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Painting Sunrises - Tips and Tricks

Painting Sunrises - Tips and Tricks

Are you a morning bird looking to get some painting done in the early hours of the day? Perhaps you’re like me, a night owl that is curious about what those sunrises look like after years of blackout curtains and late nights. Maybe you are just trying to do this annoying challenge that I posted and aiming to get a sunrise painting completed before the 2024 new year. Whatever it is, I’ve been painting sunrises for the past few months and have completed more than 50 paintings to prove it. These paintings have taught me so much, and are a...


Shop Small! Links to Artists and Small Businesses

Heather Martin

Tags artists, featured artists, gifts, holidays, recommend, shopping

Shop Small! Links to Artists and Small Businesses
I've gathered a list of links of artists and small businesses to shop from this holiday season! Shop small this year and support the arts.

If I Could Turn Back Time…Five Mistakes to Learn From

Heather Martin

Comments 6 Tags art studio, art tips, artist tips, framing, inventory

If I Could Turn Back Time…Five Mistakes to Learn From

While my jump from a steady full time job into the fine arts world wasn’t completely unplanned and impulsive, I must admit that I’ve mostly been flying by the seat of my pants. If you’re toeing the edge and about to take the leap, here are five things that I would change if I could turn back time. Do your future self a favor and take note! Organize your Inventory Early - The Key to Your Future Self's Sanity If you're painting on a regular basis, stop right now and start organizing! The game, "Find the Painting" gets real old after...


My Relationship with Social Media: It’s Complicated

Heather Martin

Comments 7 Tags art marketing, blog, engagement, instagram, social media

My Relationship with Social Media: It’s Complicated

My Relationship with Social Media: It’s Complicated As the title implies, Social Media (particularly Instagram) and I have had a rocky friendship recently. We need some serious group therapy.  Before we get into it, everyone is going to have their own opinions and individual experiences regarding social media. This is my own personal experience, and while mine is probably not the average person’s, I wanted to share my thoughts openly. It's not easy to talk about, and feelings of shame surfaced when writing, but maybe it will help others out there to feel less alone. The Honeymoon Phase Six years...


Loosen Up! How to Let Go and Create Looser Paintings

Heather Martin

Tags art tip, loosen up, painting, tips

Loosen Up! How to Let Go and Create Looser Paintings

Have you ever spent hours on a painting, hunched over with crazed eyes, face inches away from the canvas only to step back and realize that it’s over-rendered, stiff and lifeless? ME TOO. The good news is that there are ways to learn to let go and loosen up, no matter how rigid, cold, controlling or uptight you tend to be. (KIDDING of course...) Set A Time Limit One of the quickest ways to loosen up is to set a time limit. No, I’m not talking about trimming your 8 hour session down to 7.5 hours. This limit should have you sweating...