Thank You

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art, artist, creating art, fine art, how to paint in watercolor, imagination, painting, Patricia Allingham Carlson, thank you note, watercolor, watercolor painting, watercolor technique

What a year this has been…a very full one for me. Oh, how life has its ups and downs- people move on, illness can fall for the very ones who should never be ill. We all have our dreams and our worries and fears; dreams come true and new ones are imagined. When I hear a friend say, What can we do about all these worries for the world? I say , we can say a prayer or a wish for peace and resolution, then stop worrying and move on.

Life is very sweet when you consider the alternative-

So I am writing a thank you note.

I am thankful  for the beautiful earth that we live on. It is full of the most wonderful sights to see, places to be in. When I visit a huge gorge with the cliffs soaring up like cathedral walls I can hardly contain my exhilaration.

When I see the vivid colors of the setting sun sky, I am filled with awe.

Sitting quietly by a singing stream I am filled with peace. There are few places in nature where I do not feel the presence of God.

I am thankful for my family; for my husband of many years for his support and friendship. We have had many adventures together, from the hair-raising type to the shared joy. My children have grown into fine adults and added to their own families with fine spouses who have become like my children as well. Grateful I am for the two sweet grandbabies I can adore. Grateful too for my sisters and mother. Though they live far away, we talk and laugh often, share our love.

My friends have brought so much into my life; I am so thankful for them! The shared fun, the empathy and kindness they have shown, the support they have given are priceless. Fran, Pat, Jeanne, Sue,  Lins, Ad, Dave, -Thank you my buddies!

I am thankful for my two dogs who give such unconditional love and friendship.  Grateful that I have a home, enough to eat, and have two legs that work well to take me where I want to go.

I am also very grateful for my love of art.

The act of creating art is almost transcendental; while creating, time stands still, energy rushes in, paint flows and takes shape before your eyes. For me art is magical. It can fill me with excitement and take me anywhere I can imagine to travel. Art time = Joy.

Thank you to my customers ; you make it possible for me to keep on doing what I love.It means so much to artists to have you share their vision of the world and appreciate it for yourself.

Thank you to my art students, aged 4 – 70 -something. You come to my studio weekly, work so hard at your art, entertain me with all the fun, and inspire me with your ideas and creations. You all rock!

And Thank You for taking the time to read my blog, to look at my art, to chat with me about art ideas here and on facebook. Thank you for your support and your kindness, they motivate me to keep creating.

 

To all- I wish you a blessed Holiday season, Winter, and a prosperous New Year.

Peace on Earth.

 

Touched by Art

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art, art and emotions, art instruction, artwork, creating art, creative art, demonstration, devil's den, fine art, how to paint, Patricia Allingham Carlson, touched by art, watercolor, watercolor painting, watercolor technique

I was painting in watercolor at a local gallery that represents some of my work; demonstrating techniques and talking with customers as they came by. https://www.facebook.com/MH-Custom-Framing-and-Gallery-Inc-123395394365184/?fref=ts is a lovely place to hang out.

A woman approached to chat about my work with me as she waited her turn with the master framer, Karen Lentz.

She told me she was having two watercolors framed for her daughter as a wedding gift. They were found in a large tablet of completed paintings, up in the attic of her grandparent’s home, created by a grandmother she had never met. All of the family’s children were asking for a painting or two from the tablet, and they were going fast.

I asked to see them and she showed me the work. The art was lovely, all landscapes, all filled with color and light and obviously painted with great love for what the artist was seeing. There were mountains and valleys, streams and rivers, shores and fields and forests- very much what I love to see and paint myself.

“I never met my grandmother, but this I have heard. Though she worked full time, painting was her love. She never showed her work anywhere. She loved to travel with my grandfather, and as they drove she would suddenly ask him to stop the car and pull over so she could photograph the view. Then she would go home and later paint from the photos. She had a small upstairs studio, and the stairs up were lined with labeled photos of all the places and the people she loved. She passed away before my time. We all love her work.”

