A Studio Detour

Chatham
9x12 Water Soluble Oils on Stretched Canvas
©BEDeuel Bronson Hill Arts 2014-15

Caught up in so many other "details" of everyday life & other such distractions, I have to force myself to go up the stairs & visit my own studio. 

Realizing that I still haven't done any new pieces (Grrrr!!!), I thought it'd be nice to bring you along on the visit.

When hubby & I designed the house layout, we had his 3 young girls staying with us regularly. We opted to make it a 4 bedroom house. And, in the process, we wound up having an enclosed loft area on the 2nd floor. After the girls moved on into adulthood, we also found that we have 2 oversized spare rooms upstairs.

Somehow, I've managed to fill almost 2/3rds of the entire upper floor with art materials & work areas. 

The loft holds a work table used for mat & paper cutting, an old artist table with a computer & paint supplies for glass painting. In between are rolling carts & Yaffe squares full of supplies & goodies.

The framed picture on the one rolling cart is a print hubby made for me for one Christmas that showcases our original logo design for Bronson Hill Arts! He is my best fan & supporter.

There are 2 large windows that look out over our backyard. This is the best spot for the drafting/painting table. Again, the table is surrounded by carts & tables. If I want to keep something on the tilted table, I attach some rubber feet to the bottom & that generally works. I've been using a small cosmetics holder for tubes of watercolor paints with the sticky feet keeping it nice and steady!

I've got several fluorescent lamps around the area which helps to give me better lighting at night for working & for quick photos.

My favorite part is the easel area, though. I have a large wooden easel on one side & a small metal easel. In between is an old desktop computer table that is great for storing oil paints, brushes, water buckets, & as a working area with its "keyboard" pull-out. 

The next room over is for storage & photographing paintings. After 4+ years of doing this, I'm still struggling with taking a good photograph of a painting. But, I think we're gaining on it! This set up seems to be working better than any other I've tried to date.

So, now that I've taken a solid look at all the fun to be had in these rooms, I have to force myself to enjoy it!

Hope you have a ton of fun, too, this week!

Keeping Up with the Seasons

Beach Trees
Tree of Life Collection
4x6 Watercolor on 140# Strathmore Paper
©BEDeuel Bronson Hill Arts 2011

Having just been out of commission for the last couple of months, post-foot surgery, I feel that I've missed most of this past summer. I have been fortunate to have a lovely view of the hills and trees from my living room. I've still been able to absorb the beauty of the sunlight, the racing shadows of the clouds, the mad dashes of the birds and graceful loping of the butterflies & bees.

SharingHoney Bunnies Collection4x6 Water Soluble Pencil©BEDeuel Bronson Hill Arts 2011

Changing Skies
©Mike Deuel Bronson Hill Arts 2012

Autumn Field
4x6 Water Soluble Pencil
©BEDeuel Bronson Hill Arts

Fortunately, weather & nature have been favorable enough to have let me enjoy the fall. Having been able to hobble reasonably well over the last few weeks, hubby & I ventured about our immediate locales, and a little farther, to enjoy the foliage & warm sunlight of this wonderful autumn in upstate New York. As a bonus, I was able to also enjoy, with a dear friend, a day wandering through one of the largest art & craft fairs of our region which takes place in Letchworth State Park. Again, gorgeous scenery to inhale generously. 

Bench at Buttermilk Falls
©Mike Deuel Bronson Hill Arts 2014

Bench Viewpoint
Honeoye Lake
©BEDeuel Bronson Hill Arts 2014

Sunbathing Horses
©Mike Deuel Bronson Hill Arts 2014

The leaves have been golden & fiery. The waters beyond blue & plentiful, despite a dry fall season. No need for heavy jackets or winter hats as of yet. Just sunglasses & a camera. 

And, eventually, a paint brush or two! 

Change
9x12 Water Soluble Oil on Stretched Canvas
©BEDeuel Bronson Hill Arts 2012

So, without further ado, we want to share some recent photos & past paintings & drawings. We've also put a more complete slide show of our trip this past weekend around some of the Finger Lakes on our website, if you're in the mood for more autumn glories.

Silhouette in Field
Trees of Life Collection6x8 Acrylic on Canvas Board
©BEDeuel Bronson Hill Arts 2010

Happy Autumn, everyone!

Yield
6x6 Watercolor
©BEDeuel Bronson Hill Arts 2012

P.S.: In keeping with our theme of rescues & note cards, Sharing, is one of our cards in the Honey Bunny Collection for Humane Society of Livingston County & Beach Trees & Silhouette in Field are part of the Trees of Life Collection for Hearthside Cats. Stop by our Note Cards for Charity page for more images & options!

Fence Line
©Mike Deuel Bronson Hill Arts 2014

Willow Shadow
©BEDeuel Bronson Hill Arts 2014

#1 Pumpkin
9x12 Softleaded Colored Pencil
©BEDeuel Bronson Hill Arts 2011

Autumn Falls
©Mike Deuel Bronson Hill Arts 2014

Gold & White

Unending cold, unending darkness,

Fill the unending wintertime.

After the storm covers the drabness,

The sudden beauty seizes the eye.

The glorious bones of trees, old and twisted,

Rise mighty and bleach-white.

Sunlight flits through the laciness

Of twigs that crosshatched,

Cast shadows, dense and intriguing.

Flecks of gold, cast about by the sunlight,

Crash joyfully onto the snow.

Fluff and ice that entices us

With promise of more loveliness to come.

Organizing to Do



Step 1: The Sketch
Where to Next?

A fellow creative soul, as well as a dear friend, and I managed to exchange a couple of emails that somewhat constituted a conversation.  With our equally crazy schedules, it has become a rarity, indeed.

In her part of the initial conversation, she was able to take a break from her thriving craft business. Instead of pushing ahead with marketing tedium, she was taking the available time to reorganize her art studio and areas.

While in several ways this may seem as if it is procrastination, I can appreciate the need to regroup. It may not seem to be working towards a successful art business, the need to step back and look at your surroundings. But, it is actually crucial at times.

Often, it seems that when we just roll with the tide of life, we flounder, unable find a focus. When we stop, look and evaluate the direction of the tide, we can remind ourselves of where it is exactly we meant to go in the first place.

I’ve found myself doing a tremendous amount of reevaluating where I want to go with my art, and with Mike’s photography. In the rush to get our name out to the local circuit of craft outlets and art groups, I found myself  being approached to do things that were, honestly, not what I enjoyed doing.  It was not what I wanted Bronson Hill Arts to become.

I enjoyed trying new crafts and mediums, techniques and designs. But I  feel  as though  I have been sidetracked in developing the type of artwork for which  I am passionate.

So, yes, here’s to “procrastinating” enough to redirect and refocus.

It’s not only a necessity: it’s a wonderful thing to give one’s self.

Step 2: Watercolor Colorization 

 

TMC "White on White"

White-on-White
6x6 Ink on Smooth Bristol Paper
©2012 BEDeuel

Snuggled in a warm home with my loving hubby, a glowing fireplace, and two sleepy kitties while listening to the whipping wind outside is how I would be completely content to spend the next 3 months.

Sigh…

Ok, back to reality: it’s after the holidays, a new year, cold weather to trudge through, blah, blah, blah. Yuck.

A tidbit I’d read somewhere stated that if you viewed one picture or video of a cute animal during your day, your spirit was inevitably lifted. Here is my contribution to your day. And mine: a very happy pup!

Check the link to Twenty Minute Challenge in regards to this pup’s story! (experiencing technical difficulties; unable to post to TMC.)