Painting Like Eric Carle by Leada Wood, Artist Of Texas

Young Artists At Work

We are learning about American Painters in art class at Studio Twenty. This week we studied about Eric Carle who has illustrated and written numerous children's book, he is most famous forThe Hungry Catapillar. Carle paints tissue paper and makes collages for his illustrations giving his work a very recognizable style. He uses very bright colors that appeal to his audiences. These girls have painted their tissue papers in preparation to begin their painting in his style. They chose this painting from one of his books to emulate.

Eric Carle Illustration

They will be busy little bees (pardon the pun!) cutting and gluing paper to a substrate. I will post the girls results when they finish their works of art.

An Artist's Life by Leada Wood

Studio Twenty Gallery

This is a peek at part of the gallery in Studio Twenty in Colorado City, Texas. Studio Twenty is a consignment gallery with artists doing diverse mediums and techniques. I am always on the lookout for new artists who would like to showcase and sell their art. I am especially in need of glass, metal, wood and ceramic artists. The work must be high quality and professional.  It would also be nice if you don't live too far away so that delivering new work is not a problem.  We love to have visitors at Studio Twenty! Guest artists are always welcome to do a demo or conduct a workshop.
Contact me at www.leadawood.com and we can make arrangements.

I hope you have enjoyed An Artist's Life as much as I have in sharing mine with you.

Remember "Good art takes you somewhere!"

An Artist's Life by Leada Wood

Leada Wood

Ok, you caught me posing for the camera! I am sitting at my watercolor work station, pretending to work! This is where I do my watercolors and drawings. I keep most everything I need within this area. My files are to the left, photos are stored in index files, grouped together in sections. I use labels, gardens, trees, people,ect and then sometimes I break those down into sub-labels, pansies, roses,ect. It usually depends on how many photos of a subject I have if they get their own label. I also save all my photo refrences on dvd.  Over the years you began accumulating so many photographs that at some point you can't print them all. I label all my dvds  so that when I am hunting for a reference it makes it so much easier to find. I then print out the photos I need and place them in a folder with the painting title and file them after the drawing and painting is completed.  I keep records of every painting I create. I have started photgraphing the progression of the process so I can share it with you on my blog. It is a lot of work! But makes life easier when you are searching!
There is more to being an artist than painting.  I am a researcher, photographer, idea person, draftsman, creator, business woman, blogger, web site developer, framer, marketing person, ect. As you see I wear many hats and that is just my artist's life!

Thanks for stopping by! You can see my watercolors by clicking here: http://www.leadawood.com/

An Artist's Life by Leada Wood

Workshop in progress

Artists come in all sizes, shapes and ages. We never get too old to learn! Here are a few dear friends of mine learning a new twist on collage at Studio Twenty.  I love doing collage! I feel like I am repurposing things most folks throw away, you could say it is a green art process. The thing is, you can combine collage with all mediums and mix up your process and come up with some wonderful paintings and techniques.  Or if they don't turn out so wonderful you can keep going until you do love your creation. Sometimes I take old paintings, watercolor or acrylic, on paper or canvas, that aren't up to my expectations and use it as an underpainting and start layering things on top.
It is a great way to recycle materials and turn those bowzers into wowzers! To see some of my collages click here: http://www.leadawood.com/
Thanks for stopping by!

"Rest not! Life is sweeping by, go dare before you die. Something mighty and sublime, leave behind to conquer time." -Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

An Artist's Life by Leada Wood

Still Life Set Up

Sometimes when artists get together and they can't seem to get going on their painting, they decide to play. I keep lots of inspirational things in my studio for times such as these.  We usually look around and start gathering objects and create still lifes. Then we take many photos, gotta love those digital cameras! This usually leads to many variations of the set up and then different set ups, so you usually spend the afternoon creating and photographing set ups. It is a wonderful way to create new ideas for paintings. I have so many paintings in my head that I know I will never get them all finished, so I have to choose the ones that inspire me the most.
Thanks for stopping by! Come back again and have another peek in my studio.

Creativity is the ability to produce a unique or uncommon idea that comes from within ourselves that is influenced by a lifetime of experience.     Carrie Burns Brown

An Artist's Life by Leada Wood

Leada Wood

This is where I do my mixed media and torn paper collages. I have different work stations for different techniques.  I try to organize my materials in each section where it makes it easier to find things. If you have ever done mixed media you know it takes lots of stuff and you seem to collect things. It is very important to have things organized and labeled to make your work easier. I enjoy creating mixed media and torn paper collages as it is very relaxing to me. I turn up my favorite tunes and let my creative child out to play! I am then in my zone and one with my painting. Thanks for stopping by, if you have any questions I will be glad to answer them if I can.
Stay tuned there is still more to come!

