HOLLY CARMICHAEL ART
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The Tennessee Artists Facebook Group Features He Lights the Way in the Darkness by Holly Carmichael

September 29th, 2012

The Tennessee Artists Facebook Group Features He Lights the Way in the Darkness by Holly Carmichael

The Tennessee Artists Facebook Group is featuring an acrylic painting titled "He Lights the Way in the Darkness" by Holly Carmichael on their cover shot and front page. The piece is 30"x40" on canvas and is painted in a hybrid pointillism style taking the artist two years to complete. She stated, "condensed time would be about six months". The painting is available for sale and in prints at http://www.holly-carmichael.artistwebsites.com. Come by and check it out

https://www.facebook.com/groups/TennesseeArtists/

It is Fall. And My Prices are Falling Too.

September 20th, 2012

It is Fall. And My Prices are Falling Too.

I've just gotten through remarking some inventory, so the prices have fallen, fallen, I say... come check them out!

I've been working on a new set of paintings to come; mostly inspired by my part of the world, but also by our vacation trip out west. Stay tuned :)

Getting the Creative Mind Organized and Saving Inspirations

February 2nd, 2012

Getting the Creative Mind Organized and Saving Inspirations

Here it is February, and I find myself dreaming about springtime. With it comes a flood of ideas for paintings to do. It began with some blues and jazz pieces and then seems to have moved back into the landscape arena. How in the world can I get all that out in a reasonable amount of time and do it with an expectation of high quality work?!

I suffer this problem frequently throughout the year. But I have learned it is a matter of budgeting my time, and learning the skill of keeping the feeling and inspiration intact in spite of whether I do it today or three months from today and in spite of whatever else it is that I must be doing instead. It took me a lot of practice to get this discipline, but giving me that practice was working from home with two boys and two dogs and a husband underfoot most of the time. If I was ever going to accomplish a portfolio, I had to learn this (among some other distinguishing disciplines in time budgeting).

If you're like me, and working hard to stay creative and keep it coming, then you know it takes a certain type of mind training to keep those inspirations alive until you can get them out and onto your preferred medium. First thing to do is get that idea to the fore of your mind. If you know you can not actually do the work for a week or two, or whatever amount of time, then what you CAN do is, do it in your mind. Lay it all out there - like choreography, it's an art skill all in itself. And when you are finished, by the time you get to work on it, you will have the whole thing all set up - ready to perform as planned, and boy won't you be feeling free and wonderful!

I like to think of keeping my inspirations that are but ideas today in my "back pocket" and when before, I was sketchy about them, I am now much more able to do exactly what I intend to with the time I have.

I have to budget my time still, between those days I spend on the computer, the ones out running around doing errands, homemaking chores, and taking care of family stuff. Funny, I thought once the guys went off to college I wouldn't have so much at home stuff, but I still do.

My "studio" has to be taken out and put away each time I want to create, because I have to use our kitchen and breakfast nook. Suffice it to say, it is not exactly the ideal environment, so much has to be done to enable a painter like me to paint there.

Yet, with fortitude and planning, I've got that choreographed into an art that at first took about an hour each way and all that just to get it set up, or broken down, so I could paint or use the kitchen to cook and to serve a meal. Now, after doing it for several years, I've learned how to get it all done in less than half that time each way. I learned to streamline everything, bit by bit, newer easier ways to do it came to light. Plus, the family became more tolerant of me leaving it in the kitchen for several days at a time, much more than they were at first. It was so laborious to have to move the easel, the drop cloth, all the paints and buckets, pallettes, cover the table and chairs, put away the lazy susan, put away the placemats and other table decor, and the fruit, move the table and chairs, and then move all those boxes of meduims in and out of their storage places in the other end of the house, all that carrying, and moving. SIGH. It's still a lot, but nowhere near as laborious.

Life is like that for painters who work at home. We have do things around the general layout of the house and what the family does too. Sometimes just the wrong thing on TV or stereo can blow an inspiration and make me feel like stomping off. But again, I remember, I have the picture in my mind, what's the hurry anyway? I can come back to it any time I want and get the feeling back.

I guess this skill comes to some people easier than others. For me, it was a matter of separating a bunch of inspirations out into steps that would allow them to some time become realities. Once I thought them through that way, I never lost a single one (unless of course I just discarded it as one that wasn't worth a hoot).

And then too, there's those things that are sponaneous. To keep the spontaneity alive, the only organizing and planning to do for those is the time and space. Everything else having to with it has to be done on the spot spontaneously. Those are the best ones, in my honest opinon. I love to do freestyle where I just pick up the brush, fill the pallette and go. See where it takes me. Something about those exercises set me free.


