You are here: Home » Blog

A Part of Society – AAA and CLWAC

on

I am very pleased to post that my Mom, Karen, sister, Bonnie, and myself have become members of two prestigious art societies from New York. The first has been in existence for nearly a century for American artists. The second has been supporting women artists for over one hundred years. :D I am very proud to be a part of these societies that have such a history of helping and supporting artists.

Photo credit, US Department of the InteriorThe Allied Artists of America (AAA)
http://www.alliedartistsofamerica.org
"Founded in New York City in the year 1914 to the present, the Allied Artists of America, Inc. will continue to achieve its goal of furthering the cause of contemporary American artists. Allied Artists of America, Inc. It is a non-profit National Art Society composed of artists & sculptors from the across the country. The offices and exhibition galleries are both located at the elegant historical landmark, The National Arts Club."

Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club (CLWAC)
http://www.clwac.org
"A national organization to show and promote works by professional women artists, founded in 1896. The Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, CLWAC, has been supportive of women artists for over one hundred years. The club is very proud of the high standard of quality and respect that our members have in the art world."

Hacking

on

Quick post….  Apologies to anyone that wasn’t able to log onto my blog this morning…and afternoon…  Unfortunately, my blog was repeatedly attacked by hackers earlier today (it appears that only my blog was affected by these attacks), but thankfully the problem was fixed and should not be happening in the future.

Many thanks again to all of my fabulous subscribers and blog visitors who follow along in my work…. you’re the best! :D

–Rebecca

The International Guild Of Realism (IGOR)

on

I am very pleased to announce that my Mom, Karen, and I have just been accepted into the International Guild of Realism (IGOR).  I was encouraged to participate in the society by a friend I met online that is an existing member who drops by my blog occasionally, artist Cindy Haase (  http://cynhaase.blogspot.com/  beautiful colored pencils…definitely worth the click.. ;) ).

International Guild of Realism
http://www.realismguild.com
"Our mission is to advance realism in fine art through museum exhibitions, art gallery shows, workshops, education programs, marketing support and Internet exposure.

For us, “realism” ranges from classical realism (based upon the traditional, academic-style painting techniques) to contemporary realism (where cutting edge techniques and subject matter are used to comment on today’s world). Trompe l’oeil, photorealism, surrealism, and super-realism are some of the genres included within the range of realism choices for modern artists, as well.

The International Guild of Realism was founded by a group of leading professional realism artists from around the globe in 2002 with four goals:

• Recognizing the best realists working today
• Creating exhibition opportunities
• Providing technical and promotional support
• To offer a bridge between art collectors and the highest quality realist art, created by our members

It’s all based upon the proven belief that the more art lovers of the world have access to high-quality realism, the greater the value these paintings will have. Value not just in monetary terms, but in appreciation, understanding and international attention.

For art collectors, we create juried exhibitions in museums and galleries that span as many aspects of realism as possible so that they can see the panorama of international work in this field in one show. For museums, we curate themed exhibitions that provide a snapshot of where realism is today. For fellow artists, we provide information about workshops conducted by members and magazine features about realism techniques so that the quality of the art form continues to improve around the world.

It’s all based upon one simple premise: The more realism artists succeed in the competitive art world, the greater the benefit to the art lovers of the world."


Also…  I thought I would add one of my favorite quotes…

"The Courage of Integrity"
"The highest courage is to dare to be yourself in the face of adversity.  Choosing right over wrong, ethics over convenience, and truth over popularity…  these are the choices that measure your life.  Travel the path of integrity without looking back, for there is never a wrong time to do the right thing."

Oops.

on

Sorry everyone, this isn’t an ‘art post’. :?

Many technical difficulties over several days :( …  Lathamstudios.com went down (including this blog) complete with my/our email accounts.  If you sent an email recently and haven’t received an answer to it, it may still be floating around in cyberspace :? – feel free to send another.  Thankfully, after a lengthy call to Paris (yes, Paris, France…thank Heaven for bilingual Frenchmen!!), many emails, and non-English webpages, everything is back to normal.  (er, knock on wood…)

Many thanks for your patience. :) I really appreciate all of the wonderful support and kind words from all of you – my subscribers and blog visitors.  You are just fabulous!!!!!! :D

— Rebecca :)

Texture Dilemma – Surfaces In Miniature Painting

on

Just a  quick notice…    On occasion, there has been some confusion about surfaces of miniature painting, how paint is applied or the surface itself.  I’ve posted a small article about surfaces and surface textures in miniature painting that  some may find informative and helpful. :) The article can be seen here.
Or, if you prefer, visit the article index here.

