ANNOUNCING: The Square Foot Show

 It's difficult to put into words how excited I am to be announcing this show. 

I have been thinking, hoping, dreaming, planning and preparing this show for months, and it's time to reveal both the concept and the name! If you want to watch the YouTube video revealing the name and concept, you can do so by watching below, or simply read on!

THE SQUARE FOOT SHOW

One of my goals this year was to increase the quantity of work that I produced, as opposed to only working on large pieces. Those large paintings often take me months to create, which means that my ability to teach that painting is somewhat limited. As such, I wanted to create a show that would revolve around a specific size, that would be conducive to faster output while also maintaining a consistency of final product. 

12 Paintings, each 12" x 12"

Art exhibitions typically have a theme, or thread of commonality that links all of the works produced for the show. By focusing on shrinking the size of the canvas, I'm able to produce work at a faster rate, and complete both one painting and one YouTube tutorial per week. The paintings themselves will not be available until the very end, when I will release all twelve at once on my website as first come, first serve. 

The Themes Within the Theme

Of course, it isn't just enough for me to produce twelve paintings without looking at weaving together stories within the show. As such, I have split the twelve paintings into four categories of three paintings each: landscape, floral, still life, and wildlife. 

Within that, each of the three paintings will use the same colour palette as the other paintings within that category. If this show is a quartet of four themes, each painting is a different movement that flows from one piece into another, interrelated but different.

Up First: Landscape

I've decided to be a little cryptic with what you'll see over the next 12 weeks, and not give away the subjects of the paintings right away. However, if you follow me on Instagram, you can watch the progress in my stories as I begin the work. What I can tell you is that the landscape paintings will all use the same limited palette, and will be interpretations of the following word:

Afterglow.

That's it, that's all you get! The other categories will remain a secret...for now. 

Can I Learn to Paint Them Too?

For this series, I'll be narrating and teaching what I'm doing from a technical standpoint, and you're welcome to give them a shot! I won't be able to release the reference photos, as I only took some of them, and have obtained direct permission from the other photographers to use theirs...but not distribute them. However, you are welcome to try the techniques you see in any of the videos in your own work! 

This series will be painted in oil, which I recognize is a little intimidating. However, many of the techniques are transferable to acrylic, and my intention is to continue building a library on YouTube of both acrylic and oil tutorials moving forward. 

Once the Square Foot Show has concluded, and I'm not so consumed with maintaining the schedule of one painting per week, I'll begin to create painting tutorials that focus more specifically on brushwork, working with mediums, colour theory, and so much more. 

It Will Take Time to Build

Quality paintings take time to create, and my teaching needs that same incubation process. I still need to upgrade my studio lighting and camera. I'm taking online courses to improve my videography. I won't be able to have the technical videos filmed and released for another few months...but they're coming. I promise. 

The great thing about being here for the beginning of all of this is that I am happy to take input on what you want to see next. What would you like to learn? How could my channel best serve you? You can let me know by leaving a comment below, I will read them all! 

My goal is to have a full channel up and running by the end of this year, complete with timelapses, techniques, studio tour, art vlogs, and so much more. I am absolutely loving filmmaking, and I hope that joy is evident in the work I create. 

What's the Endgame?

My life's mission is this: to create beauty in every endeavour, teach with passion, and empower others through art. I want to reach as many emerging artists as possible and help them feel supported during their journey. I love what I do, and my work doesn't feel like work. 

The Square Foot Show has brought such joy to my life during such difficult times, and I hope it does the same for you.

Keep making your life beautiful!

- MVD