Well, I had hoped to paint today and yesterday, but other things came along to derail that idea. That's exactly why and how I had to learn to save and organize my art project ideas. Perhaps later tonight or tomorrow then :) I've got it covered. Such is life on this planet of ours, in this country we call America, where time is of the essence in everything.







My Self Portrait and Past Influences

January 27th, 2012

My Self Portrait and Past Influences

In this self-portrait I am sitting in my Nashville home. In the distance, you can see "Looking Through the Bushes", oil on canvas, 30" x 40", by the late Virginia Mason Gifford (my great-aunt). She was such a huge influence in my artwork that I felt it appropriate to echo this in my self portrait.

Always looking for some sort of artistic challenge, I grabbed a hold of the cell phone, which intimidated me as a camera and a way to do a self portrait, and started playing and clicking! This was certainly a very frustrating and irritating experimental project - one that bombed out more often than not and one that took me over three years to really get the hang of. But here it is. In a crazy digital world, why not take advantage and stick my neck out, literally? LMAO.

Getting back to the deeper intention and meaning, to this day, I am still amazed at my Aunt's wonderful "ahead of her time" artistic talent - she too was apparently into trying new and controverisal things! I had always wished I had gotten to know her better and be around her more often. We were such a long distance away - and it was difficult to afford the travel to go visit, so, when we did, it was always a treasured time and magical memory.

As I indicated, Mimi was very much ahead of her time, both socially and artistically by the way. Though for now, my focus is on her influence as an artist. Her various mediums and methods of artwork explorations covered every medium from the then new magic markers, to oil pastel, to classic oil paints and even controversial acrylics. Some stuff was whimsical and magical while other stuff was cartoonish, and even neon. Some was abstract expressionism and other stuff was realism. There was a wide variance in the types of work she did over the course of her life and career. She did a good deal of portrait work, and some illustrating for Ed too. She even wrote and illustrated her own books too. Mimi was an artist by every definition of the word and daring as could be!

She used to say to me, "If you feel like painting, then have at it and have fun!"

Her home was decorated beautifully with a number of teak danish modern furniture pieces surrounded by beautifully coordinated classic pieces such as Ed's grand piano and floor to ceiling book shelving. Her artwork graced every floor and room. Her work appeared in many local galleries and even in the upcoming and then well-known classic "Ingenue Magazine".

Mimi was always active in the "Art Guild" and was a key person, I believe, on the board of directors, in the once named "Philadelphia College of Art" where she was a student and graduate. She lived in a five story brown stone in Philadelphia, PA. with her husband, Edward S. Gifford, Jr, a successful Opthalmologist and author of three books. She had her studio on the top floor and he his office on the first floor. It was a grand arrangement.

Her sister, Effie Mason Heisley, my grandmother, was also a very fine artist. She painted at home privately. We had one of her paintings in our home as I growing up. It was of a darling bunny out in a magical meadow with a big flower on its head. I always loved that painting. "Manon" as we grand children called her, became a draftswoman, and was very good at what she did. She worked on way past retirement age.

Their brother, Lang, was artistic as well. We have an amazing painting of his of a chimney sweep that is intricate and so detailed it blows my mind. He onetime secured work at Tiffany's, of course this was many, many years ago ~ and several beautiful pieces in silver were designed by him - though Tiffany was to take the credit for his work as part of their agreement. Mimi wrote a book called "Glimpses of My Family's Past" that she gave out to family members. In it are are some pictures of Lang's silver. Mimi wrote that Lang passed away after a terrible headache of three days. He died long before I ever had a chance to meet him.

All of them have passed onward now, leaving behind their beautiful work and amazing life journeys to ponder and contemplate. It seems appropriate to honor them this way, and I wish I could have known each of them better while they were here.

News and Post Holiday Inspirations

January 27th, 2012

News and Post Holiday Inspirations

What a beginning of the new year! So much is going on so much change!

After discovering MyArtSpace to be gone and up for grabs as a domain name without any notice from the Skibas, I decided to write to Catherine McCormack Skiba and Brian Skiba at CatMacArt Corp. and NYXE to find out what happened and hopefully to find out if I can obtain copies of my slideshows that were hosted on that site. I had been a member of it since its inception in 2007! No answer yet, but there is still time. I did find a couple other artists seeking answers on the internet at "Answers" at Yahoo. I am surprised the Skibas gave no notice, because I know they had, in the past shown caring, but at the same time I am not surprised at all depending on what actually went down. Even so, I think it is a mistake not to own up for what happened eventually, in order to keep one's name clear. Though I understand legal implications for those whose portfolios were pay-fors and how ruthless some people can be, they very well may have been advised to keep quiet for now. SO, I won't hold my breath. As I posted before, I am sad to say, "My Art Space" is now up for sale as a domain name. For now, it's anyone's guess what happened.

