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Thursday, December 24, 2015

Merry Christmas from Jill Saur

I sent a similar version of the letter below to my current students.  I realize that many of my former students receive this blog in their email and I want you to know that I think of you often and hope you're all doing well!  MERRY CHRISTMAS!


Watercolor Painting By Jill Saur

To my students and former students who celebrate Christmas, I wish you a wonderful Christmas! Growing up, I was only taken to church on Easter. It wasn't until I was eighteen, that I turned to God. I've always been amazed that the Old Testament has over 360 prophecies of Jesus birth, life, and resurrection. My favorite one regarding his birth is, "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." (Isaiah 7:14)   God is very deep and so is His word. Whenever I study the Old Testament, it's like going on a treasure hunt!

I want to thank everyone for making this year and previous years, a wonderful experience for both myself and the other students. I'm always impressed by how you support one another in your artistic endeavors. I'm a better person for having known each and every one of you!

My Very Best,

Jill Saur www.JillSaur.com






Monday, December 21, 2015

Art Classes Roswell, GA

"In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins; not through strength, but through persistence." - Anonymous

"Persistence is the way to fingerprint your inner talent." - Paula Sue Butts

As I gathered these new photos of my students recent works, I've been reminded of the word persistence.  Several of the paintings below took a considerable amount of time and persistence on the part of my students.  I'd say it paid off, wouldn't you?  All of my students exhibit a stick to it attitude and I love seeing them smile after they put down their brush or pencil and fully take in the result of all their efforts.

To see more of my students work or to inquire about taking art classes, CLICK HERE.

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This blog lives at www.DailyArtClass.blogspot.com

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Art Classes Roswell, Ga. Paul Cezanne

PAUL CEZANNE'S PAINTING

Cézanne ultimately came to regard color, line, and "form" as constituting one and the same thing, or inseparable aspects for describing how the human eye actually experiences nature.
Unsatisfied with the Impressionist dictum that painting is primarily a reflection of visual perception, Cézanne sought to make of his artistic practice a new kind of analytical discipline. In his hands, the canvas itself takes on the role of a screen where an artist's visual sensations are registered as he gazes intensely, and often repeatedly, at a given subject.
Cézanne applied his pigments to the canvas in a series of discrete, methodical brushstrokes as though he were "constructing" a picture rather than "painting" it. Thus, his work remains true to an underlying architectural ideal: every portion of the canvas should contribute to its overall structural integrity.
In Cézanne's mature pictures, even a simple apple might display a distinctly sculptural dimension. It is as if each item of still life, landscape, or portrait had been examined not from one but several or more angles, its material properties then recombined by the artist as no mere copy, but as what Cézanne called "a harmony parallel to nature." It was this aspect of Cézanne's analytical, time-based practice that led the future Cubists to regard him as their true mentor. -The Art Story.org
"After studying Dutch and French Old Master still life painting at the Musée du Louvre and other Paris galleries, Cézanne formulated his own semi-sculptural approach to still lifes. Typically strewn across an upturned tabletop, Cézanne's pears, peaches, and other pictorial elements seem at once to rest on a solid, wooden plank and yet float across the surface of the canvas like a new kind of calligraphy. As if to press home that point, Cézanne typically includes chairs, wooden screens, water pitchers, and wine bottles to suggest that the gaze of the viewer rise vertically up the canvas, rather than plunge deep within any implied corner of a real kitchen." - From The Art Story - Modern Art Insight
Oil on canvas, 47 x 56 cm (18 1/4 x 22 in) - The Barnes Foundation, Pennsylvania

Paul Cezanne fruit on table
Paul Cezanne Fuit Painting 1895-1900

Consider how different this still life really is.  The bowl of fruit isn't sitting flat on the table.  This is such an usually lovely perspective.  Why not consider setting up a still life for yourself that is somewhat out of the ordinary, something that you don't usually see.  I'm throwing down the challenge.  Any takers?

To learn about taking art classes with me and to see my students beautiful work:

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Art Classes Roswell, GA

Back by popular demand is my post about this art bag.  Since I last wrote about this tote, a number of my students have purchased this Pittman Field Bag and THEY LOVE IT!  I'm posting this for my new students who are looking for a good overall bag to carry their art supplies in.  And, best of all, this holds the Masterson Art Palette!  Enjoy!

ART TOTE BAG:  This is the Pittman Field Bag.  It's made by Jerry's Artarama.  The Masterson Palette fits in a compartment under the bag!!!!  The bag is large enough to accommodate paint, brushes, palette, paper towels and lots of other things.  If you order it, be sure to just order the bag.  There is another price for the bag and a watercolor palette and that's more expensive.

