Rain, Rain, go away!

12×12″ oil on canvas, finished yesterday, untitled for now

The title of this blog is a bit misleading! I’m really not complaining about all the rain we’ve received in southern New Mexico these past couple of months! That said, I just want to go hiking! I guess I will post another blog about the paintings I’ve been working on instead of the hiking blog I was planning on. Our doggies really want the rain to stop! They are dying to go out for a hike! Not to mention, my little Bernie Bern is very afraid of the thunder and lightning.

Our new truck! 2018 Nissan Frontier

We just took delivery of our brand new 4×4 Nissan truck. Even more reason we are itching to get out for a hike, this time we are going deep into the woods! We can now go places even our Subaru AWD can’t reach. Stay tuned, once this uncharacteristic rainy season is over, we will be doing lots of exploring in the Gila.

12×12″ oil painting on canvas, that I finished yesterday.

Another issue with the rain? The supposed “new” 30 year roof on my studio has sprouted several leaks. One is right over my computer desk. This is the reason I’m leasing this building and not buying it, for now. It will help to know what’s really up with the building.

12×12″ oil painting on canvas, finished yesterday, untitled for now

I’ve been super busy in the studio this week. A whole lotta painting going on! I finished another 3 paintings since Tuesday’s blog. I now have 3 more to finish before I can buy some new LARGE canvases. I cannot wait to paint LARGE again! Another plus of the new truck? I can transport my large paintings! I have two stored at my mom’s house in Albuquerque because we couldn’t fit them in our car.

Though these paintings are finished, I haven’t found titles for them just yet. Leave a comment if you have any suggestions? Thanks!

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Seven to go!

Finished yesterday, 12×12″ oil on canvas, still untitled.

I’ve been busy, busy, busy in the studio this week already! I’ve finished a couple more 12×12″ paintings and I’m currently working on another. That leaves 7 more to finish up from this Summer.

In the past, I’ve released paintings as soon as I finish them. This year that changes. From now on I will release my new work when I have a group of paintings done. They will be released as a collection. The next release will be my Fall 2018 Collection. I’m working towards an October release date, but I have to finish up the last 7 first! I’m not sure how many collection releases I will do in a year, I’m thinking a collection for every season, but it will depend on what I get painted!

Finished and untitled, 12×12″ oil painting on canvas.

When I do release the new works, they will be released to my email list first. This gives my collectors and people who follow me the first chance to buy my new work. Then I will release them to the general public on my website. Go to my website and subscribe to be one of the first to get a chance to buy my new paintings!

My current work in progress, another 12×12″ oil on canvas.

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted a “Hiking the Gila” blog. We have been pretty busy, and though we have gone on a couple of hikes, I have either forgotten the camera, or we’ve hiked a trail I already blogged about. This Thursday I’m planning on another hiking blog. Stay tuned!

Finishing up

“Wild Heart”, 12×12″ oil on canvas, available soon with my Fall 2018 collection

Though I am really anxious to start working on some large paintings now that I have all this space, I have a bunch of small works in progress I need to finish up first. Nine to be exact! Ten if you include the one I finished this morning. “Wild Heart” is a continuation of the brushstroke/energy idea I wrote about in my last blog. I’m focusing on each brushstroke and making them individuals. Emphasizing each color without blending them into each other.

Detail from Wild Heart in progress

This whole group of paintings started this Summer as play. I hadn’t relocated my muse at that point and I had no ideas. Funny thing is, play like this is where the ideas come from!

Brushstroke detail from Wild Heart

I’m thinking I’ve totally transitioned now, to using black gesso on the canvas before I start to paint. I’m in love with the way the black background makes the color pop! Even when all of the black ends up covered, the color seems brighter. I guess it’s the contrast, it doesn’t seem right that a darker background would make the foreground brighter, but there it is!

20×20″ work in progress, this one is getting really close!

My Summer Studio Clearance sale is almost over! But wait! I’ve decided to extend it until Monday! Head over to MY WEBSITE and check out the 40 select paintings at 30% off! AND you can get an extra 20% off coupon code when you sign up for my email list! What are you waiting for? Get over there, sign up for my email list and start/add to your Paula Manning-Lewis collection TODAY, OR any day before Monday is over! Thank you for your support! I love y’all! ❤

Current 12×12″ work in progress, detail

Progress This Week…

I’m enjoying my new studio and getting back to a regular painting routine. I’ve been working on a couple of 20×20″ oil paintings over the last few weeks and I do believe they are finished! For sure one of them, not completely sure on the second. lol.

“Emanate”, 20×20″ oil on canvas, available soon!

The first one finished is the second painting started. While painting the first I had an idea I wanted to try out, just not on that painting. So I started another! This is the third painting where I’ve used this idea. The idea is many streams/brushstrokes/waves of color coming out from the middle of the painting. The idea behind it is energy. The idea that energy emanates from the core of a person, from our heart center. It’s not necessarily a scientific idea, more of a spiritual thought.

I hate trying to describe my ideas with words, but I’m pushing myself to get better at doing just that. Most of my ideas come straight out of my wondering brain. Some days from meditation, some days they just pop up while I’m “in the zone” and painting.

20×20″ oil on canvas, still in progress?

Pushing myself to paint in a more abstract style makes it even more difficult to describe with words. I don’t really think Abstract work should be explained. It should evoke different feelings in different viewers. IMHO anyway. As a viewer of art, do you CARE what the artist was thinking or what their ideas were? I’m serious, these are things I wonder about! I would love to hear your opinion!

