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Ivory Tower Watercolor on paper, mounted on wood panel 24x30" 2021 $5,500 BUY NOW ​ shop prints A little bit about the painting Ivory Tower is a watercolor painting on Arches cold press watercolor paper mounted on a cradled wood panel and varnished. She is 24x30x2" with a wire on the back, ready to hang. She would look gorgeous in a gold floating frame. She downplays issues that don’t affect her, derides others and scorns others’ wishes. She is just so over this pandemic. Too often I've been he r. Ivory Tower reminds me to be empathetic and use what I have for others. My work is focused on gratitude. I draw attention to the modern luxuries we enjoy to evoke a feeling of gratitude and contentment in our everyday lives.

If you are not framing a watercolor painting (maybe you mounted it on a panel) then it is probably a good idea to varnish it. Varnishing can protect your painting from dirt and gives it a little bit of protection from those UV sun rays. If longevity (being pristine 200 years from now) is most important you might need to commit to framing your watercolor painting. Traditional framing is the best way to protect your watercolor painting. However, if you like to live a little more on the edge then you can mount your watercolor painting (shown above). When you do that, then you should varnish it. I scoured the internet to learn this process. So I hope you've found this post and you can now stop your search for information. I am sharing my process. This is what has worked best for me and I hope it's helpful. I'm in love with watercolor paper so for me, the trade off of truly enjoying my painting while shortening its life span is worth it to me. #1 Preparatory step- Gather materials Things you're goin' want The painting a well ventilated room with no wind and minimized dirt. A table for the painting to rest on Golden Spray Varnish (I prefer Semi-Gloss, but that's up to you) Golden Isolation Coat Brush little container to pour isolation coat into (plastic lid, palette or plate etc.)   Tip 1: It's best to let the piece dry flat. I have previously used a garage. If your studio is pet free and has windows, congratulations, you're already ready. Outside is well ventilated but the atmospheric conditions will probably result in an uneven finish because you're going to be spraying the varnish. #2 Eliminate dirt The first step is to dust off your painting. Use a clean dry brush, your fingers or a lint free towel/shop towel to remove dust, dirt and cat hair. Anything left on the surface is about to become permanent. #3 Spray Okay so we are actually varnishing now. Hold your spray can about 6-12 inches above your painting and move back and forth in even motions. You have 2 goals: you want to get your painting evenly coated but you don't want to spray too heavy of a layer down. If your layer is not even then some areas of the painting will be exposed and when you brush on the isolation coat then that paint might bleed. If you do a very heavy layer then it may effect the look of the painting (a bit blurry and muted). Each spray layer needs at least 20 minutes to dry . I do 6 spray coats to ensure that the whole painting is covered. You may do a few more layers if your painting is heavily pigmented or if it is very large. Side Note: **I've heard of artists doing this whole first step using Fixative spray instead of varnish. I think that probably works, but since I know this way works I've stuck with it. Fixative spray would have the benefit of not sealing in dirt for those first 6 layers (although it will happen anyway with the isolation coat) and it is slightly cheaper. However, the varnish spray has the added benefit of UV protection. #4 Brush on After, your 6 spray coats have dried then you will do the isolation layer. SO the 6 original spray coats were in preparation for this layer. The isolation layer is a brush on medium. You can image that if you brushed on a wet medium into a watercolor painting- it would bleed. Get your little surface container (I use a Tupperware lid) and your brush ready. I shake up the isolation coat but then try to minimize the air bubbles. So maybe shake it a bit before pouring. Pour the medium into your container. Gently, methodically brush your medium onto the painting surface. Make sure to get entire surface. It is best to do a very thin layer. You may always do a second or third layer if needed. This layer needs at least 8 hours to cure, although I think the manufacturer recommends 24 hours. I usually just let it rest overnight. Try to pick out any remaining hairs while this layer is wet, it's your last chance before they are sealed forever. The purpose of this layer is to create a permanent barrier. You are effectively making the watercolor into an acrylic surface. This ensures that