Studio Renovation

My art studio is expanding!  Literally, a wall is being removed to open into another room that will give me 3 times as much space than I already had!  Now that I am teaching small groups of children, I will definitely be able to allow more children to visit when the space is finished.

Pictures coming soon!

Thank You Friends, For Your Support!!!

Dear Friends who recently purchased art from my website,

I appreciate you so much as you have helped me get a little bit higher in search engines. It takes a lot of work for me to advertise and keep active in the art community on the internet and in my own area, and every little bit of support helps. You are ultimately the ones who help me to get noticed. I have been spending countless hours lately trying to work on my art and advertising, and I am just so thankful when it pays off.

Again, I wish I could thank you all personally, and if I see you I certainly will.

Hugs, love, success and happiness to my customers!

For those of you just dropping by, it's not too late to purchase my art with the discount I posted in my last blog. You can click on my website in the right hand column.

My Current Studio Space: Now Kid Friendly!

I've been sharing a cozy loft space for a studio with fine artist Shabnam Nassir, here in Durham, NC for nearly a year now. It is unique, because it is located up a steep stairwell in the corner of a large school playroom for children ages 3-6. I have been teaching at this school for about two years and only recently did I get the idea of teaching small group fine art lessons up in my studio. I toyed with the idea for a while, since I was nervous about having the children around my paints and other dangerous material, but I did some reorganizing, brought some child-sized tables into the mix, and started making lesson plans for this age group. I figured, what better way to teach fine art than to do it in a real live art studio?

The children absolutely love this new addition to their program. They know that in order to be invited to my studio, they have to earn studio time by being on good behavior during regular school hours. I explain to them that I need to know that they can be trusted in my personal space. For ages 3-6, these children take this offer very seriously and show great respect while I am giving a lesson in my studio. I am having so much fun sharing my space with them, and I think it has opened their eyes to a whole different perspective on what art can offer.



That's all for now, but stay tuned as I am working on a website for my students to sell prints of their work in order to raise money for more art supplies for the children (All profits will absolutely go back into the program). Thanks for tuning in!


As a loyal Artist of the Fine Art America organization, I like to sponsor a page every so often.
Here are some links to check out artwork from some of the artists at Fine Art America (FAA) Enjoy! female prints photography digital art

My Studio Space Back in PA at 1505 Art Works, Downtown Erie

After sharing a space with my brother Eric (see previous post), I moved into a bigger space with fine artist, Kirsten Bole. Kirsten is an extremely active artist who likes to paint big and bold on large wooden canvases that she builds herself. Sharing space with Kirsten was motivating for me as she always had something new in her head that she needed to get out through paint. My time painting next to Kirsten was always an experience; Kirsten was loud and expressive, had full of energy, and loved to share random stories about her life. I miss her bad-ass attitude and great sense of humor! Below is an image of our shared space. The two really large canvases are Kirsten's.



This was a really unique and large space in an old building dedicated to Artists in Erie, PA. Here is another angle of the room. You can usually tell our art apart pretty easily. Hers are big and painterly while mine are portraits in smaller scale.



This was a few years back in Erie, PA.

Currently I share a studio space with Shabnam Nassir, a beautiful fine artist from Iran. I will post images of our studio in a blog very soon.

In the meantime, I'll give you a sneak peak of Shabnam's style. If you want to see more, just click on the image:


Needless to say, sharing studio space has always been well worth it for me. It's a constant reminder to keep making and creating, because with a studio mate, you have each other to share praise, ideas, input and constructive criticism.

My First Shared Studio Space

A personal story about sharing studio space with my brother.

For the past 4 years or so, I have shared a studio space with other artists. When creating art, I am the kind of person who gets into a zone to a point where one might honestly believe that I don't need anyone else but me and my creation. However, in all actuality, the presence of others means the world to me while I am creating. It keeps me motivated to be around those who are creating and being productive. And when I say that, I don't just mean being around a fine artist, but any type of person who is inspired to create, experiment, and learn. True, I will get into my own zone, but the comfort of knowing that others are around and working their brains keeps me focused.

My first studio space outside of my own home was shared with my brother Eric Buman and his good friend Mark Graziano, both musicians and recording artist in Erie, Pennsylvania. In one room, I was painting and in the other, Eric and Mark were recording new musicians. We seemed to feed off of each other as we spent hours on end just hanging out and being productive. I certainly have a new respect for recording, and vise versa. Every musician who stopped in to get a recording by Eric and Mark would drop in and see what I was creating, always intrigued and interested in the way that we shared the studio space. It certainly was unique, I must say. Sometimes, it felt like a party, and sometimes it was a party... in a productive sort of way. All in all, we stayed busy and inspired.

