Sketchbook blog

Final September batch of Mini Matisse

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

I sent off another 50 small wood rounds to Art-o-mat at the end of September 2019.

You can see my packaging in the background of this shot. I tried to limit my color palette and focus on tropical flora inspired by Matisse. I really enjoyed painting this red coral.

My goal has been to finish 100 pieces of work per month, but lately I've experienced some family tragedies that have taken over my time and emotions.

So to highlight the positive, here are some cute pictures of the family having fun in September.

More Art-o-mat Batches

Sunday, September 15, 2019

In August, I sent 2 more batches of 50 pieces to Artomat HQ.

Here are some Matisse coral and 2 tiny plums.

I also included some black-eyed Susans

and some more coral.

I love painting this small still lifes on wood rounds.

artists

Raving Rabbid Artists & Video Game Art

Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Ubisoft: Raving Rabbids

Recently, I was invited to provide 25 small works of art for an Ubisoft company event. Ubisoft is the video game company that makes Raving Rabbids, Assassin's Creed, and other titles.

I hand painted 25 famous artists as Rabbids.

Rab Ross (Bob Ross)

Rabbida Kahlo (Frida Kahlo)

Rabbincent van Gogh (Vincent van Gogh)

Rabby Warhol (Andy Warhol)

Rabidor Dali' (Salvador Dali')

All 25 of my little pieces

Employees at this company event will be able to vend the pieces from an Art-o-mat machine onsite. I hope the Ubisoft folks enjoy these famous artists.

Video Game Art for the Smithsonian

I was also invited to provide 25 small works for the fifth annual SAAM Arcade event August 3-4, 2019. This event is open to the public. If you and your family are in the DC area then, you should check it out.

Pacman inspired by Frank Stella

Pacman Lost in a Frank Stella Painting

Frank Stella Pacman

You can see why Frank Stella's work inspired my Pacman compositions.

Pacman inspired by Magritte

Pacman Ghosts after Magritte

These little guys are chasing cherries (instead of apples) and are wearing a hat just like the subject in Magritte's Son of Man painting.

Mrs. Pacman after Vermeer

Mrs. Pacman with a Pearl Earring after Vermeer

Nintendo Super Mario Brothers after Warhol

Goombah Soup after Warhol

This is Herbie's favorite.

This batch of 50 will make up my 1,480th piece of Art-o-mat art since I started with them in 2013.

Each of these pieces is a limited edition of my Mini Masterpiece series. Every work in this series provides a morsel of art with a bit of art history.

Alex

Summer Fruit Bonanza

Sunday, June 23, 2019

Brightly painted wood rounds full of fruit

I've gone a little crazy with painting fruit for Art-o-mat this summer.

This cherry from my Mini Masterpiece collection owes its origins to the painters like Matisse who were Fauvists.

Fauvism

(1899-1908) was a twentieth century art movement made of up artists who called themselves les Fauves, or the “wild beasts.”

Painters like Matisse, Cézanne, Gaugin, and Seurat contributed to this style and composed still life paintings with fruit in vivid brushwork and bold colors.

In this Art-o-mat package, I have depicted a subject (like blueberries, which are a superfood!) in a Fauvist style.

I hope these miniature originals brightened your day with hopeful, uplifting color.

My almost 2 year old, Nate, thinks these wood rounds are puzzle pieces.

He and Alex like to "help me" work on them.

While I worked on this batch last Father's Day weekend, we were missing our oldest child, Clarice, who was soaking up the German culture in Europe.

We are super glad to have her back at home now.

This batch marks my 10th ever batch of Mini Masterpieces for Art-o-mat.

To date, I have painted over 1,400 handmade works of art for the affordable art movement called Art-o-mat.

Love Notes from Clients

Here's a picture from a satisfied customer who vended a wood round ornament from work I completed in May.

This little Matisse coral wood round ornament was purchased at Free Range Brewing in Charlotte, NC. Thanks to customers and to FRB for supporting Art-o-mat.

