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Thursday, October 22, 2009

A busy Fall-Linda Blondheim Art Studio


Fall at Fair Oaks Farm
20x24 inches
oil on wood panel
1500.00
Free Shipping
Purchase HERE

I've been on the road some this fall and very busy with various projects. I'm back in the studio and ready to paint in lovely Evinston, Florida again. Studio Dog and I are headed out this afternoon for a painting session. Enjoy this lucious fall weather in North Florida. get out and discover the back roads, the beautiful coast and rivers of our state. Eat in the old fashioned restaurants in small towns. Get the flavor of North Central Florida, "the heart of Florida", in your blood. You will know why I love it with a passion.There is a new adventure for you just around the corner.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Linda Blondheim Studio Newsletter October 14, 2009


Coastal Palms
12x16 inches
acrylic on birch panel
wired and ready to hang unframed
Purchase HERE


Landscapes of the South
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lindablondheim@gmail.com
Studio: 386.462.5726
Please forward my newsletters to your friends. I need to grow my business. I'll
reward you with a tiny abstract painting.
Don't forget that I offer 10% of the sale cash referral rewards when you send a
new patron to me who purchases a painting.
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October 14, 2009
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It's time for my

Annual Books Inc Studio Sale

November 1-30, 2009
at Books Inc in Gainesville
Corner of NW 5th Avenue and NW 13th Street
5 blocks from UF

I have the following for sale:

I always have a lot of paintings in the sale, including studies and older paintings.
This year I'll bring the older frames and the drying boxes too.
This is your chance to own a Blondheim painting if you have been waiting.




My next E-class is Virtual Plein Air, I - November 10, 2009 Sign up HERE



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Along the Bartram Trail



My paint Out Adventure

I've been away at a paint out in northeast Florida between Jacksonville and St Augustine
on State Road 13
Belulahatchee is an interesting area of that drive. it is a creek/pond which is
a tributary of the St John's River. it is very old Florida in every way. A swamp
with Cypress trees, palms and lots of beauty. In other circumstances, magnificent.
We were privileged to paint on the property of well known writer Stetson Kennedy
and I met him. He is in his 90's but is as spry as can be and very active. The painting
above is of one of his cottages on the river.

On the day I painted there it rained on and off all day long. We would paint for
an hour and then have to retreat to our cars during the current storm. I felt lucky
to have completed this painting at all. There were patches of good light despite
the rain.

I do believe this was the hottest most miserable weather I've ever painted in. I'm
not much of a plein air summer painter, preferring the cool dry climate and color
of Florida in Fall through Spring.
It averaged from 90-96 each day with 80-100% humidity throughout the week we were
there. It is very still along the river, with little air circulation.




I spent a lot of time at Alpine Grove Park. It was the location for the wet room for paintings
and where all of our meals were served. It is a lovely park which fronts the river,
with many oaks, palms and cypress trees, along with a few old Magnolia trees. I
decided that I wanted to spend the day on a painting, so I chose this beautiful
scene. I was really tired by the end of that day after standing in one spot for
about 6 hours. It was worth the effort to have gotten a good sized painting in an
event where most paintings are small.


The park has several old buildings and the old house is lovely, in the 1800's vernacular
of Florida homes. There is a long new dock, which is covered for shade and protection
from the rain. Naturally, with so many artists participating, the dock was always
full of painters, so I only got one study there on the first day before everyone
arrived. I tend to avoid the most popular locations in order to seek quiet for
my painting time. Avoiding chatter is very difficult at paint outs, unless you
have a smaller number of painters with many locations to choose from.

The Bailey Ranch was one of the great locations along the Bartram Trail. it is
a working cattle ranch along the river and very interesting. There are lots of old
oaks and tall pines there with cracker cows, donkeys, and horses. it's not beautiful
like the farms in Evinston, but it is quite interesting.



In spite of the wretched weather I enjoyed painting along the Bartram trail. The
committee members could not have been more helpful to the artists. I am grateful
for the excellent food and hosting I received while there. Thanks to North Florida
Land Trust for an excellent experience.
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How About a Recipe?



I had the chance to eat very good food, while I was painting the Bartram Trail.
Two of the best places where I ate was Shannon's Pub on Racetrack Road and SR 13,
and at Beach Diner on SR 13 in Mandarin. We also tried DonJuans Mexican Restaurant
which was also good, on 13 in Mandarin.


At Shannons, I tried one of my favorites, Shepherd's Pie . Here is my recipe, similar
to their's.

1 pound ground round, crumbled and pried with one chopped onion, a bag of mixed
vegetables, a can of crushed tomatoes, beef stock mixed with bit of red wine and
corn starch. Fry and drain meat and veges. Pour in stock mixture and simmer until
thick and yummy. Season with salt, pepper,thyme and parsley.

Make a batch of mashed potatoes, keep them spreadable but pretty thick.
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded.

Put meat/gravy mixture in a deep pan to bake in oven. Spread mashed potatoes over
the mixture like cake icing. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bake until golden
and bubbly.







