Art Lessons

I started teaching art lessons a few months ago, and I am really enjoying it!  ”L” is a very imaginative and talented girl.  I don’t think I loved art as much as she does when I was eight.  It seems that she is constantly drawing and I’m sure she will go far if she keeps it up.  Art, like any other skill, needs to be practiced.  A college professor of mine used to say that being good at art has little or nothing to do with natural talent.  It’s about practicing.  Maybe the only natural part is having a love of art in the first place.  What do you think?

Sketchy

Looking through the sketchbook of an artist is a bit like peeking into someone’s journal.  It’s not like I’d be angry or offended if someone picked up my sketchbook and started leafing through it, but in my opinion, you should always ask the artist if it’s OK first.  And don’t be offended if they want to flip through the book with you and only show you certain things.

My sketchbook is not as personal as many are, but it can be a bit embarrassing.  It’s where I unload my brain so a lot of the sketches are rather odd like the one pictured below.  A cheese tree for mice? Yes.

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My sketchbook is also a place where I try things on for size.  I’m not crazy about a lot of non-representational art, but this is something that I took from an old Nat Geo photo of the Earth.  I guess it represents river systems, but to me it seemed more abstract and I was drawn to the colors and shapes so I sketched it with water color pencils.

My sketchbook is a place where I can practice using different techniques with mediums like colored pencils.

I also like to sketch from my art books.  This is a sketch I did of Stieler’s Portrait of Lola Montez.

Of course, there is usually the odd animal sketch in there too.  I cut these ones out.

My sketchbook doesn’t have anything amazing in it.  It’s mostly a brain dump of creative ideas or inspirations.  It has a lot of half-baked ideas and unfinished drawings.  But there is still something that feels private about it.  Why is that?

More Plantage

A terrarium is, technically, a sealed environment in which plants and/or animals are kept.  Like this one that I made last year:

All I had to do was to mist it every few weeks and the water would recycle itself within the jar.  I learned the hard way that plants that crave moisture (like moss) thrive in this environment, but plants that need less water (like succulents) will rot.  Before I go on about plants, I feel that I must warn you that the relationship is more one-sided.  I think this says it all:

Ok, so my secret is out.  I’m like the creepy stalker and my plants are all like “Didn’t I get a restraining order?”

But I persevered and assembled two more open “terrariums” for my mother-in-law and sister-in-law.  Here is one of them:

My dad, who is an accomplished gardener, gave me a few tips last time I built a terrarium.  First I put down a layer of rocks so that there could be some drainage at the bottom of the glass jar.  Then I put down a layer of peat moss to absorb water, and a layer of Cactus soil which has nutrients for the plants that I was using (all succulents and cacti).  I placed the plants where I wanted, and put some moss (of course!) down on top of the soil.  Here’s a close-up:

And a view from above:

Because it’s open, this arrangement will need to be misted with water every couple of days.  My only concern is that the plants will outgrow the jar.  I guess it’s another wait and see!

The Campaign Revisited

Eric is an exceptional man.  Life with him never gets dull.  His recent bid for the open US Congress seat in our district was a prime example of what it’s like to be married to him.  Towards the end of January he made a decision to run for congress, and I can’t say that it surprised me.  It was a classic Eric move, and it was brilliant.

Here are some of the campaign highlights:

Submitting our 1,250 signature petition to the capitol after weeks of hard work,

Seeing Eric on TV and hearing him on the radio,

Sign bomb day,

And handing out literature on voting day!

When we first started the campaign, we had no idea what a nerve-wracking and humbling experience it would be.  When you run for congress at the age of 26 there are a lot of people telling you you’re too young, or you don’t belong in the race.  Eric handled it so well, and I think he proved them wrong.  He ended up coming in fifth out of seven candidates, and he ran a good clean race.

Ultimately I learned a lot of things, but I’ll only bore you with a few of them.

