Hindsight & 2020

Hindsight is 2020. I heard this saying recently and, while they meant it in the usual sense, that “2020” bit hung in the air. Then the over-thinker in me commenced to pondering. This year is not even over yet, but we are all eager for it to be. And when it is in hindsight, it will be something else wont it? I’m determined to find the beauty in the ashes and the blessings that are a result of this year. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

I have shared a story many times with my children. It’s one of those carpool conversations where you hope to impart some wisdom that will guide them well. It seems applicable so here goes…⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Some scientists were doing a study on human behavior. They put two kids in two separate rooms, both with a HUGE pile of manure in the middle of the room. Hours later they returned to check on them. One child was furious! He said it was awful and stunk and demanded they get him out of there. The other child they found covered in manure. He was laughing! They were stunned and asked him what he was laughing about. He said, “Well, with all this manure I figured there must be a pony in here somewhere!” Be that kid. Be the one who looks for the pony. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

May we all find a pony when 2020 is finally in hindsight. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Pictured above: A favorite painting of mine this past year. (Sold) Please visit my online shop to see what is now available or contact me if you would like to discuss custom paintings.

Have you any wise words or favorite quotes during this crazy year? Please leave them in the comments below!

How to Frame Art Prints

Whether you want to find an inexpensive way to frame a print and save money or leave it to a pro, there are a few things you should know first. As an artist I am often asked about how to frame artwork. Everyone has their own taste and preference. Ornate or minimalist? Metal or wood? Light or dark? Thick or thin? All of these choices are wonderful! But they also make it a risky (and costly) thing for an artist who chooses to include frames along with their work.

Original gallery wrapped oil painting — This is the original painting, a 12×16 painted in oil on gallery wrapped linen.

For years now I have chosen to paint on gallery-wrapped canvas. This style of canvas continues around the edges of it’s frame. Staples are not visible on the sides, but on the back, and the canvas covered edges can be painted. I like to continue my painting around the sides but they can also be painted a solid color. Take a look at my originals for some examples. Although a frame is unnecessary, there are situations when a frame is a great idea:

the design space calls for a more formal display
when you want the artwork to fill up more space in it’s setting
a visual break is needed between the painting and the wall it is displayed on (ie: close in color and blends together)

Framing Prints

Paper and Canvas are the most common types of p rints. These prints pictured here are available in both and which kind you choose will determine the best framing option. I strongly recommend using a professional framer and supporting local businesses whenever possible. Chain stores offer a wide variety of custom frames as well as “ready-mades”. Don’t forget coupons! They are often available online or in the weekly ads. Ask your local framer if they’ll accept competitors coupons too.

Paper Print Close Up View — Close up view of a paper print.

Paper Prints

Paper prints should be framed under glass. A mat gives a complete and polished look but they aren’t always necessary. The addition of a mat is also a way to increase the size of your print. For example, a 9×12 borderless fits perfectly in a 9×12 store bought frame. But you can take the same 9×12 print to a framer and ask them to cut a mat for it to fit a larger frame, whatever size you wish. There are mats in any color or texture you can imagine. (I love a great linen!)

DIY or Pro?

What is the most cost effective way to frame a paper print? Find a ready-made frame. I would suggest you take the print with you to the store and see if you can find one you love off the rack that fits your print. Don’t worry if you don’t, just find the next size up and have a mat custom cut. Of course you will have MANY more options if you have a framer build a frame for you. They usually have great suggestions too!

Under side of canvas Print — The underside of a canvas print reveals the quality of the material used.

Canvas Prints

With the introduction of giclee’ printing and all the technological improvements, canvas prints have come a long way. As can be expected, the increase in demand there has meant an increase in suppliers and range of quality. Some less expensive “canvas” prints are on cheaper fabrics and have a more slick or plastic feel to the touch. They can crack around the edges and may not last as long. I will only offer the best quality I can find but just be aware when looking elsewhere.

Close Up Canvas Print — Close up of canvas print shows texture and detail.

To stretch or not to stretch?

Canvas prints can be ordered in a number of ways and are quite popular because they most closely resemble the texture and appearance of an original painting. Typically you will see them in two forms. Un-stretched (“flat”) or stretched (“wrapped”). Stretched has a large appeal because they are ready to hang. Remember my description of the gallery wrapped canvas I paint on? Stretched canvas prints are similar in appearance. “Stretcher bars” are used to pull the canvas tight and then it is hand stapled in place all around the perimeter. This can be labor intensive and it is best done by a professional framer. Un-stretched canvas can be framed under glass like paper or you could have them mounted by a framer and inserted into a frame. Click here to see my short video featuring an un-stretched canvas.

How to frame your fine art prints by Amy Crews — This is a 9×12 paper print, un-matted, in an 11×14 frame.

