New International Online Art Show! The Big Chill

 I have a painting accepted into an online art show titled The Big Chill.  It is an international show put on by ART FLUENT out of Boston, MA.  426 entries from 5 countries and I had my painting titled Winter Tree accepted into this! The acceptance letter with the link for the show is below the image.

Media Name: Winter Tree - - Accepted


Isaac Smith:

Congratulations!

We are thrilled to inform you that your artwork has been selected to be part of our online exhibit, THE BIG CHILL. Your submission stood out from 426 entries from five countries worldwide, and we are honored to have the opportunity to showcase your work.

We were blown away by the incredible quality and diversity of the submissions we received, your work truly spoke to us. We believe that your talent and creativity will inspire others and make a real impact in the art community.

Your work is now proudly displayed on our website, www.art-fluent.com/gallery/the-big-chill/

We encourage you to share this exciting news with your friends, family, and followers and to take advantage of this incredible opportunity to expand your reach and connect with new audiences.

If you have provided us with your website, thank you. You will see your website when you click on your image to view full size. It will be on the following page. If your site is not displayed, don't hesitate to contact us by email at hello@art-fluent.com. We would be happy to create a direct link to your site.

We are passionate about supporting the arts and giving back to the community. As a part of our culture, we have donated to various art organizations across the United States since our inception in 2020, and we are committed to continuing this important work.

Again, congratulations on being selected for our exhibition, and thank you for allowing us to feature your incredible art. We wish you all the best in your future artistic endeavors, and we hope this exhibition will be just the beginning of an exciting and successful journey.

Sincerely,

Amy Matteson Neill
Creative Director

 

ART FLUENT
1 Washington Mall #1218
Boston, MA 02108
www.instagram.com/art__fluent
www.art-fluent.com

Group Exhibition Juried Acceptance- Painting

Hi all;

My artwork 'Gusty II' is now being showcased at Biafarin Awards - 2025 exhibition, organized by Biafarin Inc. and powered by @Biafarin platform.

To learn more, please go to:

https://www.biafarin.com/ba2025?AW=AW127000538

@biafarin #biafarin #biafarinart #IsaacSmith #Painting #biafarinonlinesales #onlineartsales #buyartonline #onlineart #artonline #onlineartgallery #sellart #sellartonline #onlineartshop #onlineartstore #onlineartexhibition #onlineartshow #onlineartist #artmarketing #artmarketingservice #Biafarin @biafarin #biafarin #biafarinart #BiafarinAwards2025Exhibition

 

Out of 344 artworks accepted into this award exhibition my painting is ranked 43rd!

Stained Glass Yard Banner

 I am sure you are familiar with the yard banners with the metal frame:

I thought that it would be fun creating a glass panel that would attach to the frame.

The following is the design and some of the process of cutting the glass that will be hand beveled.

Evergreen Tree Design Completed!

The evergreen tree stained glass is completed and the client loves the results!  I really enjoy the flow of the glass textures and design.  This was fun to create!

 

Evergreen Tree Design in Process

Here are some images of the evergreen tree design in process:

 The white squiggly lines are the reflection of the shop lights and not part of the glass design.  Next steps are to cut the zinc for the outside edge and solder then putty both front and back of the panel.

Evergreen Tree Design

 I am working on a glass panel for a client who wanted an evergreen tree like design with multiple trees and blue sky with clouds.  This is the final design that was chosen by the client.  

This will be framed in an oak frame which I have been varnishing so that it will be all dried and ready for when I complete the panel.  

Here is an image of the panel in process.

Today's Inspiration!

I found these leaves and they have captivated me, the movement, shape, color!

They have reminded me of my mission, Nourish Your Soul Through a Symphony of Light and Colour!

Much needed today

Commissioned Painting, A Learning Experience

I was approached by someone who really liked my painting style and had an idea for Japanese Maple leaves flowing within a certain dimension.  I was apprehensive at first because I don't do commissions for painting because of what the person has in mind and what I as an artist has in mind are always going to be different.  
I started out with the flowing leaves as follows.

