Portland artist Stephen O'Donnell has married his creative self-portrait with 33 creative writers from the Pacific Northwest in his book, "The Untold Gaze".  Each writer takes one of his paintings and creates a story, poem or flash fiction about the artwork.  The results are whimsical, strange and even heartbreaking.  His portraits are whimsical and fun, allowing the writers to easily play with the imagery.  It is a perfect pairing that we think you'll highly enjoy.

Get the book at Portland's very own Powell's Bookstore.

Get all the art supplies you need to create your own playful, gender-bending, self-portraits with I've Been Framed.

For about 3 moths, since July 2020, we've featured 12 fantastic Oregon artists, sharing their techniques and tips of how they make the art they create and why they do what they do.  We've enjoyed widening our community and spreading the artistic joy with them.  Unfortunately, we have no more artists to feature.  You see, no one else has submitted their info to share their art with us. 

Until we get more artists, we'll have to pause this wonderful part of our blog.  If you'd like to be the next artist to be featured with us, please fill out the form at the this link.  We'd love to hear from you and continue spreading the art love.  

Here are the 12 artists we featured over the past 3 moths:

1. Ruth Armitage: https://www.ivebeenframedpdx.com/blog/how-to-make-experimental-texture-with-heavy-body-acrylic-paint-with-abstract-artist-ruth-armitage#/
2. Curtis Settino:  https://www.ivebeenframedpdx.com/blog/painter-curtis-settino-encourages-artists-to-open-up-try-different-mediums#/
3. Alleyvision Couple:  https://www.ivebeenframedpdx.com/blog/alleyvision-shows-us-how-to-double-the-oil-painting-fun-in-their-collaborative-paintings#/
4. Maggie Wauklyn:  https://www.ivebeenframedpdx.com/blog/how-artist-maggie-wauklyn-keeps-it-simple-flows-with-it-to-make-perfectly-imperfect-art#/
5. Christa Paolucci:  https://www.ivebeenframedpdx.com/blog/dont-be-afraid-to-make-ugly-art-whimsical-animal-and-nature-artist-christa-paolucci-advises#/
6. Katarina Zarate: https://www.ivebeenframedpdx.com/blog/how-artist-business-woman-katrina-zarate-hustles-everyday-in-portland-oregon#/
7. Benz & Chang:  https://www.ivebeenframedpdx.com/blog/how-artist-benz-chang-uses-frisket-monochromatic-watercolors-to-create-a-magical-vintage-looking-painting#/
8. Val Hubbard:  https://www.ivebeenframedpdx.com/blog/how-playing-gets-abstract-artist-val-hubbard-ready-for-the-final-painting#/
9. Marybel Martin:  https://www.ivebeenframedpdx.com/blog/how-combining-traditional-digital-art-creates-a-unique-style-for-artist-marybel-martin#/
10. Neil Cochran:  https://www.ivebeenframedpdx.com/blog/how-nudging-oil-paint-opened-new-ideas-for-artist-neil-cochran#/
11. Serena Barton:  https://www.ivebeenframedpdx.com/blog/excavating-abstract-histories-and-ruins-in-oil-and-cold-wax-artist-serena-barton-shares-her-layered-painting-technique#/
12. Addie Boswell:  https://www.ivebeenframedpdx.com/blog/paper-cutting-artist-addie-boswell-reveals-her-process-to-creating-a-childrens-book#/

Portland Open Studios Tour is a long tradition in Portland, Oregon, happening every October.  This year, they adapted to the pandemic and are making virtual tours, artist talks and live studio visits, trying to make it as fun and interactive as possible to support their many artists and their many fans who come out to visit the artists each year.  Click on the above link to learn more and see all the participating artists.

Despite artist and author, Samantha Dion Baker, having to take care of her 2 children, she still finds a way to draw her day.  She shares her personal techniques, struggles, and materials in her pretty book, "Draw Your Day:  An Inspiring Guide to Keeping a Sketch Journal".  Just seeing the little drawings she does each day, makes you want to keep up your own daily drawing practice.

Get the inspiring book at Powell's Bookstore.

Get all the art supplies you need at our art store, I've Been Framed.   

The Cardboard Bernini is another art documentary that we highly recommend to you.  It's about cardboard artist, James Grashow who, during the filming, creates a monumental installation after Italian artist Bernini's epic fountain.  It takes James several years to create the massive art project and you watch as it unfolds and comes to life. 

​What's more impressive than this huge undertaking is that he plans to destroy the work after it is finished, by placing it outside in the rain to dissolve into mush.  The whole project is amazing to watch.  You're left with awe and loads of inspiration.

Should it inspire you to create some art and you need art supplies, please make an order with us at this link.

Portland, Oregon artist, art director, illustrator and author, Elizabeth Haidle is offering an online illustration course to help artists process the heavy things we're dealing with at this moment in our society.  In her own art practice, she has been creating personal power symbols to help her through her struggles and challenges.  She thought others might benefit from learning her art practice and creating their own.  It's called, "Illustrating Personal Power Symbols".  

