As the Year Comes to A Close

I find myself thinking about the year, grateful for all the wonderful experiences and thankful for the ones that were not too pleasant.  Thankful because when things are a struggle, you learn and grow.

I would consider myself a landscape painter.  Almost all my paintings are of landscapes and I continually always come back to painting  sceneries and landscapes that inspire me.   Usually it would be places visited or sometimes happily stumbled upon!

However, to help with finances, I always had another job to fall back to.  For the last 13 years, I worked part-time at an art store in their sales department and taught several workshops in the same location.  My world was busy and although I was mostly happy, I felt unfulfilled.  I wanted to paint more but always did not have the time. Previous to that, after graduation I worked in various corporate jobs for 25 years which also did not give me time to paint.  It was time to focus on just painting and teaching and let go of the retail sales job.

In time, I have managed to earn a living by teaching painting at 6 locations, 2 sessions at my home studio and continued to accept private art students.  Did I have time to paint for myself?  Yes, but very little.

This year seemed to be another turning point in my life, and after much thought, I have decided to unload a few classes so that I can slowly transition to painting full-time.  Of course, this cannot be done quickly, I have signed contracts and I still need the steady income.  But hopefully a slow transition would settle into a more manageable pace.

Fifty Shades of Grey 12" x 24" Acrylic by Marissa Sweet SCA

This leads me to ponder how is life as a full-time artist?   People who wouldn't know the work that is involved will think - ahhh she is just painting for fun!   There is a lot of work involved managing a business and theoretically, I am the sole proprietor of my business.  This is not lazy macy, funny ducky stuff.... this is serious.  Responsible for not only the supply of goods, but the management of the business.   It will be work, but working on a business that is your passion is the goal.  We only have one life to live.

The dream is the goal, and in time, with hard work, I will get there!

It's Still Summer

Happy September and it’s still summer!!!  We had a very productive summer and hope you got to enjoy yours in every and any way you wanted to.  Last July, my husband and I travelled to Scotland, where we went to discover the country and fell in love with the culture – it’s people – and lifestyle.  We took buses, trains and drove, not to mention we walked, walked and walked some more.  I have been so inspired by the landscape  that I painted 4 smaller paintings already!!  More in the works and it can very well get piled high on my to-do list.

This brings me on to August, where I painted new material and tried to finish a few projects started in the spring.  Some of which are on display at the Oshawa Art Fall Show, which is on-going this weekend – Sept. 9-10-11.

As September pushes through, I know I will be busy once more teaching in various locations.  Among them, at the Visual Arts Centre in Bowmanville, where I continue to teach Acrylic Abstract painting every Thursdays starting Sept. 22^nd.  Likewise, all my classes get started again both in senior’s community centres in Oshawa and Whitby.

I am going to be having a semi-private workshop at my home on Sept. 24-25, called Abstracted Landscapes.  We will go through 2 different styles of taking a landscape and abstracting it and you will learn many different approaches and techniques. I only take 4-6 people – so if you are interested please email me right away!! marissa@marissasweet.com  I do not run many workshops from my home studio, so now is the time to grab it and register.  $130.00/pp from 10-4 both days.

I cannot wait to see all of you again as the fall term starts up again.

"Songs of Time" Oil 12" x 12"

En Plein Air

So what is Plein Air? En plein air is a French term that translates literally as “in the open air.” The term “plein-air painting,” as it is currently used, usually refers to paintings that are completed on location.

Over the past 20 years, interest in plein-air painting has exploded in the West. Once considered revolutionary, when French Impressionists in the late 1800s, ventured out to investigate and capture the light of a given subject during different times of the day or season. Plein-air painters often contend that something is lost when a painting originates from a photograph as the sole reference material—that it just doesn’t convey the experience of actually being there.

Being a studio artist, going out into the open air seemed daunting, inspiring and adventurous all at the same time.  Ever since I was 10 years old, I loved the French impressionists most particularly Monet and Renoir, so I gave it a shot.  I sketched outdoors and tried to paint every now and then while in school and during summer vacation. 

Years after, I painted whenever we went camping and somehow managed to finish a few paintings here and there.  It was a challenge.  With no training but pure intuition - just set up my easel and go!  I realised I carried too much and after walking to find a particular site that interested me, I was bogged down with my gear.  People were naturally curious with what I was doing and most stopped by to talk to me.  It was nice, but could also be a huge distraction. Bug spray is important to bring as well as sunscreen!  Bringing a bottled water was handy, primarily to quench your thirst and secondly to clean up brushes because at the time I was using acrylics.   Having a camera records the scene and time of day.  The sunlight of course changes in the day, so I realised that I had to paint fast.

