Nina Allen Freeman » Blog
Talking about art is almost as much fun as doing art and few things are as much fun as making art! Here are some thoughts I have on the subject of painting.
Posted on 12/2/2015 1:52:44 PM
By Nina Allen Freeman
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'Glass Lake" by Nina Allen Freeman
After reading the book, Daily Painting by Carol Marine, many of my friends love it and use it to help structure their painting time. Others tell me they enjoy taking painting classes and would not keep painting otherwise. Going to class and receiving instruction as well as encouragement from other artists help keep some people involved with painting. For me, it is making my painting time part of my regular schedule that works. [...]
Posted on 5/7/2015 7:45:29 AM
By Nina Allen Freeman
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"Coastal Reflection by Nina Allen Freeman
A friend told me recently that she had seen plenty of DVDs, been to lots of workshops and read enough books to know all the painting techniques a person needs to have. She wanted to know what experienced artists are thinking about when they are painting. How do they make the many decisions that have to be made while creating a painting? [...]
Posted on 9/5/2014 11:04:27 AM
By Nina Allen Freeman
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Buying art is different from buying anything else you buy. Questions like; does it have fish in it, because Joe likes fish? or does it match the couch? or can we use it often enough to justify the cost? are not valid. Do you like it?; is the only valid question. [...]
Posted on 4/2/2014 11:12:12 AM
By Nina Allen Freeman
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My Glass Table by Nina Allen Freeman
Most people go through life Seeing people, buildings, trees and colors as nothing unusual. Trees are green, sky is blue, shadows are grey. I frequently introduce my students to color when I take the class on the obligatory "field trip" outside to see the colors of shadows on our building and trees around us. There are shapes as well as color; subtle curves of a tree limb, interesting shapes between trees or objects, tiny reflections on a shiny object. Thus, they begin to see as an artist sees. [...]
Posted on 1/9/2014 12:47:42 PM
By Nina Allen Freeman
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There is something magical about drawing; we use pencils or pens, things that make lines and reveal something that has form and shape. How does that skinny line reveal beautiful, interesting forms? Line tells the story of boldness or timidity; courage or fear in our drawings. Lines are short and tentative or long and sure of themselves. [...]
Posted on 7/9/2013 3:15:48 PM
By Nina Allen Freeman
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"Crossroads" acryic on paper
That wonderful creative energy we are blessed with needs nurturing to stay alive. What a joy to go to the studio and spend several hours creating paintings. I leave it feeling even more energetic. This year, all of my energy was first going toward caring for my Bob, then grieving and doing things that needed done. [...]
Posted on 3/9/2013 12:11:25 PM
By Nina Allen Freeman
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My Glass Table
Leo was so right, watercolorists through the decades have attempted to capture the brilliance of our planet's light. We see sunlight that is blinding, and shadows that are cool and refreshing. Light streaming through windows and reflected through glass or behind objects that would be ordinary in another setting. The fleeting early morning light angles across the landscape. They are here, then gone. [...]
Posted on 8/27/2012 9:53:42 AM
By Nina Allen Freeman
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Nina Allen Freeman
My studio is dark, piled high with unfinished projects and paintings and when I pass by, it calls to me. I need to get back to painting. I have several commitments this year to fulfill and shows I planned to enter. More importantly, painting is fundamentally a part of who I am and I needed to push paint around again. [...]
Posted on 5/29/2012 7:04:40 AM
By Nina Allen Freeman
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You know the Black Dog; the one that says in your ear, "Who do you think you are?" "You can't paint!" "What were you thinking, trying to do that!" He is the voice of all the negative things heard and imagined about following a creative life. [...]
Posted on 5/4/2012 8:52:08 AM
By Nina Allen Freeman
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I am not alone in my search for my painting voice. I early grew tired of painting what others had done and wanted to do things that are uniquely my own. So, how did I get there and is this going to change again? [...]
Posted on 4/7/2012 8:32:08 AM
By Nina Allen Freeman
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Nina Allen Freeman
That one negative experience did not make me swear off workshops but helped me figure out how to choose better which workshop to attend. So, how can you tell in advance who is the right teacher for you? [...]