Frame Resources

If you prefer to DIY, shop online, don’t have access to a local framer or chain craft store, here are a few online options for great frame selections that won’t break the bank.

These prints shown here were created as part of a collaboration with Natalie of My Vintage Porch. She is a fantastic blogger and I have long enjoyed her stories on instagram. And she is hilarious! She now has the original, and we planned all along to share this painting as a print. You can watch a short little video taken when I was painting here and prints are now available and can be found here in my online shop.

Use the button below to sign up for my email list and receive a special coupon code for savings in my online shop! Plus, receive special offers, early access, behind the scenes news and show invitations! Next up, floral prints!

Sign Me Up!

I hope this information was helpful for you! If you have questions, please leave them in the comments below and I’ll do my best to answer them.

Happy framing!

Amy

Protected: Psalm 23 Bonus Printable

My Top 3 Books for Beginning Oil Painters

This morning I received an instagram message from a follower who asked, “For a beginning oil painter, what are your top 3 book recommendations? I’m trying to build a self-study curriculum for the summer.” I love this idea and wanted to post my answers in case others may also like to know. I’ve provided affiliate links to Amazon where you’ll be able to find more details.

1. The Creative Call: An Artist’s Response to the Way of the Spirit (Writers’ Palette Book), by Janice Elsheimer

Not a technical book about “how to” oil paint, but my favorite in my art personal library and one I recommend to everyone I meet who is even slightly creative! It is faith based and encourages some time for journaling and reflecting about your gifts to help you dig a little deeper. It’s great for writers and musicians too! It’s a great jumping off point for inspiration! I did worked through this book a chapter a week with a friend. It’s a great book for a small group or individually too. Click here or on the image above to view this book on Amazon.

2. Alla Prima II Everything I Know about Painting–And More, by Richard Schmid

A warning first. This book is expensive. But I have to list it because it is one of my very favorite painting books! And I know I did not pay this much for my copy. If you can find either Alla Prima book by Richard Schmid in new or used condition for an affordable price, get it! It is full of his gorgeous work and gives a real glimpse into his thought process and techniques. Check your local library and see if they have one you can check out if you can’t find a copy. Click here or on the image above to view this book on Amazon.

3. The Oil Painting Course You’ve Always Wanted: Guided Lessons for Beginners and Experienced Artists, by Kathleen Lochen Staiger

I think this would make an excellent “text book” for a beginner oil painter. There are illustrations with explanations of supplies needed to get started. It covers basic drawing foundations, how to handle the brushstrokes, and a chapter guide dedicated for three painting subjects (still lifes, landscapes, and portraits). I think these are the foundations of any good workshop, but with a book format you may feel less pressure and can go at your own pace. Click here or on the image above to view this book on Amazon.

If you are reading this because you are a beginning painter, you may also enjoy a recent e-book and art course I created. You can find all that information in my blog.

Do you have any art books that you treasure or would recommend? I’d love to know! Please share them in the comments below.

Happy Painting!

Amy

A Commission Story

Each commission is as unique as the individuals that they are created for. I enjoy these opportunities to get to know clients in a more personal way. Often times, the painting is a way to celebrate a special occasion or memory. Here’s a story behind one of my favorite commissions I’ve done.

Jeanna & Leigh Boothe on their trip to Italy

On a recent trip to Italy, Jeanna and Leigh Boothe wanted to indulge their love of wine by going on a tour of the Tuscan wine country. This included a visit to a tiny winery called Colombaia, tucked away on the hillside of Northern Tuscany, outside Siena and it left quite an impression.

Leigh decided a painting from this trip would make a great surprise anniversary gift so he contacted me about creating a custom piece. We discussed size and price options, the photos he had that he could share, and what elements and objects he wanted to be sure were included (and some left out).

On the day of their anniversary, with Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” playing in the background, Leigh unveiled the painting to Jeanna’s surprise and she absolutely loved it! The painting now hangs in their master bedroom. Leigh says they are reminded of what a wonderful world it truly is and of the importance of creating memories with the one you love whenever they see it .

If you are interested in discussing a commission piece of your own, I’d love to discuss it with you! Contact me here.

More information about this beautiful winery can be found here.

Magnolia Grove & A Mission

I was scrolling through instagram one morning as I usually do while I drink my coffee when I ran across a post that took my breath away! Lynthia Edwards had posted some photos from a road trip just taken. She’s a fellow Alabama artist I have recently begun to follow and whose work I admire.

What Lynthia had no idea of possibly knowing is that I had met a descendent of one of the slaves that once lived here! Back in 2017! What are the odds?

When I was on a trip to Chicago, I had the pleasure of taking a ride in his Uber. We hit it off instantly and I was so moved by his stories, that I was inspired to blog about our meeting. If you have not read that post, “Common Ground”, you can find it here.

