Many of you have asked questions about my creative process - things like, "How long does it take you to do a portrait?" "How do you make skin look real?" and "Where do you find your inspiration or motivation for painting?" This newsletter seeks to answer your questions one by one. In future emails, I hope to not only cover the portrait painting process, but also to explore the purpose of my art and give you more insight into what it means to be a classical artist in an increasingly modernized world.

Since summer is just around the corner (especially here in Dallas!) and there is a general feeling of excitement, I've decided to write today about inspiration. With all the fun things to do - summer vacations, trips to the beach, gardening, and enjoying time out in the sun, art is usually the last thing on people's minds at this time of year. However, I see summer as a huge opportunity to explore new ideas, new lighting, and new subjects and to challenge myself as an artist. With several commissions finished and happily hanging on their new owner's walls, I now find myself with more time on my hands than I've had since Christmas. I won't be using this free time for trips to the beach, though. I've been seaching for inspiration in the beautiful, bright colors of late-spring flowers. The "Velvet Clowns" series is my newest exploration--it has been done alla prima, meaning, "all at once" or completed in one session. These little paintings are delightfully colorful, filled with personality, and curiously moving. They are intensely bright because I've made an effort to paint as much as possible with pure pigments, straight out of the tube. Check them out here: http://www.annasblankcanvas.com/gallery/stilllife/.

Another summer experiment (though it really has nothing to do with summer...) has been seeing how far I can go with a very limited palette. The little work, "Can We Come In?" was painted using just black, white, yellow ochre, and burnt sienna. It didn't take a lot of color to tell the story the way I wanted it! Black mixed with white created the cool greys and illusions of blue; black mixed with ochre created a slight green, and burnt sienna by itself or mixed with the other colors added the warmer, reddish elements I needed. I had a lot of fun with this painting!

I hope you are all enjoying the beginning of summer 2009. As always, your comments and suggestions are appreciated, and if you have a painting project in mind, shoot me an email and I'll be happy to get started. :-)
Thanks,
Anna Rose Bain

http://www.annasblankcanvas.com/