Introducing Gift Certificates from Real Art Is Better

You probably know someone who has bare walls in his/her home, and you happen to know an artist.  Or you need a gift for someone who has everything!  Buying art for someone can be tricky, if you don’t know what that person would like.  Now, you can just give them a gift certificate, and leave the decision up to them.

This Gift Certificate can be redeemed for any item in my Etsy shop, and in my studio, or can be used toward a commissioned painting.

I can mail it to you, or directly to the recipient.  If you need a last-minute gift, I can send you a PDF that you can print at home.

Click here to order a gift certificate at my Etsy shop, or stop by my studio to purchase one in person.  333 W. 4th Avenue, Suite 4, Anchorage, Alaska (please contact me to let me know when you’d like to stop by, because I don’t keep regular hours).

If you have any questions, just leave a comment.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #48, November 26, 2015

When I started the Thirsty Thursday beer paintings project, I forgot that Thanksgiving would be one of the days I would get to release a painting. Unlike last year, when I released a new beer painting every day, this year I hardly had to post on a holiday, and I kind of miss it! This week’s painting is of Peak 3 Pale Ale from Resolution Brewing. I have an art show hanging on the walls of the taproom, so I painted live there last Saturday during a decent snowstorm. This pale ale is named for a local recreational spot, which I believe is about the closest place I know where to make turns in the freshest snow close to Anchorage. Resolution Brewing is Anchorage’s smallest operating brewery. The brewers have to keep a robust brewing schedule, working with a 3 BBL system. Hard work pays off, and this small oasis is proving to be a new hot meeting spot in the up and coming neighborhood of Mountain View. The brewery is Belgian-style, but as batches are so “micro,” I think they are willing to take a stab at whatever they decide to be the flavor of the week. The brewers at this tiny facility are artfully brewing unique beers. Some of the other lovely beers I have tasted at Resolution are Tent City dry-hopped Belgian ale, Black Cup Coffee Porter, Madam sour beer blended with cherries, Lost Anchor IPA, and First Chair Amber Saison. Step up to the bar at Resolution, sometime in the near future, where you are sure to see someone you know, or make a new friend before you leave.

This original oil painting, and limited-edition prints are for sale at my Etsy shop.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #48 by Scott Clendaniel. November 26, 2015. Peak 3 Pale Ale by Resolution Brewing Co. 8″x10″, oil on panel.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #47, November 19, 2015

Delirium Tremens, not only a delicious Belgian ale brewed by the Huyghe family brewery, but also a physical condition caused by alcohol withdrawal. The medical condition is not pleasurable at all with seizures, hallucinations and even a 5% chance of possible death! The beer on the other hand is one of the most delicious beverages known to man.

The Delirium brand has pink elephants on the label and the pub in Brussels has a pink elephant above the door, as well as on the fancy snifter goblet glasses. Pink elephants make me think of Walt Disney’s 1941 classic Dumbo, specifically the musical number in the scene when Dumbo is drinking the brew from a big barrel and Pink Elephants on Parade starts to play. I did my best to capture the song with this image of pink elephants marching down stairs.

If you get to the Delirium pub in Brussels make sure you peek around the corner to see the statue of a peeing girl, which is not as world famous as the one of the peeing boy, but worth a visit nonetheless. Don’t know why the Belgians find potty humor so hilarious but, hey, if you drink a lot of beer… you will have to pee, and if you drink way too much you might get the Delirium Tremens (not the beer).

The original oil painting sold. You can purchase limited-edition prints, or order a custom beer painting at my Etsy shop.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #47 by Scott Clendaniel. November 19, 2015. Delirium Tremens. 8″x10″, oil on panel.

It’s not Christmas yet!!!

As Scott and I walked through the main shopping mall today to take some packages to the post office, we were stunned to see the whole place decked out with Christmas trees, garlands, the works!  On top of that, the mall, where our studio is, started playing Christmas carols right after Halloween.  Luckily, closing our door blocks that out.  In my memory, this is the earliest retailers have dared to inflict the holiday shopping season on consumers.  My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, and this year, I feel like retailers just want to skip it, unless they’re in the turkey and grocery businesses.  The sad thing is by the time Christmas actually rolls around, everyone will be really tired of it.  Is this happening in other places, or just in Anchorage?

Our Etsy shop is already showing signs of holiday shopping, with more frequent “cha-ching” sounds notifying us of another sale, and we are grateful for that.  Scott is staying on top of commissioned paintings for Christmas presents, and still accepting orders.  I always thought the first Friday after Thanksgiving was the beginning of the Christmas shopping season!  I hope one day that will be the case again, as consumers refuse to buy into an eight week shopping season.

