Refreshing Myself

This weekend I had the opportunity to take a workshop led by the wonderful Patrizia Vignola. This workshop was a drapery study with charcoal. When I saw this workshop I knew I had to do it. It took me literally a month to fight myself and sign up for it. The reason: I dislike drawing. Drawing is a must have skill in the art world, there is no way around it and no doubt about it.

Walking into the workshop was nerve racking. She quickly began to refresh the students on the shapes, shadows, and types of drawing techniques. I stood there thinking to myself "Oh crap, I haven't drawn in 3 years, what if I suck?". When we sat down to begin drawing, it took me a while to even put one mark on my paper. I was overwhelmed. However, once I let out a big breath, that first mark quickly became a mind consuming whirl. I had dived back in to the world of drawing as easily as I had slipped out of it 3 years ago. I couldn't believe how familiar the charcoal felt in my hand. Before I knew it, the class had 30 minutes left to it! Patrizia had put a very ambitious drapery on the wall, so no one really finished their drawings. But I was very proud of myself that I had opened myself up and conquered my fear of "being bad" at drawing because after stepping back from the drawing, it looked quite alright!

I will be doing more drapery studies and more drawing studies from now on. Being a painter isn't just about painting. I have to refresh myself and be a well rounded artist!

Here is the unfinished drapery drawing.

I also want to remind everyone that I still have a few 2011 artworks on a discount. I am getting a bit cramped in my studio and must make room for more! Please see my previous blog post to see this sale or click here http://samanthafloydart.blogspot.com/2012/07/making-room-for-more-great-deals-for-you.html

Making Room For More = Great Deals For You!!

If you follow my page "Samantha Floyd Fine Art" on Facebook, then you probably know that I have been a busy little bee. I am creating a new collection of work and painting more of my beloved landscapes. On top of all this, my commission work is in full force. I am setting aside time to work on my personal collection of paintings for the rest of the year (don't worry, commissions are top priority and I am still accepting them with open arms!). So with all that being said, I really have to make room for the new work in my studio.

Whatever I have left from the 2011 work year is discounted 40% off.

This post, if you scroll down has every painting that is discounted. The price listed is the  sale price. Sales can be negotiable. The descriptions are the titles, size, and sale price. Art is a great gift, and Christmas is less than 6 months away. The size of the piece determines the shipping and will be discussed through email or phone.

 Please email me for purchase, first come first served: 

SamanthaFloyd821@gmail.com

770-547-0039 

Click on any photo to enlarge.

Power Lines 30x40... $210

Foggy Morning: View from my window 30x40... $240

Sunset Field 12x16... $72

Optimistic. 8x10...  $48

Lily 18x24 ... $120

Samantha 18x24... $120

It's Coming 18x24... $54

The Evening Light 12x24... $120

Good Night, Harbor 30x40... $210

Daddy 30x40... $180

Having an Artist Moment

I was blessed to be able to go to Aruba this past week and enjoy a completely new climate/culture/view/food...everything! I was in an artist's paradise. This trip cleansed my palette and I was engulfed in the beauty of a whole new world. Two nights I came out to sit and watch the sunset on the beach. I had and still do not have words to describe what I saw. The sunset was brilliant. Even the photos I captured do not do the scenes justice. All I could do was stop and shake my head. Experiences like this last a lifetime and more in an artist's head. I must have taken hundreds of photos within the 2 half hour spans. The compliments between the sea and the sun as the colors changed was so majestic that I thought I would just burst with excitement. My poor fiance was stuck in the middle of all this, he enjoyed the sunsets, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't the same experience. Poor guy. He had to put up with a tearful, excited, humbled little ole artist girl going temporarily mad with clicks of the camera shutter going off every half second. So there you have it, my artist moment....
 So I wanted to post some photos I took of those two nights and allow you to see just what God's hand crafted that night. (I think He knew I was watching).

 Enjoy!

(And you know paintings are definitely in the works of this trip)

-Samantha

I'll be back!

I want to wish everyone a safe and fantastic 4th of July!

I will be taking off July 4th - 11th.

Email is always the best way to contact me, but I will be out of the country so please be patient until I can reply on the 12th.

Thanks so much for your continued support! Please share this blog and my Facebook page with all your friends and anyone you think would be interested in my work!

-Samantha

www.facebook.com/samanthafloydart

Lately

I have had the opportunity to work with some really fantastic people the past few months on their commissions. 

In February I got to paint an awesome landscape scene for a kind gentleman. He lost his wife last year and wanted to have a painting done in memory of her and her favorite thing- sunsets at the Outerbridge right outside her home in Staten Island. The gentleman also had me paint him and his wife sitting on a bench in front of the whole thing. He had a reception and unveiling in his home for the painting. I was floored by the amount of people that came to see the painting in her memory. That was truly an amazing commission.

Later, I painted a set of windows from a building erected in 1888 in lower Manhattan. The patron that commissioned me to paint them is a construction worker that helped restore that building. He saved this set of windows from the garbage and had an incredible idea to have an artist paint what would the window would have seen in the years it was first put in. He wanted the NYC harbor as it was in 1888. So I went to researching for old photos and details of what the boats would have looked like. He recommended that I put the SS Germanic in the picture because that boat is known for carrying over Irish immigrants in that time. I should note that my patron is Irish.- I thought this was such a grand idea for him to think of and I am quite honored to have been apart of his grand idea.

I have also been working on lots of little pets lately and I still have several more to paint! It is such a great experience to paint someone's pet and watch their face as I unveil the portrait to the owner. It is usually laughter, because they say I capture the personality so well. I love these responses! 

If you have a commission you would like me to do, please do not hesitate to email me. It takes up to 6 weeks for completion so if you would like your commission for a gift in time, please plan accordingly. Once you email me, I will email you my Commission Request Information sheet and you can make your decisions about your commissions more knowledgeably. Emailing me does not mean it is set in stone, inquiring first has to happen so that you may know more about what I do, so please don't hesitate to ask! 

Here are some of the commissions I have mentioned in this post:

Ama's Sunset. 2012. Oil on Canvas. 30x40

1888 NYC Harbor. 2012. Acrylic on Window glass.

Gabby. 2012. Acrylic on Canvas Board. 8x10.

Trying to clear up some questions:

So I have been asked a lot about sizes of canvas... Unless you have the canvas right in front of you, it is hard to imagine how large it would be on your wall. I've been asked to take photos of my work and compare them to objects and people. So I have done just that! I really hope this helps and I can always take more photos in the future!

My wonderful fiance helping me out! :) From left to right the sizes are: 30x40, 24x30, 18x24, 16x20, 12x16

Showing them again with object to compare them to.

And this is a 30x40 (Boats, 2010) on my living room wall.

TWO discounts, ending Friday!

This week I have TWO great specials running! 

I am giving customers half off of their commissioned pet portrait. So for $10/hour + cost of canvas you can have a painting of your pet (with or without beads)! If you are interested you can email me at samanthafloyd821@gmail.com and you can tell me what size canvas you want and I can give you a quote. Initially I had 3 spots open for this special, but 1 has already been taken so act fast because this special ends Friday.

Example of Pet Portrait: "Charlie". 2012. Acrylic and seed beads. 8x10.

Also, my hand painted decorative clocks are all 20% off! Email me for purchase! I take Paypal or any major credit card. $7 shipping if applicable.

Lily Icon Clock. 12x12. $30. Acrylic on Canvas.

Baby Owl Clock. 6x6. $30. Acrylic on Wood.

Sun and Moon Clock. 12x12. Oil on Wood. $35

Aboriginal Style Clock. 8x10. Acrylic on Canvas. $30.