Sunday, August 24, 2008

Wonderful Workshops and Plein Air Frames On Sale

Poppies in Summer, 24x20, acrylic
I have never had the pleasure of travelling to a picturesque place like Tuscany or Provence to paint, but maybe someday I will. Meanwhile, I wanted to pass on to other artists who visit here the website of Sam D'Ambruoso. Sam is a teriffic artist and along with his lovely wife Mary Ann they lead fabulous workshops and paintouts in some of the most beautiful places in the world, like Amalfi, Sardinia, Tuscany and Provence! If I ever am able to get away it would be on one of Sam's excursions! If any of you do go, make sure you e-mail me and I'll put up pictures of your trip and you can post a review here! Don't forget to sign up for Sam and Mary Anne's e-newsletter the Traveling Palette, which includes Mary Ann's Italy featuring delicious recipes.
I also wanted to let everyone know that http://www.pictureframes.com/ now has a new line of very nice, simple plein air frames in a variety of finishes and they are on sale right now. Since things seems to be getting more expensive everyday this might be good time to stock up on your favortie sizes. The sale page is here.
Personally, I'm getting tired of the standard gold plein air frame and was pleased to see Crackled Gold, Espresso, Deep Cherry, Crackled Silver, Sandy Driftwood and Grey Driftwood offered. It's interesting to watch the trends in frames change. When I first started seriously selling my work about 5 years ago fancy baroque frames were popular. Then the wide gold plein air frame became the favorite. Now I see customers wanting simpler, narrower, more minimal and contemporary frames in natural finishes. It pays to occassionally buy a home decorating or interior design magazine and follow the trends in home decor, having the right frame can sometimes make a sale!

No comments: