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Archiving Work Part 2

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Cloud Storage
By
Armand Cabrera


Network storage has been around for quite a while but system access was limited to a company or possibly a University. In 2007 Dropbox created the first public subscription based cloud service.

At the entry level most cloud storage providers offer you free space. This is in the 5 to 10 GB with the ability to buy more storage for a monthly or yearly fee. Remeber this information is fluid and things change rapidly it is always good to do a search on cloud services to get current information. This information is relevant in January 2014.

Amazon, Apple, DropBox, Google and Microsoft all offer free space so if you have an account with one of these services you already have access to at least 5 GB of free space.

For $60 to $100 a year some companies offer unlimited storage.  As of this writing JustCloud, YouSendit, OpenDrive, Carbonite and Online Storage all offer unlimited plans for those that need a lot of space.  If you work digitally, or use video as well as photography these plans might be for you. Personally I can get by with about 1TB of space a year but as image file resolution increases so will our needs for more space.



You should know that keeping things with a cloud service can forfeit your exclusive right to that data. Many of the contracts state this in their EULA (end user license agreement) be sure to read and understand what you are giving away before you just click through that contract.

Most of these companies have basic security but the problem with services is you are pooling a lot of information into a few places. While their security is probably better than your home computer security, your home computer isn’t as likely to be hacked and information stolen just because an individual isn’t as big of a target for criminals. The other problem is when things are hacked you run a greater risk because most likely all your devices are connected to your cloud service. I have heard stories of people being locked out of all of their devices, (phone pad, laptop,) once their cloud account was hacked. Connectivity has its downside so be aware. Companies also come and go so beware just because you are with a company doesn’t mean that company can’t or won’t go out of business.

Cloud storage is cheap and easy to use but I would not depend on it as an only means of archiving my work. The threats I mentioned are lessened when you archive your work in multiple places. Personally I only use cloud storage to move and store current work and I keep that same work on magnetic drives in my studio. I do not link to my cloud storage so that if the information is compromised it doesn’t spread to everything I own. All retired work for permanent archiving is kept on physical media like Optical storage.

I use dropbox more than any other cloud storage service. If you join them, please use this link so I can get some more free space, thanks.



Archiving Work Part 3

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Magnetic Storage
By
Armand Cabrera
Magnetic storage is what most people think of when they think of computer storage. It is the most popular form of storage for electronic devices and it is also the cheapest.  Everything from your camera to phone uses magnetic media.  For a very reasonable price you can get multiple gigabytes of space on a consumer disc no larger than the head of a thumbtack. Its portable and easy to use.That comes with a trade-off though; magnetic storage is notoriously impermanent. It is great for short term storage or transferring files from your devices but it will not survive long term storage reliably. External and internal drives are the way most of us store our files on our computers.  I use a 2 terabyte external drive for my main computer all my files and photos are kept there and not on the internal computer drive.  That drive is roughly the size of a large smart phone and uses USB connectivity.

You can now get 6 terabyte drives although 2TB to 4TB are more common.  A good 2 terabyte drive is less than $100 USD at the time of this writing with 4 TB drives around $150 USD.  Computers that are a couple of years older have trouble recognizing more than 2 TB drives sometimes so make sure you check your model and manufacturer to see if you can use the bigger drives. For most artists a terabyte is more than enough for a year of images even for digital work. That would be roughly equal to ten thousand 100 MB files.

I swap my external drive with a new one every year or so. I keep the old ones after transferring the information to optical media for more permanent storage. So far these kinds of drives seem to last about ten years before the files show serious signs of corruption which renders most of the information unreadable but I have also had drives that became unreadable in just a year or two. It is always smart to keep important things in more than one place and really important things in hardcopy.

Archiving Work part 4

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Optical Storage
by
Armand Cabrera

Optical Storage is the most permanent form of commercial storage available. Optical storage are discs like standard CD and DVD and Blu-Ray discs which can be marked in patterns that are then read by focused laser light. Most of these are considered to last longer than magnetic storage but are still not permanent.  A CD can hold 700 MB of data a DVD 4.5 GB . A Blu-Ray DVD holds 25 GB, 50 GB or 100 GB. Standard optical media are susceptible to UV Light and damage from temperature and mishandling. The dye layer used to write the information on decays over a few years’ and is considered usable for 8 to 10 years.


