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I recently challenged my newsletter subscribers with an offer they couldn't refuse. I wanted to be able to give them something to smile about during this time of Covid and the fear and isolation that it's generating. I asked if they would like to send me a photo of something that makes them smile so they can see what it would look like as a work of art. That newsletter soon turned into what I called The Smile Project.

Eleven people responded with images of things that make them smile, and I, in turn, attempted to paint each of those images in one hour or less. My thought process was that I needed something to kick-start my motivation, and to practice painting lightly and loosely. The last thing I wanted was to agonize over the process. It also gave me a chance to try some new techniques. The results were astounding! I used bigger brushes, for the most part, and focused on painting shapes, not "things." If you look closely, there are shapes to be found in everything, even an eyeball. By concentrating on finding the shapes, the small paintings turned into jigsaw puzzles that took form as the pieces were connected.

This Friday, November 27, at 6pm Mountain Standard Time, I'll be drawing a name from those who submitted an image to the Smile Project. That person will win their painting! And because this was done in an attempt to bring smiles to all of us, the remaining paintings will be available for purchase at a drastically reduced price, just to be able to pay some of my expenses. I'll privately email those who participated after the drawing with details on how to purchase their painting and with a digital image that they can use as they wish. You can view all of the paintings in The Smile Project from the link on my home page: www.kathleeneatonart.com. (Can you guess which one took a little longer than an hour?)

I've definitely learned from this project, and I can't thank you enough for your support and encouragement, and for the smiles you provided! I hope to do this again soon! And, if you haven't already, please sign up for my newsletter there as well!

I hope you and yours are staying safe and well. Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Let us give thanks for the blessings we have, and look forward to the day when we can enjoy the company of family and friends!

Every once in a while, I get so inspired by the potential in a painting that I forget myself (and everything around me). I began my latest work, as I do most of my paintings, with the biggest brush that made sense to use in order to block in the basic first shapes and values. I had been experimenting with softer edges in recent works, and this pup is all soft and fluffy. Before I realized it was happening, I had done most of the painting using one large brush. The painting itself is only 12” x 9” and the brush is about 1-1/2” wide.

As I got to about half way through the block-in, the challenge was on! I wanted to “test” myself to see how much of this painting I could do using only one brush. This big brush could do almost anything I wanted it to do. When I was almost done, I looked into those beautiful eyes and knew that it was time to change brushes. I switched to a small, soft brush and finished with a few quick strokes.

I think I need to play more when I work!

It's funny how life can get in the way of all the things you'd rather be doing. I haven't been as prolific in the last year as I had been, for a variety of reasons, but I'm finally getting back to work! 

I want to thank the many wonderful people who have helped me through some rough times. Several of you sent me beautiful photos, and those photos were truly inspiring. During the "time out" I allowed myself to play with some of those photos (with the permission of the one who sent it), and have been working on developing new painting techniques. In hindsight, it has been an important and maybe even necessary break. The work I'm producing is stronger and more painterly that my past work, and I'm not as stuck on painting what I see, but what I feel. Shown here are a few of the paintings I recently created from photos I was given permission to paint from.

If you are struggling with something in your life, I strongly encourage you to take a few deeps breaths and look at the big picture (no pun intended). Sometimes we're forced into taking a time out, but sometimes we don't see that our lives have gotten crazily out of hand, and the stress has taken over our daily existence.

It's so important to me to continue to create paintings. I truly feel I was born to be an artist. If you'd like to help me continue to hone my work, please send an image (or images) that you would like to see as a painting, to [email protected] with the subject line Paint This. It has to be a photo that you (or a family member - with permission) took, not one that was borrowed or downloaded from the internet. I do have a short list of photos that I'm still going to paint, so if I haven't painted yours yet, please send me an email reminder.

And, of course, if you give me permission to paint from your photo, it doesn't mean you have to buy the painting. But it does mean that I may offer it for sale in a gallery or on my website. What do you think? Can you help me get back to work?

Thank you for following me! You can see more of my work here: www.kathleeneatonart.com

Down Time by Kathleen Eaton

Can you please take a moment to help me? I entered this image in a local contest and could really use your vote to help me win $1,000. This is a painting I did of my son when he was off work for a short time due to an injury. He was vulnerable, and I shouldn't have taken advantage of him, but I hadn't painted much lately and needed the practice. He agreed to allow me to enter it in an online contest called The Witch? Award. The Witch? Award is a monetary award sponsored by the M&M Community Foundation. Only Menominee, Michigan and Marinette, Wisconsin County residents may enter. Ten entries were received on Facebook, and the one with the most "likes" by the end of the month is the winner. It's totally a popularity contest, but it's still a big prize for a small community. I promised my son that I would split it with him if we won. Won't you help by clicking this link and voting for my painting? Thank you!!! 

