Caddo Star Cabin

I was commissioned to do a map of a ranch a few months ago out in Caddo Mills, TX. I had never done anything like that before, so I was excited to take on a new challenge that could turn out really neat!

Since the ranch is about 100 acres, there was no way I could have seen everything. I used Google earth to get a general idea of the layout of the land and my husband and I were invited to stay overnight at the vacation cabin. It was a really awesome place! The cabin is absolutely idyllic as a rustic ranch cabin, but it also had the modern conveniences of two flat screen televisions and a basket full of DVD's. We watched the Hugh Jackman version of Les Miserables. I'm not sure if I laughed or cried more. Don't get mad if you love that movie, but seriously, who can be sobbing and still be able to belt out this opera-style song....? I have never been able to do that when I'm beside myself. But that's really not the point...

The Caddo Star Cabin is very cool! As we went on the property tour with the owner, he told us a lot of the upcoming additions they have for ranch itself.

Here are some of the reference photos I took for the map:

Caddo Star Cabin

                                          

The fire pit next to the catfish pond.

My cute husband who carried my drawing pad around so I could make notes.

The loft-soon to be another vacation rental on the property.

Cute little cows next to the catfish pond.

And without further adieu, here are some pictures of the map! It's acrylic paint and ink on watercolor paper. My husband and I put together the frame from an empty wooden frame we bought at a garage sale and two panes of glass we got a Hobby Lobby. The back pane is removable so that as things get added at the ranch, I can add them on the map!

Be sure to check out the Caddo Star Cabin on the Caddo Star Ranch! www.caddostar.com

-Ellen


P.S. I wish I was more dedicated when it comes to blogging, but since I'm not...be sure to "Like" Ellen Van Treuren Artworks on Facebook to stay up-to-date on my projects!

Free Art Videos

The other day I discovered the coolest thing! Jerry's Artarama has free art lessons online!
You can search by medium, skill-level, artist or subject to find tutorials and ideas. There is even a series of videos on how to make money as an artist.

Yesterday I watched a video by Nicole Kennedy on how to paint sunflowers and then a couple watercolor lessons by Sterling Edwards.
It was really fun to learn something about watercolor. I think that might be my next big undertaking. 

Pretty much all I want to do now is watch all the videos. It's cool stuff.

Hope you enjoy it!

Recycle and Reuse

We went garage saling this morning with Tim's parents in Colorado. We ended up at a elementary school that had an entire gym filled with people...and stuff.

I like buying frames at garage sales because usually with a little TLC they can be reused to frame artwork. Also, it's tons cheaper than buying a frame from a store or getting a custom frame made.
I had some great luck today because I got several frames, some for photos and some for artwork. I got two for $9 that even had canvases in them that I can paint over and reuse. Pretty sweet!

The only problem is that it's hard for me to see art in garage sales, thrift stores and other discount places. Someone put themselves into creating something, something they felt good enough about to sell or give as a gift and then years later it becomes "junk." People don't want it anymore. It's not valued. That makes me sad.


I thought it was fitting to post the paintings I bought today so that even though I'm going to use the canvases for myself, the artist's work can still be documented and remembered somewhere by someone.

Here's to you H '87 and Walters, wherever you are.

 

Not much to report

Well, there isn't too much to report since my last post.
I finished reading My Name is Asher Lev this week. It is definitely in my "top reads" list. Very inspiring and emotional.

Also, my husband and I are getting ready to embark on a journey to Colorado for a week! We are both very excited.
Last Sunday I purchased some small-ish canvases to take with us so that I can do some plein air painting while we are there. Tim likes to bike, so I figured while he is off mountain biking I can sit and paint.
I worked this week to get my canvases ready to go. Here's a photo of all the ones that are in progress right now:

There's a lot of potential here!

I have never done plein air ("painting outside from life" for those of you who haven't heard that term before) painting before and I am excited to try it! I believe a lot of impressionist painters did this so that they would capture a specific light in a landscape. It will be interesting to try something new and see how it turns out.
I will post photos of my attempt, so stay tuned!

I'm not really a reader, but.....

One of the things that is great about not being in college anymore is that I actually have leisure time. I come home from work and then I can do pretty much whatever I want...with the exception of going to the grocery store when there's nothing in the refrigerator. I don't always want to go to the store, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do if you want to eat.

When I'm not at the grocery store, I spend a lot of time painting, and recently I have spent time (even during my lunch hour) reading.

I've always wanted to be a reader, but I've never had a really good attention span. That makes reading for pages and pages and pages kind of difficult.

