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Delta Design Challenge Winning Entry
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Spirit Of The Natives
This is the Original Article by Delta
About
The Artist
Sharon Teal-Coray
Art has always been a very important part of Sharon Teal-Coray's life. As a child, her favorite pastime was riding her horse and drawing. She grew up in Emigration Canyon just east of Salt Lake City where many hours were spent in the beautiful mountains exploring and communing with nature. Or just sitting under a tree drawing!
Searching for that one special subject that would really inspire her, she told herself that if she was ever going to become a great artist she needed to paint something she loved and something she knew about. With the help of her son John she found her subject. He was 16 at the time and very involved in the history of the mountain man and American Indians. Together they had the idea that the family would enjoy attending some Mountain Man Rendezvous and Indian Pow Wows. This was so much fun that Sharon learned how to do beadwork and hand sewed a pair of moccasins for her husband and a beautiful buckskin dress from an original old Cheyenne design for herself.
Sharon started studying the history of the American Indians especially the ancient Anasazi Indians who lived in the four corners area. At one special Pow Wow, She found a beautiful shining feather and from then on she was known as “Shining Feather” her given Indian name. She started painting the Mountain Men and Indians she met. She loved this but it was not enough. There was still more and the southwest was calling her.
Realizing she needed first-hand knowledge of a subject to paint, she and her husband James went to Mesa Verde to see the Anasazi ruins and talk to the archeologists. When they returned, she signed up for a class at the University of Utah on ancient pottery making. She learned everything from searching for the clay to actually firing the coiled pots the ancient way. Reading everything she could on the pottery, baskets and blankets of the southwestern Indians, one day she grabbed an old Navaho blanket and some pottery that her husband's father had purchased on an Indian reservation many years prior and set up a still life. She began painting and it was truly incredible, she had finally found her “bliss”! The Southwest and everything in it!
These people of the Southwest have been such an inspiration to Sharon, she wants her paintings to convey what they felt when they were making their pottery and blankets. They were truly artists, living under terrific hardships but still they found the time to make art. “They were trying to make life make sense.” The desert with all the gorgeous flowers and cactus is one of her favorite subjects, especially the Datura plant with its large white flowers that bloom all summer. She grows them in her garden so when she paints them, they are ready to be placed in a pot for a still life.
Sharon has painted with oils for years, applying numerous layers of glazes to capture the depth and visual impact she achieves. The textures on her baskets and blankets are so real looking that many customers have had to actually touch them to feel the texture they think is there.
Opening the Shining Feather Art Academy
for Women in 1978, Sharon has been teaching women of all ages
since. Teaching and helping women achieve recognition has been
a true joy. She believes that everyone has been given a
creative talent from God and her students, which have numbered
in the hundreds, have proven this by becoming professional
artists - - some winning many awards.
In 1999 she
decided to try acrylics, and found a new love. She has
successfully transferred her methods with oils to acrylics and
has been producing patterns for other artists to paint, like
she does, ever since then.
Sharon was "shocked" and "on cloud nine for a long time" after receiving her call from the Delta Design Challenge judges. Asked about her creative goals, Sharon responds, “ I am just so excited about my art, I love what I am doing and just want to progress and get better. I never feel my art is good enough, I will always want to improve and I know in my heart that I have been truly blessed with this creative gift and know that my future is guided by my Father’s creative hand."
Materials
Delta Ceramcoat® Acrylic
Paint
Bittersweet Orange 2041
Black 2506
Black Cherry
2484
Blue Velvet 2562
Brown Velvet 2109
Butter Yellow
2102
Colonial Blue 2058
Deep Lilac 2577
Metallic Gold
2600
Moroccan Red 2552
Orange 2026
Pumpkin
2042
Raw Sienna 2411
Seminole Green 2009
Tangerine
2043
Truly Teal 2558
Turquoise 2012
White
2505
Delta Ceramcoat®
Satin Interior Varnish 07 008
0200
Delta Ceramcoat® Clear
Finishes Satin Interior Spray 07 202 0110
Delta Ceramcoat®
Color Float 07 006 0200
Surface: Monet Heavy Duty Masterwrap Canvas 11” x 14”, available at most art supply stores.
Other Supplies:
Masterson Sta-Wet
Palette
Paper Towels
White & grey transfer
paper
Water basin
Stylus
Directions:
(Note: for best results, please take a
moment to review all instructions on product packaging before
beginning any project.)
