PineShoreStudio/Paintings by Helen Harris

... there can be light.  I say this as a mantra now when I paint. I have recently made a point of studying the work of the American tonalist painters, from the 1880's in particular, George Inness. After visiting  and viewing his work on display at The Delaware Art Museum, I found that in returning to my studio,  I had finally found that my painting soul felt at home. I had an immediate response to the subtle shifts of light and dark that was so very present yet not stark and abrupt. There were grays that united forms yet it was a slight change of tones within the color range that created the mystery. Paraphrasing and condensing information from: What is Tonalism(12 Essential characteristics) by David Adams Cleveland: Tonalism is a  use of subtle color tones,  atmosphere, and nature painted in an emotional way. Using a 19th century approach of lost and found edges to evoke a mysterious sense of place or mood. Landscape elements are presented in a way to affect th...

Each day I walk into my studio and some days my brush is a magic wand but sometimes it's a piece of lumber.   The important part of that sentence, the take away thought, is "each day". All the best brushes, top notch paints, stacks of sketchbooks + good intentions = nothing until I walk through that door and do something to move myself forward. Surprisingly, sometimes I find going backwards is a way forward too.  A case in point. I rework older paintings. You know, the ones that sit faced to the wall or on a shelf, even hanging in my own living room! Passing by it each day, all of the would have, could have, should haves nudge it back onto my easel. A #WIP, a work in progress, is filled with possibilities to learn, experiment and grow in my skills. I don't need to reinvent the wheel with each painting. A new idea is wonderful but if it's not working out that day I don't walk away. I look over my shoulder at that stack. Remember the past informs the present. ...

Sweet Solitude  12"Hx24"W, oil on canvas                       Blogs don't always seem to be the way to communicate these days, yet here I am and hopefully you are curious enough to have landed here.   I do manage a reel or two on Instagram, a story here and there, but no, I don't seem to have the wherewithal to set up a vlog. I do, however, appreciate and learn from the ones I follow mainly on youtube! I've just been rereading some of my past blogs. I started writing in 2007, oh geez, that was 15 years ago! It seems part of my painting education has been self talk while painting in my studio. Do you do that too? Often it is accompanied by dance moves that are accented by cracking knees and misinterpreted lyrics. Joyful moments because I'm doing what I love. It seems every now and  then I do more self talk than painting. When I reach that point it is a clear sign that it's time to write down these swirling nuggets of...

 "Every artist was first an amateur" ...Ralph Waldo Emerson. I have had this quote taped to my computer for years. It's smudged and  torn  from my repeated touching as if it were a talisman. If ever there were a time to truly understand its meaning... it is now.  It is a time that we all need encouragement and something to believe in that depends only on ourselves. Our self reliance and resilience have been called upon in so many ways that to ignore that call to creativity would be to start at a disadvantage.  First of all to start this New Year of 2021, I am thankful having just been notified of this award : Congratulations! You are a  Judge's Pick  winner of the December 2020 DPW Monthly Contest!  "Sea Escape Series No.5" 5"H x 7"W oil on panel  SOLD Now back to the studio!

I have to laugh as I write this blog. I skipped last Sunday's check in because of a technical glitch. Today, this is my second version of this blog because my computer ate my first draft... and ooo I thought I had a good one too! The universe is clearly trying to tell me something... bringing me to this question posed by a follower. Q: What do you do with older/failed paintings? Do you throw them out ? A: When a painting has stayed in my hands too long, I know it is only a matter of time before it will be returned to my easel. I never think of a painting as a failure, only as a  work that needs time and more skill to resolve. I am not opposed to reworking a painting. As my skills have grown, my vision for my work has changed. Influenced by other artists that  I study and simply by showing up each day in my studio to paint.   That being said, it is not easy for an artist to rework a finished painting. There is a period of denial, of angst, frustration of time invested and ...

#work in progress 12"H x 24,oils on canvas by H.Harris I'm late this morning in writing this blog. My most recent painting was just too tantalizing to leave on the easel untouched in the early morning hours. A fragment of color here & there, the wispiness in a cloud  ... it was just too tempting and the blog could wait. If you've been following my journey in my past blogs, this brings me to the fourth stage of my painting progression into other mediums... oils.  I had resisted oils for many years. I always found a reason not to use them . They were toxic, messy and took too long to dry. I'm a prolific painter and had always had a full schedule of art shows to prepare in short time frames. Oils were just too needy....but then as before, it happened ...what if?  I experienced 3 separate incidents that were gifts that changed everything about my work. First , an impromptu  visit to a tiny gallery/studio in Lambertville, NJ where I caught a glimpse o...

