Californication Season 6, Episode 1

Hey Everyone,

So, I have some exciting news!  I don't watch the Showtime show Californication, but, now I have two reasons to: two of my paintings just arrived "on-set" for the show today!  You can see them on the first episode of the next Season, Season 6!

The paintings will be showcased in a 10 year old boy's bedroom. You might be wondering, am I excited? HECK YEAH!!!!!!  I appreciate the opportunity and feel so blessed to have such a huge platform to show off my paintings!  Both paintings are of animals.  One painting is titled "Dolphin Family." The other painting is titled "French Bulldog." Here are the images of the paintings below.  ENJOY!!! I KNOW I AM! :)

"Dolphin Family,"  Oil on Canvas, 11"x14"

"French Bulldog," Oil on Canvas, 24"x24"

Samantha Fried

Samantha Fried This is a cool art contest! The more people that collect me, the more likely I might win!

The wonderful circling of life!

Now the picture above is not a painting but a photograph.  This photograph is of myself (sitting and drawing with crayons on the floor) sitting behind my Grandfather, Leon Frank, doing an oil painting.  I was four years old at the time.  So, this is over 20 years ago.  My Grandpa was the first to introduced me to Fine Art and painting.  My Grandpa was the First person I remember watching paint.  He's a "self-taught" artist.  I find it very intriguing that my Grandfather was the one who influenced me into becoming a fine artist.

After going to college and getting my Bachelors Degree in Art and my Masters in Fine Arts Degree in Painting I'm influencing my Grandfather to practice art once more.  I am very blessed to have such a supportive family who encourages me in what I do.  Also, I am blessed to have had a wonderful education.  Unfortunately, my Grandfather never had the opportunity to study Fine Art Academically.  Now don't get me wrong, he is great with color. He's just always had a difficult time with drawing.  It's truly amazing that at the age of 89, my Grandpa is now taking private lessons from me in Chiaroscuro (to those of you who aren't artists chiaroscuro mean's "Light-dark," in Italian and in drawing terms it means the treatment of light and shade in a drawing or painting.)  It is wonderful that I can help teach him things knowing that if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't even be painting in the first place.

My next post will have some more artwork that I'm currently working on and news about my paintings as well. STAY TUNED!

Plein Air Painting

Hello Everyone,

Welcome back to my blog!  Besides painting, I teach so that I can make money.  And of course I work because "I owe, I owe, it's off to work I go...." Grad school put me in a bit of debt.  But, enough complaining.  Currently, I'm an artist living at home with my parents so I can save money. Pride has been thrown out the window a long time ago.  Now, back to ART!

I teach 4 times a week and will hopefully teach more as time goes by.  During the week I teach children oil painting at a place called For Art's Sake in Agoura Hills, California.  Let me tell you, teaching kids is not an easy task, especially in oil painting.  While it can be quite fulfilling and entertaining, they sure do keep me on my toes. For instance, one kid was eating Doritos and painting at the same time (I wouldn't suggest doing that.) After she finished eating, she licked her fingers, which many people do.  The problem was she had paint on her fingers as well.  Soon after, I am cleaning white paint off this child's tongue.  Not quite what I was trained for in grad school, but, it has been a great learning experience all on its own.

On the weekends, I teach an adult class through Conejo Valley Adult School, (age range 40's-maybe early 70's).  After having a week filled with children, this class is my relaxing class. I teach my adult students plein air painting.  For those of you whom are not artists, plein air painting is painting outside.  We paint landscapes from life.  It is lots of fun!  Of course, if the weather permits it.  I had to cancel class a couple weeks in a row because of RAIN.  Love rain, just not on Saturdays when I'd rather be outside and paint.

My students are improving a lot since we first began class, so I was able to paint something this past Saturday!  We went to Paramount Ranch in Agoura Hills, California.  If you live near the area and have never gone, you need to.  It's awesome and I plan on going back there.  It is used for hiking, movies, TV shows, and much more.  "Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman" was filmed in ranch's "historical town."  Now, the painting is a view from Paramount Ranch, not of the ranch itself.  But, fear not! I shall be painting the Ranch in the near future.  So, I had about an hour or less that I worked on this painting below.  Haven't figured out a title yet, I'm always up for suggestions.

First Post! Painting is a Journey.

This will be my online artist journal!  Welcome to my Blog!

Apologies to Grammar Nazis, this is an artist journal, not a newspaper article.  So, deal iwht my mistakes.

There is one fundamental question: Why do I paint? 
The simple answer is because I like to, but, that's also the boring answer.  The truth is there is no single answer to why I make art.  For me, painting has always been a journey, not a set destination.  Each painting that I make tells a story. They portray a story of the subject matter within the painting or my process of making art.  I LOVE painting because of the process!  If I only liked the end result, painting would be laborious.  To me, painting is fun and MesSY.  I enjoy that MesSineSS, the smell of the oils, & the rich colors that I can produce!  Besides the pure enjoyment of creating something new I've been realizing recently that there is another reason why I paint.  
Reason # 2 to Why do I paint?
It seems to be the decade of Escapism.  The reason why so many people go to a movie, read a book, play a video game, is the same reason why I paint.  It is nice to take a break from reality.  Don't get me wrong, I don't lose sight between reality and fantasy.  Yet, with the economic struggle: seeing friends of mine with Masters Degree's not being able to get jobs in their chosen profession, seeing other friends go back to school because there are no jobs, moving back home with my parents' for the third time, sometimes I just need a break from reality.  I need to paint, listen to music, create, and not be concerned of things that I cannot control.  


WELL.... ENOUGH SERIOUS TALK FOR NOW.  What is currently on my easel?  

Obviously this painting is "in-progress," I think it's 16"x20".  I'm trying to exaggerate the colors, not the values.

"The Inlet," 12"x16".  This is a study for a 20"x30" painting.