Eastern NC Plein Air Study

"Goldsboro Farmland"

Acrylic on archival canvas panel

$50 unframed

To purchase by paypal, send me an email.

This is a quick plein air study I did on location in Goldsboro, NC on Saturday. I was in town dropping paintings off at the Wayne County Arts Council. I thought that before driving 2 hours home, I would paint. I did this quickly from the Wal-Mart parking lot, which was across the street from this farm field. The field had some sort of plantings that had already been harvested. The light was kind of hazy and flat that day.

Plein air painting and a day trip

Well, I drove 2 hours to Goldsboro, NC on Saturday to deliver paintings to the Wayne County Arts Council for a juried exhibition. I did a small plein air painting of a farm field, but I haven't taken a picture of it yet, so I will upload it tomorrow. I am gearing up for some painting at the beach this weekend, so my posts will be sporadic over the next week. Stay tuned!

Plein air study and some news

"Backyard Trees"

7 x 5 inches, Oil on canvas

$50 Unframed

You can purchase by sending me an email or you can purchase through paypal at my website HERE

I have been getting ready for my upcoming trips. I will be in Myrtle Beach next weekend, Santee Cooper Lake in SC the next weekend, and two weeks after that I will be in Georgia for a few days. I have my smallest travel paintbox and supplies ready to go. These are family trips, but I will get some paintings done, usually before anyone gets out of bed! We always sleep in a bit on vacation.

Some news - My show at Tatum Optical Shoppe in Burlington, NC has been cancelled. Due to the economy, the place will be closing before the date my show was scheduled. I wish them luck and am thankful they wanted to show my work.

Show preparations and upcoming trips

I haven't posted in awhile, but I will have some new work to show you this week.
I have been working in the studio like crazy lately. I am submitting two pieces to a juried show in Goldsboro this week for the Wayne County Arts Council. I have also been preparing for an exhibit at Tatum Optical Shoppe in Burlington, NC. That exhibit will be in July and August.
Next weekend I will be heading to Myrtle Beach, SC with the family and to do some plein air painting. Then, the following weekend, I am supposed to be on a fishing trip with my father in law and brother in laws. We will be heading to Santee Cooper Lake in South Carolina. Hope to get in some painting time there as well. Hope to have some new work for you later this week!

Playing with tonalist painting

"Reflections at Dusk"

14" x 11" Oil on Canvas

Sorry for the glare on this photo. The paint was still wet. I will try to get a better shot of it later.

Well, this doesn't necessarily meet the criteria for a tonalist painting as far as the color, maybe, but I was interested in playing with this technique of using darker tones and trying something new. This is just a scene from my head of a small water inlet that empties into this creek running through this marsh or field. This was so much fun just to play with a different approach than I normally use. I need much practice with tonalist painting if I want to do some more of these. To see work by a real tonalist master, go to http://www.deborahparis.com/ - her work is awesome! If you're interested in this, just email me at paintinglandscapes@yahoo.com .

New Plein Air Painting and small studio study

"Pond Grasses"

10" x 10" Oil on canvas

$200 unframed

This one above is a plein air study I did a couple weeks ago down by the pond on my inlaws property. The grasses where I was standing were still rust and ochre colors, but the pond grasses had already started to turn green. If you want this before it goes to a gallery, email me at paintinglandscapes@yahoo.com - If you wish to pay by credit/debit card, go to my website at http://www.justinholdren.com/ and this piece will be in the "paintings" section with a "buy now" button by the end of today.

"Coastal Marsh"

6" x 8"

Acrylic on Panel

$100 unframed

This is a small study I did in the studio last night from some photos I took of the marshes near Oak Island and Bald Head Island. I did this to work out an idea for a possible larger piece. Email me if you want it, and if you wish to pay with Paypal, go to http://www.justinholdren.com/ and this piece will be in the "paintings" section by the end of today.

Plein air in the country

I went plein air painting on my inlaws rural 50 acre property last weekend. Everyone was gone so I had the whole property to myself. I did a 10" x 10" oil of some grasses near the pond and I got a 16" x 20" acrylic started, but had to retreat due to intense wind blowing my canvas like a sail! I will post the oil tomorrow. It needs a few color tweaks to add a bit more contrast.

Down by the pond

Here's my setup with the first marks of a 16" x 20" acrylic painting. I usually use a smaller paintbox mounted to a tripod when I am in the field, but I wanted the option of doing some larger canvases, so I hauled out the old french easel for this day. Due to the wind, I didn't get to work on any larger canvases except for this one, which I didn't finish!
If you have some acreage or land, I might be interested in painting it, just send me an email to paintinlandscapes@yahoo.com .
I will call to set up a time and will clean up my mess and leave the place cleaner than I found it!

Plein Air Painting- 6 x 8 - $100

"Cedarock Tree Study"

6 x 8 inches Acrylic on panel

$100 Unframed

Purchase by emailing me at paintinglandscapes@yahoo.com and you can pay by check or by credit card through Paypal.