General terms and Instructions:
For many years I have been an oil painter, and these are the
methods I have developed to achieve the same look with acrylic
paints. Sharon’s Soft Blend Mixture - I have
found that if I mix 20 drops of Color Float to 2 oz. of water
I can blend and have extra time to work before the paint
dries. Add 20 drops of Color Float to a clean, empty 2 oz.
bottle, fill with water. This way it is always handy when you
need it.
1. Apply a thin
coat of blending mixture to the area where you want to
blend two colors.
2. Next, pick up
the color you are going to use, on a clean brush, and apply
this to the surface.
3. Blend this
using a Smop or Dry Brush, by gently tapping the edge of the
paint, softening it into the base
color.
4. Sometimes I
pick up just a tiny amount of the blending mixture on the Smop
or Dry Brush, blotting on a paper towel, to extend the drying
time.
5.
Always make sure that you dry your work between each
step, before going on to the next application of Blending
Mixture.
Shining Feather Soft Stroke Brush- I designed this brush out of pure necessity. Painting fur, hair, grass and baskets was a long and tedious task for me, as I was using a script liner. I needed a brush that would allow me to work faster, so now I hand-cut each of these brushes. When you use this brush you need to thin the paint to an inky consistency. It will not work properly if you do not the mixture thin enough. Dip the brush into the mixture and lightly blot on a paper towel. The trick is to reload often. Don’t try to paint more than a few strokes with out reloading, it just does not work if you do. I suggest you practice stroking with the brush until you are comfortable with your results. This cannot be done slowly. It really is easy once you catch on and then you will love this brush.
1.
Preparation- Transfer the basic
pattern lines on the canvas. Do not transfer the design on the
pot, stripes on the blanket, or rows on the basket. Solidly
basecoat the background areas behind the blanket and under the
fur with Black and let dry.
2. Blanket-
Solidly base the entire blanket with Truly Teal. Do not
worry about the stripes, they will be added later. Using white
transfer paper transfer the pattern on for the blanket folds
and stripes. You are going to start by highlighting the Truly
Teal stripes on the blanket. Using the #10 Shader apply a thin
coat of the blending mixture to the left side of the blanket.
Start at the top and move down. Using the #18 Wave Brush, pick
up Colonial Blue and gently tap this into the wet area. Keep
the edge of the brush parallel to the edge of the blanket.
Blend this with the #14 Dry Brush. Work in small areas, about
2” square, Do not try to hurry this process. Blend the color
around the fold so it softly blends into the Truly Teal base
color. Repeat this process on all the folds in the blanket,
refer to photo. Keeping the wave edge of the brush parallel to
the folds will help to give the blanket a woven look.
Reinforce the highlight, smaller area, with Turquoise using
the #18 Wave Brush following the same process as above. Add a
final smaller highlight with Tropic Bay Blue in the same
manner. On the fold to the right of the white pot add a touch
of Deep Lilac, to give it a shadowy look. Now base in the red
stripes with Moroccan Red. Highlight in the same manner as
above using the following colors in the order given: Orange,
Tangerine, Pumpkin, Bittersweet Orange. Solidly base in the
Black stripes with Black. Highlight with Colonial Blue using
the #8 Wave Brush. Keep it subdued, as black on a matte
surface, like a blanket does not reflect light. Using the #12
Wave Brush tap the edges of the black stripes with black to
enhance the woven look. Using an angle brush float behind each
fold with Blue Velvet, dry brush to create a very soft edge.
Repeat to get the depth of color needed. Float a shade of
Black Cherry on the folded edge on the left side of the
blanket, to make it look rounded. Apply the pattern for the
tiny black stripe and apply with Black using a 10/0 Script
Liner.
3. White Anasazi Pot- Basecoat solidly with White, let dry. Apply a thin
layer of the blending mixture to the right side of the pot.
Double-load a ¾” Angle Brush with Brown Velvet to the
point/toe and White to the heel. Apply this over the blending
mixture with the Brown Velvet to the edge of the pot. Softly
blend with a #14 Dry Brush working towards the center area,
dry. Reapply the blending mixture. Pick up a little Brown
Velvet on the Dry Brush and softly tap into the area,
thoroughly blending it toward the middle area of the pot, dry.
Apply blending mixture and float a shade of Vintage Wine,
blend with a dry brush and dry. Apply blending mixture and
float a smaller shade of Pumpkin on the upper half and
Turquoise on the lower half of the pot for reflective light,
dry. Apply the detail pattern to the pot. Complete the design
using thinned Black on a 10/0 liner; also add a crack on the
pot. Basecoat the inside lip with Brown Velvet. Float a shade
on the left side with Vintage Wine and on the right with
Pumpkin, blending the two colors together. Paint the back rim
with a thin line of White on the right side and Vintage Wine
on the left side. Float a cast shadow to the right of the
black with Brown Velvet, then with Vintage Wine. Keep this
soft and light.
