Giclee Printing Limited Editions

Today I am printing giclee limited editions for my online store. I have a lot going on right now and I am trying to keep it all in perspective. The Giclees that sold are the Columbine and Magnolia. Here are the pictures! These in 6x6 small reproductions make great gifts for the holidays.

What to have a gallery sell??? Which art pieces go there and what stays here?

Right now I am searching in the boxes to see what I should do for getting ready to visit a gallery. I am trying to find the right art to sell there. I am looking for the right pieces of what I have in my inventory to what should be going to the gallery.

I am in question on what to have the gallery sell and what to sell myself. I have my larger pieces up at the Artisan's right now. I am looking at trying to expand and I see the need to get back into the studio to paint!!!!

So for now what stays here in and what goes to the gallery?

Kentee Suone Pasek's Oil Painting a Day- "White Wild Rose"

“White Wild Rose”

Original Oil Painting on Canvas Board!
Gallery Wrapped Ready to Hang!
6x6 Inch
Painted 2009

FOR SALE on eBay ONLY!
Click here to bid!

Thank you so much for viewing my listing! For your consideration is this painting "White Wild Rose" original oil painting. It is 6x6 inches in size and the image wraps around the edges of the canvas board. There were many wild rose vines around our yard this spring. This painting was inspired by many collectors enjoying my rose series.

The Wild Roses were growing on vines all around our back yard. In fact our dog used to come in with wild roses stuck in his fur after playing around in the forest! The Wild Roses were amazing. I have always thought that white flowers were okay but not much color. My whole idea on white flowers changed this spring. These White Wild Roses were everywhere. They looked fantastic with the dark green background of the forest and these splotches of white.

For more information you can also go to www.kentee.com or email me at kenteepasek@yahoo.com.

Kentee Suone Pasek's Oil Painting a Day- "Azalea Pink Flower"

“Azalea Pink Flower”

Original Oil Painting on Canvas Board!
Gallery Wrapped Ready to Hang!
6x6 Inch
Painted 2009

FOR SALE on eBay ONLY

Click here to bid

Thank you so much for viewing my listing! For your consideration is this painting "Azalea Pink Flower" original oil painting. It is 6x6 inches in size and the image wraps around the edges of the canvas board. There were many azalea bushes around our home this spring. This painting was inspired by several collectors asking for the larger azalea flowers.

This painting has many different layers and the veins of the flowers can be seen with the details of this artwork. The flowering bushes were so beautiful this spring and I painting a whole series of the flowers.

For more work check out www.kentee.com as well.

Moving into artistic inspiration and getting unpacked!

Here we are at last! We have moved from Alabama to Colorado full time! Now it is time to unpack and paint. I am not sure how this will go but I know it will be fun and challenging. I am not sure in what box I will find my canvas but I do have my paints because they came in the art trailer with us! So here we go.... unpacking all that we need now here! Wow!

Oil Painting a Day pros and cons.... any answers?

As I get into "Oil Painting a Day" movement I find that there are some personal issues I am working out in this theory. I am trying to take a step back from painting to view my Oil Painting a Day painting from a new perspective. Sometimes when we are so deep into a project we can not see the results so I am now trying to view how I am doing in this new movement.

What is Oil Painting a Day you ask? The Oil Painting a Day is just that painting an original oil painting and finishing it in a day and then posting it to sell on eBay and blogging about it. The movement allows five to seven small original oil paintings to be produced every week. As I have been painting in this manner I feel the paint is easier to work with and flows better. I know that is because I am forcing myself into the studio to paint. I am also forcing myself to solve problems faster as I go along. This all comes down to the old equation that more time I am painting the better and easier it is. I also find if I am not careful I run into problems of QUALITY.

Problems of quality what is that you ask? It is the fact that by pushing to finish a piece of artwork it can lack the feeling of many layers, quality lines, and clear images as well as composition issues. I find that by doing these mini pieces of artwork I can end up rushing and I miss what makes my work the quality it is. I am concerned that the pieces with my signature on them are not as high quality as they could be if I took a little more time and relaxed and let the painting work itself out.

Now Painting a Day is still fantastic in my mind. My artwork improves with pushing it to new levels. I know I just need to be aware that those new levels and new paintings still have my personal signature quality, depth and each painting still has character. I also know that if I rush it too much and push the painting too much I will end up an impatient artist (which reminds me of myself in high school and I am not saying how many years ago or lifetimes ago that was!)

