Fabulous Fall Colors

Perhaps I had to become a 'plein-air' painter to notice the spectacular Fall colors...because I don't think I've ever seen hues this bright in my entire life! Anything from bright greens, deep reds, glowing oranges and yellows... nature sure wore it's Sunday outfit last weekend, when I visited my mother-in-law in the Blue Ridge Mountains between Lynchburg and Charlottesville, VA. She was kind enough to put me up for a few days, so I could endulge myself in trying to record these fabulous colors while at their peek! I had to keep myself from using all my tube colors without any mixing. I was aware of the fact that if you paint these colors the way you think you 'know' them, the painting might become a bit garish. So restraint was my motto. Keeping a close eye on the correct values, I tried to bring out the bright colors by muting or greying the colors around it. It is so tempting to squeeze out cadmium reds and oranges, but I think they work better if they are reserved for the accents and highlights. Of course I did not believe my husband when he told me I would have all the scenery I needed right from his mom's doorstep, but he was absolutely right! I painted all these studies almost from the exact same spot by just turning a few degrees. How inspiring to travel and capture a different landscape for a change! Not that the lucious colors of the Eastern Shore marshes couldn't compete, but an occasional road trip to keep a 'fresh' eye and quality time with your in-laws is priceless.

Workshop with Gavin Brooks

It's been about 1,5 weeks since I got back from a week-long workshop with accomplished artist Gavin Brooks near Tilghman Island, MD. With my friend-in-Art Cindy Reed, I spend five days painting 'en plein-air'. Gavin was an excellent instructor and had prepared a few theme-days, such as skies, trees & land and water & reflections. She gave a talk in the morning, illustrated her information with slides and demo's and afterwards, it was up to us to digest the new information into appealing studies from both slides and the real thing. The weather cooperated big time and we were able to do a lot of studying on site. And what a sight it was! Beautiful private properties on the water with lots of old barns, farm fields and marshy coves... what else could a painter wish for? Here are two small studies I did trying to incorporate some of Gavin's tips. The main thing she teaches is to use a limited pallette (yellow, red, blue and white) for more color harmony, together with some greys (warm & cool) to tone down the colors with. I never knew you could put so much grey into a painting and still have lots of color. It actually helps to make certain colors 'pop' if the surrounding areas are a bit more muted....what a discovery! You can make the warm light on a cloud even more exciting if the blue sky around it is not just blue, but a bit more greyish-blue. After five days, I came home tired but extremely inspired. Now, I've got to get to work and try to incorporate this new theory into my pieces. Visit this blog or my website again to see if you notice the difference!

Plein Air Event Cape Charles

This past weekend, I participated in a plein air painting event organized by the Stage Door Gallery in Cape Charles. It was a beautiful weekend and there were about 25 artists participating, some from the Eastern Shore, but also many from across the Bay and other States. I painted on several different locations, but was able to finish two pieces to put in the show: "Red Barn" and "Reflections at Dawn". The last painting won first place and sold during the reception! These painting events are great ways to meet other artists and exchange experiences, but it made me realize again that the only way to learn plein-air painting is to paint on a very regular basis. And even then, you will find yourself scraping off boards or tossing canvasses that don't work. Not every piece will be a masterpiece, but every once in a while you'll find yourself creating a little 'gem' and the best part is when other people agree!

Alla Prima Cherries

Last week, I worked on a still life with delicious deep red cherries. The glazing technique I wanted to use for the brilliance of the red pieces of fruit did not allow me to finish this painting very quickly. An 'Alla Prima' study of a few cherries however, helped me preserve their looks. When the real still life set-up was looking far from mouth-watering and I finally had to saccrifice them in the name of art, I was able to finish this studio-piece with the help of the little study on paper.

(P.S. The studio painting entitled "Cherished" sold last weekend!)

Plein Air Easton Quick Draw Competition

Last weekend, I participated in the 2-hour Quick Draw Competition during the 4th annual Plein Air Easton event. On Saturday morning, painters from all over the country took part in this fun paint-out competition in downtown Easton, MD. We had two hours to paint a plein-air painting. At noon, the piece had to be framed and displayed on an easel. All easels were then lined up on the main street for judging and so the public could see the works and purchase them. It was a real warm day and two hours is not a lot of time...but what a good time we had! My painting of a fountain, entitled "The Sun Bath" sold to a nice couple from Pittsburgh, PA. (Thank you very much for your purchase and helping me get my competition forms!). Joe, my husband came up for moral support and there were a number of Eastern Shore Art League friends who participated as well. It was a truly fantastic experience and I'm looking forward to participating again next year! If you'd like more information about this fabulous art event, visit: http://www.pleinair-easton.com/.

Solomon's Island

Last Saturday, three students of mine and I participated in a Paint-out Plus event organised by MAPAPA (Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association) on Solomon's Island (appr. 1 hour south of Washington, DC). Artist Lee Boynton was kind enough to do a boat-drawing demonstration and give advice and critiques to the participating artists. It was a beautiful day and there were plenty of boats to draw & paint at the Calvert Marine Museum. After Lee's advice, we decided to do a charcoal sketch first, then a value-study in paint by mixing black and white into many variations of grey-tones and finally, a study in color. Normally, I don't take enough time to study a scene before putting brush to canvas, I get right down to the fun stuff and forget to think about composition, mood and values first. I am working on watercolor paper, which I primed with shellack. The shellack dries immediately, gives the paper a nice warm base color and prevents the paint from sinking in, rather than laying on top of the paper. I also like the smooth surface (even though the paper has some texture), it allows you to apply the paint quickly and easily. Working on paper, rather than board or canvas, for outdoor studies is fairly cheap and for me it takes off the pressure to paint a masterpiece. Even though I'd like to keep sketches for future reference, you can toss them without too much guilt. This study is the result of painting in an inspiring new place with nice weather and awesome travel companions!

My first blog posting!

This is a cool way to share some of my experiences with other artists and those who are interested in the creative struggles of a professional artist. Since about 2001, I have been a studio artist who mostly created original oil paintings from photographs or set-ups. Last year however, I felt the need to go outdoors. Up till then, people had responded to my artwork by saying: 'your paintings look just like photographs' and it had always sounded like a compliment. But after a while it dawned on me that I did not want to just 'copy' pictures and I was not happy with this sincere kind of admiration. I wanted to be a 'real' painter and show some of my own handwriting in the paintings by using bolder brushstrokes. Not everything has to look smooth and flawless anymore. I had also lost a bit of spontaneity and enthusiasm in the longer process of planning a painting from start to finish. The layering of transparent colors is still a favorite technique since it keeps colors clean and vibrant. But the underpainting could use a bit more action. I also felt that my digital camera and computer screen were failing me when it comes to color accuracy. The lights in a photograph are too light and the darks too dark. So, in order to become a better painter, we headed for the great outdoors....or at least the backyard! My brother sponsored a lightweight field-easel and I signed up for a few plein-air workshops with Roger Dale Brown, Tracey Frugoli and Bethanne Cople. What an eye-opener: you can be both a plein-air sketch artist AND a studio painter.....it's not a matter of choosing one over the other! Together with photographs, the sketches on site make wonderful little studies for bigger studio pieces and there is even a market for the sketches. A couple of books and a few plein-air events later, I am hooked! This indoor-girl gets a tan and enjoys painting even more.