Painting Competitions

A great way to get more exposure for  your artwork more is to enter national juried shows.  There are so many of them throughout the United States!  And many of them have some great prizes!!

Remember when entering to follow the directions very carefully as they can be very specific.  And, make sure that you have good quality photos of your paintings -- good color, good resolution and that they are squared off properly.  Usually there is a size restriction for the photos to be entered.  Most of the shows have various categories:  oils, pastels, watercolor, acrylic and even drawing!  This way you can enter several times in the different categories which also gives you a better chance to be accepted.

Some shows even have a mini category which is fun as you can enter those little “studies” that you love.

Be confident in your work, and know that the judging panel is different every time, and one painting that will be accepted into one show, might not make it into another.

My painting, “Little Flower Girl”, 16 x 20 has been in five major U.S. juried shows and just won Second Place in a show in Louisiana.  The other painting, “Garden Magic”, 9 x 12 has also been in five major shows. 

You can find a lot of the shows on-line and listed in the art magazines.  Good luck, and please remember not to take it personal! 

Helping the Homeless

With winter upon us, it is a great time to remember that there are thousands of people who live on the streets, without heat, without a roof over their head, without money and food -- these people need our help to survive.  Most shelters are full and they struggle just to live!

When you see a homeless person, please find it in your heart to give -- give them money, give them food, give them a warm jacket, and if you have nothing to give, give them a smile and words of encouragement.  Each gift of love that you give them helps.  They want the same things that we want, to be loved, to be happy and to have the comforts of a home.

They are people too -- people who got lost somehow in our beautiful world.

Thank you.

Impressionist Painting Demonstration

Diane Leonard is world renowned  for her use of color and light.  In her demonstration she will focus on how to paint using impressionistic techniques with translucent colors  -- you will learn the secrets that make your colors vibrant!

She will also share  her  unique and  breakthrough painting techniques that make her works sought after and highly  collectible.  The demonstration will be on Saturday, December 12 from Noon till 2:00 p.m. at Arizona Art Supply located at 4025 N. 16th Street, Phoenix, Arizona -- for more information 602-264-9514 or email Diane at Diane@DianeLeonard.com

Diane will show you how to take your palette of colors to a new dimension.  She will share the secrets of mixing colors that help capture light!  You will learn to use brushes in a new ways!

She has been an instructor at the Scottsdale Artists School for  many years and has written blogs about painting techniques.  Diane is presently working on a video for painting with color that will be available soon.

This Demonstration is filled with lots of new techniques and ideas for creating impressionistic paintings and is loads of fun!  You will leave the Demonstration with a new found passion to paint and new techniques to take your painting to a new level!  And you will rediscover the joy of painting!

Painting A Winner

There are those”special paintings” that speak to us -- they are the ones that are painted from your heart!  You can feel it when you paint it -- the paint is flowing, the colors are singing and you are happy!!  

At the end of the painting day, we step back, smile, pour a glass of wine and look at our work for the day, knowing it was a special day.

And that is the case with the painting, “Little Flower Girl”.  My little model has the most enchanting face, and capturing that on my Ampersand Board was fun and reminded me of innocence -- and that is what I captured.

This painting has been shown in four national juried shows this past year and last night WON Second Place at the Louisiana River Road Show in Baton Rouge, Louisiana!  I was thrilled to receive the notice today, and of course delighted to get the recognition for this painting.  

It not only put a smile on my face, and some money in my pocket, it has given me the confidence and elation to paint today!

I wish us all the feeling of joy when painting.

Painting With Color

Creating color in paintings is so much fun and using color to create light is what I love to do.

I found this hat on the internet and ordered it -- the blue on the hat creates the mood for the painting -- the light shines through and crates a glow.

My model sat in my garden with her glass of wine and the wildflowers that are growing there provided a great background and foreground for me to paint -- and, the splashes of the yellow/orange brought out the blues in the painting.

The magenta gloves added the color to the painting!

I love doing the small apuntes (studies) every day -- they give me the freedom to try new techniques and ideas in my work and they are fun to do!

“A Treasured Moment”, 7 x 5 Oil on Boarddianeleonard.com

A Painting for Thanksgiving

This is the season of giving --- it’s Thanksgiving.

I have the privilege of knowing Sr. Susan Dale, who is the Resident Director of Amelia House located Clarion County (in one of the poorest counties in Pennsylvania). Susan was a former classmate of mine and I am in awe of her dedication to helping the lives of others.

We are aware of the larger charities --it’s the smaller ones that truly need our help -- in fact, they rely on it.

Amelia House, sponsored by the Sisters of Divine Providence, provides hope, support and long-term hospitality to women and children who are homeless and/or victims of domestic violence. Amelia House provides services to approximately 20 women and 18 children on an annual basis, and residents can stay for a year or more, if needed. The House addresses the problems and needs of women and children whose lives are threatened by domestic violence and homelessness.

As my way of saying thank you to anyone who donates money to Amelia House, I am give a painting away for free.

This Holiday season help out Sr. Susan and her residents by donating $25.00 or more to Amelia House which is a tax deductible charity. Then simply email me with the word “Thanksgiving” in the subject matter -- If you want to have multiple opportunities to receive the painting, you are welcome to make contributions of a multiple of $25 (five entries for every $100) and just let me know. Thank you so very much for your generosity. On December 10, I will choose a name and someone will own the painting - easy -- simple -- a wonderful way to help others!

Excerpt from Sister Susan Dale -- “The women and children receive the gifts of freedom, renewed self-esteem and physical and emotional healing. Seeing them ‘come alive’ is truly a gift and a blessing for me and makes me believe in the purpose and necessity of Amelia House even more.”

The best part is that you are helping the sisters make the lives of women and children in need a lot happier and brighter for this Holiday Season. They don’t have much, they don’t ask for much -- just a place to feel safe and receive some help. Anything you can give is a huge blessing!

In order to keep the anonymity and privacy of Amelia House, please make the check out to Amelia House and send it to:

Sister Sue Dale, CDP

c/o SAFE

P.O. Box 108

Clarion, PA 16214

Thank you so much! Have the most wonderful Thanksgiving -- I am so grateful to all of the people who have touched my life in so many wonderful ways.

Diane Leonard

Diane@DianeLeonard.com

Painter doing Sketches

Sketching ideas in a drawing notebook as they come to you is a great way to enhance your creativity. Sometimes I use markers or crayons to put color in the drawing and then write the concept that I am looking for. This is how I start the process to create a new series of paintings or just one painting.

I carry a notebook with me at all times so that when the inspiration hits (and one never knows when this will happen), I have the idea on paper -- then I find the model to create it, take photos and then paint either from life (my preference) or from the photos.

Sketching from memory is a great way to get your drawing skills working and it is fun!

This sketch started an entire series of “The Red Dress” paintings!

As a Painter, I am always striving to learn and try new techniques.