I have been the GWS Entry Chair for their National Show for four years. I have learned more than I imagined by doing this job. It is a demanding but interesting responsibility.

Artists want to enter shows for lots of reasons - to get some feedback on their artwork, to build their resumes, and maybe win a prize (often accompanied by money) Some use it to get their work into the public eye. When GWS sends out a call to enter their National Show they are soliciting entries from all over the country. Right up until the deadline, scores of images arrive in my mailbox or inbox and I get to look at all the entries before I catalog them and send them to the competition judge. That judge is always a well regarded artist on the national level.

Just looking at all those images as a group has really educated me. I think I can now spot quickly what makes a good painting and what does not. It isn't about nice colors, although they are great. It isn't about subject matter, either. It's about confidence and style and knowledge of composition. When I see a painting that is - for instance - a picture of flowers in a vase that looks like any other painting of flowers with weak colors that look fussed over I know the judge will not accept it into the show. If I see flowers that look vibrant with good values and maybe a little twist to the way the flowers or vase are rendered and the composition is interesting I know it's a good one.

Can I translate this knowledge into great paintings for myself? Not always. But since I have seen so many paintings that just need some tweaking to be terrific I have tried to make sure I take that one extra step forward to make my paintings better.

I challenged myself to paint a painting in under two hours yesterday, and I came up with this. It's far from finished, but doing it as fast as I could prevented me from getting all picky with every detail. Which is pretty liberating - I just started piling the paint on.

Still having trouble with those greens, but I got a significant amount of work done and can fix things later.

Painting Workshop

Last weekend I took a three day painting workshop with Bill Davidson. I had heard great things about him and was looking forward to learning from him. I like to take a workshop - or two - every year to keep sharp and see what other people are doing with their art.

Bill is a great teacher, very cheerful and positive and I will be using some of his ideas in my paintings. I enjoyed being with other people who are serious about their art and it inspired me to paint more and more.

I painted a bunch of little paintings during the workshop and here is one - copied from one of Bill's (lovely) paintings. Mine isn't that lovely, but I enjoyed big brush strokes and putting down lots of paint without messing around.

Ouch!

Stepping off the last step in our garage, I twisted my ankle and landed hard on the concrete floor. A visit to the Medical Center on Block Island netted me an air cast, crutches and a lot of sympathy.

Turns out that my foot is broken, ankle sprained, so I got upgraded to this attractive boot. Several weeks later I have cleaned out lots of files, started a couple of new books, caught up on correspondence and painted a LOT.

Could be a lot worse!

Feeling Better

I have told my students to paint every day and I obviously don't listen to my own advice. After having a disappointing try at a small painting I went back the next day and tried again. I painted this little painting and I was much more comfortable. It proves my point - you have to paint every day, if possible.

"Waves" 6 X 6" Oil


I have spent the last week organizing paintings to go to Spring Street Gallery and Island Gallery on Block Island. I have reached the part where none of the paintings I have finished make me happy and I start "fixing" them. Big mistake!



This is the time to step away from the paintings and walk away for a while. Here is one I left alone. For now.

To see more go to sharonlehmanart.com