My daughter's art site is up and running

My name is Elena Grace Orwick.  I am 9.  Thank you so much for coming to look at my artwork!

http://www.elenagraceorwick.com/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/elenaorwickarts

How was I inspired? 

My dad always loved to paint and day after day I would just sit and watch as he built his creations step by step until it was done. But the thing that he always asked me when he was done with his painting was...”What is it?” I always thought it was odd the it obviously was a river, lake, mountains, forest or a sunset. 

I would just say what I saw, one by one, but then one day I thought why does he keep asking me when he knows I know the answer? I thought to myself, everyone sees differently, some might see a blur, stripes, colors or abstract shapes, but I see beauty.

That's it beauty. I see beauty in everything, everyone. Why do I see everyone's beauty? Because everyone is special, and that is what inspires me to show and share my art.

We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give. 

                                                           ― Winston Churchill    

I was born nine years ago on August 19th, which is World Humanitarian Day.  Coincidence?  I hope not.  Maybe that is why I have chosen to use my art to help support charities that I like.

I want to thank the people and galleries that make raising money for my favorite causes possible.  

Amy Isler Gibson, from the beautiful Gallery at the Watershed in Eugene, Oregon created my first art show with so much support and love.  Together we raised money for CHAP.

Next, Eeva, and her group at the famous Dragonfire Gallery in Cannon Beach, Oregon set up an art show for my girlfriends and me.  It was amazing. Eeva had even invited real owls from the Wildlife Center.   We had a nearly sold out show, and together we raised money for The Wildlife Center of the North Coast.

Right now, I am showing my work with the Portland Audubon Society, and I hope to raise money for all my owl friends there.  

Please stay tuned in 2014 for more shows and chances to buy my art and help the causes.

Proceeds from my art sales go to help these great causes:

CHAP: Children's Healing Art Project

CHAP brings the healing power of art to life in 3 ways: In-hospital healing art programs, Art Club and Outreach

http://chap.name/

The Wildlife Center of the North Coast 

Wildlife rescue and rehabilitaion 

http://www.coastwildlife.org/Home.html

The Audubon Society of Portland

The Audubon Society of Portland promotes the understanding, enjoyment, and protection of native birds, other wildlife and their habitats.

http://audubonportland.org/about

http://www.elenagraceorwick.com/

Business Cards design ideas

These are the business cards I have used over the years.  Fun to see them all side by side.

what do the critics have to say?

What a great honor and surprise, I just found out Carrie Turner and Art Critic Brian Sherwin wrote up an article about me at Fine Art Views. 

Please read it here http://faso.com/fineartviews/69042/faso-featured-artists-artist-michael-orwick 

"People often fail to acknowledge the connection between nature and abstract painting... Michael's work serves as a bridge toward understanding that connection." Sherwin added, "The work I viewed reveals a keen eye for forms and structures found in nature. Furthermore, Michael is gifted in the sense that he has a wonderful ability to express mood in a landscape painting -- establishing scenes that permit viewers to take an emotional, and dare I say, spiritual journey." -Art critic Brian Sherwin

sanguine sky, by Michael Orwick
www.michaelorwick.com

What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity

"What I dream of is an art of balance, of purity and serenity, devoid of troubling or depressing subject-matter, an art which might be for every mental worker, be he businessman or writer, like an appeasing influence, like a mental soother, something like a good armchair in which to rest from physical fatigue."
-Henri Matisse


I liked and borrowed this quote from today's The Painter's Keyshttp://clicks.robertgenn.com/horizontal.php

Eastern Vista
http://michaelorwick.com/workszoom/839093\

Tis of Thee - Moose Creek
http://michaelorwick.com/works/742450/web-tis-of-thee-moose-creek

The joy of Bob Ross

 All About Bob

The best Bob Ross music video is  at 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLO7tCdBVrA

with over 6,360,439 views.

And like most things parodying Bob, it is done with a touch of humor and love.Growing up far from anything artsy, Mr. Ross was some of my first and most profound exposure to art, and painting.  He made days stuck at home sick almost enjoyable.  I think most any artist that can make creating and self expression approachable is to be commended.  

Most artists I know both smile and cringe at the mention of Bob Ross and I think even he would understand the way he has gone down in pop culture history.  