The woman sounded much like me. I create much of my work from the places I camp and hike in. My husband will tell you of how I ask him suddenly to stop the car so that I can get out, observe a scene, and photograph it, all the while saying, “look at that light! look at the color on the water! Oh my gosh, it is so beautiful here!” Yes, I am a nature freak.

The unknown artist’s work seemed to show an identical love for nature. Seemed to show her visual excitement for the gifts we are given by our beautiful earth, a joy I celebrate myself. I felt a deep kindred spirit with this lady, who painted for herself and never got to show her work.

But now her descendants were sharing it, seeing it, celebrating her talent by hanging it in their homes. What a legacy she left, what a joyful place for her art to have gone… I wonder if she knows?

Bridge to Devil’s Den, from a lovely camping trip by a stream.

Artists create because they are compelled to. They simply must express the world through their medium. They do not get a choice for if they do not create a big part of their spirits feel lost, incomplete, deadened. It is a challenging way to be, but all part of the wonderful journey.

Paint on.

 

Art Experiments with Watercolor and Sand.

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Sometimes I am brimming with ideas for artworks I want to paint. Often I am not. In our busy lives we sometimes don’t  have the time to create, express the ideas swimming around in our heads when we have them; how frustrating to have the time to create and no ideas to work with!

On such days I may organize my completed work, touch up some old work, or just haul out a variety of materials and experiment.

I love experiment day, it is the most fun kind of grown-up art play I can imagine.

On this day I decided to try sand, water and paint. I don’t know where that idea came from, but I enjoy creating new textures to paint on, and wondered what these materials could do.

Outside I dumped sand onto paper, wet it, drew in it with my finger, then dropped concentrated watercolor paint onto it. Then I let it dry, and brushed off the sand.

That was really fun!

(By the way, I kept the colored sand for another future experiment!)

Here’s what one image looked like dry. My own imagination does not process mechanically; it took a facebook viewer to say she saw an automobile in the image. Yep, there was a car.

I researched different types of cars, found an old Cadillac that fit the need. Started sketching it in.

Then painting.

And it became Pink Cadillac.

Fun indeed, and I had painted my first realistic car. That was a challenge I learned from, set up by chance and experimenting.

That is just what I love about experimental approaches. You never know what new idea will be born, what texture or color or form might be created. If you can imagine a unique way to apply paint, why not try it? Nothing to lose, right? And if you find something cool that works for you, share it with me—  Please!

Have a fabulous day, all.

Art Experiments with Watercolor and Sand.

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Looking Up

Sometimes I am brimming with ideas for artworks I want to paint. Often I am not. In our busy lives we don’t even have the time to create, express the ideas swimming around in our heads when we have them; how frustrating to have the time to create and no ideas to work with!

On such days I just haul out a variety of materials and experiment.

On this day I decided to try sand, water and paint. I don’t know where that idea came from, but I enjoy creating new textures to paint on, and wondered what these materials could do.

 

 

 

 

 

Outside I dumped sand onto paper, wet it, drew in it with my finger, then dropped concentrated watercolor paint onto it. Then I let it dry, and brushed off the sand.

(By the way, I kept the colored sand for another future experiment!)

That was really fun!

 

Here is what one of the dried works looked like- truly unique textures had been created. but it didn’t bring any inspiration for what to paint it into. It sat for months in my studio. I would periodically turn it in different directions, waiting for it to “tell me” what it wanted to be. One day it did.

The face I saw in the unfinished work was in an odd pose, not one I would have chosen myself. It was hard to get it right and make it look attractive; the view up someone’s nose is tricky to pull off! But the textures there for a head dress and hair were intriguing and fun to work with.

I used white ink with a pen to do much of the detailing. It took another rest until I saw what was needed to complete the head dress and veiling, then it came together.

Looking up was completed. She looks hopeful; that is a good way to look and to feel.

I hope your holidays were warm and wonderful. Mine were.

And I wish you a happy and creative New Year to be- Looking up!

