Stacy Weitz Minch

Shortly after I started painting consistently in 2015, I created a dedicated Instagram account for my art. At that time, Instagram really was instant! Content was sorted according to the time at which it was posted, and you could see, in real time, what friends were doing, creating, etc. I enjoyed this format--it felt like a fair playing field where everyone had the same chance of being seen. I felt motivated to share, join the conversation, and record the journey of my art study and development. Fast forward to now>>incremental changes over the years have led to my feeling that Instagram isn't much more than a marketing game. And with constant unannounced changes to the algorithm, it's a game in which I'm never quite sure of the rules... sounds a little bit like an unhealthy relationship dyamic? :/ This strategy, of course, exists in order to "motivate" (dare I say manipulate?) people to take out ads in an attempt to stay relevant on the platform, and see t...

I'll admit I've been less than diligent in caring for this blog lately, but it's for good reason--life! Life, for me, is always full of more to do than could ever be done. Maybe I have too many interests. Or maybe I'm too interested in the interests I do have. Whatever the reason, I'm always busy and rarely bored! Anyway, I'm happy to announce a few updates here for my handful of readers ;) 1) I've recently accepted a role as the Utah Ambassador for the Portrait Society of America. It's an organization I absolutely love being a part of. I look forward to becoming more involved with the Portrait Society as I act as liaison for a state full of incredible artists. 2) Although I may have seemed a little quiet in terms of production lately, it's because I've been working on a complex, multifigure commission that won't be released for public view until 2026. So... stay tuned for that one! 3) I'm painting full time now. Side gigs disbanded, I...

June really snuck up on me this year—but I’ve been making the most of the beautiful late spring weather/cooler temperatures to get outside and paint. It’s always a challenge to find the time during the summer months with the kids home from school, but they’re getting old enough to manage themselves for a little while and that’s nice. This lilac study was painted very quickly—I had only been painting 30-40 minutes when the park landscapers informed me they needed to plant a tree right where I was standing :) It’s always an adventure painting outdoors!

It was 78 degrees the other day, and I have to say, it was quite a shock to my system--I guess I just don't know how to not be cold after this eternal winter :) As far as art goes, my mantra this year has been to paint small and often, taking all the pressure off of the process and the outcomes. Sometimes I have these grand ambitions for painting, and dive into some overwhelming project head first. I'm not saying this is bad. It's not. It's an excellent thing to do, and makes returning to the simpler work so gratifying and liberating. However, it is possible to get burnt out, and I think that's what happened with me last year. I spent much too long laboring over a massive canvas that in the end, I felt less than confident about. And honestly, in my little heart of hearts, it felt like a waste of a year. Not that it was. It wasn't. It just felt that way. All this to say, I'm having fun with my painting these days. Painting when I feel like painting. Doing som...

January 1/17/2023 4:07:34 PM It's been a quiet couple of months here--as quiet as quiet is with a home full of pets and kids and holidays and winter illnesses and all the daily happenings of family life...   What I mean by quiet, I guess, is that my artistic output has been a bit sparse. Maybe it's the general malaise of winter days. Or the feeling of having too much or too little to say. Or the fact that I've been waxing philosophical as of late, reexamining my life up to this point (could it be I've lived almost half my days?), feeling the irresistable pull of authenticity dragging me through the mire of what's comfortable and familiar into something that's brighter and darker and startlingly, embarrassingly new.   That all sounds rather vague and cryptic, and I suppose it is. But here I am, one small sojourner on this swirling, ancient planet, engaged in the ever-human search for truth, leaving a smattering of breadcrumbs along the way.   That's the thing...

It's been a busy fall. Between regular family scheduling and an extra-packed art event lineup the last couple months, it feels like I haven't had much time to breathe. I enjoy being busy, but only if that busyness is balanced with a good dose of time for quiet, solitude and creativity. Last week's painting retreat in Zion was just what I needed to refresh my outlook and recharge my batteries. It was inredible to be surrounded by accomplished and interesting artists from around the world, while painting the breathtaking scenery of Zion National Park.  Each night we cooked a big family style meal and talked over dinner. A couple of times, even though the night air was chilly, I braved the pool and swam under a canopy of stars! One of my favorite memories from the trip was waking up before dawn to hike to a lookout point and watch the sun rise. I love hiking, and the majesty of those moments is something I will never forget. It took me 7 hours to drive home in a snowstorm (ins...

3 hour portrait start. Somehow I have her looking younger than she should. I moved the eyes down based on my teacher's critique. There was a space issue, but I'm thinking maybe I should have moved the eyebrows/forehead up instead? I think whatever I did gives her a very youthful look (she's not 13 ;).

