The book has 28 other artists in it with three works each so its chock full of beautifully reproduced paintings of everything from beach cottages to mountain streams. it truly does capture the whole state as us artists see it and all works were created plein air.Some of the other artists include well known plein air painters including: Cathy Martin, Rick McClure, Dan Nelson, Dee Beard Dean, Lori Putnam, L. Diane Johnson, Nicole Kennedy, Kim Maselli, Kevin Beck, Brenda Behr, Judy Crane, John and Dodi Groesser, Patricia Pittman, and more. i'm very humbled to have been included with this who's who of plein air painters we all know and love.
In the book each artist writes about their painting process and how they pick subject matter, how they lay out their palette, how they got started painting outdoors, and more, so its a good read whether your a seasoned painter or just a collector who wants to know more about the process of painting a painting. i cant wait to start reading my copy to see how these folks go about the business of creating a work of art. you will not be dissapointed!
a few of mine
another of my pages. wish the photos were better. the reproductions are incredibly accurate and are exactly like the paintings i did.
the book is available on Amazon.com right now, and will be in Barnes and Noble, quite a few other big national bookstores, and also the Our State and NC Public Television Store in a few weeks.
if you'd like to order one from me for the same price-- $29.99 i'll ship it to you for $8. if you want i'll write a note on the inside cover and sign it special for you,,,,, just to get you to buy it from me instead of them! that and four dollars will buy you a cup of coffee at Starbucks LOL
at least buying it from me will help support a starving artist and not some mega rich national retail outfit. help do your part to support the little man!
just contact me at 919-920-9718 or email if youre interested in getting one for yourself, or for a Christmas present for an art lover on your list.
thanks y'all!
11 comments:
Mike- congratulations on what appears to be a beautiful publication. It's another validation of your skill and talent as a painter.
Does it seem to you that more people than ever are painting and painting seriously or is it just the phenomenon of blogging that makes it seem that way?
Mike, this is Alice from DSFDF. I'm here to help. First I need to know what type of camera you are using and what setting you used to shoot this photo. We can make these pictures sharp. I guarantee it!
bonnieluria
i prefer not to think about the competition thats knocking down the doors trying to keep me from doing this for a living LOL
just kidding. the blog world (and internet too) makes thousand of great painters just a millisecond from your world so it just seems that way. IMHO
i say to the hordes "bring it on" that'll just make me that much better trying to stay ahead of them!
the book is absolutely stunning. she (author) is an artist with work in there too and she was meticulous about the printing. the paintings are beautiful and the pages are slick. i'm reading all the comments the other painters wrote under their paintings and its fascinating how differently everybody comes at painting outside. you can see some of it if you go to amazon.com and search books for painting north carolina by Kimberlee Maselli.
alice
i have a cheap point and shoot digital. when i try to photograph stuff its either a little blurry (like the white flower two posts back) or the paint has glare on it. i tried multiple lights equally spaced to the sides when shooting inside, i shoot outside in shade (they come out too blue) and ive made special diffuser boxes with tissue paper. when i shoot in the sun...glare!
always terrible photos. can you help? you'd think i'd be a pro at this crap. my dad was a photographer at National Geographic Society in DC. i'm awful!
Mike, it must be some sort of psychological rebellion you have with your dad. -just kidding. We are gonna make him proud. I hope.
I also have a "cheap" point and shoot digital as well. I knew that if I asked you about the setting you were using we could identify
problem #
1. You don't know your camera settings.
2. All artwork should IMHO be shot in indirect sunlight (always without flash).
3. Digital camera's are never color accurate so you gotta have a program... (I have just your basic run of the mill software that gets me by pretty well... but it shows).
I use an ancient Kodak Easy Share 5MP. On the top you can easily change the setting to make your camera lens focus at different ranges. I have to change mine from the Autofocus mode 35mm to macro mode(looks like a flower symbol) when i shoot anything within 4 feet of the subject and not be closer than 12 inches. I have to use this mode when I shoot my small daily paintings. Every camera manufacturer is different. Some digital cameras allow you to get 1 inch away from your subject and shoot a clear photo. Another very important factor is your zoom capability. Gotta have Zoom Mike!
Last but not least is that you must hold your breath when you take a photo. I'm being serious here it does help a great deal to have a steady hand and heart when shooting photos. A tripod is an option but not necessary.
So your first assignment from me is to tell me what you think macro is and how to find that on your camera... if you have one?
alice
appreciate you helping me. i found the macro setting. thanks
what do you call 'indirect' sunlite?
i remember pops telling me to hold my breath shooting the old 35 mm cams of yesterday (i love those film cameras) thanks for the reminder.
whats the best way to kill the shiny look of paint on gessoed on masonite in the photo?
Mike, Ive gone on a whirlwind tour of the last 6 months of photo's on your blog and you are, one painting machine! So it is crucial that we get your photographs to accurately represent how beautiful your work really is. Most of the photo's of the artwork were as you stated blurry. I also know by looking at them that most of them are washed out. Your colors are much more vibrant and you need to show that. We will fix this.
Ah you just posted.
Hooray you have macro!
Indirect sunlight can sometimes mean indirect sunlight from indirect sunlight. Meaning sometimes even the shade can be too bright of a light to take a photo. Go in the shade of shade... not trying to get poetic here. I often photograph indoors by a window with normal indirect light and then I will correct the exposure of my digital photo on my computer. Has to be done every time. The only way to "kill" that shiny glare is to make sure you don't have any there before you take the picture- I'm not trying to be smart BTW.
So tomorrow if you have time take me a picture in indirect sunlight(AKA natural light)using macro of that white flower two posts back and change that picture. From there we will correct Exposure and Color if you like along with image file size.
Hi Mike, Congratulations on being in that nice looking book.
I have tagged you on my blog. Hope you join in.
frank- thanks man,, i will join in. ive met alot of cool people in the blogosphere and some are very giving of their time like you and my new friend Alice who's helping me take better pics for the web
alice- i have to get some batteries for the old cam so it'll be early this week when i get back to ya on the flower shot. again thanks for giving of your time to help out a fellow paint slinger.
Hi Mike - This book is great news! The recognition is well deserved.
robin-
thanks for the nice words. i was stoked to be asked to be in a book with the states best painters. hoping this will up my stock around the state as well. imagine that... me trying to market myself LOL!
Post a Comment