When I start a painting, I feel free and go bold! It’s easier to cut loose in the beginning, and it gets the painting going faster. I know this is a big step for some and it can take time, but beginning bold triggers impressive possibilities. But here’s the thing: you can go too far.

Here’s what I mean…

The work plateaus, because you can only have so much boldness. Once you hit this stage, the real work starts. It’s time to bring in nuance and subtlety. Subtlety in combination with boldness is tricky to achieve but being mindful of this balance takes your work to the next level and right out of that plateau.

Do you think of the balance of boldness and subtlety this way? Let me know in the comments!

This week’s podcast is about igniting your art and life. I focus on identifying the feelings you want in your art before you start to make it. It’s an effective reverse-engineering approach to creativity. I hope you’ll join me this Wednesday for our next episode. Click here to subscribe to the Art2Life Podcast and catch up on past episodes, too!

Hope you’re having a great Sunday!

Nick

PS: Have you downloaded our Free Color Tips PDF yet? Click here to see the 5 key Color Principles I use in my own art. I hope you find them helpful.

Does this mannequin scare you? Me too! We call him Alfred. He’s so scary that we have to keep him covered with a garbage bag! Why do we have him?

Listen here to find out…

After making your art, you want to share it. There can be resistance around this — blaming a bad camera, or poor lighting. However, if you get good lighting, have your tech needs set up, and create a devoted space, then shooting photos or reels is easy. Good lighting is not expensive, and when you see the difference, you’ll want to share your work! With any established space, it can take as little as five minutes to get your work out there.

What tips do you have for getting your art out there? Share them in the comments!

This week’s podcast is my conversation with confidence coach, Susie Moore. Susie defines confidence as the ability to be uncomfortable for a short period of time. Tune in to be fired up and take that fire to your art-making! She’s a dynamo! Click here to subscribe to the Art2Life Podcast and catch up on past episodes, too!

Hope you’re having a great Sunday!

Nick

PS: Have you downloaded our Free Color Tips PDF yet? Click here to see the 5 key Color Principles I use in my own art. I hope you find them helpful.

PPS: Here is a link to the lights I showed in today’s video.

We get so many questions from people in the Art2Life community asking what products we use to seal, protect and finish our paintings. I had that question when I was first starting out, too! I quickly learned that while you can ask that question, and follow the instructions others give you, over time you start to understand your own art and how you want your finished piece to look and feel.

I worked for many years primarily on wood and my finishing process changed over time. It took many iterations until I finally reached a finished surface that I felt matched how I wanted my art to be viewed. Now I’ve recently started working on canvas, and I quickly realized the same technique I used on wood was not going to work. So, I came up with a very simple hack to test out products to see what would protect my painting and create a professional finish.

Watch here!

Also, you won’t want to miss the next episode of the Art2Life Podcast coming out this Wednesday. Nick will be talking about selling your work. Click here to subscribe to the Art2Life Podcast and catch up on past episodes, too!

Don’t forget to share your ideas and tips in the comments section. Have fun in the studio today!

Terri
www.instagram.com/terri_froelich_art/
terrifroelich.com/

PS: Click here to download our Free Color Tips PDF. Check it out, it’s loaded with useful ideas.

And here are the materials I mentioned in today’s vlog:
Liquitex® Soluvar® Matte Varnish
Liquitex® Matte Medium
Golden Self Leveling Clear Gel
Golden Soft Gel Semi-Gloss Medium
Dorlands Wax Medium

The Art2Life Creative Visionary Program 2023 is starting in a couple of days, and I can’t wait! Enrollment has just opened up, so click here to learn more and sign up to join us: www.artlifecvp.com

In the Creative Visionary Program, I talk about differences. You can see what I mean in this painting. There is bold contrast that makes it exciting, but when differences are too big, they can feel unrelated. I need to refine the work so that all parts of the picture are related.

