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.