Abstract Acrylic Paintings by Caroline Williams News

SANTA FE STUDIO TOUR 2013

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 17:18:45 CDT

The date is fast approaching for the long awaited Santa Fe Studio Tour! Next weekend my

studio will be open for three days, Friday, Saturday and Sunday (June 28-30). When

visiting, you will be able to view many of my newest paintings. For the last year I have had

the good fortune to explore my creativity at New School Studios, a wonderful artist

conclave on the upper banks of the Santa Fe River. Water flows gently through the trees,

sending soft, babbling sounds into the crisp mountain air. Just a few feet away stands my

studio space, where I have spent many a peaceful hour absorbed in painting. I look forward to sharing this beautiful location with you, and spending time together viewing and

discussing my abstract canvases. Please come by. I am #16 on the tour.

The Santa Fe Studio Tour is free and self guided. Fifty-nine artists in thirty-seven open

studios will be showing a variety of art types, including painting, sculpture, jewelry making,

and more. Art is for sale in all studios. Many artists will be demonstrating their techniques on site. Visit as many as you like. For more information, see the web site: www.santafestudiotour.com.

DIRECTIONS TO THE STUDIO: 1521 Upper Canyon Road, Studio G

1) Drive East on Alameda.

2) After you drive past a park on your right, the road veers and you will notice Canyon Road ends on your right. Take the next left onto Upper Canyon Road.

3) Go 0.9 miles. On the left you will see two studio signs: one says "New School Art Studios." Shortly before the turn you will pass a large copper colored sculpture on your left.

4) Cross the river and drive through the grounds slowly (5 mph). Studio G is the second to last building in the parking lot on your left side. The studio has a red umbrella outside which you can see from the parking lot. Follow the signs for studio #16.

TOUR DATES AND HOURS:

Friday 6/28/13 5:30-7:30 pm

Saturday 6/29/13 10-6:00 pm

Sunday 6/30/13 Noon-5:00 PM

STEAK AND PAINT

Sun, 17 Feb 2013 14:41:59 CST

I have invited my good friend and fellow artist Jeff Cadieux to provide a guest blog post. He writes the blog I Must Be In San Francisco, about the adventures of a Texan in California. Jeff is a chef, a "food artist." I have not yet had the opportunity to experience his cooking but hope to in the near future. Jeff recently purchased a painting, Lily, White. Congratulations on your new acquisition, Jeff, and thanks for contributing to the blog!

A co-worker recently asked me if I consider myself an artist.

The short answer is: I don’t know. Many people don't consider cooking to be real art.

Does originality make me an artist? I tend to do my own thing. I've been cooking seriously for about thirteen years. I am not professionally trained.

Does creative evolution make me an artist? I admit that, like most chefs, the foundations of my "art" are derived from the classics. My challah French Toast started as a lovingly crafted standard, but the Zinfandel-Thyme Syrup I developed for it is truly unique.

Does popularity make me an artist? Everybody loves my cooking. My signature dish is a veal chop with gooseberry demi glacé. However, it’s not as popular as the pork sirloin with pomegranate. Dad’s favorite is Steak Manhattan. The sauce was inspired by his favorite drink.

How about creative innovation? I once served Strawberries covered with Absinthe whipped cream while camping on a dry lake bed. I correctly predicted that the alkaline environment would change my guests’ palates, mellowing the bitter liquor and balancing the berries' sweetness. The effect brought out complex aromatics nobody had ever noticed before.

Was this just a nerdy food stunt or does innovation make me an artist?

Not all of my work is so fancy. I can work miracles with day old pizza. I had an entire “Grilled Cheese Sandwich” phase. I've even made people look at SPAM in a whole new light.

If Warhol can create art with a Brillo soap box, can't I do the same with a box of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese?

Hey! I just invoked Warhol! Does that make me an artist?

How about money? I was recently engaged to design and prepare a menu for a guided tasting benefitting one of my favorite causes. For the first time, people will be paying for my "art".

