Dot Courson Fine Art Blog

Ever heard this quote?  Dance like nobody's watching; Love like you've never been hurt. Sing like nobody's listening; Live like it's heaven on earth. I want to add: Paint like you don't have a motive. This should be the first "rule" of how artists work. To do this we must be uninhibited and passionate! Inhibitions dry up creative juices. Here is a list of distractors: Wondering if it will "sell" Over analyzing  Overly concerned the "rules"/ technical aspects of painting Ambitious / competitive Behind in the job demands Losing the inspiration behind the work Comparing yourself to artists with more popular works  Paintings are the words to the music of our lives. Don't want to sound like a soap opera, but we can lose sight of the fact that all we are really doing is just showing the world our view. That's all original art is. To paint like you don't have a motive, leave inhibitions and materialistic mot...

We artists paint and need to sell our work. The selling of my work is usually left up to my galleries and I'm not in possession of much since I send it out to galleries.   I pay galleries (or should I say they require?) 50% commission to sell and promote my work.   I am grateful for their representation.  My website is not to sell work, it's for people to see the kind of work that I do and for them to know something about me in case they saw my work, Googled my name, or wanted to see other paintings or read my bio.  And yes, sometimes I gladly enter into contracts with those who want me to do a private  commissioned painting . These are often regional clients who have seen my work in ads or magazines in the South. I enjoy doing these commissions.  And I have sold work to my  longstanding  Facebook friends from all over the world. However, for someone to just "stumble upon" my work online -and buy it is not realistic in my op...

What can be more fun than painting? Especially in the fall! This is a photo from the side back of our yard looking back toward the house. Below is a photo of me that Jackie, my husband took without my permission today. I'm painting the trees right behind our house and studio. My studio is upstairs and overlooks the woods. but I had to be outside to feel the light and be eye level with the trees. I have been working outside on this daily  at 4PM - but today it was 3 as time changed last night:... It was a pretty day today!  Here is Scaredy- my cat today - she always keeps me company! Okay brush washing! Awhile back a friend asked how I washed my brushes and suggested that I blog about it. When I'm outside painting en plein air, I rinse my brushes in the portable brush washer and take it inside to my studio to re-rinse in a large vat of Gamisol that I have or wash them with my cleaner on the road. Sometimes I  just use white soap away from home...

It's November! Somehow doesn't feel Novemberish to me. Maybe it will once the time changes.I'm a night owl and am enjoying the light at the end of the day. That's about to change! Remember-time changes this coming weekend. We had a wonderful group of artists here in Pontotoc coming to paint with Roger Dale Brown, at our third workshop this year. Roger is a great friend and had just returned from doing the Laguna Beach Invitational Plein Air show in California. It was perfect plein air weather here and we enjoyed some wonderful days painting with Roger and Beverly. Jackie and I always enjoy seeing artist friends and meeting new ones. This workshop, as usual- brought in students from three states: MS TN and AL to paint rural farms and fields in Pontotoc.   Jackie hosted the workshop opening since I was at Southern Breeze Gallery who had a wonderful reception for my show on October 20th, If you have not been - I hope you get to go see my new work up close and personal...