Molly Hargarten Art

Patterns Draw Me In

Life and art change a person. After being a painter for 12 plus years I notice so much more in the world around me. I notice colors (can you believe the number of colors of green in tree leaves?!?!), shapes, value and patterns. Lately, something about patterns speaks to me. I find comfort in the repetition of them. Also, they allow you to use your imagination in new ways. Many times, patterns make me smile as I envision painting something that utilizes them, like all the tail ends of the cows as the herd moves away or the texture of rocks as water moves over them. Sometimes I see a pattern that makes sense when viewed from a distance but when painted close up looks like an abstract painting. How interesting. They can be like the Rorschach Inkblot test…what do you see? Here is an example of a pattern that I find interesting. What do you think it is?

posted March 22, 2011 | Comments (0)

The Flowering of Inspiration

My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece.

Claude MonetI LOVE to paint flowers. They are bits of pure, gorgeous color that never ceases to bring me joy. I love everything about flowers, planting them, their smell and their shapes.

Flowers signify so much in our lives. They are given as gifts for special occasions, as a way to show appreciation and to offer support and love to a friend that is facing a difficult time. Flowers are also a harbinger of hope letting us know that spring is on the way and with it renewal and revitalization. Who cannot feel happiness and appreciation for nature when gazing at a bed of lively flowers?

How do you paint a flower? Well, you can approach it in many ways. You can paint a botanical image which includes an accurate, detailed rendering of the all the flower parts. You can make your painting an exercise in abstraction and ebb and flow with the color and shapes. You can paint a white flower without using white paint…easiest to do with watercolor. You can paint a close up of a part of the flower or expand your vision and create a landscape with lush gardens.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when painting flowers…
1. No flower is exact. Nature has provided a plethora of shapes, color and textures. Take full advantage of this.
2. Some flowers have a detailed structure; some are simple shapes. Chose a subject that is right for you.
3. Vary the color and shadows on the flower. This will increase the interest of your painting.

Enjoy the growth and hopefulness of spring as you study and paint flowers.

posted March 15, 2011 | Comments (0)

Comfort in Expression

My family just got a big ‘kick in the stomach’. My mother was diagnosed with liver and lung cancer. I live a few states away from them and couldn’t get home right away to share in the support, emotions and doctors’ visits. So, what did I do? I sat in the corner of my studio and painted tulips. Why? I don’t know….it seemed like the thing to do. I didn’t go out, I didn’t take hot baths, I didn’t eat a bag of chips, and I didn’t journal….I painted. I found comfort in heart felt and soulful expression. I was comforted by color, shape and by painting something familiar and loved…..tulips are one of my favorite flowers. My mother started me on my creative path so painting is a way that I honor her and feel close to her. When I look back on this time, I will look at my tulip paintings and remember what was occurring as they poured out of me. The up side to all of this………I now have 9 new paintings of tulips and I love each one of them as I love my mother.

posted March 11, 2011 | Comments (0)

The Beauty of Snow

I am in MN visiting my family. As you might guess, there is TONS of snow here this year. Because I live in sunny CO, I forget how beautiful the snow can be. The shadows across the snow are a beautiful, blueish color with soft edges and lots of sparkle and texture. They help define the contour of the land and drifts. When you look across the countryside, the colors are muted and it looks like a black and white photo. For the first time in my artist life I want to paint something without much color! The hues of the snow are subtle and take a light touch. I am thinking of trying a painting like this…..of course I brought my brushes and paints along with me. If I decide to do that I will post it here.

Thanks again for reading this blog. I enjoy writing it.

posted February 26, 2011 | Comments (0)

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Painting Class……

I thought I was painting a VERY unique, creative, colorful watercolor of a school of brilliant tropical fish. I did, but there is more to it! Here’s the entire story.
About 15 years ago my husband and I became certified SCUBA divers. The underwater world is the most colorful and unique place that I have visited. I was entirely captivated and started to paint nothing but tropical fish, beaches, palm trees, flowers…you get the picture.

One day I started a painting of small fish that were swooping through the water in a large school. I drew about a million fish before I started painting them. It was a large effort and I wanted the painting to come out just right because of the investment that I had in it. I put the painting in my trunk to bring it to painting class. I put in in upside down and WOW…..lo and behold….I loved what I saw! The painting took on a whole new feel to it. When I got to class I had everyone vote on the version they liked best and the upside-down version won. I love stuff like this because it is funny and it teaches us not to take ourselves, or our art, too seriously.

posted February 20, 2011 | Comments (0)

Let go of the past

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Your past and past behaviors can slow you down time and time again. It is easy to start or continue your negative stories, ‘I can’t talk to people, and I’m too shy. No one will like my work. I don’t have any talent’……and on and on and on. Don’t you get tired of lugging this baggage with you where ever you go? I do!

