An Online Class Is Coming!!!

 

 

A real quick overview for Building a Painted Scene.

 

I am teaching with acrylic paints and mediums how to Build a Scene of Nature. 

Learning how to use the pigments with the intended medium to engage your painted story more vibrantly.  To use the brush as an extension of your arm and realize how NOT DIFFICULT painting really is.

We begin with practicing elements of nature, in this series we work with trees, grass and rocks.
 (Other series planned will include water, sky and so forth)

After the practice paintings of the elements involved trees, grass and rocks the final painting will include pulling all those elements from different sources to build a scene that may or may not be an actual setting in your neighborhood but, sure could be.

Included in the class are videos with instructional how to, perfect for anyone beginning or wanting to expand their range.  I like to take classes for the practice involved of having a preplanned project laid forth that provides me a ready project so, perfect for the experienced too!
PDF's for studying.

Lists of materials and sources.

Offering group camaraderie with a Facebook private group, where we share our projects and questions that need me to answer or the ability to e-mail me with questions. 
For those who want to add the benefit of one on one instruction, I will offer a limited number of spaces for meeting over the inter net live with helpful instruction and feedback.

E-mail me at mshemeral@midstatesd.net to be placed on the list for further information as it becomes available. 

The class is set to launch in August 2015!!!

Come join us learning how easy painting really is!

A special THANK YOU to Anne Gaal,Ph.D.,CPCC,ACC at http://annegaal.com
who kept encouraging me and helped me through ALL the electronically challenging parts to bring this to the on-line community.

Go to the Stagecoach Gallery on Facebook  www.facebook.com/StagecoachGallery and sign onto the list for information as well as email me direct: mshemeral@midstatesd.net
Go to www.maryshuntstudio.com if you want to view my range.

Thank you for stopping in today :) Have a great Fourth of July weekend!

Behind the Scenes Part ONE!

A LOT has been going on since we had this retreat last year!

I took a very involved course on how to create an on-line class.
I wanted to offer a course, not just a lesson.
And I am currently developing this class.

How to Build Scenery For YOUR Painted Story

If you were like I was when I first began using acrylics, I didn't use everything to gain the best results in my paintings.
The paintings were well executed, just the painting with the products (or lack of product) part was not all it could be.
Why?
I wasn't utilizing the mediums.

These lessons help with this as well as help you gain better range, or give you some practice without having to "think" about what you want to practice.

We ...build scenery.
There will be ongoing course segments, the first is the approach for trees, grass and rocks.
Later I will introduce "skies" and the "water features"...elements of nature is what this course will address.

After several lessons we pull it all together for a final approach.

Each lesson gives you PDF's to study and videos with me directing your through the lesson.
Videos you access when you wish and as often as you wish.

I offer a one on one approach and email accessibility for any questions you might need addressing.

If you need some one-on-one advice, we can approach this live!, through a google hangout!
Isn't that the coolest!!

This is by appointment, emails offer a answer for your question in a timely manner and we have a group on line where we share our lesson results and conversation questions and approaches to painting, in a group environment.

Class is due to launch in JUNE!

An Overview of the Retreat...Finally!

The retreat was amazing! 
For the first time I think the turnout was great! 
And it cooled off enough to make the weather bearable for some outside assignments.

Everyone is arriving and meeting each other getting acquainted time.
They came from Houston Texas, Virginia, Wyoming and Local Gentry!

Then next couple of days was BUSY.  The classes packed a LOT of information into the space of time.

Chris is giving her instruction for Pastel Painting.

Their results from the class!!!

The Photography class took advantage of rolling in weather and went on location.

 

 

Back in the classroom Chad is going over what to do with their images.

 

 

Glass Staining corner.  On the palette she learned to make the lump for using in matting.  Typically, I use a different elixir for lines and that is also on the palette.  One of the tiles being worked up.

Ready to fire in the Kiln.