if you ever need to clean the surface then you will not damage the painting. #5 Spray Your isolation coat is dry. You may now spray 2-4 (I do 3) top coat layers. These layers add extra protection for UV but more importantly against dirt. The spray is removable so it's important to add a few layers that can take the dirt and then be removed and reapplied. Don't forget to let each layer dry for 20 mins. Tip 2: You can still frame your painting and it will protect the tender edges of the paper. I recommend a floating frame which is essentially a box around your painting. No glass necessary. (although your framer will probably try to convince you, but remember, you're the boss). Good luck! Message me if you have questions. AmyLewisFineArt@gmail.com

From an artist's perspective, here are 3 things that make a good art collector. photo by Jana Early #1 Art Collectors that Support the Artist Support can take many forms. It can be as simple as staying in touch. It can be a gut punch to know that I've lost connection to a collector (and therefore lost connection to that piece of artwork). Support may also look like: Sending the artist's work to other people who may enjoy the work or talking about the art in your home and sharing the artist's info if someone loves the piece you have. Go to the artist's shows If you're a collector who is plugged into the "art scene", sending opportunities that may be a good fit for the artist Respond to their emails/social media posts Leave a review Buy more work #2 Art Collectors that Take Care of the Work Sometimes I wonder whether my collected work has ever been dusted. Once a piece is sold, it's in the care of the collector. I'm happy to come dust off a painting or do needed restoration. But in reality, I've never had anyone ask for help caring for their paintings . I just hope they are being well cared for. A couple things I recommend: Don't display the piece where it will be in direct sunlight for long periods of time. Varnish and UV protective glass will help protect the art but the sun is strong and it isn't always enough to protect the art from fading/sun damage. Unless the painting is behind glass, I don't recommend putting your art collection in the kitchen. There is a lot of grease in a kitchen and that will make a sticky film on your paintings I also don't recommend storing your original art pieces in the bathroom. I can't speak to canvas works. But work on paper or wood will warp over time with all that moisture. (I decorate my bathroom with prints and photos) Use a very soft large paint brush to dust off the painting (every 6 month ish) If you move, wrap up your paintings! Google some videos about how to do it properly to avoid damaging your pieces #3 Art Collecting out of love not prestige There are real financial reasons to invest in fine art. There are also prestigious reasons to collect art. No judgment against money or prestige. But when you really love a piece of artwork that is when you'll get the greatest joy from that piece and from your collection. Also, when you collect out of love then you will do #1 and #2 naturally. Art is not just an investment, something to brag about to your friends or something to cover the walls. Fine art can feed your soul and enrich your life. So choose work that makes you feel like you can't live without it. Testimony from one of my collectors: One of my collectors is so wonderful at supporting me. She took the time to answer a few questions I had about art collecting from a collector's perspective. What made you collect Fine Dining? I’m a feelings person. I always have been and I always will be. And that’s why I collect art. There are some people who are impacted by their physical environments, I am one of them. When I first saw Amy’s work, I instantly smiled. And I knew that every time I looked at her work, specifically Fine Dining I would always smile. It wasn’t just a surface smile, it was a smile down into my soul. Like, “Oh this is breathtakingly beautiful, and oh it's so clever to juxtapose donuts with such a serious style, and Oh the meaning of giving from what you have, and seeing the goodness that you have, then sharing it,” all of those feelings bubbled up and each time I saw that painting they’d be there. 