 

 

 

Art- “Man plans, God Laughs”

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art, art help, art instruction, cherry tree, creative art, demonstration, experiments in art, fine art, gingerbread trim, God laughs, how to paint, how to paint in watercolor, imagination, jump start your art, landscape, man plans, New Hope, p allingham carlson, Patricia Allingham Carlson, Pennsylvania, victorian house, watercolor, watercolor painting, watercolor technique

If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him you have a plan.

Holiday season approaching, my mother begins. “What do you plan for Thanksgiving dinner? Who will come to dinner? What will you serve, what time? And what is the plan for Christmas? Gift giving, dinner, …?

I tell her I am planning how to do what I am supposed to do today; I’ll worry about the holiday plans next- and one at a time. If I fill my head with too many plans, I would go bonkers!

In creating art, plans are fine and good. But they frequently do NOT work out as we hoped.

Sometimes, in a perfect painting world, the concept through completion go like a dream. You get a great inspiration, plan it out, paint flows from your brush to the paper, your perfect vision appears, is loved by all, wins a prize in a show… may sell for a great price to a happy customer- But not often!

The plan: crumple a piece of watercolor paper, smooth it out, tape in down, wet it with water, paint on it.

My theory: the paint would sink into the folds and creases, beautifully enhancing the floral forms I painted. Here is the start.

Here it is further developed- to me it was going Nowhere! So I re- wet it, and randomly threw some more paint on it.

Now it looked more interesting to me. I developed a tree form this time.

Now it had gone to a painting I could work with. But after more development, it eluded my ideas, and I put it aside. So much for my yellow roses plan.

A year later a visit to a gallery in New Hope, Pa, found me on the main street on a beautiful day. There I saw the most beautiful old white house, loaded with gingerbread trim and partly hiding behind a flowering cherry tree. With my ever present camera I took its photo.

Later in my studio I was between projects and pulled out some oldies I’d abandoned. There was that yellow roses tree, unfinished, an idea  in limbo.

What if I could capture that beautiful white house I’d seen, and paint it with cherry flowers? Would it work on the old discarded painting?

What happened next was a dream of a painting; all flowed from my brush to the paper with little planning. It happened just right for me this time, unforced, unplanned, the perfect place for those little yellow roses to go.

New Hope Cherry Tree- the white gouache paint I used seemed to add a transparent and transient sense of timelessness to the scene, the tree to embrace it as well. The painting was resolved, I was happy with it.

That’s why I don’t throw out failed paintings; what lies under may add perfectly to what is to come.

My plan came to fruition- but NOT as I had planned, lol!

Two last notes- If you are ever interested in prints of my paintings, they can be purchased at several on line stores, including Fine Art America and Zazzle. Links are at my webpage, and here as well.(about link)

alinghamcarlson.com

I am also now offering for purchase ready to frame, matted art prints, 11 x 14 inches. $45.00 includes shipping in the continental US. Contact me here with a note or go to my “about” link for other contact info. You can also message me at my facebook art page, the art of Patricia Allingham Carlson.

Last note- I would enjoy your suggestions about future blog topics; please drop me a note if you have an idea. Your responses to my blogs are always of interest to me too!

Have a successful week, all-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creating Time

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art, art instruction, art lesson, artist, artwork, blog, creating art, demonstration, experiment, experiments in art, fine art, how to paint, how to paint in watercolor, jump start your art, landscape, p allingham carlson, Patricia Allingham Carlson, seeing the unseen, textures, watercolor, watercolor painting, watercolor technique

Fairy Wood

I envy artists who have unlimited time to create. It seems my studio time shrinks with each passing week; I must forcefully neglect my self imposed to- do lists and chores in order to grab a bit of precious creating time. So that means the kitchen does not get cleaned, or the rug vacuumed, or I return the library books a day late and pay a fine. Sometimes I am so full of art, I just must do that. Oh well!

I have written before about the frustration of finally grabbing that studio time and finding yourself without any good art ideas. One of my fun activities on such a day involves setting up several prepared papers on boards, hauling out the paint, water and texturing plastics and papers and playing with art.

