Oil Painting

If you’re an artist, you’ve probably considered that your work, once it’s “out there” for the world to see, has the power to impact people in some way. It could elicit any number of responses, from admiration, to nostalgia—or on the opposite spectrum, to disgust, or shock. Quite possibly—because we are bombarded with images every day—it might not elicit a response at all.  Either way, there’s always some risk involved.  It takes courage and vulnerability to put your art before the public eye.  Get a big enough audience and you might even be called an “influencer” or a “culture shaper”. But have you considered that, with any audience large or small, this also means you are a leader?

Last week I was invited by my Crossfit gym owner to join him and the other coaches for a monthly professional development meeting. Now, I am not a coach, rather, I provide services to my gym in the form of photography, video/video editing, and design work. I love being part of this team, but I still feel a bit out of place at “coaches” meetings. As an artist, what I know about leadership has evolved organically over the years (a.k.a. I’ve read a lot of Brene Brown books). I’ve never received formal leadership training, so I was intrigued when my gym owner said, “You might get something out of this”. 

He was right. We watched a video where someone was analyzing a coach teaching a class, and he broke it down into technical terms as to what methods this coach was using to effectively train and teach athletes proper form. I found myself engaged, not just because I’m also a CrossFitter, but because my brain immediately went to ways I could implement these coaching techniques in teaching art, or in my interactions with other artists. Whether you’re in a gym setting or a workshop setting, there are going to be people who don’t want to listen to you, or those who cherry pick some of what you have to say while leaving the rest. And there will be some who require you to say the same thing ten times over but in ten different ways before it clicks for them. It’s important to learn how to communicate effectively with people so you can actually reach them.

I’ve only recently come to terms with the realization that I am a leader in the art world. For better or for worse, whether I like it or not, I have a part to play and I am influencing someone. My younger self brushed this off by saying, “I’m just keeping up with the times on social media”, or “I’m just doing what I love”, “making art for art‘s sake”, etc.  But the truth is, most of us can’t possibly live in a bubble where our life and work don’t affect someone else.  If our work is out there, we are influencers. We are above and beyond the norm. There’s no minimum or maximum age, no minimum audience for being a leader, and as artists, our leadership roles are especially unique and necessary. 

But not everyone who leads is a good leader. It takes work, and a servant’s heart.  I’ll name a few of the things I’ve learned that make up a great leader (of course I offer this list through the lens of being an artist but it can certainly apply to other aspects of life).

Belief in purpose.  As artists, we write an “Artist’s Statement” to communicate our “why”. The great thing about a statement is that it forces you to examine your goals, motivations, and process, and condense it into a few brief sentences. There has to be a “why” behind everything we do and every choice we make. If we truly believe in our “why,” and are confident in the direction we are going, we are setting ourselves up for becoming good leaders in our field. If writing an artist’s statement is daunting to you, don’t worry. It can change and evolve with you as your work evolves. Think of the core values you hold most dear, and how those manifest themselves in your work. Or look at your body of work and try to find the common thread that ties them all together. It won’t be too hard to see what really matters to you.

Early on I had to come to terms with the moral question of painting nudes and including them in my portfolio. I grew up in a very conservative environment, and to this day, I still have acquaintances from home who won’t talk to me because they think I’ve sold my soul to the devil. It’s a subject that raises a lot of different questions, and I realize that if I’m going to paint nudes, I need a standpoint on it, and once that’s been established, I need to be able to defend and honor that standpoint. 

One way to uphold your belief and purpose is by aligning yourself with arts organizations that support your values. Two of the esteemed groups I’ve been a part of for quite a few years now, are the Portrait Society of America, and Oil Painters of America. Both are non-profits with the aim of furthering representational art and art education. I share a core value with them: the pursuit of excellence. This commonality creates a fertile garden for artistic growth, both on their end and mine.

Authenticity is important because your worldview, or belief in purpose as described above, are dependent on this. It doesn’t make sense to believe one thing while making art that goes against that, just so you can make a buck, or get in with the cool kids. Also, don’t be the person who will advertise for any company as long as you get something free out of it. Be the real deal. Advocate for causes you actually believe in. I am generous with my social media posts about art supply manufacturers, but I only post about the ones I actually use and love.

Humility.  Admit when you’re wrong or you don’t know. When I teach, I sometimes get asked technical questions about the chemistry and lightfastness of the paint brands I’m using. Quite often I have to say, “I don’t know the answer to that,” but I’ll try and point my students in the right direction for finding the answer themselves.

Have a servant’s heart. Give of your time and talents. Don’t be entitled, and don’t get “too big for your britches”. We all started somewhere; we are all still learning. I find artists who are aloof and unapproachable, with their enormous egos taking up all the space in the room, to be abhorrent. Don’t be like that!

