ELEVATE YOUR ART MAGAZINE: December 2021

DECE MBER 2021

E L E VA T E Y O U R A R T Bi-Monthly Magazine Featuring Photoshop Artists

featuring

PAU L ET T E C A S S I DY

Reviewer

Mem bers of the review team are integral to the success of hundre ds of P hotoshop art i st s. H i g hly trained, they provide over 15,000 video reviews a year for me mbe rs of Beyond t he Brushe s.

Vid eo feed back is the key to success for many who are new to P hotoshop pai nt i ng!

Feat ured

A r t i s t : S h e i la Te n n e s i n s t a g ra m . co m /s h e i late n n e s Sheila co m b in e d h e r love s fo r f ig ura t i ve a r t a n d women i n prof i le to c rea te t h i s pa i nt i n g . S h e c ha l le nge d herse l f to m ake it al l ab o ut th e re d i n t h e pa i nt i n g wi t h ou t d et ra c t i n g f rom t h e s u b jec t . M i g ht I s a y, wa y to d ra w t h e v i ewer ’s eye!

W EL COME... ...to the December 2021 issue of Elevate Your Art magazine. We have officially arrived in the season of giving and thankfulness, and this particular issue certainly evokes feelings of thankfulness for me.

This issue mar ks one full year of the magazine being published.

It has been such a wonderful thing to document a whole year of artistic growth for the members of Beyond the Brushes.

As 2021 comes to a close, I’m excited to see the growth of both the magazine and the artistic growth of Beyond the Brushes in 2022!

Michelle

C OV E R I M AG E BY A n n L a u we r s h t t p s : //w w w. a n a r t i s t v i ew. n e t / A n n n eed ed a for ma l n a me for h er h ome b e ca u s e i t ’s a pla ce i n h er c h i ld ren’s b ook s . Af ter d e ci d i ng on “ C ot tonta i l Moor s” b eca u s e of t h e a b u n da nce of b u n n i es on t h e proper t y, s h e ma d e a mas cot .

T h i s li t t le g u y w i ll g o on a d vent u res i n a ll of t he s ea s on s to s evera l d i f ferent pla ces .

Ma g a z ine © M iche l l e Pa r s l ey, M. Ph oto g . , M. A r t i s t , C r. , C PP St u d e nt im a g e s © re m a i n w i t h e a c h i n d i v i d ua l a s n ote d .

Screen captur ing a rt wo rk fro m t he m a g a z ine fo r yo ur ow n us e - w h et h e r p e r s o n a l o r co m m e rc i a l us e - i s a vi olat i on of th e a rt ist s’ co py rig ht which is p un i s h a b l e by Fe d e ra l f i n e s of up to $ 1 5 0 , 0 0 0 p e r i m a g e .

P l e a se b e re sp e ct fu l of t h e co py r i g ht of t h e a r t i s t s . T h a n k yo u.

CONTENTS p1 p2 p6 p11 p19 p24

Featured Reviewer: Sheila Tennes Welcome from Michelle Community Matters Artist Feature: Paulette Cassidy Rufus is a LIAR! ‘Tis the Season

A rti s t: Janice Batter be e https : //w ww.instagram . co m /

Jani ce’s friend sha red a p ic ture of th is j uve n ile W h ite- Fa ce Owl n a med Lu lu f rom t h e S cot t i s h Owl C ent re. S h e wa s m ove d by t he i m a ge becaus e the Cent re is ac tive ly invo lve d in th e co n s er va t i on of t h es e c h a r mi n g b i rd s , s o s h e d ec i d ed to t u r n i t i nto a m e m ora b le ke e ps a k

e ke .