This is a plein air study I did awhile back at Cedarock Park Historical Farm. I changed the lighting a bit, because the scene was really backlit and hard to make believable in the short time of remaining sunlight I had. I will use this to create a larger studio painting and try to make the lighting more dramatic.

More paintings tonight!

Hello all. I am in a rush today, but will post some new paintings and a work in progress tonight. Did some plein air painting on a 50 acre rural property in Siler City this weekend and had a great time. I will post those hopefully tonight once I get a picture of the paintings.

Hectic Schedule, no sleep, and a special project

Taken in the Smoky Mountians of Tennessee. I will have some large paintings of this trip soon.

Hello friends! Well, as we make our way into spring, my schedule is starting to fill up for the rest of the year. I will be talking with the owner of an optical shop next week about a 2 month exhibit of my work. They are exhibting the work of local artists, which I think is great. These alternative venues can sometimes yield great results and can get your name out to new collectors. I will still have work available at the Alamance Arts Council, Raleigh Street Gallery, and the Roasted Coffee Depot Coffee Shop as usual. Visit http://www.justinholdren.com/ for more information on those venues. I also have a paint out coming up this summer that I attend every year, so I need to get promo materials ready for that.

Next, we are preparing for a birthday party this weekend - my little girl Sophia will be 2 years old! I can hardly believe it! All of this going on, and my body decides to stay awake at night lately. I am running on empty lately.

Also, I have a large special project that I have been working on, that I will soon reveal here. There will also be a press release about it if all goes as planned! Let's just say it will be a fantastic opportunity in this poor economic climate to get my original paintings for a steal, and there will be a lot of them available.
For now, I leave you with a picture taken this summer in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

Plein Air Painting at Cedarock Park

Here a shot of me painting away at Cedarock park
This is my smallest paintbox. It is a converted cigar box and is great for doing small paintings on location at home and when traveling. It was also much cheaper than my commercially made paintboxes! This shot shows the painting after about 15 minutes of painting. I will post the finished painting soon.

Well, the weather finally cooperated over the weekend and Friday afternoon I stopped off at Cedarock Park and Historical farm on my way home. The pictures are above. I had my small cigar box painting kit with me and did a small 6 x 8 inch acrylic study which I think will work well as a larger piece. I will post the finished painting when I get a picture of it.

Wishing for warm painting weather

Hello friends.

Well, we had about 4-6 inches of snow Monday night, which is a lot more than we normally get. I have been fighting a constant cold/flu that keeps coming back, hence the reason for posting no new paintings lately. I have been too sick and tired to post even when I have new work to show. I will have some new things for you soon. I promise!

Anyway, I am ready for some warm weather so I can get back to some plein air painting. I have been sketching on location, but usually from the car because of the cold weather and the way I have been feeling. I'll leave you with an image from Ocraocoke Island, a nice warm place to take my mind off of the cold weather.

I have some exciting things to tell you, so stay tuned!

Siler City Art Walk - COLD!!!

Well, the 3rd Firiday art walk in Siler City was pretty well attended considering it was FREEZING COLD. I, of course was in a hurry to get to the gallery there that carries my work and ran out the door without my coat. So, I toured the artwalk with chattering teeth, but had a great time. If you are in the area, check out the NC Arts Incubator Gallery. A great artist I know, David Nance, has some absolutely incredible paintings at the gallery. I spent much time just studying his work. I learn so much by studying the work of artists I admire.
I am still doing my daily watercolor sketches and will post some soon along with some new oils and acrylics.

3rd Friday Art Walk - Siler City, NC

Hello friends! Tonight is the 3rd Friday Art Walk in downtown Siler City, NC. Come by Raleigh Street Gallery to see my work on display or just to say hello. Be sure and visit the other galleries and hear the great live music in the coffee shop courtyard. See you there!

For more info about this and future events, email me at paintinglandscapes@yahoo.com

Acrylic Painting Trees & Water

"Riverside Impressions"

18" x 24" Acrylic on Canvas ( Work in Progress)

I have been painting and sketching, but have not really finished anything lately. Life gets in the way sometimes! This piece I have signed, but I might still make some changes to it. I sometimes let works sit in the studio for awhile if I don't finish them right away. I look at them as I pass by each day and sometimes I will see some changes that can be made to enhance the painting.

I used a loose, impressionistic approach for this piece, but I will have to study it for a few days to see if I need to refine it a bit more.

Some new Ebay auctions

Hello friends,
I have re-entered the Ebay market after a year long abscence. I started listing paintings last month again. Ebay is not what it once was in sales, but the pieces I offer there are generally small studies and miniatures that I do not send to galleries. They are great for the entry-level collector because they are more affordable than my gallery work due to their small size. Click on the link below to view my current auctions. Enjoy!

http://shop.ebay.com/items/_W0QQ_nkwZHoldrenQ20artQQ_armrsZ1QQ_fromZR40QQ_mdoZ

If you have trouble with the link just go to www.ebay.com and search "Holdren Art" from the homepage.

