In a recent trip to the Provence area of southern France, a group of artists visited many of the locations where Van Gogh lived and worked.  Each town had unique architecture and character, and inspiration for painting was everywhere.  After returning home, six of us decided to create a group exhibit inspired by the trip.

I’m fascinated by the stories of how Van Gogh’s palette brightened as he encountered the Impressionists, modern pigments, and a warmer climate.  In creating pieces for this show, I wanted to observe how the experience of Provence would change my work.  I combined my on-location drawings, photos, and memories with texture mediums and some new techniques.  I found that my pieces have less intense colors than my usual palette, reflecting the patina of the historical architecture.

As we assemble the show, it’s fun to watch how the other artists have produced different interpretations of similar locations.  Come join us!

As a landscape painter, I want my paintings to have sense of place.  Each location affects me differently and affects the outcome of the painting.   I try to communicate the feeling of the location in a way that feels familiar to the viewer.

In my exhibit at The Village Artists this month, I’m celebrating Clemson’s Sandhill Research & Education Center (REC).  A few years ago, Clemson sold part its land to be developed into what is now The Village of Sandhill.  The property on the other side of Clemson road is maintained as a wildlife habitat with walking trails around the small lakes.  It’s a wonderful green space in the middle of a densely developed area.

Within the property are pine woods, hardwood wetlands, and a stand of cypress trees.  The lakes have waterlilies that bloom in the summer.  Watching the waterlilies float on the calm surface is calming and has been the source of inspiration for many of my paintings.

If you love waterlilies as much as I do, please join me for the First Friday wine and cheese reception February 3^rd, 6:00-8:30 pm at The Village Artists.  Bring your questions.  I’d love to tell you more about my inspirations and techniques.  If you can’t make it Friday, the exhibit will be up through February.

Over the years, I’ve read many books about increasing creativity.  I have found three things that appear in all of them.  Try these steps the next time you want to start a new project.

BREATHE – Breathe deeply and exhale slowly.  Whether you call it meditation, prayer, or yoga, following your breath helps you relax and tap into the wordless, holistic part of your brain.

SCRATCH – In her book The Creative Habit, Twyla Tharp talks about “scratching” for ideas.  You can scratch for ideas in nature, books, music, museums or shop windows. Take photos, write down snippets of conversation, observe connections between things. Don’t edit, just take it all in.  Think about possibilities for your project.  Think about how to transform or recombine your ideas.  Then let it rest and go for a walk.

MOVE – Movement, particularly rhythmic movement, seems to reset our normal pace and flow of life when we get out of kilter.  Walking, swimming and other sports provide movement.  The rhythm can also come from playing a musical instrument or doing a routine activity like ironing, raking, or knitting.  During this time, just enjoy the movement and let your subconscious process your ideas.

Now it’s time to take action.  Go to your studio, seize your materials, and START!

June Lily, 24x24", Acrylic on cradled panel, by Lucinda Howe

First Friday Wine and Cheese Reception, February 3, 6-8:30 p.m.

The Village Artists, Village at Sandhill, northeast Columbia

Featuring the abstract acrylic paintings of Dawn Faber, photography of Renee Ittner-McManus, and my waterlily paintings inspired by Clemson’s Sandhill Research & Education Center.

You’re invited to attend the opening reception for “In the Steps of Van Gogh” on Friday, February 10, 6-9 p.m. at my studio.  If you can’t make it Friday evening, please stop by Saturday or Sunday.

Get Your Brushes Wet!

Acrylic painting class starts February 15 at the Village at Sandhill.  Click here for more information.

The best part is that I love these subjects so much that I get in “the flow”, a total engagement of my mind that stills the worried voices, and exercises the part of my brain that sees the “big picture” and connectedness between humans and the natural world.  The times in my life when I was distressed over a loss or worried about the future are the times that art meant the most to me.

I would love to help you learn more about this connection between art and mental well-being in my articles this year.  Use the comment section below to tell me what you’re struggling with so I can get started.

What areas would you like for me to explore?  Do you want articles or classes about the technical aspects of drawing and painting?  Do you want some resources for kick starting your creativity?   Do you want to know more about how to connect with other artists?  Let me know what art questions you’d like answered, and I’ll do some research and provide some answers!

If you would like to experience being in “the flow” in person, please join me for a class in acrylic painting techniques beginning February 15^th.   Click here for more information about the class.

Once again, submit your question below.

Vétheuil, 1901, by Claude Monet at The Art Institute of Chicago

I hope you have enjoyed the holidays with family as much as I have.

Along with everything else going on in December, I had the good fortune to make a quick trip to Chicago and was able to spend an afternoon in the Art Institute of Chicago visiting some of my favorite Impressionist and Post Impressionist works.

The description of  Monet’s Vétheuil, 1901, included the comment,  “As he did for numerous works, beginning with canvases for the series Mornings on the Seine…, he used a nearly square canvas, so that the decorative effect takes precedence over the details of the scene itself.”

I’ve been taught that the horizontal format typically used for a landscape painting is serene while a vertical format is dynamic.  The square is supposed to be stable and balanced.  But I had never considered that using a square format removes the meaning normally associated with the format.  However, I do use a square format for my waterlily paintings, and I’m experimenting with using it for other subjects.  I’m also paying more attention to how the format affects the meaning of the work.

Do you believe the format of a painting affects its meaning?  Do you use a square format?  If so, what type of subject works well with a square format?

Purple Shadows, 14x11", Acrylic on gessoboard, by Lucinda Howe......black gesso drawing, transparent glazes, opaque texture

Are you ready to try some new painting techniques in 2012?

Would you like to know more about how to use fluid acrylic paints?

Do you want to wake up your color palette with bold, exciting color?

If so, please join me for a 6-week painting class on Wednesday evenings starting February 15, 2012.

We will be using Golden Fluid acrylic paints on canvasboard or gessoboard.  Subject matter will be landscapes and gardens in bold color.   Drawings will be provided so beginners can concentrate on learning the painting techniques, but artists with drawing experience are encouraged to bring and use your own reference materials.

Here are a few of the things that will be covered in the class:

• How to use a Munsell color wheel  to develop a  dynamic color palette for a painting
• The difference between heavy body and fluid acrylics and when to use each type.
• How to avoid making “muddy” colors when mixing
• What acrylics do better than watercolors
• Why a red background is ideal for landscape painting

I’m excited to be offering this class at The Village Artists at the Village at Sandhill, Columbia, SC.   The classroom has easels and plenty of space, so we should have a wonderful time.

Click here to register.

I  look forward to seeing you in the class!

Afternoon by the Marsh, 12x12", Acrylic, by Lucinda Howe

Here is another painting of the salt marsh at Dunham Farms on the Georgia coast.