Artist Ruth / Art Is Truth
“Connections” Online Exhibition – Three Year Celebration of Sharing
Thanks to everyone who came out to see me for this past weekend's Open Studios of Beavercreek! It was great to meet you, and I hope that those of you who took home artwork will enjoy it for years to come 🙂 I also hope to see some of my visitors in upcoming classes. I...
Open Studios of Beavercreek and Blog Anniversary Giveaway
We've had a recent run-in with the local population of coyotes lately, so I was extremely happy to see this fawn again on Monday. The tragedy is that the coyotes got two of my best laying hens, right from under our noses. I hope many of you will plan to visit me this...
June Open Studio and Blog Anniversary Giveaway
I apologize for my long pause between posts, but it has been extra busy around here with farm life...
From Desert to Rain Forest
It has been a couple of very busy weeks for me. I had two out of town trips on back to back weekends. The first was to New Mexico, both Albuquerque and Santa Fe, for the Western Federation of Watercolor Societies. I am the elected delegate from Oregon and have the...
Balance
I've been thinking about balance in my artwork and my 'juggling act' of life lately. My last post I talked about how I make sure that I make time for art. I've done that this past week or so, largely because of deadlines. But I think that my daily living has really...
Cottonwood Shimmer
Available at Mary Lou Zeek Gallery 503-581-3229, 335 State Street, Salem, Oregon 97301 www.zeekgallery.com
Art is a Priority
Yesterday I had an email from a reader asking for more advice on Making Time to Create. She writes: It's mind boggling to me how the days go by without my so much as getting my paints out. As you can imagine, it makes me feel pretty sad. Makes me question just how...
The Power of Red
This morning as I considered images to include with this post, I noticed that all of my recent images had one thing in common: a dominance of Red! If I look around my home there are accents of red spicing up the decor in key areas. It is a strong color that can...
Learning to Critique Your Paintings
There is a strange transformation that occurs in the artist's brain as we near the finish line of making a painting and begin the process of evaluating it. Evaluating one's own work is an important part of the creation process and can really help improve the...
Family Vacation and Art Weekend
I've been away from the studio for a family vacation in Hawaii, so no photos of new work. My best works of art though, have been my kids.... and during spring break we celebrated our twins' 21st birthday in Hawaii. We have never taken our kids to Hawaii, and never...
Star-Struck
SOLD
Painting a Watercolor from a Snapshot
I thought it might be fun for readers to see the process I use when painting from a photo or snapshot. I have to give most of the credit for this process to Donna Zagotta, who emphasized this design process in her workshop. I'm hoping my own style comes through in the...
Winter’s Coming
"Winter's Coming" Watercolor & Gouache 15"x22" copyright Ruth Armitage 2010 Available $750 , Framed No Shipping charge for Portland Oregon Metropolitan Area
Art is Important
Winter is still here, even though the daffodils are popping up and garden shows are enticing us to plan new additions to our landscapes. This morning I sat at the window and watched flakes falling. I love the look of snow, probably because it is so rare here. While...
Inspiration
The word “inspiration” comes from the Latin meaning “the act of breathing in”. And I found that the act of breathing in can often lead to hyperventilation — too much intake with no benefit. I have learned that if I want to accomplish anything, I...
A Personal Assistant?
I've been pretty busy lately: applying to shows, working in the studio, shipping paintings, taking care of the farm animals, and just life in general. One thing that has been a real treat is taking some time for myself to study garden design with Lucy Hardiman. I...
Back Roads
ready to hang unframed, edges painted black
February Art Exhibits
On Thursday I took new work in to Mary Lou Zeek in preparation for the reveal of her newly remodeled space on February 1. The new remodel adds a wonderful feeling and will be much more functional for her cozy gallery. Artists were descending on the gallery in clusters...
Lee Kelly and Tangie Belmore
Last Friday was my day to get out & see some art. It's always inspiring to view the work of others! My neighbor & I took a morning at the Portland Art Museum to see the Lee Kelly retrospective. We live within 1/2 mile of his studio and have admired his work on...
Making Time to Create
This time of year I always feel a definite pull to get back into the studio. The holidays can really tend to interrupt a good working pattern for me, and the New Year is always a good time for resolutions, new routines (including exercise!) and setting goals. Here are...
