Back up to Augusta Plein Air

It seems like a long time ago when I painted in the Augusta Plein Air event.  Several of the photos show we aredressed in gloves and winter coats.  It was Cha Cha Chilly.  A superb event that I hope to be able to attend again next year.

My first ribbon in Augusta.  It was a third place, but I was ecstatic to even place in that competition.  

Pastel artist Michelle Wells.  LOTS of color to work with.  When I see a pastellist at work, I think I want to dive in and try it again.  

Raven Perry is from CA and comes to paint in the event.  During the show, she painted on her leg with Henna.  She is a super nice woman.

And this is my art camp house!  Love the Airstream.  I had several artist come by to paint it.  She always had a good side!

Across the street we were entertained with a mama fox and a slew of babies.  She was on high alert.

Marty Coulter was painting in the 'winners' event at a winery and I got permission to watch him.  He was an illustrator in his past life, and jokes about trying to break those habits.  His work always sells well.  He is an excellent painter, and a really nice guy!

This was the group I painted with at the 'private estate' paint out.  The first 20 to sign up for the festival gets to paint at a special place.  It was fabulous.  

I selected the horse stall to paint.  Of course the horses moved all over, but I painted fast and got one in.  When this was finished, the owner purchased it!  .

Curious horses.

Joan Parker and I helped with two other artist with an afternoon of kids camp.  I taught acrylic, Joan taught oil.  We had a good time.

Joan Parker on a COLD morning.

Kathy brought us a vegan lunch.  No forks.  Joan used a plastic lid to eat!  Love her laugh.

Busy time of the year!

With three plein air events under my belt, this summer is just beginning. Augusta plein air, Stems plein air, and Steelville plein air. I have been very fortunate to place in each event, and sales have covered my expenses. I fondly refer to these events as art camp! There is such a wealth of knowledge when you work around all of these wonderful plein air painters.

I have been following a blog of an artist that I have found to be full of juicy information. He has given permission to re- post his blog information. So here is one that I found very informative.

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GABOR SVAGRIK

5 Topics Painters Struggle With

June 17, 2014

OVER COMPLICATED SUBJECT MATTER

I see many painters putting in or picking subjects that are way too complex for their skill level.  This seems to be very common.  “But it looks so cool on the photo” this comment spells disaster almost every time when you see the painting. Even I would not paint what I see in some source photos. Our knowledge grows with time and painting consistently improves our work. Therefore we must know the level we are at and not push it too far. We tend to overestimate our knowledge and this shows up clearly when viewing the final painting.

Solution:

Look for big shapes and good patterns of both light and dark. If you paint the landscape look at your source photos that have 3 to 4 large shapes in them ( sky, background, middle ground and foreground). If you do not see this pattern somewhere just skip over the photo.


NOT PATIENT ENOUGH

I know this one is not easy, but we must be patient with our fine art journey.  Its growth is slow. Today we live in such a fast-paced environment; we are attuned to wanting it all, NOW. Remember to become an artist, the path is not a sprint, but a marathon.

Solution:

Work on several pieces at once. This way you can keep rotating them, stay fresh, and eventually upon revisiting these works in progress you will find yourself correcting things you may have missed beforehand. Paint smaller pieces, from an 8x10 to 12x16 for a while. You will learn more about the process and solve problems more frequently than you would if you were always working on one large piece. Always working larger and making mistakes brings on frustration and not to mention the loss of materials and paint you will scrap if the larger piece is not salvageable.  We all know how this feels. Remember it is all about the quality not the size of the artwork.


WRONG PAINTING SURFACE

I have taught many workshops and from time to time while walking around and helping students at their easels I would find that their panels or canvases are not suitable for their paints. The paint would just slide around on it or would not adhere well.  This can be very frustrating for any medium.

Solution:

Buy canvases or adhere canvases to panels at the very least with a medium weave. Not too rough, but not smooth either. Oil primed canvases are great for experienced painters but can be a struggle for others. Acrylic Gessoed boards can be too slick as well. Canvas is my preference of choice for oil paints.   I like to use single-primed Claessens® #66 linen which has an even medium texture, tight weave and excellent strength.  Sorry, I have tailored this suggestion to my landscape painting readers. I would be glad to give suggestions for other mediums just reach out to me in the comment section.


CARRYING TO MUCH STUFF WHILE PAINTING OUTDOORS

Please do not carry the kitchen sink :) Painting is not complicated, so do not complicate your supplies either. In the long run an investment in compact equipment and supplies will save your back as well as your wallet.

Solution:

Try to bring no more than 10 brushes. Buy small 37ml size tubes of paint. Use a small thinner container your only outside for 2 to 4 hours max and always not far from your car to refill. Invest in a light tripod with carbon fiber legs) and a light ball head. Click here for more info. Weigh your backpack; it should be less than 20 lbs. If it is over twenty pounds then edit your pack down again. Minimizing is the key for a joyful outdoor painting experience.  Think “grab and go” when the moment strikes.


OVERLY COMPLICATED COLOR PALETTE

Too many colors on your palette can be confusing. You will tend to use those colors incorrectly if you don’t understand value before color.  Some painters use a wide variety of colors correctly, but remember they have also been painting full-time as a career for nearly 30 to 50 years. This knowledge and experience allows variety.

Solution:

Keep your colors to a minimum. Learn how to use them well, before adding new ones to your mix.
 

Here are the colors I use: 

Titanium  white
Ultramarine Blue
Cerulean Blue
Raw Sienna
Yellow Ochre
Cad Lemon Yellow
Alizarin Crimson
Cad Red Medium
Burnt Sienna

Colors to use  if you are having problems with values. This is a wonderful palette that will allow you to mix some color but will hold you back just enough to concentrate more on values. I do this in my classes all the time. 

Ivory Black ( this will be your blue )

Burnt Sienna ( this will be your red )

Yellow Ochre ( this will be your yellow )

Titanium White 

New Nocturne

Dragon Inn
Oil on canvas  11 x 14

Derald was kind to 'escort' me for a nocturne painting in Overland Park last week.  Since the workshop I have found the nocturnes loads of fun.  It is definitely a new experience with a steep learning curve.  What you see and what you paint are not always the same when you get in the light.  Not to mention the affects of the artificial light you use and how that compounds the problems.  I really enjoyed this one.  I was fortunate to meet the owner while I was there.  He also gave us loads of information on his business and the history of his family moving to the USA.  Derald really enjoyed the visit as they chatted about Hong Kong.  A trip I didn't get to go with Derald.

At a second location the next evening I found out a little more history of the building.  The bottom floor was originally a market of some kind and the top floor was used by a church.  I believe the building has been around since the late 1800s.  I got this bit of info from an 89 year old man who was visiting with me when I was painting in the park at the Historical Society building.  He was chucked full of great information on OP.  I will post that nocturne tomorrow.

Then there are the friendly people who just left the local bar that want lessons, want your phone number, your card, and possibly my husband!  Always paint with a buddy at night for safety sake!

Stem's Plein Air 2014

Art at the Center Feature Show

 

Art at the Center presents a month-long show featuring a selection of Stems Plein Air Paint 2014 paintings.

 

These wonderful original plein air paintings will be on display for sale at the Tomahawk Ridge Community Center

from June 13th to July 13th 2014!

 

Please join us for the opening reception, June 13th at 6PM!

Artists, Art Collectors, Stems patrons,

VIPs, and ticket holders are all welcome to attend!!

 

Important Dates 2014

 

MAY 9TH-11TH - Jason Sacran's Artist Workshop.

 

MAY 17TH - Stems Plein Air Paint 2014 begins with Sunset Quick Paint at 5-9PM Arboretum.

 

May 31ST - AM Quick Paint 7-10AM at Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead.  Special Painting Challenges are due at Farmstead as well.

 

JUNE 1ST - Last day to paint!

 

JUNE 2ND-5TH - Artists submit paintings for judging to The Rice Gallery of Fine Art 10:30AM-5:30PM.

 

JUNE 6TH - Judging, prize winners announced via web/email, and VIP preview party for Stems Patrons.

 

JUNE 13TH - AATC Feature Show opens 6PM at the Tomahawk Ridge Community Center (ALL ARTISTS WELCOME!).

 

JUNE 16TH-18TH - Artists pick up pieces NOT selected for AATC Feature Show at The Rice Gallery.

 

Nocturne painting tips

Jason Sacran working on a nocturne in his workshop in Overland Park, KS.