There is a relatively new type of optical storage disc out now made by Millenniata called Mdisc that claim a 1,000 years of permanence. Mdiscs use a rock like material instead dyes to record the patterns on the disc physically marking the disc with the information. These discs are more expensive than standard discs but even if they only last 100 years, the extra price would be worth it. Mdiscs need a compatible machine to use them; they cannot record but will play in a standard machine. Larger companies now offer such machines and compatibility. Mdiscs come as standard DVD’s that hold 4.7 GB per disc and Blu-Ray DVD’s that hold 25 GB per disc.

All storage has their drawbacks and physical limitations. Ultimately it is up to each individual to decide what's right for their working conditions and budget. I hope these brief posts gave people ideas for their own solutions.

Armand Cabrera Fine Art on Facebook

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By
Armand Cabrera


I've recently have split my Facebook presence in two. I now have an Armand Cabrera Fine Art page on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/ArmandCabreraFineArt

This will be the place to get information about upcoming shows and events that I participate in. See new work that I create, and get information about workshops and classes that I teach. The page is public so you only have to like the page to keep up with what’s going on.

I find Facebook has taken over social networking for what I do in my age group.  It’s my primary interaction with people nowadays. I’m on Facebook every day now.If you use Facebook please consider liking my Armand Cabrera Fine Art page.


That does not mean I will neglect this blog, the blog will still be where I share more in depth information about art topics that interest me, historical articles about painters I like, the dissection of different art process and art philosophy. I will be able to share more images and video here on the blog. The blog is only weekly and will stay that way for the foreseeable future.  

Passion and the Professional Artist

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by
Armand Cabrera

Towards the Coast                  24 x 30                         oil on linen

I think one of the most important things that happened when I became a professional artist was I let go of the amateur idea that artistic passion was something external from me. That my art was something separate that I had to wait for or tap into. That sort of amateur approach to art is something most professionals can’t afford in their careers. That kind of thinking will actually hold you back in your career and prevent you from achieving your full potential.

In the 1982 movie The Verdict, the main character played by actor Paul Newman says “Act if you have faith and faith will be given to you.” David Mamet is the one who wrote the screenplay for the Verdict, receiving an Oscar for his adaption and so knows something about being a successful writer. Those words are something all of us can live by in our careers.

What I believe Mamet was saying is professional artists must learn to develop and channel their creative passion with good working habits.  Creativity is like most endeavors, you improve it the more you do it. Waiting around for the right time and place or the right feeling  is a detriment to productivity and creativity.

 Professionals know their creativity is a part of them, always ready for them to express. If they struggle with their work it’s usually from distractions not that their ability has left them.  Experienced artists know to work through problems, setbacks and distractions and still produce professional level work. They know that just the act of working not only helps them produce work, but it in turn helps them produce better work.

Photographing Your Art Part 1

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By Armand Cabrera




 It is always good to have high resolution images of your paintings for possible licensing deals, illustrations and editorial write-ups.  If you can’t afford professional services hi res digital files can be taken now with reasonably priced digital SLR cameras.

If you choose to shoot digital photos of your work make sure to burn them to CD or DVD.  I talk about archiving here.
Set your image quality to Camera Raw or at least Fine this will give you an image at 300 DPI.  Make sure the image of the painting fills the view screen.  If you don’t own a digital camera, it’s time to buy one.  You can get a reasonably high-quality, 24 mega-pixel (18 x 24 inch, 300dpi image) camera for fewer than 800 dollars (at the time of this writing). 

When the weather cooperates you can shoot outside. I choose to shoot in shade not direct light because I think it gives me the best color balance for my paintings.
While taking images outdoors will work it’s better to have a place indoors you can setup and not have the weather dictate your schedule.

If you can have your work professionally photographed then you should hire a photographer.  A professional photographer that specializes in shooting traditional art will make your life easier and save you time that you could use for painting. Shooting your own images requires the proper equipment. If you would rather do it yourself you will need some things to make it easier.

Easel or Tripod
It’s good to have a studio easel and tripod for taking photos of your paintings. I like a black sheet placed behind the easel and then position the painting so that it is within the area of the sheet when you look through the view finder of the camera. I set up the camera 4 ft from the painting and make the painting perpendicular to the angle of view for the camera.
If you also paint outdoors your tripod for your pochade will work just fine just swap the quick release plate from your painting box to your camera.