I think that Oil Painting a Day movement is great but I also think we as the artists need to take a look at what we are producing. It is just building up mass or a push to finish a painting to get it done or is it done right? I will still be an Oil Painting a Day artist. I have always had the ability to paint quickly and get my feelings down on the canvas. I am now aware on quality control and I am going to make sure that each painting I sign has my highest quality I can put on it!

For more of my work check out www.kentee.com!

Round 5: gallery wrap verses framing... Who will win??

In this round we will be going head to head with Gallery Wrap paintings verses Framing paintings. Now in this round this is only for Oils and Acrylics on canvas not any medium on paper such as watercolors, pen & ink, pencil, pastels.


Gallery wrapping is when the canvas wraps around the stretcher bars. For more info see Stretcher Bars verses Board. The painting wraps around and there is no need to frame. The no need to frame allows the painting to be ready to hang when you get home. It has less cost because framing is expensive. The painting also looks three dimensional. It is interesting because gallery wrapping appeals to a wider audience. It looks traditional because one still sees the artwork, it looks sleek and modern as well. This method of finishing a painting can work for many different uses. Gallery wrapping takes longer to paint in the studio and when my image wraps it is important to pay attention as an artist to the lines of the painting as well as the colors to make sure they wrap as well. All of a sudden painting on 2D becomes 3D and it takes a little more detail work to pull it off right.



Framing paintings are now not a must when one gallery wraps them instead. Now a painting can be gallery wrapped but you can also add a frame. The frames are really preference. The type of frame used does not really matter but it is more of a personal choice, look, style design, and statement for a room more than anything else. Framing can also be a regional preference. Growing up in Colorado wood frames are really the thing out there. The wood can be smooth, textured, stained, old barn wood, rugged but wood sold well. In Washington state (not DC) black frames with sharp edges especially metal sold well. In Cape Cod Massachusetts gold frames are all of the rage. They like small paintings in gold frames. Then in Florida during the show seasons gallery wrapped sold the best.

In this round the points for Gallery Wrapping go:
1 point for less cost, 1 point for 3D look, 1 point for wider audience

In this round the points for Framing are:
1 point for design style and look, 1 point for regional preference, 1 point for artistic statement.

So in this round they tie!
But as an artist I will continue to Gallery Wrap all of my paintings that way they are ready to hang on your wall when you get them. If you choose to frame them due to design style, look, regional preference or artistic statement then by all means please frame my art!!!

For more articles you can go to www.kentee.com!

Round 4: The Technical Art to Mailing Artwork the right way....

Today I wanted to post about "The Technical Art to Mailing Artwork the right way." This blog is what goes into mailing artwork so that the painting arrives in the best possible condition to you!

I have found a simple but effective solution to sending my paintings in the mail. Keep in mind that I do paint my oils on both canvas on stretchers and canvas on board. My method for prepairing artwork to be shipped is the same for both types of painting surfaces. For more about the differences of canvas on stretchers or canvas on board read below "Round 2".

The paintings are first wrapped in a plastic bag to protect them from shifting, rubbing and so on. (The plastic bag needs to be taken off ASAP when the painting arrives so the painting can breath. So please remember to unpack the artwork as soon as you receive your box.)

The painting then has four corners which I wrap in cardboard corner shields over the plastic bags. This protects the paint and the corners of the painting. The corners only are held on well when I wrap them with plastic movers wrap. A piece of cardboard is then placed on the front of the painting and (most of the time) on the back of the painting. This is then wrapped with the plastic movers wrap.

Voila! The painting is now ready for the box. This box needs to be larger than the painting and once the painting is inside the box padding such as popcorn (shipping popcorn not eating popcorn), newsprint, plastic or tissue paper is stuffed along side so the painting does not shift.

The box is then taped up after the invoice goes in. I always put an invoice into the box so that anyone can see where the package was supposed to go in case it does not make it there on the label on the outside. I then place the packing label on the outside and then the box and painting are ready to come to you!

By taking extra time and care with your painting I make sure it arrives to you in tip top shape. The shipping of art can really damage a great painting so it is extra important for me to send it the right way!

Take time to check out my website at www.kentee.com or my store at www.store.kentee.com. If you have any questions be sure to ask and I will help answer them! Thanks!

artistic organization

This is what my to go art bag looks like! I have all of my supplies, my canvas boards, brushes, paint in a to go bag where I can pick them up and go at any time. This is what I use to paint outside en plein air with my oil paints. Just wanted to show you!

