Successful Artists and Their Original Art

Years after I've taught an art class, a student will introduce themselves and tell me that they liked my class. One of the best things about teaching is having a student tell me that their art learning experience with me was positive. Especially if they are telling me months or years later when their memory has sifted and re-sifted the experience until the essence is left.

My next best thing is bragging about my art students. Some of my students come to me as experienced artists who glean a little and move on. Others are beginning artists -- a group I feel especially responsible to. Teaching someone art for the first time usually sets the tone for their attitude towards art education.

Here is some artwork from past contacts:

Steve Bennett took Central Oregon Community college art classes from me in the 1990's. He was already an accomplished artist and has gone on to create even more beautiful work. His lovely pastel of this forest glade is the cover for an artist workshop exhibit and sale at the U.S. Hotel Ballroom, California & Third St., Jacksonville, Oregon. August 25 - September 2, 2009 Daily 10 am – 7 pm. Gala Reception, Saturday, August 29, 2 – 4 pm . Steve Bennett and his wife, Sue Bennett are both accomplished artists and educators. They operate the art tour business, AIM Art in Motion Workshops.

Dianne Charewicz, a blog reader sent me this recent note regarding her inspiration from my book, Paint Happy : (Here's a photo of her art)

Hi Cristina,
Back in February I had emailed you asking how you sealed the soft pastel on top of the acrylic painting. I promised to send you a picture of my painting. Well, here it is. My husband really liked it and so many people comment about how "Happy" it is! Thanks for your help!
Blessings,
Diane Charewicz


www.CristinaAcosta.com

Bid on this Painting and Help a Non-Profit!

Arts education gives young people not only an opportunity to play with art materials and enjoy their school day, art education develops the creative right hemisphere of the brain. And we need more creative thinkers. The tough challenges in this new economy of global financial troubles paired with the environmental concerns of global climate change predict a future that's going to take a lot of courage and creativity.

The tiny town of Sisters, Oregon (about 20 minutes from Bend, Oregon) has an amazing philanthropic community. The Sister's Folk Festival organization organizers a fund raiser for arts in education called My Own Two Hands. Artist's from the Central Oregon area donate original paintings, sculptures, musical instruments and more for the event.

Because I enjoy the birds visiting my bird feeders, I painted a original acrylic painting in my Paint Happy style titled, Something Wild Outside My Window. My painting is on display at High Desert Gallery (they represent my work locally).

Bid on this painting (or any of the other beautiful pieces by other artists). Not only will you have a beautiful piece of original art and a tax deduction, you will be supporting the arts.

_________________________
P.S. (After the party) THANK YOU!!! The My Own 2 Hands fundraiser was a fun party. Great music, great food, lots of local art to bid on and best of all -- fun people!! Thank you to the winning bidder of my painting. Your generous bid will support the arts programs in Sisters, Oregon.

Happy Valentines Day!

Hearts are a theme I work with a lot in my work, regardless of the style or series I'm working in. Maybe my obsession with the heart motif is a Chicano artist thing, though I didn't think about the Chicano/a artist aspect of the corazon (heart) image until I noticed that I've been into the heart image for years. Sometimes I'll paint the heart with a realistic aspect like in my retablo, Running Meditation. In that retablo image, the heart is a winged heart sprouting a wreath of green leaves. In a recent charcoal drawing I created for the offrenda at the ASU Anthropology Museum's Dia de los Muertos exhibit, the heart image is created from black charcoal and tinged with iron oxide chalk.

This painting is completely, wildly happy.  After I had a child and realized that the early years of our marriage (the honeymoon stage) were over and we'd moved on to something new as parents, I painted this. In a certain sense it's not only commemorative for me, but also an inspiration to remember the fun and light-hearted moments my husband and I can still enjoy with each other. Hearts and flowers and dancing on the bed (metaphorically) are the theme of this happy piece I titled, The Honeymooners. It's an acrylic and pastel 30" x 22" painting from my Paint Happy series, the same series I focused on in my book, Paint Happy.

Though this painting has been hanging in my home for years, the original is for sale.

www.CristinaAcosta.com

Ask Cristina: Paint Happy Help

Dear Cristina, (via my website www.CristinaAcosta.com)

Hi! I've got your Paint Happy book and I love it! But I have a question about how to "finish" my acrylic painting since I used hard pastel on tops of the paint. Can I use the fixative you suggested for the pastels and charcoal on top of the acrylic? I don't want to use something that will damage the acrylic. I'm sorry to bother you directly, but I didn't read in your book tat you covered the entire piece with anything when you were done with it. . . I love how your book helps me express what's in my heart and get past my own self-consciousness. It gives me the courage to be bold and just Go For IT!!! . . . Thanks for your help!