Acrylic ...that was my next  adventure. After years of establishing a following of watercolor  and mixed media I decided to take off after an idea that I had been kicking around. That "what if " question that lurks behind the " I'm bored" thought, took hold and for the next two years (remember my learning curve) I explored this medium. At first I struggled with the properties inherent to the paint. Unlike watercolor that used water as a vehicle to spread color, acrylic just stayed where I put it. No exciting explosions of colors mixing...  I had to create that .  No accidental forms that pushed my imagination... I had to create that.  WAIT...just why am I torturing myself? Is it worth starting all over again? ...but what if? So it began. Once I set aside my expectations of painting as I had before, I gave my self permission to play. I got paint on my hands, mixing globs of paint just to see how it reacted, smearing it on canvas,papers and panel...

 The  key to my progress and success as a working artist lies in my constant experimentation. A fear of marketing my work had to be put aside in order to grow. I never lose sight of my collectors' desires yet I do not let others dictate my work. I am motivated by a sense of discovery, a questioning of what is known and study of those who have come before me and found answers. It is important to note that with each deliberate change of medium I was able to build on past skills, not abandoning what came before. Watercolor progressed into Mixed Media, as I stated in my last blog, because of my need to find a way to better express the form of a rock. A humbling moment when my skills were not able to satisfy what in my mind's eye was needed to elevate my work to the next step . I struggled. Two years later I found my way. I gave myself permission to "fail" to stumble, and to simply play. I reached a point that I was creatively satisfied in the joy of puzzling togethe...

In last week's post I said that I would speak about my thoughts on how and why I've progressed through 4 different mediums during  my art career. Each stage was a deliberate not arbitrary change. My path changed because there came a pivotal moment when I chose to follow a different direction.  Today we will begin with my work in Watercolor. I was surprised, while looking back through my photos of my earlier work that I found very few examples of purely watercolor paintings. Those that I did find were quite revealing!  I think that my first attempts definitely pointed out the simple fact that this was not to be my forever medium. Yes, they all sold, and yes, they were of professional quality but I could see that I was using it as a way to explore my skills. Let's be clear... watercolor is not for the faint hearted!   It will quickly inform you of your strengths and weaknesses in your studies. It will frustrate you into acknowledging that your need to...

 I began my art career as a graphic designer. My father wanted me to have the possibility of earning a paycheck if I chose to be an artist! Lol.. loved that man. He didn't know nor did I that computers, a marriage and three children would redirect that dream to take a different path and to this day I am forever grateful it all happened.  Many artists will begin in a medium and happily stay with it perfecting all of its nuances and never questioning their choice. Others will flail about with a brush always searching for that magical tool that will bring success.  For 25 years ink and brush were used in many illustrative, commercial ways yet I knew it was not the right fit for me but then what was? I joined an art guild, resurrecting my figure drawing skills and habits of study from my college days, met like minded artists and continued to explore.  Watercolor was my first brushstroke. It seemed a natural step after commercial work. It was a safe medium ...

Today is Father's Day... "Soaring" is a mixed media collage that I painted in 2009, 1 year after my father had passed. At that time I wrote: "  My father passed away one year ago today on April 1st. It is said that a parent can give two important things in life to a child ...roots and the wings to fly. For my father............ SOARING" The original is in the collection of an art collector that I know appreciated the art as well as the motivating sentiment and to this day I remember all of the nuances of its structure. I have asked my readers to send me their questions about my work and I thought that this example would answer one of those questions about composition. Q: How do you avoid the natural tendency to divide a painting in half either vertically or horizontally? A: The simple  answer is... I don't, I work with it. I came across a sub heading  in a book "Design & Composition Secrets of Professional Artists" a North Light Bo...

This week, I began again. Walked away, cleaned the palette, washed out the brushes and  doodled in my sketchbook...playtime. I know the answer seems simplistic, but really it works. Take away the "should " and "ought to" and just let "what is" take over. Good news, I sold two paintings, made progress on a commissioned work that had stalled and began another painting.  You see, it doesn't take much to put some zing back into my daily painting.The important take away here is that over the years of working I've  come to understand how I work. It is probably very different for another artist, but it suits me. I have a library full of books, I watch plenty of Youtube art videos but nothing has taught me more than getting to know, understand and accept who I am as a painter. My likes and dislikes, my comfort zones and my risk taking show up every time I pick up a brush. I may have some traditional approaches to a painting but I know that there is a...

It's been one of those weeks. You  know the kind. I wandered in and out of my studio or sat down with a sketchbook and ....nothing. Not that I didn't do anything this week, in fact I did everything... but paint!  Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am in constant motion. My partner and I have been rebuilding a house, really it's the second home that we have rebuilt. It seems I have this need to knock down walls and redesign any room that I walk into. Fortunately, together, we have acquired the know how and tools to accomplish our vision. Weeks like this come and go and I declare at least a half dozen times that "I'll never paint again...!" I'm out of step out, out of rhythm. My paint brush might as well be a 2 x 4. Colors muddy together, images get obscured and I get cranky. I've learned to walk away and choose to do something else. Believe it or not I have found that to be the healthiest way to cope. Just like a toddler about to grow, the ...

