Painting the coast

I am working more on a few commissioned marina paintings depicting the marinas and boats of the North Carolina Coast. These are both in progress and not finished, but thought I would show them anyway, so you can see the process. As you can see by the top painting, unless I am working on a really detailed drawing or work on paper, I generally rough in the shapes of the objects with thin paint after toning the canvas to kill the white color. After all, if the boats are going to end up white, I like to start with a warm base to put the white over and I let some of it show through.
I then adjust the drawing of the boat as needed by adding or removing paint when I am painting., but I try to get it as accurate as possible right off, especially on something like these boats where the shapes have to read right.
These are acrylic paintings which are so easily correctable because the paint dries very fast. If I decide I don't like a passage of paint, I can paint over it almost immediatley and correct it.
Hope to show you these fnished in a day or two!

A couple of marina paintings in progress, still a ways to go on both!

The busy season has began!

So the busy season has begun! I will be in an upcoming show at Courtyard Coffee in Siler City next to the NC Arts Incubator Gallery in June. This will be a plein air show by members of our plein air group, NC Paint Out. All works will be paintings that were done on site at the locations in the paintings.
I am also busy with some commission work, and some coastal paintings. Pictured below is the start of one of 4 marina paintings that I have in the works. They will all be done in acrylic and one of them shipped to a buyer in the Outer Banks.
Stay tuned for new finished paintings soon!

Work in progress in the studio

New Marsh Scene

"Tidal Pool"

8" x 10" Acrylic on Canvas

$150 unframed, $200 Framed

Email me at justin@justinholdren.com if interested and you can pay by credit/ debit card or checking account through Paypal

Here is a small marsh scene I finished up last night. I had started it a while back and forgot about it, so I decided to get it done! There are some subtle colors in the sky that aren't showing well in the digital image.

 Although I love mountain landscapes and still life and flower paintings too, I just seem to be painting the coastal regions of North Carolina lately. I have a ton of field studies and photos from that region, so I have been going through those and they inspire me to paint the coast!

I am working on another commission for a homeowner in the Outer Banks, as well as painting new works for my Siler City gallery rep and painting work to show a gallery in Beaufort, NC. Add to this a full time job, one five year old daughter and another due in July, and it can be quite a juggling act. I thank the Lord for a supportive wife!

More work to show you as I finish, so stay tuned!

Rural and coastal studies

 "Outer Banks Dune"

5" x 6" Acrylic on Primed/ Sealed Acid Free Matboard

Small study done in the studio from memory

"Pond Grasses"

6" x 5" Acrylic on Primed/Sealed Acid Free Matboard

Done on location in Chatham County

"Early Spring Study"

6" x 5" Acrylic on Primed/Sealed Acid Free Matboard

Painted on location in rural Chatham County

Contact me at justin@justinholdren.com if interested in any of these. They are super affordable studies at just $35 each. Usually this size is closer to $50 - $75 unframed, but I will accumulate many of these studies this year, so I would rather them hang on your wall than to collect dust in my studio!

Since the warm weather came out here in North Carolina, I have been doing some small plein air studies in the field. The top one here is a coastal study done in the studio as prep for some larger paintings, but the two below that were done Saturday in rural Chatham County.

After being in the studio a lot, I like to start working on location again by doing these small studies. I have tons of acid free matboard and also museum board scraps, so I gesso these to seal them completely and use them for small studies. I also seal the colored boards with an acrylic matte medium if I want to use the colored board to get interesting effects. If they are completely sealed, they can be framed like a typical oil or acrylic without glass. If I paint on them unprimed, I treat them like a work on paper and put them under mats and glass. The ones above were just sealed and primed with white gesso.

I will be attending some events this summer like the Sunshine Lavender Farm Festival where I will be painting on location. I will post the details here and on my website soon. Ok, back to the easel!



It's Plein Air Weather again!

 Painting a field study with my smallest paint box made from a cigar box

"Light Study, Early Spring"

6" x 5" acrylic on Primed/Sealed Acid Free Matboard

SOLD

Well the warmer weather is quickly approaching, and I needed to get outdoors and paint! I enjoy the winter time painting in the studio, but when warm weather arrives, I am ready to go out and paint on location and enjoy the outdoors!

This is a small study in acrylic that I did the other day. The light was being filtered by the trees behind me and some light was just striking points on these trees and the grass. I didn't really nail the values, but that's why I do these studies on location, so I can observe the color and light firsthand and learn to make a more convincing scene with light. Be looking for more paintings as I get out and enjoy the warmer weather!

Anybody out there?

Well I have not been very good at keeping my new years resolution to post more often to the blog! I apologize to my five or so readers :) I have been working steadily, just not posting. I am doing some commission work that has kept me busy, and my wife and I are expecting our second daughter in July, so we have been busy to say the least!

