Starting to Paint

It’s never too late to get started !!!  I see a lot of retired people taking workshops and opening the door to painting!  That is so exciting to me because I do believe that we all have art in us!  Finding your medium and your style is part of the process!

Taking workshops is a great place to get started.  When an artist does a demonstration you can learn a lot by just watching.  And, some artists offer private lessons.  You can learn so much in a workshop -- you learn about yourself and you get to interact with other people who also want to learn to paint.

Seek out the art groups in your area and find an artist whose work you admire and sign up -- take that first step and start to paint or draw -- you will discover that part of you that has been waiting to shine!

I will be doing a demonstration at Arizona Art Supply in Phoenix, Arizona on May 22, 2010, and I will be shooting a video of the demonstration that will be available at the end of this month.  To find out more, please send me an email.

Remember -- it’s never too late to get started!

"Garden" 10 x 8 Oil on Board

DianeLeonard.com

Diane@DianeLeonard.com

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

One small human heart can give love that fills the world!  How amazing is that???  LOVE is the special gift that we give one another !

And, a Mother’s LOVE starts when our hearts are sooooo small and it continues to grow in our hearts forever.!

Here’s to LOVE -- Her’s to Mother’s Love!  Today is a great day to honor women and celebrate their beauty.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO EVERYONE!

"A Mother's Love (study) 12 x 9 Oil on Board

DianeLeonard.com

Diane@DianeLeonard.com

Happy Mother's Day

A Mother's Love is the greatest love there is ...

It is tender, kind, patient and it's a love that knows no boundaries.  It is a Love that we all deserve!

Wishing us all that amazing love !

Thank you for all of the wonderful gifts that Mothers give us every day!

"Thoughts of Love"  40 x 30

Oil on Board

DianeLeonard.com

Diane@DianeLeonard.com

Impressionists

Talent is a God-given gift -- how you use it is your gift back to the planet!

"Afternoon Tea"  30 x 30  Oil on Canvas

DianeLeonard.com

Diane@DianeLeonard.com

Finding Inspiration

I want to paint everything -- well, almost everything.  Every where I look I see paintings -- I have ideas flashing in my mind all of the time -- it’s amazing!    And perhaps I am a little ADD or is it ADHD -- these ideas keep me excited about the next painting.

I keep a sketch book beside me (or near by) at all times so that I can quickly sketch out my vision or write it out -- less I forget!  Often times these notes develop into a new series.  The next step is to plan a photo shoot, find a model or set up a still life and get started!

You never know when an inspiration will come -- or where it will come from - be ready, be open and keep that child in you ready for anything!  

Look at the world through loving eyes that find beauty all around you.

"Lazy Afternoon" 5 x 7 Oil on Board

DianeLeonard.com

Diane@DianeLeonard.com

Impressionist Techniques

My mother, Mary, was an incredible cook -- she made everything from scratch -- even her pie crusts  (I am not sure if I have ever made a pie crust)!   Desserts were her specialty, and usually on holidays we had at least three different pies to choose from.   She didn’t measure, instead she used her knowledge of cooking and then she felt the recipes!

In painting, once you know the basic techniques, then you can experiment with your own style and paint with your feelings.  The paintings that truly sing the best songs are the ones where the artist has put their feelings into them.  You know those paintings, they look easy -- as you can see the brush strokes and the movement on the canvas -- when you are confident in what you do, it shows!

It is important to study art, or cooking or golf in order to learn the basics and taking lessons from artists is a great way to grow!  Study the masters -- the painters that opened the doors for the world.  I started painting learning to paint the same way that Rembrant painted -- basics -- and then I studied the impressionists and experimented with the colors.    I have read hundreds of books, visited every museum many times and I am still learning and still growing as an artist!  

When you stop learning, you stop growing -- open the door to new ideas and new techniques and be willing to grow!

"Sunshine" 6 x 8 Oil on Raymar Board

DianeLeonard.com

Diane@DianeLeonard.com

Creative Painting

While on her TV Cooking  Show, Julia Childs attempted to flip a crepe and half of it landed on the stove -- she laughed it off and then said “I didn’t have the courage I needed the way I should have”... and then mumbled ...... “practice”!  Her joy in cooking didn’t let her stop trying new things -- even in front of a TV camera, including boning a duck!

When you are paintings,  you can run into some snarls -- some places where you are not sure how to get that “look” that you are after -- these are learning lessons.   For oil painters, it can be simply wiped out --  hence, I love the oils!  

The courage to see it through -- to go for that look you are after and not settle for anything less teaches you to grow as an artist.   How do you mix those greys to create the flow of water on the beach?   And, sometimes it is just better to start over and begin anew.   The more you paint the same series, the more confidence you get and then you are ready to  move on to the next series.  In life we are all growing and learning and it is so important to keep learning and trying new techniques and ideas so that you are challenged and your are pushing yourself to be your very BEST!

JUST PAINT! -- a friend of mine said that to me so very long ago -- Leonard -- Just Paint!

Who knows what magic will appear on that canvas -- have the courage to be who you are and to paint with total abandon.  And then, your painting might just be saying YUM!!!

And, by the way, Meryl Streep certainly deserves an Oscar for her performance as Julia Child -- she became her -- as always, she is an amazing actress!

"As The Sun Sets"  30 x 30  Oil on Canvas

DianeLeonard.com

Diane@DianeLeonard.com