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Back to What I Love


I'm almost through with my obligations for fall now. I have worked hard and I'm
ready to get back to my first love, of painting the farms and ranches here in north
Central Florida. I can think of nothing I would rather do with my time. I will
shortly be through with a small commission, a day trip to the Epcot Food and Wine
festival on this Saturday and a couple of small day events, scattered through the
fall.

I'll be giving up my painting location at Paddiwhack for awhile, switching to Evinston
instead. I want to take advantage of the beauty there for a few months.
Since I will be out and about painting out of my studio for the rest of fall, let
me know if you wish to pay a studio visit, or use my web site instead to purchase
paintings.

I'll be checking in with news, but not quite as much as summer, when I have more
time to write.

There are plans for another Evinston paint Out for 2010. if you would like to be
a sponsor for another Evinston paint out, or to sponsor one of the artists with
hosting, meals, or patron purchasing, please let me know.The paint out is not a
reality yet, but we hope it will be.


(Artists, This will be an Invitational paint out only, so don't write to me to get
applications. There are none.)

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Out Painting


I'll be painting for the next few months in beloved Evinston Florida, moving there
for the fall to paint. Come by the Wood Swink Post Office to step back in time to
a more pleasant world. Freddie has the best produce, fresh every day for sale. Located
between Micanopy and McIntosh off US 441 on County road 225. I'll see you there.

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This Week's Ebay Paintings


Opening Bid:$3.99
Retail Price:55.00
S & H: Free
No Reserve
Type Blondheim Art into the Ebay search window HERE


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Thursday, October 01, 2009

Linda Blondheim Art Studio Newsletter, October 1, 2009



Night Palms
20x24 inches
acrylic on wood panel
HERE




Studio/Plein Air Equipment for sale


I have the following for sale:

used frames

miniature- 3.00 each (4x6)
small 10.00 each ( 6x8-8x10)
larger (12x16-16x20)20.00 each
1 heavy gold 30.00 (18x24)

a nice 12x16 inch panel drying box, 50.00

an old 8x10 drying box,needs a lid, 10.00

Art instruction books 5.00 each

email me: lindablondheim@gmail.com


My next E-class is Virtual Plein Air, I - November 10, 2009beginning September 29.
http://www.lindablondheim.com/publications.php



Florida Clouds


I don't know about other places, but here in North central Florida we have had the most incredible clouds this fall. I've gotten into the habit of jumping in the car, late in the afternoon with Henry and just driving around to gawk at them with awe. I can't remember a more impressive view of the clouds in recent years.

We like to think of clouds as our mountains here in Florida. We have every hue from bottle green to teal, orange,pink,red,yellow, and rich dark purple.

As a landscape painter, I have a keen interest in them and a fascination with painting them. I am of course, not alone in this quest. Lots of my painting friends do them as well. Some of my painting friends have signatures to their work with their clouds. I have one friend who is well known for her pink clouds. What's fun is that her paintings always have pink clouds, no matter what the atmospheric condition or time of day she is painting.

Mine go through various stages of development. of late, I have been using a lot of back lighting on mine with fairly deep shadows on the fronts of the clouds. A bit more red in them as well, but I'm very fond of the orange blue compliment gray in mine.

Clouds become a landscape painter's signature, part of their style if they have a keen interest in them.

Here's a bit about Clouds:

Cloud Types common cloud classifications Clouds are classified into a system that uses Latin words to describe the appearance of clouds as seen by an observer on the ground. The table below summarizes the four principal components of this classification system (Ahrens, 1994).

Latin Root Translation Example

cumulus
stratus
cirrus
nimbus heap
layer
curl of hair
rain fair weather cumulus
altostratus
cirrus
cumulonimbus

Further classification identifies clouds by height of cloud base. For example, cloud names containing the prefix "cirr-", as in cirrus clouds, are located at high levels while cloud names with the prefix "alto-", as in altostratus, are found at middle levels. This module introduces several cloud groups. The first three groups are identified based upon their height above the ground. The fourth group consists of vertically developed clouds, while the final group consists of a collection of miscellaneous cloud types.

Since I am not a science type person, I'll simply enjoy the view. I often like to go to the Orange lake overlook just south of McIntosh, Florida to enjoy the huge cloud formations rolling across the sky in the late afternoon there.

Clouds allow me to wonder and dream about our good earth and sky. I can't think of any more beautiful visions than an open sky full of ever changing clouds. Because they change so rapidly, I've learned a thing or two about saving time while painting them. I will often premix all of the colors I want to use for a cloud study, making it much faster to work and capture their beauty.

The next time you want to have some free fun, go out to a place with a vista and take your lawn chair. Sit and dream, while you watch the clouds go by.



The Painting Process

Night Palms

I've been fooling around with my "Night Palms" theme this week, first with a 5x7 study to warm up with and then this painting. I've gotten a lot of questions about the Night Palm series from friends, collectors and other artists, about the process.

Some of the paintings are actually started on location and a few of the small ones are done alla prima on location. When I paint out for nocturnals I NEVER go alone, unless it is in my own yard. Safety is very important, especially for us gals!!