Diane C.

P.S. I made a cool picture for my husband for Valentine's Day! Thanks for the inspiration and encouragement!!!

__________________________________________________________________

Dear Diane,

Thanks for your nice letter. I spray the entire painting with Spray Fixative. It doesn't hurt the acrylic. Spray fix tends to dampen down the color clarity of the hard pastels, but as they are hard pastels (Prismacolor Nu Pastel) rather than soft, traditional pastels, the paint supports the image. Therefore the damping down effect is very minimal. Good luck with your work. I'd love to see a photo of your finished piece.

Best,

Cristina

Though Paint Happy is out of print, you can purchase copies on Amazon. Click through this link and I get a small percentage of the sale to help fund my creative work.



Recipe: Creamsicle Flan

By Cristina Acosta ©2007, 08, 09 Read more of my recipes on my website, www.CristinaAcosta.com

Creamy orange custard with a caramel topping is my variation of the traditional flan. Oranges are one of my favorite fruits and like the citrus flavors of lemon and lime, oranges are great with dense creamy dairy flavors. Read this recipe through before you make it, so you have an idea of what to expect. It's not difficult, it just has some steps that can be intimidating the first time (like making the caramel).
Growing up in Southern California there was always someone we knew who had an orange tree growing in their yard. I remember traveling through Redlands along roads bordering orchards of orange trees in full blossom. The fragrance seemed to brighten every molecule of air. This flan tastes like the scent of orange blossoms early in morning when the air is fresh.

Tools: 1 ½ qt. saucepan. Ramekins – 4 soup (10 oz) size or 8 small (5 oz) dishes; OR a 9" glass or ceramic pie pan; blender / Vitamix or food processor (or by hand with a whisk); stovetop; oven; large pan to hold water bath for ramekins or pie pan.

Time: About 15 minutes to assemble. 25-30 minutes to cook and 4 to 6 hours to cool. (Cool in refrigerator.)

Ingredients:

Caramel:

• 3 T. water
• ¾ cup sugar
• Apx. 1 T of fresh orange zest*
  

Custard:

• 6 eggs
• 1 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup orange juice
• ¼ cup orange juice concentrate (from the frozen cans)
• 1 to 2 heaping T. of orange zest * (You’ll need 2 to 3 oranges to get enough zest for this recipe.)
  

Directions:
Caramel:

1. Sprinkle orange zest on the bottom of each ramekin
2. Combine sugar and water in saucepan.
3. Over medium-high heat cook mixture, swirling occasionally until mixture is a clear, light to medium amber color.

Tips to Make Caramel:

• Don’t stir it. When I stir it I more easily burn the mixture.
• The mixture will go through stages of being foamy, then crusty. Keep swirling pan. (Swirl – Pick up pan off the stove and gently swirl mixture side to side and in circles)
• When the sugar mixture flattens down and becomes clear amber immediately pour into the ramekins. Swirl the mixture around the bottom and ½ way up the sides of the dishes.
• Set aside to cool.
  

Preheat oven to 350. Put in a large pan for the water bath. Start a pot of water boiling that will fill the pan with enough water so that when you set the ramekins in the pan the water is ½ way up the sides of the ramekin.


Custard: (I use a blender, adjust these directions for your tool of choice)

1. Crack eggs into blender and turn on low to mix well (15-30 seconds). Don’t get them frothy.
2. Add all other ingredients. Mix till well blended, but not foamy.
3. Pour into the caramel coated ramekins and put them in the water-filled baking pan.
   

Bake for 25-30 minutes. With smaller size ramekins cook for lesser time. Note: custard will appear loose in the center when the time is up. Don't worry it will be solid by the time the dessert is completely chilled. Don't overcook or the final result will be rubbery.
Remove from oven and cool for 4 to 6 (or more) hours.


To un-mold the dessert:

1. Set chilled ramikens in a shallow dish of warm water for a few minutes. The idea is to have the warmth of the water re-liquefy the caramel. Loosen the edge of the flan with a knife and flip the flan onto a dessert plate. Pour the caramel on top.
2. Return the ramiken to warm water to re-liquefy as much of the topping as you can and pour over the flan.
   

Serve alone or with Hot Chocolate Cookies for a delicious contrast in flavors.

*Note: Fresh orange zest is essential to the flavor of this flan. If you don’t have a zest tool, use a cheese grater on the small-hole side. Be very careful to only get the orange part of the peel. The white part is bitter and will ruin your flan.