4. Black San Ildefonso
Pot- Solidly base with Black. Apply
the pattern to separate the bands, do not apply the serpent
yet. Solidly base the center band with Vintage Wine. Dry and
then using the #8 Dry Brush tap on Truly Teal, leaving the
background color showing through. On the left side of the pot
tap on a little Deep Lilac moving about half way across the
pot, softening color as you go, dry. Again be sure to leave
the other colors showing through. Lastly, using the same
method as above, add a little Colonial Blue to the left side.
Apply the pattern of the serpent and solidly paint it black.
Using a 10/0 script liner apply highlights where indicated on
pattern insert #1 using the following colors in the order
given; Colonial Blue, Turquoise, Tropic Bay Blue. Float a
little highlight of White on the left side of the pot and a
reflective highlight of Turquoise on the right side. Using a
10/0 script liner and Colonial Blue highlight the rim of the
pot then repeat with Turquoise and Tropic Bay
Blue.
5. Basket-
Apply a solid basecoat of Black, dry. Apply pattern lines to
indicate rows. To create the weave of the basket use the 2/0
Shining Feather Stroke Brush. The paint is thinned to an inky
consistency and the stroke is like a “c” stroke. Build up the
layer of colors from darkest to lightest. The first base color
goes all the way around the basket. The highlight colors on
the front go from the left side, and on the back from the
right, diminishing as they go towards the middle of the
basket. The basket colors alternate between orange and cream,
refer to photo. The orange rows are Terra Cotta. Softly pull
the strokes to form a slight “c”, following the shape of the
basket. Continue around the basket reloading the brush often.
As you work towards the center the strokes become straighter,
then as you move across to the left side the strokes reverse
to follow the shape. Highlight the left side of the basket in
the same method as above using the following colors in the
order given; Tangerine, Pumpkin, Bittersweet Orange. Using the
same brush apply a horizontal row of tiny dots in the middle
of the row with Butter Yellow. The cream row is Spice Tan and
done in the same manner as the orange row. Highlight colors
are as follows and applied in the order given; Maple Sugar
Tan, Chamomile. Dots are also Chamomile. The rim of the basket
is painted with Chamomile on the front and back right; and
with Pumpkin on the back left, refer to photo. In the shadow
area pull a few strokes of Vintage Wine, then a few lines of
Pumpkin. The reflected light on the right side of the basket
is a float of Pumpkin, then a float of Tropic Bay Blue. Float
each row separately and leave the dark under color
showing.
6. Blanket Fringe- Using a 10/0 Script Liner apply Raw Sienna, pull Maple
Sugar Tan over this for the highlight.
7. Fur- Please
read the directions for using the “Shining Feather Stroke
Brush” above before proceeding. You are going to build up the
fur in layers, working over the Black basecoat. It is critical
that you start in the right spot when painting the fur.
Referencing the photo, look for the under part of the fur,
which is located at the bottom. You will gradually pull one
color over another working toward the top of the piece. Using
the Shining Feather Soft Stroke Brush, thin your paint to an
inky consistency. Load the brush and blot it on a paper towel.
Make you r first stroke, by pulling the brush downward from
the bottom edge. Here is the secret… keep turning your brush
so the bristles are not straight every time you make a stroke.
Curl the fur slightly in all directions. Keep your movement
loose and flowing, re-load often and move fairly fast.
Gradually build from the bottom of the fur piece to the top.
Use the following colors in the order given, drying between
each color: Brown Velvet, Raw Sienna, Spice Tan, Maple Sugar
Tan and Chamomille. Be sure to pull the fur strokes up and
over the pots, beads, and blanket as they are behind the fur.
Dry before moving on to the turquoise
beads.
8. Turquoise Beads- transfer on the design and basecoat the beads with
Truly Teal. Float shadows with Blue Velvet. Float highlights
with Turquoise, reinforce with Tropic Bay Blue. Add a touch of
washy Seminole here and there, just to give it a green cast.
Add tiny lines and dots with Black and Metallic Gold. Paint in
the connecting string with Brown Velvet, highlight with Maple
Sugar Tan. Stroke a little fur back over the beads to set them
down into the fur.
9. Finishing-
Paint the sides of the box canvas with Black. Dry
thoroughly and mist with several light coats of clear Finish
Spray or apply 2 coats of Interior Varnish.
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