M ASTH E A D & CO N TR IBU TO RS MICHELLE PARSLEY PUBLISHER HANNAH PARSLEY COPYWRITER CATH SMITH EDITOR ARTICLES: PAULETTE CASSIDY IMAGES: ANN LAUWERS SHEILA TENNES JANICE BATTERBEE SHELLY ELLIS RUSSELL KINNERSON IRENE BOWERS BEKKIE HARPER VICKIE BOLDUC CRISTIE LECHLITNER DENISE CAUCHI LINDA HALL KIMBERLY GUARDIPEE LESLEY DAVIDSON FARRAH WELCH KATHY TERRY LEONARD BETHEL CATHERINE HALLECK

A rti s t: Shelly Ellis selli sphotography.com Sh e l ly st rives to elevate h e r ar t, an d th is p aintin g is a pr i me exam ple. Thou gh the c us to m e r was s atis f ie d an d p u rc h a s ed the ori gina l, Shelly pu s h e d f ur th e r to c re ate a s h owca s e i m age tha t she believe d co uld b e a tre as ure d, le g acy creati on. The client wa s am aze d, lettin g S h e l ly kn ow s h e accom plished her goal .

COMMUNITY M AT T E R S

The term “starving artist” evokes the vision of a lonely and destitute life. Though I will never understand why, this has become the expected, modern vision of what an artist should be. If you’re not working to exhaustion, all alone, and barely making ends meet, you must certainly be doing this whole art thing wrong.

But is this a historical reality?

Let’s take our cue from the life of Claude Monet, one of the most famous impressionist painters in history. If you have the idea that he slaved away all alone with his art, you’re very mistaken. He had a community of artists around him, and they supported each other.

Imagine having the likes of Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley, and Fredric Bazille in your circle! Monet also took advice from Johann Barthold Jongkind — a landscape painter who was a strong influence in his younger days.

Wow. That’s the kind of support modern artists dream of!

Monet is just one example of many who had a circle of other artists around him supporting his efforts. Having other artists in your life was the historical norm. This whole idea of figuring things out all by yourself, never having input from peers, and slaving away all alone is a modern fallacy.

Thankfully, we have Monet’s same sense of community in Beyond the Brushes.

While we work in the modern construct of remote learning, we still support each other as modern artists should. We rejoice with every new sale, and we commiserate together when things go wrong. We even critique each other via the community review portal.

Getting input from your peers is one of the best ways to advance your skills. We also work together in live meetings and laugh and talk and even have lengthy discussion on things even outside the paint world. It’s wonderful! And it’s all right here inside Beyond the Brushes.

When I dreamed of building Beyond the Brushes, I had hopes of the kind of community we have, but to be hon est, the community has far exceeded anything I imagined. I have found myself immersed in the kind of art world most modern artists can only dream of — the kindest, and most giving people seem to have migrated to Beyond the Brushes and they love and support each other… and for that, I’m thankful..

Michelle

Ru ssell ca pture d th is s h ot o n th e s p r in g eq u i n ox a n d f i t t i n g ly n a med i t “ P romi s e of S pr i n g .” He wa s com pe l le d to pa i nt t hi s litt le strea m in th e fo re s t b e caus e h e loved t h e wa y i t f lowed ou t of t h e fores t a n d pa s s ed by a ll t h e gre e ni ng g ra s s e s .

A r t i s t : Rus s e l l K i n e r s o n , Ph D r s k i n e r s o n @g m a i l . co m

A r t i s t : I re n e B owe r s i re n e b owe r s . co m Irene was in n e e d of an inte ntio n al pra c t i ce pi ece. Her g oa l wa s to c rea te a low k ey pa i nt i n g from a h ig h key p h oto g rap h . It is def i n i tely a c h a llen g e to g et t h e color s ton ed d own a n d s t i ll h ave an ae s t h et i ca lly plea s i n g color pa let te

A rti s t: Bekkie Har per B ekki e was looking for a n im a g e to p ra ct ice t he sk i l l s s h e l e a r n e d i n s o m e l e s s o n s w h e n s h e s t um b l e d a c ro ss t h i s p e li can .

Her favor ite par t was g et t ing to se e a p ict u re t hat co ul d e a s i ly b e by p a s s e d t ur n i nto a n eye c atc h i n g p a i nt i n g .