Witch? Award Facebook Page

We all have times when life seems to "press down" a little more than at other times. This year has been particularly trying for me. I won't bore you with all the details, but one thing I will share is that my mother-in-law passed away recently. My husband and I have traveled back and forth to Arizona quite a few times to help tend to things, and the travel is not done yet.

Needless to say, I haven't had much time for painting. If you are an artist, or know one well, you know that this is not good for their morale. Creating art is very therapeutic to me ... I can't think of anything I'd rather do, especially when times are rough. It's also my source of income. But this year, every time I get started on a painting, something seems to come between me and my canvas. So I haven't been posting a lot of work recently.

Shown here is my most recent painting. It's 36" x 24" and based on a photo that Felicia Fullwood, an amazing Detroit-area photographer, gave me permission to use. I call it, "Hurry Up and Wait." It's from a time-lapse image she took looking down Woodward Avenue.

I've also had to limit my participation in some of the wonderful plein air events that take place during the summer here in the midwest. It was so upsetting when I had to cancel my reservations for this year's Dockside Quick Paint in Door County. It's an exciting event, and I hope my artist friends will share lots of photos! And I'll look forward to participating next year!

This is the self-portrait I entered in Jerry's Artarama's self portrait contest! Jerry's is an art supply store that I order from online, and also visit when we're in Arizona. All of the prizes for this contest are gift certificates for their merchandise. Wouldn't that be awesome?!?! I would appreciate your vote for me at this link: https://jerrysartarama.wishpond.com/2016-jerrys-artarama-self-portrait-contest/entries/93050867 THANK YOU!!! It may not be clear that you must enter your email address above or next to the "Vote" button, and then confirm your vote when you receive a confirmation email. It's a bit glitchy, but I appreciate your vote!!

The back story to this particular painting: My husband and I drive all over the country, packed to the roof with 3 seasons of clothing and enough art materials to paint wherever we go. I found myself fascinated by the reflections on the windows when I looked out the rearview mirror. At one point, I realized how fitting it is that "objects in mirror are closer than they appear" as I reflected on the challenges of being a full-time working artist. It would be so easy to go back to a "real" job. But the "Wrong Way" sign is a reminder that creating art is and always has been my life's calling. I don't want to get to the end of my days wishing I would have done more to pursue it. 

This is the first "selfie" I have done. Even I'm surprised at that, since I have a free model looking at me in the mirror each day. 

There are literally thousands of artists creating millions of works today. I believe it is a result of the most recent economic downturn that people have turned to various forms of art as a means of stress-relief, monetary supplementation, or simply keeping their minds busy. Among these are multitudes of creative professionals who work hard to make a living. It seems, sometimes, that the average person often doesn’t recognize the difference between a hobby artist and one who is dedicated to his/her craft. And, although the economy continues to improve, it has left in its wake a tidal wave of art flooding the market.

As an artist today, I sometimes feel like a canary in a coal mine. If you haven’t heard that phrase before, or wondered what it means, here are some insights from Wisegeek.org: Life for an actual canary in a coal mine could be described in three words: "short but meaningful." Early coal mines did not feature ventilation systems, so legend has it that miners would bring a caged canary into new coal seams. Canaries are especially sensitive to methane and carbon monoxide, which made them ideal for detecting any dangerous gas build-ups. As long as the bird kept singing, the miners knew their air supply was safe. A dead canary signaled an immediate evacuation.

As a creative person, it’s easy to fall into the trap of telling yourself “I’m not good enough” or “other artists have much more talent than I do.” It's easy to let toxic self-talk get in the way of you and your work. In reality, everyone has some kind of talent. And each person's talent is as unique as the individual. How you express it is your choice. Artists who are true to themselves know that it’s not a competition.

Being creative is a gift in itself. It doesn’t matter why you create, or what you create, but THAT you create. It is through consistent self-expression that you will eventually find yourself. Yes, it’s true that some artists don’t become known for their work until they are long gone. I won’t let that thought stop me from painting. I create for the pure joy of losing myself in my work. I work on each painting as though it’s a mystery novel, turning each page with wonder, fear, and excitement. I have an idea of how it might end, but I won’t know for sure until I get there. What I do know is that I have a purpose, and am compelled to paint, no matter what.