Round 3: Best to paint in studio verses outside / en plein air? Who will win this round????

Is an artist a better artist if they paint in the studio or paint outside en plein air?

This is really the question of the ages. The old masters used to only paint in the studio adding thin layers of wash on the top of paintings then came along the rebels or the impressionistic painters and they took their paints outside and painted from what they saw. At this time colors went from browns, tans, creams to more clear colors of yellows, blues, oranges, reds and greens.

I could go on for days about the differences between these two movements but that is not the point of this round. The true questions: is it really better to paint inside or outside?

Inside the studio:
Painting inside has advantages because all of the tools, paints, canvas, lights, brushes are already set up and ready to go. At any time in the day or at night I can go into the studio and paint. The lighting used to be a problem but now with full spectrum lights that changes things and I get truer colors. We can set up props to paint and have them that way for a long time. The one thing is that you are inside and sometimes the creativity and the paintings seem to be stiffer. Scientifically it is hard to put a weight on creativity and fluid paintings and the feeling of the painting. As an artist I know these elements are crucial in making fantastic paintings. The colors can turn out quite nicely but it always seems to be better outside. The fumes are stronger even with fantastic ventilation.

Outside the studio:
Painting outside has the advantage that you are outside! Outside of the craziness of the studio and art office. You are listening to the birds, the dogs bark in the background, the feel of the breeze on your skin. It is a clearer place to paint. The colors seem a little clearer the subjects a little brighter. The fumes are less and the feeling is more. This has the problem of time. Time is of the essence outside. The time in picking up the brush and making a painting with the right light because that is always changing. Solving what is going on the canvas is harder because there is less time. Even with photographing what is seen and then going into the studio that changes the painting.

I really think does it make for a fantastic painting outside verses inside I really have had great results in both places. Does it make a better artist? Not really just different.

Results:
Inside: 1 point for organization of supplies, 1 point for being easy to do, 1 point for setting up props for a long time, 1 point for being able to paint any time of day or night, 1 point in consistent lighting.

Outside: 1 point for getting out of the craziness, 1 point for clearing your head, 1 point for the outdoor things such as wind, noises, smells, 1 point for less fumes, 1 point for colors being clearer, 1 point for the subjects being brighter.

So for this round inside gets 5 points and outside gets 6 points. It is close but the outside wins!

Keep in mind however a great painter can make great artwork inside or outside a studio! If one artist would rather paint in one place than another that artist can still produce great work.

round 2: To paint on stretched canvas verses canvas board? Who will win?

This is a tough round for painters and collectors.

What is an oil painter to do? There are so many choices to make when choosing what to paint on. What is the difference of canvas on stretchers verses canvas on board? For this round we will be going head to head on the difference of painting on canvas on stretcher bars verses canvas on board.

Now there are many different types of canvas, many different types of stretcher bars and many different types of canvas on board. The actual types are not in this round in order to make a fair playing field I will talk about the canvas on stretchers as a whole unit verses canvas on board.

Canvas on stretchers or stretcher bars for those who do not know is basically four pieces of wood which have been kiln dried and fit together to make a frame. There is a hole in the middle of these four bars. The canvas is then taken on and pulled and stapled over the bars which makes it look like as one of my collectors stated very nicely "like a shoe box". It is wrapped around the edges.

Canvas on stretchers is great because canvas is a material and can dry rot if air does not get all around it. It needs to breath because it is a natural fabric. This stretch canvas does last a very long time. The one downfall to this technique is that the corners always seem to show some wear after a while especially for those of us who take work to art shows and are always putting it up and taking it down. It seems like the corners and the edges are always where I am touching the painting back up. When shipping it I have to wrap the corners in cardboard corners to make sure that is area does not chip during shipping. These do not need frames if the painting is "gallery wrapped" (that means the staples are in the back and not the side of the bars.) and the painting has been painted around the edges. They do need frames if the staples show when you hang it up or if not painted or if you want to for the look of it.

Canvas on board is great because it does not have this 'corner problem' and is so much easier to ship. These boards may however warp a little over time especially in high humidity. (Yes here I go again about humidity see round 1 for more!) The canvas on boards also need frames. They are hard to hand without frames. These boards are super easy to have on hand no storage needed. They are also easy to take on and outside trip to paint on.

So for this round we will sum it up:
Canvas on stretchers: 1 point for lasting (proven by the masters), 1 point for gallery wrap, 1 point for looking "like a shoe box", 1 point for being easy to hang

Canvas on board: 1 point for shipping, 1 point for no corner problem, 1 point for easy to have to store, 1 point the easiest to use when going outside to paint.

