“This world is but a canvas to our imagination” – Henry David Thoreau

 

Art is a process, good, bad, and ugly. To me, painting is similar to sculpting. Although it’s more additive than subtractive, of course.  The image is moulded with a paintbrush, not fingers. It starts as an idea, then transforms from a jumble of random and sometimes ugly shapes and lines into a beautiful finished work of art.

 

 

This blog offers readers insight into my art process, occasional useful tips I’ve come across over the years, and my struggle to ultimately sell some artwork.

Current topics weighing on my mind include:

• selling – I finally took the plunge with an Etsy store, now I’m stressed about shipping.
• galleries – How do I get local gallery representation? Am I qualified?
• painting big – I finally started a largish painting. Finishing it though…
• 30 in 30 challenges – It’s a challenge to paint a new painting every day for 30 days and I desperately want to try it but I tend to be a slow painter so it will indeed be a challenge.

 

Who am I?

 

Hello, I’m Amber Honour. I’m not a professional artist. I’m a work in progress, constantly learning and striving to become a better artist. I don’t create perfect art and that’s ok. It’s the imperfections that make art interesting.

I’ve been an artist for as long as I can remember, but I’ve only been a painter for a few years. Growing up, I was alway more into drawing than anything else and would spend hours meticulously shading until my hand hurt so bad I couldn’t hold a pencil. I drew so much as a kid that I actually have a permanent dent in my right ring finger.

I’ve tried my hand at many arts including, but not limited to: graphite, charcoal, colored pencil, film & digital photography, sculpture using many different materials, pottery making, knitting/crocheting, sewing, printmaking, acrylic painting, watercolor, and oil painting. While I still dabble in other arts here and there, oil painting and photography are what I really gravitate to. I was introduced to both during a brief stint in college and fell in love with them. Despite how much I enjoyed oil painting, it wasn’t until 2015 that I decided that I was going to pursue it more seriously.

 

So I did.

 

I started slowly in early 2015 by painting a few times a month, but failed to see the progress I wanted. So in February 2016 I started my blog Burnt Umber Arts. It was started as a way to hold myself accountable. I post once a week which means I have to paint every week and frequently every day. Gaining readers has motivated me to continue to paint every week as well as continue to learn and improve.

One of my main painting goals is to eventually make a small income from my paintings and replace the need for a regular job. It’s the dream of most artists, really. My husband’s job has a tendency to have crazy hours so at the moment it’s far simpler for me to stay at home to take care of our kids, pets and house. I would love to keep it that way. Reality, however, has other ideas.

In April 2017, I decided that I need to step up my photography game. I got a new camera last year and I don’t think I’ve lived up to my potential lately when it comes to photography. So I’ve added photography to my blog since I love it nearly as much as painting. There is a brief history of my photography journey in my post Photography Love.

 

Thank you for visiting my blog. I truly appreciate it… and you.

 

 

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