Yvette's ~*
Life is a Great Adventure !! ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* I greatly appreciate this valuable opportunity to tell you about myself and my indoctrination into the wonderful World of Painting ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* it is a pleasure to share with you the observation that Oil Paintings are woven into the very fabric of human life ~*~*~*~* the realms of possibility are infinite ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* our ambitions, our aspirations, our successes are eternally honored through the agreeable, the pleasant, the living medium of Oil Painting ~*~* We are connected to them ~*~*~* to stand before an Oil Painting and marvel at the lines and curves and contours and edges and textures and colors, well... it's just an emotionally uplifting experience, especially when it is a Portrait of a Human Being and especially when it is a Portrait of a Human Being whom one knows personally ~* that being said, I shall now attempt to illustrate a brief outline of my history as a Painter and specifically as a Portrait Painter ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* I have often been asked whether I attended school for my art education......perhaps the College of Visual Arts, Theater and Dance @ Florida State University in Tallahassee, the capital of Florida, or maybe the Maryland Institute College of Art in the vicinity of the capital of the United States ~* .........the honest truth is that I have not had the benefit of any formal education in the Visual Arts at a contemporary art institute, college or school ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* if the answer was yes, I know I would have gained a great deal of advantage from such experience ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* my entrance into the wonderful world of Fine Arts, particularly Drawing & Painting Portraits, came about in a rather unusual manner, it seems ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* about six years ago I experienced an amazing Triad of repeating dream patterns !! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* for three consecutive nights I was enraptured in the spell of the most illuminating pageantry of beautiful dreams ~*~*~*~* regal delightful dreams of rainbows and butterflies and fireflies and lightening flashes and yellow canaries and swallow song and sea waves and puffy pink flamingos and soft white clouds passing aimlessly across a cerulean sky and stars and spinning spiral galaxies and sunsets and sunrises on worlds that seemed a world away and to and fro on this nightly magic carpet ride ~*~* these brilliant, mystical dreams always ended in the same way........the sound of a heart pulsing in the midst of random patterns of colors swirling all around me ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* on the morning after the third night of these enigmatic esoteric journeys, I was sitting comfortably out back in my tile floored Florida Room with the ceiling fan on a low setting when a feeling of inspiration began to overwhelm me........something like an instantaneous desperation hit me out of the proverbial blue and I experienced a great compassion to do something.........."do what?", I thought to myself.........this uncertainty and confusion lasted for what now seems like 5 or 10 minutes.........I wanted to do something...........I strongly desired to engage in some sort of activity but I had no idea what said activity could possibly be ?? ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* then, in a flash, it was clear to me..........I saw myself sitting before an easel ( at that time I didn't even know what an easel was nor did I know anything about paint or painting ) with a palette in one hand and artist's brushes in the other slinging every color imaginable upon a huge canvas !! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* imagine what a surprise this was to me !! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* I knew nothing of art or drawing or painting....and I certainly could not create a picture of someone.......a Portrait of a real Human Face !! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ....I literally did not know that a charming recipe named Oil Paint even existed ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* but it just so happened that there was an old aluminum easel in an old shed out behind my house ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* I didn't know what it was called, this tripod lookin' thing with the little ledges to set a canvas upon, but I figured I knew what it was used for ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* I remember now that it had a little, green chalkboard sitting upright on it ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* so I immediately ran down to the old shed, laid the chalkboard aside, snatched up the little, lightweight aluminum easel, brushing the dust and cobwebs off of it as I ran back to the house, and I thoughtfully set it in the most appropriate looking position in the most appropriate looking corner upon the cool tile floor of my Florida Room ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* in a closet I found some water~based window paints(at the time it was just "paint" to me), a few non~artist looking brushes and a giant roll of art paper which had all been used for creating background scenery for Fashion Shows @ Yvette's when Yvette's was located in DownTown Panama City on Harrison Avenue ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Yvette's was Established in 1980 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* I took one of the large sides out of a big cardboard box in which my new HP Personal Computer had recently arrived and I rolled out a measure of the art paper over the cardboard cut~out ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* next I stapled the art paper all around the edges to attach it to the cardboard and, low and behold, I had my make~shift canvas ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* I had my very own, very first canvas on which to paint my very first painting.........and I had no idea what was happening to me or where this was leading, if to anywhere at all ?? on this page you can see the make~shift canvas I created that day some 6 odd years ago......all this was thankfully profoundly produced by three nights of exotic dreams !! ~*~*~* "IT IS REAL !! ", is what I keep saying to myself because it all seems so strange now that I look back on it ~*~*~*~*~*~*~* at the time everything was happening so fast that I didn't have a moment to reflect, but in retrospect I think, "is this one of the secrets of the Universe ?? ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* I made 4 of those make~shift canvas before I got my first real cotton~duck canvas.........and by that time I had done enough research and study upon the subjects of Drawing and Painting that I had learned a tiny bit about Oils ~* yes, indeed, on this very page you can see my 4 make~shift canvases which are adorned with my very first attempts at Painting ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* also here, is my first attempt at Painting a Portrait on a "store~bought" canvas ~* a Chief complete with feathered head~dress ~* it is interesting to note that Oil Paint was an enigma to me ~*~* a true conundrum and a seemingly insurmountable hurdle to have to get over ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* I nearly wept when I opened my first tube ~*~*~*~*~*~*~* the first surprise was that it came in a tube ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* paint in a tube ?? ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* who ever heard of such a thing ?? ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* it squeezed out like toothpaste and I had no idea what to do because, not having attended a contemporary art school, I didn't even know that I could add medium to thin the Oil Paint ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* I didn't know I could add more Linseed Oil or even use Turpentine or various other mediums to acquire the desired consistency and flow for my pasty Oil Paint ~* now that I think about that part of my Artistic Journey, it seems the whole first year of trying to Paint was a nightmare......... I nearly gave up time and time again because it just all seemed so hopeless.........and to make matters worse, even though by this time I knew about drawing, I didn't realize that, for me at least, in order to be able to Paint, I was first going to have to learn to draw.......... and as it turns out, that's the very first item on the list in Leonardo's Treatise on Painting ~* the Master teaches that the first thing the young Painter must do is learn to draw........ young in my case meaning young at Painting because the recurring nightmares didn't happen until I was 33/34 years of age......... and speaking of the Master's Treatise, I didn't even know that existed........ once I realized that I had apparently received some sort of "Mystical Calling" to become a Painter and even a Portrait Painter(which raises the bar considerably), I began searching for a "how~to" manual for Painting............ I surmised that Famous Painters might well have left instructions on how to Paint so I began searching libraries, art galleries, bookstores and the Internet for any information I could find on the subject....... I thought perhaps Andy Warhol or Norman Rockwell or Salvador Dali may have composed a guideline for Painting and there may in fact be written instructions regarding drawing and painting method & technique left to posterity by these Famous Painters but I was never able to locate them in any published form......... I also searched for a "how to" manual for Painting authored by the Old Masters,......Rembrandt, Raphael, Durer, Michael Angelo, van Eyck & Peter Paul Rubens, to name a few..........but, other than their Paintings themselves, even of such as these I found no reference, no guide readily available to me........out of all the Famous Painters and Great Old Masters the one I had completely overlooked was the one who, as it turns out, had provided me with exactly what I was looking for......... I regularly quote Leonardo Da Vinci on Yvette's Site because it is he, the one to whom some refer as the Old Master's Master, who has provided the world with a map to Painting in his Treatise on Painting ~* I later discovered that the reason I had overlooked Leonardo is because he has only a very few completed Paintings to his credit..........and Leonardo even speaks to this when he states in one of his Precepts for the Painter (number 363) : *~ " When the work is equal to the knowledge and judgment of the painter, it is a bad sign; and when it surpasses the judgment, it is still worse, as is the case with those who wonder at having succeeded so well. But when the judgment surpasses the work, it is a perfectly good sign; and the young painter who possesses that rare disposition, will, no doubt, arrive at great perfection. He will produce few works, but they will be such as to fix the admiration of every beholder."~* ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ when I read this most profound insight presented to the world by the Great Master, I realized that I had found exactly what I was looking for ~* Leonardo Da Vinci's Treatise on Painting was exactly the instructional manual I needed........the Master's Treatise along with detailed study of his Paintings, complete & incomplete, as well as the vast style demonstrated in his nearly countless sketches and drawings have all assisted me in developing my own proficiency at Portraiture ~* the Master stresses Universal Painting, which means all Painting, not just Portraiture.......although Portraiture is my favorite........yesterday a Bird Lover educated me as to the importance of being able to accurately Paint Canaries, Cockatoos & Macaws ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* thank you Barbie from Luxembourg for visiting with me @ Yvette's and enlightening me with this helpful knowledge ~* .......so, I still have much to learn and a long way to travel in my Artistic Journey, but with Leonardo as well as all of you as my Teachers and with the wonderful support and encouragement which you all so graciously provide, I know I shall continue to achieve success.........and I know I shall continue to improve..........thanks to all of you for giving me this most cherished opportunity to Draw & Paint & Create Art For You !! ~* very sincerely Yours & Best regards, Sean Terrence Best all the tropical fishes in all the tropical seas of the world and the majestic polar ices with their arctic casts of shining auroras abound from here to all eternia and beyond in the lively parade of promenade adorned in natural royal regalia gifting us with essential elements of earthen delight !! ~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~* sharing happiness with others is a temporal and ~*~*~*~* ethereal pleasure, the wellspring of prosperity ~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* /~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |
Yvette's ~*
First make~shift canvas ~*
Second make~shift canvas ~*
First "store~bought" canvas ~*
Third make~shift canvas ~*
Fourth make~shift canvas ~*
| World Famous Artist !! ~* Sean Terrence Best !! ~* Born ~ April 24, 1969 !! ~* Panama City, Florida !! ~* Zodiac Sign ~ Taurus !! ~* Ruling Planet ~ Venus !! ~* Element ~ Earth !! ~* Birth Gem ~ Emerald !! ~* |
| StarDate ~* ~* *~V8~* ~* ~* ~* ~* Saturday November 21 2009 ~* |
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| *~ the irises of a Painter ~* *~V8~* |
| this must be from about second grade ~* |
Thank you for visiting
| Yvette's treasures the opportunity to serve you ~* |
| I'm one year of age in this photograph ~* |
| it appears that my kindergarten teacher had assessed me accurately ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* |
| Yvette's has a Passion for Fashion !! ~* |
Established
1980
1980
| Author and Fashioner of Yvette's Site ~* |
| another revealing page about Yvette's Portrait Painter Sean Terrence Best click here !! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~* |
| Leonardo Da Vinci~* Precept #364~ On the Judgement of Painters ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* When the judgement surpasses the work, it is a perfectly good sign; and the young Painter who possesses that rare disposition will arrive at great perfection. He will produce many works and they will be such as to fix the admiration of every beholder *~ V8~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* ~* |
| Yvette's cares about YOU !! ~*~*~*~*~* Yvette's wants YOU to be HAPPY !! ~* |