Lighting
 I recommend a bank of  at least four 48 inch fluorescent or LED daylight bulbs for indoor work. The bulbs should have a CRI rating of 90 or more. I have an article about studio lighting here.

Camera or other device
 A good image for print ads would be 9 x12 inches at 300 DPI. Most current digital SLR cameras, tablets or smartphones can shoot at that level of detail. The difference is the quality of the image and lens. Obviously a good digital SLR camera has a better lens and sensor than most other devices. It comes down to your budget. If it is another device other than a camera though, Make sure you can attach it to a tripod for stable shooting. If you want to make prints of your work for sale then you will need a better camera that can shoot a larger file.  

Computer and Software
You will need a computer and image editing software for correcting your photo. I recommend Photoshop or Photoshop Elements for image editing but it depends on your needs and budget again. I use my software for thumbnails, image generation, and photo editing, not just for shooting paintings.



Next week I will go through the steps I use to clean up my images with Photoshop.

Photographing Art Digitally Part 2

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by
Armand Cabrera

Digital images are easier to manipulate than traditional film. Digital tools allow anyone with the money to buy the software and with a little study and practice be able to edit their own images.  I use Photoshop for all of my image correcting.

This is not a Photoshop tutorial; if you don’t know the basics of Photoshop I recommend buying the software and using the online help tutorials that come with it to learn its basic functions. These online help features are the equivalent of reading the manual.

I want to make the image look almost as good as the original. This idea is very important.  It is very easy to make a painting look better than it actually is with digital tools. As an artist selling my work I want to avoid this at all costs. Nothing is more disappointing than seeing the physical painting and realizing that the image was manipulated to look better than the artist was capable of painting it.
I am currently using Photoshop CS5 on a workstation PC. If you have an apple computer I feel sorry for you and this article is not for you.  

When I open the image in Photoshop, I first crop it using the crop tool and square it using the free transform function. Once the free transform function is activated I position the control points while pressing the control key on my keyboard while I work. This activates the distort function which allows me to pull any point handle independently of the others.  I avoid using the auto correct functions on the image. The goal is to make it like the original, not some predetermined idea of what a good photo is.

Next I open the color balance tool and adjust the color.
Then I open the brightness /contrast tool and adjust the brightness and contrast.
The last thing I do is open the Hue /Saturation Tool and adjust the saturation.


All of this should get me close to the original painting. If not I will go in and using the selection tools adjust elements of the painting individually for color, saturation and value. When I am finished I save the image as a jpeg file on its highest setting at 300 DPI. I label it for print and then open up the image size tool and make a copy for my web postings. I set the DPI at 72 instead of 300 and set the longest measurement at 800 pixels.

 That size is just enough for someone to get a good idea of what the image is but not high enough for someone to make prints of. And that’s it. Professional images that are good enough for print publications and the web.








The free transform tool is found in the Edit dropdown menu. You must have an active selection (Already selected something)  to select it from the dropdown menu.

The Image size and crop Functions are found under the Image dropdown menu


The Color Balance Tool, the Brightness /Contrast Tool and the Hue/Saturation Tool are all found under the adjustments fly out panel, under the image dropdown menu.



Process versus Outcome

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By
Armand Cabrera







I was having a discussion the other day with some people online about the importance of a degree as an artist going into the entertainment industry. It was interesting to listen to people who weren't artists or art directors give their reasons why they thought a degree was absolutely essential. My argument has always been this is misguided, especially in the arts.

Let me state clearly I am not talking about art instruction which is a separate but sometimes overlapping endeavor. I am talking about a degree. A degree is a process; the result should be a professional portfolio. It is supposed to symbolize the satisfactory completion of a curriculum under the instruction of a master. Its veracity depends on its results, not on the degree itself. Others will make the argument that a degree shows a level of ability to follow through on something. If the portfolio is lacking doesn't it also show the inability to determine what a waste of time it was? It can’t be both. Only the outcome matters.

To assume that getting a degree gives you a professional portfolio ignores the facts and anecdotal reports from professional artists themselves. Most of whom claim they learned nothing or very little in art school and that their real learning came afterward.  If this is true then its time to re-evaluate a degree in the arts.

