Spring Studio Sale – Art is not ART until it is SOLD

Today five original oil paintings have returned to my studio from the venue where they were being shown. This event reminds me of a quote that was supposedly said by one artist to another…

Art isn’t art until it’s soldUntil then it’s an obsession and a storage problem.” ~Anonymous

I am not sure I necessary agree. Art in my mind has little to do with sales – though those are always appreciated. However, I do believe that a spring cleaning sale is in order or else we may have to move out just to make room for my paintings.

With this in mind, the following FIVE 18 X 24 inch oil on archival quality gallery wrapped cotton canvas with roughly finished edges have been reduced from $1,200 to $900 plus shipping for the next week beginning today, Wednesday March 28, 2012 until Wednesday April 4, 2012 midnight P.D.T.

These paintings are all available for immediate purchase in the Artsy Home online gallery and include:

WINTER SUN

CLICK –> BUY to reach the “Buy it Now” button on the right at Artsy Home.

OWL’S VIEW

CLICK –> BUY to reach the “Buy it Now” button on the right at Artsy Home.

CABIN ON SHORE

CLICK –> BUY to reach the “Buy it Now” button on the right at Artsy Home.

EAST POINT CLIFFS

CLICK –> BUY to reach the “Buy it Now” button on the right at Artsy Home.

FAR SHORE

CLICK –> BUY to reach the “Buy it Now” button on the right at Artsy Home.

 

If you already own one or more of my original paintings or if you purchase more than one of these paintings I will give you an additional $100 collectors discount on each painting purchased.

Paintings are SOLD with my usual Artist’s Satisfaction Guarantee:

Unharmed and safe return of the purchased painting to the Artist, at the cost of the buyer, within 30 days of receiving the purchase will result in a full refund of the purchase price by artist Terrill Welch.

If you have any further questions or would like to make your purchase arrangements directly with me please email me at tawelch@shaw.ca

In addition, with each purchase I will include a signed copy of PRECIOUS SECONDS – Mayne Island in paintings and photographs, volume one.

Of course, if the paintings do not sell, they will be returned to new increase over the original price at the close of this sale and will be shown in another venue beginning in May. Yes, you read correctly – the price of all of my work is going up on May 1, 2012.

So this is rare an opportunity indeed. But no harm will be done if the paintings remain in my gallery collection awhile longer. After all, most of the work is less than two years old. In the past eighteen months, there have been eighteen paintings finding new homes across the globe. It is all good and makes this artist smile.

I look forward to wrapping your painting for you and putting it in the mail.

Please share with others that you think might be interested.

© 2012 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

ROMANCING SUMMER BY THE SEA original oil painting by Terrill Welch

Some paintings seem to guide the brush from the first stroke of the underpainting. The canvas, the brush and the artist move across the surface as if choreographed by a grand mistress of creativity.

Such was the case for this 30 x 30 inch oil on canvas painting ROMANCING SUMMER BY THE SEA. With a simple palette choice…

the painting slid onto the canvas and was simply there!

Oh it still needed to be built up and refined and brought to life but there was no question about the form, structure, tone or composition. Did this painting come out of some illusive muse? Possibly but it was highly influenced by several known influences. The first being my experience on Saturna Island last summer in August which provided the reference image and essence of a particularly spectacular summer morning on East Point. Secondly, I was reading THE SWAN THIEVES by Elizabeth Kostova which had been recommended to me by Patricia from Patricia’s Wisdom. If you have read the book you will know how deeply the sea, romance and painting are part of its gift to the reader. Finally, just before beginning this painting I was in an art gallery in Sidney B.C. and admiring an artist hand-embellished reproduction of “Evening thoughts” by Italian artist Pino Daeni. I have seen even an original Pino painting several times and reproductions many times. But this time I was admiring how he might accomplish that sensual mystery in his work. Then I asked myself, could I possibly capture this in a landscape, particularly one I loved and already could sense its sensual presence. Well, what do you think? Can I?

  (ROMANCING SUMMER BY THE SEA is available for purchase HERE

Of course my figure does not have flowing dresses. She is a strong muscular modern woman with little to give her gender away until you see her smile that touches her lightly around her eyes. But this won’t happen today. Today, we admire her enjoying the summer morning mist in August by the sea. There are also two detailed images of both the figure and the reflections on the water posted along with the painting at the “HERE” link above.

SPROUT: What has recently wooed your creativity? 

© 2012 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

New paintings by Terrill Welch in the Artsy Home online Gallery

Getting on with the painting of being an artist never seems to be an issue. But getting them out and available for you to purchase is as inspiring as sweeping cobwebs off the sealing. It is not that I don’t want them to be available for purchase. It is the tediousness of filling in all the boxes for posting that often has me saying to self “maybe I will just paint one more and then post them all together.” And we both know how that goes – one more becomes five more before I settle in to a quiet Sunday like today and start adding new work.