Watercolor Miniature on Antique Ivory

on

This is my painting that I mentioned on the antique ivory (perhaps it should be stated ‘prehistoric ivory’, rather ;) ).  I chose to paint a timber wolf portrait.  This is the beginnings of the painting, of course.  Much more will be added to the piece before it is considered finished.  I am really having fun playing with this one. :D

For a little more information on miniature painting on Ivory… 

This image (left – "Maternité", 1908, mother and children in a gold frame) is a miniature painting in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 

The muted and moody piece is a watercolor on Ivory by American miniature painter, Lucy Stanton (1876 – 1931).  The painting’s image is 8-3/4 in x 7-3/4 in.

Ivory was first used by a Venician artist around 1700, and soon after, became very popular in England.  …and of course, America.  It became the surface of choice for those miniature painters who painted the popular portrait miniatures. 

Pieces of ivory most often were cut as slices from a tusk, though methods were developed to cut very large and thin veneered sheets (a roll 52 feet in length was once displayed in the 1850’s).  For durability reasons however, those veneered cuts never gained great popularity with miniature painters.  In the 20th century, the largest classically cut and prepared pieces available to a miniature artist were about 6 in x 7 in and quite expensive.  (This American artist sent for her pieces of ivory from London or Paris markets.)

Though some larger works can be found also, it is understandable that many smaller miniatures were painted on ivory…..with the expense of the surface and relatively small size of classically cut pieces, popularity of small miniatures during that time, and the difficulty that some artists had in handling paint on the smooth surface (I must add…it has even been published in several books that the difficulties of working on the surface is repeatedly over-emphasized in discussions of miniature painting.)

Personally, I honestly enjoy painting on these ivory and ivory simulated surfaces even more than the others that I have tried. :) …the final works seem to be popular with collectors as well.

Of course, ivory as it was during that period is no longer used because of species conservation.  However, luminous qualities of a miniature painting are still achieved on ivorine, an ivory surface substitute.  The Ivorine surface is neither opaque, like a gessoed panel, nor clear and transparent like glass.  it has a translucent quality that adds depth to a painting.  Surfaces like antique ivory and the mammoth ivory, which I am painting my wolf miniature on, for example are also available….and very nice as well.

Nautical & Maritime – Miniature Boat

on

This is a little boat miniature I just finished for Christmas (it was painted to be a surprise gift, so I couldn’t post the progress for everyone earlier…).  I’m not an expert in boat related topics, and I’ve never painted a boat before, so this was a new feat.  It’s also probably the one and only maritime painting that will have my name on it for some time ;) .   I normally focus on all of the shorebirds when I see a scene like this.  (…chasing them down the beach with my sketch book and camera… ;) )

This is a fishing boat from Maine.  I placed it in a morning sunrise setting.  In my trips to the East coast, my favorite part of visiting is seeing the colors, (sunrise or sunset) on the ocean, the calming movement of the water, and the smell of the fresh morning air.   So in this painting, I tried to paint the feeling of those beautiful hazy views into the piece.

No worries, though – I won’t become a nautical or maritime ship painter anytime soon. ;) (…I wouldn’t mind painting the birds, though…. :D )

Christmas Greetings

on
 

Wishing everyone, wherever you may be,  warmest Christmas wishes and all the best in the new year! :D

“It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.” —  W. T. Ellis

Black Leopard Progress…

on

This is the progress of the black leopard watercolor painting that I have been working on (see an earlier post here).  It is beginning to have the feeling of mood and atmosphere that I am striving for in this painting.  I will be refining it further (which, I suppose, is difficult to tell being that this photo is a bit web dithered… :? )  and adding other details to it as well.

Making A Mark Reviews The 2007 MPSGS Exibition

on

"Polar Ambiance", Watercolor on Board
One of my paintings in the 2007 MPSGS Exhibition

For those stopping by who might be interested in the happenings on other art blogs on the net…  Katherine Tyrrell, British blogger and artist from ‘Making a Mark‘, reviewed the current MPSGS exhibition in Washington on her blog. :D (See her review by following this link.)

Earlier this year she also reviewed the RMS exhibition in the Mall Galleries in London – was nice to hear about the show I wasn’t able to go (I had 5 pieces in this year’s exhibition).  Thank you, Katherine. :)