I recently finished the Matched trilogy by Ally Condie (shout out to Layne and Lara for recommending it!), and now I'm on to My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok. I'm seriously obsessed with this book.

It was recommended to me by another friend a couple weeks ago. A few days later I checked it out from the library (that's a crazy story in and of itself--library cards aren't as easy to come by as they make it seem...) and then a week later I was about half way through the 369-page book.

Those of you who are on the "serious-to-professional reading level" may not be impressed by this, but seriously y'all this is a super accomplishment for me...and also a testament to how amazing this book is.

It's about a young Jewish boy who has the gift of drawing. His life is very tumultuous considering his father makes reference to his art being from "sitra achra" (evil or the "Other Side") and his mother has a nervous breakdown after her brother dies. For some reason Asher can't help drawing. Sometimes he looks up and realizes that he was drawing in a textbook and doesn't remember doing it. We aren't talking the typical doodling either. His work was straight up amazing apparently.

I can't say that I can identify with Asher 100% because for one thing, I know I'm no prodigy. I also have been very fortunate to be surrounded by people who support me.

There was passage that was particularly striking to me though:

"That was the night I began to realize that something was happening to my eyes. I looked at my father and saw lines and planes I had never seen before. I could feel with my eyes...I could feel lines and points and planes. I could feel texture and color...I felt myself flooded with the shapes and textures of the world around me." (pg 108)

I wish I could feel things the way Asher does here. I have no doubt that there are really some people who have senses like that. In some small part, I am able to identify because when you study something for so long it becomes part of you. After I did all those portraits for my show, I noticed that I am very sensitive to people's noses now. I find myself looking very seriously at them. You're thinking I'm strange. But I'm really not. A nose is a very important part of making a person look the way they do. If one tiny thing is off, the person no longer looks like themselves. In this way, I am forever changed. When I look at people, I trace their noses with my eyes and try to notice every angle and nuance about it. That is how I know "that something was happening to my eyes."

I highly recommend My Name is Asher Lev to artists and even non-artists. It's a very powerful book that has probably earned a spot in my all-time favorites. I just hope that the second half is as good as the first.....

What books are you reading? Any suggestions for what to read next?

Starting a New Chapter, Part 2

Being married is not the only new thing in my life these days.

I graduated from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in December with a B.F.A. in Studio Art and a B.A. in Spanish.
Before that, however, I had to put on a senior art exhibition last April. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
The goal of the exhibition series was to capture the electricity, connection, and love between couples. (You can see photos by clicking here by looking at the "Couples" album). With that goal in mind, I painted six different couples in a graphic, modern realist style. For months...and months...and months I dedicated my life to that. I even planned on continuing that style and theme somewhat in graduate school. That's where the chapter ended.

I didn't get into graduate school.

I was discouraged and knew it was time to turn the page. I will always love painting couples. I am painting them on commission now, but I needed something new to try.

For a while my mind had been firing off ideas. My brain kinda felt like this:

You know, one of those toys that randomly shoots out electric currents. Idea after idea constantly floated around in my head.

Not getting into graduate school was the push I needed to take a break and experiment with something new: abstract.

It is so freeing to finally do something  totally different...and be satisfied with it!

Here are my first two attempts:

 

This is entitled "Hope 1" (20x16" oil on canvas) and is about having hope in the future through God and Christ Jesus by the forgiveness of sins despite current events and hardships of the world.

This one is titled "Blue" (24x18" oil on canvas) and was more for the experience and technique than the message.

I like this direction. I plan on developing it more in the coming days.
Stay tuned, my friends!

Starting a New Chapter, Part 1

Since the last time I've posted I graduated from college and became a Mrs! Yep, I got married on January 12th to my boyfriend of four years and two months. Well, he was my fiance for ten of those months, but you catch my drift.
Let me tell you, it's been an amazing three months of marriage!
Here's one of my favorite photos from the wedding:

And another from the reception:

It's wonderful to come home to your best friend every day. I guess I got to marry the prince after all...

One of Tim's (my man's) many amazing qualities is how encouraging he is when it comes to my artwork and pursuit of creative achievement.  He is definitely my biggest fan...well he and my mom are tied for first.
He has allowed me to transform our apartment balcony into my tiny "studio," which gives me room to spread out and not worry about getting paint all over the walls and carpet. (Let's be honest, I get almost as much paint on myself and my surroundings as I do on the canvases sometimes.)
I know that someday he will buy me a house that has an extra bedroom that gets beautiful afternoon sun, has excellent ventilation, is big enough to hold all my art supplies and has a great view out of the large windows. Hey, a girl can dream right?

Until then, I'm happy just to be married to the love of my life giant studio or not.