I wet the papers, dab and drip and spatter paint onto the surfaces, then press plastics, paper towels, leaves, whatever into the wet paint. Then I leave them to dry. At least I got to play with color and paint, try out some new texturing ideas, create something.

Next day the works will be dry, and I look at the papers from across the room, trying to see or imagine what I can turn them into. It would be pretty cool to snap my fingers and Shazam!  Fine art! No, I mean to paint into the forms or scenes that could be, develop them into something interesting.

I begin by taking the work I see promise in, and sketching in the scene. If the paint is dark I use a whiter conte crayon- or white pastel, which is easily erased.

Sometimes I can “see” a landscape, sometimes a person, animal, dreamscape… sometimes I must use one of my reference photos.

Here I saw a waterfall , rocks and trees, mist rising through a forest. I painted in the trees, defined the rocks for the fall to descend, used the textures as water and foliage.

Next I refined the details further, painting in darker ares, cracks in the rocks. At this point of painting, the hours fly by( the housework undone, lol) and my studio time is a joy.

And when it feels complete, I rise, stiff muscled, sometimes stretch and go outside to re-coop. Then I come back to the work and smile and feel great!

Then I start cooking dinner!

Does this routine sound like you, my artist friends?

I hope I have given you some ideas to try, I wish you lots of studio time this week, and much creative joy from it.

A Force of Nature- Art

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art ideas, artist, artwork, creating art, creative art, fine art, force of nature, jump start your art, nature and art, p allingham carlson, pallinghamcarlson, tornado, watercolor, watercolor technique

One of the fun parts about writing a blog is that you can write about anything you want!

I keep an on going list of topics as they occur to me. Today, as I drew a blank, I looked at my good old list. Saw the word “Tornado”. OK.

Selkie

Even safe in our homes we are all vulnerable to the forces of Mother Nature. My experience pales next to those of many others, but it involved a tornado and my travel trailer.

A camping trip turned into a terrifying adventure for my husband and I one night. We had our smallish travel trailer set up at the Delaware Seashore State Park. This is a beautiful place bordered by the Delaware bay and the Atlantic Ocean. At 9:30 PM my restless nature took us out for a walk by the bay. We observed some unusual lightning out over the water. It was red. It was getting closer and more frequent. From years of camping experience we knew to get back to the trailer and batten down the hatches. Folded up the awning, packed the chairs and coolers and rafts into the car, closed the windows and sat down to wait. Sort of a fun part, anticipating a storm.

Most unfortunately, most of the other campers had gone to bed already, and were not prepared for the storm.

The winds picked up, howling louder and louder through the marshes and camp. Hail began to pound the trailer, and the winds began to rock it. We were becoming very fearful sitting in the boxy trailer, which was parked  perpendicular the the wind’s direction. As the wind screamed by I opened the door, thinking the car might be safer to be in, and the door was almost ripped out of my hands. My husband said he thought it was too late to get to the car. So we sat on the floor, violent lightning crashed, hail and rain pounding as the sound of a roaring train approached. Seriously!

Then with a lurch the trailer was knocked off its supportive jacks on one side and we tilted.

Spirit of the Wind

We looked at each other, our eyes the size of saucers. I was pretty sure that our time had come, to go.

But that was the end of the violent storm. It began to pass. When the winds and rain slowed we emerged from our tilted trailer into about two feet of water. Black- out at the camp. People wading in the dark absolutely mystified and scared. Flag poles had snapped, tents shredded and blown away, coolers and toys floating about. Several trailers were destroyed.

But- no one was hurt, thank God. And people began to gather, to help out those who needed it, to talk with nervous exultation about the experience. Some lit propane lanterns to light the way, and we walked through the receding water with flashlights to see who needed help. People were very kind to each other that night.

Most of the tenters slept the remainder of the night in their cars to leave the next day. We all gathered possessions from wherever we could find them and placed them outside on tables to be claimed in the light. And we  talked and marveled about the tornado that struck.