Take a look…

This is about discernment and sensitivity. It’s what makes good work great work and moves people emotionally. Let me know if this idea of subtlety and refinement rings true for you in the comments.

Join me LIVE today, at 12 pm PST, for another special demonstration about Intuition and Intellect and how these two modes of being are needed to create strong art and a more art-centered life. Your future art and life are both beautifully optimized by learning how to flow easily between your intuition and intellect. Today I will explain how this works!

Join me live on Facebook or on YouTube at 12 pm PST for this conversation about living your best art and life.

I hope to see many of you later today on the live call and in CVP 2023 to move your art forward! And welcome to all of those who are new to our Sunday Vlog! I’m happy you’re here.

Nicholas

PS: Don’t miss our next episode of the podcast coming out this Wednesday with the incredible figurative painter, Philip Buller. He talks about curiosity being a driving force to overcome fear and how it keeps his work moving forward. This spirit of “what if…” and the mindset of play, is what the Creative Visionary Program is all about. Join us for this amazing conversation! Click here to subscribe to the Art2Life Podcast and catch up on past episodes!https://pod.link/1579122752

The Art2Life Free Online Workshop starts tomorrow, Monday, February 13th and I’m so excited! Click here to join us if you haven’t already.

I’ll be diving into our first principle — Design. The basic idea is that a painting is more interesting when there’s variety in the work. Take a look at this piece I’m working on. Something’s not quite right, but I have a hunch how to fix it.

Let me show you…

Understanding and applying the Art2Life principles can get you unstuck quickly and make your work stronger. I’ll go deeper into this tomorrow in the Free Workshop. I can’t wait to spend the week with you!

How do you think about Design in your work? I’d love to hear in the comments.

My guest for this week’s podcast is German artist Insa Hoffmann who came into the Art2Life community several years ago and her work took off. I love how she thinks and talks about the art/life dance we’re all in. Join us for this engaging conversation coming out this Wednesday! Click here to subscribe to the Art2Life Podcast and catch up on past episodes, too!

Hope to see you tomorrow for this year’s Free Workshop! It’s my favorite time of the year!

Nicholas

I’m going for it on this painting I started last week and thinking about the upcoming free workshop. If you haven’t signed up, we’d love for you to join us! Staying free and fearless in your art is what the workshop is all about! What makes fearlessness possible is knowing how to fix your work. In the workshop, I’ll go over the tools I use to correct and make work stronger. When you have the tools, you have absolute freedom, and cool things happen! Come along, it all starts on February 13th.

Click here to sign up for the 2023 Art2Life Free Online Workshop!

What are your thoughts around freedom in your work? Do you feel absolutely free in your process? Are you stuck? Let me know in the comments.

This week’s podcast expands on this idea of fearlessness and embracing the unknown. Check out the next episode of the Art2Life Podcast coming out on Wednesday.

Click here to subscribe to the Art2Life Podcast and catch up on past episodes, too!

Have a great day in the studio!

Nicholas

It’s Ferris here to talk about a current topic in my work: the idea of change. I want to paint larger and faster, which has been bringing up the need to change how I work. It’s new territory for me, and a little scary because it means I’m letting go of what’s familiar. But embracing change, and finding comfort in it, is the only way we grow as creatives. If you’re wondering where to go with your art next, embrace change, try new ideas, and see what happens!

Check this out…

Let me know how you think of change in your work in the comments.

Change ties in with this Wednesday’s Art2Life Podcast, where Nick talks about five reasons why it’s great to be an artist. One of those ideas is, you guessed it – embracing change. Listen as he shares his insights on the value of change. Click here to subscribe to the Art2Life Podcast and catch up on past episodes, too!

Also coming up is our annual Art2Life Free Online Workshop! It’s a week of creativity that will radically shift your art this year! We begin on February 13th and you simply can’t miss it. Sign up here to join in the fun!

Have a great Sunday!

Ferris

PS You can check out my work via the links below.