Wow! Now it really looks like they are tied! I did not realize it until I wrote this article today! Painting on either has its advantages and disadvantages. It looks like it is what ever the painter and collector prefer.

round 1: humidity verses an oil painter artist! Who will win???

There are many days as an artist it feels like the humidity is against everything I try to do. The high humidity levels can alter how long it takes to paint a painting. In the case where I paint 10-20 layers of paint on a painting and let each layer dry that is a battle in itself. In the case where I am painting an oil painting a day for that painting to dry to be able to post on eBay is a battle. How can I win this battle? I am not sure.

The humidity can really take a painting forever to dry. When it is super humid I mean FOREVER!!!!!

I had one person at an art show say that I needed a dehumidifier. Super idea but it does not work as well as the theory. I have tried it. A dehumidifier can only go so far. For the most part AC does exactly the same thing in terms of dehumidifying as an actual dehumidifier does. When the air is humid is it tough to get these oils to dry no matter what we do as artists. I have fans on my wet work 24 hours a day. I have added heat and more air. I have put them in as dry of rooms as exist but the humidity still is against me.

So where does this take us? When the air is dry it is our friend and when the super soggy moisture comes up from the Gulf we really take a hit. For this round I think the humidity gets a point and the artist has to take one for the team. I guess we just have to wait for the paintings to dry!!!

SOLD pansy oil painting a day original 8x8 on board

Yellow Pansy

Oil Painting a Day

by Kentee Suone Pasek

8x8

Original on Canvas Board

SOLD!

Here is the latest posted on eBay a pansy oil painting 8x8. It is a great painting and is so much fun to look at! I am growing this flower this spring in a container garden I started on the back deck where I paint. It is full of life and overlooks the forest. If you look at the photos below of where my favorite places to paint is that is the deck where this flower lives. I love the pansy with the unique look and the petals. The great part about this flower is that it lives in any climate in the US where we have lived. I can grow it in the mountains of Colorado, on the Cape Cod in New England, in Florida both in the Gulf Coast and Jacksonville as well as in Alabama. It is a fantastic summer flower and is known all the United States as a great winter flower in the south and a super spring summer flower in the north! Love It!

SOLD magnolia bloom tree flower original oil painting a day by kentee suone pasek

8x10 original oil painting on board

magnolia bloom tree flower

by kentee suone pasek

SOLD!

Here is a fantastic oil painting of a magnolia bloom. Right now the magnolias are outside my window blooming. They just started from this season. I was inspired to paint this because I can not keep my Magnolia Bloom original oil painting giclees in stock.

SOLD Original oil painting seascape cape cod morning with chair and ocean

16x20 Original Oil Painting
Kentee Suone Pasek
Seascape Oil Painting a Day
Cape Cod
SOLD

Here is the beautiful seascape cape cod morning painting. The sea grass brings you into the sand. The fog has just lifted and it feels like you should walk to that chair with a hot cup of coffee and watch the day begin.

Paintings that have sold this week!

This has been a great week for art. There has been a lot going on and here is what has sold: There are two commission giclee 30x30 paintings. One hibiscus with a black background and one with a green background. There was a special 20x20 yellow hibiscus this week as well. On eBay there was the series of red poppy flowers which sold 3 of the 5. There are still two available on eBay now! Get them while they are still there. The fruit painting sold of an apple and two oranges. The set of Gerber Daisy Flower paintings also sold!

At the May Extravaganza I went to help out behind the doors and do what was needed but instead I found myself behind a table with all of my giclees and originals around me selling my artwork. I have not even began to look at the inventory sales for the day. I had a fantastic time and really enjoyed being a part of the event. I was super glad to do it but it was totally different than what was planned. It was fun and busy with great people. After the event we helped out as we could and as I was ready to close up the table was told to keep it up until tomorrow. What a great day!

"Strawberry 2" fruit food painting a day

"Strawberry 2"
original oil painting on canvas stretchers
6x6 size
Click here to bid

This the second painting of an original oil painting on canvas stretchers is of my fruit series. I have two strawberry paintings which I painted in a series. My daughter was eating this out on the deck one afternoon and so I painted these two!

These painting look great together and were painted together!

Enjoy!