To learn about taking art classes with me, please CLICK HERE.








To learn about taking art classes with me, please visit my website.  CLICK HERE

This blog lives at:  www.DailyArtClass.Blogspot.com

Monday, December 7, 2015

Painting Classes Roswell, GA

"The occasional artist discovers how to breathe life into the canvas and the painting sings with a pure voice." Robert Bissett

How do you breathe life into your painting so that your painting sings with a pure voice?  Let's talk about this during class this week.  I have many thoughts about this topic, but I'd like to hear what you have to say.  The answers you come up with just might change the way you approach a painting.  

Please enjoy these finished works from the past week by my awesome students.  I couldn't resist adding that last photo of my students palette.  I'm so happy to see my students using the mixing techniques that they've learned in class.  Students set themselves up for a successful painting when they prepare the palette ahead of time.  When you spend time finding and mixing the right paint, you can relax and enjoy the painting process.

To inquire about art classes or to see more of my students paintings, please visit my website.





This blog lives at www.DailyArtClass.blogspot.com

Monday, November 30, 2015

Art Classes Roswell, GA

Vincent Van Gogh Trees "Pollard Birches" 1884

"I can think of no other European painter whose work expresses such a stripped respect for everyday things without elevating them, in some way, without referring to salvation by way of an ideal which the things embody or serve." - John Berger on Vincent Van Gogh

It's no secret that Vincent Van Gogh is number one on my list of favorite artists.  He was passionate, disciplined, incredibly smart, innovative, and someone who loved deeply.  Can you just get lost in his trees?  I can.  In the above drawing, the trees take center stage, but it's not long before you notice the image of people working in the fields.  I love this piece.  Please enjoy another quote below by John Berger.  He writes of Van Gogh's act of drawing in beautifully descriptive terms.

"What do we see? Thyme, other shrubs, limestone rocks, olive trees on a hillside, in the distance a plain, in the sky birds. He dips the pen into brown ink, watches, and marks the paper. The gestures come from his hand, his wrist, arm, shoulder, perhaps even the muscles in his neck, yet the strokes he makes on the paper are following currents of energy which are not physically his and which only become visible when he draws them. Currents of energy? The energy of a tree’s growth, of a plant’s search for light, of a branch’s need for accommodation with its neighboring branches, of the roots of thistles and shrubs, of the weight of rocks lodged on a slope, of the sunlight, of the attraction of the shade for whatever is alive and suffers from the heat, of the mistral from the north which has fashioned the rock strata. My list is arbitrary; what is not arbitrary is the pattern his strokes make on the paper. The pattern is like a fingerprint. Whose?" - John Berger

To inquire about taking art classes with Jill Saur, or to see her students work, please visit her website, CLICK HERE.  To sign up to receive this blog in your email, please add your email address to the box in the right.  Thanks!


Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Art Classes Roswell, GA

"It always seems impossible until it's done." - Nelson Mandela

I love that quote by Nelson Mandela!  The beginning of any painting can often feel insurmountable.  But, when the painting begins to progress and the mysteries of creativity unfold, a great sense of satisfaction is born.  It always seems impossible until it's done!

Please enjoy these beautiful works of art by my creative and wonderful students!  To see more of my students work, or to inquire about taking art classes with me, please visit my website  CLICK HERE.

To receive this blog in your email, please add your email address to the box on the right.  Thanks!






This blog lives at www.DailyArtClass.blogspot.com

Monday, November 16, 2015

Painting Class Roswell, GA

"I could paint for a hundred years, a thousand years without stopping and I would still feel as though I knew nothing". - Paul Cezanne

I can relate to Paul Cezanne's sentiment and I've felt it the most when deeply involved in large or time-consuming works of art.  So, don't feel bad if you feel like you don't know anything.  When I feel that way, it opens the door to discovery and that's one of the most exciting things about painting or drawing.  Painting is a never ending treasure hunt!

Please enjoy these works of art by my awesome and amazing students.  To see more of their work, or to inquire about taking art classes, please CLICK HERE.








This blog lives at www.DailyArtClass.blogspot.com
If you want to send me an email, CLICK HERE

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Art Classes Roswell, GA.

I'd like to encourage my students to keep their camera handy because you never know what you might find that will spark your creativity and inspire a great painting.  There's planned photography, such as my trip below, and there's spontaneous photography.  Several years ago, I went to my bank on Alpharetta Hwy.  There was an empty field next to the bank.  I spotted a tree that looked like it could tell a thousand stories.  The moody sky behind it and the golden field below and around it made for the perfect shot.  I just happened to have my camera with me.  That photo inspired one of my favorite paintings that hangs in my studio today.

