Life is a Great Big Canvas

  Basic Drawing Techniques edited by Greg Albert and Rachel Wolf   I picked up this book at a yard sale this last summer for about a dollar, but the information inside is invaluable to any artist. It is Basic Drawing Techniques, edited by Greg Albert and Rachel Wolf, from North Light Books. It covers the basics of drawing, from beginner to portraiture.  I got a degree in drawing and painting from Academy of Art University, and a lot of what is in this book is in the foundation classes an art student would take there. If you are looking for a resource to brush up on your drawing, or even for how to teach others, this is the book for you.  It begins with an overview of the supplies you will need, whether drawing with pencil, charcoal, pen and ink, or marker. It discussed the different types of papers available and how they work with different media. From there, you will learn about basic lines, shapes, forms, shading, perspective, quick sketching, animals, anatomy, fig...

 Morning Sunbeam was an assignment for the advanced still life class I took at Academy of Art University. I was to choose an area in my home and make a composition out of it. This was a challenge for me, a mental and emotional challenge, because although I crave order in my life, my house does not reflect that. My house is often messy and disorganized. But this one area, I was able to find a good composition, and to me it speaks of peace even when there is chaos. You can't see the chaos in this picture, but it's in the room. The focus is on the stillness, the bright sunlight peeking through a window you can't see, slowly creeping over the wall, reflecting in the glass shade of the table lamp. It's a moment of stillness, whispering in your ear to take just a minute and...breathe...appreciate what is in front of you. This is available on by website www.dancingelephantart.com and through my etsy store:  https://www.etsy.com/listing/238017485/morning-sunbeam-original-still-...

 Trophies is an original still life oil painting, that was painted in 2015 while I was still in art school, in an advanced still life painting class. I was able to choose my own subject matter, and wanted to do something different than the traditional fruit and pottery that often defines the still life genre. My husband and son are passionate hunters, and so I took inspiration from their pastime to create this one of a kind still life.  This painting shows the tail feathers of a turkey shot by my son (good eating although somewhat tough), and an elk antler from a kill, from either my son or husband (also good eating!). It was really fun trying to make the feathers soft, the antler bumpy, and the gun shells look like shiny metal. This painting is available for sale from my website, www.dancingelephantart.com .

 --This piece was originally published in 2015 but has been updated for the new blog format. Early 2015, I received an invitation from Crossroads Carnegie Art Center, to come tour the Baker Heritage Museum. I, along with many other artists, went, and found inspiration for art in the artifacts, exhibits, stories, and people dressed and in character, at the museum. Upon entering the museum, one of the first people I met was a woman wrapped in a red feather boa, with a feather fan in her hand. Her real name is Elaine Logsdon, but her character's name was Diamond Lil. I imagined she had been a burlesque dancer in her youth, and now perhaps ran her own saloon and theater. I am sure she could tell some very interesting stories! I knew I had to paint her, and knew her personality would shine through on the canvas. I decided with the other paintings I made for the museum, to be more creative in the composition. Instead of painting the entire object, I chose to crop it in a way that would b...

  Here are some more of my marbles. These were painted on 8x8" wood boards for the Little Big Show in Baker City, Oregon. Some of these sold, but some are still available at  www.etsy.com/shop/AmyVanGaasbeckArtist  . It's the perfect size canvas for these marble paintings. It's always so fun to see each marble turn from just shapes and colors to marbles. This one is called Big Blue. Many of these marbles were from a collection owned by one of my oil painting students, an elderly woman, who had a large jar full of them and they had been in her family for decades. This particular one was very old, and not perfectly round...just a little bit off. As an artist, I have to judge when to idealize and perfect something, like remove a blemish, leave out a few wrinkles, make someone thinner, or leave it in and embrace the imperfection. I decided to leave in the flaw in this marble, where you will see my others appear perfectly round, this one feels just slightly off, just by a hair...

There have been many theories as to the identity of Mona Lisa, the portrait painted by Leonardo Davinci. Some think it is a feminized self portrait. Some say it's DaVinci's lover. I found an article in The Artist's Magazine that makes a very good case for the identity of LaGioconda. The article is called Who's That Girl? written by Katherine Mesch, in the June 2005 issue of the magazine. I read this many years ago and thought it was very interesting. I recently rediscovered the article and thought I would share it. In this article, the author explains that "after 17 years of research, historian Maike Vogt-Luerssen ...claims that the Mona Lisa is really Isabella of Aragon, the former duchess of Milan." The paintings themselves give clues, as well as documents from that period in history, She goes on to explain: "The woman is wearing heavy mournful garments (Isabella's mother died a year prior to the painting of the portrait--she would have still ...

This was an assignment from my last still life class in college. I love vintage Pyrex pitchers, and have a collection of them. I also love painting the illusion of glass and metal. I am thinking about expanding from this one painting into a series of Pyrex pitchers. What do you think?

A still life study dealing with using a large amount of negative space in a way that still brings balance to the eye, "Small Delights" is intended to make us appreciate the little pleasures in life--a cup of coffee, a piece of chocolate, or just a few minutes of peace and quiet. Painted in oil on canvas board, the props for this piece, as with many of my props, are vintage finds, with some wonderful chocolate truffles added, just because I like painting shiny things. I hope you enjoy this, and remember to look for the little moments in life---and therein find a little joy.