Marissa Sweet (June 2016)

Two years ago I joined East Central Ontario Art Association which is an art organization that promotes paint outs with a huge membership that spans Eastern Ontario, including artists  from Metropolitan Toronto to the Quebec border and north past Algonquin Park, as well as some from as far west as the Niagara Peninsula.  The largest concentration are residents of Scarborough, Belleville, Peterborough and surrounding areas. 

This group opened up the flood gates to opportunities to paint out and learn new things!  The opportunity to paint with fellow artists and learn more about managing your skills in the open air was exciting.  I switched back to oils as my medium and I continue to learn more and more from every experience.  I paint outside every opportunity now that it is summer and suddenly, I realised…  I am addicted. 

Marissa

Finding YOU

I love abstract art!  I also enjoy creating, teaching and painting abstract paintings.  Yet, I have come to realise that I am a landscape artist, leaning towards semi-abstraction.  For me, I feel an emotional connection to the landscape whether it is an abstracted one or not.  I need to feel even just a hint of representation to produce my best.

This came to me after years of experimentation.  And after many years of searching for what I love to paint which gives me comfort and happiness, I came to realise that I am a landscape artist.

My paintings starts of like an abstract, but something happens and it get's morphed into what looks like land, then water, then trees emerge as the sun sets.  Voila... a landscape!  I work on three to five paintings at the same time, sometimes with different colour palettes, usually starting with dabs of paint slathered with ink, alcohol, water, sometimes manipulated roughly, with nowhere to go.  Working with some sort of guide, a sketch or a photograph, but usually at this stage, I am not sure where I am heading to.

Classical music helps me to connect with my soul... helps me also to keep calm during the screaming stages when things go into the blur between logical reasoning and abandonment.  As a painter, you just have to learn to trust yourself.  Trust your experimentation and to not be afraid of destroying what you created.  Arthur Bernard quoted; " A painting is destroying and building, destroying and building, over and over again. A good painter must be able to do this and not be afraid of this."

Cheers,
Marissa

"Summer of Sixty Nine" 10" x 10" Mixed Media

March Break

I had a good 2 weeks off teaching and it feels good.   Not having to rush to the next workshop or prepare for the next project gave me time to find some balance in my day-to-day.  I got to catch up on administration shtuffs like updating my website, my blog ( yup!), do my taxes, work on a project and got to spend more time with family and friends.

Although being an artist may be worthwhile and rewarding, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it is easy.  Anyone who has ever actually tried to paint a picture, play a song, or write a novel knows that creating art is often a lot harder than it looks.  It is often a long and frustrating journey between knowing how to do something and being able to do it well.  Long moments of thought, practise, creative thinking, practise, trial and error, practise, working through problems, practice, and more. There are a lot of things that have to get done towards being productive and successful.  Not only are YOU your own business, you have to produce to make a living.

Being an artist is not about lightning bolts of inspiration.  It is about being willing to dedicate yourself to practise, to keep growing, to keep learning - to explore. 

I am fortunate to have many friends who are artists and that we can share our little adventures in the business of art every time we get together.  Having a support system outside of family is also enriching. 

"Somewhere North of Bancroft" 8" x 8" Oil

Aside from working on my own projects, I am very much enjoying facilitating workshops and teaching. It seems the more I teach, the more I learn.  I have been blessed with having great students who have become friends and collectors of my paintings.

As I said before, being an artist is not easy.  But there is no other place I'd like to be.

Upcoming Workshops

Wow.... it has been a while since I last wrote.  It has been hectic, but all productive and creative!  Spring is upon us and I will be having another workshop with Meta4 Craft and Art Gallery, in Port Perry this April 3rd, it is called "Abstracted Flowers".  You can go to their website to learn more about it and register!

I thoroughly enjoy this class because I not only get to work in such a great space, but meet new friends at the same time! 

"I see them bloom" 24" x 24" Acrylic on Wood Panel

Likewise, on May 14-15, I will be facilitating an abstract - "Go with the Flow" weekend workshop at my home studio.  This is a workshop where I will encourage students to go with the flow!  Move your paint without the use of brushes, applying paint with various techniques and understanding various acrylic gels and fluid mediums in the market.  Supplies are not included.  To register - visit my website at www.marissasweet.com  I can only have maximum of 4 people in the class, and I have 2 already confirmed, so register soon!

Till the next chat!  Be well and take care!!

Marissa