And I know that if I give up, if I choose to believe that my work is not good enough, that it’s too hard, frustrating, depressing, or just not worth it, then I become the canary that succumbs to deep, internal fears. Wiktionary describes it perfectly: Something whose sensitivity to adverse conditions makes it a useful early indicator of such conditions; something which warns of the coming of greater danger or trouble by a deterioration in its health or welfare. (For the purposes of this blog post, I interpreted this statement as: "If fear keeps you from doing what you love or feel you are meant to do, and you chose to do something 'safe' instead [e.g. pays the bills, doesn't get you laughed at, etc.] then you are headed for a life of misery.")

Don’t allow yourself to go into that deep mine of doom. Instead of succumbing to the dangerous negatives that plague you as an artist, sing like a canary -- show off your work -- and let the world know you are alive and well!

Another friend posted a photo she had taken that I thought was precious. I asked if she would mind if I practiced honing my skills by doing a painting of it. My original intent was to do a monochromatic study to practice seeing values in one color. This is what I created:

It's a sweet image, and I decided to take it a step further:

After letting it dry, I looked at it and thought to myself, "I can take this a step further still." I re-worked it so that it became more impressionistic and ethereal:

As Lucy says to Charlie Brown, "THAT'S IT!" I was happy with the final painting, but then again, I was happy with the variations along the way. (Notice that I signed each one before deciding that it wasn't quite finished.) I hope you enjoyed the process!

I would love your help in my effort to improve as an artist. If you have a favorite photo that you would like to see as a painting, you can email it to me at [email protected] with the subject line "Paint This." Here are the rules: 

1. By sending me your photo, you give me the right to reproduce it as a painting. I never paint from other people's photos without permission. 

2. You also give me the right to publish it as a finished painting. I may or may not want to also publish your photo. Please let me know if you prefer that I don't publish your photo.

3. You will be given first chance to purchase the finished painting. I can't give away my work, but will give you a discount on the finished painting in return for the use of your photo. I will, however, email you a digital image of the finished painting as a thank you.

I hope to hear from you!

The final image is my finished painting. I used a little artistic license in re-creating from the photo, but am pleased with the final outcome.

Best Friends Forever

18" x 36"

See more of my work at www.kathleeneatonart.com.

Happy New Year! Today many of us are reflecting on the past, and looking forward to the future with hope. In 2015 I hired an "art coach/mentor." She has been a blessing to me! She's forced me to take a hard look at my work, and see it in new and different ways. (Below is a sample of a commission I worked on recently.) She's opened my eyes to new possibilities. I will be forever grateful for the time we spent together, and all that she's taught me. This was a perfect example of "when the student is ready, the teacher will appear." I hope I never stop learning new things, and I look forward to our new friendship that developed as we worked together.

2015 saw continued growth in my art career. I'm thankful for those of you who have supported my work, whether it was purchasing it or "liking" it on Facebook. We artists tend to be sensitive souls who need a little validation that the work they do is meaningful to someone. It's a thankless job for the most part, with many long, lonely hours in front of canvasses that don't talk back. (Although I have had a portrait or two wink at me - I assume this is to let me know that I am close to finished and probably need some rest.)

I'm excited to be able to share one of the commissions I did as a Christmas gift. I couldn't post it or share it before now because I didn't want to risk spoiling a surprise. This beautiful dog is a great-great-granddaughter of the dog that played in "Homeward Bound." I'm honored to have been asked to paint this portrait, and took some in-progress photos along the way to document my work.

Here is how I began:

I toned the canvas and lightly sketched the image with vine charcoal.

Then I began with the face. I wanted it to be the focal point, and knew it would be what I spent the most time on.

I worked the background so it would be soft and ethereal. It was important to my client that the beautiful face stood out, so we opted for a grayed background. The final painting is 20" x 24."

I review my year with a grateful heart, and thank God for the gifts I have been blessed with. As you reflect, I urge you to consider whether or not you are using your precious gifts, and sharing them with others. With Father Time reaching the end of 2015, and Baby New Year waiting in the wings, we should remind ourselves that life is fleeting. Many of our loved ones have not made it through this year. My heart goes out to you if you've lost a loved one. You are in my prayers. Make a resolution today to live life to the fullest!

https://www.kathleeneatonart.com