Skipping Painted Stones
An entertaining art blog based in rural Iowa and written by author and artist Haley McAndrews.
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11/22/2022 0 Comments Being an Artist: A Pep Talk!Are you one of those people that claims to have 0% artistic talent? When people find out that I’m an artist, most of the time that’s what they tell me. “I can’t even draw a stick person!” Well, you might be shocked to hear this, but it isn’t easy to draw a stick person that looks good. I’ll give you a tip on stick people, though: adding details makes them so much better.  AKA, put some effort into making them look good and they will! Bob Ross said it countless times and I’m proud to carry on his tradition of telling everyone – every single person – that they, me, you, everyone can be artists. Anyone can be an artist if they want. It’s not some exclusive club you need a membership for! You don’t even need to be born with amazing artistic talent! But you do need the drive to create, otherwise you won’t put in the effort. I have a recent blog post where I talk about whether artistic talent is hereditary or not. There’s a really great Ansel Adams quote where he said, “Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop.” That’s just one a month, people! What does that really mean? Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to on your first try, or even your tenth. In the last twenty years, if I had to guess I’d say 2% of things turn out like the picture I saw in my head to begin with (not just in art, but also just generally in life.) I’m getting better when it comes to my art though, with my finished results coming out closer now, but they still aren’t exactly like the amazing image in my mind. But that’s all right because it’s just more proof that practice makes perfect! Here’s an excellent example:  Riding that umbrella with confidence! I recently shared this picture of a page in my sketchbook on social media. I worked for two days on it, using 3 gray markers, 2 black ink pens, and 1 white gel pen for the highlights. I’m extremely pleased with how it turned out, despite it not being any sort of style I normally draw in. But here’s the kicker – it’s a redraw of a digital piece I was working on and never finished over ten years ago. AND when I was working on it in my sketchbook this time I had to restart it three times. That means I have redrawn this piece FOUR times already – and if I ever turn it into a finished piece that I would sell, that would be five times (or more) that I redid it. Sure, taking art classes can give you a boost, give you helpful tips and direction, etc. They do force you to practice regularly, and can expose you to new mediums, but they aren’t necessary for creating great art. In fact, one of my favorite things about art is the variety! Not very good at realism? Try abstract! Frustrated with the potter’s wheel? Try your hand at photography or fashion design! Visual art just not doing it for you? Try music, writing, or theater! Don’t want to be a professional artist, selling at art fairs? There are plenty of creative jobs in the art field out there with a steady paycheck! You could be an art teacher, encouraging people of all ages to create. I really loved my job as Gallery Director, where I worked in the business side of art – networking with fellow artists, hosting art events, planning public art projects, and selling art. Which, for the record, it’s SO MUCH EASIER to sell someone else’s artwork than my own! You don’t have to strive for being the best artist in the world. That’s not the point of making art. Making art is an expression, it’s not about getting every line mechanically perfect. Every artist has their own strengths and weaknesses. Just like with life in general, everyone is on their own journey and other people are struggling with things that come easily to you. I personally struggle with realism and portraits. Because honestly, the human body and drawing correct proportions is difficult, especially when you are trying to draw a specific portrait of a specific person, or animal, or building, etc. But there are many artists who can paint pictures so realistic they can be confused with photographs!  Let's all take a moment to remember this gem. In the end, I believe in you and loads of other people do too! I know you can be an artist if you want to. All it takes is time and practice, and being willing. Nobody ever said art was easy (except the jerks who take art classes for an “easy A”) because it’s not. The trick to being good at art is practice! Practice makes perfect, as the saying goes. Just like with anything else in life, if you put in the time and effort to keep drawing, painting, sculpting, writing, playing music, or whatever, I guarantee you will get better. Baby steps are still steps forward!
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11/1/2022 0 Comments Why Am I Obsessed with Trees?I started painting trees in 2011, at age 25. I am STILL painting trees, although I’ve also expanded my work to include cities, monsters, and toasters. I have a number of art pieces in my home that I’ve purchased from other artists that feature a tree (or multiple trees) as the subject. I even have a tattoo, on my left forearm, of a tree with two blue flowers in the branches and a modified Celtic knot band for roots.  More birds! More trees! So what is it about trees? Why do I want to surround myself with them on a daily basis? I remember sitting with my second husband in an empty park in his hometown (population in the double-digits) and I was looking up at the trees there imagining my future with him (spoiler alert, it didn’t work out.) The trees were MASSIVE! So tall they were impossible to climb, and so thick at the base you couldn’t get your arms around them. They were old, so much older than I will ever be. And they will probably remain long after I’m gone. They were just there, living. You could smell it in the air – not traffic, just nature and life. I can’t explain why my connection with nature is the way it is, I’ve never known a time when I didn’t love being outside.  Even when it's winter, 3:00am, and snowing! Many people know that I grew up in a military family. My parents met overseas in the Air Force. We moved across the country three times while I was growing up (once in the middle of the school year.) When my dad retired, we landed in my mom’s hometown (less than 2,000 people.) There were new students occasionally, but the majority would graduate with the same 100 kids they started Kindergarten with. I was a shy outsider, and I stayed an outsider by never joining any extracurriculars. It wasn’t until I got my first job that I learned how to be outgoing (I was quite literally told I’d be fired if I didn’t start talking to the customers) and started making friends with my coworkers. When I got into my mid-twenties, I was ready to settle down and get married, buy a home, have a family of my own (although I wasn’t ready for kids until I hit 30.) With the urge to put down roots came the first paintings of trees. I loved the idea of permanence. The trees stayed exactly where they were. They had a history in one place, which was a foreign concept for me. As a young adult, I was also concerned with growing up into the person I wanted to be. Trees grow upright (literally growing up ‘right’ as I wanted to.)  "Orange Tree", 12”x24” acrylic and collage on canvas board An interesting tangent related to my tree paintings – one of my early and most popular tree paintings, titled “Orange Tree”, was created early on in my relationship with my second husband. It was full of bright colors, showing two figures holding hands at the base of a tall tree. It was so full of hope and love, the embodiment of a new relationship that could fulfill my dreams of family, and a place to call my own. Less than a year later in what turned out to be a destructive and abusive marriage, I painted a second painting, called “Hazy Sunlight.”  “Hazy Sunlight”, 12”x24” acrylic and collage on canvas board In this painting, you see a lone figure at the base of the tree, looking off at a city in the distance. The colors are muted, nearly missing when compared to “Orange Tree.” It was shocking to me, the first time I saw them next to each other. I knew something was wrong in my life because the colors were gone! My art has long been an expression of myself and my emotions. Here’s a post I wrote specifically about my art as therapy throughout the years.  It's surprisingly difficult to take a picture of this tattoo! I’m happy to report today that there are plenty of bright colors in my artwork, and that my lone tree tattoo has added a family portrait of six of my monsters, representing myself and my husband, my two stepsons, and my two daughters. Now when I paint trees, they are retaking urban environments. In another ten years, maybe I’ll be able to look back and understand what it is going on in my life that makes me paint them this way now. 😉
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