When he found out I was from Alabama, he shared with me family stories about the lives of slaves that he’s a descendent of. He told me he had visited the plantation they came from in Alabama as a child. It’s called “Magnolia” but he had no idea where it was or if it was even still standing. I googled it when I got home to try and find photos for the blog, but I did not find anything that I felt sure was the place he was speaking of. But here there it is! So I messaged Lynthia immediately. We were both SO excited! This has to be the place where these things happened!

So now we are on a mission! We want to find him. I was able to locate his photo and our route on my Uber app, but I can’t find any way to contact him or get a message to him. Two artists in Alabama really want to speak with him. We want to hear more and share more of his family stories! And I’d also love to know he is ok during this pandemic that has hit Chicago so hard and I that am sure has impacted Uber drivers financially.

If you can help us find him, please message me. With so many decedents, it’s entirely possible that the owners of the plantation today know some of his family’s stories. But I will reach out and ask to be sure.

It is so easy to imagine a documentary or movie based on all of this! (Hello Tyler Perry? Are you reading this?) And it’s a great reminder of the importance of capturing stories of our older generations while we can.

For more on artist Lynthia Edwards, you can find her bio here. And you can follow her on instagram here.

The original post with some of the stories can be found here.

God of the Hills and Valleys

I love to write. I get it honest. There are many a writer in my family, my favorite being my mom. But I asked my cousin Jocelyn to write this time. Above is a painting she commissioned with a very specific vision in mind. I asked her to share, in her own words, a little bit about the story behind this painting.

Here are Jocelyn’s words:

“I adore my cousin Amy and KNEW despite her fears of not meeting my expectations that I needed her unique talent to express a strong vision I had been given which gave me great comfort…as much due to our knit hearts as for her talent with paintbrush. Amy is famous for her nests. But, I am soon to face an empty one!

I have a lovely daughter with a double name …Mary ( after many family members and the woman who worshipped Jesus with her tears and hair) Grace (my beloved grandmother and my favorite word). Mary Grace will soon be launching; and as her mother, it’s rather daunting considering the world she is journeying into!

That arduous future is expressed in the uneven and intimidating landscape background which I had “seen” as mountainous and rocky. In the vision I heard the phrase “everywhere that Mary went, the Lamb is sure to go”… I view Amy’s painting of my vision and know that though the future may be treacherous in some places, she will never be alone. Jesus the Lamb is with her, and ahead of her. What a sure hope and comfort when my nest empties.

While I had owned the verse “I go before you to make the crooked places straight.” ( Is 45:2) I had no idea until I looked it up today that some versions actually say “I will go before you and level the mountains” . WOW! I’m even more encouraged! 🙂

Finally…it is AMAZING discovering that the woman who penned those words “Mary had a little Lamb” (along with a man studying for the pastorship) was the same woman, who actually is responsible for Thanksgiving being a national holiday. The Heath side of our family through which Amy and I are kin would gather yearly on Thanksgiving to connect! I consider this painting among my most, most profound gifts in life.“

Be sure to watch this video forwarded to me by Elizabeth George Cooper. It’s a song that she thought of when she saw this painting and I think it fits this perfectly!

Link: God of the Hills & Valleys

Blessings,

Who’s Your Monkey?

Several years ago, I attended a leadership conference with my husband. One of the speakers was Dr. Henry Cloud. He shared a story about some researchers who studied stress and it’s impact on monkeys.

A monkey was placed in a cage and bombarded with loud noises and blinking lights. As you can imagine, he was very stressed by this and the scientists measured the stress levels. Then, they placed another monkey in the cage with him. A buddy. Then they duplicated the sounds and flashing lights and you know what? The monkey’s stress level was greatly reduced. He said this illustrated the need for having a good relationship with co-workers because they help reduce the stress we encounter at work.

I thought this was brilliant! I love a good analogy! I told my dear friend Melanie Morris about this and ever since then, we often refer to each other as “Monkey”. It’s not unusual to start a phone call with “Ok Monkey…” and then we share something that has us anxious like a deadline or a bad painting day. And just like Dr. Cloud said, it helps us greatly to know we are there for each other. Often times the closing reply is “Thank you Monkey”. I’m so thankful for all my friends and many of them are monkeys, they just don’t know it.

So, as Dr. Cloud posed the question, who is your monkey?

A Lovely Light

Light and dark have long been a favorite topic of mine. Even when I was little, I was captivated by scriptures and stories that use “light” as an illustration. I think that has translated into my work. I love dramatic light and shadows.

Today I saw a photo of an epitaph that is on a tombstone in Atlanta’s infamous Oakland Cemetery.

It says “She burned her candle at both ends, but it made a lovely light.” Don’t you love that?! When I read it I thought I might like to have that on my tombstone whenever my time comes. And then I thought, “But wait, is my light lovely?” Oh sure, I create paintings and some would say that is lovely.

