It’s Ferris here to talk about a current topic in my work: the idea of change. I want to paint larger and faster, which has been bringing up the need to change how I work. It’s new territory for me, and a little scary because it means I’m letting go of what’s familiar. But embracing change, and finding comfort in it, is the only way we grow as creatives. If you’re wondering where to go with your art next, embrace change, try new ideas, and see what happens!

Check this out…

Let me know how you think of change in your work in the comments.

Change ties in with this Wednesday’s Art2Life Podcast, where Nick talks about five reasons why it’s great to be an artist. One of those ideas is, you guessed it – embracing change. Listen as he shares his insights on the value of change. Click here to subscribe to the Art2Life Podcast and catch up on past episodes, too!

Also coming up is our annual Art2Life Free Online Workshop! It’s a week of creativity that will radically shift your art this year! We begin on February 13th and you simply can’t miss it. Sign up here to join in the fun!

Have a great Sunday!

Ferris

PS You can check out my work via the links below.

Instagram
Website

When you find a cool new tool, you tend to want to keep it to yourself. Well, I have a new one that’s so cool, I have to share! It’s not something you’ll find at your hardware store. Some of the best tools come from surprising sources.

Check this out…

I love how this glides through the paint like a regular squeegee but then leaves this yummy pattern in the paint. What’s cool is that this comes with serrations of varying sizes. If you work large like I do, having these jumbo sized tools can help you create great surfaces and patterns. Give it a try!

Do you use special tools when working large? I’d love to hear in the comments!

Here’s a link to the tool I used in today’s vlog: https://www.brushman.com/item/fs18se-1%2F4/squeegees-floor/

I’m so excited about this week’s podcast with artist Alex Kanevsky, who I’ve admired for a long time. In design and value, his work is strong and touches everything from figurative to abstract, looseness to precision. I asked him what’s hard in art making and, spoiler alert, he said honesty and freedom. So simple and spot on! That’s just a taste of the wisdom he shares and expands on in our wonderful conversation. Join us this Wednesday for our next episode! Click here to subscribe to the Art2Life Podcast and catch up on past episodes, too!

Thanks so much for being here and Happy Sunday!

Nicholas

PS: I hope you’re enjoying seeing more of the Art2Life Team in these vlogs. This team has a wealth of knowledge and creativity and so many great things to share with you!

PPS: If you’re taking a deeper dive into color or stuck on color, click here to find our helpful Color Tips PDF.

It’s Susan here with the Art2Life Team. I love starting a new painting! Isn’t that the best part? The possibilities are endless! However, at some point, you come to a crossroads, and it’s hard to know which way to take a painting. How do you decide? There’s an app that I use that can be really helpful.

Let me show you how it works…

Using Pocket Procreate on my iPhone (or a similar app on an Android) is a great way to check out possibilities and figure out your next step in a painting. What’s great is that rather than asking others for advice, the answers come from you. It’s also fun to see changes in color and design quickly. I don’t resolve a painting this way. It’s best used to get me moving forward when I get stuck. I hope it helps you, too.

Do you have a trick for helping you move forward when you get stuck? Share with us in the comments.

Speaking of moving forward, listen to this week’s podcast where Nick asks, “Why do we make it so hard?” There are many common limiting beliefs about making art for ourselves. Nick shares his own secrets for making things easier and more possible. The real-life benefits are huge. Don’t miss this episode coming out on Wednesday. Click here to listen and subscribe to the Art2Life Podcast and catch up on past episodes, too!

Happy painting, happy Sunday!

Susan

You can follow me here:

http://www.susanmelrath.com/
https://www.instagram.com/susanmelrath/

PS: If you’re taking a deeper dive into color or stuck on color click here to find our helpful Color Tips PDF.

Happy New Year! I want to express my gratitude to all of you for being a part of Art2Life and participating in this community. It means so much to me, and I wouldn’t be doing this without you, so thank you.

During this nice break, I enjoy looking through my journals and noticing cool marks and symbols that I frequently use in my work. So many of them have specific meanings for me, so they are more like metaphorical symbols. I thought I’d show you some of them because they are another way to communicate visually and invite inquiry into your work.