This week is my annual Summer Studio Clearance Sale. I have 40 original paintings available at 30% off. The discount has already been taken on my website. You can get another 20% off if you sign up for my email list on my website.

Summer Sale starts Friday!

One of my current 20×20″ oil paintings in progress

Now that I have my huge new studio, I’ve been able to get all of my available art out and hanging on the walls. I have over 30 original pieces that will be available in my annual Summer Studio Clearance Sale, starting THIS Friday! The sale will be exclusively on my WEBSITE. Go to the website now and sign up for my email list. Everyone on my email list gets a coupon code for an extra 20% off the already 30% discounted prices on my website, for a total discount of 50% off! I will send out reminders about the sale to my email list as well. The sale runs September 7-14th.

I’ve been working on a couple of 20 x 20″ oil paintings the past couple of weeks. I didn’t get much done on the paintings last week as I was busy moving into my new studio. I’m working on a couple of ideas that came from several of the smaller paintings I was working on over the Summer. I may end up with a series from these ideas. I love it when an idea plays out over several paintings like that! It gives me a starting point for my next painting.

Another 20×20″ oil painting in progress

I still need to order a few large canvases so I can try the ideas out on a larger scale. It’s been so long since I’ve had the space to work larger than 30×30″. I’m thinking I will start with a couple of 4 foot square canvases. Other than murals, I haven’t painted that big since I had a van! It’s very important when painting large that you have a vehicle with the capacity to carry your art. Lol. I’m currently storing a couple of my larger paintings at my mom’s house in Albuquerque, because I couldn’t fit them into my station wagon.

The plan is to get a truck by the end of the month. Living out in the country, we definitely need to have two vehicles for so many reasons. There’s the fact that we have to haul our own trash. Aaron and I are no longer working together everyday, so we need separate cars for commuting. There was that week we had to rent a car while our Subaru was having a new clutch put in. Of course, most importantly, I need to be able to transport large canvases! 😉

 

My Latest Studio

What I’m currently working on, 20×20″ abstract oil painting in progress

Friday afternoon I signed the lease for my new art studio. After 5 months of working in my home studio, there is no doubt in my mind. I need a studio outside of the house! While I LOVE our new house, I’m going stir crazy being in the house all the time. Not only that, but it’s very hard to separate work time from off time.

All that said, I’ve not had an easy time finding a studio in our new location. I wanted a studio in downtown Silver City, but it wasn’t meant to be. Recently, I dropped Aaron off at Central Elementary in Santa Clara where he teaches. As I was driving back out to the highway, I noticed a commercial building for rent on the main street. As a matter of fact, it is on the corner of the two main roads into Santa Clara. The sign said For Rent with a possibility of buying with a small down payment.

My new studio, the whole building is all mine!

Of course, I took down the number and figured I would call later. I thought about it for a week or so. Aaron and I talked about it. I really wasn’t thrilled about taking a studio outside of Silver City, but Santa Clara is closer to Mimbres and it is also closer to the schools where Aaron teaches.

I finally decided to call on the building last week and we met the owner on Thursday so we could see the inside of the building. The outside of the building has been renovated. Fortunately for me, the inside is still unfinished. I say fortunately, because that is the fact that makes the rent affordable! I have agreed to do the finish work on the inside in return for cheap rent. The other benefit being any money we put into finishing the inside will be applied to our down payment when/if we decide to buy the building. I’m pretty sure we will purchase it. I would love to stay here forever. I’ve moved my studio over 20 times in 20+ years. I’m ready to stay somewhere.

Looking in from the front door

The inside is HUGE! The one main room has 10 foot ceilings and measures 24 x 28 feet. I can paint BIG here! The framing, electrical and plumbing work has been done inside with a small bathroom, office and two storage rooms. Basically, I have to do the insulation, dry wall, flooring and install bathroom fixtures. There are also a couple of windows needed.

One of my favorite things about this building is all the empty wall space on the outside. I will definitely paint several murals in the future. I’ve now reconciled the fact that my studio will be outside of Silver City. I once promised myself I would never have a retail gallery again. This location makes that promise much easier to keep! lol! I do plan to participate in the local open studio tour and we will probably have an event or two a year, but this space will mainly be a working art studio. And storage! Lots and lots of storage!

Looking out the front door from the back

I need to go order some LARGE canvases now! Stay tuned… 🙂

The Muse has returned

Spiral abstract, 20 x 20″ oil on canvas, work in progress

Inspiration or no inspiration, when being an artist IS your day job, you must keep painting. That is exactly what I’ve been doing for the last few months. I’ve had a glimpse here or there of a bit of inspiration, but for the most part I have just painted.

Painting over another one that never went anywhere. Still a work in progress

This week it finally happened! My muse returned to me! It feels like I’m painting “in-spirit” (inspired) again. I’ve been working on several paintings, a couple 12x12s and a couple of 20x20s. I think it’s helped that I’ve spent time every morning meditating. Meditation is perfect for getting me into the right frame of mind.

“Heart on Fire 2″, 12×12” oil on canvas, work in progress

I’m working on letting go and letting my painting become more abstract and loose. It’s much more difficult than it sounds. My brain keeps wanting to put something recognizable into the painting. Hearts, flowers, spirals, anything for crying out loud!

“Heart on Fire”, 12×12″ oil on canvas, shared last week this one is now done and available for $225

I’m attempting to paint feelings. Not easy to do. Colors can bring feelings to mind. Abstract art is the perfect way to express feelings. I’m no good at putting these things into words. I hope you get it when you look at my work. Colors, textures, brush strokes, lines, all of these are expressions of feelings.