Monday, February 9, 2015

So you want to start painting? Part 1:


I have gushed to many friends and family members about how great painting with Wine Art Wednesdays is. They love the idea and think it sounds like fun but when I suggest they try, I so often hear "Oh but I don't know how to paint!". This is a feeling I totally understand as someone who only began painting a few years ago. If it wasn't for an invite to one of the first Wednesdays, I would not have picked up a paint brush and started by doing some well intentioned but fundamentally flawed paintings. 

A few years ago, I didn't really paint. I had taken art classes here and there throughout school and even into college but I never considered myself a painter or even someone who was good at drawing (I'm still not good at drawing). I loved doing creative projects using whatever materials I had on hand but the fine arts were not in my bag of tricks.

(This is my art journey. The bottom paintings are a few of my firsts, colorful and fun but pretty flat and simple. The top two are some that I'm working on now that I feel really show how I've improved.)

            That feeling of trepidation when you first stare at a blank canvas inspired me to write a how-to post. One of the great advantages of sharing a table each week with a group of artists and creative people is that you can begin to absorb what they know. Everything I have learned about painting, I have learned at Wine Art Wednesdays simply by watching others paint or listening to advice on how to get out of the corners we paint ourselves into. Although I can't promise to teach you how to paint, I can offer a how-to guide on how to get started. How often in life is getting started the biggest barrier we have to trying anything?! Here are a few simple steps just get you started on your own journey of art discovery!

Supplies:

You don't need to run out and buy the whole art section to set up a fun painting night for yourself. I buy most of our supplies at Jerry's Artarama. They have a great selection at every price range and most of the people who work there really know their stuff so you can ask them for advice on what to get. Check your area for smaller family-run art stores as well to help support local business.

- Brushes - At least have a big, medium, and small, the material (synthetic vs. natural fibers) doesn't matter so much as long at it feels comfortable in your hand. Many stores sell variety packs so you can try a few different sizes and see which speaks to you.
-Canvas - we like to paint on miniature canvases, 5" by 7" or 6"6" is often the largest size we do. I find that small canvases are less intimidating and perfect for completing a painting in one sitting. If you really love painting large, maybe do a first draft on a small canvas and then repaint it on a bigger one when you feel more confident.

-Sta-Wet Palette -This is one of my favorite painting supplies!   It contains a sponge which you wet and then put a piece of palette paper over. When you are done painting for the day, just close it up and your paints will stay wet and usable for up to weeks at a time. It saves paint and sometimes sanity once you've mixed the perfect color that can be impossible to recreate exactly. Although any paper plate or piece of cardboard will do for a pallete, the Sta-Wet is a great tool.

-Paint - We use acrylic because it is fast drying and easy to mix. There is a whole world of paint choices out there so keep it simple on your first go and try acrylic (it does not come out of clothing so protect your clothes with an apron). It can be hard to know what colors to select but it is good to have the basics, red, blue, yellow, black, and white to cover standard mixing. Beyond that, I think the best way to select colors is to pick what you like! Look around your house or in your closet and see what colors you gravitate towards most often.You may find a common theme that will guide your decision. When facing a whole shelf of amazing colors in the art store, go with what you are drawn to. Hold colors next to each other and see how they relate. They may clash or they may sing so find ones that appeal to you. I always find myself painting with light green so I make sure to have it on hand.

Starting, the scary part! 

First thing is prime your canvas. Starting off with a white canvas is intimidating. You have to turn all that nothing into something and it can make you uneasy. At wine art we usually begin our nights by priming a few canvases.

 I recommend priming in a lighter color, more of a pastel and that way you can add darks as you go. It can be hard if you paint your canvas deep purple and then everything that goes on top disappears into the darkness. Priming doesn't have to be perfect, you just want a layer of paint down to block out that white. Feel free to use multiple colors or make it a pattern that will provide a good foundation for your painting. Let it dry before you start working.





Find references photos. My mother and other artists in the group who have been painting for years rarely just decide what to paint and then go off and do it. Even experienced artists like to have a reference objects or photos so they know where the light and shadows are and how the colors play with each other in an image. I like to dig through my old cooking magazines, art books, or just go to Google for inspiration. Most artists learn by copying other's work so feel free to borrow from anyone (the only thing to note is it's fine to copy for your own purposes but not for profit. Respect copyrighted work and do not sell art you copied directly from someone else's image). Another hint is that is that it is so much easier to go from flat to flat. What I mean is painting from a picture instead of a 3D object is a lot easier because the picture is already a flat image. With a 3D object, you turn your head or the light changes and you have something that looks a little different. A photo is already flat and ready to be transposed onto a flat canvas. It is more of a mental trick than anything but I find it works well, especially for beginners.