The course is for 30 days starting October 4th.  If your'e interested, don't wait.  Her courses usually sell out soon.  Register by clicking on the link above.  Should you need art supplies for the course, make an order with us.

Artist Serena Barton says she's an archeologist at heart.  Ruins, history and forgotten pasts inspire her layered oil and cold wax abstract paintings.  She lives and works in Portland, Oregon, actively teaching and exhibiting all around the city, including an online oil and cold wax course and shows at Gallery 114 in the Pearl District.  She'll be a participating artist in the annual Portland Open Studios Tour which will be virtual this year due to the pandemic.  Without further ado, let's watch Serena's amazing layering and texture painting technique.  We love seeing her roll, brush, scrape and chisel away until the painting is perfect.

Make sure you check out more of ​Serena Barton's work on her website and Instagram account.  She also has an online course that teaches you how to use oil and cold wax.  Find it on her website.  

Artist Myriam Tillson shares her knowledge of gouache painting with you in a 4 part workshop that takes you from the basics to painting a landscape and an eye with gouache paint.  The best workshop is when she teaches you several methods of blending and lets you decide which ones work best for you and what you're trying to accomplish with gouache.  

The series is:

1. Gouache 101
2. Basic Gouache Techniques
3. Gouache Landscape Tutorial
4. Gouache Eye Tutorial

Should you need any gouache painting supplies for this workshop, please place an order with us at this link.

The Collector, a documentary about Allan Stone, a man who hoarded art for over 50 years, was one of the most fascinating and interesting films about art that we have ever seen.  You not only get to see how obsessed this man is with art as it takes over his home, but you see how it has brought him much success in art as it leads him to opening up a very successful New York gallery. 

It's filmed by his daughter who had made art documentaries, so you get to hear her point of view of her father's art collection obsession.  We give this film 5 stars and 2 thumbs up.

The link to watch it is on Amazon Prime is here and you can watch the trailer at this link.

We are amazed that art keeps going and adapting to the state of the pandemic world.  Pictoplasma's annual international art, design and animation conference which is usually held in Berlin, Germany, has adapted and for the first time offers it online for free for everyone.  For 2 days, they'll open 2 online channels where you can listen and watch artist talks, do live workshops and watch animations with many different methods and styles from around the globe.  Here's what they say about the conference:

• This year’s first ever, fully digital ‘Pictoplasma in Isolation’ awaits all global character pioneers, creatives and enthusiasts for a special celebration of contemporary character design and art.


• This September 18 + 19 we’ll be broadcasting more than 40 inspiring artist talks, 77 hand-picked animation shorts, 36+ hours of home entertainment spread over 2 channels during 2 intense days = endless character joy…
• … all for FREE, and all to the safety of your own 4 walls, wherever you are!

It's live broadcast only and starts at 7am PST in Portland, Oreton or if you're in Berlin, Germany that's 16:00 CEST. Click on the link above to register for it.

2 live worshops that we think you might enjoy are:

1. INHALE, EXHALE—A CREATIVE WORKSHOP WITH NATHAN JUREVICIUS:  Do you feel stuck for ideas or in a creative slump? ‘Professor’ Nathan Jurevicius’ workshop is a crash course in unblocking your mind and allowing thoughts to flow freely. 
   Nathan will take you through a series of subconscious doodle exercises, breathing life into ideas and finishing up with a rigorous fan art sketch-a-thon.
2. STAY AT HOME WORKSHOP WITH JON BURGERMAN:  Join Jon Burgerman as he rummages around his Brooklyn apartment (or studio) to find things he can turn into a character. Then in the second half join Jon as he turns you into a character whilst you turn him into one!
   
   

Portland artist Addie Boswell works in many different mediums; such as paint, cut paper, and calligraphy, and in many different scales; such as mural size public art, painting size fine art for galleries and lap size art for children's books.  Since she gets a lot of inspiration from play, family, children and community, it's only natural that she has illustrated many children's books.  Today, she reveals some of her process to make her children's book, Five On The Bed.  

We still need a lot more submissions for our "Oregon Artists Share Tips & Techniques" series.  Please submit your work at the button below.

In this simple and easy, step-by-step guide to using watercolor pencils, you can make koi fish seem to float on your page, as if you are looking down upon them in a beautiful Chinese pond. 

​The article (click above link to read the whole thing) takes you through the materials you need to do this project and even estimates the amount of time it will take you to do it.  Towards the end of the guide, it even tells you to take your wet brush and get pigment directly from the pencil.  After you've finished it, you'll have picked up techniques that will help you with your next watercolor pencil projects.

Should you need any watercolor pencils, paper or brushes to complete this project, please make an art supply order with us at this link.

As of late, we've been watching a lot of documentaries about artists. Some leave you feeling unsatisfied and like we wasted our time.  Others, like this one about collage artist Lance Letscher, made us elated to learn about his artist journey; the ups and downs, successes and failures and his amazing progress as he pushed his medium to the limits. 

