Class Notes in the Artist's Laboratory

One of the best things about painting in class is the chance to work different techniques and styles, pushing the envelope when ever possible. Trying new things will lead to new directions, sometimes just fun, sometimes to a bent that we will follow for a lifetime. There is no "last word". Art is a living changing thing: a noun, also verb. If I could encourage students at all, it would be to use your class situation, be it workshop, college class, or painting class of any kind, as a lab. The "happy accidents" that we all long for happen in the midst of experimentation - often with no clear end in sight. Class time should be our safe place to try new and crazy ideas. Ask yourself - what is the scariest thing I could do - and DO it!"

Specs on the still life posted here: old canvas, used several times before and wiped down. The last painting left it predominately red. I sketched the set up in cerulean blue (it is the easiest to cover) and went in with a direct method - meaning that, beyond the sketch there is little or no under painting except for the preexisting red canvas.
Compare it to the still life of the gourds in the post below. In the Gourds I used a pre-used canvas, wiped down to a creamy yellow and started by sketching the items in black acrylic to give them a dominating presence and a harsh outlined look. The acrylic is unmovable and will not lift when painted over so all I had to do was fill in the spaces. I like the drama and it was created mostly by the technique. In the painting with the grapes the drama is in the lighting of the scene and the overall feeling of the piece is much softer.

Are you headed into the LAB?
Mix up something dangerous or at least different
and see where it leads.

Class Notes - Happy November

I never sent out this post because my intention was to write copy with it, but then my email was down for a bit and it didn't happen; so I have appreciated the comments from those who checked in.
The Fall painting class started up and we are back to painting from still life. Honestly, I have missed it and the change is a welcome one.
My view of the process is very holistic and I can see in my students how much they have gained by spending a summer painting in the landscape. Conversely, we will take what is gained by still life (or any painting from life) and apply it to our future outdoor experiences.

Painting Into the Night - Class Notes

Beginning in September, my Thursday morning class painted out in the crisp days of fall while the Tuesday night class took up the challenge of evening and low light painting. Over the course of 6 weeks (one rain out) we let the night fall. Shown here are my 6"x 8" paintings.
I purposefully painted
small in order to stay loose
and intentional.
You can see the progression
of fading light in each piece
and the sense of values eclipsing
color. At first, it was a case of hanging on to the light, trying to capture the last moments of the day as it faded to twilight. Each week the painting time got shorter as we headed to the inevitable: full on evening.
This last Tuesday was our last night out and a hardy group met in downtown Alamosa to finally face the dark. We chose a very simple view of a building with street lamp and tree.
Town scenes can be complex but ambient light is a big help to seeing your pallet, and your canvas. I am not a fan of using a light, such as a head lamp or clip on light, but prefer to let my eyes naturally adjust to a low light situation. We stood in a protected store doorway with the benefit of shop light. There were several nice views from this particular location and we painted for about an hour before diving into the SLV Brewery to warm up and wait for snow.
These little studies aren't much to write home about but in this case the accomplishment was in the doing; and the best part is - we aren't afraid of the dark anymore.

From the Flu to Florence

Last weekend I had the honor of judging the "Paint the Town" Plein air Event in Florence, Colorado - a small, historic town of art and antiques nestled between Canon City and Colorado Springs. "Paint the Town" is a 2 day, non-juried competition and attracts plein air painters from all over Colorado. Over 25 Painters participated and at least 50 pieces were entered into the show. This was a lot considering the weather was nothing short of miserable, with fog and freezing rain. My hope was to judge the show, then enjoy the opening the same day.
That was not to be; the week before I went down with the flu and had just enough energy to drive the 3 hours (through bad weather) from Alamosa to Florence and back - to bed.
I was happily surprised and rewarded for my effort by a show of some excellent work, mostly watercolors. Unfortunately, I have no pictures but for the benefit of this post, would like to name the artists:
First Place - Ken Hartman,"Oak Creek" - Watercolor
Second Place - Tom Lockhart,"Minnequa Canal" - Oil
Third Place - Coleen Bobinac,"Santa Fe Ave." - Watercolor
Juror's Choice Oil - Martin Lambuth
Juror's Choice Watercolor - Blenderman
Juror's Choice Acrylic - John Alderman

Winner - People's Choice Award at the Colorado Mountain Plein Air Fest, Salida

The Colorado Mountain Plein Air Fest, drew 45 painters to the heart of the rockies and we enjoyed every type of weather from driving snow to burning sun. I could have done without the snow but Autumn did not disappoint. We found a great show of color in the high country, places like Marshall Pass and O'Haver Lake; as well along the Arkansas River where the grasses were ablaze with red and gold. In Colorado Fall feels a bit frantic. We anxiously count the Fall days, fret over every change of weather and try to grab each day like we were snatching it from the jaws of death.




