Let's stop here for now to give you time to gather supplies and ideas to begin your art journey. I will write again soon about how to get started with the actual painting part.

Love Gina and the Wine Art Ladies

Friday, June 13, 2014

Cheshire, CT Strawberry Festival - June 14, 2014


Date : TOMORROW --> Saturday, June 14, 2014
Time : 9 am - 4 pm
Where : Cheshire Strawberry Festival, 111 Church Drive, Cheshire, CT 06410
Who : All ages

Just a quick reminder that we will be over by the Cheshire Historical Society (NOT on the main green) and that we are hosting a raffle! And we will be posting some of our first photos to our new Instagram account: @WineArtWednesdays !


We hope to see you tomorrow!
<3 Alex and the Wine Art Girls!!!

Sunday, June 8, 2014

How to Ice-Dye: a Gypsy Theories Blog Post

With the upcoming Strawberry Festival and all the ice-dyeing I did to sell at our booth, I thought I should link to a tutorial post on Ice-Dyeing (or Snow-Dyeing) I wrote over on one of my other blogs; Gypsy Theories.  Here's the link if you are interested:

Snow Dyeing...

Here's some sneak peaks from that blog:
(Photos by Alex Whatton, 2014)

Hope you enjoy the post and we really hope to see you at the Cheshire, CT Strawberry Festival on Saturday, June 14, 2014!  Click HERE for more information.

<3 Alex

PS: Here's a sneak peak for the Festival:
(Photo by Alex Whatton, 2014)

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Cheshire, CT Strawberry Festival : 6.14.14



Date : Saturday, June 14, 2014  (Yes, Father's Day is Sunday!)
Time : 9 am - 4 pm
Where : Cheshire Strawberry Festival, 111 Church Drive, Cheshire, CT 06410
Who : All ages

Wine Art Wednesdays will be attending the Saturday, June 14, 2014 Cheshire, CT Strawberry Festival on the town green! Our booth will be open from 9 am - 4 pm over by the Cheshire Historical Society.  Please come out and say "Hello!" and see the other wonderful arts vendors, crafters, and antiques out for sale...PLUS enjoy some strawberry deliciousness and entertainment (live music, kids bouncy castles, face painting, etc...!

We will be hosting a raffle and have some new items for sale! And we will be posting some of our first photos to our new Instagram account: @WineArtWednesdays !

Happy Summer friends!
<3 Alex


Sunday, January 26, 2014

Gina and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day



Have you ever read the children's book "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day"? I thought of it because that exactly describes my day yesterday. As a matter of fact, it describes my whole past week!

I got in the car after work and starting wondering if it was worth making the hour and a half drive from Stamford to Cheshire for Wine Art. What if the traffic is bad? What if I get there and am too tired to stay long? What if my painting comes out horrible and I end up even grumpier? I made the drive with a dark storm cloud brewing over my head. 

Sometimes when things are feeling that bad, something wonderful needs to happen.  The traffic wasn't so bad after I left Fairfield county. My ipod was randomly selecting some pretty great songs. A light snow started to fall as I drove into Cheshire. The soft magical kind that will remind any bitterly cold New Englander that snow is great sometimes. I parked my car in the driveway of Donna's house and braved two seconds of frigid air as I bounded up the front steps, my little black cloud in tow. When I opened the front door all I could smell was garlic and rosemary and knew a fantastic meal was in my immediate future.
I felt my dark cloud evaporate into thin air.
 
Often we come to Wine Art with a big pile of the week's baggage. So many of us work multiple jobs, are involved in the community, and have families to tend to that it can be hard to get out from under things. If you are feeling anything like I was,please see the top secret Wine Art Wednesday cloud removal recipe below:

1. Let someone hand you a huge glass of wine when you walk in the door
2. Sit down to the best dinner of your life (roasted lamb and potatoes, hubbard squash with bacon/cornbread/cheese stuffing, vegetable curry, fruit salad, green salad yum yum YUM!)
3. Pour yourself another huge glass of wine and talk about how to preserve a dead body (click if you dare to know what started this conversation...) (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/belgian-woman-sleeps-husband-corpse-year-article-1.1522140)
4. Eat two bowls of pistachio and chocolate mint gelato (screw it, have a third!)
5. Go and finish a painting that you've been unsure about how to finish for weeks





 
If this recipe doesn't clear your cloud and you have tarnished silver, try this and you will be awed and amazed and completely happy!
 