Check this out…

Some symbols are based on nature, and others reference letters and lines. They aren’t necessarily unique, but what’s cool is that the meaning I give them is unique for me. They become my visual language that’s not always clear even to me but what’s implied is so interesting and creates curiosity.

What symbols do you use in your work and what’s implied? Let me know in the comments.

This week’s podcast features my conversation with Santa Fe based artist, Lauren Mantecon. Her beautiful work is all about symbols and metaphors. We had a lovely meandering conversation I think you’ll enjoy. Join us! Click here to subscribe to the Art2Life Podcast and catch up on past episodes, too!

Best wishes for the New Year and I hope you have a chance to make art today!

Nicholas

PS: If you haven’t already, join the Free Art2Life Artists Facebook Group by clicking here. Every day, artists from all over the world are creating amazing art.

For this week’s vlog, we wanted to share something special with you – a little peek into our team, that is more like family, here at Art2Life.

Watch it here…

We are filled with so much gratitude that we get to do this together and that you are here with us. We are so inspired by the artists in this community and we want to thank you for such a great year. We can’t wait to see what 2023 has in store for all of us!

From all of us here at Art2Life, we wish you the happiest of holidays and a very creative New Year!

This week’s podcast is as texturally rich as the season. Join Terri and Nick from our Art2Life Destination Workshop in Sayulita, Mexico, as they share their thoughts and techniques around texture. Knowing just when and how to use it can really enhance your work! Click here to subscribe to the Art2Life Podcast, and listen to past episodes too.

With gratitude,
The Art2Life Team

In today’s vlog, “Auld Lang Syne” is sung by A2L Team member Laura Lee & the music is by Daria Semikina.

PS: Want to find more ways to stay connected with us? Click here.

Nicholas,

Happy Holidays! I’m excited to share a fun thing I love to do that’s become my holiday tradition. It came out of never finding wrapping paper I liked. Now I paint it myself! It’s super easy and relaxing as long as you’re not in a hurry and plan ahead.

Check this out…

With basic paint, crayons, and brown craft paper or white butcher paper, you can make awesome wrapping paper quickly. What I like to do is paint fast with any shapes, patterns or colors I feel like. You can even customize it for the person who’s getting the gift with letters from their name! The more imperfect the better, because homemade paper looks so good and the gift becomes more authentic and personal for those you love. It’s a cool way to de-stress and bring your art to the holidays, too. Just be warned that sometimes the wrapping is better than the gift!

How do you bring your creativity into the holidays? Let me know in the comments.

A really cool podcast is coming this Wednesday with myself, Terri Froelich, and the artists attending our recent workshop in Sayulita, Mexico. We had a wonderful conversation and Q&A session about what’s hard in art. So much territory was covered and much to learn from each other. Join us!
Click here to subscribe to the Art2Life Podcast and catch up on past episodes, too!

Have a great Sunday!

Nicholas

PS: If you’re taking a deeper dive into color or stuck on color click here to find our helpful Color Tips PDF.

It’s Ferris from the Art2Life Team here, for this week’s vlog. I wanted to share some thoughts on breakthroughs in your art. I moved recently and haven’t had much time to paint, however, the move has allowed me to reflect on my art this past year. Specifically, I’ve been thinking about what’s helped move my practice forward. Surprisingly, the answer is deceptively simple.

Listen here…

Once I overcame my fear, I gained so much from doing these photoshoots. Not only were they fun, they generated so much content for future work and made my new work better. A simple but real breakthrough for me!

What breakthroughs have you experienced in your art practice or what sort of breakthrough do you hope for? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear.

The topic of breakthroughs is the focus of this week’s podcast. Nick offers helpful ideas and conditions to cultivate breakthroughs in your art. Join him on Wednesday for this next episode.
Click here to subscribe to the Art2Life Podcast and catch up on past episodes, too!

To see more of my work, before and after my breakthrough, click the links below.

https://www.ferrismartinez.com/
https://www.instagram.com/_ferrism_

Have a happy Sunday!