The business of being an artist

Most people think an artist's life is nothing but painting and enjoying doing what you love. While it is true we must paint often to have work available, and it is our passion, it is not all that is involved in the business of being an artist.

I would venture to say that most people would be suprised at the amount of other work that is involved. Just this week I have been catching up on some of these things. I show in only two galleries at the present, so I have less paperwork than most artists who are full time, but there is work that must be done. This consists of not only creating the work, but pricing, making inventories of items in the studio and items at galleries. I also have to keep sales records of sold work, new work must be photographed before it leaves the studio so I have a record of my work and hi-res images down the road if I want to make prints, postcards, etc. I must maintain my website and blogs and keep them updated in order to keep marketing my work.
It's not always as easy as making a work available and then it automatically sells. An artist has to constantly study to improve their skill set, and constantly market their work to collectors. Some gallery reps will do this for you, but it is important for you to get in the habit of marketing your work.
Pricing is not always an easy task either. I still hold a full time job in addition to my painting sales, so my work is really affordable at present, but many people wonder why artists price work the way they do. Being an artist gets really expensive, especially when you use archival and quality materials and framing. Then there are marketing costs, website costs, taxes, and many other expenses. If you sell through a dealer, they may take anywhere from 30% - 50% of your sale price, then your expenses come out of what is left. So when you see a price you think is high, just remember - it is a one of a kind original, and artists don't sell paintings everday, and they need to put food on the table as well.

Anyway, just a rambling post today, but I thought some insight into the life of an artist's business, might be of interest to some. I will have some more paintings posted for you here soon!

Some Watercolor studies

"Smoky Mountains"

Watercolor 4" x 6"

"Beach Study"

Watercolor 4" x 6"

"Arts Council Study"

Watercolor 4" x 6"

This study was done quickly on a cold day. The perspective lines are off, and there are some other problems, but I wanted a study of one section of this historical house that houses the county's Arts Council and Gallery. This will serve as a study for a larger piece. I will use this and studies from different angles to come up with a composition for a large painting.

My pocket watercolor kit has been put to good use. I have been keeping it in the car to ensure I get some sketching time in daily in case I miss my nightly studio time due to other circumstances. The house sketch was done from life, the other two from memory as I couldn't get out on my lunch break. These are loose and not wonderful, but I am an oil and acrylic painter usually. I am enjoying sketching in watercolor though, and may develop some larger work in watercolor.

Daily sketching kit and some Winter Snow!

We had about 4 inches on snow on Tuesday and temperatures never got out of the twenties, which is unusual for North Carolina, even in winter. Usually after low temps, it gets at least above freezing!

I spoke in my previous post about finding time to sketch daily, when I am rushed. I keep this pocket watercolor kit in my car with a small block of WC paper and a bottle of water. It is so simple - just open the box wet the WC pans and mix on the lid with the tiny brush which fits in the box! I am normally an oil and acrylic painter, but my gear for that is larger and takes longer to set up. With this pocket kit, I can sketch quickly on my lunch break to ensure that I get some painting time in, in case I miss my studio time at night.
These little paintings end up being mostly studies for oil and acrylic works, but they are fresh and stand on their own as a nice little watercolor. I will post some of these studies tomorrow. I may even sell these in the miniature/sketches section of my website for a reduced price after I use them for my larger paintings.



Here is our daughter Sophia on our front porch after playing in the snow. She was not happy when it was time to come inside!

Back to painting after artist's block.

Well, I have been absent from the blog for awhile, and one of my goals this year is to be more frequent in my posting. When I started the blog a few years ago, I was better about posting regularly, but since the birth of my daughter, who will be two in March, life has been so crazy and busy - BUT WELL WORTH IT!

I am back to painting regularly, I just have gotten slack in posting new work and comments to the blog here.
I did have a lull in December, where I would start a painting, and just wipe it down, or go out to paint on location and just pack it up. I think all artists go through this sometimes. I have millions of ideas for paintings in my head all the time, but I was just going through a period where I didn't feel inspired to paint, which is rare for me. I think it was the busy Christmas season coupled with the fact that I am balancing my career as an artist with my full time job and my family responsibilities. It can be difficult to move ahead in your painting when your painting schedule has been moved to late at night and you are tired. But I want to progress in my painting to move towards my goal of painting full-time, so being flexible in my painting schedule is necessary. Could I start my studio time earlier in the evening? Yes, but then I would miss out on the little time that I have in the evenings with my wife and daughter. I would rather spend quality time with them, and paint after they are in bed.
Anyway, I have found a way to get some daily sketching time in that doesn't take much time at all. I will share that and some studies in the next post.