I Love Using My Vitamix! Vitamix is more than just a big blender. It's a powerful tool in the kitchen and a powerful tool for a healthy diet. Vitamix recipes and techniques enable you to eat up to 10 fruits and vegetables along with whole grains that are recommended by experts and you'll love the ease and simplicity of the Vitamix. I use my Vitamix several times a day to make whole food juice, soups from scratch, sauces. smoothies and more. If you're a foodie, you'll love how the Vitamix emulsifies sauces and gravies, grinds grains, purees vegetables & fruits and even mixes a mean margarita or frappuccino! Read more about why I recommend buying a Vitamix. Start your 30-day no-risk in-home trial today and you'll get FREE Standard Ground Shipping when you click this link! https://secure.vitamix.com/redirect.aspx?index.aspx?COUPON=06-003174 OR Call Brenda at Vitamix 1-800-848-2649 x 2305 code 06-003174

Choosing Paint Colors Home Decor Licensing Who is Cristina Press Philanthropy Hand Painted Ceramics

Exhibit: Tango at Onda Oswego Gallery

Put on your dancing shoes, or just watch the show at the Onda Gallery in Lake Oswego, a suburb of Portland, Oregon. This exciting exhibit of images of the sensuous tango is accompanied opening night by live tango dancing and music. Proceeds of the sales that night benefit The Miracle Theatre in Portland, Oregon.

Put this exciting event on your calendar!

Tango a new exhibit at Onda Gallery in Lake Oswego, Oregon.
November 7 – November 30, 2008
Paintings, Drawings, Mixed Media Original Art

• WHEN: November 7 - 6-9 pm Artists Reception and Exhibit Opening
• FREE ADMISSION
  
• Live Argentine Tango Dancing and Music by Dick Suanders & Justin Franzino
• WHERE: 240 A Street Suite 104, Lake Oswego, Oregon 503-496-3922
  oswego@ondagallery.com www.ondagallery.com

Exhibiting Artists: Amy Erickson, Willow Bader, Christina Sells, Carolina Martinez, Karen Landey, Kate Venerso, Claude Werner-Laviano, John Graeter, Judy Maxon, Alan Rose, Colleen Flanigan, Micheal Fisher, Amber Marie Oxford, Frank Engel, Cristina Acosta

My painting in the exhibit is titled Two to Tango. It is acrylic and hard pastel on 100% rag paper.

Teaching: Are You Ready for a Private Lesson?

If you're ready to really focus on your art process, it may be time for a private lesson. Unlike music lessons, most art lessons are group lessons. Learning in a group is wonderful because you learn a lot seeing how other students have handled the painting lesson for the day.

There is a time though when you may need some one-on-one time to get things clarified. You'll get the most out of a private lesson when you have a specific idea of what you want to accomplish. Here are a few reasons why you would be ready for a private lesson:

• You are having a block and need to get over it.
• Certain concepts aren't making sense to you. Example: How to create the illusion of volume; why should I care about "lost and found" edges; what really makes a painting "flat" or "deep" etc.
• You're ready to try a new medium and want some help from an expert.
• The expert you admire has a technique you want to learn.
• Etc.
  

Occasionally, I teach private lessons to artists who are visiting Bend and want a few hours of instruction. Lynn Hanson, an artist from Washington visited this summer. One of her goals was to learn how to create a flowing composition, both in the conceptual/idea sense of the word and in the physical composition. She accomplished her goal beautifully. Here's a photo of her with her finished painting.

When you're ready for private lessons, call or email me and we can talk about your goals and prices. 541-388-5157 or Cristina@CristinaAcosta.com
You can read more about my teaching at www.CristinaAcosta.com

Ask Cristina: Tips for Using Pastels in a Painting

Dear Cristina, (via my website www.CristinaAcosta.com)
I have a question for you ...
I am just starting to paint, at the ripe age of 44. The only thing I really know about myself as an artist is that I love bright colors, and I have a creative, "whimsical" bent. I also love the fluid acrylics.

I recently purchased your book, "Paint Happy" and it has become my new best friend. Your paintings inspire me and awe me. I could get lost in them. I have already learned so much from you.

However, I have one stumbling block -- the pastels. I am not sure how to use them. You mention using them interchangeably with the paint, and finishing off the painting with the pastels, but I am unsure of how to do that ... do I just swirl them around? Also, would pastel pencils work in place of the regular pastels? (I don't have a studio, so I try to keep mess to a minimum).

If you have anything I could read about using pastels with painting, or could share some tips with me, I would be so grateful.

Thanks for being you, and for teaching me how to Paint Happy!

Fondly, Maureen

Dear Maureen,

Thanks so much for letting me know how much you've enjoyed and benefited from my book, Paint Happy! I'm always pleased to learn that my work has affected people positively.