Instagram
Website

When you find a cool new tool, you tend to want to keep it to yourself. Well, I have a new one that’s so cool, I have to share! It’s not something you’ll find at your hardware store. Some of the best tools come from surprising sources.

Check this out…

I love how this glides through the paint like a regular squeegee but then leaves this yummy pattern in the paint. What’s cool is that this comes with serrations of varying sizes. If you work large like I do, having these jumbo sized tools can help you create great surfaces and patterns. Give it a try!

Do you use special tools when working large? I’d love to hear in the comments!

Here’s a link to the tool I used in today’s vlog: https://www.brushman.com/item/fs18se-1%2F4/squeegees-floor/

I’m so excited about this week’s podcast with artist Alex Kanevsky, who I’ve admired for a long time. In design and value, his work is strong and touches everything from figurative to abstract, looseness to precision. I asked him what’s hard in art making and, spoiler alert, he said honesty and freedom. So simple and spot on! That’s just a taste of the wisdom he shares and expands on in our wonderful conversation. Join us this Wednesday for our next episode! Click here to subscribe to the Art2Life Podcast and catch up on past episodes, too!

Thanks so much for being here and Happy Sunday!

Nicholas

PS: I hope you’re enjoying seeing more of the Art2Life Team in these vlogs. This team has a wealth of knowledge and creativity and so many great things to share with you!

PPS: If you’re taking a deeper dive into color or stuck on color, click here to find our helpful Color Tips PDF.

It’s Susan here with the Art2Life Team. I love starting a new painting! Isn’t that the best part? The possibilities are endless! However, at some point, you come to a crossroads, and it’s hard to know which way to take a painting. How do you decide? There’s an app that I use that can be really helpful.

Let me show you how it works…

Using Pocket Procreate on my iPhone (or a similar app on an Android) is a great way to check out possibilities and figure out your next step in a painting. What’s great is that rather than asking others for advice, the answers come from you. It’s also fun to see changes in color and design quickly. I don’t resolve a painting this way. It’s best used to get me moving forward when I get stuck. I hope it helps you, too.

Do you have a trick for helping you move forward when you get stuck? Share with us in the comments.

Speaking of moving forward, listen to this week’s podcast where Nick asks, “Why do we make it so hard?” There are many common limiting beliefs about making art for ourselves. Nick shares his own secrets for making things easier and more possible. The real-life benefits are huge. Don’t miss this episode coming out on Wednesday. Click here to listen and subscribe to the Art2Life Podcast and catch up on past episodes, too!

Happy painting, happy Sunday!

Susan

You can follow me here:

http://www.susanmelrath.com/
https://www.instagram.com/susanmelrath/

PS: If you’re taking a deeper dive into color or stuck on color click here to find our helpful Color Tips PDF.

Happy New Year! I want to express my gratitude to all of you for being a part of Art2Life and participating in this community. It means so much to me, and I wouldn’t be doing this without you, so thank you.

During this nice break, I enjoy looking through my journals and noticing cool marks and symbols that I frequently use in my work. So many of them have specific meanings for me, so they are more like metaphorical symbols. I thought I’d show you some of them because they are another way to communicate visually and invite inquiry into your work.

Check this out…

Some symbols are based on nature, and others reference letters and lines. They aren’t necessarily unique, but what’s cool is that the meaning I give them is unique for me. They become my visual language that’s not always clear even to me but what’s implied is so interesting and creates curiosity.

What symbols do you use in your work and what’s implied? Let me know in the comments.

This week’s podcast features my conversation with Santa Fe based artist, Lauren Mantecon. Her beautiful work is all about symbols and metaphors. We had a lovely meandering conversation I think you’ll enjoy. Join us! Click here to subscribe to the Art2Life Podcast and catch up on past episodes, too!

Best wishes for the New Year and I hope you have a chance to make art today!

Nicholas

PS: If you haven’t already, join the Free Art2Life Artists Facebook Group by clicking here. Every day, artists from all over the world are creating amazing art.