Although this time in my life was short lived, it truly was very special. It was the first time in my life that I had a window into my brother's world, and vise versa. Even though my brother Eric and I probably spent most of our time doing our own thing, there was a new understanding and connection between us that was never there before. It was a time for growing together as we began to understand and respect each other for what we loved. Needless to say, I never really got close to any of Eric's friends until I met Mark. Prior to our studio time together, I was an outsider to my brother's world and sometimes his friends appeared young and disrespectful. But here I could clearly see that Mark adored Eric, believed in him, and together they stayed productive. I loved that Mark loved my brother, and he helped me to see the strengths in Eric. I never felt as close to my brother Eric as I did while sharing studio space together. It was during this time that we built a new love and trust for each other.

It is hard for me to find the words to explain, but I believe there is something about making art in some form or another around others that can bring you to a different level of understanding others. It's been years since I had the opportunity to share a studio space with Eric, but a connection was built and I believe it will always be there.

I miss you, Eric. I love you so much and I'm so proud of all that you've done. I hope someday we get an opportunity to share productive time together again. Hugs and love.

Readers, I realize this post was more for my brother than anyone, but hopefully I have inspired someone to be productive around someone you love.

Below is a link to one of my favorite paintings I painted back when I was sharing a studio space with Eric:


I love fashion illustration. To view more fashionable art, check out the artists here at Fine Art America:
fashion art

2012 New Years Art Talk Resolutions

Happy New Years, Readers! May your new year be happy, healthy and productive!

Last year I accomplished a lot, but I also got behind on things like updating my blogs and websites. This year, I hope to stay in better touch and share fresh new stories, information and art.

So where have I been and what have I been up to all of this time? A lot of school and work. I decided to go back to school after all, long after I said I'd never go back when I finished up my Fine Arts degree back in 2005. I am almost done with my schooling as I study to get my Montessori degree for ages 3-6. I have been working in a Montessori school as an assistant and fell in love with the original and creative way of teaching that I had to go ahead and learn more. It's been a lot of work, and I hardly have time to do my own art, though I often think about ideas and creations I want to get into.

As I finish up my Montessori training in these next couple of months, I should start having more time to start creating again. It's something I need to do this year. I want to make more time to create. I also want to make more time for dance, as I love hoop dance and other styles that have branched off of that.

And I don't know for sure if it will happen, but I am definitely going to look into being a home owner very soon. That way I can get creative in my own home, not feel bad about it, and make additions to suit my needs. I think it would definitely allow me to get even more artistic.

So all that said, the above are some of my New Years Art Talk Resolutions. Please write about yours if you are willing to share! Let's make this new year colorful and special!

Sincerely,
Angeique

Why Make Prints of Your Paintings? Consider the Consequences.

First off, whether or not prints are more archival than your art, the option of selling your prints has its benefits. There is always a risk of the original painting getting damaged. You also need to consider that sometimes things can go wrong often by accident or by experiment during the actual process of painting. Also, whether you are selling the art as a print or not, taking a professional photo of it and saving a printable image could last forever (as long as we've got technology). And sometimes, the archival quality of the prints may actually be in better shape than the original to begin with...

Consider the damage. If something were to ever happen to a painting from water damage, poor storage, transferring, or even a fire, you might kick yourself for not capturing the image in a photo to begin with. It's not the end of the world, but it meant something to you and could have meant something more to someone else.

Consider the condition. During the process of painting, how are you preparing your art? Did you cover the entire canvas with Gesso before using oils? Did you wait in between sessions to allow enough drying for your paint? Did you do a water color painting on a random piece of drawing paper? If you painted on Watercolor paper, will the paper eventually yellow? Did you experiment with different glazes without doing the research of possibilities of cracking, discoloration, and fading that could happen later on down the road? I have always been experimental myself, learning many lessons along the way. Now that I consider these things after experiencing all of the above, I am more careful and considerate. But I can never be too sure.

Consider the presentation. How do you want others to view your work? Personally, I prefer people to enjoy the originals of my oils and acrylic paintings. However, I tend to like the look of my watercolors printed. As much as I love watercolors, I don't are for the end look on paper and I'd rather see it on something like canvas. If your work is printable, there are a variety of materials to print your work on.