Here's my answer to your question about using pastels in your painting:

The purpose of the pastels (as I use them) is as drawing tools that reinforce areas of your painting. Draw over the painting with the pastels to define shapes, soften or enhance edges or energize (with texture) areas. (You won't have to resort to tiny brushes and drawing tools are often easier for most artists to control.)

You can use pencil pastels or colored pencils. I use hard pastels (they are similar to the consistency of a Conte Crayon) because they don't leave much dust and they have a fine point so I can have control over the line.

You can use hard or soft pastels, colored pencils or markers over watercolor or acrylic painting. If you ever decide to try oil painting, you'll want to switch to oil pastels so that the materials will be compatible.

So -- keep working on your art. I'd love to post a painting or yours when you get something done that you'd like to share. Send me a jpeg photo that is no bigger than 800 pixels in either direction.

New Painting: The Quilt Festival

I create my Paint Happy series with a combination of artist acrylic paints and hard pastels. I've been working on switching this series into oil paint. What a learning curve! In my work, technique follows concept, so switching mediums yet keeping the vibe the same is an interesting process. And it's hard.

So what's motivating this change? I often need to ship work to exhibits or to clients who have purchased a piece. Fuel costs have pushed up shipping costs, making shipping glass very expensive. Plexiglass is a workable substitute, but not uv protective to the work. Also, in areas where there is a lot of light reflection in a home, glass-covered art is harder to see. I'm enjoying the challenge of changing my process.

I just finished this piece and had my daughter take this photo of me holding the painting in the doorway of my studio. The oil painting represents the Sisters Quilt Festival in Sisters, Oregon. The original oil will be available through High Desert Gallery in Sisters, Oregon.

See more of my painting styles on my website.

Commission: Wedding Painting

I love painting commissions to commemorate a happy occasion or life experience. This morning I finished this 22" x 30" painting for a couple who are marrying and wanted an image for their wedding announcements (and for their wall). They asked for the image in my Paint Happy style and had a few ideas for the image. They love bright colors (sent me a list of the wedding colors) and they sent me photos of their wedding clothes along with a photo of the lighthouse in the San Juan Islands where the service would be.

This was a very fun piece to create. The groom is steadfast and loving, supporting the heart he and the bride embrace. She is happy and sanguine, serenely floating with flowers, music and hearts. Together they are flying over the sea surrounding the lighthouse.

The painting is 22" x 30", Acrylic and Hard Pastel with 22kt. gold leaf on 100% rag paper.

If you'd like to commission a painting, contact me for details.

Exhibit: Paint Happy at the Onda Oswego Gallery

The Onda Gallery in Lake Oswego, Oregon is devoted to sustainability and fair trade. The August exhibit, "Paint Happy and Human Adventure" features J.D. Bump and me. J.D. is a multi-talented artist who is both a sculptor and painter. He's also honing the art of travel, and chronicles his many trips with sketches and paintings. I especially love the sensual shapes and textures of his sculptures.

Lush bright colors and playful rhythms describe my Paint Happy series. Named after my book, Paint Happy, this is my series of images that focus on those moments in life that evoke happiness and contentment.

Pablo Merlo Flores and his staff invite you to visit the gallery.

Onda Gallery - Lake Oswego, Oregon Info:
Gallery Opening: First Friday, August 1, 2008 First Friday evening the gallery is open to the public. Duck Pond Cellar will be the wine tasting host.
When: Exhibit runs August 1 through September 1, 2008
Daily Hours: 11-6 Tue-Sat., 12-4 Sun
Where: 220 A Street Suite 104, Lake Oswego, Oregon 503-496-3922

When a Wild Beast is Just a Chicken

How you perceive what your see is colored by who you are. Your experiences, the time and place you live in, these things are inescapable. Everything is subjective. Not only is this true in life, there really is no such thing as objective art and design. Whatever is in the well of our thoughts and experiences spills onto our perceptions of images and design.

With that in mind I want to share with you a painting that I created from my fearful perception of an incident many years ago. I originally wrote about this in my book, Paint Happy.

This painting was inspired by the memory of my first night alone in an old ranch house in Central Oregon. During the dark early morning hours I heard loud mysterious animal noises inside the house. I imagined wild raccoons or bobcats prowling my room. There were no lights, and I'd left my flashlight on a table too far from the bed, so I decided to keep my head under the covers and wait until the animals left. Once the early morning sun began to light the room, I peeked out from under the blankets and saw a clucking chicken standing on the foot of my bed! A tall rooster with a colorful tail was perched on the dining room chair by the picture window and about six chickens were scratching the wooden floor and kitchen countertops. I didn't even know there were chickens on the ranch property. Apparently, there was a hole in the outside wall under the kitchen sink, and the chickens came in looking for breakfast!