With the commercialization of higher education and changes in lending practices by the banking industry prospective artists need to carefully consider what they are getting into when they take on large amounts of debt. Hard to do when you are in your late teens to early twenties and you have no or little experience with such matters. This is where councilors and advisers really need to step up and give good advice about the current economic climate and not just tow the corporate line to put money back into the institutions coffers.

The internet allows people interested in a profession like art to interact with professionals in an unprecedented way. Sites like PACT (TheProfessional Artist Client Toolkit) even provide contract templates and general price structures for interested parties in the science fiction fantasy illustrators, Video Game and entertainment, table top gaming, and comic book industry.

Online help through social media can give savvy students free access to critiques and opinions across a broad set of disciplines and experience. Portfolios of these pros are freely available to view and help the decision making process about who knows their stuff and who doesn't. Beyond the free advice there are numerous opportunities for paid instruction for a fraction of the cost of a big school
.


In the end, it is important to keep your focus on acquiring a professional portfolio.  Careful consideration must be used to keep from saddling students with tens of thousands of dollars of debt which according to most studies, they won’t pay off until their 40’s or later. This delays starting a family, home purchases and retirement provisions all of which help provide security to an already difficult career as an artist.

Ten Year Anniversary

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I’m coming up on my ten year anniversary of writing articles for the web. We started publishing April of 2004 with a site called Outdoorpainting.com.  I started the actual writing that March. The site was owned by friend and fellow painter Stefan Baumann. Stefan had secured the domain but was busy with his PBS show The Grand View and wanted someone to write content for the site.
 
I had wanted to write about artists I admired and about the painting process. I agreed to monthly articles and limit the focus of them to outdoor painting and painting from life. I would retain the rights to all of my creative content and Stefan keep all other rights  to  the site.

We invited other notable painters to join the site and  we created free content on historical artists and articles for people looking for information about painting.  It was one of the first sites of its kind.  As the way people used the net changed the site started to show its age as a newsletter. Blogs had become popular and allowed people like me to forgo the need of a hosted domain. At the end of 2008 I had been talking to Jim Gurney about blogging and he suggested I start my own blog. I started the Art and Influence blog as a continuation of the writing I started on Outdoorpainting.com.  I expanded my focus to include all of my interests which included illustration and studio painting not just painting from life.

It has been an interesting ten years but I feel I need to change things up some more. I am not the same artist I was ten years ago and my focus has changed along with my abilities. Social media has replaced a lot of interest that blogs and newsletters once held. There are many people doing what I do now, some better some worse; some even reusing my content, sometimes without my permission and appropriate credit. One of the side effects of success I guess.

This is where I would like some feedback. The blog still gets a substantial number of unique visitors a month, so I know people still read it. What I would like to know is what kind of content are you the reader most interested in?  As much as I have changed over the years, I assume my readership demographic has also changed.  I have some ideas where I would like to go with this but this is a very labor intensive for me. Writing does not come easy to me so if I am going to focus my efforts somewhere I would like it to have maximum impact.  So what would keep you reading the blog for another ten years? I would like to hear your comments.  You can either comment below or if you are shy you can write privately to me with suggestions.

Painting Greens

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Spring is officially, if not actually here for most of the country and I thought I would talk about green paintings again.  To read my first posts on tackling green in the landscape go here.


I am going to talk about a philosophical approach to painting green which is a little different from my other posts on the subject. While this approach works for any type of painting it is particularly helpful when you are dealing with scenes that are very monochromatic in nature. Let’s talk about what can make green look different to the viewer.


Local color
The actual hue can be different between different groups of flora this just requires a little observation to confirm.

The color of the Lighting
Light coloring is a little trickier. The color of direct, ambient and reflected light can alter the appearance of greens that have the same local color.

Light Direction
It’s not just the color of the lighting that affects the appearance of things; it’s also the direction of that lighting. One of the properties of plants is their translucency which raises the saturation of the color.The angle of light will affect the hue and chroma of the green you are seeing.


Add these situations together and you can see it requires careful observation. In my opinion painting is not mimesis and good painting reveals a truth to the observer. The artist chooses the important aspects of a scene to arrive at a statement. It is that process of selection and simplification that creates a powerful artistic point of view.  Ignoring the subtle and finer effects lessens the impact of a painting. This has nothing to do with details and minutia and everything to do with sensitivity.