"Strawberry 1" fruit food oil painting a day 6x6

"Strawberry 1"

original oil painting on canvas stretchers

6x6 size

on eBay

This original oil painting on canvas stretchers is of my fruit series. I have two strawberry paintings which I painted in a series. My daughter was eating this out on the deck one afternoon and so I painted these two!

Click here to bid

My Favorite Place to Paint Oil Paintings!

I just wanted to show you my favorite place to paint my oil paintings. Here I am working on my two commissions of my 30x30" Red Hibiscus and my 20x20" Yellow Hibiscus Giclees on Canvas. I am painting over the giclee as you can see. Behind the paintings is the forest where we play and have a fort and roast marshmallows on the campfire. This is the porch / deck where we spend a lot of time together. Late at night we come out here and watch the fireflies dance around.

For more about What is a Giclee go to www.kentee.com and click on articles or you can click here to read more

Lake Sunset Oil Painting a Day

Lake Sunset Reflection Painting
This is an oil painting of a reflection on the lake. The color of the sky reflects on the lake. This is a quiet spot to sit and watch the sun go down.

Painting a Day Inspiration

Thanks Carol!
As I began on my journey into the eBay world I found an artist who inspired me. Her name is Carol Marine and she paints a Painting a Day. Her blog is http://carolmarine.blogspot.com/. She does workshops on painting a day and does one even in Jacksonville. I wish I had found her before I moved from there. Anyway, she inspired me to put my artwork on eBay and blog about it so here I am. Thanks to another artist! She is able to stay at home with her son as I have been with my two children. What a great inspiration for woman artists!
Thanks!
Kentee

SOLD Poppy Painting Series on eBay!

ALL OF THIS SERIES IS SOLD!

Here they are you all! The poppy painting series!!!! Just to show case them now! Also here is the link to my activia store:

SOLD Poppy Series Paintings on eBay this evening!

ALL OF THE SERIES ARE SOLD!

Attention!! All of the new poppy series paintings are going on eBay this evening as buy it now! This stock will not last! Check them out!

SOLD Poppy painting 8x10

Red Poppy painting

8x10" Original Oil Painting

Oil painting a day

SOLD

SOLD Poppy Painting 4

6x6 poppy all of it with black background added

SOLD

SOLD Poppy Painting 3

SOLD
Poppy painting 6x6 center pulled away a little

SOLD Poppy painting 2

Poppy painting 6x6" huge center!
SOLD

SOLD New Poppy Painting!

Here is the new 6x6 Poppy painting of the side of the poppy.
SOLD

SOLD Original Poppy!

Sold this 8x10 original oil painting a day! Right now I am off to the studio to go paint an original poppy painting series. I started it yesterday for a client. It is going to be fun! Wait and see what come out of this original oil painting a day! They are 6x6 and I can not wait to show them to you! You will see a photo next week!

Here is the painting that sold!

SOLD Ocean Morning Original Seascape Painting 16x20 on eBay now!

“Ocean Morning”
Oil Painting a Day
by Kentee Suone Pasek
dynamic inspirations in oils

Size: 16x20 inch
Medium: original oil painting
What: canvas stretchers
When: painted 2006

SOLD

This is my original oil seascape painting. This 16x20 inch size oil on canvas stretchers is called “Ocean Morning”. This seascape was inspired by many collectors asking for ocean scenes and the love of Adirondack Chairs. This painting reflects the calm early morning walks on a beach. The gallery retail price for my work this size is $480. It is starting auction at $45.82! Shipping priority mail is $15.95 due to size.

It has been my pleasure to now sell my paintings on eBay. I have been selling my artwork all over the United States for the last 14 years. I have been painting for over 25 years. On eBay I offer original oil paintings of flowers, seascapes and fruit. My artwork described by others as impressionist, modern, or realistic in style.

my website link: http://www.kentee.com/

eBay Link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=250412085142

eBay Auctiva store: http://www.auctiva.com/stores/viewstore2.aspx?id=1190245&styleid=66&siteid=0

SOLD Gerber Daisy Series Behind a Chair

Three gerber daisy series behind a chair. This is what they would look like together!

Oil painting a day by Kentee Suone Pasek

Series SOLD

SOLD Three Gerber Daisy Oil Painting a Day! Kentee's Flowers

“Gerber Daisy 3”
Oil Painting a Day
by Kentee Suone Pasek

SOLD

Kentee's Flowers

Set of three
Size: 6x6 inch
Medium: original oil painting
What: canvas stretchers
Gallery wrapped
When: painted 2009
Painted March 2009

Here is the newest paintings for sale on my eBay web page. They are three original oil paintings on canvas. They are a set of three Gerber Daisies. Each painting is 6x6" size original oil painting. I was inspired to paint these three Gerber Daisies because my other Gerber Daisy Limited Edition set is hard to keep in stock.

