I bought gouache paints. I bought of box of Holbein gouache paints because I was curious about them. I actually first starting painting with watercolors back in high school. And then I didn't. But these are opaque watercolors! I think this medium is much more fun. For some time now I've been following several artists on instagram and they use gouache - I love instragram and artists' feeds on that thing! (Pssst - just do a search for Jeremy Duncan. He's a great place to start.)

So, that's where this new passion started. It was on Instagram. And I brought the paints to the lake and started making small quick studies of the lake landscape. My sister really liked them and now those first ones reside on the walls in the lake house. I came home and painted a few more. I've been gradually slipping these small paintings in between the larger works, the commissions, and the markets. They're a great way for my brain to shift and work on something else just for a couple of hours. 

About a week and a half ago I taught my first gouache workshop in Lake Charles at The Art Factory. For me, my brain works differently when I'm painting by myself in front of an easel than when I'm painting and explaining to others my process, what I'm thinking about, decisions to consider, and the laying down the painting. Half of the workshop participants were artists but none had used gouache. I think they're hooked now. The plan now is to teach another workshop at The Art Factory in the spring. You should come try this stuff out. It's addicting! 

I have just two available now and they are listed on my website if you want to go there and take a good look at them. Click here.

I'm back at the Arts Market this Saturday, come rain or come shine. I ditch last month's because I felt I wasn't prepared enough for the impending rain.

Come find me and my booth and check out my new set up. I enlisted a little help from Troy (the husband) to help me figure it out. He's my morning helper for getting me set up each arts market but you won't usually see him out there with me because he's doing what he loves on Saturday morning - golf - while I do what I love - art.

Downtown Baton Rouge is the place to be Saturday, September 1st from 8 am - Noon, St. Joseph's Cathedral Parking Lot, 5th and Main.

Oh my goodness! It is so hot outside. And I am one that LOVES the summertime. I love being outside in bare feet and tank tops - whether that's a great fashion decision or not for me I really don't care. I love it. But right now - oh wow - it's too hot. It's the dangerous kind of hot. This afternoon we caught a short break on the back porch with the thunder rolling in the background and a hurricane-type breeze blowing cooling us off. You know the one I'm talking about, right? It's the one when the skies start getting dark, and the winds start up just at the first bands are coming in and you think it's probably the only good part of a hurricane. But, at the end of July you take what you can get. No, there's no hurricane out there right now so we can just relax (at least until August).

You know I love painting outside but right now, only the crazy ones are going out there. You know who you are. I'm too hot to be crazy. So, I'm staying indoors for now. I've got a few portraits I've been working on and new portrait commissions I'm getting ready to start so this is a great excuse for me to stay in the studio.

I had started a portrait of my father back in late spring and it's finally finished - well, except for those little bits that you go back to once you've let it sit for a month or two - if you decide to let it sit. I brought it over to my parents last weekend and I think it's a keeper. Well, I THINK it's a keeper. It's hard to tell with my daddy. I've been wanting to paint my daddy for awhile now. I took several photos of him and settled on this one. Mama has already decided on a spot in the living room for it. But, please note, it will NOT be the center of attention. Mama said we don't want him to get an inflated ego or something like that! Hah!

I also started a couple of smaller portraits on the back porch while up at the lake and those are percolating right now. I started a new one last week and will start another larger one this week. Looks like I'll be in the studio for a bit longer. Thank goodness.

Well, I've updated my calendar for the rest of the year and it looks like it's going to be a fun and busy five months to Christmas. I've updated my website with all the upcoming art shows, markets, and other events with the dates and locations where you'll be able to find me when I'm not painting in the studio. 

Without the artist - without the creatives in this world -  there is no art. But we don't create art just for ourselves, we create it for everyone - we create it for you.

​Much love, my peeps!

The Baton Rouge Botanic Gardens Foundation hosted a 3-day Invitational Plein Air Event called "Painting in the Gardens" this past week at the Independence Park Botanic Gardens. 35+ Artists were invited to participate and, wow, what a turnout. I painted all three days, BUT, I did it early in the mornings - like 6:30 am early. I knew how hot it was going to be and those little gnats and black flies have made an appearance sooner than I'd hoped. So, there I was with my bug spray and plein air set up ready to go each day. I created 4 paintings over the 3 days and 2 of them sold at the reception which was held in the gorgeorus Baton Rouge Main Library. The conference room has all glass windows where you can see out into the gardens where we painted. A perfect backdrop for an art reception. Many thanks for the people that came up with this great idea because not only does it benefit the artists, it benefits the community at large. A portion of the proceeds of all sales from this event will be used to purchase new plants for these gardens. AND, at last count, 26 paintings sold! What a great contribution by the Foundation and these artists, all working together, giving back to the community where we live, thrive, and paint. 