ARTIST FE ATU R E

PAU L E T T E C A S S I DY

B EC O M I N G F R U S T RAT E D T RY I N G TO L E A R N C O R E L PA I N T E R , PAU L E T T E FO U N D A L I N K F R O M H E AT H E R T H E PA I N T E R . I T S E N T H E R R U N N I N G I N TO T H E FA M I L I A R A R M S O F P H OTO S H O P, A N D T H E R ES T I S H I S TO RY.

A rt i st : Pa u let te Ca s si d y

P RACT I C E M A K ES P RO G R ES S

A r ti st: Paulet te Ca ssid y

Arti st: Pa u let te Ca ssidy

The saying, “Practice makes progress,” is exactly what motivates Paulette, but she made an excellent point discussing her original frustrations. It is difficult to overcome a barrier when you can’t wrap your head around the tool. Platforms, like Corel Painter and Photoshop, aren’t an overnight learning process, and the amount you have to learn to even begin painting can be overwhelming.

What made the difference for Paulette was the strength of her spirit. Instead of giving up, Paulette kept searching and trying! When she stumbled across the link to Beyond the Brushes, she was inspired and ecstatic to actually be familiar with Photoshop. Through the bite-size lessons and her consistent practice, Paulette rapidly learned and progressed, and th is time, there was no temptation to quit because she never felt overwhelmed.

Her greatest asset ended up being her passion for practice. Paulette encourages others to not give up and practice until it becomes muscle memory. She firmly believes that every painting has an ugly stage you’ll have to work through, but whe n you feel like scrapping it, keep working. Even these sterling paintings had an ugly stage, but Paulette worked through it to create beautiful works of art.

Now, she won’t lie. The ugly stage was probably the hardest part. Trying to get the vision in her head realized on the screen took some work, but overall, she thoroughly enjoyed the process.

Great satisfaction comes with those final brushstrokes and when you finally tell yourself, “that’s enough.” And her satisfaction was amplified by the emotion evoked.

When selecting what to paint, the emotion conveyed in the original images captivated Paulette, acting as a springboard for her creativity. The Native American pieces portrayed the proud and beautiful people of long ago. The girl in the garden symbolized difficulties faced but also hope for the future. Last but definitely not least, Louis Armstrong brought soul to an exciting attempt to work with a new medium.

Working freehand allowed Paulette to express her own personality and vision. It also permitted the freedom to use the medium on offer while having the original lessons as a safety net. Though still developing her style through eclecticism, Paulette leans toward a romantic, old-fashioned feel in her color palette, especially with the influence of her favorite artist Johannes Vermeer. Brushy Goodness helped her incorporate exactly what she was looking for, and everything came full circle creating this series.

The wet lesson, the very thing Paulette couldn’t get her head around in Corel, became the lesson in Beyond the Brushes that she struggled with the most. But, it was integral in creating this series because she had to know how to adjust the brushes to get the right look. How she conquered it?

Practice, practice, practice!

PAU L E T T E J O I N E D B E YO N D T H E B R U S H E S I N O C TO B E R 2 0 2 0 W I T H E X P E R I E N C E PA I N T I N G I N O I L S A B O U T 3 0 Y E A R S AG O. D E T E R M I N E D TO G O D I G I TA L , H E R S TO RY I S A W I N FO R T H E H U M A N S P I R I T.

A r t i s t : P au let te Ca s s i d y

A rti s t: Vickie Bolduc https : //w ww.jvphotos. co m

Vi cki e wa nted to give b ac k th is h o l iday s e as o n . S evera l of h er c li ent s h a ve recei ved a ca n cer d i a g n os i s wi t h b re a s t ca nce r be i ng t he m p ri nts of this ima ge to rais e m o n ey fo r a lo cal c h ar it y t h a t s u ppor t s ca n cer pa t i ent s a n d t h ei r fa mi li es d u r i n g s o m e of t he ha rd e s t t i m e s

mos t co mm o n . S he sold s.

r a i L

RUFUS IS A

This season is rough for those who are grieving. What justifies grief? Most agree that a major loss, whether it’s a loved one or a job, would more than justify it.

But what about when you lose part of yourself?

