Plein Air Painting in Peninsula

Ever since I have lived in Akron, I have wanted to do the local Plein Air painting completion in the neighboring town of Peninsula.  Every other year it didn't seem to fit in with my schedule, but this year there was time to squeeze some outdoor painting in.  "Plein Air" is from the French expression, "in the open air."  I am not a landscape painter by any means, but I do love a good challenge.  I really like to push myself into new territories every once in a while because it forces me to grow and learn and to get out of my comfort zone.  

I woke up early and headed over to the Peninsula Art Academy where we were to bring our canvases to get stamped and get a map of the area.  I drove around for about a half an hour to find a good location. First I started off in town, but there were already artists situated on the side of the street in what I thought were good locations, and I didn't want to intrude into their spaces.  I was happy though, because I had envisioned myself by a lake somewhere in peace and quiet where I would not be disturbed.  Eventually I found that picturesque lake I was hoping for at Kendall Lake.  All that was there was a few fishermen on the dock so I figured I wouldn't be bothered there. 

I found an area that had a great view of the water and I started unloading my stuff.  It was muddy, but I was prepared with my waterproof hiking boots so I didn't mind at all.  As I started to set everything up I thought to myself, "what in the heck am I doing?  I have a million other things I could be doing right now and here I am standing in the mud setting up an easel."  I pushed that thought aside and indulged in the moment.  Doing things that are not practical are sometimes necessary for the soul.

I began painting.  I absolutely loved being in nature and hearing the bullfrogs and watching the red winged black birds fly around me.  It felt like I just pushed pause on life and was able to breath clearly.  It was a little cool, but sunny, so pleasant.  I soon got in the zone, and that's when they started coming... the visitors.  People were curious as to what I was painting and began to strike up conversations with me.  

One man told me that he was an artist and used to work for American Greetings.  He went on to tell me that because he had to do his art for a job to please others, it ended up killing his creativity and left him not wanting to be an artist in the end.  So sad.

Another man told me that he used to come to the lake with a friend of his and sit on the bench nearby.  They used to paint there together and did not communicate with words.  The friend of his was Chinese and spoke only Mandarin, so they connected through art which transcends all language barriers.  His friend since passed away.  This story was so touching.

I had many other interesting conversations with people while I was there and found out from the park volunteers that there are baby eagles in a nest nearby (which they were right because my family and I went looking for them where they said they were, and they were there!).  Near the end, a man stopped by to observe and his dog planted a hot steamy one right behind where I was standing!  He was so embarrassed and I was glad that I was almost done painting!  It turns out that the most inspirational part of Plein Air painting was the conversations I had with people, which was the very thing I was planning on avoiding!  

My painting is now for sale at the Peninsula Art Academy (hours: Wed-Sun 11-5pm) and there will be an artist reception next Friday on May 26th from 6-9pm where they will announce the winners of the competition.  Hope to see you there!

Photo credit for all photographs: Cara Mancari

He is the Forest

Last year I did a custom birds nest different than any I've ever done before.  Someone asked me to do a nest with eggs in specific colors that were unique to each child.  This family has a unique situation where they brought in 3 children into their family where they went from a family of 4 to a family of 7 just like that!  Today, as I was painting nests I received an email from this mother who ordered this nest from me last year.  It was so amazing and encouraging, I just had to share!

She wrote, "I love, love, love my birds nest.  I'm sure you hear that all the time, but I don't think I ever told you how perfect it is for me and I want you to know the very way you painted it is such a blessing to my heart.  You had no way of knowing, but the specific positioning is an incredible window to the dynamics in my home and after looking at it in awe for about a year, I decided I wanted to share it with you.  I don't know if it'll all make sense, but I hope I at least get the point across that God totally directed your hand as you created this piece and I am so grateful!

Above the teal egg is her little yellow sister, above the pink egg are her two brothers. 

The two on the bottom are the oldest girls.  They carry the weight of the sibling group and act both as a team of leaders and personal adversaries.  The way the eggs are situated it's like they are facing away from each other, but close at the bottom showing they have each other's back.  