To continue to follow along with these plein air painters, you can start by checking out two FB feeds @NanciCharpentierArt AND @BatonRougePleinAir. Each week the Baton Rouge Plein Air group paints at a different location in and around the Baton Rouge area on Thursday mornings. 

The Baton Rouge Art League members are so generous in their support of the arts. I have been invited again to show one painting at their Art Exhibit and Reception at the LSU Rural Life Museum Saturday evening. 
​
It's a great opportunity for 150 or so artists to showcase their works all in one place. I love this event because I meet new artists every year and get to chat with those that I paint with all the time. 

Some background on this painting is that the inspiration piece (bottom image), "I Think I'm In Love", is a plein air piece I did out in a field in St. Amant last October in a gorgeous field of yellow flowers. It was a great day with my friends all painting together. I wanted to take that painting and create a larger piece from it. I had this 20" x 40" canvas in my studio and my mind kept going to back to it to go larger and this is the painting. The title is from a Carole King song titled "Gotta Get Through Another Day" and this verse just hit me when I was painting this piece.  I love her music.

(BTW - I just sold "I Think I'm In Love" last week.) 

First event is Thursday, April 5th. The Opening Reception for Associated Women in the Arts Annual Exhibition is at the Old State Capital in downtown Baton Rouge. This is a great exhibit as it showcases the artist's process from conception to finished piece. All original works including studies, sketches, and more hang alongside the final finished "studio" painting and all pieces can be purchased. Some of the studies as well as the finished paintings were executed en plein air (outdoors). The large painting (shown at the bottom) along with the black and white study are in this show. The concept originated with a group of AWA plein air painters in hopes that we could share more of our process with you.

Come meet all the artists. Talk to us and ask us more about our passion.

Reception is 5p.m. - 7 p.m., Old State Capital, Senate Chamber.

I'll share my other event with you tomorrow. See you then!

 As part of my Portrait Painting Project in February (and on into March), I painted these fraternal twins. I loved spending a couple of hours with them playing in their backyard and taking tons of photos of them. Zoey was a little resistant on the smiling part but I somehow managed to get a little smile out of her. Zaine on the other hand was quite the ham. We share pictures of puppies, giggling,  and played (well, they played) on the trampoline.

Thanks to their mom and dad, Heather and Juan, for allowing me the privilege to paint these beautiful babies - well, they're 3 years old now are they still babies? Yes, they are. I know this because my 17 and 19 year olds are still my babies.

This is the largest of the portraits I've painted thus far.  It's a 12" x 12" oil on linen panel. 

I started this painting - well, let me rephrase that - I started painting Daniel in early January. I have painted him three times. Make that four times. It's just that this painting, the one you see here, is one I've worked on twice so I think that makes it four times.

Anyway, the first painting I did that I told you I WAS NOT posting was the first one I painted of him. This one, well, I'm happier with. 

And each time I came to the easel to paint Daniel the song that came to my head repeatedly was "Wild Montana Skies" by John Denver. A singer and a songwriter that Daniel's mother has loved as I do. And, Daniel, right now is out in Montana hiking and working and living and breathing in the crisp cold air of the mountains. And I am jealous and happy all at the same time.

I'm leaving you here with the refrain from that song:

"Oh Montana, give this child a home
Give him the love of a good family and a woman of his own
Give him a fire in his heart, give him a light in his eyes
Give him the wild wind for a brother and the wild Montana skies"

If you've been following along all during the month of January you know that I set out to paint 30 paintings in 30 days. This morphed over the month into drawing and painting almost every day. Initially when I set out to do this challenge the practical side of me said, you can't have everyday for painting, what about that husband and those two kids you've got. Oh yeah, them. So, the weekends were for family and I chose to paint for about 4 hours a day. I suppose I knew at the beginning it would be 30 days minus 8 days which brings me down to 22  actual painting (and drawing) days. And, by the way, laundry was washed, people were fed, bills were paid, and a house was painted in the middle of all of this (yes, I paint walls, too). Not too bad.

So, where did I get and what did I accomplish?

Well, I managed to get my large and a little obnoxious and funny family to go along with my plan from the get go. All these faces you've seen are of my nieces and nephews and my own two kids. And there's many more to go. AND, I know that some of my peeps are out there still waiting to see their faces pop up in my IG feed. Just stay in line and I'll get to you people! 

As for the work, I created 10 drawings. I completed 7 paintings. I attempted 3 additional paintings but scraped them down or wiped them away completely. So, in total, I created 20 pieces and 3 were deemed terrible. Good riddance to those.

Next step~ well, that's the Portrait Painting Project that I've already started. I asked for volunteers to be a part of the project and I'm in the process of going out and photographing non-family - although they all sort of feel like family to me. Which is pretty great. I'll start painting their portraits begining next week. Can't wait. 

So, stick around and keep following me here on the blog and through my IG @NanciTheArtist.