Master the basics and continue practicing them; never stop learning. Basketball star Kobe Bryant was known for doing the most basic drills in order to stay at the top of his game. Every day he shot 700-1000 hoops and did 20 minutes of dribbling. For artists this might be similar to sketching every day, doing color charts, or copying masterworks. This is something I need to work on; too often I think my studio work is more important and I don’t have time to go back to the basics. But the basics are everything. 

Foster community. This involves a combination of all the above listed things. When you are in community, you allow yourself to grow and learn from others. They don’t have to be other artists. A wise friend once told me, “I learn from everyone I meet. It doesn’t matter who they are or what they do—everyone has something to bring to the table.” That kind of humility opens the door for better listening, more empathy, and greater understanding. It also allows for a bigger melting pot of ideas to inspire creativity and growth as an artist. 

There are many practical ways we can foster community in the art world. We can host open studios, attend art openings and events, have regular critique sessions, or attend life drawing and plein air sessions to name a few. 

Know your worth, and stay confident.  One pill that’s been hard to swallow is the realization that as a leader, I will make enemies. No, not the kind where you duke it out in a fist fight, although sometimes I feel like that would be easier.  But, you might get slandered. You might get talked about behind your back. You might get shunned or blacklisted. There will be people who not only disagree with you, but actually hate you.

It’s so important to know who you are and to keep in mind that negative reactions reflect more on the other person’s character than yours. I was shunned in college by some of the other art majors. I could only speculate as to why, but I suspect they were envious. 

My emergence to the art scene coincided with the onslaught of social media.  There has been this continuous question of: how much do I share about my political views and should that tie in to my art? Some would argue that as an “influencer”, I ought to use my platform for that. Others would say that I should “stick to the art.” Whether or not this is true for you, what I realized for myself was that real change only happens in settings where people feel safe and respected. Intimate conversations, friendships that are built on trust – that’s where change happens, not by blanket statements made on social media. Unfortunately, I had to learn this the hard way. I’ve burned some bridges. I hope that, moving forward, I can learn from my mistakes and make wiser choices.

Since then, I’ve gone through other experiences, such as getting negative feedback or being attacked by internet trolls (sometimes people I actually know which is way worse…). These experiences can sometimes feel like a test to see whether or not I will cave in to the lies that I am inadequate, unworthy, or a fraud. When bad things happen to you (or bad paintings, ha!), hold your head high, know your worth, and carry on. Don’t let them paralyze you from continuing your work and sharing it with the world. 

As the reader you might be thinking, “You are not making a very good case for putting yourself out there”.  Sorry…not sorry.  If you’re an artist and you truly feel that it’s your vocation, then you’ll have to come to terms with this, like I did. Thankfully, it doesn’t all happen at once. Little by little, you learn what leadership looks like for you and your own circle of influence. You may be lucky enough to be born with natural confidence, but if you’re like most of us, leadership is a skill that takes time and experience to develop. And that’s okay! Just know that if you are being true to your values and being authentic, remaining humble and embracing community… your art and life will become part of something bigger, and you are going to make a positive difference in someone’s life. 

This is a story about my father, John Melillo, a retired Vietnam Combat Veteran surviving and coping with severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder through art.

The Vietnam War was a very traumatic experience for my father. After retiring, he began to experience extreme PTSD. When it became overwhelming, he turned to painting and drawing for solace. His journey started with painting from photos he took while on tour in Vietnam. He found a great deal of healing in creating art from the pictures he took in a far-away land, a long time ago. 

The clinical term for what my father is doing is “Prolonged Exposure”.  The objective is to gradually approach trauma-related memories and feelings and learn that they are not dangerous, or need to be avoided.  The longer he faces the source of his trauma head on, the less traumatic it becomes. Focusing on creating colors, shapes, lights and darks, gives him a new world of positive experience. In addition, he is finding that he has a creative ability, and he calls this stage of his life a “rebirth” and his “third act”.  

John Melillo’s Vietnam Journey is reflected in his 7-part oil painting series called “Life Goes On”. 

He would like to share the stories behind two of his paintings from this series. The first, is “In Remembrance of Chris”:

“Chris was from Texas. He was 19 years old with a wife and kid. I broke him into his duties in country. One day in formation, the desk sergeant was sick so they asked who was senior man to take his place. I was, but you’d rather be on patrol instead of handling everyone’s complaints and the radio. Chris took my place on that patrol. It took about 4 minutes for me to get down to the police station. The first call that came in was that Chris was killed in action.  I painted “In Remembrance of Chris” from a black and white photograph of the patrol Chris would have been on that day. It was a patrol that we all took. Because of the nature and situation, I decided to paint it in black and white. I chose wood as a medium, simply because I felt it represented the style and mood I wanted to paint. So, I painted this picture to share with the world and remember Chris.” 

John would also like to share the story behind “The Caretaker”. 

