ART - IF YOU LOVE IT......BUY IT

"Blue Lagoon At Sunset" 11"x 14" Oil. This is a 2007 painting this is sold but I like it so much that I thought I would include it since it was a painting that was sold to someone who fell in love with it and bought it just as is expressed in the following article.

One of the great email newsletters about art that I receive is the “Fine Art Views Daily Newsletter” available at http://www.fineartviews.com/. Recently they had the following great article written by Jan Blencoe. Do yourself a favor and visit her website to see her wonderful work at http://www.janblencowe.com/.


“One of a Kind” by Jan Blencowe

Lately, I've been reading a lot about the twin subjects of pricing artwork (a subject for artists) and reasons to buy artwork. Pricing paintings is a task for the artist and for the art gallery. Understanding why it's worth it to invest in a piece of original art is important for everyone.

ART – IF YOU LOVE…..BUY IT!

In our utilitarian culture, it's imperative to remember the long term value of owning something that feeds your soul, brings you joy, enhances your quality of life, touches your heart, brings beauty into your environment and uplifts your spirit.

The value in a piece of art is twofold. First, it's about possessing something unique, a one of a kind creation, the very special expression of one human being to another. Because of the singularity of an original painting, my advice is, if you love it; buy it, right then and there. I say this because I know, as an artist, that I may never paint another piece like the one that is calling to your heart. I may or may not paint another with similar subject matter. There are many elements, some technical and some emotional, that will not be the same, and in fact can't be recreated. If the painting is beyond your present financial means, don't let it go. Ask the artist or gallery if they can arrange a payment plan for you. I would readily arrange a payment plan for you, and I suspect that many galleries would also do so, especially if it's obvious that you love the painting.

Understand and value the rarity and uniqueness of an original painting. You will be the exclusive owner of a one of a kind creation. Among all the mass produced products in the world when you purchase an original painting you will own the only one in the world! There are few things that fall into that category.

The second long term benefit is what art will bring to your life. I've heard some people describe a favorite, cherished painting as an old friend, with whom they have a visual conversation. I've heard others say it was amazing how the painting seemed to reflect their mood. When they were feeling introspective and solitary, the painting seemed to embody that emotion; when they were lighthearted and joyful the painting seemed to take on those qualities. Others have found having paintings in their homes gave them a place to focus their gaze during times of stress or illness and they gained peace and comfort. I find the same is true with books, music, poetry even favorite movies. In fact all the arts seem to share the ability to nurture us on a very deep level. Over the course of a lifetime you can gain much from art. Investing in art is investing in your long term inner well being.

If you would like to be included on my mailing list please email me at ernie@erniekleven.com. Also you may click on http://www.erniekleven.com/ to go directly to my website where you may view other works of mine.

My Daughter's Gourd Art

This week I thought I would share my daughter's beautiful Gourd Art with you. She also does painting, woodburning, and any number of other artistic things. Visit her website at http://www.visionsinwood.net/

I just finished the Mammoth Lakes Pacific Fine Arts show this past weekend. The turnout was disappointing as you might imagine since the economy is in the toilet. For this reason I don't plan any more Art Fairs for 2009. Hopefully 2010 will be better but I imagine it will take a little longer to recover from this recession. Fortunately good art will retain it's value and even increase in the future and there are still those collectors who are aware of today's bargains.

I'm thinking of trying eBay again to reduce my inventory. If I do there may be some real bargains to be had. Please send me an email if you wish to be notified as I put paintings up for auction.

In the meantime I will continue working on my new painting for a magazine cover. It is a campfire scene with a number of human figures which takes more time to paint.

I'm also thinking of trying miniature ACEO paintings. They are 2.5" x 3.5" and will be original oil paintings. ACEO stands for Art Card Editions & Originals and are becoming popular among collectors, especially on eBay. They are like baseball cards of which you may be familiar.

Nancy & I are camped at 7600' near Mammoth Lakes. Family members will begin arriving this weekend for our annual family campout. We have been doing this for a number of years now and it is always a blast. The temps have been very low this week but it is supposed to warm up beginning tomorrow.

If you would like to be included on my mailing list please email me at ernie@erniekleven.com. Also you may click on http://www.erniekleven.com/ to go directly to my website where you may view other works of mine.

My Painting On RV Magazine Cover

Here is my painting on a national magazine cover that I promised in my last Blog. The scene is one I happened on in one of the Escapees RV Parks in Tennessee a few years ago. I had my camera near the door but the scene was developing so rapidly I didn't have time to open the door; I had to shoot it through the screen. Even Photoshop can't remove the screen (at least I couldn't) so I decided to paint it. A few months ago I offered Escapees, a large International RV Club, first rights for a cover and they jumped on it. At first they planned to use it on their Sept/Oct issue but to my surprise they chose to use it on their 31st anniversary July/Aug issue. They also gave me credit at the bottom of the cover as well as on the Contents page which was very nice. The crazy part is that one of the ladies had a white parrot on her shoulder which first caught my attention but by the time I finished the painting I had forgotten all about that. There was so much going on in the painting anyway I decided to leave the parrot out.
They want to see some more of my work so I'm now working on a campfire scene in the Arizona Desert. Also I am now looking for other markets to sell one time publishing rights of this painting. I will have this 18"x 24" Oil painting on display in my booth at the Mammoth Lakes Art Fair the last weekend of this month. Later I will make full size Giclee` prints on canvas available by special order and smaller ones on paper as well. Ever onward!