A few years before his death, Ross filmed several "self-parodying MTV spots".

5 (Happy Little) Things You Didn't Know About Bob Ross From Mental Floss http://mentalfloss.com/article/23260/5-happy-little-things-you-didnt-know-about-bob-ross

 Bob Ross' patient teaching and "wet on wet" painting techniques helped introduce thousands of amateur painters to the art world. The "serious" art establishment might not have had much time for Ross—and the contempt was mutual—but even now, almost two decades after his death, Ross' iconic show The Joy of Painting still enjoys a large following in syndication. Let's take a look at five things you might not know about the man who brought us so many happy little trees.1. HE WAS A MILITARY MAN
Ross' quiet voice and gentle demeanor made him the perfect host for The Joy of Painting, but those traits might have kept him from being the perfect soldier. Before Ross became a TV painter, he spent 20 years in the United States Air Force and retired with the rank of master sergeant. In fact, an early assignment to Alaska helped expose the Florida native to the snowy mountains and evergreens that would become staples of his art.
Viewers might find it surprising that the serene Ross was an Air Force sergeant, and it sounds like the painter thought it was a little odd himself. He later told the Orlando Sentinel, "I was the guy who makes you scrub the latrine, the guy who makes you make your bed, the guy who screams at you for being late to work. The job requires you to be a mean, tough person. And I was fed up with it."
When Ross retired from the Air Force, he allegedly vowed never to scream again, a plan that seems to have worked perfectly.

2. HE WORKED FOR FREEThe Joy of Painting ran new seasons on PBS from 1983 to 1994, so even at public broadcasting rates the show must have made Ross quite a bit of loot, right? Not quite. Ross actually did the series for free; his income came from Bob Ross Inc. Ross' company sold art supplies and how-to videotapes, taught classes, and even had a troupe of traveling art instructors who roamed the world teaching painting. It's tough to think of a better advertisement for these products than Ross' show.
How did Ross find the time to tape all of those shows for free? He could record a season almost as fast as he could paint. Ross could bang out an entire 13-episode season of The Joy of Painting in just over two days, which freed him up to get back to teaching lessons.

3. HE DIDN'T SELL HIS PAINTINGS

In a 1991 interview with the New York Times, Ross claimed he'd made over 30,000 paintings since he was an 18-year-old stationed in Alaska with the Air Force. When Ross died of lymphoma in 1995, most of his paintings either ended up in the hands of charity or PBS.
That's not to say there aren't any Ross paintings floating around, though. While he generally didn't sell his canvasses, Ross did sell some souvenir gold pans during his stint in Alaska. At the time, the amateur artist got $25 a pop for a gold pan with an Alaskan scene painted in the bottom. [See Also: What Happened to Bob Ross' Paintings?]

4. HE HAD A DR. DOOLITTLE STREAK
Before he ever picked up a paintbrush, Ross was an animal lover. During his childhood in Florida, he once shocked his mother by trying to nurse a wounded alligator back to health in the family's bathtub. Throughout his adult life, he maintained his soft spot for animals; his Florida home usually housed any number of critters that Ross was trying to help rehabilitate. At various times he played host to birds with broken wings, orphaned baby squirrels, and an epileptic squirrel that lived in his empty Jacuzzi.
Ross liked animals so much that he would tape squirrels in his backyard. During the early 1990s, Ross had hoped to develop a new non-painting show that would introduce children to a variety of new wildlife.

5. HE DIDN'T LOVE THE FRO

It's hard to think of Bob Ross and not immediately key in on the giant bushy mushroom cloud of hair that exploded off of his head, and Ross knew it. Unfortunately, he also supposedly hated the haircut. Ross had an uncanny knack for marketing, though, so he knew that trimming his locks down to a more conservative "˜do would probably undercut part of his business. Ross decided to stick with his trademark look and even had his permed visage emblazoned on every tube of Bob Ross Inc. art supplies.
Google celebrated the 70th anniversary of his birthday with a Google Doodle on October 29, 2012. It portrayed Ross painting a depiction of the letter "g" with a landscape in the background

 

From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Ross

Bob Ross was raised in Orlando, Florida.^[2] Ross had a half brother Jim, whom he mentioned in passing on his show.^[3]While working as a carpenter with his father, Ross lost his left index finger. It did not affect the way he held his palette while painting.

