My Newest Obsession

I am not the type of person who loves to go shopping. If I do, I have a list, and I get in and out as quickly and as efficiently as possible. I probably have my mom to thank for that - in our book, efficiency is key. Whether it’s for clothes, shoes, makeup, what have you, shopping in general is just not something that I particularly love. But take me to an art store…and hope that you can get me to leave. Most of my art shopping experiences happen online, and even then, I could spend hours deciding which new paints to try, which size canvas to try out, or if I really do need that new set of watercolors (Hint: I totally do.)

THE STUDIOElizabeth SageOctober 3, 2018Comment

PRINTS & GOODS Now Available!

I am so excited to share something that I’ve always been wanting to do with my art - prints & paper goods!! One of my very first art purchases was a Teil Duncan Fine Art print. She is an artist I look up to in so many ways, and when I graduated from college, I wanted to treat myself to a piece of her art to mark the occasion. The only product of hers that was in my budget was a print. A fine art print is a high-quality reproduction of a piece of original art. I was so proud to feel confident in purchasing my own piece of art, and that print still hangs in my home to this day!

THE STUDIOElizabeth SageSeptember 27, 2018Comment

What's On My Mind Right Now

Remember when I talked about my favorite places to think? One of those places is in the car. When I turn the car on, and put it in drive, the car quickly transforms into a think tank. The trouble is, I try my best to stay off of my phone in the car, so I had to come up with a way to document these thoughts before they left my brain. Enter Voice Memos. I can quickly pull up the app on my phone, and hit record. I can capture my thoughts in a steam-of-consciousness fashion, and document what exactly it is that I’m thinking through in a raw, unedited way. When I go back and listen to them, I can shape these scattered thoughts into a real idea with a direction.

THE PROCESSElizabeth SageSeptember 24, 2018Comment

A Creative Exercise

Every now and then, I like to zoom out. What are the things I’ve been noticing around me? What have I been taking pictures of? A quick scroll through my camera roll or my bookmarked Instagram posts helps me see the big picture. Often, there’s a color or color palette that emerges from these saved images. The colors, textures, and themes that I glean from this collection of photos helps me think about which direction I might want to go next in my studio.

Elizabeth SageSeptember 21, 2018Comment

How a Wine Podcast Changed My Perspective on Creativity

Ever since I graduated from college, I’ve had a low-grade fear on the back burner of my mind that since I am no longer school that I will get dumber. Graduation requires quite the mental shift when you think about it. From age 4-22, I have spent Monday - Friday, 9 months out of the year in a classroom. When that all of a sudden stopped, the knowledge-seeker in me felt a little desperate, not knowing where to go to satisfy a yearn to learn (rhyme master, right there). I was keenly aware of the need for my brain to be engaged in something, anything. There were (and still are!) times when I feel like my brain is a dry sponge. The capacity to absorb is there, but it’s left without any input, so it isn’t serving its purpose.

THE PROCESSElizabeth SageSeptember 19, 2018 Comment

Meet My Painting: "Blue Daze"

Is there anything more invigorating, more life-giving, and anything more promising than a blue sky? There is a crispness, a life-force, and a promise with a nearly-cloudless day. There is nothing hindering the sun from shining, so why should anyone feel hindered from accomplishing something great? This feeling of assurance that comes from a bright blue sky is the reason and the purpose behind my next painting in the ‘Meet My Painting’ Series: Blue Daze.

Elizabeth SageSeptember 17, 2018Comment

The Difference Between Sunrise & Sunset

If you looked at one of my paintings, could you tell what time of day I painted?

Every painting that I work on is based on an actual photo. When I am out at the Farm, I snap photos like a madwoman, catching every cool cloud, every beautiful sunset, and if I can get myself out of bed early enough, an epic sunrise. Over time, I’ve noticed some clear differences in the mood, colors and feel of a sunrise versus a sunset. I try my best to capture the feeling of each time of the day with my color palette, so that I can communicate on the canvas that very same feeling that I felt when I took the photo out at The Farm.

THE HEARTElizabeth SageSeptember 14, 2018 Comment

Studio Essentials: Technology in the Studio

Oil painting, along with most art-making techniques, is an ancient practice. It’s story goes way way back, yet there are always new lessons to learn. My role in the history of oil painting is small, but I am privileged to tell its story. As an artist in the 21st century, I have access to certain programs and devices that help me write the story of oil painting in a modern age. Below are some of my favorite tech items that make my life easier, more efficient, and so much more enjoyable!

THE STUDIOElizabeth SageSeptember 12, 2018studio, essentials, techComment

Mixing My Paint Palette

When I was a little girl, my best friend and I would play in the backyards of each other's houses and make what we called "mixtures." These concoctions were made up of pretty much anything and everything you could dump into a bowl and mix until combined. We would raid pantries, dig up dirt and leaves, and always built a story around what this specific mixture was meant for. Sometimes it had healing powers, other times it was "dinner" (Note: we never, ever actually consumed any of these mixtures). We were attracted to creating something from nothing, and mixing up different combinations of the materials were given was an activity that we returned to often.

These days, I'm still mixing things up, but I've graduated from mud and kitchen spices to mixing up oil paints, mediums and solvents. My mixtures are both bright and pastel colored, and are lovingly painted on to my canvases. One of my favorite parts of the painting process is building and developing my color palette. It always starts out so clean, and then as the painting builds up, so does my palette, and the colors begin to tell a story.

THE STUDIOElizabeth SageSeptember 10, 2018Comment

See My Work (In Person!)

Even though I sell my own artwork online, I find it so incredible a very flat, digital image can be imagined as something that can one day hang on your walls in all three dimensions. The goal that I am always working towards is enabling someone who is looking at my work on a screen to envision it in a setup as close to real life as possible. Sometimes that is easy, other times it is more difficult. Envisioning the scale of the brush strokes and the size of canvas can be daunting to prove. The added challenge of accurately representing color is a whole other beast. I have been so fortunate to work with shop owners, gallerists, and kind individuals that have welcomed me and my art into their spaces and homes to present my work in person. As beautiful as a painting can be styled up, there is truly nothing quite like seeing art in person. You can see the history of the painting in the brush strokes and the layering, and you have the opportunity to feel the spirit of the painting even more. Have you ever seen my work in person? If you haven't, there are a couple of ways you can!

THE PROCESSElizabeth SageSeptember 7, 2018Comment