Dot Courson Fine Art Blog

My last post said goodbye to some paintings I have sold recently. BUT....It's a new day and a new week and of course, and I'm creating new works all the time... But first a little WARNING......  THESE PAINTINGS ARE NOT FINISHED!!!! ( This blog post is only about the process of painting.) A little about my painting process... In the studio, I paint like my husband channel surfs the television. I paint on one painting awhile- move it to the side and set another one up. If I get really interested I stay with it as long as I can. ( Some require drying time for glazes so alas- I have to change "channels"!) Some are quickly finished but they all go pretty fast. Some I need to let "get cold" while I think about them... I'm putting this in TV terms today so my husband can understand it in case he reads this blog.... So What's On? Here's what I have going on in my studio on this very day . One just finished, and some in the process of being compl...

I recently took down a painting to take to Southern Breeze Gallery in Ridgeland, MS who had been selling lots of my work last month, in order to replace sold paintings and it sold almost immediately. It was a large painting and there is a hole I need to fill on the wall in my home where I had had it for a year or more. Homeplace 40x30 $2600 - Sold! I had planned to replace it with the painting Mississippi Overlook but before I could it sold too!  Mississippi Overlook 48x36 -$3400- Sold! My plan now is to complete another homeplace type painting. But in the meantime I will just hang my snow scene. Jacqueline Ellens at Southern Breeze said she has never sold a snow scene in that gallery...EVER! So I will just keep it on my wall as a reminder of the cold weather we had last January with this scene up the road from my home. But it will be for sale too, eventually. I always consider my best painting to be the one I am working on at the time, so I imagine I can replace...

Artists only buy original art... They usually cherish their collections and have a discerning eye and only buy what they love. I know I do. So when other artists buy a piece of my art I am so honored....that they'd give their own good money to own a piece of my work! I have sold three small paintings lately to artists:  During the reception at Caron Gallery for a traveling show I'm in the on Friday night an out-of-town artist friend also in the show bought one of my paintings that was already in the gallery. Here is the piece. It was done using a limited pallet of 3 colors: Alizirin Crimson, Cadmium yellow pale, and Ultramarine blue . Well 4 colors if you call white a color. I don't. ) Later an artist at the show told me she'd recently bought another little painting of mine at Southern Breeze Gallery in Ridgeland, MS - just the week before! Also a limited pallet of everything above but this one used Cadmium Red light instead of Alizirin . About a month ago of...

A little reminder...... Reflections in Oil Exhibition by Mississippi Oil Painters Association Opening Reception, Friday, June 10 Opening Reception: Please join us Friday, June 10, 5 - 7 PM, to meet the artists and view nearly 30 pieces of beautiful artwork. The exhibit will be on display June 10-24. This summer, the exhibition will tour across the state in a traveling show called “Reflections in Oils” . This large traveling show will highlight one work of art from many of the state's top artists. Sponsored by the Mississippi Oil Painters Association (MOPA), the show will feature works for sale by a group of 28 artists – painter members and honorary members of MOPA who use primarily one medium: Oil. Each artist brings his own style or “reflection” to the piece he submits to the traveling show. The show opened in May at the Southside Gallery in Oxford, but this is the first time the entire body of works will be shown together. The show will then move ...

Allied Education 12x24©DotCourson This is an Amish child in  Pontotoc  county learning to drive a team of horses. I named the painting, "Allied Education." The Amish are  schooled  only until the 8 th  grade ...because they learn only to do their life's work. One state's court case that allowed it said they could be in this "allied education program" to learn  the work skills they would need for life.   Around here the Amish have several saw mills. Lots of them work with horses shoeing and making bridles, etc. Sweet folks! I wonder if the economy has affected them? I doubt it... It may have helped their business! I post this picture since it contains horses. I was asked awhile back by Equine Artists online Magazine about what artists are doing during these tough economic times.  Here are the questions / my response: 1. What did you do as the economy started to slow? " This has actually been my best year ever! That may be due to be...