The evening we painted the nocturne was a valuable workshop class.  Jason had loads of tips and ideas to help us have a successful experience.  The lists below are not directly out of Jason's mouth.  This is my list of which some of the items are also his suggestions.  

**Ideally you can find a workshop with Jason and get first hand experience with him on this subject.  Currently he does not have a nocturne workshop scheduled …but plans one in the fall of 2014!  Here is his web address and you can watch for upcoming workshops!

http://jasonsacran.com

NOCTURNE-PAINTING EQUIPMENT

• At least two LED book lights to attach to your easel above your canvas.  One LED light on your palette.  Note Jason has three attached to the top of his easel.

• Appropriate clothing layers for cooler nights.

• Mosquito spray if you are in the Mid West!
• A flashlight to use as you are packing up (when it's REAL dark).
• I suggest painting nocturnes with a buddy.  Lots of people stop to see what you are doing.  (Some of them have just left the bar.)

NOCTURNE-PAINTING TIPS

• When painting at night values are very close together, so simplify your palette if possible.  Premix a nice rich dark sky color while you have natural light.  Just black or blue and black doesn't work well.

• Choose subject matter that has the greatest degree of value contrast with the simplest compositional elements.

• Study carefully what you’re naturally observing.

• Make sure you angle your headlamp down at 45 degrees to avoid light bouncing back into your eyes.

• Position your easel and palette so that they have consistent lighting: if your canvas is in light make sure your palette is in light. If your canvas is in shadow, make sure your palette is in shadow.  Working under a street light is ideal.

• When mixing your palette at night, remember to make the colors slightly lighter than what you’re actually seeing because they will appear much duller and darker when viewed in daylight.

• Use very little white.

• Because most of the colors you will be painting with at night will be cool, use a warm underpainting to provide greater contrast and luminosity.

• Use big brushes for better blending and to achieve the soft edges inherent in night scenes.

• There is a warm halo of ambient light around the light sources. By exaggerating the dark values surrounding that with a chiaroscuro effect, you will create the illusion that the light source is glowing.

• The farther away from the light source, the darker the sky’s value.

• As the moon rises, its reflection will spread out wider over the surface beneath it.
• The painting will dull when the darks dry.  I suggest a nice workable spray varnish like Krylon Conservation retouch varnish.

4 Paintings from Jason Sacran's workshop.

Day One.  This was done after a morning lecture and demo.  We had some bright sunlight that afternoon at the Arboretum.  This was one that I came within an inch of wiping.  

Day Three Afternoon painting.  I have scrapped those cars twice since I've been home.  Luckily I had a decent photo for reference.  Lucky Jason was already on his way to CA or I would have been trying to get HELP!!  I had Derald to critique, so I think I did okay.  I have added some support legs to the water tower and a few sky holes, shortened the stop sign (as Derald said it was 12 foot tall), darkened the far building and added highlight areas along the wall of the left far wall.  Using Viridian I have improved all the greens too.  

Day Three nocturne painting.  What a blast we all had painting Sunday evening in Overland Park.  Being so dark, it was hard to get a decent photo of this painting.  It was so very helpful to have a paint along with Jason on this part of the workshop.  He had some great techniques to share on this last evening of nocturnal painting.  I have tried this before but I will say, having his instruction made it so much better.  This is something I will definitely be doing again soon.  The Airstream is screaming to be painted with the reflections of the street lights!

Day Two Painting in the Arboretum.  This one was fun, and I think I improved it today in the studio.    We had great weather, and dodged the rain.

Jason Sacran workshop

Jason's demo paint-a-long for nocturnal.

David had a very nice painting.

Darla worked on a watercolor.  I would think it would be a real challenge with watercolors.

We looked like a flash mob of nocturne painters.

Connie's hat looked like outer space.  

Jason's

Day one:  painting the Monet garden at the Arboretum.

Jason had a different approach than I had used in the past for this scene.  

A new Monet sculpture….with Jason in his space!

Getting some distance.

My block in for the afternoon painting.

My selected scene.

This was my second choice.

David's

My scene selection for day two.

block in

Add caption

Jason's afternoon demo day two.

What a great workshop with Jason.  Everyone in the group of students were so appreciative of his class.  I saw improvements on everyones work too.  I have suggested he return for another workshop through MVIS.  I will talk with the chief….Greg Summers, to try to arrange it!