We give this documentary 5 stars and a big thumbs up.  It's inspiring.  It's amazing to see how he pushes this art form to new heights and depths.  We loved seeing how he took trauma and tragedy and made it into something beautiful in his art.  It left us feeling fuller, bigger, more human, more caring, more creative.  We're sure you'll get the big feels by watching it too.

Watch "The Secret Life of Lance Letscher at this link. 

And if you need any art supplies to create your own collages afterward, make an order with us at this link.

We know there are lots of ways to make monoprints, but have you ever heard of making them with watercolors?  It's new to us. 

In this video, artist Patty Brady shows you step-by-step how to do several watercolor monoprinting techniques.  She makes it look so easy and fun to make this kind of print, plus we just love her colored hair and funky style. 

Click on the image below to be watch the whole how-to video.  And if you need any of the art supplies, please make an order with us at this link.

Award winning fantasy artist, James Gurney, lets you in on all his secrets to painting what doesn't exist in his book, "Imaginative Realism"  He talks about taking reference photos to help add to the realism of something from your imagination.  He teaches you step-by-step the techniques that won him world wide, critical acclaim.  A beautiful, fun book that will help you create your best fantasy and sci fi art.  

Get it at Portland's bookstore, Powell's.

Get all the art supplies you need at our art supply store, I've Been Framed.

Oregon City Artist, Ruth Armitage draws inspiration for her rich, abstract paintings from her family farm.  The luscious colors and textures are a symphony to the senses.  Hints of landscape and wildlife peek out from among all the wonderful marks and brushstrokes.  She shows her work all around Oregon and she teaches workshops on and off line.  Follow her on instagram to learn of new offerings and to see her new puppy.  Today, she shows us how she gets some of that amazing texture in a little, free workshop.  

Website: https://rutharmitage.com/
Facebook:  RuthArmitageStudios
Instagram:  @artistrutharmitage

Make sure you check out more of ​Ruth Armitage's amazing art on her websites.  Don't forget that you can take her online courses! 

​Thank you for sharing your beautiful art with us and your texture experimental workshop with heavy body acrylic paints.  

What do cigarette butts, peach pitts, and soot have in common?  Well, according to this book, "Make Ink", you can make ink with all of them, plus a lot more things.  The subtitle for this book is, "A Forager's Guide to Natural Inkmaking" which means the author shows you many things you can find in nature and in the city that you can use to make some great ink.  The book has lovely illustrations in it to encourage you to want to make your very own custom ink.  We cannot believe the array of colors and that is how the book is organized; by color to make it easy for you.

Get the book at Portland's favorite bookstore, Powell's.

Get any art supplies you'll need for your homemade ink at Portland's favorite, local art store, I've Been Framed.

Have you seen those step-by-step how-to-draw posts on the internet that help you draw anything from a dog begging to a car zooming by?  Well, that's basically what this lovely art book is about, but for those who want to know how to draw their beautiful, ordinary life.  It has a rather long title, "50 Ways to Draw Your Beautiful Life: Practical Lessons in Pencil & Paper", but it's very simple to follow.  Things like a cup of tea or bicycle are made easy to draw in this fun book.  They even give you space to draw your own version on the opposite side of the page of the instructions.  And the illustrations are so pretty and fun too. 

You can pick up the book at Powell's Bookstore.  Link is here.

You can pick up all the art supplies you need at our discount art supply store.  Link is here.

So many things have changed for artists since COVID-19.  We know many of you have lost the gallery shows you were going to have because many galleries couldn't continue during the lockdown.  We know art classes have been cancelled and even art school has not been the same.  OSU art students who were going to graduate and have their final grad show together were one of those group of artists who had to adapt to COVID-19.

In this short video, they tell of their hopes prior to COVID-19 and how they changed their idea of a final graduate show so that they could still have their final exhibition together.  We were touched and moved that they have adapted to the changing circumstances.  After you've watched the video at this link.  Check out their online gallery at this link.  We congratulate the OSU class of 2020 and wish you much success.  

Should you need any art supplies to keep your art practice going during COVID-19, please make an online order at this link.

When you're in Oregon, you don't think it's possible to do much plein air painting beyond spring and summer, but artist Jef Gunn is offering a plein air painting class that starts in September and goes until December 4th.  He'll take his students to some of the beautiful outdoor areas around Portland.  He says:

"Sites in or near Portland under consideration: Mt. Tabor, Rivervilla Park in Oak Grove, Oaks Bottom, Helvetia Church, Rooster Rock, Sauvie Island Oak Island area , even perhaps the Quarry near Cascade Locks. I’ve shortened this list to those sites that allow us maximum distance to work."

To learn more about his class, including cost and dates, click this link.  Should you need any art supplies for the classes, please don't hesitate to make an order with us at this link.

Instagram:  @cutissettino
​YouTube: Cutis Settino Art
Website:  canoofle.com

Make sure you check out more of Curtis Settino's art on his YouTube channel, and his Instagram account.  It will get you inspired to try out as many different mediums that you can get your hands on.