Blog
Have Brush Will Travel - Let's Do THIS Together!!
3/17/2023 3:44:55 PM | By Susan Blackwood OPA AIS AWS NWS MWS | Comment on this
Blog - By Susan Blackwood OPA AIS AWS NWS
I love to paint intimate scenes, close-ups that capture little corners of the world. I especially love to paint them plein air, sitting right in front of them. Oils, Watercolors, or sketches... they all thrill me!
Creating paintings everywhere I travel, gives me a special insight into each new location, be it a new country, state, city or wilderness. The very act of standing still in one spot for several hours while sliding my brushes over canvas or paper, enables me to hear and smell and feel the environment. For that brief time span, as I paint my painting, I am merged with the locals’ world. If I am in a city or village, my ears are filled with conversations floating on the air of family and friends (often in a foreign language that my ears translate into lovely melodies) as they walk past or their voices float through an open window as they congregate in their homes.
Standing still, barely moving as I sway to the rhythm of my brush strokes, I enjoy the laughter of children on their way to school, beautiful music playing on a radio, church bells ringing out the hours, the tinkle of silverware as a table is being set for lunch, the smells of culinary delights being lovingly cooked. Not only do I take with me these freshly created paintings, but all the tickles of my senses, as well, and the memories firmly attached to each spot of color. They become “souvenirs” far greater than any treasure I could buy at the local markets of the world. Some of these paintings I will keep, but most will find themselves in someone’s home so they can somehow look at my painting and feel, smell and hear the location that I painted.
Artists, everywhere, love to plant flowers. Me, too! Those little touches of color reach out to all of us as we pass by. These paintings express a lasting impression of a few of the flowers that have caught my eye and excited my brushes, through my 44 years of traveling and painting in Europe and around the world. I want to show you how to capture these moments in paint, to pass down through the generations.
Red Flowers Near Her Door 12 x 9 oil
Sunny Side
16 x 20 Oil
Join Howard and me in June as we capture the romance of Italy. Let’s paint the flowers of the Chianti Valley of Tuscany together in
Italy... the Romantic capital of the world!
June 3 - 10
Go to my web site for more information.
www.susanblackwood.com
Even at home, in my own little world, the corners are always so intriguing to me.
So Many Blossoms, from my own garden in Bozeman, Montana (2003) 18 x 14 Oil
This last painting was painted, plein air 20 years ago in June, when our peonies were in full bloom. That year we had a very wet and cold spring, delaying our flowers. Our lilacs were still in bloom as were our iris’ …… next came along the peonies. They finally just burst into bloom. And I knew.... it was Time to paint them for sure!
Think about This ..... Join Me and Howard Friedland in June as we capture the romance of Italy. Let’s
paint the flowers of the Chianti Valley of Tuscany together.
Susan Blackwood
Firsts in My Career
3/14/2023 10:33:08 AM | By Susan Blackwood OPA AIS AWS NWS MWS | 3 Comments
Firsts in My Career
These two paintings are two of my very first oils. They were painted back in the summer of 2003. It was my 17th year as a successful award winning watercolorist. I was passionate about my love of watercolors and still feel and paint that passion today.
It was also, the 5th year of our marriage. For more than 5 years, as I was creating watercolors, my husband, Howard ( Friedland) was creating his oil paintings. His magic brushes pushed and stroked the thick paint, letting them slide the oils over canvas. (I love his oil paintings.) His brush strokes and colors were so different than watercolors.
Curiosity got the best of me…
What if I picked up those stiff heavy bristle brushes with the huge long handles…
Could I paint vertical?
What would my brush strokes look like?
What would my paintings look like in oils?
Who would I be as an oil painter?
So, I made a decision… For one year, I would lay down my beloved watercolor brushes and only paint oils. If I decided to enter a show in that year…. it had to be with one of my oils.
Thus, I entered the dark and mysterious world of thick gooey brush strokes and ridges in the paint.
Pots of Pretties 14 x 18 oil By Susan Blackwood OPA AIS
It was the spring of 2003 I bought the little pansies in a “six Pack” at the local nursery. Eager to start painting the little pansies and fearful they would wilt, I did not even plant them in the pot. Instead, I gently set the “six pack” (container and all) into the pot, set up some low exciting lighting, grabbed my brushes and the oil paint started flying. This painting was accepted into the CM Russell Museum Show that year and sold. It was my first oil painting in a national show. I was hooked on oils.
Planted First 16 x 18 oil by Susan Blackwood OPA AIS
Howard and I were at the florist looking for cut flowers to paint when this little begonia plant looked up at me. It was love at first sight. First I planted her into this big pot…. Then she had to be painted!
Now I will remember her always.
20 years later and…I have continued to win many awards for my paintings, both in watercolors and in oils. Like having two very different children, I love them both and continue to paint and teach both mediums, watercolors and oils.
Let’s discover the magic in Your brushes.
Come Paint with Howard and me in June in Tuscany, Italy…. in the beautiful rolling Chianti Hills, rich with quaint villages, vineyards and yes, of course, flowers. We will be teaching you the love and passion of painting and sketching plein air. It is a trip of a lifetime!
Susan
www.susanblackwood.com