Donna demonstrated this technique on some jewelry and silverware that was almost black we tarnished and then we all yelled in amazement because it worked so well! It is so hard to polish all the little nooks and crannies in a silver chain so this will definitely make your day!



I know I'm not the only one who has had a terrible, awful, no-good, very bad day but as a survivor of many, I can promise you that they will get better! Try our proven recipe and see if your dark cloud clears!

Love Gina 

Sunday, October 20, 2013

Happy 2nd Birthday Wine Art Wednesday!

It's hard to believe that the first official Wine Art happenings were two full years ago! The first paintings went up on Etsy in October 2011 and we had no idea then how successful things would get from there!

I remember the first time I heard about this concept from my mother who mentioned that Alex and Joan wanted to start a painting night at their house. I was skeptical at first thinking to myself that I barely knew how to paint, I didn't even like wine, and what if I felt like I didn't fit in with this group whose kids all grew up together and who had known each other for years? At the time, I was living between about three different houses while I struggled through my first job out of college and didn't have much of a sense of place or community. I didn't know how much I needed Wine Art at the time but boy did I ever need it!

Two years later I can't tell you how proud I feel when I paint something I really like and then someone buys it on Etsy. I always think "seriously someone wants to pay money for something I made???" Two years later I have a recycling bin to prove that I've gotten over my dislike of wine. Two years later I am eagerly awaiting next weekend when the WAW ladies come to my house! Birthdays are a great time to reflect on personal growth so I can't help but smile at how far Wine Art and the artists and cooks who take part have come from two years ago.

I think my experiences with this group of wonderful women is a great testament to the power of trying new things. My small fears were so easily forgotten as soon as I tasted Joan's amazing curry and was handed a glass of wine that I realized wasn't so bad after all! Many of us began as novice painters and felt so encouraged by the great painters and warm friends around us that pretty soon it stopped mattering because we were just having fun!

I've had plenty of experiences trying a new class or going out with co-workers that seemed to fall flat on their face. Each time I would come home defeated thinking that maybe staying in at night and watching TV is the way to go. What made Wine Art different than the other things I tried is that is almost came about as an intentional community. We all had enjoying the arts and eating artful food in common and the rest just fell into place! Why start a book club if you are snoozing after the first chapter? Why join a jogging club if you have to be dragged out the door each time it meets? Some easy advice on how to start or participate in a social group is to base it around something you love. Even if you start the endeavor with strangers, the shared passion and shared learning experience can be a great way to start friendships! I am so glad that two years ago I didn't let a couple things deter me from taking part in what has become one of the most enjoyable things I do. Now I can say I work a boring office job but in my spare time I'm a budding painter and a lady of Wine Art Wednesday!!

Please enjoy a few pictures from our September art market:

This fellow with a large nose and jaunty hat came from the produce stand next to us. I bet he will show up in a painting in the future!

Set-up time!

Oodles and oodles of art!


We learned a few valuable lessons like that this setup will act like a sail when the wind blows!

Plan B was much more stable!





Thursday, September 26, 2013

ART SHOW! This Sunday (9-29-13) in Cheshire, CT

It's here!  Our first live Art Show!

We will be selling our paintings this Sunday (September 29) at [RE]new Furniture's (534 West Main Street in Cheshire, CT) first ever West Cheshire Village Marketplace from 2:00 - 6:00 pm.


Come out join us.  Meet the artists and see what's being made and sold locally.

Address :
[RE]new Furniture
534 West Main Street
Cheshire, CT 06410

Date : Sunday, September 29, 2013
Time : 2:00 pm - 6:00 pm

We hope to see you there!

Email WineArtWednesdays@gmail.com if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
the Wine Art Girls

Check out some of our current art at http://www.etsy.com/shop/WineArtWednesdays.
(Please note that we will put our Etsy shop in "Vacation" mode on Sunday during the show, since each painting is unique and we don't want to create any confusion or double sales.)

Friday, March 29, 2013

colored pencil earrings

i think i will *mostly* let the photos speak for themselves, but i will definitely list our delicious menu!  (and yes, it included pez...)
 
 menu :

bellini's + wine
prosciutto-wrapped greens w/ a dressing
lamb coconut curry over rice
spicy daal w/ naan
roasted vegetables
handmade fried fishcakes
*various sauces + chutneys were passed*
carrot cake
(the ramekin contained a little dairy-free version that robin made for me and benj - so sweet of her and delicious, oh my gosh delicious!)
cola, raspberry-lemon, + strawberry PEZ
(because why not? and gabrielle visited the Pez Factory in Orange, CT, haha!)