It was a small one, we were very lucky!!!

For all mankind’s controlling ways, we have yet to harness Nature. We can try to predict it, play in the storms, ride the waves and climb the mountains. Marvel at the canyons and chasms carved by waterfalls, and stand close to their energy.

Watkins Glen

But we had better watch out because we have no power over these forces.

I love to observe Nature. I love to be in it, photograph it, paint it. This helps make my life complete, brings me excitement and joy. Being in Nature actually keeps me sane.

My great condolences to those of you who have been devastated by a  violent storm or other natural catastrophic; my experience was not devastating. But it sure was Scarey!!!

Astir

Wishing you a Happy Day and a fulfilling week.

Carousel

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adam allingham, art, art evaluation, art help, artist, artwork, carousel, creating art, creative art, experiments in art, fine art, how to paint, how to paint in watercolor, imagination, music, music and art, p allingham carlson, painting, watercolor technique

I have just completed a new watercolor painting I called Carousel. It is inspired by the song composed by my son, Adam Carlson Allingham.

I have two adult children, a daughter and a son. A writer and a musician respectively, though both  also have the other’s talent, as well as art talent. So it seems to be, the arts cross over lines and share muses often.

This blog is about my son- the musician.

When Adam was small he experienced many ear infections. I eventually became an expert in otitis media- and not by choice. As a result of these infections, and unknown to us, he frequently heard little. In turn his speech was somewhat delayed.

He had frequent runs to his pediatrician, who treated him appropriately- but  his episodes of hearing loss went undetected.

Sometimes he appeared to be withdrawn, dreamy.

Some people questioned his cognitive functioning.

But I was his mother, and knew the bright soul inside him.

In the morning he sang in his crib while waiting to get up. He danced and sang to the music on his tv shows. When he was able to hear, he was all about music.

When he was almost three, we took him camping. As we stood by a beautiful pond in the bright daylight, he clearly spoke-

“the sunshine is dancing on the water”.  It was a beautiful observation, stated poetically for his young age. His problem was auditory, not cognitive.

As a three and a half year old, he finally was tested at the right time, and the doctor told me he heard much of life like he was under water. Adam had some minor surgery, and his problem was fixed. And he bloomed from then on.

Adam studied trombone in school, learned guitar and then began to self teach keyboard. He sang beautifully. As a band student he was talented, same with chorus groups. And then he began to compose his own music.

In his own way.

If you listen to his songs you can hear his explorations, as well as the unique way he creates mood and feelings from the notes.

He wishes to create an atmosphere separate from now; one that conveys the human condition through combination of notes and melodies. There you can find hope and despair, yearning and mystery.

For me, his music is like sunlight dancing on the water; sometimes the water darkens with rain, or cascades wildly over falls.

Sometimes it just sparkles with clarity.

Adam has made me a CD of his music, I listen when I paint. The music paints pictures in my spirit, takes me to a zone where I can create very freely.

I think the music would be a natural enhancement to cinema and television productions, for someone in  that industry.

His song, Carousel resounds with tenderness, longing and mystery; it caused me to try to paint just that into my watercolor.

beginning the sketch

Carousel

I wish to create something deeper than paper when I paint.

Listening to his song, Carousel, I wanted to paint a carousel in time, beyond time, spinning on with wild horses and mystery.

This blank blur of colors seemed to have the structure that suggested a carousel, so I sketched it in and painted it as such.

I hope I painted deeper than paper, just as my son created music deeper than tone.
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please click on this link to hear the Song Carousel, by Adam Allingham , as well as others he has composed:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Adam-Allingham/174774089223111?v=app_178091127385

On a final note, I have been urging Adam to produce a CD from his haunting compositions, others have also expressed an interest in this.
Join me if you enjoy his music at his bandpage, go to his fb page and tell him to get that CD made!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Adam-Allingham/174774089223111

Thanks from a Mom

Painting Something from Nothing

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art, art help, art instruction, art lesson, art teacher service, artist, creating art, experiment, how to paint, how to paint in watercolor, p allingham carlson, pallinghamcarlson, watercolor, watercolor painting, watercolor technique

So you have a couple of hours to create your art, but you have nothing to express. GRRR- doesn’t that irk you?