So just in case you have one of my original paintings on your “wishlist,” I now have a few more of my new paintings available on the Artsy Home online Gallery including this 30 x 40 inch oil on canvas –

REACHING THE SEA (Note: this painting is no longer available)

The full gallery of my original oil paintings currently available can be viewed at http://www.artsyhome.com/author/terrillwelch

Yes, there are still a few more to add. I am in the process of editing the photographs right after I post this for you. But there is one new one that will not be released until Wednesday. I promised to keep you posted 🙂

SPROUT: What is your very most favourite Sunday creative family rated activity? 

© 2012 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

WEST COAST SUNRISE postcard painting by Terrill Welch

This painting is a 4 x 6.5 inch oil on special paper postcard that I did for David Sandum’s #twitterartexhibit fundraising project. It will be going in the mail to Moss Norway as soon as it dries.

 

This project is an amazing collaboration between artist David Sandum, twitter artists and the Moss public library in Norway. This year the funds raised will go to support The Women’s Crisis Center in Moss, where abused women and children can get help. The center also provides a 24 hour phone-service, counseling, food and shelter etc. It but has lost a lot of funding the past year and the staff has been cut from 19 to 11. This is a very important cause, not only for the women in a crisis situation but also for their children.

If you are an artist, have a twitter account and want to participate here is the link for more informationhttp://davidsandumart.posterous.com/call-for-artists-2nd-twitter-art-exhibit-in-m

 

SPROUT: What is the tiniest creative work you have ever done? 

 

© 2012 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

MANAROLA WINTER AFTERNOON original painting by Terrill Welch

This 16 x 20 inch oil painting on gessobord was inspired by the Manarola Collaborative Project between G+ Painters and Photographers 2011 -12

Yes I have kept it a secret for almost six months 🙂

What a journey of personal discovery! It was October 15, 2011 when I finally get a chance to settle in and explore the images provide by the three photographers Elia Locardi, Marisa Williams and Mike Brzozowski. I have it in my mind I want to do a winter mid-afternoon painting of the village. I have never used any other photographer’s images as painting reference and I feel like my being is strapped to a narrow window on a high cliff. This is a location I have never experienced. I don’t know what it smells like. I can’t hear the sounds in the streets. I have no idea how the light falls at different times of day. What temperature is it? Does the wind blow a lot or a little? What does is feel like from one location in the village to another? What are the daily routines of living? When is it quietest? I realize that these are all threads and fibers that ground me in my paintings. What was I going to do.? I had to know. I couldn’t paint without knowing. So I went on a long journey of research discovering more images, blog posts and youtube videos to my learn from so that I could paint.

Using information as references from the photographs of all three photographers and more, here is the end result of my impressions of what Manarola might be like on a winter mid-afternoon day with its golden light. The fishermen have spent the afternoon in the pubs as they won’t be going out tonight. There is a storm coming. It took hours and even days. Finally I painted.

MANAROLA WINTER AFTERNOON 16 x 20 inch oil on gessobord with a 2 inch wood cradle by Terrill Welch

(I haven’t put this painting on the market yet but but it will be about $900 U.S. If you are interested send me an email )

More Background: A small group of G+ painters are inspired to paint Manarola in the Cinque Terre of Italy. The painters have never been to Manarola Italy and seek photography reference from photographers willing to give copyright permission to use their images in the creation of these paintings.

A small group of G+ photographers agreed to participate. Links to initial images for reference follow each photographer. I used a combination of these three photographs plus additional research to complete my painting.

Elia Locardi: https://plus.google.com/112957708071337353347/posts/UhLzeW8dEqi

Marisa Williams: https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/116975473087103045706/albums/5630380399468681713/5630690138668613394

Mike Brzozowskihttps://plus.google.com/photos/103053238748819026069/albums/5200107765813493457

My heartfelt thanks to these photographers who shared their work so that I could create mine. You can meet all of the artists who participated and see their paintings as well as those that the photographers contributed in this album gallery HERE.

SEED: I have this great desire to learn more about this small fishing villiage. I now have Manarola Italy on my travel list.

© 2012 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

GREETING DAWN original painting by Terrill Welch

As the seagull tucks its head around the morning light sings out a warm greeting. This oil painting is 6 x 6 inches with a 2 inch wood cradle and is the smallest painting I have ever done. No frame required. This very small richly textured sunrise seascape is part of a new series “Squared to the Sea.”

GREETING DAWN would enhance a bedside, small bathroom wall, examining room or waiting area giving rise to serenity and peace.

UPDATE: February 10, 2012 This painting is now SOLD and off  to Dakota U.S. 

SEED: I am enjoying exploring this expanded sunrise and sunset palette of colours in both my painting and photography. I wonder what secrets these colours hold for us? Do they have a special place in our heritage of colour experience? I am starting with this children’s website for Weather Optical Illusions.

© 2012 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

ORCAS IN EVENING original painting by Terrill Welch

I am sure many of you remember my recent “A Whale of a Story” where I was gifted a chance to photograph Killer Whales or Orcas from our Mayne Island shore on one of my recent January photo shoots. If you have a look at that post you will be able to see where I the inspiration for this painting came from.