More than a decade later, I took the best part of that memory - the comical surprise ending to my dark fear fantasies - and turned it into this painting. The rooster is crowing a rainbow of sounds toward the rising sun. The bed (symbolizing one's life) is the center of this universe and the land over which the sun rises and the clouds billow. This image captures the happy lesson that fear and worry are often a waste of energy.

This framed painting is for sale through High Desert Gallery in Sisters, Oregon.
Rise and Shine, 22" x 30" acrylic and hard pastel on paper.

Bid on This Painting thru April 12th! Springtime All Over

Sisters, Oregon only has a couple of thousand residents, yet the town is anything but small-minded. Residents are generous with their time and money to support a variety of cultural and educational opportunities for the residents and visitors. Katy Yoder, my wonderful friend directs the Sister's Folk Festival My Own Two Hands Art Auction, in Sisters, Oregon.

I donated a painting valued at over $3,000.00 (it's in a Beautiful frame!) along with a copy of Paint Happy! The Sister's Folk Festival staff & a small army of volunteers put on a great party for a worthy cause; Visual Arts & Music education in the Schools. Live music, great food, original art and fun people make this event the art auction of the year.

If you can't make the date, you can bid by phone on this painting by calling the Sister's Folk Festival at 541-549-4979. It's beautifully framed by award winning framer, Myrna Herrick Dow of the High Desert Gallery in Sisters, Oregon. Myrna donated the framing and her gallery, High Desert Gallery is exhibiting this and other paintings during the art stroll Saturday afternoon/evening.

I 'm not sure how late into the evening you can bid, so contact the Sister's Folk Festival at 541-549-4979 for proxy bidding. All of the proceeds go to a good cause, so bid high!

Title: Garden Store, Springtime All Over
Medium: Acrylic and Hard Pastel on 100% Rag Paper
Size: 30" wide x 22" tall
Year: 2001

Image Inspiration:
This painting celebrates the eternal Spring. Birds fly to the window to inspect the houses. Maybe they'll start a new life here. Potted plants and flowers are sprinkled with blue flowers (or is that wallpaper!?). The world is a fresh and happy place where creativity and inspiration are born.

This painting is featured in my book Paint Happy!

Check out the Sister's Folk Festival, My Own Two Hands art auction page and you can see all of the paintings, sculpture and other donated art. Every bid you makes supports and enriches the lives of the young people in this community. Thank You!

Cooling Down or Warming Up a Painting

Color theory is a science. The same concepts I use in interior design or home decor product development have their origin in my training and experience as a fine artist. Here's a demonstration of how when colors shift in temperature (relative warmth and coolness), the emotional or kinesthetic tone of the piece shifts.

In my book, Paint Happy! (2002, 2004 North Light Books), I talk about ratios of warm to cool colors. My theory is that all (Yes, I am getting a bit global here!) design is based on Repetition/Variation of design elements. Designs (any image) have a ratio of one to the other.

Here's an example of how I changed those ratios explained with images of paintings from my Paint Happy series (same as my book!). FYI, Paint Happy! (the book) is officially out of print, but you can get a used copy on Amazon and if you really like it, please write the publisher and ask them to reprint it.

First I created the painting Fish Dinner with mostly warm colors (orange and yellow) in a ratio to cool colors of about 70%/30%. Then, a few years later I wanted to revisit the theme, but with cool tones, so I painted the next picture, Red Fish Blue Fish. The painting isn't a slavish copy of it's warmer sister, mostly because I don't do slavish copies, it's not in my temperament. Nonetheless, it's close enough that you can see how the ratio of warm to color colors is 70%/30% or 30%/70% depending upon how you're looking at it.

See more of my Paint Happy series of art on my site.

All writing and images on this blog are copyright protected by Cristina Acosta

Internet Art Classes, What do YOU Think?

From time to time, I teach workshops and seminars. I began teaching at an early age, teaching skiing and swimming at the local mountain resort in Southern California when I was a teenager. As I grew in my artistry, I taught a variety of art classes and workshops, including a five year stint teaching drawing & painting classes at Central Oregon Community College, in Bend, Oregon.

I also look at my articles and books as the main method with which I continue to teach. Occasionally, I will teach a week-long workshop through Art in the Mountains. I usually base the curriculum on my book Paint Happy!

I've been asked by people in various parts of the world to do on-line art classes. I've wondered exactly how I should structure the classes to best benefit the student. If you have any ideas and/or are interested in this type of instruction, let me know.
www.CristinaAcosta.com