Pink, standing nearly upright, points her chin up and stands strong to keep the others up.  

The blue egg nestled in the middle is our middle boy.  The richest color that you used, he is the deepest and experiences emotions the most intensely, he is in every way the epitome of middle child and is situated smack dab in the middle of all the eggs, just like he is at home.  The two blue eggs are nose to nose, and in real life those two are best friends, and sometimes yellow gets a little jealous.  

Yellow is supported by her big sister teal and they are super close, but yellow is leaning toward green, her same-age boy cousin who she spends most of her time with.  

Green, up there on the top, seems the most detached from the rest, supported by big brother but not facing each other, and distant from big sister pink. He struggles to fit in and feel accepted.  

The eggs opposite each other- pink and yellow, blue and green- are the kids who are the least bonded to each other.  

As I look at this painting it is so much more than a piece of art.  It is a gift from God.  I see the hand of God bringing our family together and weaving these kids lives together. I see that our situation is no unfortunate accident but a divine appointment.  It is a reminder that I am exactly where He has created me to be in this moment and that He's got them, on the days when I feel like the chaos is too much, I'm not alone, He's holding us.  I may imagine the eggs as the children and the nest as my home, but God has reminded me that He is the forest that the nest is in, so much bigger than I can even imagine and I find great peace in that."

Recently, God has been showing me a few things.

1.  He is showing me that art is POWERFUL, more powerful than we can even imagine.  

2. That He is using my art to SPEAK to others and bring healing and encouragement, when I least expect it to.

3. It is more important to have SUCCESS through God's eyes than the world's eyes, because his ways are higher than mine.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

Custom Birds Nests

Back by popular demand for the 3rd year is my custom birds nests!  In case you missed these last year, here is a little info on what these are about.  I make 9X9 inch mixed media paintings on canvas of nests with eggs representing children in them.  There are many customizations that I do to make these little gems as personal as possible.  These make great Mother's Day gifts or any day gifts and look great on a collage wall!

1. Number of eggs- Depending on how many children are represented, I can paint as many eggs as you like!

2. Size of eggs- You can have larger eggs painted representing children, or smaller eggs painted to represent grand children.  Or you could combine and do both!  You can also use the smaller eggs to symbolized miscarried babies if you wish, I ask that you email me first to request unique customization like this before ordering.

3. Color of eggs- Depending on whether they are boys or girls I will paint either blue or pink.

4. Speckles- This year I am offering the choice of either brown speckles, or gold speckles if you are looking to add a little bling.

You can order these nests on my "Custom Birds Nests" page on my website www.taradeetscreek.com or by clicking HERE.

In Her Mind's Eye

"In Her Mind's Eye" 40X26

People have always said that I am a dreamer, and rightly so.  When I was a child, my teachers remarked to my parents how I was a day dreamer and was always staring out the classroom window.  Looking back, I don't know what I was thinking about, but I do know that I wasn't thinking about the math problems that were on my desk.  This young girl that lives in another world in her mind has continued into adulthood.  I have been raising 4 boys for the past 17 years and during these years of motherhood I feel like that I would have shriveled up and died inside if all I did was care for my family and live the life that one would only see on the outside.  Whether you have a full time desk job in a gray space or you're feeding babies and are up to your elbows in peanut butter and jelly, the monotony of every day can be a tough reality to face day in and day out.  Even though I was not able to live out all the creativity that I wanted to at different stages of my life, I have found ways to keep my brain in motion to help me to keep being a dreamer.  We should all be dreamers!  Life would be a happier place if we allowed ourselves to break free from the monotony and be inspired.  What do you fill your brain with that keeps you dreaming and inspired?  What is in your mind's eye?

How to Live like a Dreamer:

1. Visuals: Collect images that are inspiring to you and that make you feel happy.  I truly believe that the reason that Pinterest is so successful is because it allows people to to fill their senses with things that take them away to other places. It breaks the visual monotony of what we see every day and allows us to dream. Dream about those images when you are scrubbing toilets or working on a deadline for work.  It doesn't have to distract, just give those images a minute of stage time in your brain and let it help fuel you to carry on and complete your current task at hand. What's on your favorite pinterest board? 