These are all the pictures I have off the camera.  From my phone, which I don't know how to transfer to the computer, are images we learned to do with Instagram.  Those hashtags are:
#sdartists  # sdart  #stagecoachgallery

I did not have any pictures of the watercolor class on the camera but, they are in the instagram # group on the stagecoach page on facebook.

www.facebook.com/stagecoachgallery

Their feedback indicates they had a good time, learned a lot, and want to come again next year.

Thank you all the participants, and a special thank you to the teachers:

Chad Phillips ~ www.chadphillipsphotography.com
Chris Cernetisch ~ www.pastelchris.com
Bonnie Brahms ~ www.brahms-art.us.net
Mary Hunt ~ www.maryshuntstudio.com

We will be having one day workshops throughout the rest of the year until it is time again for the next retreat.

Slated for the 3rd weekend of June 2015.

I appreciate everyone following along and sharing the posts as we were getting the word out. 
Thank you!

♥



An Art Retreat is about MORE than Learning about Art

A retreat is more than about learning to paint.  While we are offering an opportunity to learn the process of painting or learning how to use a camera, to get a healthy dose of creative inspiration, you will come away with a lot more from the experience.

The process of painting isn't so much about producing artwork to sell. 
It is about not being afraid of the process.

The process has HUGE benefits. 
Just the motion, the letting go of your inhibitions to just put something on the paper, or in the camera, has calming properties.

Freeing yourself from the fear of getting away to a special place, with in yourself, and allowing that place to calm down enough to mark a page, snap a shot, practice a movement or technique...allows you to calm down, which in turn, allows you to plan.

Allows you to enjoy the moment, which allows you to mend your soul from the busy week.

Allows you to escape into yourself, which allows you to explore.

Explore allows you to find different paths.

Different paths might take you to a new place for vacation.  Might help you find the right path to help your child or mate. 
Might bring you a healing peace.

Might let you just REST.

Rest allows you to bring clarity to yourself.

Clarity helps you develop inner peace, or the avenue to project yourself further in your career. 

The process of art brings all this and more to the individual.

What is happening in this special 3 day retreat is to help you explore a process, maybe become a bit more proficient in a process you are already trying to make work but just don't seem to be achieving the success you would like.

Learn a bit of history, learn to appreciate what you see when you are in the proximity of others works.

Learn to appreciate yourself! 

Be patient, with yourself and others. 

Learn to slow down and relax. 

Learning the processes.

Gains an individual introspection, patience, appreciation, understanding. 
You do not need to become an "artist" to merit from this retreat.

You WILL have fun learning "how to" or "getting better" at the curriculum you sign up under.
You WILL learn to have an appreciation and better understanding when you are presented with work from the heart.
You WILL learn to listen a bit better to Yourself.

In addition to being about "self", you will enjoy the camaraderie of the other's joining the retreat.  The evenings are about sharing the day with the other members of the retreat.  Tweaking it out with the instructors, enjoying the evening with friends.

There is just SOOOO much more to this  retreat...

Come out and EXPERIENCE what is such a TURN ON about learning something new!

ALL the workshops are being kept SMALL only 8 spaces per class instructor. 

Which means MORE instruction to EACH Student. 

This retreat is all about YOU!
NOT about filling up to the max~spaces of students...as I am sure many of you have frustratingly experienced...I know I HAVE!

Join in July 25, 26, 27, 2014 The Stagecoach Retreat in Platte, SD
Choose from one of the following workshops:

Chad Phillips~ Learning about YOUR Camera: Photography.  An South Dakotan Premiere Photographer, sharing his knowledge, helping you learn about the camera YOU use to document your life.  Learn the features to best remember what is happening in your everyday world.
www.chadphillipsphotography.com

Bonnie Brahms~ Learning the skills and understanding to work in water media through Watercolor Painting.  The materials needed the technical applications to learn to explore this fascinating, yet inhibiting media.  She is also working you through Value and Color. 
www.brahms-art.us


Chris Cernetisch~ Learning the mysterious medium of Pastel Painting. The materials needed and technical applications to learn and explore a misunderstood medium, chalk!  She explores Value and Color.
www.pastelchris.com


BOTH Ladies are offering methods and exercises and the mother lode of information in 3 Days packed FULL of how to and hands on help that could take years of experimenting and frustration to gain.