I have a set of three. They were all seperate and I decided that they looked better as a unit. They are such great fllowers and really remind me of spring and summer days. These are the daisies I had at my wedding. It was so great each of our loved moms, grandmothers and great grandmothers had a colorful gerber daisy on her dress. What a site to see with so many wearing them. They have that special place in my heart because of that.

Just two days ago my neighbor planted four different colors around her mailbox. They look super and I love walking by her house to see them. What a great flower it is.

Here is the link to my web site for more Gerber Daisy flowers: http://www.kentee.com/Oil_painting_s3.html

Red Rose Flower ~Kentee's Flowers~ Oil painting a day art

“Red Rose”
Oil Painting a Day
by Kentee Suone Pasek

Size: 12x12 inch
Medium: original oil painting
What: canvas board
When: painted 2009

This Red Rose Flower is inspired by many collectors asking for a red rose. It is oil on canvas board 12x12 inches and 'hot off the press'. One of a kind original oil painting by me Kentee Suone Pasek. It is on eBay and you can find more about my artwork at http://www.kentee.com/ or my eBay site http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250411537411 You can e-mail me for more information also at kenteepasek@yahoo.com.

I have talked about the art show at the Artist's Place. Here a photo of what the show looked like. All of my 36x36 dynamic floral inspirations in oils on the wall. It was great and really inspired me as an artist. I was overwhelmed by the reception they put on. What a fantastic time was had by all. It was so nice to get out of the studio and talk about my artwork. It was great to see the looks on the faces and my work was shown. It was a wonderful time as an artist. What a great show! Thanks again for everyone who worked so hard! Love you all!

Kentee

Strawberries original oil painting a day art

Here are two strawberries! This fruit food painting of strawberries are oil paintings on canvas originals. So much fun to look at. I love these two small 6x6 paintings! Check them out for sale on eBay! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=250408604751

These are oil painting a day and they look good enough to eat. They turned out so well. Enjoy!

SOLD Magnolia Bloom Tree Oil Painting a Day Art

Magnolia Bloom Tree
8x10 Original Oil Painting on Canvas Stretchers
Oil Painting a Day Art

SOLD

This original oil painting is from all of the magnolia trees by the house. The magnolia bloom has to be one of the most beautiful blooming trees. The blossoms are so large and they are very white and cream against the glossy green leaves. This is a beautiful painting!

SOLD Oranges and Apples

SOLD

8x10 Oil Painting a Day

Kentee Suone Pasek 2009

Here is the newest Oranges and apple! It was painted outside on our deck and has great color tones. It was a study of shapes, color and light. Oil on Canvas 8x10. Original. Painting a day.

Rose Side Original Oil Painting a Day by Kentee Suone Pasek of Kentee's Flowers

"Rose Side"

8x10 on Board

Painted 2009

Original Oil Painting

by Kentee Suone Pasek

Oil Painting a Day

Here is the newest hot off the press painting. It is oil on board, 8x10 and of a pink rose. It has the black background. It was inspired by roses in the garden. It is so big and beautiful. I love the way it looks. The petals wrap around and make it look real. The pink is soft and strong. It turned out better than what was in my mind!

It is an ORIGINAL on BOARD!

Life of an artist

Today we hung up the art show. It looks fantastic. The art keeps going and it will be great for Easter. I am so ready for Easter to be here and lent to be over this year. It is time to get back to the basics and into the studio again. I have missed two days of painting with this show. I will get back to my oil a day on Monday. I think that the eggs have to be hunted by my kids and then church, the show, and home again for lunch. I am so excited to see the look on the kids faces when they get up. Eggs all over the house and the front yard. I am also excited to see the reactions to the art show. We will see it all in the morning! Of course my oil painting will take back seat to all of that! I am trying to test the markets a little more on eBay so we will see what the results of that will be. This is after all life of an artist working and painting day by day! :)

SOLD Gerber Daisy Series

SOLD

Today I am posting and writing about Gerber Daisy Series. This series had three Gerber daisies. One pink, one blue and one yellow. I had them all separate on eBay and now I am combining them into one unit. They have great color and depth. The three combo is a great way to showcase them because I painted them all together. They are so much fun to paint! The strong depth of color and the whimsy about this flower looks great on any wall. Here they are together! Wow!

