Dot Courson Fine Art Blog

Sitting here planning paintings... and doing a few months of teaching lesson plans for a class that I teach on Mondays. Thinking to myself: "Well, I've done it again. I am booked pretty much solid through the spring!" Thought I'd post some- and I do hope to see some of you at one or more of these events. Events  (between now and the end of spring) Anderson Hall - NEMCC - Booneville. Exhigiton with Mississippi Painter's Society This exhibit opens Jan. 25 and runs till Feb. 21st, 2012.  A solo show at Caron|Prince Gallery: Small Places: Landscapes of the South March 1st - opening Reception from 5-7 PM. Save the date! Jackie and I are hosting an Anne Blair Brown Plein Air Workshop here in Pontotoc on April 19-21 : In the Women Painters of the Southeast show at Corse Gallery & Atlier in Jacksonville, Fl where I'm proud to say that I'm a signature member! Also teaching  3 day workshop for the Greenville  Delta Art Association...

I've not started back teaching yet, but thought I would give readers or art students ten suggestions for New Year's Resolutions.  It's only January 5th so it's not too late. After Jan 10th, resolutions are called "goals". My rule.  But goals are just as good as resolutions!  Paint looser. (This one is for me. I'm a lifelong student too !) Paint standing up if you can so that you can walk away and look at your painting every few minutes. Do this to know when you "have it right".  As I was painting this week I realize that I walk continuously. This is the thing that my students need to do more. If I could get them to do that they would know when to stop painting the life out of much of their work. It needs to be seen a few feet away to judge how it really looks.  Paint more AND use more paint. Draw more.   Do more value studies in paint and pencil or marker to understand perspective and form and mass.  Find an art book that you li...

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...