Mary S Hunt~ Learning about Staining Glass.  A Centuries old process for "painting glass"  No glass experience in needed. 
You will gain an appreciation for a method seen in many corporate buildings and most Churches (places of worship). 
The "how to" process will afford ANY artist a better knowledge for Value. 
Working in Monochromatic is the BEST way to afford an understanding for Value. 
So not only will you achieve a better understanding of the most important building block to paint and sketch, but you gain history appreciation as well.

Concerns have been expressed about NOT being a glass technician to finish the tile executed during the class. 
IF desired, I can be hired to finish your project, that can be discussed when you sign up.

The classes are SMALL, 8 people per instructor. 
(there WILL be a cut off date, yet to be determined when we no longer accept sign ups due to planning)
DON'T DELAY!

The class is a CHOICE of~ Photography, Watercolor or Pastel Painting, Glass Staining.

THREE FULL DAYS~ July 25, 26, 27...July 24 is Welcoming Social...

Stagecoach Gallery~ Platte SD 605-337-2308
Contact for questions, a brochure, and sign up Mary~ mshemeral@midstatesd.net

Come on out!!! You KNOW you WANT to.

Peacock finished

I actually accomplished another painting this week...which is totally unusual...so I guess the dry spell is lifting...I am becoming unblocked!

I am entering week 12 of the Artist Way by Julie Cameron...I am here to tell you..her process works...
The first reading of the AW left me cold...I thought yeah right this is a bunch of baloney...she just has this set up like AA...
then I kept reading raves...so I joined a group...I made through about 3 weeks..and I do say the process up to that point was helpful...I got as far as cleaning up the crazimakers...then just thought the rest didn't really apply...to me...

Time rolls on and I am just not the most productive...not as I once was or could be...
so...

Again a friend and I are doing this together...this time things are clicking and I have made such total progress...not to say I am CURED...but I am discovering things that have been hidden
things I have worked through...
I have done the exercises and they are very encouraging and helpful.

If I had to make a guess I would say it has been 15/20 years since I painted 2 or more paintings in 1 week...so I am thrilled!!!!

Here is painting 2

Painted from a photo I took of a local fella's peacock I was lucky to snap of him on the fence...
it is 50x14
canvas on wood
acrylics
varnished

sold

:D

WIP buffalo

My desire to paint is returning, and i am in a buffalo kind of mood.  I found a board I had painted long ago and repainted it a neutral tone.
Then lined in a buffalo

I wanted texture TEXTURE! so I mixed up some plaster.

and added it to the canvas.

while it dried i added some paint to the fellas face and horns..then added some more plaster.

this is how he ended for the first day..
fairly roughed in and as you can see a lot of texture...which made me happy...I had to stop since the children were arriving for mom to go to do the supper shift at the nursing home...but I had a full day...we don't want to over do it just getting back to it..:D

Pheasant Series of 3

I worked up a series depicting Pheasant behaviour on the prairie during the spring.  The work is mixed-media...using a method for transferring images similar to developing film.  The chemicals involved and techniques are from Dass...and the results are amazing.  I use Arches 88 paper for the substrate...my photography...and then I enhance the whole picture using Golden acrylic products.
The first in the series is "The Stand-off"
The second is the dance "Cock-fight"
The third is "Stands Alone"

The colors for their feathers is amazing this time of year.

I have them offered on Etsy.

They would make an awesome addition to any Hunting Lodge...or any decor for that matter..or be perfect for Fathers day.

Images of TX

I have been snapping pictures of just about everything I find down here in Texas
there is still a lot of critters indicative to both SD and TX...that being the case a lot of what I am getting pictures of will find their way into future artwork.

Some for paintings be it either canvas or glass and I have a few murals planned for the new store. Here is a shy longhorn calf peeking around momma.