“In extreme situations like Vietnam, you have casualties. But on a lighter side, daily life must still go on. I found this woman. We called her The Caretaker. She stepped up, did a wonderful thing and took in orphans that lost their parents on both sides of the War. This is a Vietnamese orphanage out in the jungle that didn’t get much traffic. As you can see, the kids are smiling, well fed, and dressed. This woman made life for them meaningful. It struck me as amazing and I wanted to immortalize her and that situation. Even though it was extreme, life was still going on there in a very unique way.” 

In addition to painting images from his Vietnam experience, John has turned to subject matter from his Eastern Long Island upbringing, as well as all the activities he enjoys there today. 

“Discovering the wonder and beauty of Long Island now as I did when I was young is amazing. I feel almost EUPHORIC seeing those images translate into paintings.

I have found so much additional healing not just painting my family heritage, but what I experience today as I revisit those memories. What is important is the fact that I am still an active Eastern Long Island participant. I am an avid fisherman twelve months of the year with my daughter, sailing at daybreak and nighttime on all of Long Island’s open waterways. We also visit farm stands, vineyards, beaches, pine barren parks, and travel the North and South Forks. These adventures provide a wealth of material to paint. My paintings are a reflection of my journeys: through Southampton, Shinnecock, Hampton Bays, Sagaponack, Sag Harbor, North Sea, North Fork Gold Coast, Mattituck, Orient Point, Montauk, Riverhead, Moriches Inlet, Center Moriches, etc.” 

“What a wonderful way to appreciate the beauty of Long Island. To be on a boat at dawn and see the many unique sunrises. You can even catch sight of a whale. Dolphins and seals playing, turtle’s coming to lay their eggs, Sunfish and various large sharks are common occurrences.”

There is no greater reward than to experience this art journey with my father and see him continue to heal.  

Thank you to all the soldiers past and present, you are a continued inspiration.

John’s Instagram @artfeelingsjm / www.artfeelingsjm.com

We are grateful for all your interest and support.

OPA wishes everyone a happy and art-filled Mother’s Day.

“How do you find the time to paint with small children?” This is a question I am frequently asked by friends, family and followers on social media. Perhaps you are struggling with the same issue. The good news: as a creative parent, you will find a way! We’ve all learned that when you’re passionate about something, you will make it happen. 

I’d like to share a few tips and tricks that have worked for me. First, let me introduce myself. My name is Ashlee Trcka and I’m an award-winning impressionist oil painter, visual inventor, and proud Mom of three small children. My life revolves around my art and my children. So how do I make it all work? It comes down to time management skills, something I learned in both grade school and in business classes at university. Before children, I could paint at any hour, any day of the week. After my children were born, I had to learn to utilize my time in a very precise way. It’s important to block in creativity slots in the day for both myself and my kids. Having a daily agenda that includes time dedicated to working on one’s craft is crucial. What will the kids do while you’re painting away? Let them join you! Establish a routine where they feel involved in the creative process alongside you. Whether they’re painting or crafting with paper and glue, it’s important to have a “creative hour” where everyone feels connected to their art.

For example, a one-hour painting session with my daughter consists of her painting at an easel next to mine. I’ll set up my plein air easel next to my studio easel so that she has her own workspace. My son prefers the kitchen table, so you can use that instead of an easel if you don’t have a spare.

“Yes but what if the children can’t keep focused for an hour?” I hear you say. As an artist parent, you must plan for this. Planning is the key to success. Kids may not what to paint every day. I always have crafts put aside and new fun things for them to do when they tire of the usual routine. 

If a one-hour block is too long for either of the kids to maintain focus painting, I have dollar store crafts ready to access so I can get my work done. Children love sensory play, so my go-to items are kinetic sand, modelling clay and Play-Doh. 

Another important factor in prioritizing your painting practice is to be intentional and focused with your time. Where there is intent comes productivity!  If you can devote one hour per day to your painting, you can actually get a lot done.  I think we can all relate to the fact that it’s easy to procrastinate and take time away from the easel.  To help avoid procrastination, I have a large wall calendar in my office with “creativity hour” penciled in on days we are painting. As a visual person, seeing it written out makes me stick to the schedule. I use that hour to create by either planning a new painting design through small studies, or by applying paint. Setting the goal of working creatively for an hour and achieving it is incredibly rewarding for both myself and the kids. 

You may ask, “Is an hour-long enough?” It sure is! One of the benefits of being an artist parent is you’ll perfect your Alla Prima skills. (Alla Prima is a method of painting in which the paint is laid on in a single application instead of being built up in layers.) Some of my best, award-winning paintings were created using the Alla Prima approach. You will amaze yourself with how quickly you can work once you give it a try. So set a timer and paint away!