I have some projects on the back burner that I hope to get finished soon. I am working on paintings from my travels in North Carolina and will publish them in a book through blurb.com. I hope to have it finished by the time the baby arrives. I will post the details on how to purchase the book when finished.
I am also doing sketches for a new series of paintings, but right now I have a commissioned Hatteras marina scene to finish for a home in the Outer Banks. Will post some paintings soon!

Commission Finished

16" x 20" Oil on Canvas

Just finished this commission for a home in the Outer Banks region of North Carolina. This one is in oils, so I had some adjusting to do since I have been working almost exclusively in acrylic over the past year.
 The buyer wanted a simple marsh composition, without an overwhelming amount of detail. They wanted a small boat in the distance and lots of blues and greens in the piece. Normally I add many layers of different colors to the water, but this is the color scheme the client wanted and they are so happy with it, they have commissioned a marina, fishing type scene next.

Now to pack it up and send it to its new home!

Commissions and online marketing

Well I haven't posted lately, but I have been working away in the studio. I am currently working on a commission for a collector who will be putting some of my work in their beach home at the Outer Banks of NC. The collector actually found me through my auctions on Ebay. This is why I continue to auction small studies and sell some regular retail price gallery paintings at fixed price on Ebay. The exposure has led to larger sales from my website and commissions.
Hope to show you the finished painting once the client gives the OK to be finished with it.

In addition, I have been adding small paintings in my Etsy store and working on new pieces to upload to my website. Etsy is a website like Ebay, but for handmade items only and the items are at a fixed price instead of auction style listings. I will post the link to the Etsy store when I finish adding new work.

Traveling to France.....in Paint!

"Provence Lavender"

10"x 8" Acrylic on Canvas

$150 unframed, $200 Framed

Email me at justin@justinholdren.com if interested

Here is the first small study of a new series I am working on. This view is from an elevated view with a field of lavender and brightly lit field and mountain in the distance.

A collector of my work and friend was kind enough to let me use some of her photos from France to do a series of paintings. She owns a lavender farm here in North Carolina where I go to paint during their annual Harvest Festival.
She had recently taken a trip to France and I was blown away by the pictures of Lavender in the Provence region and the beauty of the places they visited.
Now I am breaking my unwritten rule to paint a place that I have not been to, for this series anyway. I usually paint places that I have visited to absorb the view in person. I feel I can do the paintings more justice when I have observed a place firsthand.
 I still create paintings from my imagination too, but they are usually based on a place that I have been to, although I couldn't resist doing some new paintings based on the reference photos that my collector friend let me use.
Be looking for some larger ones here soon that include some other "French" scenes!

Back from Florida

The park at Marineland along the Florida coast

The coastline at Flagler Beach, Florida

The castle at Disney's Magic Kingdom

I just returned from a family trip to Disney World in Florida. We had a great time with the whole family, which included all of my wife's sisters and their families and her parents too. Normally on a family trip, to not take away from family time, I get up in the morning and do some plein air painting and sketching on location, but we were up early and back late every day on this trip, so I just had to get a bunch of photos. I also did some sketching of the views out the van window on the drive down.

We hit one Disney park a day the whole week and headed home yesterday via Highway A1A to take in the coastline scenery. I will be working on some paintings of the Flagler Beach area soon so look for them here!

Backyard Plein Air Study

"Backyard Trees"

7" x 5" Oil on Stretched Canvas
SOLD

Here a small plein air study from a winter or two ago. It was at the end of winter and just starting to warm up. I had to take advantage of the warmer temperatures and get outside to paint this little piece. I was going crazy after being inside all winter! Click here to view the auction. The starting bid is super affordable and this piece has FREE SHIPPING. Don't miss out!

New auctions

Hello all! Hope everyone is having a great Christmas Season so far. I have some study paintings up on Ebay at the incredible starting bid of one penny! These are some studies and older pieces that would look great on your wall! Don't miss out! Keep checking back as I will have more small study paintings listed soon. Click HERE to go to my Ebay page where you can click on the various auctions. Have a Merry Christmas!

Mailing out the small ones

"LowCountry Marsh"

ACEO ( Art card editions and originals) minature 2.5" x 3.5" Acrylic

SOLD

"Tropical Cove"

5" x 7" Acrylic on Canvas

SOLD

These are a couple small ones that were sold recently on Ebay. I've been mailing out quite a few of these small studies over the last few months. I view the paintings I sell on Ebay as "appetizers" to the main course, which are my larger paintings.

My small studies that I sell affordably on Ebay allow people to sample my work at a reasonable price point before they decide to spend more on my larger work. Since I had an abscence from Ebay, I had to start over again to build a following. The bids on these small ones are slowly starting to increase as people find my work again.