Getting out of our box as an artist!

Today I just read "New Venues to Sell Your Art" by Lori Woodward Simons in an e-mail from Fine Art Views of Clint Watson. It was a dynamic piece you can find it at www.fineartviews.com. It has in it so many different ideas on how to bring us as artist out of our selling box. It reminds me that there is more to selling our art than just a gallery. Galleries are the best but there can be and is more. We need to be able to see that we can reach beyond our box and be creative and sell in other locations.

I have a one person show starting Easter Sunday at Episcopal Redeemer Church here in Mobile, Alabama. It runs until Mother's Day. I am so excited to be doing this and the closer it gets the more excited I am. It is shows like this which can get us out there as artists. It can bring us closer to what we really love to do. It is so helpful as an artist to be there with people to see and talk about our work.

Painting the Oil Paintings a Day has also improved my work. I am forcing myself to go from start to finish on a piece. What a great thing to do for making a painting work. It is spreading me and making me dig deeper.

On breaking out of the box idea I had about a month ago found Wikipedia and decided that I could be included. Well that was not true because there were some fine print about not writing about self in that (oops). Artists beware take my experience and try something else. That all said and done doing a page on Wikipedia made me really think about how am I as an artist and what have I done as an artist. It made me get out of my box and see things in a different light. What a great growth experience it has been.

On selling on eBay that has made me grow stronger also. I am learning the ways of eBay and loving to watch how it works. It is a great market in itself. I am still learning and will be for some time. I am enjoying working and spending time on this new found platform. We will see how the eBay works for me and how they like my art. It is different than anything I have seen on there so far.

So I head off to my studio with this in mind... It is time to get out of the box and try new ideas, new areas to sell my work, and it is spring! It is time to refresh, renew and Easter is almost here!

White Wild Rose

This is White Wild Rose! It was taken from the wild rose vines around our home. These crazy vines all of a sudden became these beautiful wild roses! What a sight! I had to paint them. They are beautiful!

Roses Three

This is an original Oil Painting a Day. The paint is still wet on it but it is fantastic. The three roses are all different kinds and all different colors. They depth in this painting is great! It was fun to paint and watch it grow. It is 8x10 oil on board. It is for sale on eBay! Check it out! Log onto eBay and search Kentee's Flowers!

Azaleas!

These are a great series of Azaleas. They are "Azalea Pink", "Azalea White" and "Azalea Hot Pink". They are on auction separately but were painted as a unit. These were inspired by all of the blooms in Mobile right now. This set has the background of green. They are a painting a day and are 8x10 inches in size. They are on canvas board and are ready to ship. These are ORIGINALS!

Log onto eBay and type Kentee's Flowers and these will come up!

SOLD "Yellow Pansy"

Yellow Pansy

8x8 oil on canvas board

original

Kentee Suone Pasek

2009

Here is the second painting! It is Yellow Pansy. This one due to the Yellow color has several layers of yellow and white on it. The flower was so much fun to paint. I can still hear the sounds of the kids in the yard playing as I painted this.

SOLD "Red Pansy"

SOLD

8x8 on Board

Kentee Suone Pasek 2009

I am starting painting one oil painting a day. I went outside to our back porch and began to paint. I will start with a series of pansy flowers. This one is the first one finished for my series. It is the "Red Pansy" and I love the colors and depth in this painting. It has a great little monkey face.

White African Iris on E-Bay now!

The White African Iris is now availabe on E-bay as a 6x6" giclee limited edition print. This is the first item I am selling and it is hand painted over the top of the giclee. It is on canvas and hand pulled by myself. This is a fantastic print.

Sunflower's Fire

This is the new image of the Sunflower's Fire. I painted the background black and it does wonders for this painting.

This one is now finished and I am adding it to my collection. It has the light and dark pulling for it. It will go into my one person show over Easter.

I named this image the Sunflower's Fire because it was painted off of a sunflower but my daughter asked me if it was like the sun and the sun was made of fire. That is how it was named.

What makes a good artist?

It seems as if an artist has to be a jack of all trades and a master of them all!

First of all the artist has to be a good artist. Being a good artist is so subjective but there are some common threads no matter what the art. There has to be vi son, technical discipline, ability to paint, draw, sculpt, see and do. There has to be time in the studio to create. There has to be a voice and a direction to be a great artist. There have to be items which put together show nicely and are fluid.