If you would like to be included on my mailing list please email me at ernie@erniekleven.com. Also you may click on http://www.erniekleven.com/ to go directly to my website where you may view other works of mine. © Ernie Kleven, All Rights Reserved

Double Primary Palette

As I promised in my last Blog here is Jack White's "Double Primary Palette" which I have used for several years, the use of which has kept the colors in my paintings bright and vibrant. There is nothing more discouraging to an artist than to be mixing several colors for just the right hue only to have the color suddenly become muddy. Sometimes this happens on the painting itself if you are painting wet on wet. You'll sometimes see this on paintings that seem dull and lifeless.

I contacted Jack for permission to share this with you and he being the generous and outstanding person that he is, granted it without hesitation. The critical part of this palette which Jack discovered after much research is that those base colors he selected include other primary colors within them. For example Phalo blue has Yellow in it and Lemon Yellow has Blue in it so when you mix the two you get a pure Green. In fact you can create any number of Green hues with this palette.

In case the type is not clear in the photos here are the base colors: Ultramarine Blue (warm), Phalo Blue (cool), Alizarin Crimson (cool), Cadmium Red Light (warm), Cadmium Yellow (warm), Lemon Yellow (cool), & white. Just double click on the picture for a larger view. If you have any questions email me.

Some of you may remember in a previous post that I told you I had a national magazine interested in a painting of mine for their cover. They planned on publishing it in their Sept/Oct issue but surprised me by using it in their special 31st Birthday July/Aug issue. I will include a picture of it in my next post.

If you would like to be included on my mailing list please email me at ernie@erniekleven.com. Also you may click on http://www.erniekleven.com/ to go directly to my website where you may view other works of mine.

North Star Art Fair Completed

WOW! What a beautiful location for an art show. I had a corner site on the skating rink surrounded by trendy stores and condos. I had my panels set up in a square so I could come out from either side. This didn't work as well as I had hoped because I couldn't see the people as they looked at my paintings in front and not all of them were willing to walk through the inside. That means I have a new plan for the next show in Mammoth Lakes at the end of August.

I did discover that people are interested in my painting pallette which holds the 3 primary colors plus white from which I create every other color in my paintings. The former State Artist of Texas, Jack White, researched and created the "Double Primary Pallette" - a warm & cool selection of each primary color - red, blue, & yellow. With these special oils you can mix any together without the colors becoming muddy as is true of some other pallettes. This is why my paintings are always bright and pure of color. I may do my next Blog with a picture diagram of how this works.

While at the North Star Art Fair we camped on the Truckee River and grandaughters, Kayla, Sharona, and their families joined us over the 4th of July. We have now moved on to the Mammoth Lakes area and are staying in a Forest Service Campground called Glass Creek where we have spent many wonderful times with the family over the past 40 years. I have set up the Directv dish and the Hughesnet dish for the Internet so I'm just going to kick back while getting ready for the next show. Hope you are all enjoying your summer as well.

If you would like to be included on my mailing list please email me at ernie@erniekleven.com. Also you may click on http://www.erniekleven.com/ to go directly to my website where you may view other works of mine.

Art Fair at North Star Village, CA

I'm excited about being a part of this first Northstar Village Art Festival put on by Pacific Fine Arts. It is to be set up within the skating rink (not presently in use) and on the sidewalks of the surrounding shops. You can see a map on the Internet by clicking here: http://www.northstarattahoe.com/info/ski/the-village/village_directory_summer.asp If you live in the Auburn, CA area you will receive a postcard via regular mail.

Nancy and I will take our 5th wheel up to Truckee and stay in a campground along the Truckee R. After the event we will mosey on up to the Mammoth Lakes area where we plan to stay in our usual campground through August. I do have another Pacific Fine Arts show in Mammoth Lakes the first weekend of August. At this time I believe this will be my last Art Fair for 2009. I was afraid to overcommit this year.

Locally in Loomis I am setting up my booth Sat mornings at the Blue Goose Farmer's Market. It's only a few blocks from where we are currently parked so it's easy for me to haul everything and set up for such a short event. Also it's good practice. Setting up the canopy & panels by oneself is somewhat of a challenge but it's doable unless like last week when gusty wind kept blowing over my panels before I could get them secured. Fun, fun, fun!

If you would like to be included on my mailing list please email me at ernie@erniekleven.com. Also you may click on http://www.erniekleven.com/ to go directly to my website where you may view other works of mine.

"Twilight Time" 16"x 20" Oil

"Twilight Time" has been beautifully framed and will be available this weekend at the Town & Country Art Fiesta. I will have my canopy set up in Space 302 in front of William Glen & across from Trader Joes in the center of the Town & Country Village at Fulton Ave & Marconi in Sacramento. The hours are 10-5 Sat & Sun, June 6th & 7th.

I have always loved this scene because I can feel the tranquility of a quiet summer evening in this rustic cabin after a relaxing day of fishing on the lake. The boat is tied to the dock, the fish have been cleaned, and I hear a loon off in the distance. The sun is slowly setting between the mountains and my dinner will be ready soon. A glass of wine and good company. Ah-h, it doesn't get much better than this.

It was such a pleasure painting this one that I have had it photographed and it is ready for printing on canvas. A 16"x 20" unframed, numbered, & signed limited edition of 50 is available on order for only $125 including S&H anywhere in the US. The framed original will be listed this weekend at Town & Country for $799.00 plus tax.


If you would like to be included on my mailing list please email me at ernie@erniekleven.com. Also you may click on http://www.erniekleven.com/ to go directly to my website where you may view other works of mine.