•  It is really important to be supportive of your spouse.  I tried to go to every event that Eric had.  Not only did it mean a lot to him, but it meant a lot to the people who saw us there together.
• I need to vote more.  I learned a lot about this country and how things work.  There are so many changes that need to be made, and on voting day I noticed something really shocking.  There was a twenty-five percent turnout, and the vast majority of voters at my poll were over the age of  fifty!  As a younger generation we NEED to step up and use our voices.
• Every vote counts!  Eric edged out the man in 6th place by four votes!

Ok, I’m almost done.  I just want to say a special Thank You Soooo Much! to all of the friends and family who helped us throughout the campaign.  I still can’t believe how awesome you are!  We are truly blessed to know you.

And lastly, here is a compilation of several of Eric’s speeches that our friend Clif put together.  Enjoy!

Ten Thousand Years…

…will give you such a crick in the neck!

I am back, and so happy to be blabbing away in my favorite corner of the internet again!  These past couple of months have been a whirlwind, but the election is over and Eric placed 5th out of 7!  Not bad for a 26-year-old first-time runner with limited funds, zero experience and Z-E-R-O help from the local newspaper or republican committee.  Actually it’s quite amazing, and I am beyond proud of Eric.  He was extremely wise and innovative with his limited resources.  The true mark of a creative mind.  I will share all of the deets in another post.

So now life is starting up again. I am currently working at my part-time jobby, teaching art lessons to a talented 8-year-old, and working on a commission.  I’ll do my best to fill you in in the coming posts.  Also keep an eye out for a repeat performance involving one of my favorite natural elements: moss!  I’ll give you a hint:  it starts with a “T” and ends with “Errarium.”

Artist Spotlight: Maria Holbein

I first met Maria in art class at Houghton College.  I’ve always admired/been just a little jealous of her beautiful work.  She is also a really cool and genuine person.  Thanks for letting me interview you, Maria!

Study in Blue and Gray

As a kid I was always interested in art. When it came time to choose a direction for higher education Art seemed the natural choice. At Houghton College I pursued a degree in Fine Art with a concentration in painting. In 2009 I graduated and was offered an internship with the great artist Thomas S. Buechner. The only other senior to be offered the internship just happened to be Eric Holbein—my then boyfriend and now husband! Eric and I moved to Corning, NY and studied with Tom during the year following graduation. In June of 2010 Tom became suddenly ill and passed away. It had been almost exactly a year since I began my internship with him and I am incredibly grateful for that year.  In the following year I continued to work part time for the Buechner family taking care of the business and archival aspects of Tom’s paintings. During this time I continued to paint on my own. Currently I am painting in my living room/studio and showing my work out of the West End Gallery (www.westendgallery.net) in Corning! I work in both oil and watercolor and the portrait/figure are my favorite subjects.  Eric and I have recently begun another creative venture that I just have to mention—the creation of the brand Whole Bean Mugs! Find us on Facebook or look us up on Amazon!

Corning Alley

At what age did you realize that you loved art? As far back as I can remember if I had a pencil in my hand I was drawing. I can remember as early as 2nd or 3rd grade sitting at my desk drawing instead of doing my schoolwork.

Summer Garden

What is your favorite part of being an artist?  While it is important for an artist to show his or her work, this is not my favorite part. I most enjoy doing the actual work. There is something both satisfying and exciting about being completely creatively attuned to my work. My mind is cleared and incredibly focused; a sort of creative drive takes over that almost seems not of myself but at the same time allows me to fully invest myself into my work.

Pinnacle Grey

What inspires you?  Life inspires me. People and experiences are so crucial to my inspiration. I find that I need input; sitting alone in my studio with my own ideas and creativity is a great way to become stagnant. Inspiration comes from interaction with ideas. Often those ideas are visual in nature and can be as simple as the intoxicating green of sunlight filtered through a leaf or the unlikely linear beauty of power lines. Looking at artwork, the ideas and creativity of other people, is another big source of inspiration. By viewing the great masters or interacting with the work of my peers I find that ideas of my own begin to flow. Viewing the work of the masters or interacting with the work of my peers are both great ways to get ideas flowing and become inspired to create.

Red Dress

Explain your process. It all starts with an idea—usually based on a photograph or observation (working from life) and occasionally just an idea in my head to which I attempt to give visual expression. From there I usually make a drawing and in doing so sort out the composition making any major modifications to placement and structure I deem necessary to make the picture successful.  If I am making a watercolor I get very specific with my drawing and planning; once I start laying down paint it is important to know what I want to do with it ahead of time. Watercolor pigment can dry within a matter of seconds and if I want to work wet in wet it has to be done immediately. Timing is critical with watercolors.  With oils my approach tends to be more spontaneous often starting my drawing with a paintbrush. So I will lay down a tone, usually thinned burnt sienna, lay in basic drawing which is simple but fairly careful with placement. I don’t want to be laying in details in my underpainting because I am going to be painting over it with colors but I want to get my placement right because it is a lot more work to move things around later in the process. Like watercolors I have to option of working wet in wet or letting the paint dry and working wet over dry. The big difference is it can take days for an oil painting to dry so the whole process is slowed down. Oil is also a little more forgiving because of the opacity of the pigments. I can decide to repaint whereas with transparent watercolor anything that dries is permanent.  In both mediums I will use a variety of techniques with the paints depending on what I am going for.

Roses

You spent some time working for the late Thomas Buechner. How did that time affect you as an artist and a person?  I learned so many things from Tom—where to start!  In terms of painting I learned some things directly while other things were indirectly absorbed from being around his work so much. He taught me to begin my picture with a clear idea of what I wanted to be communicated to my viewer, how to make an underpainting, to get my drawing right, to make every stroke count, ways to be effective in communication, not to waste time, and so much more. I think from working with his paintings I absorbed a lot about composition and handling of paint—things that are hard to teach verbally. Working with the business side of his paintings I learned to keep a careful inventory system, how to work with galleries, how to price, how to frame, how to ship paintings, how to photograph work, how to work for a rigid and particular man and how to be self-directed in my work.  Tom was an incredible person in many ways. If I could grow my time management skills to just a fraction of his I would probably double in productivity.  Never have I seen a person have so much respect for time or accomplish so much with his time. Tom did everything with a high standard of excellence and is an inspiration to me to be unsatisfied with giving anything less than my best.

Our View of Market Street

What is your favorite thing to paint?  My favorite thing to paint is the portrait or figure. Hands down. I don’t know what could be more interesting or meaningful. It seems to me that there are endless things to communicate through the human figure.

Lemon Tea

 What is the best piece of advice you’ve received from anyone about art?  Tom was known for saying “Do good work.” I find it so important to remind myself of this. When you are trying to sell paintings it can be easy to get caught up in trying to make work that you think people will like. If this becomes your focus you begin to lose the integrity of your work. The truth is my best work and the work that sells the best is what I have poured myself into and have simply done well.

Pool Shed

What is your favorite piece?  My favorite has a tendency to change as I change and my work changes. I think right now it is this little watercolor, titled Pool Shed.

Hey, Remember Me?

I’m back temporarily with an announcement about my husband Eric.  About a week ago he announced that he is running for US Congress! I am so excited and proud (I keep using those words, but it’s true)!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with these proceedings, I’ll explain a little about the job itself.  As a congressman, Eric would represent the 4th district of Pennsylvania in congress.  That is York and Adams Counties, and parts of Dauphin and Cumberland Counties.  The House of Representatives has 435 voting representatives that work towards passing federal legislation.

In order to be a congressman, a person has to be at least twenty-five years old.  They must also obtain 1,000 signatures in a period of  three weeks in order to get their name on the primary ballot.  That means we have until Valentine’s Day to get our signatures.  The primary is on April 24th, so until then Eric, his team of amazing workers, and I are going to be extremely busy.  This blog may slow down a bit more, but hopefully I will be back with a post at least every week or two.

If you live in the fourth congressional district of PA or nearby and you would like to volunteer, please contact us at ericmartinforcongress@gmail.com.  You can visit his website here  if you want to check out his platform.  I have every confidence that Eric will make an amazing congressman.  Not only is he extremely intelligent and well-versed in politics, he has integrity and humility.  Those are necessary qualities in a good leader.