2. Believe that anything is possible:  The definition of Optimism is "hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something."  It is this positive outlook that will spur you on to think out of the box and dream of possibilities that may look impossible to others. What do you think is impossible but something that you would love to experience or accomplish?  Dream about those things.

3. Be a future person:  What drives me and motivates me is having goals for myself and a mental bucket list that I am contemplating.  Right now my future goal is having an art studio in the woods somewhere, possibly a treehouse, and there is nothing anyone can do to take that vision away from me.  The thought of this treehouse alone is enough to keep my brain dreaming and gets me through the most boring of days.  What is an unrealistic dream that you have for your future?  Dream about that.

4. Look and Listen:  Fill your brain up with whatever you find inspiring and/or motivating.  I just read "Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert which was all about creative living beyond fear.  That was a great read!  Try to make time to read, and if you don't have time, then listen to podcasts!  I only started listening to podcasts last year and after the first one I was hooked!  What I love about them is that you can multitask as you listen to them.  I listen to them as I drive, work out at the gym, cook dinner, and of course while I do art.  

For you artists out there, I have some suggestions of podcasts that are my top two favorites.  The Jealous Curator: Art for your Ear, and Savvy Painter Podcast with Antrese Wood.  They interview artists and I love learning about people's stories and their personal journeys as artists.  These conversations continue to play in my mind long after they are over and give me so much to ponder.  What are you reading and listening to?

http://www.thejealouscurator.com/blog/art-for-your-ear-podcast/

  https://savvypainter.com/podcast/

5. Take time to think: Whether it is over a cup of coffee or before you go to sleep at night, during Pilates, or in the shower, dedicate some time to letting your brain take a little vacation.  Our brains need time to breathe.  Don't think about when you have to drive the kids to such and such, or when that bill is due, or the stack of papers you have sitting on your desk at work.  Have your brain enter places that make your heart sing and let inspiration find you there... 

Scarlett O'Hara

Scarlett O'Hara, one of the main characters in Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with the Wind, has always been one of my favorite literary characters.  Not only was Vivien Leigh an incredible talent and beauty, she was part of a film that my parents got my name from.  Tara was the plantation that was Scarlett's most treasured possession and I feel a great kinship to her and the film because of this. This is one of my favorite looks she had in the movie.  The feathers, the tulle, the glitz, the glam, the scarlett, I love it all.

I decided that this photo was the one I would use for reference for a painting I was going to do.  First I drew Scarlett's face.  I think her raised eyebrow really makes her look like Scarlett.  I never thought about that before, but after I drew her I realized that this was signature to her look.

Then, I added the beautiful scarlett dress with my watercolors and built it up in layers to create the right tone.

Next I added gold behind her which really made her face pop and was a great compliment to the Scarlett color.  Usually I do more in the circle behind the women I paint, but with this one, I felt that all it needed was gold.  I didn't want anything to distract from the star of the show and I felt like less was more in this situation.

I added some touches of acrylic paint on her dress where it needed some darker tones and also darkened up her hair.  I also gave her some red lips and added the gold bling additions which really made the piece come alive.

I'm really happy with how it turned out!  This painting was created for an auction that is for a great cause!  The money raised through this auction goes to the National Down Syndrome Society.  Bidding is live as of today!  If you want to have a chance to win this painting and support a great cause, place your bid here: https://www.501auctions.com/ndssgala2017/item/517744 . The silent auction ends at 10pm on March 30th!

22X30

My first "Curiosity Portrait" with Cara Mancari

On my artist residency in Wales back in the fall, I used women's portraits to tell the stories of the Welsh folktales from the area.  Not only did I enjoy painting the portraits, but I loved reading a story and trying to visualize what that might look like in a painting.  One day when I was there I had an idea.  The idea was that when I came back to the States I would tell the stories of as many women as I could.  Right then and there I started formulating a list of questions I would ask the women that I interviewed.  