Conversations among painters go something like this:
"Are trees in the high country changing yet?",
"Wind will blow away the leaves before they turn.",
"This week will be the peak color, for sure.",
"This year was too wet for good color.",
"This year was too dry for good color.",
"It may snow before the colors peak.", - "SNOW - NO!".

I painted for 5 days with Sally Mather, pastel and oil painter of note who lives in Salida. Click on her name to see her work.

In spite of snow and freezing temps, I came home with 8 pieces and entered these 3 into the competition and won "Peoples Choice" Award at the opening. It is always fun, and gratifying to win. This award is given to the artist whose work is chosen as the favorite of the "people", or those not in the competition. Thanks everyone.
The paintings from the top are "O'Haver Aspens", 14x11, "First & G St.", 9x11 and "Barn Dance", 9x11.

More Paintings from the Colorado Mountain Plein Air Fest, Salida, CO

The jury is still out on these pieces. I felt they had potential but did not enter them into the competition. At the top - from Ouray Wildlife Area,12x16,
From Little Cocetopa Ranch, 6x8,
From Riverside Park, 10x8,
From Ouray Wildlife area, 9x12,
and a view looking down on Salida, 12x16.

Nap Time is Over . . .

Ha!
My classes started last week- and just in time. When my motivation is a little low teaching keeps me on track. We are trying to make the most of the good weather and last week painted out at Wayside on the north side of Alamosa. Sue McCullough joined us as guest artist and ended up as my subject. Check out her blog to see the piece she did "Plein Air of the Dairy".
Saturday, Sue and I will be up in Salida for a week painting at the Colorado Mountain Plein Air Fest. If you are in the area on Saturday the 26th, there will be a Quick Draw at 10am in Riverside park, historic downtown Salida. Quick Draw work as well as work from the week will be on exhibition all weekend at the Virtuosity Gallery on 106 North "F" St. in Salida.

What's A Painter To DO?

Summer is gone and we are definitely into Fall. Sunday morning the San Juans were covered with snow. YIKES!
Time is flying by.
After traveling and painting for many weeks I come home tired but still mentally going, trying to rest while preparing for the Colorado Mountain Plein Air Fest in Salida next week.
This is a "meantime"- a forced wait and it can be very hard to suddenly shift out of overdrive into neutral.
Everything in me says to be 'out there'- paint everyday, get busy, plan now for shows to come, work on marketing, update the mailing list. . .
So much to do, so little time. Hmmmm . . .

When I graduated from design school I was working in the Creative dept. of a large, Japanese toy company only a few years in the U.S. and very successful. They built a new warehouse/office facility while I was there and the Engineering Dept. was slated for prime office spots along the windowed portion of the building. After moving in however, the executives, both American and Japanese met and to my amazement, the engineers were moved out of the windowed space and Creative was moved in; believe me this did not go down easily.
Even more amazing to me at the time was that the Japanese executives insisted - "artists need windows to dream".
I thought of that recently - in the light of this "meantime" - and the struggle to strike a balance between what I want to do, what I can do and what I need to do.
Coming home after many events can be like returning from another planet especially when you are exhausted but I am the only one who can give my self permission to stop running.
I think this 'meantime' will be my window where I watch clouds go by - but don't have to paint them.
At least not until next week.

The piece at the top is 6"x 8", from Cheyenne and the Wyoming Plein Air Event.

A Week Of Painting

The painting week started on Sunday morning with Eldon Warren and Patrice Walker. We headed up into Rocky Mt. National Park early and stood in an area thick with Ponderosa pine and aspen trees. Patrice and Eldon both turned out nice pieces that would later be entered into the show. The woods were so beautiful and this first painting turned out to be my personal favorite of the whole week; "A Magic Wood" is 12"x 16".













This view of Long's Peak from Moraine Park is 9"x 12".













The (PAAC) Plein Air Artists Colorado had so many members in the Estes Event that on Tuesday we met to paint at Lily Lake together.
I had just about wrapped up when we were hit by a huge hail storm. Patrice and I, along with a few tourists, took shelter under a large tree and hoped there would be no lightening.
"At The Top" is 12"x 16".













Thursday is Media Day and the painters are asked to paint down town in Estes Park to publicize the event. Dawn Normali and I painted near each other in a small park. Below is my piece "Aspens on the River". It is 12"x 9" and sold at the opening of the plein air show.

And Some Night Painting TOO!

One of the best things I did this year in Estes was get in 3 evenings of night painting. Here is Dawn Normali setting up in the late afternoon before the light really dropped. You can see my easel right beside her. The killer about this spot was not the view but the Italian restaurant patio, not 2 feet from my easel. All night we smelled the food with out getting any.
Below is my take on the intersection and the historic theater in Estes Park, after dark.
It is 16"x 12".