ORCAS IN EVENING is a 12 x 12 inch oil on gessobord with a 2 inch wood cradle

 

In many ways this painting was a stretch for me. I seldom paint animals or birds into my paintings of sea or landscapes. This time I wanted to have the Orcas included. It was such thrill to see them like this I just felt “I must!” However, I wanted to do this in a way you could “feel” rather than just “see” the Orcas in their natural environment at sunset. This is why I anchored my work in the quote from Claude Monet and intention from an earlier post “Painting the Desperation of Wanting to Stay Alive.” I wanted to paint the impression of whales as seen from “the glance.” What do you think? Was I successful?

I also was thrilled to have the chance to paint pinks, oranges and mauve. Though still grounded in the body of cool-blue tones that are our foundation here on the west coast of Canada these “hot colours” are not common in my work. I couldn’t help but think of the paintings of a colleague and artist Lena Levin. You can view her work on her website Though she has primarily still life work at the moment, she did do a seascape a while back that she felt had been influenced by my work. Now it is my turn to share that this piece was definitely influences by her astounding palette development in these sunset colours. Do check out her Ten A Penny experiment as well. It is an idea I am watching closely. Even though I don’t do a lot of what are called “studies” I really like the concept. Lena is also on G+ HERE if you want to drop by and say “hello” or browse her recent posts.

SPROUT: Who is having a profound influence on your work of late? 

© 2012 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

ROCKS AT SUNRISE original oil painting by Terrill Welch

The light catches the morning next to the rocks in a grand profusion of impressionist captured colour. Each brush stroke is singing a song of praise for the beginning of another day.

ROCKS AT SUNRISE  is an 8 x 8 inch oil on gessobord with a 2 inch birch cradle.

(Update April 22, 2013: this painting is no longer available for purchase ) 

There are no process images for this painting as it happened in a continuous flow. This post follows up from yesterday’s post “Painting the Desperation of Wanting to Stay Alive” where a small detail of this painting was shared.

SPROUT: Can you share with us a link to your latest work that came forth in one continuous flow? 

© 2012 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

Painting the Desperation of Wanting to Stay Alive

Claude Monet is quoted from a conversation with an American neighbour in Giverny as follows:

When you go out to paint, try to forget what objects you have before you, a tree, a house, a field or whatever…. merely think here is a little square of blue, here an oblong of pink, hear a streak of yellow, and paint it just as it looks to you, the exact color and shape, until it gives you your own naive impression of the scene before you. (reference Claude Monet 1840-1926 by The Art Institute of Chicago catalog published 1995)

I suppose you think I am going to argue with this sound advice!? No I agree and my brushes feel the same. Yes, of course I consulted my brushes and they spoke to the canvas and we are all in the same painting with Monet. However, as we conferred we also notice that Monet had left something out in his recipe for painting. It is not enough to get the colour just right or the shape just so.

A painter must paint the desperation of wanting to stay alive.

Here is a very wet detail from my painting today where I worked on this “must.”

Image

No matter how beautiful and accurate the painting of the light or interesting the composition, the painting must leave the viewer with an understanding that the painter knows that the moment in the painting is a gift in time – one worth being alive to experience. This must be said in every brushstroke, every slice of the palette knife, every squeeze of the paint tube and in absolutely every decision the painter makes to execute her vision into that brief second of a moment on a canvas.

SPROUT: How do you create with the desperation of wanting to stay alive?

© 2012 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com

Waving at you from Mayne Island with Monet

My morning is very French here off the southwest coast of Canada. I slept late (9:00 am) hand ground my coffee beans, made espresso and baked the chocolate croissants. The sun is shining.

Wave photographs are almost the equivalent of my warm up sketches in a figure drawing session. The process gets me stretched down low to the ground in odd angles and into that place where my eye starts to relentlessly compose and frame the world around me. Waves also feed an acceleration that pulls up any lazy cells in my being that thought they might just coast along through the photo shoot. NOT! We are here to capture the movement of light. Time to get to work.

Good morning and Happy Thursday to you!

SEED:  Speaking of the French, I made a most treasured purchase a few days ago. It is the 282 catalogue (or catalog) published  by The Art Institute of  Chicago for the 1995 exhibition of Claude Monet‘s (1860-1946) art work. Did you know that he used to get angry and slash his canvases and may have personally destroyed over 500 paintings? His art career was 60 years long but he is best known for his earlier paintings during the impressionism hay-day and of course his lilies. Though my paintings and even my photography have often been said to remind people of Monet I have never studied his work – rather I reclined into embarrassment and pride at being compared to such a great artist, too scared to even give it serious consideration. I personally had felt my work may have more in common with Camille Pissarro but that is another story. But over the next few weeks and months I am going to read about and study Monet’s work closely and see if I can see what it is that has people so often making this connection.

© 2012 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.

Liberal usage granted with written permission. See “About” for details.

Purchase photography at http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch

Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.

From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada

Terrill Welch online Gallery at http://terrillwelchartist.com