Kebler Pass Colorado
©2015 Jill Saur, all rights reserved
Two years ago, my husband and I were in this very forest on Kebler Pass in Colorado (above). When we left, I was determined to return to this magical spot. Two years later, two flights and a four-hour car drive with my sister, Gina, I returned to that spot in September. As I was lying on the ground with my camera and photographing the incredible cyan sky behind the brilliant aspen leaves, I thought, "It just doesn't get any better than this!"



Ohio Pass Colorado
©2015 Jill Saur, all rights reserved
A short distance from Kebler Pass, Colorado, is Ohio Pass.  My sister and I ventured up the steep narrow road to find a treasure of aspen trees with their gold leaves quaking in the gentle breeze.  Truly, Kebler Pass and Ohio Pass are two very special places that may be one of the best kept secrets in Colorado.  

It will be interesting to see the paintings that emerge from this special trip.  As in years past, I've come home with tremendous photographs and a vast memory of blessed days and starry starry nights.

How about you?  Are you looking for those special moments right where you are?  Remember, one of my best paintings was inspired by an empty lot next to my bank.  Sometimes, it's the ordinary things that are truly extraordinary.

JILL SAUR'S WEBSITE

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Art Classes Roswell, GA

"Every production of an artist should be the expression of an adventure of his soul." Maugham

The first photo below didn't cost me a penny to take, but the truth is,  it's PRICELESS!
It gives me great joy to see a student love what they do.  Not every moment of creating art is a walk in the park.  There can be frustration, self doubt, and all the emotions that go along with self expression.  However, to work through those thoughts and feelings and come to the place of revelation, of completion, of loving the whole process as well as the outcome, that's what it's all about!  

All of the smiles in all the photos that I take of my students are genuine.  Each smile gives me something special that I get to take with me in my own journey as an instructor, mentor, and facilitator.  Thank you!

To see more of my students work, or to inquire about taking art classes with me, please visit my website and click on the "ART CLASSES" link on the top of the page. CLICK HERE





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This blog lives at www.DailyArtClass.blogspot.com

Monday, November 2, 2015

Painting Classes, Roswell GA.

"When the adrenalin of creativity flows through our mortal bodies, time seems to stop, and worries and physical pain take a backseat to its mysterious wonderful way.  Oh that the whole world could know the joy of picking up a brush and getting lost in the painting process!" – Jill Saur

Please enjoy these beautiful works by my ever amazing and wonderful students to whom I am eternally grateful for the joy they bring into my life!

To see more of my students work, or to inquire about taking art classes with me, please visit my website and go to the "Art Classes" link.  CLICK HERE

If you would like to receive this blog in your email, please put your email address in the box on the right.  Thanks!



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This blog lives at www.DailyArtClass.blogspot.com

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Art Classes Roswell, GA


"Sometimes, if you want to really see, you have to first close your eyes." - Jill Saur

So, I've been studying the lives of several amazing artists who are blind.  They find great success with their work through feeling deeply and using physical touch to identify the size and shape of what they're drawing and painting.  

Since I've been talking with my students about not being a slave to their photograph that they're working from, and because I want everyone to connect more with what they're doing, I thought it would be an interesting exercise to have my students wear a blindfold and draw an object through sheer touch. I told them that they are so much more creative than they realize and they were about to experience it first hand!  

So, I let them pick from an array of things such as pine cones, apples, bananas, and soap dispensers. Then, when they were ready, they tied on their blindfold and held their object in one hand and drew it with the other. I only took a few photos of their initial experiment (the first two photos below.)  Everyone loved it and I think they were pretty surprised as to how well they did working completely blind!






Everyone had so much fun with the apples and pine cones that they thought they would try their hand on something a little more complicated. :)











Okay, so if you've gotten this far, I might have exaggerated a little as to the group experimenting with something that's a little more complicated!  Everyone thought they would have a little fun with the blindfolds and possibly make the other classes a little jealous as to how fast they picked up on this new way of "seeing".

However, the first experiment was real and perhaps a little bit life altering.  Sometimes, you hear the expression, "Don't try this at home."  But, regarding drawing blindfolded, I am say, "TRY THIS AT HOME."  You'll be surprised at what you're able to do just by the use of touch and inner feeling!

Interested in art classes?  CLICK HERE

This blog lives at www.DailyArtClass.blogspot.com.