
This is a five day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on a wide variety of watercolor styles and subjects.
- October 7-10, 2019, Morgantown, WV
This is a four day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on a wide variety of watercolor styles and subjects.
- October 22-26, 2019, Reno, NV, Sierra Watercolor Society
This is a four day watercolor workshop for all skill levels that will focus on a wide variety of watercolor styles and subjects. The contact person is : Linda Parisi,
parisiart@outlook.com
, 360-589-9330
- November 14 -16, 2019, Raleigh, NC Art of the Carolinas Trade Show
This is the annual trade show in Raleigh, NC sponsored by Jerry’s Artarama
- December 9-13, 2019 Palm Beach, FL, Palm Beach Watercolor Society
This will be a two day watercolor workshop on the 9th and 10th covering floral and landscape painting followed by a three day workshop on the 11th thru the 13th focusing on creative and expressive design with watercolor (stylized and abstract). Both workshops are for all skill levels. Contact;
Steve Philbrook,
561-471-8588, Philbrookstudio52@gmail.com
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This is another 4"x 5" Whiskey Painting that I did at my Myrtle Beach workshop in January. I used Iceberg Vodka from Newfoundland to paint this piece on Fabriano 140 lb cold pressed paper. The reason that the image looks grainy is because it's a close up photo of a very small painting. The closer the image, the more grain. The somewhat unusual texture is the result of the alcohol being used as a medium instead of water. The alcohol has a lot of sugar in it and dries quickly on the paper creating various textures.
If you click on
"Paintings"
on my website;
www.sterlingedwards.com
you can scroll down to
Whiskey Paintings
and read a brief history of the
Whiskey Painters of America.
You can also click and see other examples of my
Whiskey Paintings
. It's a fantastic group of artists with a very unique and proud history. I am honored to be part of this group.
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"Faburden"
22"x 30" Transparent Watercolor Abstract Expressionism.
This is a piece that I painted at my watercolor workshop in Grifton, NC last month. Abstract Expressionism still remains my favorite way to paint because it allows total artistic freedom.
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Diane and I on Whiteside Mountain near Highlands, NC.
As always, we appreciate your support.
Art; it chooses us
Food for thought
"The emotions are sometimes so strong that I work without knowing it. The strokes come like speech"
Vincent Van Gogh
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Sterling Edwards / Artist, LLC
230 Sunny Acres Drive
Lewisville, NC 27023
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