A good way to quickly determine some of these points is to approach viewing the landscape with the idea of geometric planes. In a broad sense the geometry of the scene in relation to the angle of the light determines how the light affects things. Add the information you have from the color of the light and the local color of objects and you have a fair starting point for deeper observation.



 Start with the lighting; this gives you a quick idea of the scene, front lighting, form lighting, rim lighting and back lighting. Then look for the division between light and shadow. Next you have the smaller divisions of ground plane, top planes, angled planes and upright planes. This underlying structure allows you to sum up the view quickly giving you more time for a more sensitive look as you paint. You are working from a broad understanding to a very refined observation of the subtle differences before you to place emphasis where it is needed.



2014 Armand Cabrera Workshops

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I am teaching two workshops this year the first will be in Highlands North Carolina at The Bascom Center for the Visual Arts.  My workshop, Practical Solutions for Painting Anything will focus on helping artists improve their skills to translate the beauty in the world around them into paintings. The class time will be split between working in the studio and working from life.  The dates are Monday through Friday August 11 to 15; hours are 10 AM to 4 PM






In September this year I will be in Southwest Harbor, Maine at the Acadia Workshop Center   Again the focus is on both Studio and Outdoor Painting. My workshop Successful Paintings for Any Level will be 4 days Monday through Thursday September 8 - 11, hours 9 AM to 4:30 PM.





These workshops have been designed by me to make each student better at what they do, not blindly copy my style of painting. I believe each artist has a unique way of seeing the world and expressing themselves. My job and my responsibilities as a teacher are to preserve that unique expression and strengthen the students skill sets, giving them more choices to explore their creative vision. 

Old Town Warrenton Demo

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The weather has finally warmed up and so I spent the weekend painting outside in  Old Town in Warrenton.
I spotted this scene earlier in the year and finally got a chance to paint it.


With buildings like this I take a little extra time with the drawing in the beginning. I know I only have about an hour and a half because the sun is moving from right to left in the scene and by that time the front of the building will be in sunlight.



Because of the angle of the light my rig is in full sunlight here. When you have a situation like this it is important to focus on the relative differences between color and value.



After the drawing I start blocking in the large masses leaving out details and focusing on the light and shadow of the scene. I go for an average of the color and value or a compliment to the secondary shapes I will add later. I try for the simplest most elegant solution to the problem. If I make the right choice my painting will look detailed from a distance and simple up close which is the effect I'm going for.

The sky started to cloud up a little so I made sure I blocked that in in case it changed too much and I lost my light completely.




Once all the big shapes are in I start on the secondary shapes within the larger masses. Painting the larger areas first gives me more information to judge the shifts between them and the smaller details. At this point I am still keeping things simple noting plane and hue changes .




The sun has started to come around the red building now but I still have enough time to clean up edges and finish the white building, railings and smallest details before the light changes completely.
The last things I do are to design the foreground bank of grasses and clover and sky and call it finished.


Paintings as Objects

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By Armand Cabrera



An important part of any painters’ growth is museum time. Seeing master paintings in person is critical to maturing as a painter.  Learning why certain paintings are revered is essential in ones education as an artist.

When I go to museums I avoid guided tours. I can do my own research later on paintings that interest me. What I want to see more than anything is process and finish. These can be tricky without a little knowledge of art history but most of the time the artist’s thinking is on the canvas. How they use and apply paint along with other aspects of design help show me process. It can be enlightening to say the least.

What you quickly see looking at a number of paintings is, many great painters think of their paintings as objects not just images. The painter considers all aspects of the piece and its intended impact on the viewer.  Size, quality of the surface, pigment application all play a role beyond normal considerations of pictorial design and process. 



Taking Time to Heal

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By
Armand Cabrera

If you have read this blog or know me personally you know I’m a straight ahead, sleep when you’re dead kind of guy.  I let very little get in the way of my art. I make my living as an artist, I have no backup plan or safety net so there are very few times when I will admit I need to stop or slow down.
This though has been one of those times. Coming back from my show in Pasadena I was unfortunate enough to be next to someone who was obviously sick with some respiratory problem on the plane. The flight was full and I couldn't
change seats.
You guessed it; I got sick once I was home. Not just I don’t feel good sick, but three days of I don’t know who I am, lying in bed with a fever sick, followed by respiratory congestion and flu like symptoms. A week of downtime for a self-employed artist is not good, deadlines must be met, bills paid.