Next was to work on the background.  The client's thought was to have the concept of Autumn sky, clouds all flowing along with the leaves.  I was imagining a lighter and airier blue flowing with implied cloud feel. I felt that since I did all the detail in the leaves with the technique I use the background should not be too heavy. To achieve this I used watercolor instead of oil paint as follows:

I took a good picture and added black to represent a frame.  I liked the flow of the blue and how some color was scattered around to give a light, airy feel to it along with leaving white for cloud feel.  The client was not happy, he wanted more color such as green.  I was definitely confused at this point since the original concept was Autumn sky and cloud feel.  I obliged and used green watercolor scattered around and flowing nicely with the blue.  Client was still not happy.  Apparently, they like my other paintings where I use a lot of bright color and more color.  

I then proceeded to use oil for the background still sticking to the concept.  I split the background design into 5 sections and added green.  I also designed it like I do my glasswork to tie that in. Here is the painting in process, if you look closely in the area yet to paint over, the green that I added earlier can be seen.

Here is the completed painting. 

I do like how it came together.  The colors work well together, the leaves pop out.  I like both the original concept as well as the final.  I don't think I would do this again just because of the difficulty of trying to paint something the way the client imagines it.  I find that as the years pass and the different things I experience or are going through really changes the way I see things and the way I may paint.  The only way I think I would do this is with the total understanding that the way I am painting at that moment may be different than what has been and have a signed contract stating as much.   Otherwise, I will stick to the glasswork being commissioned as it is much easier to give the client a good idea as to what it will look like. 

Inspiration-Trees and Changing Seasons

Trees and the changing seasons seem to be a continual theme and inspiration for paintings.  Here are examples of a Winter Tree and Fall Tree.  I was showing the feeling of the 2 different seasons with the use of different colors to portray the sky colors as well as the color in the trees.  I find it interesting that the music aspect as discussed in previous post appears here as well.

Inspiration - Wind Flowing Through Trees

Wind flowing through trees has been an inspiration for both my painting and glass work.  I love the sound of the leaves rustling, I imagine the wind not only pushing a tree but flowing around the trunk, spiraling the branches, pulling on them.  It is more of a flowing through and pulling as it goes through to the other side.  

I depicted this in a painting titled Gusty

I love the flow of it.  Here are some details

Feel free to leave comments as to what inspires you.

Oil painting titled Growing

5ft tall by 2ft wide.  I had a plant that draped down from the pot a certain way and really liked the flow of it.  The shoot at the bottom of the plant shows the plant is continuing to grow which also signifies myself growing in so many ways.  After completing this piece it struck me how much it looks like a Japanese screen.

Half dining room window

This window is in a dining room and the client wanted privacy from the street.  He had wood shutters which blocked out a lot of light.  This gave privacy and allowed the light to come in.  The lines flow with the texture in the surrounding walls and ties in with the background trees.  It was fun to have the design go outside of the frame on top and have the top be diagonal instead of squared off. 

"Gusty"- stained glass process

Soldering the lead came outside of the copper frame.  I enjoy moving the design outside of the frame to add more interest and movement.

River as inspiration

This painting is titled Flowing

I had been inspired by the flow of a river which also comes up in my stained glass work.  I had two canvases stretched and I thought it would be fun to have one flow into the other and not side by side.  This really ties into the stained glass work I have been doing only in lots of color. I love the movement and color of this piece.  Lft panel measures 48"x32", rt measures 42" x 28".

Trees in painting and glass

The second tree in this particular series after Autumn Tree is Winter Tree. I actually painted this one before the Autumn Tree.  Dimensions: 50 1/2" x 30 1/2"

I wanted to capture some of the dark and harshness of winter and it's beauty.  There is a nice feel of winter calmness in the tree and white ground along with it's harshness with the darker blues and flowing movement in the background.  The tree is surviving even with the cold all around.

Trees in painting and glass

Looking at the picture in the last post and seeing different paintings I've done I realize I love trees.  Another series I did was of a tree in the fall and winter.

This is titled Autumn Tree and measures 49 1/2" x 28 3/4".  I wanted to capture the life still in the tree and the leaves falling and still hanging in there.  The blues to capture the fall sky.  I enjoy the line and grace of this tree with the flow of the background.