And I KNOW these are bad critters when they grow up
wild pigs get to be 600 and upwards of over 1000 pounds as an adult
and they are destructive and MEAN they WILL kill you
but aren't they cutest little critters as babies.

they stood by the road for the longest time
well until i got the camera ready then they toooook off
and they are FAST too!

I do not know where momma was but i guarantee if i had gotten out of the truck she would have made her presence known!

The BIG Lamp Reveal

Here are the final results of the lampshade and the story I hope to portray.
As you saw in the last post the paint is fired onto the lamp from the inside. This means there is NOTHING painted on the outside of the lamp. You gaze at the image when the lamp is lit. Unlit it just appears as shadows. Lamps are incredibly hard to photograph...and then I went through a gazillion images until I decided on these.
The first image shows life on the trail for the homesteader pioneering west to their piece of land...indicated with a Homestead Ticket..which is shown in the next image.

Along the way many didn't make it...indicated with the memory of a grave marker. Other places on the lamp are snippets of journals, as many pioneers documented their journey.
The grass was tall in these times usually 6 ft!

If you look at the left portion of this image and the right portion of the next image you get a sense of the 4th side..."the sod family" which is being featured in a guest post with Anne Gaal. Until then I promised to show that side (in its entirety)



In the meantime here is side 3 the journey made with the wagon, that often was home a bit longer after they made their destination.

Life as a pioneer was extreme.
Extreme bouts of weather
Extreme losses
Extreme dangers

I live in relative comfort in SD and I can admit I would not have fared well as "pioneer stock"
I probably would have made it some how...but I would have complained a LOT!

Reverse Shade Continued

okay well it has been so long!! I reversed the top and bottom image
the line image is the shade after it has been fired from the matte step and I am now ready to begin adding color

i know it has been forever!
getting to know the new camera has been a challenge for me
that coupled with the Internet issues here in Texas
i have suffered quite the patience curve
we bought a booster antenna and that has helped
some

the color palette is fairly limited that i work with
these low firing paints are extremely expensive
so i chose colors that could be mixed and thus i have a fair palette to work with....

these were the colors i used
the green, pink, orange, white, red and blue
all mix well with squeegee oil that makes a paint like elixir
fired onto the crystal



and you get the top picture
not this one
the painted side fired and ready to look at through the other side!

well I have since finished the lamp
so look for that blog post

i learned that with a slow connection
a person MUST change the size on their pictures

i am spoiled, apparently, in SD to high speed internet
I didn't know

but I have missed y'all and hope you have a good new beginning to another year
:)

Reverse Lampshading Process...

I like the shape of a crystal lampshade, so I purchase them, which this is...lets walk through the process of reverse painting with glass on glass in traditional techniques for museum quality. Using a special mix of paint with fine ground glass and an added amount of flux so the kiln can embed these elixirs at a lower temperature keeping my shades shape, we begin with what is called the line drawing. This is painted on the inside of the shade in the reverse pattern of your intended drawing.

I am showing just 2 sides of the shade. The fist one is a pioneer family in front of their sod house...the second image is on the trail setting up camp for supper...

this becomes the first kiln firing..

Next I totally black matte the inside of the shade.

This shows the inside totally black...then with scrub brushes and picks I gently remove the matted paint to give details to the images.

This takes hours depending on how much detail you wish to portray...I am keeping it simple since the images are not going to have a lot of designs on clothes and that sort of thing they used homespun fabrics and basic basic living utensils

The letters Yous view are portraying a homestead certified ticket which would give the homesteader their location to stop...also a portion of journal recording the trip...here you can see how the scrubbed areas respond to the matte being removed...this is the same portion above "on the trail stopping for supper"

and the pioneer family in front of their sod house...

tomorrow this fires in the kiln and sets the matte process into the glass..next is color!