I decided that I would call these allegorical paintings "Curiosity Portraits" because there is so much mystery and curiosity held in these unique portraits.  One thing I have always been drawn to in art are the questions.  I love trying to figure out what the meaning is behind the paint and what story the artist was trying to tell.  

When I got home from Wales I was so excited to get started on my first "Curiosity Portrait" but I still felt like there was a piece missing.  I wanted something that would be a common thread that would be woven through all of these portraits but I didn't know what that would be.  So I waited, and waited.  Until one day in February I had an "aha" moment!  It all clicked and I was freaking out I was so excited!  

Before I went to Wales I had an idea in mind that I was going to pursue while I was there and it incorporated fashion.  I had brought with me a big envelope stuffed with inspirational images from fashion magazines and some pinterest boards full of great images I could use as inspiration. Although I didn't end up pursuing this theme in Wales, I still had these images lingering in my head.  This particular day in February I started thinking about these images and a lightbulb went off in my brain.  I thought to myself,  "I could tell stories of women through fashion!!"

And so it began.  My first model was the beautiful Cara Mancari...

I went on a little weekend retreat at the end of February which was the perfect time to work on this painting.  Before I left on my retreat I had interviewed Cara asking her a list of questions about her passions, memories, likes, dreams, etc.  I just LOVE this part of the process because I love getting to know people and what things come together to make them who they are.  I have always loved asking people questions because I truly love learning about people!  

At the retreat, I began by looking through my notes from the interview and writing down things that I could use as symbols and visuals to express some of the things she shared about her life.  Next, I searched inspirational images that I could incorporate into the painting.  Here is my messy table where I began a sketch to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.  It was challenging, but for some reason I really love the challenge! I love painting portraits but it has never felt like enough for me in the creativity department.  Having to take these steps of creativity is exhilarating for me and takes portrait painting to a whole new level.

I then worked out a color palette that I was going to use based on her answers in the interview.

One of the questions I asked her was, "what was your favorite memories from growing up?"  She told me that when she was a little girl she loved playing in the woods and she found these curved branches that she used as the top of her "house." She made her house and then found moss that she laid down under the branches to lay and play on.  Cara loved this imaginary play and I thought that would be a beautiful thing to capture in the painting.  

Here is the moss in her headpiece...

Here are the branches...

Her favorite bird is a blue jay so I perched him on top of the branches...

I asked Cara, "What about nature inspires you?  What are you drawn to?"  She told me that she loves asymmetrical patterns in nature.  So I painted a tree bark pattern on her clothing...

I asked her "If you could live in a scene of a book or a movie where would you live?" and she told me that it would be "Lord of the Rings" so I decided to add a hobbit house underneath the moss in her headpiece.  I also incorporated wild flowers in front of it because those are her favorite kinds of flowers.

Another thing we talked about was what dream she had for her future and she told me that she wanted to own her own interior design business.  She told me that Scandinavian design is her favorite kind of design.  I really didn't know what Scandinavian design looked like so I did research.  I just love learning about new things through art processes!  I found that in Scandinavian design a lot of black, white, copper, blush, and hints of blue are used (hence the color scheme).  Considering this, I thought that the copper on her headpiece and black polka dots would be the perfect elements to complete the piece.  Blush is actually her favorite color so that worked out nicely, and also the fact that she loved blue jays worked out well with the color scheme as well. I also hung the blue jay feathers from her head piece to bring more blue to the bottom of the painting. 

My favorite elements in the painting are the polka dots and the way that her face blends in with the blush background.  I love the subtlety of it and it veers from my norm. I would like to play with more subtlety in my future works.  Cara was thrilled with how the painting turned out and was so excited to see all the personal elements of her life story incorporated into the painting.  

When she saw it she said, "It's so cool because I feel like my life is a storybook, that my experiences and the details of my life are more than just subtle memories, but vibrant details and a part of who I am!" This quote really encompasses what I want people to experience through these portraits.  I want every woman to feel like she has a story, a beautiful story.  That her life is valued.  What is your story?  Email me at taratories@gmail.com if you are interested in telling your story without words..