No Parking

   I tried to go back to the Botanic Gardens last Sunday and learned my lesson. The weather was beautiful and perfect for being outside so I figured I could go paint. The problem was that everyone else in Fort Worth thought it was a perfect time to be outside too so there were zero parking spots anywhere close. Although there is a satellite lot for weekends, there was no way I was going to be able to carry all my things to a good spot and back to the car. I decided to go home and paint from my "studio."

   A few weeks ago I built a canvas for a specific painting. I did a watercolor of an orchid back in the fall and I wanted to do it again only in oil. Since painting at the Botanic Garden was no longer an option, I figured I could work on that. 

   Part of the reason that I like plein air painting is that it makes me finish a piece in on sitting instead of agonizing over it and tweaking it for weeks. With that in mind, I set a time limit for myself to finish my orchid painting. Two hours was my goal. It ended up being about two and a half hours, but it's okay because I did in fact finish it! Anyway, here it is! What do you think?!

Here is the original watercolor that I did last fall.

Hope you like them! Be sure to "like" my page on Facebook, Ellen Van Treuren Artworks so you can see more of my updates. Also, visit my website www.ellenvantreuren.com to see prices and more work information.

Happy arty day!

Ellen

Shame on Me!

Well I must admit I have been seriously lack in posting on my blog. How shameful! If you find yourself having withdraws from my art and musings on the occasion that I go ten weeks without posting, be sure to follow my on Facebook at Ellen Van Treuren Artworks. I am way more dedicated to Facebook and post things at least every week.

In the several weeks between now and my last post so much has happened! I have discovered that I truly love plein air painting, and have been two more times. This entry is dedicated to my new found love. Enjoy some photos from one of my recent experiences!!

This is at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens.

This was in the middle of March.

Here's my set up!

And here's the finished product!

I hope you enjoy these photos! You can find prices for my work on my website www.ellenvantreuren.com if you are interested. In the near future I hope to do some prints of my work, so stay tuned!

Colorful hugs,
Ellen

Plein Air Friday

Last Friday I had the day off. It was glorious! I love having the weekends off, but sometimes it's nice to have a weekday where I have the apartment to myself to get things done and lounge around.

On top of household chores, last Friday I painted for the first time in several weeks. Husband and I had driven over the Trinity River on our way home one day and I noticed what a pretty painting that particular spot would make. As some of you may know, in Fort Worth there is a trail that runs alongside the river for bikers and joggers. In my head it made sense that there would be a place to park right next to the trail, but when I drove back to the spot we had passed, I had no luck finding a place to park much less a spot to get close to where I originally wanted to set up shop.

I drove and drove and drove but couldn't find a way to get next to the river and trail. I finally consulted the map on my phone (something I probably should have done before I set out on my excursion) to find a different spot. I headed toward the green patch on my phone and ended up down the street from the Fort Worth Zoo and the Botanic Gardens (I have big plans for painting there!).

The weather was so beautiful! Crisp, cool and sunny. I spent almost two hours painting and then packed up to head home. 

Here are some photos I snapped while I was "on location":

What a fun afternoon! I'm titling the painting "January Afternoon." It's a 10x10" canvas. Can't you feel the cool air and see the bright sun on the bear trees? Ahhhhhh. Makes me smile to think about it!

It's not the best quality photo ever, but I'll get a better one and post it on my website. Speaking of which, have you visited my website yet?! Check it out at www.ellenvsntreuren.com.

Wishing you many beautiful days!

Ellen

Support the arts!

This pretty much sums it up.

Support the arts!

The Winter Show

This month I am privileged to be part of the Fort Worth Community Arts Center's The Winter Show.
The show was open to anyone and there was no jury. I entered Once Upon a Time, a piece I did from a photograph from my four-week trip to Mexico a few years ago.
It was so exciting...and intimidating...to have my artwork hung next to such beautiful and diverse pieces of work! Here are some photos I took at the reception, which was held last Friday.
Enjoy!

If you are in the area, the show is up until January 30, 2014. The hours of the FWCAC are Monday-Friday 9-5 and Saturday 10-5. If you go, take a photo and tag Ellen Van Treuren Artworks on Facebook or @ellenvt_artist and #evtartworks on Twitter!


Happy New Year!
Ellen

It's Time!

I have been working at my "real job" A lot. That has made it very difficult to fund the time to work seriously on my art. However, I have found a little time to enjoy some holiday crafting. It's nice to take a break and get in the holiday spirit! After making two Christmas stocking without a pattern, I'm not sure I'll ever be good at sewing. Haha! The wreath is similar to one I found on Pinterest. You just need a grapevine wreath, some plastic ornaments, ribbon and a hot glue gun.

 I've got some plans for baking, so stay tuned for more holiday cheer coming soon! 

On a side note, brand new shiny and bright Christmas lights make me so very happy.

Happy December to all!

Change and Taking that Leap

Life changes. You can't avoid that. Sometimes all you can do is take a leap of faith.

I've been thinking about that for a couple of days because of a painting I was working on. It started out one way and became something so much more vibrant, rich and energetic than I had planned.

I've been trying to break out of my tight, photo-like style and into a more loose style.This painting might be just what I needed. I got to the point where I was stuck at, "technically this isn't working for me," and "this painting is Boringville," when I decided to risk the whole thing and take a leap of faith with a new idea. I don't know what possessed me to do it, but I did it, and I couldn't be more excited about the result!

Here are some photos that document this painting's transformation:

Could I have stopped here? Probably. The stems just weren't working for me or my "studio assistant" who doubles as my husband. This is where I decided to take a leap and embrace a new idea.

And from there it evolved into this:

I'm thrilled with how this turned out. I hope you like it too! 

While working on this I learned that some risks are worth taking, and sometimes change is a good thing.

Ellen