Does dedication and insight make me an artist? Another friend, Caroline Williams, is a promising artist. She creates contemporary acrylic paintings in Santa Fe. We both find inspiration in nature and our own psyches. We are both equally serious about style and technique.

Last night, over lunch, my co-worker rephrased her question: "Why don't you think that your cooking is art?"

Here's what I said.

"It's not that I don't think it's art. It's that I don't care! I cook because it is my passion. I am thrilled and humbled that others think my work is art, but I am going to do what I do no matter what arbitrary label people attach to it."

That's when she rolled her eyes and said, "Jeez! Only an artist would say something goofy like that!"

HOW TO ORDER A PRINT!

Sat, 26 Jan 2013 17:16:01 CST

Beautiful, high quality prints are available for most paintings on the web site, even when the original has already been sold. Email the artist to purchase your print. You can order one in four possible sizes:

Print Sizes and Prices:

Type Size* Studio Price

Print, Enhanced Matte 11" x 14" $21.98

Print, Enhanced Matte 21" x 16" $27.98

Print, Enhanced Matte 24" x 32" $41.98

Print, Enhanced Matte 28" x 36" $71.98

*Sizes are approximate, and may differ slightly based on the shape of the original. For example, square canvases will have different print dimensions than rectangular canvases. Exact print sizes can be provided before purchase, once the customer has selected the painting for the subject of their print.

Shipping Costs for Prints (same cost for all sizes of print):

Ground Domestic (3-11 days) $8.49

2nd Day Domestic $11.99

Next Day Domestic $23.99

FORGIVENESS AND CREATIVITY

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 10:38:19 CST

A recent article in the New York Times about forgiveness has caught my eye. In it, the story unfolds of a family who has forgiven the young man who killed their daughter. In fact, the parents of the deceased are working with the prosecution to reduce his sentence for the murder. It is hard to imagine how I might feel, were I in their situation. However, the healing power of their choice to forgive, both in their own lives and in the lives of the accused, makes quite an impression. I do know how hard it is sometimes to forgive the lesser slights that I encounter in my own life. At the same time, however, I am becoming more and more aware of the toxicity of holding on to those resentments and angers. In the New York Times piece, the forgiving parents speak repeatedly about how they are forgiving their daughter's murderer in order to free themselves from their anger.

FORGIVENESS AS SELF-CARE

This article and other recent experiences show me that I forgive someone primarily to help myself, rather than to help the one who has committed the offense. (Although perhaps they are also helped by my forgiveness). What a concept! Forgiveness as a selfish act! Maybe it would catch on better if it were marketed as self-care. I'm being a bit flippant here, but I really do believe that forgiveness has until recently been presented as a somewhat distasteful expectation of traditional religion, marketed as self-less rather than self-ish. Thinking of forgiveness as something I should do rather than something I desire to do certainly reduces it's attractiveness. But, surprise! Forgiveness is not what you thought it was. It's actually quite pleasant. So little has been discussed about the freeing aspects of forgiveness for the one who forgives! Forgiveness helps me to release all the anger, bitterness, and woundedness that I hold inside me. Those negative feelings, and the desire to hold on to past hurts and brood over them, keep me from moving forward. Anger fills me up with negativity, and prevents other, more positive feelings from taking hold. Namely, in the context of this blog, anger and resentment block creativity. Anger blocks the flow. Creativity feels so sensitive, so fleeting, and so precious that I want to allow as much space inside for it to flow as freely as possible. That means releasing anger and negativity. The upside for me? I feel better and paint

better.

HOW TO FORGIVE?

Now just how go about actually releasing all of this anger and forgive? Detailed exploration of that skill set would require at least another blog post and probably much more . . but perhaps we'll end with a few hints from Thich Nhat Hanh:

"When we embrace anger and take good care of our anger, we obtain relief. We can look deeply into it and gain many insights. One of the first insights may be that the seed of anger in us has grown too big, and is the main cause of our misery. As we begin to see this reality, we realize that the other person, whom our anger is directed at, is only a secondary cause. The other person is not the real cause of our anger.”

“Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything - anger, anxiety, or possessions - we cannot be free.”

HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR ACRYLIC PAINTING

Mon, 07 Jan 2013 14:45:42 CST

Good News! Acrylic paints are extremely durable and some evidence suggests that their life is greater than almost all other artists’ materials. They retain their original brilliance as long as or longer than traditional oil paint. They are much less sensitive to damage by UV radiation than watercolors and other water-based paints. The surface of a finished acrylic painting usually does not become brittle or yellow with age, but remains flexible, insoluble, and permanent.

However, as with all paint and art materials, certain environmental factors can increase the risk of damage. The following guidelines apply for both varnished and unvarnished acrylic paintings.

HANDLING YOUR PAINTING
1)Touch the painting as little as possible. The oils and dirt on your hands can make the paint deteriorate. Wash your hands before handling the painting, and wear cotton gloves when you have to touch it. Skin oils are acidic and can damage artwork over time. Abrasion from rubbing or touching the paint surface can damage or alter the appearance of the work significantly.

2)Handle the painting carefully. Take off accessories like rings or bracelets so you don’t nick or tear the canvas. Carry the painting by holding it on its opposite sides with both hands. Don’t carry it flat on top of your open palms.

3)Avoid bumping your painting against furniture, walls, and corners as you move it. Even minor bumps can scrape the paint or cause marks on the canvas that affect the image.

4)When moving or transporting your painting consider wrapping it in a sheet, soft blanket, or bubble wrap in order to avoid the problems mentioned above.

WHERE (AND HOW) TO HANG OR STORE YOUR PAINTING
5)Avoid placing the painting above a fireplace mantle, either wood-burning or otherwise, as the heat from both types can affect the paint. Soot and dampness from proximity to a chimney can also affect the painting.

6)Hang, and/or store the painting away from sources of heat, ultraviolet light, direct sunlight, dust, dampness, and humidity. These elements can hasten the natural aging process of the paint and cause damage like prematurely faded colors or cracks.

7)Your painting has been pre-fitted with a metal wire for hanging. Use the wire rather than hanging the painting on a nail, as the nail can damage the canvas and the frame. Adjust the wire’s length if needed.

8)Avoid exposing your painting to temperatures near or below freezing. Under such conditions, your painting may develop cracks and the paint film can be lifted from the canvas support. This would cause irreversible damage to the painting.

9)Mold growth has been noted on acrylic paintings when humidity and temperature rise, so avoid these conditions.

10)Avoid allowing any rigid object to press against the front or back surface of the stretched canvas, as this could create permanent indentation damage.

CLEANING YOUR PAINTING
11)If the painting does become dusty, remove the dust by gently blowing across the surface of the work with compressed air in a can. Remember to blow air across the surface at an angle, rather than directly onto the surface. Blowing directly could embed dirt particles further into the paint surface.

12)To remove large amounts of dust, some professional conservators have suggested using an artist’s soft sable brush to gently dislodge the particles while holding the nozzle of a

small vacuum hose several inches from the surface of the painting. Remember that nearly any art work can be damaged or scratched by contact with feather dusters, cloths, or hard bristles such as those on household vacuum attachments.

13)Avoid using damp cloths, detergents or household cleaners. Many cleaners contain ammonia, which can destroy an acrylic painting.

14)Avoid spraying common household cleaners near your painting when cleaning other parts of your home, as the cleaning solution can damage the painting.

15)You can dust the back of the painting with vacuuming or brushing, after it is removed from the frame and placed on a clean surface.

16)The most foolproof way for keeping your painting from accumulating dust is to frame it under glass.

17)Seek professional cleaning services, such as an experienced art conservator, for any cleaning beyond the dusting methods mentioned above.