Bob Ross vs Pablo Picasso

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGN5xaQkFk0


 

Ross enlisted in the United States Air Force at age 17. The Air Force transferred him to Elmendorf Air Force Base^{[citation needed]} (in Alaska), where he first saw the snow and mountains that later became recurring themes in his artwork. He developed his quick-painting technique to create art for sale in brief daily work breaks.^[4] Having held military positions that required him to be, in his own words, "mean" and "tough," "the guy who makes you scrub the latrine, the guy who makes you make your bed, the guy who screams at you for being late to work," Ross decided that if he ever moved on from the military, "it wasn't going to be that way any more," vowing "never to scream again."^[4] This was where Bob would meet Jane, when they were in the medical field and would become Bob's second wife.

 

During Ross' stay in Alaska, he worked as a bartender part-time, when he discovered a TV show that was called The Magic World of Oil Painting, hosted by a German painter, named Bill Alexander.
After studying with Bill Alexander, Ross discovered that he was soon able to earn more from selling his work than from his Air Force position. Ross then retired from the Air Force after 20 years of service with the rank of Master Sergeant ^[5] and became famous worldwide hosting the television program, The Joy of Painting,^[1] with the help of Annette & Walter Kowalski.
Before the show was launched, Bob would try to promote the painting technique but with little interest. He also had to find a way to cut back on spending, so he decided to have his hair permed, just so he could save money on haircuts. The perm hairstyle was not comfortable for Bob, but ultimately became an iconic feature of the painter

I'm now teaching in Portland at the Oregon Society of Artist

I'm now teaching in Portland at the

Oregon Society of Artists 

and

For the first time ever, I'll be offering

On going drop in classes


These classes are the 1st, 3rd and 4th Thursday with Free painting demonstrations and talks by different artists on the 2nd Thursday of every month.

http://michaelorwick.com/workshop/8750/on-going-drop-in-classes

Price: $20.00
Location: Oregon Society of Artists
Address:
2185 SW Park Place Portland Oregon 



Suggested supply list 
http://michaelorwick.com/workshop/8756/supply-list

Drop in Painting Class Schedule is Thursdays just $20
Mark your calendar

February
Febuary 6th 9:30 - 12:30 First class at OSA starts! Free cards and prints to the students that make it to the first day!
Febuary 13th starting at 11 am Free painting demonstratons and talks by differnet artists on the 2nd Thursday of every month
Febuary 20th 9:30 - 12:30
Febuary 27th 9:30 - 12:30



Portland, Oregon
Country: United States
Website: http://www.oregonsocietyofartists.com/





Michael Orwick

Michael Orwick Arts LLC
www.MichaelOrwick.com
503.329.2167

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/MichaelOrwickArts

For a quick and easy way to sign up for my news letter
http://mikeo.fineartstudioonline.com/email-newsletter

10 steps to becoming a better painter

For a list of classes and workshops that are going to get you painting more please check out http://michaelorwick.com/workshops

Michael Orwick

Michael Orwick Arts LLC
www.MichaelOrwick.com
503.329.2167

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/MichaelOrwickArts

For a quick and easy way to sign up for my news letter
http://mikeo.fineartstudioonline.com/email-newsletter

Enough! step away from your computer and

Michael Orwick Arts Newsletter

Keep up to date with where Michael Orwick is showing and teaching. See Behind the scenes as art is created outdoors and in the studio. Take the fear and pretension out of art. Make art and art buying approachable and fun.http://michaelorwick.com/email-newsletter

Paint with a friend today

"A good painting to me has always been like a friend. It keeps me company, comforts and inspires."

                                                                                                                     - Hedy Lamarr 


Taking a class or workshop with me is a great place to paint with a friend.
http://michaelorwick.com/workshops

Wake Up. Kick Ass. Repeat. Good advise for the new year.

Thank you to my good friend Annie Farrow Salness (a serious ass kicker) for sending this to me. — with Annie Farrow Salness.

You can check out Annie's paintings athttps://www.facebook.com/AnnieSalnessFineArt

New painting classes and workshops for 2013 listed http://michaelorwick.com/