Once I knew where I was I realized the fastest way for me to get better was to heal first, however long that takes. I would do what I could, but first signs of symptoms I would be back in bed.

How to cope with impending deadlines and bills? I work on things I can handle, I listen to my body tell me what I need. If its plenty more rest I take it. I do little prep things that don’t take much energy but move the ball forward.  Slow and steady and all that, I can’t afford anything else.


 I see a lot of friends who are constantly battling injury and disease. They ignore their doctors advice or what their body is telling them they infect themselves again or re-injure themselves constantly. My advice is give yourself time to heal. Forget what people think you should do listen to what your body tells you and be healthy; it’s the most important thing you can do for yourself.

Competitions and ­the Business of Art

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By
Armand Cabrera




I get asked to do a lot of competitions; these days for the most part I politely decline. I find most of these shows poorly run and badly structured for an artist to make money at. The prize money is always a gamble and while I have my share of ribbons from past competitions, a shows worth isn't measured by prizes, it is measured by sales and exposure for the participating artists. Professional artists need consistent clients.

Steady income is a must for professionals; I make my living from creating art for clients. As such I have criteria that shows must meet before I will apply or accept an invite from.

What percent does the venue take from sales and what do they do for that percentage?

When I was doing Plein Air competitions and other shows the percentage for the venue was 35 to 40%, sales were good and there were ad campaigns purchased by the venues in all of the major magazines and local news coverage. This was paid from their percentage of fees collected from submissions. Now venues want 50% for that they better have a good track record of sales for all their artists not just a few.


Is the number of artists limited and is the show really juried for quality?

I like being in shows of my peers or my betters the converse is not beneficial to me in anyway. When you are starting to establish a career entering lots of competitions is good. As your career matures though its better to be more selective about where you show and who you show with.

What percentages of paintings sell at the show?

 If it’s lower than 40 percent it’s not a good venue for sales. It’s geared toward making money from the artist’s submissions and participation, not selling the artist’s work. Its also important to know how many of the participating artists sold work. Its easy to skew that number with one or two popular painters while the rest sell nothing.

What is the average price point for sales of paintings at the show?

 Before I say yes to a show I need to know that my price point is well represented? There is no good reason for me to travel across the country to be in a show where the average 12 x 16 painting is sold for a quarter of my price for the same size work. This is not pretentious this is practical for a professional.


Can you as an artist break even or make money at a show?

When you add up jury fees, shipping costs, travel expenses, meals lodging, supplies and framing do you still come out ahead? 

It’s easy to figure what you need to make to break even or turn a profit. Say you have a five day painting event and to get in there was a $50 dollar jury fee. It’s a  distance you can drive, so you take your car. $200 round trip to the event, $200 for gas while you are there, $100 a night for hotel and $40 dollars a day for meals.  Say $1000 dollars for the trip when you figure art supplies and frames too.

The venue takes 50% so you need to sell 2000 worth of paintings just to break even. How many paintings is that at your price point? Say it’s three. Does the venue allow you to show more than three paintings for the weekend or one day sale? If not, the best you can do is break even, even if you sell out.

But I’m sure I can win a prize. Great, let’s look at prizes, most venues now only give cash awards for the top prize, all the other prizes are gift certificates for products. So say you get a prize worth $500 but you don't sell, you just got $500 worth of art supplies for a $1000 of show expenses. Warren Buffet you are not.

Competitions can be fun. You can make new friends and get a chance to compare your ability to other artists in your field but if you’re in this as a professional you have to treat it as a business and look at your bottom line. Make sure the competition venue offers you something you and your career need before signing up.




Split Rail Fence Demo

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I had a few people show up for the Free  demo yesterday Out at the old stone bridge in Battlefield Park Manassas. I painted a 16 x 20 painting from start to finish. Total painting time just under two hours. I am crunching on an art deadline right now and will not have process shots from the demo until a later post.

Some people wanted to know what instructional books I would recommend for landscape painting Here are the books I mentioned yesterday. While there are many books out there on the subject this is my short list for people serious about painting landscapes from life. Jim Gurneys book is not a landscape painting book or how to book but has lots of information on representational painting and should not be missed.

All are currently available in print except the Trevor Chamberlain book which can only be found used and the landscape painting book by Birge Harrison  (this book is available free in electronic form) There are bad print on demand copies of the Harrison book out there but don't buy them they aren't worth the price.


