{"id":230648,"date":"2025-05-08T11:43:35","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T11:43:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/entertainment\/art\/an-art-life-in-bloom\/"},"modified":"2025-05-08T11:43:35","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T11:43:35","slug":"an-art-life-in-bloom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=230648","title":{"rendered":"An Art Life in Bloom"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\u2713<\/span>Showcase your talent and win big in Artists Network prestigious art competitions! Discover competitions in a variety of media and enter for your chance to win cash prizes, publication in leading art magazines, global exposure, and rewards for your hard work. Plus, gain valuable feedback from renowned jurors. Let your passion shine through – enter an art competition<\/a> today!<\/span><\/div>\n\n

Ann Gargotto\u2019s floral works are evidence of her deep affection for gardening and her unwavering reverence for the boundless beauty of nature. Discover the inspiration and insights that have helped her art-making blossom.<\/h4>\n

by Colleen Smith<\/p>\n

The forms of flowers inform the majority of Denver-based artist Ann Gargotto\u2019s paintings. Within the world of the garden, she has painted peonies, tulips, sunflowers, hydrangeas, orchids, roses, rose of Sharon, hollyhocks, dahlias, and colorful mixed arrangements to acclaim.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Touch of Rose<\/em> (oil on linen, 16\u00d716)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When painting florals, Gargotto often works from reference photos she has snapped with her iPhone, \u201cbut I don\u2019t want to copy a photograph and be a photorealist,\u201d she notes. \u201cI want my work to be painterly. I might do a study to get the right color notes, or I might be immersed a day or two working from fresh flowers. I might go outside and set up and practice painting a flower from life. I\u2019m working primarily with light and shadow.\u201d She relies on Grumbacher, Winsor & Newton, and Sennelier oil paints for her pieces, and prefers to work on linen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want to paint beauty,\u201d Gargotto says. \u201cI\u2019m not making any statement; I don\u2019t have a political message to get across. When I see beauty, and if there\u2019s any way I can, I take up my palette and transform that beauty into an oil painting.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Tulip Glory<\/em> (oil on linen, 21\u00d728)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How to Grow as An Artist<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Gargotto offers eight tips for soaking up insights and cultivating a creative life:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Study with the best.<\/strong> \u201cTake a class with a teacher you\u2019re scared of,\u201d Gargotto says. \u201cTake a workshop that pushes you outside your comfort zone. Find an artist whose work you really love, and go to their website and see if they\u2019re teaching. See if they can mentor you or if they have a Zoom class or a workshop.\u201d<\/p>\n

Commit to studio time.<\/strong> Gargotto typically paints five days a week. \u201cYou can\u2019t wait around for inspiration,\u201d she notes. \u201cPaint a lot. It\u2019s important to make painting a steady habit. Sometimes I have monkey mind, but I make myself go into the studio. Nine times out of 10, I\u2019ll get engrossed and work for hours.\u201d<\/p>\n

Emulate masterful painters.<\/strong> Gargotto keeps art books open and artwork images tacked to her bulletin board. \u201cI\u2019m obsessed with Andrew Wyeth and [John Singer] Sargent. I\u2019ve pored over the works of Richard Schmid. It\u2019s not cheating. You\u2019re not copying them. You couldn\u2019t if you tried.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Use your phone to dial in on composition.<\/strong> Gargotto uses her phone camera to shoot a photo, then employs the filters to create a black-and-white version of each image. \u201cIt\u2019s very helpful with values, light and shadows,\u201d the artist notes.<\/p>\n

Color last.<\/strong> \u201cOftentimes, I paint in black and white first,\u201d Gargotto says. \u201cIt takes time, but if I have the patience to do that, it makes everything so much easier.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Persevere.<\/strong> Don\u2019t give up even when the work makes you want to cry,\u201d she says. \u201cTop-notch artists know there are no shortcuts. You have to try it and try it and try it and try it and try it. I won\u2019t give up. It may take me a lot longer, but I\u2019ll figure it out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Know when to pause.<\/strong> \u201cWhen I get discouraged with a painting,\u201d Gargotto notes, \u201cI\u2019ll put it away before I end up wrecking it from frustration. I place it in \u2018timeout.\u2019 I might revisit it soon or months later, and I\u2019ll see it differently. Be disciplined enough to put it away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seek a community.<\/strong> Gargotto paints with about 25 artists who meet weekly in artist Daniel Sprick\u2019s Denver studio. \u201cIf I ask, Daniel is so generous with his advice,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd in that group, I\u2019m trying so hard to improve. It\u2019s a must to surround yourself with other artists. Find a community of serious artists, if possible, even if it\u2019s online.\u201d<\/p>\n