Last of the Christmas orders...done

these are the last 2 commissions that were to be done for Christmas! the 2 small bevel panels were shipped out today...and will arrive Thursday...close!


then the grandma platters...the first set we chose glass that plainly wanted to misbehave...which had me nervous over the whole project..what if the next glass does this too..(it can happen)

so client came and reselected a different sheet for these granny and Nana platters
the children's hands were traced and then i made a stencil of their hands


first i used frits and powders but the purple and pink colors that were to represent the girls were to close to the base composition of the substrate glass
so i ended up having to use enamels..which still set the tone of the color..even tho the bottom plate looks as if both of the pairs of hands are purple
the bigger hands are pink..just where i took the picture absorbed the true colors
these are lead free enamels

the irregular edge lends to a unique arty appeal that says i ordered this just for you
i think you are special!

done in time for Christmas gifting...


how is that list doing there for you??

ho ho ho...

Favorite Piece

What was my favorite piece of artwork....
that would be this piece
Hannah
done in acrylics
I don't do portaits as much as I used to and Hannah's piece was a limbering exercise...

enjoy the weekend
:>)

AEDM day 30

I wanted to show you these frames. They are a Polystyrene composit sold at http://www.dickblick.com
this is 1 of 9 styles, called the Metro. Some have mattes as well, I ordered the 11 x 14 for 11.99...to me this is a super price for a really nice looking frame..very sleek and contemporary. Also I mounted the painting to a piece of mixed media composition board I painted to compliment the painting...Keeping a nice light weight framed piece. I hope you like my find :)


then Sunday we put the lights on the out front tree..the extent of my decoration requirements

It was warm Sunday but snowing yesterday. I had to wait for it to be almost dark to get a decent picture.

Happy Holidays...buy original handmade artwork and crafts from your favorite artists...help support your friends and family and not the ready made from wal-mart (and the like)...the gift is better appreciated for a lifetime of admiration...just keep this in mind when you make the decision to purchase your gifts this year and to come...
birthdays/anniversaries/holidays of all kinds and ...special thank yous too!

this is the last day for AEDM the tree is my participation...but I am back in the swing of posting more regular...so keep coming back often.

Thank you for coming by!

AEDM 27-28

This is my final for Julie and Chris's Texture Town class...this was a bit more of a challenge than the last one and this time i am putting in the photo we were given.










here is the photo and my beginning
day.











I have started with some color












putting those braket things in...
and pretty much I am done...

this class is all about texture and how to replicate it..learn MORE about the Golden products...you can only grow in these classes...

thank you for coming by!
have a good week!!

AEDM 25-26

Happy day after thanksgiving!
nothing I have is done enough to post about...I began a commission of a larger canvas with the sea nettles theme...and I have begun my final showdown exam for textures with Julie and Chris-texture town

We spent the evening at sons JR's...Hannah 5 and autistic had created on her own this book (she gifted me) totally her idea to bind it with the paperclips!!! I am an impressed grandma



a few of the pages follow...

























here is the little artist!

AEDM day 22-23

this is my first of two exams to enter into texture town

offered by Chris cozen and Julie prichard

and you can find the information at

http://www.julieprichard.com

(oh and i passed :>) )

any way this is an intense amount of medium used to create the texture part of the painting

so it took around 48 hours to dry...then my process began to replicate a wall that was given to replicate in the lesson

it had old iron scroll work at the top then grime and rust down the stucco wall

or an interpretation of the old wall.

i have new found interest with stencils..but only a few in my possession to choose from

they are widely used in these processes and offer a great amount of relief to the overall look you might be going after in the painting.

so the stencil at the top of my painting is my

interpretation of scrolled iron work

this painting i like...i would buy this painting...rich hues that may not be coming across in the picture

of umber tones which i love..and even though i am not a contemporary fan...i like the contemporary feel to this piece...or maybe i am converting

:)

i came a LONG way from the first lesson offered in this class...

now

i have been "professionally" painting for over 30 years...(in a more traditional style)

if a seasoned professional can gain from Julie and Chris's classes don't you think the novice would...

thank you for looking and enjoy the day

Happy Thanksgiving too

we have a lot to be thankful for!