You see, Rufus knows what makes us tick, and that is where he does most of his work. He trick s you into giving up pieces of yourself for the sake of something else you deem more important.

As a woman, it’s easy for me to identify the things that make me give up part of myself (sorry gents, you’ll have to infer something gentlemanly here). The number one thing?

My children. I would give up anything to have them be happy and fulfilled — including time with my art.

Rufus is sly in his tactics, playing you against yourself to start a battle of wills. Except, the wills that are battling are the pieces that make you...well...you.

Rufus makes it seem like both can’t win. It has to be one or the other. He’s whispering the old adage “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” As in… it’s either baseball practice for the kids or art. I can’t do both.

And the more you believe Rufus and his lies, the more power you give him. You are chipping away at yourself each time you pick something over another. And let me tell you...

THAT justifies grief.

Mothers, hear me — you need not feel guilty for pursuing something that brings you happiness and fulfillment. Papas, this goes for you too. It’s ok to need art. I n eed it like I need to breathe!

Want to know how to stop Rufus forcing you to choose?

With proper goal planning and time management, you can accomplish the things at home and at work that are necessary for your and your family’s well-being and still have time to allow your art to flourish.

It won’t be easy, and Rufus will fight you every step of the way — especially now that he knows you know what he is doing. But don’t become complacent with your passion because you feel obligated to do other tasks.

It is 100% ok to have your cake and eat it too.

A rti st: Cr istie Lechlit ne r C ri sti e sa w this ima ge of h e r g ran ddaug hte r, L ila, a n d h a d to pa i nt i t . T h e fa mi ly fa s h i on i s ta a n d t h ea t re per for m e r, Li la do n ned a cost u me her m oth e r m ade fo r th e ir v is it to C olon i a l Wi lli a ms b u rg . C r i s t i e a ltered t h e pa le a q u a d res s a nd took on th e cha llenge of a d din g f lowe r s to c re ate it.

A rti s t: D enise Cauchi D e n i se went ba ck a few ye ar s to an im ag e s h e capt u red of a b ee on la ven d er. T h e b a c k g rou n d i s a ca nva s s h e m a d e , b u t s he changed the color u si n g an ove r lay f ro m He ath e r th e P a i nter to b et ter s u i t t h e s u b jec t . T h e b ee a n d la ven d er a re com plete ly p ai nted with B ru shy Go o dn e s s .

A rt i s t : Li n d a Hall l i n d a l e e h all.p i xe ls .com L i n d a ’s b es t f r i en d ca u g ht h er h u s b a n d s n u g g led u p w i t h t he i r new pu ppy.

T h ey h a d recent ly los t t h ei r old er d og w h o h a d b een i n po or he a l t h, a nd t h e pi c t u re s h owed ju s t h ow mu c h h e a lrea d y loved t h e pu ppy. It wa r m e d L i n d a ’s h ea r t , s o s h e d ec i d ed to c rea te t h em a prec i ou s ke e ps a ke .

COMING UP IN

DECEMBER H ISTORY OF ART

Mystery of Caravaggio’s Nativity ELEMEN TS OF ART

Positive & Negative Space

‘ T IS T H E S E A SO N W I T H T H E H O L I DAY S E AS O N I N F U L L SW I N G , O U R B E YO N D T H E B R U S H E S M E M B E R S H AV E B E E N S H A R I N G PA I N T I N G S T H AT S H OW W H AT T H E H O L I DAYS M E A N TO T H E M . A N D W I T H A G LO BA L C O M M U N I T Y L I K E O U R S , T H AT CA N M E A N M A N Y D I F F E R E N T T H I N G S !

W E S E L EC T E D J U S T A F E W O F O U R FAVO R I T E H O L I DAY I M AG E S TO S H A R E .

A r t i s t : S h e l ly E l l i s s e l l i s p h oto g ra p hy. co m S h e l ly’s g o al w h e n s he joi n ed Beyon d t h e Br u s h es wa s to eleva te h er p h oto g rap hy, s o s h e al m os t a lwa y s exc lu s i vely u s es h er ow n i ma g es . For th e h o l idays , s h e p ul led ou t h er ph otog ra ph of on e of t h e b es t mod el S anta’s s h e h a s s een s o fa r a n d g ot to wor k .