8x10", oil on linen mounted to hardboard Another plein air water sketch. Water is some tricky stuff, and the way the light was reflecting in the distance  here was really hard to capture. I kinda liked how the foreground came out though. It has some feeling of movement and depth, and contrasts nicely with that big rock in the corner. I haven't painted much water at all, but so far I find it to be really interesting to study. It's fun to look at something that is so complex and in constant motion and try to simplify it down into its most basic shapes and colors. It's a very impressionistic process, which seems to be right up my alley. I love laying down the impression, but getting into the nitty gritty finishing aspects of a drawing or painting is always a challenge for my patience. I can do it, but I'm not always a happy camper while I'm at it ;) I'm sure I'll learn to enjoy those aspects more with time. I always get frustrated when I'm learn...

I intended to go a little bigger with this portrait than I've been doing lately (mostly I've been painting 3-hour portraits on 8x10's), so I gave myself plenty of space and ended up going a lot bigger, ha (can't quite seem to not fill the available space--I have this taped to a 16x20" board ;). This model had such fair, subtle skin tones, they were really difficult to translate. It seemed like every color I mixed was overstated in one direction--if I saturated the paint enough, the value was too dark, but if I made the value correct, the tone was too cool/chalky. I don't know what the answer is (probably should have at least pulled out the lead white), but I like getting a little painting practice from life in here and there. I was using a limited palette of titanium white, cadmium red, ivory black, yellow ochre, and raw umber. And I'm thinking I should pull the raw umber out (or use a warmer or less green/purple leaning brown). Also probably wasn...

I was an hour late to portrait session last night. We spent an eventful afternoon getting x-rays, casts, etc., after my son broke his arm at the playground. So I didn't have a lot of time on this one, and I didn't quite get the likeness. I think the closest eye needed to move toward the nose a little bit, and the muzzle area needed some tweaking. But in a situation when you're so pressed for time, you have to make a decision whether you are going to keep fiddling with the likeness, or try to work on other aspects of the drawing. I'm really trying to push my ability to describe subtle form, so I let the likeness go to some extent. This kind of angle is always difficult too, because the slightest turn of the head makes a huge difference in the placement of the features.

This has felt like a bit of a rough starts, and seems to be moving really slowly. But I haven't been getting in to work on it much. Things are crazy in the summer--it's hard to keep a set schedule. At this point, I'm still trying to work out the accuracy of the drawing before I really get in there and solidify things.

This is an 8x10" piece I painted on location in the canyon over two sessions. It's kind of nice to get the basic drawing and values down in the first session, then solidify the color and build up paint in the second session. The first session we got rained out, and we only had about an hour to start, so it probably would have been okay in one session too, if we had had more time. I really want to study the effects of water more. Those purple reflections in the water were pretty elusive to me, and my teacher pointed them out and helped me put them in. And in my opinion, they kind of make the painting :) But wouldn't have done anything if I hadn't had a solid base to build on, I suppose.

I did this painting over two 2-3 hour sessions. It's 12x16", which is larger than I usually paint in my little at-home studies from life. But I wanted to get the whole bouquet in there at approximately life size, so I just went for it. Painting can be a terrifying process. It's hard not to chicken out when things get hairy. But I'm learning to trust the process a little more. It typically doesn't look very good after the first pass. And that's always a scary feeling. But I guess what I'm learning from doing Bargue and cast drawings is that I CAN keep pushing until it's right. And lucky for me, I think I have a pretty good sense for knowing when things look right, so with each attempt, I just have to keep pushing toward that ideal.  

I got a little overly ambitious this afternoon, and started a rather complicated 12x 16" floral composition. The blooms are in the refrigerator as I speak, and I will do my best to tie this together tomorrow afternoon. My teacher has commented a couple times on how he likes how boldly I approach things. Perhaps a little too boldly sometimes ;) Though, I guess I don't know how I'll ever overcome the hurdles I have to climb if I cower in fear at the possibility of failure. Go bold or go home.

I sold a painting last night! And had a really great time at the ICAA Gala in Salt Lake. They had amazing entertainment from a couple of young musicians, and a delicious dinner. Thanks to all who made it happen, and congrats to all my BAA friends who sold paintings!

Quick sketch of our family pet. If ever a model moves, this one does, ha! My  mom pointed out that he's too thin, and she's right, but I feel like I might have a good excuse ;)

Six-hour portrait from life. I'm trying to be more cognizant of the turning of form while I draw. I think I feel a little bit timid about pushing down the value of the halftones, and maybe that's partly why I have a hard time getting that 3D feel to my drawings. I'll keep working on it. I like this portrait, though. 

Beginnings. This is after the first couple of hours. I have a long way to go with this one...

10x10", charcoal, pastel, and graphite on Arches MBM Ingres paper I finished up my first cast drawing on Saturday! I'm excited to get started on the next one (see below). I'm not locked in on this setup yet, just fiddling around and trying to figure out what the best arrangement will be.

I started this small portrait sketch from life. It was a 2-hour session, and I didn't get very far. So I took a reference photo, and I did a little more work on it last night. Working from a photo is a little different, and I was working under a clip light in the dark while we watched a movie, so it's a little rough. But the drawing is slightly better. I'll probably give it one more pass when it dries.