Vashti, Queen of Persia, wife of the mighty Xerxes. Some believed that she was the most beautiful woman in the world. King Xerxes certainly did. Once, during a great feast, he ordered his queen to reveal her beauty to all the men in attendance. This did not mean just unveiling her face, but unveiling everything. He wanted her to dance before them, so they could receive pleasure at her sight. It was unheard of for anyone to say no to a king's order and live. Perhaps Vashti hated being treated like a piece of meat. Perhaps, being the queen and mother of Xerxes' heir, she felt that she should receive more honor and respect. For whatever reason, she stood up to her husband, the king, and said NO. Vashti, charcoal, 2014, SOLD Xerxes consulted with the wise men on what to do with her. He must have loved her somewhat, because she would not be put to death for this crime. But he had to do something. If he just let it pass, then the other women of the kingdom might rise up ...

I first met Sherri in the weeks before opening my gallery. Opening my own gallery was a big, scary, yet thrilling step for me, and I didn't even know if any artists would support my endeavor, but Sherri was one of the first artists to bring her work, at the encouragement of artist Becky Litke. Throughout the next two years, Sherri and her beautiful watercolors and etchings helped make The Dancing Elephant Gallery successful. I have come to know and appreciate Sherri and her beautiful artwork, and now you can get a little glimpse into her life and art, too. AV: Please tell us a little about yourself, and what kind of art you create. SL: My name is Sherri Kay Linnemeyer, I am 55 years old, and live in Baker City, Oregon.  I have fallen in love with watercolors and can see myself continuing to grow and learn with this media. I am inspired by wild flowers, animals, birds and other wildlife.  I have experimented with acrylics, print making with etchings, lithographs, silk ...

 Do you have a passion for creating art, and you want to make a career out of it, but don't know where to start? It can be scary starting down a career path without knowing what to do. I am on that path myself. Although at this point I am no multi-million dollar success story, perhaps you can learn from my experience. If you think you can learn from me, please read on. The first thing you should do is really take a long, hard look at your art. Are you at a professional level in your skills yet? Be honest with yourself. When I first determined I was going to become a professional artist, I knew I had talent, but my skills needed some polish. I chose to enroll in art school, The Academy of Art University (their online program); but if that seems too big of a step, find an artist who gives classes or private tutoring. Be teachable. Ask high quality artists to honestly critique your work and show you areas that need improvement, and then make those changes. To become a great artis...

Self Portrait An area that I specialize in is accurately drawn and painted portraits. If you are interested in commissioning a portrait in either oil or charcoal, please contact me. Here are a few examples of what I can do with oil paint. Walter Abraham's Prayer Contemplation Mischief Grampy with Rosie and Lily

When I was newly married to Andy, I noticed some old framed prints in my inlaws' house. They were fantasy scenes with still-vivid blues, and neo-classical maidens in flowing white gowns. These belonged to my brother in law, Brad, and from him I discovered the art of Maxfield Parrish, and I have been a devoted follower of this artist-illustrator ever since. Maxfield Parrish was born in 1870 as Frederick Parrish, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but later adopted his mother's maiden name and used it as his first name. His father was a painter and etcher. He discovered his passion for creating art early in life, and trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and Drexel Institute of Art. At the age of 27, his career was launched with the illustration of a book by Kenneth Grahame, The Walls Were As of Jasper. From there, he went on to illustrate many books, advertisements, and magazine covers, including Hearst's, Collier's, and Life, as well as to paint mu...

During the time that I ran The Dancing Elephant Gallery, a friend of mine, Carri Sue Anderson, once suggested that I check out the art of Lindy Bronson of Chopper's Art. I looked him up on Facebook, and I could not believe what I saw. Here were gorgeous, detailed drawings in pen and ink, mainly done with stippling. His subject matter varied, but included a lot of pop culture and celebrities. They were fun and interesting subjects, but what got me was the quality of the art. Lindy really works to make sure the image is accurate and realistic, and the stippling (tiny dots made with an ink pen) was done with amazing precision. I knew I needed to make contact with this man, and get his art into my gallery! Lindy agreed to be featured artist in my gallery, the month that I closed the physical doors. I wished I could have represented him longer, but I had a feeling that our artistic relationship would not end once we closed up shop. I don't know about Lindy's point...

Today is the day that I graduate from college. It is a major milestone for me. It is one of those things that I never believed would happen, yet here I am. I married young, and we started our family soon after getting married. We both agreed that I would be a stay at home Mom, to personally raise our children. And I did. I put aside any possibility of working or going to college, and even put aside my paintbrush to focus on the kids. I had no regrets in staying home with them, and I believe my kids turned out great because I invested my life to make sure that I was always there for them. However, the desire to create art and become a better artist always gnawed away at me. I taught myself to do quite a bit, but I always felt my art was missing some quality to make it better. I had talent, but not professionalism, and definitely had no confidence in my art or ability. My sister, Cathy, decided to go to college in her late 30's, to become a pharmacist. She worked really hard, ...