Living by the shore changes one's heartbeat. The sound of the surf, the warmth of the sands, the smell of the breeze, have contributed to many paintings over the years. I'm a lake kid from upstate New York. Oceans came later in life. Much to my surprise, I currently have five seascapes in process in my studio. Obviously, I need to get away! As a painter this setting is a wealth of studies of rock, sand, grasses, birds, water and sky. Watercolor, mixed media, acrylic and oils. I've worked in all media for seascapes creating stormy seas crashing into rock and calm shoreline ripples against hot sands. Other than the work that is on my easel, they are all gone, connecting with the heartbeats of many of my collectors now. I do miss some of these paintings. Each was a moment in time in my life that was important enough to record. In an instant I recall that brush stroke, the choice of color to blend or torn paper to collage. After months of lock down in this pandemic, a wal...

Some paintings are simply moments caught in time. Seemingly unimportant and the image may not be grand but note the time spent with someone special in that location and gives that painting a story to hold in my heart. "The Culvert" was such a painting. I packed up a small kit and met my daughter, Jessie, for a morning walk near a lake. This was a rare opportunity for it was for us, alone, no children to walk or entertain, no spouses to divert attention. We walked the perimeter of this well worn path talking and finally stopped where we found our comfort, both verbally and with each others presence. Mother and daughter our roles of past, now adjusting to grandmother and mother. We talked of the children and spouses. I talked of shadows and light, of lines and perspective, of pencils and paint. Jessie, though she brought a sketch pad, let her poetry rise up and paint her thoughts and words. This casual walk along the lake, a painting and poem... pre pandemic, before our kn...

Shadow Falls  24"H x 12"W  ~ sold In painting I have chased the light but it was not until I painted shadow that I succeeded in its glow. The natural tendency was to simply paint in tones that were lighter and lighter though it just never reached the point of glowing that I looked for or envisioned. Try as I might it just wasn't there. Did it need more white pigment? Was it a different brush or paint brand? Was it painting at a different time of day? I ran through all of the "what if" and "how to" without success. I sat in the sun, I sat in the shadow... I walked in and out of the heat and coolness. I pushed my paint around the canvas until that day the light grew out of the darkness. It was understanding that the light and shadow are most impactful when each is at full strength! The lightest light can only exist juxtaposed to the darkest dark. I had to be "all in, committed to the extremes. Application of anything less resulted in a medioc...

                                     It is a Mother's Day as no other. There is no denying the extremes of emotion that will fill today. I have kept this quote on my desk for years...  "Mother is a verb. It's something you do  Not just who you are." -Dorothy Canfield Fisher So to my children, Stacy, Jessica and Lindsay, now all mothers too... May the day fall lightly on your hearts today... with all my love. mom

   If your paint tubes look like this today,what does it say about your time in the studio? It really does tell a story and after some thought you'll find it says a lot about your journey as a working artist.   There is great joy, expectation and excitement when a new tube of paint is in my hands. A gift of unpainted ideas yet to be uncapped, full with no squeeze indentations, clean rims and a cap easily removed. That first daub of rich, luxurious paint on my palette invites me to play. I remember when I first encountered this introduction. I was never timid but this made me pause. Do I approach this mound of delight with a cautious brush or slash delightfully through with a knife?  I tried both. Now years later, the memory still lingers and my smile is there but it has taken on various expressions.  I've become my own cheerleader as well as critic while in the aloneness of my studio. The vision has become fine tuned as the learning curve was navigated from...

pause  | pôz |  noun ...a temporary stop in action or speech. Wow! How appropriate is that for the time we live in right now? I seem to have taken this to heart in the studio this past week. I started and stopped a number of tasks. I'd head in one direction then find myself turned around in another. Confusion? No, I don't think so. I found my pause button and it was quickly followed by the question"why?"  My subject choice, palette, medium, the time spent or not spent in the studio, everything was on the table to be questioned and really examined. If anything, this pandemic and pause of our "normal" habits in our day, have caused me to really look at my day as an artist.  I have/had an exhibit at a library that opened just as the world shut down, not unlike many working artist. My work is still hanging, unseen and out of reach,  my website , Instagram and Facebook and eBay  are my "galleries" for now. What this pandemic did not pause was my creativ...

I think of this blog as my Sunday morning check in. It is an arbitrary deadline because I usually don't wait to write it on that day. My thoughts bubble up throughout the week as I stand at my easel and paint. I jot down ideas, a word, describe an image, a lyric of a song. I pick up my pen or guitar as readily these days as I pick up my brush. Time has slowed and ideas that had no space are expanding. Words that have been banked in thought are being spent more freely. The notes long forgotten in my fingertips are picking out the basics once again. I am a student again. Reading and exploring the variety of skill lessons on the internet in so many subjects that I wonder at how narrow my focus had become as I aimed to meet that elusive "goal" in my own work. Sometimes it is just a glimpse of color, a phrase or a sound that has caught my attention and I'm off like a little kid once again looking for adventure....virtually. In a time where we are all forced to turn inward...