Ferris

PS If you haven’t already, join the Free Art2Life Artists Facebook Group by clicking here. Every day, artists from all over the world are creating amazing art.

I’m here with my friend Guy Diehl, a Bay Area still life realist painter. Guy has cool tools he invented for his art practice that we want to share with you. Check these out, as they could be helpful for you too!

Take a look…

What tools have you invented to help in your art practice? Let me know in the comments.

In this week’s podcast, I’m talking about taking a break from your art. It’s so important, and super valuable, to take breaks, but we often feel like we shouldn’t. I want to share some ideas on how to take a guilt-free break that will hopefully give you some freedom in your art practice. Join me on Wednesday for our next episode. Click here to subscribe and catch up on past episodes, too!

Have a great day Sunday!

Nicholas

PS: Be sure to take a look at Guy’s amazing work. With a rich and meticulous quality of an oil painting, it’s hard to believe his work is acrylic!

guydiehl.com
instagram.com/guydiehlstudio

PPS: Are you looking for more ways to stay in touch with Art2Life? Click here!

When the birds are chirping and the day breaks, this is when I love to explore. Hi there – Terri Froelich here, with Art2Life. I am taking over the vlog this week and I wanted to share a process of mine that many of you ask about. It’s about observation, exploration, and patience.

Take a look…

Along with art, I find photography to be something that feeds my soul. For years, this is what makes me feel alive and inspires my art so I make this a consistent practice. I love finding differences, the small details in a busy scene, noticing how conflicting colors meet each other by accident, how shadows cast a glaze and create a new hue and a new shape, how water reflects, how movement changes what I am seeing, or how architecture angles create negative space. For me, it’s an exercise in composition training and muscle memory – and this helps intuitively create shapes, colors, and details in my work. In a recent painting, I remember creating a shape and then realized it was the carpet detail I had previously photographed. Many people I have worked with seem to get stuck on what shape to paint. My advice is to just take a moment and look around – what do you notice? What shapes do you see? Bring what you notice into your work!

I recently helped with our Art2Life Workshop in Marrakech, Morocco. For Art2Life, it is very important that we find locations and properties that inspire us and our workshop participants. This workshop took place at the beautiful boutique hotel property, Jnane Tamsna, which is the creation of the brilliant visionary, Meryann Loum-Martin. The pictures shown in this vlog are all from her property.

Now that you have had a sneak peek of Jnane Tamsna, be sure to listen to the podcast coming out this Wednesday! While in Marrakech, Nick sat down with Meryanne to talk about her extraordinary journey, her thoughts on curation, and the one thing money can’t buy – but that answer is in the podcast so you are going to have to listen! Click here to subscribe to the Art2Life Podcast so you don’t miss an episode and catch up on past episodes, too!

And for those of you like me, who sometimes get tripped up on color, please make sure to download our super helpful Color Tips PDF. There is so much incredible information in this PDF.

Don’t forget to leave us a comment about your process— what inspires you? Do you use photography? I am so curious to know!

Until next time!

Terri

PS: Find more of my art & photography here!

Working with tape is a cool way to get nice effects in your work, like a crisp, clean edge. I like using green FrogTape since it comes up easily. However, paint can run under the tape so I want to share this little demo to show you how to prevent that and help you work with tape effectively.

Take a look…

Masking creates fantastic negative and positive shapes to play with, plus it’s super fun to apply wet paint over wet paint, getting a smooshed color that ends up with a clean edge once the tape is lifted. If you haven’t already, give FrogTape a try!

How do you work with tape in your art? Let me know in the comments.

For this week’s podcast, come along on a journey through Marrakech! I put a sound recorder in my backpack and cruised all over, meeting some unique people — one washing snails, and another selling pomegranates. The colors are amazing, so I’ll share some photos too. Get out some paints and join me this Wednesday for an all-new episode of the Art2Life Podcast.

Have a great day Sunday!

Nicholas

PS: Here are some links to the products I mentioned today:

https://www.frogtape.com/
https://www.art2life.com/product/new-gloss-medium-26/

PPS: Are you looking for more ways to stay in touch with Art2Life? Click here!