And thank you for supporting handmade art!

art

Fruit Sensations: Late May Art-o-mat

Wednesday, June 12, 2019

Latest Batch of Mini Masterpieces for Art-o-mat

I never realized until now that my love for eating fruit would come out in my artwork.

Banana

I kid you not that this banana was originally going to be the moon from Vincent Van Gogh's "Starry Night" painting.

Orange

In fact, while on a business trip to Washington, D.C., I had read 3 books on the life and work of Vincent Van Gogh. I have no reason to provide you with why I painted an orange next -- except that I really wanted to add an iridescent gold highlight.

Strawberry

All of the fruit represented here was inspired by Fauvist painters including American painter Alfred Maurer, French artist Henri Matisse, and even Paul Cezanne. However, I really enjoy Auguste Renoir's treatment of strawberries in this late Impressionist painting from 1905.

And besides, who doesn't love strawberries?

Pineapple

My goal was to capture the fun and vibrant nature of each fruit. In the Fauvist movement, artists saturated their canvases with color. To learn more about Fauvism, check out this excellent summary on The Art Story's website.

Here's a little something extra that I hope to build on in the future.

See you again soon!

XOXO,

Nicole

acrylic

Art-o-mat Series Update: May 2019

Friday, May 24, 2019

I'm cranking out some new Mini Masterpieces for Art-o-mat, and these pieces have a new and improved look.

My entire set of 50 delivered yesterday to Worldwide Art-o-mat Headquarters includes 100% Matisse elements. In the past, I painted subject matter on mini canvases or on wood blocks.

But then I decided it would be cool to paint modern art on organic, touchable wood rounds. All of these above are painted on either oak or cedar wood.

The Formula

Each of my Art-o-mat pieces has the following:

2 layers of gesso,
multiple layers of Liquitex heavy body acrylic paint,
Posca acrylic paint markers,
1 coat of spray gloss sealant,
1 coat of glossy liquid sealant,
a jute string for hanging,
my signature and date on the back,
flannel fabric gift-wrapped with
embroidery floss tie,
an insert regarding the art history behind the painting, and
my business card.

About Matisse

Henri Matisse (1869 - 1954) was a French sculptor, printmaker, and painter. Many art lovers are drawn to his brightly colored, cheerful compositions. In the last years of his life he created the “Cut Outs.” Often these images evoked organic life and memories of tropical destinations. Another favorite subject was fruit in a still life painting. Matisse recreated bright lemons, oranges, pineapples or other fruit with vivid brushwork and fanciful color. In this Art-o-mat package, I have focused on an element from Matisse’s paintings in his style. You can learn more about Matisse here on my blog.

Bonus Sidenote

Matisse enjoyed marine life, and I always think of coral designs when I paint his cut-out subjects. However, this time it struck me after painting that the coral looked like sea dragons. The sea dragons in the La Jolla, California, aquarium have enchanted audiences. To learn more about them, check out this story.

12 steps to being a better artist

Wednesday, May 08, 2019

How to grow as an artist

Just sharing some ideas that may be helpful for you, too.

1. Commit to sketching.

2. Get outside and O-B-S-E-R-V-E.

3. Paint things even if you don't think they will work out. You will not learn by not trying.

4. You don't have to have a plan for everything.

5. Learn from your mistakes.

6. Stay committed to sketching...

7. ... no matter where you are, even on a plane.

8. It's important to get the ideas out of your head and on to paper.

These could be the building blocks of future work down the road.

9. Smile!

10. Be grateful for the beauty you see every day.

11. Take time out to be with positive people.

12. Drink in other art to keep you inspired.

Following these steps has kept me focused on improving my art.

Recently, I have had an evolutionary breakthrough.

When I look back on why this happened, I think it's probably because I just kept sketching, even without a solid plan for my larger work.

The best thing about sketching is that it gives you room for failure, so you can learn from your mistakes.

Sketching breaks us out of the paralysis we experience with failure and with fear of failure.

I hope you, too, can make a commitment to sketching, even if you have to steal a few minutes on a really hectic day. Eventually, it will pay dividends.

Happy sketching!

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