Author: Kelli Folsom

My Favorite Highlights from a recent trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art

My Favorite Highlights from a recent trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Posted on by Kelli Folsom
Today I wanted to share with you some of my favorite highlights from my recent trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. This was our first big art trip since before Covid began. Monte and I both were so inspired by the art! It was much needed. I hope you all make some time to get your faces in front of some real live art. It’s so important to do!  Here’s a few of my fav’s from this weekend.  First! Fantin La Tour. Not only is he a master of still life and florals, but I loved seeing...Read More
Scottsdale Artists School Workshop 2021

Scottsdale Artists School Workshop 2021

Posted on by Kelli Folsom
Update January 26, 2021: Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, Scottsdale Artists' School has rescheduled the November 2021 workshop. The workshop has been rescheduled for December 2021. Please visit their website for more information: https://scottsdaleartschool.org/coronavirus-covid-19/ . Dates & Pricing 12/7/2021 - 12/11/2021 Location Scottsdale Artists’ School 3720 North Marshall Way, Scottsdale, Arizona 85251 United States Instructor Kelli Folsom Additional Info Painting still life has long been a way to learn the fundamentals of painting as it is perhaps the most convenient way to study values, color relationships, form and drawing. This is the first step, but what comes after that?...Read More
More time in Nature and My Landscape Influences

More time in Nature and My Landscape Influences

Posted on by Kelli Folsom
Happy fall my friend! I can’t believe we’re in the middle of October already. Where did the time go? The leaves are changing more and more every day, it’s getting colder, and the days shorter. I feel the clock ticking louder and louder as I try to hold on to some warm painting days as long as possible before fall leaves. So this week I spent some more time in nature. And it was perfect! Well except for the wind at the lake. Ha ha! Monte and I had planned on painting at this lake all day, but the wind...Read More
How I deal with the frustrations of Plein Air Painting

How I deal with the frustrations of Plein Air Painting

Posted on by Kelli Folsom
Announcing my NEW plein air work this fall! Nature is a great healer and I’ve been spending a lot of time in it this month. Partly because I sense the impending doom of winter coming on soon here in Denver (why I moved to Colorado when I hate cold weather I’ll never know). And partly because fall is one of my most favorite times of year. There’s something about foraging in the fall. I’ve been finding all kinds of wild berries, beautiful leaves that have all the gradations of a sunrise, and even some dried moonwort. Something about collecting these...Read More

Is your creative spirit emaciated and at risk of dying? How to bring it back to life in the right way, but hurry.

Posted on by Kelli Folsom
Are you starving your creative self? Depending on how long you've been doing this, your emaciating your creative spirit. So many artist's spirits die from this. It happens far too often and I don't want that to happen to you! When we've starved our creative self we need to take swift emergency action, but in a very gentle and patient way. The right way. It's very much like a person or animal who is starving to death. You have to nurse them back to health very gently. A little bit at a time. If you give them too much too...Read More
Announcing the 5 Day Still Life Painting Challenge!

Announcing the 5 Day Still Life Painting Challenge!

Posted on by Kelli Folsom
Who's up for a Painting Challenge Sept 26th-Sept 30th!? And it's completely FREE! Join the 5 Day Still Life Painting Challenge for a chance to study with me for FREE! Gain early access to win points and prizes! There are special pre-challenge exercises that are worth extra points as well! Click this link to join: https://mailchi.mp/3cd7355cd095/join-the-5-day-still-life-painting-challenge Over the last few weeks, we’ve talked about the 3 biggest traps that cause developing artists to get stifled and give up. These included the Masterpiece trap, not taking action consistently, and not understanding the visual language of painting.  I’ve been where you are and...Read More
The Secret Language of Painting

The Secret Language of Painting

Posted on by Kelli Folsom
Who's up for a Painting Challenge Sept 26th-Sept 30th!? And it's completely FREE! Join the 5 Day Still Life Painting Challenge for a chance to study with me for FREE! Gain early access to win points and prizes! There will be special pre-challenge exercises that will be worth extra points as well! Click this link to join: https://mailchi.mp/3cd7355cd095/join-the-5-day-still-life-painting-challenge https://youtu.be/IiELzfGAoRo One day as I was staring at an art magazine with one of the most BEAUTIFUL paintings I had ever seen, I was entranced by the light, the colors, and the gorgeous petals. I was both in awe and distraught.I was distraught because...Read More
The Masterpiece Trap

The Masterpiece Trap

Posted on by Kelli Folsom
Who's up for a Painting Challenge Sept 26th-Sept 30th!? And it's completely FREE! Join the 5 Day Still Life Painting Challenge for a chance to study with me for FREE! Gain early access to win points and prizes! There will be special pre-challenge exercises that will be worth extra points as well! Click this link to join: https://mailchi.mp/3cd7355cd095/join-the-5-day-still-life-painting-challenge https://youtu.be/P4b0WvwZ9zs Week after week, month after month, I’d attend the local classroom studio where I went to draw the figure each week. During the model breaks that I used to refresh my eyes, I’d walk around the studio. Pulling at my kneaded eraser...Read More
Action is the Antidote

Action is the Antidote

Posted on by Kelli Folsom
Who's up for a Painting Challenge Sept 26th-Sept 30th!? And it's completely FREE! Join the 5 Day Still Life Painting Challenge for a chance to study with me for FREE! Gain early access to win points and prizes! There will be special pre-challenge exercises that will be worth extra points as well! Click this link to join: http://bit.ly/2wrevGQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLBGu2bMMl8 Freaked out. Stalled. Anxious. Paralyzed. Shame. These all describe my state of mind sitting in my low rent one-bedroom apartment in 2013 wondering how I’d pay the bills next month. My artwork wasn’t selling well and what’s worse was I was so paralyzed...Read More
The journey of a thousand paintings begins with a single painting. And a single painting is a journey of a thousand brushstrokes. Hard or easy, it’s your choice.

The journey of a thousand paintings begins with a single painting. And a single painting is a journey of a thousand brushstrokes. Hard or easy, it’s your choice.

Posted on by Kelli Folsom
The journey of a thousand paintings begins with a single painting. And a single painting is a journey of a thousand brushstrokes. So often we get ahead of ourselves. We focus on the outcome- the end result. When we do that we can miss out on so much right in front of us at the moment. It’s hard to focus on every single brushstroke one at a time when our mind is also trying to focus on securing a successful painting. We’d have a much better chance of success if we gave every brushstroke our focus and presence. But success...Read More