In this economy, selling the small studies keeps supply money coming in. Better than allowing them to collect dust in my studio!

Studies on Ebay make affordable gifts!

If you have someone in your life who loves original art, check out my Ebay auctions for the month of December. I have small original paintings listed that were studies for larger gallery works at incredible opening bids! I will also be listing some Buy it now gallery pieces, some at regular price and others at a Christmas Sale price! I have 100% positive feedback from all my buyers, so you can buy with confidence. I guarantee my work to make sure you are satisfied with your purchase.

 Just click HERE to visit my Ebay landing page where you can read about me and view my auctions. Merry Christmas!

Work in progress and baby news

Acrylic painting of old farmhouse in progress

Well its been a whirlwind month so far, but I thought I would show you this work in progress piece to show that I have been working, although not at the pace I would like! The above is a painting that is on the easel right now. Hope to finish it in my next painting session.
I will have a few paintings at the "Christmas at Captain White's " exhibition at the Alamance County Arts Council's historic home during the Christmas season. Stop and see them in Graham, NC if you get the chance! Their website is http://www.artsalamance.com/ .

ALSO SOME BIG NEWS! We are expecting a baby in July 2012! Our 4 year old daughter is so excited to have a baby brother or sister. Will have some more work for you on the blog soon. It will be a busy year in 2012!



More fun with Ebay

Click on the link below to see some paintings I have up for auction on Ebay. I know many artists turn their nose up at Ebay, but I have always sold small studies there, not my larger work. These are not paintings that I usually frame up and put in a gallery. They are usually small studies for my larger work. I produce over 100 of these little paintings a year and have found Ebay a good way to get them into homes across the country.
I have had a buyer of a small study on Ebay come to me and buy a larger gallery work, so it is a good way to advertise my studio as well and I enjoy the direct contact with the collectors.
They tell me they enjoy buying the small studies because they can get something original for a good price and they don't want prints.

Click HERE to see what's up for auction. Don't forget to search "Holdren art" from the Ebay home page anytime to see my auctions.

3rd Friday artwalk and Chatham Camera Club exhibit

At the 3rd Friday Artwalk in Siler City, I participated in a joint exhibition by the Chatham Camera Club and local gallery artists. The "Double Exposure" exhibit allowed painters to choose a photo from the photographers to interpret and then the painters interpretation and the photographers' work were hung together. It was a really cool exhibit and some photos were interpreted in paintings, and even sculpture and glass!

My painting was an odd custom size, and the frame I had to fit it was damaged so I went with the gallery wrap canvas with painted sides which was allowed for the show. It gives a sort of more contemporary look which the art community in Siler City seems to like.

 Patrons starting to arrive at the gallery

 A view from the front of the gallery

 My painting next to the photo I interpreted in my work

Some patrons checking out my painting

A FREE FACEBOOK GIVEAWAY!

I am havning a fun contest for this month. Anyone who joins or "likes" my Facebook Art business page before October 31, 2011 will be entered in a drawing for a FREE ORIGINAL PAINTING! Just click the link HERE or search "Justin Holdren Fine Art" when you are logged into Facebook and "like" my page.
My blog feeds to my Facebook page and you can sign up for my newsletter, shop prints from Fine Art America and do many other things right from my facebook page. I also post new work there and update eveyone on upcoming events.
I will draw a name from my fan list on November 1, 2011 and announce it here.

Blog changes and deadlines!

Well, as you can see I did a bit of changing on the blog design here. I added a new pic to the header and changed to a simple clean format and I think this is my favorite of all the formats I have used. I might eventually add tabs at the top with links similar to my main website.

I haven't been posting regularly as I am working on multiple painting deadlines for group shows while trying to juggle family and my day job. That means the blog takes a back seat sometimes.
In addition to gallery shows, I have been selling my small study work from my sale bin in the studio on Ebay. Ebay is a great way to sell my small studies while advertising my studio and I have used it off and on for years. I have sold to buyers across the USA this way, and some have come back and purchased my larger work that I sell in my studio and galleries.
Hope to have some more things posted soon! Back to work!

New Marsh Painting

"Afternoon on the Marsh"

16" x 20" Oil on Canvas

$350 Unframed, $400 Nicely Framed

This is one that is still wet I just finished from some photos and on location sketches done in the marshes near Calabash, NC. If you wish to purchase before it goes to a gallery, just email me at justin@justinholdren.com and I accept credit card payments through Paypal.

These coastal marshes are just beautiful and peaceful. This day was clear and sunny and you could hear the call of wild birds in the distance.

I have been busy packing sold Ebay paintings (I sell my small studies there sometimes) and getting pieces ready for some exhibits. I hope you enjoy viewing this piece, no back to work!