Sign up!

I am now working on 2 newsletters.... one for real, honest to goodness LIFE and one for my virtual life. Why the two? Well, if you sign on to the first one, you'll get updates and musings about my exhibitions, workshops, projects and whatever. If you sign up for the Second Life one you'll get updates about where I'm exhibiting in the virtual world. For any of you sl'ers out there, my avatar name is Littleone Aries. Look me up!

If you go to the homepage on my website, you'll see where you can sign up from there. You can unsubscribe at any time so not to worry about me following you in to eternity!

Uh oh...here we go again

Well, here we go again. I've started another big painting that I'll be bringing to this blog step by step. I've just posted the underpainting, which is the phase where I just let loose and throw some paint down on the canvas and let it do its own thing. My philosophy is that the "truth" of the artist comes out in such random work and I will attempt to honor this truth throughout the painting process. The dynamics established at this stage of the painting will dictate the direction it will take from here on in.

This is an oil painting on canvas, 30 x 30" square. I've got my work cut out for me but I'm excited.

Life is good.

Tuesday mornings at Treehouse

Why spend Tuesday mornings at my TreeHouse Studio?
1.) It's a relaxing, peaceful and inspirational environment to work in.
2.) If you're not painting, it will give you focus and create a special time for you to do nothing BUT paint.
3.) I can help you with projects and ideas you have banging around in your head that can't seem to find their way out and on to the paper.
4.) I can teach you. I am an experienced painter in watercolor, oil, acrylic and mixed media.
5.) I will share with you my thought process in the projects I myself am involved in.
6.) You can watch me work and ask me questions about the process.
7.) IT'S FUN!!!!

Hours: 9AM - Noon on Tuesday (I will notify you if I am unavailable)
Location: The TreeHouse Studio, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico
Fee: $25.00
Reservations are necessary. Email: monica@monicalinville.com

Second Life Exhibition Brings Me to YouTube

Ah, technology! I opened a beautiful exhibition of landscape oil paintings at Holly Kai Estates in Second Life yesterday. HondoMesa Kidd (Dennis Kinsey in real life, a professor at Syracuse University and owner of the independent record label Hondo Mesa Records) provided the music with truly passionate, wonderful renditions of blues and/or rock music. The collection of paintings I'm showing depict some of the environment that surrounds me here in Puerto Rico, in this case, lots of beach and coastal scenes.

Nber Medici, co-owner of this lovely golf, sailing and flying sim uploaded an HD video of the gardens with my art work showing and of Hondo playing one of his great tunes. Take a look! It will give you an idea of why I find life in Second Life to be so fascinating. The clip is titled "Art in the Gardens, June 10, 2010"

http://www.youtube.com/user/NberMedici

Life is good.

Rockin' the Kasbah

Hey! Check this out! I'm tickled to be featured in this blog. That's me.... Littleone Aries....my Second Life personna.

Thinking like an artist

Well, we're in to day 3 of my "How to Think Like an Artist" workshop here at my studio in the foothills of Puerto Rico's El Yunque Caribbean National Rainforest and we're having a ball! The focus of the projects is to teach the students how to work WITH their paintings and not ON them. I also believe that creative people are problem solvers, so the projects I have developed purposely leave the students with major hurdles to overcome, using the basic elements of painting to do so. It's intense and it's hard but it definitely makes them think and they try things they never would ordinarily do in their own studios. Teaching is good for me too as it reinforces these same elements in my brain too! Sometimes I get lost!

Life is good.

New news! Yay!

Greetings from the tropics! Took a little time off from blogging but I'm back to share a bit of news. (after a gentle prod from my friend, website designer and marketing guru Philippe Pascal).

First and foremost I'm really excited about now having a mailing list that you can sign on to for updates of workshops, exhibitions and newly completed projects. Just go to the home page on my website and sign on to be kept up to date on my activities. You can unsubcribe at any time.

And speaking of workshops, I started my "How to Paint Like an Artist" Creative Watermedia Workshop yesterday here at my TreeHouse Studio in the mountains of eastern Puerto Rico. The goal of the class is to teach my students how take paintings beyond technical mastery and in to the realm of artistic mastery. There's a difference, trust me. I'm enjoying students from both here in Puerto Rico and from the Virgin Islands. These are great days spent making art while perched on a little mountaintop overlooking the northeast coast of the island. Need a break from painting? Just look up and out over the sea. Inspiration returns quickly.

Lastly, my friend from Second Life, Carla Jarnhilde, a Swede from the international community that IS Second Life, posted the nicest blog entry about my work. I just wanted to share it with you. Her words truly touched me. It's her July 3rd entry. When you've been working at the easel as long as I have, it's wonderful to know that what you do impacts other people positively. I'm very grateful she took the time to write this.

Life is good.