"I am a collector...of colors...vibrant, warm, potent, powerful colors. With an artful eye I look for color currents. Colors to comfort and warm. RED..threads of scarlet... Spice it up!"  ---Leada Wood

An Artist's Life by Leada Wood

Lovely Lola

This is lovely Lola, my studio muse. She is always in a good mood and is a very good listener! She keeps an eye on things for me at Studio Twenty. Studio Twenty is a consignment gallery and is where I create my art. I also host the local art club, West Texas Art Guild, which I co-founded with my friend Carolyn. Somethimes there are workshops and demos by  artists from  all over our great state.  Come along with me and I will take you on tour!

Fun at Studio Twenty by Leada Wood, Artist of Texas

Playing with Props

What do two artists do when they get together and neither wants to paint? They start brainstorming and setting up still lifes in the studio with various props sitting around. If you have ever been to Studio Twenty and gone to the back where my studio is, you know I have lots of stuff to set up still lifes with. My friend Linda came over Saturday to visit and paint but neither one of us really could get into the groove so we started getting down stuff and setting them up and having a merry old time taking lots of photos. I know some of these photos will make it into paintings and eventually onto my blog. Its great to have friends to art around with!

Torn Paper Collage by Leada Wood, Artist of Texas

drawing ©Leada Wood

Yes Suzy I think I am hooked! Here is my drawing for another paper painting. Painting with paper or collage is such fun! I have done it off and on for years but now and then I revisit it and get excited all over again doing them. This is a half sheet of watercolor paper with my drawing in sharpie marker, so I can keep up with the lines and drawing when I get started gluing paper down. I will be posting photos of the process, so keep checking back to see my progress.

Leada Wood's Mixed Media Workshop

This is the mom of the young woman who lives in Hungary. This is a mixed media painting, which she has applied different textures to and painted it her favorite color, still a work in progress. I think she maybe a natural!

Leada Wood's Mixed Media Workshop

This student is from Dallas and this is her painting from our journey drawing, although not completely finished, I think her painting is looking awesome!

Leada Wood's Mixed Media Workshop

This is one of my students from the Mixed Media Workshop at Studio Twenty. I took them on a journey drawing first as most of them were novice painters, then they began to paint. Even though she is not finished with this painting I think she is doing a wonderful job as I think it may be her first painting ever. I hope she continues on with her painting journey!

Leada Wood's Mixed Media Workshop

This is the cute couple from Budapest, Hungary, they were adorable and such fun! They were visiting her mom who was also taking the workshop. I am sorry to say I didn't get  photos of their paintings so I am hoping they will email me some photos when they return home to Hungary.

Leada Wood's Mixed Media Workshop

Here are two more of my students at the workshop on Saturday. Although some were inexperienced their paintings turned out great! I hope they all keep painting as they were very creative. Two of the ladies were from Dallas, two from Sweetwater and a cute couple from Budapest, Hungary.

Leada Wood's Mixed Media Workshop

Hard at work....having fun!

I have never had such eager, hard working students!  The mixed media workshop on Saturday was such fun, and what a wonderful group to work with! Here are three of my students painting away!

Suzy Powell Workshop at Studio Twenty

Suzy Powell (left) and Kay Smith

Saturday May 14th was a fun day at Leada Wood's Studio Twenty. It's always a good time when a roomful of artists get together to try something new. Suzy Pal is such a good instructor, so generous to share her techniques with all of us, and she is just fun!  If you get the chance to take her workshop you will be in for a treat.

Paper Geisha

Paper Geisha by Leada Wood ©

This is a paper painting collage I completed today in a workshop at Studio Twenty with instructor Suzy Pal. What a wonderful group of ladies! We had such fun, each doing their own subject matter, tearing hundreds of bits of paper from magazine pages and gluing them to their substrates. I collaged mine to watercolor paper and it is 11X15.

Paper Geisha

Work in progress. Today at Leada Wood's Studio Twenty the West Texas Art Guild had a workshop with Suzy Pal. Suzy showed us how to paint with paper or collage, except we tore hundreds of bits of different colored paper from magazines pages and glued the bits to paper or canvas with gloss varnish. I am holding up my geisha that I was working on. We had a wonderful day playing with paper!

Fun Furniture

Not only do I enjoy painting on paper and canvas, I also enjoy painting furniture. Bright happy colors are all over my studio. When you walk in the door it brightens you day no matter your mood! A cheerful heart does good like medicine, and I do strive to be cheerful. Enjoy the journey!

Caboose Watercolor Society Gals

This is a group of my friends that I have the pleasure to be with and paint and do themed art shows with. We call ourselves the Caboose Watercolor Society. There are six of us total, not pictured is Carole Berry. Back row l to r...Linda Rupard, Kay Smith, Sue Bagwell, front row Leada Wood and Estelle Howard. We have paint outs, Fun Friday, at my studio once a month. The West Texas Art Guild also meets at Studio Twenty the last Saturday of the month. I am so thankful I have a nice studio to share with my friends and loved ones!