July/August Newsletter - 2009 Back to Helen's Website
(all images - owned with copyright 2008, 2009 - Helen Read)
Sunflower in Repose, 5x7" Oil on canvas, 2008 - Helen Read
Hi everyone,
Wow! Summer is moving along swiftly. I hope that you have enjoyed a restful summer. I am thoroughly enjoying my summer schedule. It is always a time of rejuvenation after a busy and intense school year schedule. I have not had an idle summer, however! In fact, in many ways it is just as full and busy as any other time of year, but the difference is in the larger blocks of time to accomplish and actually finish things that never seem to get done during the rest of the year! So far this summer, I have completed a graduate course for school teaching, have cleaned my house more thoroughly, have had more time for walking & fitness, and have spent great moments with friends and family. Summer also allows me time for much needed planning ahead and, of course, larger blocks of time for studio work. Read on below. You'll see some of what has been happening here, read some interesting articles having to do with the world of art, and find summer fun suggestions at the end!
What's New?
More work with Landscapes
I'm continuing my work with landscapes. I've enjoyed doing a number of small (6x8") oil pastel landscapes as prototypes for the larger ones that I'm also working on this summer. They are a great way to get my ideas out on paper before beginning a larger on-canvas version. These small ones are also available for sale.
Red Sky Red Sky, 6x8" Oil pastel on paper
See my latest landscapes here
New!! Fun Fashion Statement Note Cards!
By popular demand, these "stylin' birds" are now available as note cards! They each have a distinctive style of their own, and have a quote by someone of note relating to style and fashion!
"Fashions fade but - style is eternal"
"Style is a simple way of saying complicated things"
"Fashion can be bought - style one must possess"
"To give style to one's character - a great and rare art"
A set of 8 (4.25 x 5.5") w/envelopes is $10.00. The notes are blank inside.
For more information and to see them in more detail, please visit this link. Bird Note Cards
I'm happy to tell you that these cards are also available individually, if you are local, at a great little shop in Glen Ellyn: AliKat Boutique
What's been happening with the Studio Friends Group?
Late last month, the latest Studio Friends promo involved you introducing me to your friends. In return for your friend joining us as a Studio Friend, they got a complementary sample set of notecards delivered in the mail - and your name was put into a drawing for a free small floral painting of your choice. The winner was drawn in July 15th, and the painting of Sunflowers has just been finished. It is on its way to its new home in Texas!
If you have friends who would like to be a part of our group, please be sure to forward this email to them. They do need to sign up, but its easy to do! The sign up is on the left side of this newsletter.
New Look for my Website!
After lots of time and a new learning curve on an old software with many, many updates (which almost made it like a totally new software), I have finished the awaited update on my website. It has a fresh new look, and is linked to convenient buying links for the smaller works.
Lots of people ask about the difference between a website and a blog. In a nutshell, here is how I describe it. A website is like entering a gallery - you can see all the works as you walk through different rooms of the gallery. A blog is like talking to the artist and being shown a new work as it has been finished. It is more conversational and the updates are (ideally) more frequent. The website has a more stationary and formal presence.
I have both! And hope you'll bookmark my blog and visit frequently, as I try to update several times a week. And of course, a visit to the website shows you a more panoramic view!
Compare and bookmark my blog here
Quirky news from the Art World
Masters of Deception
Odd little things often show up in the news related to art. This one caught my attention and I thought you might find it interesting too. The National Gallery in London is featuring a showing of fine artworks called Close Examination: Fakes, Mistakes, and Discoveries.
What is notable about this exhibit is that is a public airing of the Gallery's most embarrassing errors and faux pas, involving works that were purchased and thought (by gallery personnel) to be works of Old Masters. Subsequently, as the errors have been found, the works have been taken from gallery walls and stashed in the basement! But the Gallery is now displaying the whole lot of mistakes that have happened over the years! The whole article can be read here. Masters of Deception
Last but not Least - Summer Fun!
Recommended summer reading (from my list)
The Book of Mark - (New Testament) -
I've just finished reading this great book again, with the purpose of reading it to understand more deeply who Jesus is and was while he lived on earth.
In particular, how his life impacted those who lived with him on a day to day basis.
I'd Rather be in the Studio by Alyson Stanfield
For those who are artists, this is a great book on the how-to of getting out of the studio and making your work into a business.
Cold Tangerines by Shauna Niequist
A great book of short essays in which the author gives us an often funny, but always deep, view of seeing the beauty in the common-ness of life!
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
One of my all-time favorite fictional books. Not new, but a modern classic in my mind!
Completely Guilt-Free, Sugar-Free, Fresh Lemonade
While you are reading, on a warm summer afternoon - here is the perfect complement!
1/2 fresh lemon,
8 oz filtered water
Stevia* - to taste
Ice
This is too easy to believe! Remove seeds from lemon and squeeze into a tall glass,
add water and stevia to the perfect sweetness. Stir to mix. Add ice and enjoy.
*Stevia is an herb. It is far sweeter than sugar - and is available in health food stores as either a powder or a liquid. It takes very little to sweeten quite a lot. And, the great thing is - its calorie free and it doesn't affect blood sugar (which is important for those who must watch that number). For those of you who didn't know, my daughter must watch her blood sugar, and I am concerned for all the synthetic sweeteners that are commonly used. This is completely natural and has been used for generations past! Plus - it tastes great! (but its easy to make things too sweet, so add a little at a time!)
I hope you are enjoying the more visual presentation of my studio news! As the fall approaches and heats up in its demands for my time and energy, I will endeavor to continue to send my newsletters. May the remainder of the summer be restful and enjoyable to you.
Please forward this newsletter to your friends. In this difficult economy, one of my main objectives is to continue to connect with my old friends and make lots of new ones! Maybe you agree, we can never have too much beauty and connection in life. Art brings beauty, vitality, and enjoyment into our lives. This is one small way that I try to stay connected and make it fun for you as well!
Sincerely,
Helen Read
The Studio Upstairs
And ending thought - one that is comforting in uncertain times.
"I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his (God's) love. Death can't and life can't. The angels can't and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away." Romans 8:38