A r t i s t : K i m b e r ly G ua rd i p e e www. g ua rd i p e e p h oto g ra p hy. co m Kimberly wante d to f ul f il l h e r c h ildh o o d d rea m t h i s C h r i s t ma s s ea s on . S pec i f i ca lly, h er d rea m wa s to pa int a car to o n -e s q ue im ag e , an d s h e c h os e to rei ma g i n e s omet h i n g a li t t le more fes t i ve wi t h t h i s cardin al . W h at a fanta s t i c i d ea for k i c k i n g of f t h e h oli d a y s ea s on !

A r t i s t : Le s l ey D av i d s o n w w w. q q ui r k y v i nt a g e . co m Lesley h as b e e n wo r kin g o n a s e r ie s of g ra ph i te- s t y le wi ld li fe pa i nt i n g s . O r i g i n a lly, s h e foc u s ed h er effort s on n ative Aus tral ian w ildl ife b ut d ec i d ed to ex pa n d h er h or i zon s . Dog s , ca t s , a n d , of cou r s e, a re in de e r f i t t h e b i ll for t h a t ex pa n s i on .

A r t i s t : Pa u let te C as s i d y P aulette fe l t th at an Aus t ra li a n - t h emed C h r i s t ma s wa s i n ord er. Her g oa l wa s to d em ons t ra te t he dras tic dif fe re n ce b etwe e n t h e S ou t h er n a n d Nor t h er n Hemi s ph eres . Wh a t b et ter wa y t ha n a fa nta sy s cen e f rom t h e O u t b a c k w i t h a n i ma ls a n d a ca ra va n to b oot ?

A r t i s t : Fa r ra h We l c h www. fa r ra hwe l c h p h oto g ra p hy. co m Far rah p ut a c la s s i c S a nta por t ra i t on h er C h r i s t ma s l is t an d de c id ed to ma r k i t of f ea r ly. G oi n g b a c k to fo n d m e m o r ie s of h er mom pu t t i n g ou t d ecora t i ve t i n s w ith S anta, s h e ma d e on e for h er h ome. S h e h opes h e r kids w il l e njoy t h e t ra d i t i on a s mu c h a s s h e d i d .

A r t i s t : K at hy Te r r y kat hy te r r y p h oto g ra p hy. co m Kathy co uld n’ t h elp b u t ca pt u re t h i s prec i ou s m e m o r y of her g ra n d d a u g hter ’s f i r s t C h r i s t ma s .

Th o ug h Kathy confes s es h er g ra n d d a u g hter wa s m o re inte re s ted i n t h e li g ht s t h a n t h e pres ent s , i t is s ure to b e on e t h a t h er fa mi ly wi ll n ever forg et .

Ar tist: Leona rd B et he l , CP P w ww.leona rd b et he l. co m Leona rd d ec ide d to s te p o uts ide of h is co mfor t zon e wh en a c li ent fell i n love with a photo h e to o k of h e r do g , Gizm o . For h i s f i r s t por t ra i t pa i nt i n g of a n a nima l, B rus hy Go o dn e s s did j us t th e tr ic k a n d prov i d ed t h e pa i nter ly tou c h h e wa s look ing fo r.

A r t i s t : C at h e r i n e Ha l l e c k cat he r i n e h a l l e c k p h oto g ra p hy. co m Ca t h e r in e h ad two g o al s w h e n s h e s ta r ted t h i s pa i nt i n g . T h e f i r s t wa s to emb od y t h e s pec i a l rela tion s h ip am o n g th e s e th re e c h ara c ter s i n a s i n g le i ma g e. T h e s econ d wa s to pra c t i ce c rea t i n g texture s w ith h e r b r u s h es . Look s li k e s h e a c h i eved b ot h !

E L E VAT E YO U R A R T. C O M