I often use a little book light for the work, which clips onto the lid of my paint box. I got mine at Radio Shack and it comes with a little battery stand that is plugged in to sue when I'm not painting. It is convenient but not really very powerful, so i am always looking for another way. Some people paint with the miner's head lamps, but the spotlight from those can be difficult because they do not produce any ambient light and are almost too strong. One of the best ways is to paint where there is a lot of ambient street light or on a full moon night, my favorite.

My best method is to go out and simply observe what things look like at night, taking notes and thinking about how to portray objects in darkness, then going back to my studio to produce paintings like this one. Painting nocturnals is more about the esthetic of the look rather than the reality of night.

I've always loved the night and feel comfortable with it, having been a landscape painter for most of my adult life and living on rural land. We learned very young how to navigate in the dark, ride horses and so forth. There is a mystery of the night that is very appealing in art. We are all fascinated by nodcturnal paintings.

My favorite place to observe for nocturnal paintings is Wekiva State Park. It is simply magnificent at sunset, sunrise, and into the night. The early evening and dawn color there is beyond beautiful with the smokey grays, deep mauves,blues,silvers and rusts of winter. I can't wait to get there every year to paint for a week.

Step outside at night and observe the mystery.


How About a Recipe?


I have been playing around with the idea of making old fashioned cakes and yeast breads to sell again. Not the fancy bakery cakes, but the old timey ones that Grandma used to turn out. It's been a long time since bakerys sold good old style cakes and there might be an interest for them. I'm thinking Lemon poppy Seed with lemon curd filling, Carrot Cake with orange curd filling, Red Velvet Cake. Sour cream with strawberry/amaretto filling and burnt buttercream frosting. Chocolate chip cake with chocolate ganash rum icing. I wonder if anyone would be interested?

This week's recipe, I made up the other evening when I was bored with the usual meal. it was surprisingly tasty.

Beans,Chili and Rice

1 can chili
1 can black beans drained
1 small chopped onion
3 cups hot cooked rice
1/2 shredded romaine lettuce
1 large tomato diced
dash of chopped cilantro
dollop of sour cream for each serving

heat and mix beans and chili
Pour over rice
top with lettuce,tomato,onion,cilantro and sour cream.

Yummy!!

Cook's Tip:

Forget the bagged salads and make your own. if you keep a tomato, bag of whole romaine lettuce, an onion and a seedless cucumber in the fridge, you can make a salad fresh in lickity split time. It will last so much longer than a bagged salad.



On the Road Again



I'lll be away for a couple of weeks, first to St John's County for "Painting the Region" along state road 13, part of the William Bartram trail. I haven't done a paint out since May, so I am very rusty. Let's hope I'll get my plein air muse back again for this event. I think most of my painting time will be at the ranch but I really don't know what any of the locations look like, so we will see. My tendency is to avoid other painters when I work, so whereever the crowd is, I won't be ;>)There are a lot of painters at this one, so it may be difficult to find a quiet spot each day, but I will try. I am not staying with artists I know or even my host, so it will be a bit lonely there. Come see me.


http://www.paintingtheregion.com

After Painting the Region, I'm off to Orlando for a day or two with my daughters and their men to the Wine Festival at Epcot. A mini vacation if you will. When I get back, I'll have lots of stories for you. I am hoping my host has internet service or there is a coffee shop nearby. I'll check in on Facebook frequently while on the road. http://www.facebook.com/linda.blondheim



A Tribute to North Florida

The Ken Burns Film


I've been watching the newest Ken Burns film this week, Our National Parks, America's Best Idea. it has been a profound experience for me, loving the land and water as I do. Ken Burns is one of our most gifted artists, a national treasure. If you have not seen his films you simply must. They are sublime recordings of American history and culture, made with meticulous craftsmanship and subtlty, giving dignity to those souls who came before us.

I wrote an email to Mr Burns through his agency this week, asking him to do a film about Evinston/Cross Creek/Orange Lake/Micanopy. I don't know whether he will receive the email, but I so believe that area of Florida deserves his magic touch with film. I wish a documentary film maker would discover this part of Florida. The lovely film Cross Creek done years ago was the closest one I've seen that does it justice, though it was a biography focusing on MKR.

When I drive through these old towns, sit in the Wood Swink by the stove, and wander the Wood Farm and Fair Oaks Farm, I long for a way to pay tribute to the beauty I see there. I fear that the Wood Swink will close before the repair work and upgrades can be done for lack of funding. I want to see the ranches and farms continue as they have been for a century or more. I cringe when I see the developers licking their chops at Orange Lake and the Paynes Prairie Rim.

I've done what I can by being part of land conservation efforts here in north Florida. I urge you to do the same.

http://www.conserveflorida.org/index.html
http://alachuaconservationtrust.org/index.php?/alachua/mission-history/
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/lands/fl_forever.htm
http://northfloridalandtrust.org/




Out Painting



This week I'll be packing for my trip and will not be at Paddiwhack. I'll be back in front of the gallery to paint two weeks from Friday.



This Week's Ebay Paintings



Opening Bid: $3.99
Retail Price: 55.00
S & H: Free
No Reserve

Type Blondheim Art into the Ebay search window.

EBAY