For the love of red!

I put a lovely jar of red Geraniums from the garden on my studio
desk this week and got to thinking about how much I like the colour
RED!  I have a red toaster and jug set, a red rubbish bin, my favorite
scarf and heels are red, the secondary colour of our wedding is red,
white being the first colour.  It's no wonder red finds it's way into my paintings.
 

1.La Passion, 2.Two Birds, 3.The Persimmon King, 4.Red Flower & Wax Seal.

1. LIVE AUCTION: 'La Passion'.

This painting is based on the image with the same name by Carlos Schwabe and is part of my series called 'Famous Birds' where I use well known paintings as inspiration and paint the characters as birds. 

For the first time ever, I am holding a live auction through my Facebook fan page and 'La Passion', my most recent painting is the artwork up for grabs. Simply leave a comment under the photo of 'La Passion' in my Facebook album with your bid. The highest bidder when the auction ends pays the winning bid. Postage for Facebook fans within Australia will be free and payment can be made through Paypal or Bank Transfer.  This auction ends Wednesday 23rd June 2010 at 12pm (EST). Please note that this is Thursday, 24 June 2010 at 10am for those in  Queensland, Australia, where I will be announcing the winning bid from.

2. FAN SPECIAL:  'Two Birds'.

Also based on a famous painting, this time by my painting idol Gustav Klimt. I thought the painting was called 'Two Women', that's why I called my painting 'Two Birds'.  After further investigation though I discovered that the painting is actually called 'Die Freundinnen (zerstört)' which in German translates to 'The friends (destroyed)'.

  

To show my appreciation for my fans this painting has been put on fan special. 'Two Birds' is normally $85 and has been reduced to $65 for Facebook fans. You can purchase this painting using PayPal or Bank Transfer.  It you are interested please contact me via email or Facebook message and I will send you the details.

3. NEW PAINTING: 'The Persimmon King'

This little painting was started a while ago and placed aside as I was busy working on other paintings. It originally was a much bigger painting containing two birds and a nest of treasure.  I did something daring and took a saw to it,cutting the image in two. I then added a little doilie cape and persimmon crown on the bird and popped him on top of a ruler. The other half of the original painting will be worked on and uploaded at a later date (when finished).

As a special introductory offer for Facebook Fans, this painting.  'The Persimmon King' is only $85 until the end of June.   If you are interested in purchasing this painting or any others, please contact me via email or Facebook message and I will send you the details of payment.

OLD PAINTING: 'Red Flowers and Wax Seal'

This painting was inspired by a red Geranium from the garden, it was from the same plant as the bunch that is now sitting on my studio desk.  'Red Flower and Wax Seal'  is part of a larger body of work called 'Flowers and Found Objects'.  

Like the other paintings showcased here, you can purchase this painting off my Facebook fan page by contacting me through emaill or Facebook message.

Do you have a favorite colour? And is it red?

"Bird with A Pearl Earring" print GIVEAWAY.

I've put my own little twist on one of  Johannes Vermeer most famous paintings "Girl With a Pearl Earring".
For your chance to win an A6 print of this image see the details below.

"Bird with a Pearl Earring" (c) Tracey Potter 2009

HOW TO ENTER:
Simply leave a comment on this post. Make sure you leave details of a way I can contact you if you win!

Bonus Entries:
1. Become a fan of  Tracey Potter; on Facebook and leave a separate comment here telling me that you have/are.
2. Follow me on Twitter and leave a separate comment here letting me know that you are a follower.
3. Follow this Blog and leave a separate comment here letting me know that you are a follower.
4. Tweet about this giveaway and leave a separate comment here with the url.
5. Share this giveaway on Facebook and leave a separate comment here with the url.
6. Blog about this giveaway and leave a separate comment here with the url.




THAT'S 7 CHANCES TO WIN! [as long as you leave 7 separate comments]

The winner will be drawn at random on Monday, May 31, 2010.

 Good Luck!!

The Oil vs. Acrylic Debate.

After many years of using water based paints (acrylic and watercolour) I had forgotten how lovely it is to use oil on linen. I have started this above painting in oil to enter into the 2010 Waterhouse- natural history art prize. 

This got me to thinking about the debate of using acrylic paints vs. oil paints and whether one is better than the other. Both acrylics and oils have their pros and cons. I've used both and I must admit I am a bit of a fence sitter, because they both have their advantages and disadvantages.

Here is a list of pros and cons:

Acrylic Pros

• Acrylics can be cleaned with soap & water
  
• Acrylic paints dry fast
  
• Acrylic paints can be saved in jars for future use
  
• Water can be added to thin acrylic paints
  
• Acrylics are not as strong in odor as oil
  
• Acrylics can be made to mimic oil, gouache and watercolor
  
• Certain mediums can be added to slow drying speed
  
• Acrylics can be thinned or thickened easily from water to cream cheese consistency

Acrylic Cons:

• Not as versatile
  
• Fast drying/hard to mix
• Hard on brushes; may be better to use inexpensive brushes for acrylics
  
• You must keep brushes and knives wet while painting to avoid ruining
  
• In many cases, a special acrylic palette may be needed to stop paint from drying out
  
• You cannot paint over oil or oily surfaces with acrylics
  
• In some instances, acrylics perform much like an adhesive, making handling difficult

Oil Pros:

• Oil paint is known for its vibrant and diverse color spectrum
  
• Oil is time tested
  
• Oils offer a slow drying time so you don’t have to rush
  
• Oils have a very strong smell that some artists like (possibly for inspiration)
  
• Oils are easily cleaned with turpentine or mineral spirits
  
• Oils may be cleaned with vegetable or certain nut oils
  
• Oils are easy on brushes
  
• Oils cut down on the need for mediums (good for plein air painters especially)

Oil Cons:

• Messy/tough to clean up
  
• Strong chemical odor
  
• More expensive generally than acrylic
  
• Hard to work in layers as the drying time is so long
  
• Also hard to work wet-in-wet or “Alla Prima” if working in more than one session

I'd love to know if you prefer one over the other and why.

Still undecided?  Take the oils vs acrylics quiz.