So, in some cases, yes perhaps prints are more archival, but there is nothing like looking at an original painting. However, we can still be inspired by prints. Needless to say, it doesn't hurt to take a professional photo of your work. Save a high quality file of your image for keepsake, your portfolio and possibly selling prints. You just never know what could happen to the original.

If you're interested in selling prints, there are so many places now that will do the dirty work for you. That's right, all you have to do is upload your work. I upload high quality prints of my work at Fine Art America. Check it out if you haven't yet.

My Prints

Please stay tuned for the Winners of my Valentine's Art Contest

The votes are in! The winners are:

3rd place: Dolly Mohr
2nd place: Harry Mason
1st place: Arvind T Akki

I will be posting their images as well as some information about the artists as soon as they reach me. So stay tuned!


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Painters, Try This for a Palette

For years I've used the most typical painter's palette board to mix my paints-- you know, the ones with the thumb hole so that you can hold your pallet as you work. Or maybe just a big piece of Masonite board (also known as "hardboard" sold at your local hardware store). But most recently I have found it more efficient to use stretched canvases to mix my paints on. Why? Read on.

If you buy store-bought canvases from your local art store, which I so often do when I am on a time limit to get a painting done, you may notice that if you hold the canvas up to the light that it is somewhat translucent. This isn't necessarily a good thing. The white gesso (primer) that has already been painted on for you is meant to be a strong base that is going to help add body and strength to the painting. It also gives you a stiffer and more durable surface when you are applying heavy elements. Some painters put 5 coats of gesso on before they start their painting. The store bought canvases typically apply the thinnest coats of gesso, probably to save on money. When you paint a picture on these canvases without considering the durability, it can be really tacky when someone holds your painting up and sees that light is getting through the canvas. I learned this the hard way when I entered a show where the paintings were on glass windows instead of walls. What I'm getting to is that it doesn't hurt to prepare your store bought canvas with another coat of gesso or paint before you begin a painting on it.

SO why not build up your canvas this way: Start mixing your color pallet on a store-bought stretched canvas or one that you have already stretched and gessoed yourself. Ultimately, you will be able to use this canvas again later on down the road. Use it as a pallet until you have covered all of the white gesso base. Hold it up to the light and see how translucent your base painting is now. This can add a lot of texture to your n=base as well as some great under-paint that can add a whole different feel and quality to your next painting. If there are just too many colors for you and it is feels too busy as a base, then just paint over it with one solid color. Now you've got a really strong base that is ready to be painted on. Or maybe, you enjoy all of the different colors on your pallet and your palette might just work as a decorative painting for your house. I've got one of mine hanging up in the bathroom.

Sometimes I use old paintings that I just don't care for as a palette board. I take a picture of the painting for keepsake and then I cover the ugly thing up with rich colors. Eventually, this too will be used as a base to a new painting. Also, if you're not one to paint on canvases and prefer wood or hardboard, it doesn't hurt to use it as a pallet first either.


Here I have my palette standing upright. This works sometimes, depending on the consistency of the paint. This palette is in the process of covering up an old painting I didn't care for.

Capturing Paintings in Progress

In the past two years I find myself more interested in documenting the progress of my paintings, because I have begun to appreciate the process as a journey that it worth reflecting back on. To me the underpainting, or the work in progress, can often stand alone just as strong as the finished painting. Most recently, I started taking professional photos of the work in progress to sell as prints. There is an entirely different feel to the work in the first sessions in my work, often appearing more sketchy and illustrative than the finished image. Some people might actually prefer this style over the finished look.

So, why bother finishing the painting if it seems to be at a finished state already? Sometimes it is fun to do quick paintings that have a loose feel to them, but often times I enjoy spending time with my oils and really getting detailed in my conceptual portrait paintings. Usually I have a vision of how I want the final product to look and the work in progress is usually a pleasant surprise that I run into along the way. I’ll be honest, sometimes I want to just be done, but once I have spent time mixing up a colorful pallet of oils, the show must go on. In other words, I have to continue the painting because I have a strong desire to paint the figure and capture all of the colors in someone’s face. To me, the skin tones can be the most challenging but also the most rewarding. I like to emphasize the subtle colors in one’s face that we don’t always notice. For example, your shirt may be lightly reflecting onto your jaw line, so I might enhance those colors to create more relationships between the colors throughout the painting. So all in all, following through with the original plans of a painting is often the route I like to choose and documenting the process can also tell a story about how I got there.

Here is one example of some sessions I did on a commissioned painting for a couple:






This is my most recent documented work that I am just finishing up on. First i sketched out the boy on an old painting of mine that I didn't care for.