Speaking of holiday shopping, this year the Maury Studio Sale will not be happening, because Toni and Ashley are taking a year off due to family commitments, but Scott and I will carry on the tradition in our studio.  Our Holiday Studio Sale will take place the same weekend as always, December 4-5.  We will be sending out more information about it later.

Enjoy Thanksgiving!

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #46, November 12, 2015

This week’s Thirsty Thursday painting is of Yukon Gold English Pale Ale, brewed by Yukon Brewing in Whitehorse, Canada. I remember my first and only visit to Whitehorse about 12 years ago when I was driving the Alaska Highway. I stopped in Whitehorse for a bowl of chowder and a brew, and bought a 12-pack to-go, because I still had a few nights left on the road before reaching Alaska. I remember Whitehorse as a nice Northern city with all the amenities an outpost in the middle of Yukon Territory should have. I mean, what more do you need than a brewery and a Wal-mart. The beer is as good as gold, especially as the next closest brewery is in another country. Good luck finding any other gold than the beer though. I painted this bottle in front of the Venus Mine, where about 22 minerals, including silver and gold, were mined in the early 1900s. Cheers to a great Northern brewery! Thanks to my friend Julie for buying this beer for me on her way up to Alaska last summer!

The original oil painting, and limited-edition prints are for sale at my Etsy shop.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #46 by Scott Clendaniel. November 12, 2015. Yukon Gold English Pale Ale by Yukon Brewing. 8″x10″, oil on panel.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #45, November 5, 2015

This week’s painting is inspired by Keith Haring, who passed away in 1990 after living a short 31 years. He died from health complications related to AIDS. His art is youthful, vibrant, socially charged and in my opinion, brilliant. He started out by creating social commentary pieces illicitly on black sheets of paper that covered unused advertisement space in the New York Subway. The resulting backlash not only granted him instant notoriety and fame, but also landed him in a heap of trouble. He was arrested a few times, and was forced to pay many fines. However, all of that paid off, because it resulted in a hugely successful international public arts career. Haring painted one of his most famous murals on the Berlin Wall in 1986.

Although Haring was a staunch advocate for safe sex, he was diagnosed with AIDS in 1987. Instead of taking the news badly, he became incredibly prolific, knowing his life would be cut short. Young, but close to death, Haring had a perspective on life that allowed him to produce stunning artworks that encompassed life and death themes that would be impossible under other circumstances.

I feel that Haring would find this version of his painting comical. He had a lust for creativity and art that I believe the craft beer community also embodies. It was not until I utilized his characters that I began to understand his aesthetic and viewpoint on life. The simple outlines are freeing and an amazing form of art that embodies the spirit of the 80s in a way I will never understand, since I was only a decade old when they ended. Cheers to great art! Thanks Keith Haring for living your life to the fullest!

The original oil painting, and limited-edition prints are for sale at my Etsy shop.

Thirsty Thursday Beer Painting #45 by Scott Clendaniel. November 5, 2015. Beer Parody of Keith Haring’s Art. 11″x14″, oil on panel.

November Art Projects

Winter is officially here with the first snow fall that didn’t melt, but we’re too busy working in the studio to notice the cold and the darkness.  Here is our list of projects for November.

1. In October we offered a 10% discount on commissioned oil paintings, and as a result, Scott will be working on five pieces.  The largest one is 3ft x 4ft.
2. This First Friday we are having an art opening at Resolution Brewing in Mountain View.  This is a new venue for us, in a different section of town, and we’re looking forward to seeing how things play out.  Click here for the deets.
3. Scott recently finished building two large supports for new paintings.  He has interesting concepts for them, but today we found out that a major set-back happened.  The 8ft x 4ft panel warped.  We think this happened, because the wood fibers in the birch panel naturally wanted to twist.  Fighting the natural tendencies of wood is a losing battle, so Scott is going to dismantle the panel, and start all over with new pieces.  That’s a lot of wasted time and money, but we’d rather cut our losses sooner than later, and make a product that’s perfect.  Defects are not acceptable at this level.
4. We will be hosting art lessons for a Girl Scouts troop in our studio.  They will be working on their collage and comic strip badges.
5. This year the Maury Pottery sale is not happening for the first time in 30 years, so we’ll be hosting our own Holiday Studio Sale.  Scott will have new paintings and prints for sale.  Stay tuned for details.
6. Lastly, if we have any extra time, we’re going to update our website with new images.

So that’s what we’ll be doing, in addition to managing the Etsy shop, fulfilling custom stickers orders, and maybe brewing some beer.

Have a great November!

Working on a commissioned painting.

The view from the studio has changed to winter mode.