Hardings Lessons on Drawing  by J. D Harding

Perspective for Artists by Rex Vicat Cole

Composition by Arthur Wesley Dow

Carlsons Guide to Landscape Painting by John F. Calrson

Landscape Painting by Birge Harrison

Oil Painting Pure and Simple by Trevor Chamberlain with Ron Ranson

Color and Light A guide for the Realist Painter by James Gurney

The Cult of Ignorance and Entitlement

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By
Armand Cabrera




"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."~ Isaac Asimov

Nowhere do Asimov’s words wring truer than in the visual arts.
I have had a few discussions with friends lately about being an artist and the difficulties that choosing that lifestyle entails. The years of work that goes into developing your own voice through style and applying that to your own properties. 

How sad that gaining recognition invites theft by people with little or no talent for real creativity beyond mimicry. Those who can’t or won’t study enough to stand on their own. Instead that lack of ability giving them humility, it gives them a sense of entitlement; that is the culture we now live in.


This is  the real cult of ignorance. The people who think other creators hard work is just something for them to pirate and exploit without paying for the privilege of its use. These people are nothing more than parasites and don’t deserve any ones respect or support.

Uninterrupted Time

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By
Armand Cabrera




If you are serious about being an accomplished artist uninterrupted time is important to the success of any painting endeavor.  When you have a series of interconnected problems to solve like you do with painting a picture your undivided attention is paramount.

 This goes double for people learning how to paint or those trying to improve their painting ability. If you want to be a painter you have to put in quality time and effort not just go through the motions in a haphazard nonchalant approach.

No matter how good of a painter you become you never want to coast on your ability. Each painting should leave you mentally exhausted and emotionally and spiritually drained at the end of each working session.  As one of my workshop instructors used to say if it doesn't do that you aren't doing it right.

For me carving out enough time to accomplish my painting commitments means not answering the phone, staying off the computer and just getting down to the business of picture making. Inevitably this usually means late hours when our busy house is at rest the rest of the world is asleep and no other living thing is competing for my time and focus.

This applies to outdoor work as well as studio work. While I am willing to be pleasant to people who  show an interest in my work  I politely remind them that I have a limited amount of time to finish my painting while the light is changing and I really can’t talk too long while working. Most people are respectful of my time and understand the situation I'm in.


Technology seems to be the biggest distraction for people these days. All of the information that is available to us scatters our thinking and breaks one’s concentration. Of course personal devices are set to chime or beep to let you know some new useless piece of drivel that could have waited is available to you right now if you would just look. I also believe that overuse of these conveniences trains a person to not be able to focus for long periods of time.  The only cure is discipline and the knowledge that unless your Warren Buffet or Bill gates what you’re doing doesn't necessitate that much importance and actually keeps you from achieving your goals in the long term. 

Great Falls Workshop

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My workshop in Great Falls still has a few more spots open if anyone wants to get in at the last minute. The workshop helps raise money for the Great Falls Foundation for the Arts.

http://www.greatfallsart.org/armand-cabrera-workshop/

The class is for every level of artist and will focus on improving all aspects of the students painting while maintaining their personal style. All my instruction is individualized for each participants level and personal vision. I demo everyday and make sure everyone gets plenty of attention while they work.




Workshop Barn Demo

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By
Armand Cabrera



This is one of the demo’s I did for my last workshop. Each day I tackle a specific problem in about an hours’ time to show the students how an organized approach and a firm grasp of the fundamentals will give you a solid painting. My approach is the same whether outdoors or in the studio working from sketches or photos. This was painted from one of my photos.






I started with the drawing. Using a medium sized brush I sketch right on the canvas any changes I make from the source material for size or placement happen at this stage so that when I am painting I can focus on color. If I have to continually correct my drawing in the painting stage I am dividing my focus.




Once the drawing is complete I choose some element of the painting to key everything to and block it in. Sometimes it is my darkest or lightest note but not always, whatever component I am the most sure of about its color and value is where I start. Then I block in everything else relative to that first notes color and value.
In terms of order I usually paint back to front, large to small, and dark to light. 



Once the block in stage is finished I flesh out the areas adding interest and details. I am careful to preserve the large division of light and shadow throughout the painting.







The finished demo Sky Meadow Barn 9 x 12. Painting time about an hour and a half




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