Lastly, if you are dedicated to your craft, you will inspire and influence your children. When they see you “doing your thing” they respect and appreciate it. My kids think their artist Mom is pretty cool! So my parent artist friends, set an agenda, stay focused and plan! Happy painting Moms and Dads!

A few years ago, my brother’s beloved dog Calvin died. My brother was so saddened by this loss, I asked him to send me photos of Calvin so that I could try to do a portrait to immortalize Calvin for him and his family.  

I had never painted pet portraits before.  Also, I generally do not paint from photographs and prefer to paint from life. My best work of flowers, still-life, portraits, and plein-air paintings are always painted from life or on location, which I enjoy so much. Nonetheless, I made an exception and proceeded to attempt a portrait of Calvin from the photographs provided.  Years of training and painting from life enabled me to create from these photo references, and I painted two portraits of Calvin. My brother gave one to his wife as a surprise gift, and upon opening the package, she cried.  The other portrait became the image used for pet portrait workshops I was invited to teach during this time.

This brings me to the reason I am sharing this story.  Around the same time this was all happening and I was trying my hand at pet portraits, my sister became seriously ill and could no longer take care of her beloved dogs and they had to be given away. With my newly discovered ability to paint pet portraits, I proceeded to paint a portrait of each of her dogs, framed them, and hung them in her living room.  She said that every night she would sit on the couch and stare at them – it was as if her dogs were actually in the room with her – the portraits had such a lively lifelike quality about them.  A few weeks later when my sister went into hospice care, the portraits were hung within easy eyeshot of her bed before she passed away. 

I am so grateful that my painting journey includes all of these portraits – they mean so much to me and my family. 

Sometimes I have wondered:  What is the meaning of a painter’s life?  We are not saving lives or curing cancer.  I do know that there is power in art, and it can bring solace and comfort during times of sadness. 

(Essay excerpt from book published 2021, Beauty Unites Us, by Rick J. Delanty)

Artists are revolutionaries, to some degree. Their responses to crisis, confusion, and condemnation in social situations can often be seen in their artworks. The creation of an artwork itself is a statement that the human spirit has a creative voice, is inspire-able, worthy of development, and capable of transforming others and life itself. Artists can allow the light that is within them to shine outwards, to touch those who are depressed, downhearted, or even despairing, especially in challenging times like these. A woman in San Clemente, California, has made the news by bringing her piano outside to play it in the driveway for her neighbors. In Italy, singers project mini-operatic presentations from their balconies. In our neighborhood, kids are doing chalk drawings on the sidewalk for fun.

 My own paintings of the natural world are celebrations of all that is good in life, and in heaven. An artwork that celebrates beauty is more than a symbolic shaking of the fist in times of trial–it is a blow for freedom of the spirit, and a bugle-call against both oppression and depression. Inspiring artworks encourage us to believe, rather than bend or break in times of crisis. Art and Nature encourage us to look within, and Beyond. (end of excerpt)

“You can look anywhere and find inspiration.” —Frank Gehry

The chaos and confusion of the pandemic was whirling about the world when I wrote the above words in 2020. As an artist, I was wondering what I could do to help defuse the despair.  I thought I might create Facebook posts with a written message, accompanied by a painting, pointing out that Beauty and hope for the future still existed, despite evidence to the contrary.

My idea had its roots in the concept of the Hebrew words “Ab’ra ke’ Dab’ra,” meaning “I will create as I speak.” Though we may be more familiar with this term as it relates to magic and magicians, I believe that it has much more significance to daily life: the concept that it is entirely possible to create the reality we want through our thoughts, which when we speak them and act on them, become reality. Doing good and creating meaningful work is made possible through positive thoughts and intentions.

Art comes from a life lived consciously and fully, and not necessarily one in which everything is known, safe, and easy to master.   –Christopher Volpe, artist

For an artist, this is why intention, mindset, and attitude are all-important in the creative process.

Like building a house, the desired result (a meaningful artwork) is achieved only through mindful preparation.

Regarding the pandemic, we learned that a misinformed, confused and panicked mindset yields chaos, hopelessness, and widespread contagion. But as artists, we also learned (or were reminded again) that Beauty, goodness and truth are necessities — like water, food, and air. We were reminded that artists perform a very real function in our society. The work an artist does may be considered the very foundation of civilization; the fruits of our labor has the power to inspire those who appreciate it to live at their very best. The thoughts and mindful creativity of an artist can divert, calm, and create a better world for all of us who need it. Ours is a profession that points to the heavens, during times of crisis when all eyes are blinded by dust.

“Great art is the outward expression of the inner life of the artist, and this inner life will result in his (her) personal vision of the world.”  -Edward Hopper

The artist who seeks and creates Beauty in her work receives a dual benefit: first, her vision of the world has the potential to bless the audience, and herself. Secondly, the artist’s audience receives a more positive vision of reality that the artist thinks, speaks, and paints into existence. Artists have the ability to make the world a better place.