That is what I feel called to do and it is definitely an easy way to shine this little light of mine. But its the burning the candle at both ends part that got me. (1 John 1:6) When I am running around frantically busy…carpooling kids, painting for deadlines, worried about you-name-it, driven to distraction and sometimes irritated…do I shine a “lovely light”? I chuckle as I type that, but it is the truth! What kind of light do I shine under pressure?

The ones who get the brunt of any of our frustrations are often times the ones we love the most. So thank you “EsVM” of Oakland Cemetary, whoever you are, for your epitaph that led to an epiphany today.

Stay lovely,

P.S. I’d like to thank Paula Gabriel Futrell who shared the origin and inspiration behind this quote on my Facebook post:

Edna St. Vincent Millay, 1892 – 1950

My candle burns at both ends;
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends—
It gives a lovely light!

Common Ground

“Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside, you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.” – Naomi Shihab Nye

I knew he was special when I got in his car and he was eating an ice cream cone with James Taylor singing “How sweet it is to be loved by you” on the radio. (That was my mom’s favorite song.) He said it never fails. When he is at McDonalds he always gets notified that he has an uber rider to go pick up. This time it was me. I teased him that he should have brought me an ice cream cone too and we shared a few laughs while discussing food. He told me his grandmother made the best apple cobbler and homemade vanilla ice cream. From there we discussed the culinary differences between what is considered “good barbecue” in different regions of our country. He, originally from Michigan, is a rib man. Me, I prefer the North Carolina vinegar based pulled pork served with a side of hush puppies. From there he told me about how his family originated from Alabama. They moved to Michigan during the “Second Great Migration”. *George. I almost forgot to tell you his name. When you are eager to tell a story, sometimes details like that can get left out.

George told me about his grandfather. How he had many wives. And ultimately 36 children, at least that they’ve been able to identify so far. Perhaps wanting to explain he told me his grandfather was a “breeder”. I thought he said “reader”. But as he went on with his story I understood what he was saying. His grandfather was a slave on a plantation in Alabama called “Magnolia”. And the plantation owners sold him around to other plantations for breeding purposes. I told him I had never heard of that. “Like some sort of stud horse?” I asked in shocked disbelief. “Yes”, he said, “thats a good way to put it.” That breaks my heart. He continued to tell me that his grandfather could read and write, and so he would teach other slaves how to read and write. In secret of course, we agreed. And his grandfather was also a preacher. Eventually, the white man put a bounty on his grandfather’s head. So the slaves held a fake funeral, complete with a casket. They “buried” him while he managed to escape. Wow. Just wow. I took his story in and imagined what it must be like to have lived this life and to have a family history like this. I found myself teary eyed. I think George could sense this. Maybe I had heard about this breeder thing a long time ago and just forgot. But it’s one thing to hear about it and it’s another to hear someone directly impacted by it talk about it.

When George was young, he visited Magnolia plantation, and the church his grandfather built was still there. George got to play the piano in that church. Imagine that. He does not know if it’s still there. I told him that this was an amazing story and that people need to hear it. He said his family knows it. But I think he understood what I meant. I asked him who taught his grandfather to read and write and he said, “You know, that’s a good question! There must have been a white man or woman who taught him, probably in secret.” I nodded. George says there were some good white people on plantations too. And he added cautiously, “You know, if it was a white woman, that could’ve been very dangerous. He could’ve been hung from a tree.” And I said I know. And the tempo of our conversation had slowed a bit. We were bonding over the sorrow of the past. And I said there were monsters and good people both back then. Just like there are today.

As we were arriving to our destination, we discussed how I had come to Chicago for the U2 concert. Since we had already lightly discussed politics, I shared that I heard the Obama’s were there for the show too. He said he knew Bono to be an activist. I said I had a lot of respect for Bono because of his actions, not just words. He said he understands Bono is good friends with the Obamas. And I said I know and he is also friends with George Bush. And that’s part of why I like him. He works with both sides, and is passionate about helping the widows and the poor. When it was time for me to go, George said I must be pretty special. That was a great compliment because I think he is too. I told him thank you for the ride and for sharing his story with me.

It was an honor to ride with George today. He asked for my card and said he will call me when he comes to Birmingham. I believe him and I hope he does. I texted my friend from the gate while I was waiting for my flight and she said I should paint his story. I’m still choked up about the thought of it. I’m not sure what that might look and feel like.

These are the conversations we need to share. We need to listen and love well. To “find a common ground by seeking higher ground” just like Bono said last night. Here is the poem I quoted at the beginning in full. One of many that scrolled on the screen at Soldier Field before the concert:

Kindness

Naomi Shihab Nye, 1952

Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.

Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.

Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing. 
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.
Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to gaze at bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
It is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.