I think it happens to all of us- the Muse takes her vacation from the writer, the musician, the painter, the poet. Finally some time in your busy life to create, and you create garbage!

The next time you get a chance in your art work space, you take out the awful painting you did, and are ready to tear it up. But instead, make a random cover up on it. Wet the mess, splatter on some opaque colors, thin them with water to allow some of the underlying patterns to show, press textures into the paint, sprinkle it with white ink, then let it dry. Walk away form the “art”.

This is one such creation of mine, an ugly painting I covered with color and patterns randomly. Out of the ashes can rise something interesting. When dry I turn the painting in all four orientations, stand across the room and try to see something in it.

I saw the vague suggestion of a landscape, so I looked through the reference photos I had previously taken. I make albums of these on facebook, there for me to look through when needed. One photo of a woodland stream on a foggy day was a match- so I painted it in. Here I begin by sketching with white pastel.

The shoreline and trees are then painted in with indigo and blue, colors fading into the fog as I paint the background. I try to use the forms that chance created as I paint in this manner. Doing so seems to add to the naturalness of the painting- I allow the muse her own input.

Done- Misty Creek.

The darker colors give the hazy colors the structure they need. The colorful background is there from the start, it only needed a composition superimposed on it.

Painting in this way feels very freeing to me. It gives me the ability to mess up with impunity- so what if it looks bad, it was a wreck anyway!

This attitude, in turn, can allow you to paint from a deeper place within; find something you would not have thought of in conscious or directed thought.

And it is fun!

Have a good day, and a week where you find some beauty in your world.

 

 

Paint a Water Lily in Watercolor

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White Water Lily ,watercolor painting, 12 x 9 inches

So there it was, pristine and tucked under some lily pads in my small backyard pond- a white water lily. Each day I take a tour of my gardens in my small yard, seeking new blooms, creatures, ripening of vegetables, and visiting my fish in the pond. On this day the waterlily was spectacular, I fetched my camera.

I had painted waterlilies in the past and knew how challenging their many petals were to capture. It had been a long time, I was ready to try it again. Here is my approach.

I like to create a sketch using paint. Pencil can dent the paper, and can sometimes be difficult to erase. I used a diluted paint mix to outline the basic forms, knowing I can blend the paint later with water to delete the lines.

Next I painted a strong concentrate of ultramarine blue for the dark water. As it dried, it was way too pale. It would need more layers to be glazed on.

Completing the negative space in washes, I decided to add the center of the flower before finding all the petals.

I began to shade the petals, and add the lily pads that were underneath the other forms.

I glazed on another layer of blue to deepen the water, then continued to shade the petals.

Glazed the water again, then began to add shadows to it. I carefully preserved a few pure white areas in the water. A long time ago a professor told me his secret to keeping watercolor fresh and unique to the media was leaving some paper white. He felt it added sparkle and light to a painting.

On to the lily pads again;I began to add more color, working wet on wet for these. I began to show the structure and the veins of the leaves as I painted.

Glazed another layer of blue to some areas of the water. Then I tackled the small stamens in the center of the flower, adding detail.

watercolor painting, 12 x 9 inches

Done after I tweaked it some more. I added several layers of color to the lily pads, finished the stamen detailing, added more green reflective shading to the top petals, tightened the edges in some spots, softened the edges in others. Finished the stems, added color to the flower shadows, and added some deep shadows all over the place!

This painting took a lot of patience, but it had to be right. I could feel it when it was. If you are an artist, you know what I mean by that.

This morning I sat on my back porch with coffee, and watched the show nature put on. I have bird feeders, and have planted my gardens to include flowers used by birds and butterflies, of course bees. As I watched the sparrows, blue jays and hummingbird perform amongst the busy bees, I felt much happiness.

I wish you all a chance to get outside today and enjoy the show!