1. What does it feel like when you buy art? So, I’m not an art collector. Well, I am now, but I wasn’t. It all started when I got married. My husband loves art. We’ve actually had a few arguments over buying art instead of you know, a bed frame or what some might call necessities. And I think the beauty of it is art is a necessity. We now each save for pieces we love, but also each year on our anniversary we get some sort of art. Sometimes it’s a painting, sometimes it’s pottery or a sculpture. Sometimes it’s from a place we’ve traveled to and sometimes it’s from a friend or an artist we’ve been following. The pieces often have meaning from that time in our lives. My favorite example is a piece we bought during the pandemic. Joel had had his eye on this gallery for a while, and we found a woodblock print from a Japanese artist (Joel’s half Japanese). The print was of a crowd and two people going in the opposite direction. And it was just a good reminder for us that our lives wouldn’t necessarily look like everyone else but we’d always be going in the same direction together (and that’s a good thing to remember in life, because sometimes I forget we’re on the same team, or I worry that our life looks so different to what I’d expected. But it’s beautiful.) So, how does it feel to buy art? Sometimes it feels frivolous or unwise. It often takes a gulp and a quick check, yes this is where we want to spend our money. And it always feels special. We’re investing in someone who creates, and we love creators! We’re buying something unique. It’s exciting. It’s like finding treasure. It’s so many different feelings. 2. How has purchasing art worked for you- do you prefer emailing the artist directly/ in a gallery or have you ever purchased an original off an artists website? I’ve actually done all of the above. I love getting to see it displayed in a gallery, but I prefer working directly with an artist. I love to talk to them about the piece. Why they made it and what makes it special? 3. Are there other things you consider when buying art (or is it purely aesthetic and cost?) Maybe this is, do we look at art as an investment? No. It’s simply finding pieces we love. If the artist blows up, that’s exciting for them, we want them to succeed. And I mean yea, I’m looking forward to the day my original Amy Lewis is valued at $80,000 (to me it’s priceless). I think reminders of moments. As I mentioned, anniversaries, traveling, and buying pieces from friends (who’s work we love and we want to support). 4. Looking back at what you've collected so far, do you see a common theme of how the artists presented themselves? (for instance: was it their personality that sealed the deal?, were they good story tellers?, did they show a lot of process videos?) You know, Joel often finds the artists. And I don’t know how he finds them. We don’t always love the same things. So when something speaks to both of us, then we tend to pay a little more attention. Happy art collecting!

Let's talk about Tacoma's newest restaurant, bar and dance club: it's brunch, drinks and the gritty music scene. Wait, I thought this was Amy Lewis' art blog... Yeah it is. I am telling you about Manuscript because I have had the pleasure of working with them! My painting Lunch on the Go is hanging in the main dining area. I have designed many of the sketches for the menu (their typewriter logo and two drink designs were done by another artist: everything else on the menu was done by me) I am planning on teaching my art classes in their dance space when it's not being used. (see) So how'd it start? Eda is the driving force behind Manuscript and Dialogue. She has an amazing team of chefs behind her as well as the owner of Shake Shake Shake and the Boom Boom Room. I met Eda through Spaceworks during our incubator cohort business program. Eda wanted to create a safe space and a very cool scene where people can enjoy dance, edm, dj type events. She has managed to pair that with a kick a** restaurant and bar. Eda has a very generous and inclusive attitude towards artists/the arts. The restaurant is a hodgepodge of cool eclectic art. I was very excited to be asked to display my work and help design the menu illustrations. What do you really think? Eda invited me and Mitchel to come to a friends/family tasting before they opened. First of all- such a kind team of people. We felt so welcomed. Secondly, the food and drinks are exceptional. I haven't been so impressed by a restaurant in a long time. I recommend them with 100% of my heart. And I didn't even get to try their brunch menu or their house made pasta! (from what I have been able to taste test, my favs were: The beet goat cheese sandwich and the Heath's Herb cocktail <3) Honestly, I can't wait to go to Dialogue (the back room where the dancing and music will commence) I can't wait to try their brunch menu. I am very excited to host my art classes there. I think Manuscript & Dialogue is going to around for a longtime because I think it's a slice of what Tacoma loves. It's art, good food, good music and having a good time with kind people. Location: 203 Tacoma Ave S Tacoma WA, 98402 Hours: closed mondays & tuesdays wed/thurs: 4pm to 10pm fri: 4pm to 2am late night menu: 10pm to 1:30am sat: 9am to 2am brunch: 9am to 3pm; dinner 4pm to 10pm; late night menu: 10pm to 1:30am sun: 9am to 10pm brunch: 9am to 3pm; dinner 4pm to 10pm See 'em on Instagram.