. . . c o l o r e d   p e n c i l   e a r r i n g s . . .
 matboard lovingly cut and punched in pairs
 gina's creation begins
 gabrielle's whole process is a work of art
 robin's faces were showstoppers
 my photo does not do justice of jessica's ombre work
(see finished photos at bottom)
 joan's landscape on one side / faces on the other...i love seeing the inspiration next to the work
 denise's beautiful pair were inspired by venetian glass
. . .
and here they are!!!
 i am newly addicted
 (see what i mean about robin's faces?!)
 
another wildly successful wine art wednesday

a big thank you to rita for teaching the workshop and preparing all of the materials - it was a blast - and i'm terribly sorry about speaking over you that time, haha, what was going on?! and also to donna for hosting, all of the chefs and you girls for being you girls...i love you!

and in the conversation that i *can* repeat :
- check out quarterly.co because jessi is subscribed to cool hunting (and their website here) and just received an awesome bag in their latest shipment. donna has just subscribed to "food + home" and we are all excitedly waiting for their first shipment.
- and i know i missed a bunch of great conversation when i brought benj home for grandpa to babysit him, but maybe you girls can remind me in the comments.

i especially loved all of the new ideas flying around for what to do next.  we will never be at a loss for what to do and that makes me happier than anything else.

oh wine art, how i have missed you.  it was great to be back!

xoxo,
alex

p.s. : dear kind visitor, if you have made it this far, please let us know what you are enjoying (or not) in the comments below!  also, would you like us to sell hand-painted earrings on etsy?  thank you in advance!

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Chicken Feet


“One of the best things about art is the wine and friends that I always share it with”
-Kielty W.

“A good painting to me has always been like a friend. It keeps me company, comforts and inspires”
- Hedy Lamarr

I have no doubt that the artists of Wine Art Wednesday could run the world. These individuals work impossibly long days while still finding time to paint amazing artwork and meet up with friends on a weekly basis. And not to mention, they cook the best food I’ve ever had!   

After a holiday hiatus, it was wonderful to see everyone full of their usual positive energy and great stories.

The dinner menu:
Wine
Toasted baguette with Sicilian sea salt, olive oil, red pepper topped with goat cheese
Wine
Slow roasted Brussels sprouts
Sliced sweet carrots
Cauliflower kofti
Coconut fish curry
Wine
Risotto
Braised chickens feet
Freshly baked apple crisp
Homemade Baileys

The menu is creative. It sets the stage for the original silly conversation(s), and eventually, the actual painting. This week we ate chicken’s feet. Why? Well, why not? We eat liver, breast, wings, legs. Why not the feet? They were delicious and I cannot wait to have them again. The Thai coconut fish curry had large pieces of cod and slices of  avocado. If you don’t think you would like it, think again. In fact everyone loved it so much that there was literally nothing left in the green Le Creuset. 




The picture that you are seeing below is the official inventory of the paintings from the past year. About 10 or so paintings were removed to be painted over and another 10 or so were sold. As we edited our stock of paintings, conversation turned to potentially traveling as a group to Paris and new topics that inspire us to paint.


In each blog post we like to showcase a little about our artists so here's a little bit more about me, Gabrielle:

Currently reading:
-          Ecology abstracts and reports
-          5th grade homework and laboratory packets
Seriously. Those are the only things that I have time for. Either I am spending my energy on various ecology papers to keep myself as informed as possible of my field. Or I am grading various assignments from my 90 students on their science comprehension. To be honest, I really would not want to be doing much else. I love learning about new field work/research and the progress of my students. Both are quite gratifying.

Art that I love…
I am having a bit of a love affair with ink right now. There is something so beautiful about just seeing the shape in each piece. Yes, yes, the pictures that usually catch my eye are animal related, but look at the detail in that zebra!!
I actually have these. I bought them for myself, well for my mother buy I kept them, before Christmas. I love the simplicity and functional art aspect of these little egg calendar pieces. I am excited to figure out how to use them when the year is over.
Wood sheep postcards? Yeah. This is whimsical and ecofriendly. A great way to reuse postcards AND the wood is from a sustainable cedar forest. The only reason why I have not purchased these items is because I have no use for postcards! I wish I did.

I often times have my students set daily, weekly and monthly goals for themselves. To make myself vulnerable for a second, I am going to share with you my (resolutions) goals for 2013:
1. Paint higher quality work at WAW
2. Tell people consistently their importance in my life
3. A serious relationship
4. Be (even more) adventurous with my recipe making

With the support from the WAW crew I am excited to take on 2013 with homemade liquors, beautiful art and our fall trip to Paris.