Moving on, and as planned, I am working to increase the artwork here on my own site hosted by FAA, and with one less site to maintain I will have all the more time to spend getting this site filled up with more artwork faster. So stay tuned and come back often to check it out because I have a lot of print stuff that is not on yet! It will take me all year to catch up, maybe a bit longer.

Additionally, I am still anxiously awaiting to hear from "All My Walls". I am so looking forward to the time I will be shown prototypes of my work for my input. Then, after that at some point in the process, my work and my name will to be added to their website. While it has been slow going, they did tell me it would be. So, hang in there! Eventually my stuff will be available in metal work, ceramics and glass.

So, taking stock at all my sites, including Art.com, Artist Rising and here, I am in a great place to start looking for new inspirations for paint subjects. I have been heavily contemplating some more bluesy/abstract inspirations, other musical abstracts, and gorgeous imaginary landscapes inspired by the beauty and grandeur of Tennessee types of work. I'm always designing in my head and heart, filing prospects and getting things in order for new stuff. I've got some new canvases with various textures calling my name - and I just might dive in with some pastels too. :)

A few more business items, then art attack time!

Well, the other great thing is I finally got my computer system upgraded! That's a big relief to me and I am very happy to have this done. It runs so nicely now. Wow! Heartfelt thanks to Jack!

I hope you enjoy the pic accompanying this blog. It's "Magnificent Sunset", acrylic on canvas pad.

Catching Up - Sad News on My Art Space

January 27th, 2012

Catching Up - Sad News on My Art Space

Well, the new year has begun, and My Art Space is gone, *poof* without any notice. There has been no response to my request for a copy of all that work in my portfolio and the slideshows. There were thousands of artists affected by this. I'm sad, it was a nice Site and I am not happy.

The title of this pic is "Odd-yssey-eyes" and it is a digital graphic I created some time ago using Microsoft Publisher and a Dell Scanner. It's created from the "African Lion" which I drew while in high school. It's an optical illusion of both a lion and a buffalo. Cool, huh! It makes a really nice poster print being a faded near-sepia tone. Go here for now: http://www.artistrising.com/products/179059/Odd-yssey-eyes.htm

Freestyling - Expressionist Paintings

January 9th, 2012

Freestyling - Expressionist Paintings

1-9-12: Note: The link below will not work any more. My Art Space has closed.

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Come check out my slideshow of some of the paintings I've done "freestyle". The Image I've chosen for my blog today is called "Drizzlefish". It's 9x12" various types of acrylics on canvaspad. It's a mixture of metallics, glossies and satins.

When I freestyle paint, I guess you could call it "expressionism" - because I rarely draw things first, and often become inspired as I go rather than before I start.

I hope you enjoy the slideshow. Give it time to load. You need macromedia flash player. And the link won't go live here in the blog, so, please just copy and paste the entire url into your browser.

http://www.myartspace.com/viewer/gallery/?subscriberid=zjea3w9uj9pzgwe1&gallery_id=zbyh02f5tanl5fd1





Merry Merry Christmas

January 9th, 2012

Merry Merry Christmas

MAY THE CHRISTMAS SEASON BRING YOU A WARM HEART, LOTS OF LOVE, AND A PEACE THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING.

The title of this painting is "Tim's Winter Forest" and it's 9x12 acrylic on canvas pad.

Artlightenment 2011

November 25th, 2011

Artlightenment 2011

The overall four day film and art festival event, Artlightenment was a huge success! With over fifty participants and the house being full all four days, artists, actors, filmakers, photographers, writers and the like were given plenty of exposure and PR as well as the fun and excitement of original short films and fine arts.

I won an "Award of Excellence" in recognition of "Best Acrylic Art" in Artlightenment 2011. Wow :)

To learn more about this annual event please visit the official website at http://www.artlightenment.com. There will be some press releases with all the winners in each category listed. And I do not have all that information as yet. So check back at the Artlightenment website often for the details to be posted.

Have a blessed day!

All My Walls

November 25th, 2011

All My Walls

*I was recently approached by "All My Walls" http://www.allmywalls.com/category-s/67.htm who make and sell artworks on metal, ceramic, and glass which is marketed online and is showcased in their retail store in Minneapolis, MN. They are about to open another store in Eden Prairie, MN. Actual artwork is on display in their stores, but they will also have several kiosks where clientele can special order custom pieces from their favorite artist's works. They have a free in-house consultant too. They sell their pieces in places like Overstock.com and Target, as well as a host of other retailers. They are going to use quite a few pieces of my artwork (starting with 40, non-exclusive) and I am adding new things every month. There is a long process before the art is ready, but soon I will be looking at the first prototypes of my art on their mediums and giving my input. Look for me to be listed on their website in the next few months! It will be exciting to see how my artwork looks on metals, ceramics and glass. :)

 

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