The good news is you don’t have to carry this baggage any longer. Embrace a ‘beginners mind’. What is this? It is the ability to see each day, each moment, with a fresh, innocent mind…. a beginners mind. It is the ability to approach each day with renewed interest, gratitude and wonder. You might have made mistakes in the past, you might have disappointed others, but it’s over and there’s nothing you can do about it. When I find myself focused on my mistakes I deliberately sit and repeat to myself……let it go, let it go, let it go. This sounds hokey but it works.

Each day, each moment is a new opportunity to be the person you want to be. Don’t let past negative experiences stop you from getting what you want.

posted February 17, 2011 | Comments (0)

From One Artist to Another

The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.

–Michelangelo

One thing that keeps us from reaching our goals is low self-esteem and negative self-talk. Do any of these statements sound familiar? ‘I’m not a very good artist. That gallery won’t accept my work. I don’t have any skills to share. Who would want to take a class from me? I have been painting for _______years (fill in the number) and I still can’t paint a _________ (fill in the subject). I’ll never be any good.’

In the words of Oddball from Kelly’s Heroes (ok, I’m dating myself), ‘Why don’t you knock it off with them negative waves? Why don’t you dig how beautiful it is out here? Why don’t you say something righteous and hopeful for a change?’

Here is what I do to help combat negative waves and boost my self-esteem.

1. Every evening before I go to sleep, I write down 5 things in my journal that I am grateful for. This keeps me in a positive state of mind and reminds me just how fortunate I am.
2. I keep a record of all the goals that I have reached, the tasks that I have accomplished and the risks that I have taken. Doesn’t matter how big or small they are. They add up as the days pass. It is empowering to review this record and keeps me in action mode.
3. I keep company with people that I like, that are FUN, make me laugh and are supportive. Laughter IS the best medicine and there’s nothing like a friend to fall back on when you need a pick-me-up.
4. I get outside and MOVE. Exercise is a wonderful way to refresh the brain and I get some of my best ideas when I am pounding the pavement, riding my bike or walking the dogs.
5. I educate myself. I notice how I am feeling and thinking when I don’t feel motivated and make a note in my journal. This eventually leads to insight and helps me to overcome my pitfalls.

When you feel good about yourself, it is much easier to feel good about what you are painting, sculpting, drawing or sketching and it is easier to take ACTION…..which is what it’s all about.

posted February 10, 2011 | Comments (0)

Motivation

Although it’s important to be able to visualize yourself at your ultimate art goal, no one gets there overnight. Setting mini-goals helps you to stay focused and enjoy small triumphs along the way. To that end, it’s important to have short-term goals, as well as long-term goals, so you can enjoy smaller triumphs earlier, and you can create a plan to get there. You can always change or modify your goals as you go along. Do some research and find out how to set specific, measurable and attainable goals. I found a lot of good info in Alyson B. Stanfield’s book, ‘I’d Rather be in the Studio’.

This is the first step that I am taking to increase my motivation. Do you think this will help? Let’s hear from you!
1. Consequences – Never use threats. They’ll turn yourself against you and lead to lots of negative self-talk. Making yourself aware of the negative consequences of not getting results can have a big impact on your motivation. If you don’t get your act together, will you ever get what you want?

posted February 02, 2011 | Comments (0)

Momentum

At times I think that it would be so easy to ’stop’ all this foolishness with wanting to become a successful artist. Life would be so easy if I didn’t have these aspirations….or would it? I think that life would be boring and that I would have to find something to fill my life and give me satisfaction. But how do you keep up the momentum? Back to the question of self discipline. Today I will apply to the art show that I have been meaning to enter, I will answer all of my emails, and I will update my membership in my art organizations. I will also think about momentum and prepare future blogs about this. Anyone have input about what works for them?

posted January 24, 2011 | Comments (0)

Courage

1. The quality of a confident character not to be afraid or intimidated easily but without being incautious or inconsiderate.

2. The ability to do things which one finds frightening.

“Courage is not the absence of fear. It is acting in spite of it.” -Mark Twain
From Wiktionary

The cowardly lion wanted it, we give metals for it, personal growth and change takes a lot of it! Don’t fool yourself; self-discipline/change can be quite difficult and painful. It is hard to face passions, appetites and moods that derail us from our intentions. Find the courage within to face your struggles. As you begin to experience victories, it will be easier for you to feel better about yourself and reach higher and higher goals.