Not only is the actual doing and creating is important but the ability to sell the work needs to be a part of it as well. In today's world the portfolio of an artist is important for galleries but the slides are more important for shows. Picking what shows and what galleries can take up a lot of time but the right shows and the right galleries can make all of the difference in the world.

Then there is the mastering of the Internet; web-sites, e-commerce stores, blogs and connection to the Internet is important. Finding good links onto your sites and then making sure your site is as professional as possible with the best digital photographs of work is so important. The descriptions, prices and substance just as important as the work itself. The ability to sell work with the best photo and description like magazines.

Then there are the office items; bills, finance, applications, bibliography, bios, brochures, business cards, post cards, taxes, numbers to crunch and paper to push. This time is huge and eats up quite nicely into the studio time.

How about the actual shows; booth, lighting, display, hanging of work, and the man power to move all of the work. Then the trailer to store and drive it to the location also needs to take place.

I just read about a book on publicity for your work. That is a whole can of worms and new ideas and new press releases to write. This is important. It is all important it is just how to prioritize

It takes a lot to be an artist. It takes focus. What do you think?

What is a Giclee or gicleé? part 2

The gicleé printer is not the same as a desktop laser or inkjet printer. The gicleé printer looks in appearance like it should be in an engineering office as a printer or plotter for large scale maps. The gicleé printer is different in that it sprays ink onto the paper or canvas in a fine mist. The desktop printers and engineering plotters lay down the ink; that is how lines can appear from these printers. The gicleé ink is also different from the other printers.

When the gicleés were first introduced to the market the only problem was that the reproduction prints would begin to fade. This is a serious issue for artists and collectors who value the longevity of art. The ink was changed to a pigment ink and rigorously tested. The results of the testing; the new pigment ink will last for 250 years. Pigment ink is very concentrated and intense ink.

The type of paper or canvas also makes a difference on the quality of the gicleé reproduction print. The canvas and paper in Kentee’s gicleés are printed on are archival safe, acid free and lignin free. This helps preserve the fine art from discoloration and deterioration. The paper is the highest quality artist paper. The canvas is thick and brilliant white allowing the truest colors to show. The canvas is then stretched around artist stretcher bars.

The best way to insure longevity of the gicleé is to finish it with a clear coat which will protect it from the elements. This clear coat is a final layer of special formulated water based sealant. This helps filter out UV damaging light as well as sealing the gicleé from humidity and moisture in the air. The canvas gicleés work well in humid rooms such as a bathroom because of this top coat. Just remember to keep the fan on after a shower to insure that most of the moisture is out of the room. Remember that canvas is a material so if towels are moist your paintings will be also.

Gicleés are now an accepted form of reproductions. Art Museums, galleries and professional artists embrace this computer age printing system. Gicleés can now be found in the most noted collections around the world.

What is a Giclee or Gicleé?

Gicleé also seen written as Gicleés Giclee or Giclees is pronounced (zhee-CLAY). It is a French word meaning to squirt or spurt a liquid.
It may have derived from the French verb “gicler” meaning “to squirt”. In the case of gicleé reproduction limited edition prints it means a “spray of ink”

Gicleés were originally developed as a proofing system for Lithograph printing presses but quickly became a way of printing in itself. The presses could not reproduce the color quality range found in gicleés. Gicleés offer the truest reproduction accuracy of any printing techniques available today.

The process of making a gicleé begins with the original painting. The original painting is scanned or photographed and then digitized. The digitized image is corrected to represent the colors and clarity of the original artwork. This takes a computer expert in Adobe CS2 programs. The gicleé file is as important if not more than the printing technology. The more precise method for creating the original files the better results. The goal of producing a quality gicleé is to match the original exact. This guarantees that a quality gicleé is a true representation of the original painting. This is an art in itself to produce a correct image match. This digital image is then printed onto paper or canvas.

Changes

Today I went to the studio and decided to paint the blue background of the Sunflower's Fire to black. As I have been doing my web store I have found that the blue looks out of place. When I was at a show in Sarasota, FL a lady said the same thing to me. I realized how right she was and so I have made this change to this original. It is fun to see the growth!

Setting up the online store

I have been working on setting up my online store. It has taken quite a learning curve but it feels well worth it. I keep working at it to make it better! The web-site is also being edited and at www.kentee.com the store is http://store.kentee.com.
I need to get back into the studio soon and work on some of my ideas!
Things are going well. I feel like I need to add a blog to the site to make it better.