Wine Art Wednesdays: Gina Caldwell

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

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: