Winter Warmup-ACEO-Day 4 #jan30in30

3.5"x2.5"

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If winter has anything decent about it, it does give us some planning time for our garden...a time for a bit of rest, introspection, and appreciation. The older I get the more I appreciate the 'rest' part! By the time Spring finally breaks ground here....we are dying to get outside! 

 

Winter studio time finds me either painting from life (with grocery store flowers, not bad), or photos & memories of summers past flowers, wonderful things grown in our own garden, lovingly arranged and photographed out there, too. And for painters, I know you've heard it a million times, "painting from life is better" - YES it is, as it teaches you how to 'SEE', as in really. see. color. And then the lesson of "don't be a slave to your photo" kicks in..... if you use one for reference...as they DO tell lies...shadows are frequently 'dead black holes' in photographs....when in reality, shadows can be incredibly full of color. 

  

For those of you not familiar with the acronym ACEO, it stands for Art Cards Editions and Originals.  The miniature paintings are the size of a baseball trading card, 2 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches.  This category of art has become increasingly popular on eBay the last couple of years.  These can be displayed on their own, or with a tiny little easel (like the kind you can find in Michaels Arts & Crafts type stores) on a display shelf, or these beautiful gems can be elegantly matted and framed with perhaps a mat of 4 inches wide.