Toss the Mask- Go Plein Air starting July 1st

It has been a long studio season and I am ready to toss the mask and go outside! Here in Colorado we live for summer. Make it a lot more memorable by growing your skills, or by learning a new ones. Join us Thursday mornings, starting July 1st, from 9 am to noon for instruction, encouragement,  and mornings of outdoor painting,  in and around Alamosa.

Our first meeting on July 1st will be at the Alamosa Family Recreation Center and will include a paint-a-long demo.  Bring your painting toys, and I will have schedules with all of the locations for where we will meet in the weeks ahead. 

To register for entire class session, go on line at www.alamosarec.org,  or call the Rec Center at 719-589-2105.  Registration for the entire session gives you the best price at  $100. for 8 weeks of painting; or you can drop-in to each class for $15. a meeting (pay at the Rec Center before joining us in the landscape).
 

We Live for Summer

There is a light breeze, clouds pile up in a huge sky,
snow tops  Mt Blanca to the east and San Juans to the west,
these are the days we live for.
Plein air painters go out even in the snow and rain, but a summer morning spent enjoying the out doors reminds us why live in Colorado.
The piece above is my 6"x 8" done last week from the Recreation Center in Alamosa.

This first week of the Plein air Painting classes brought ten painters out into the landscape.
The laundry, the dishes the yard work will always be with us , but these summer days are very fleeting.
Give your self the gift of a few mornings to enjoy them.
If you are an artist and want to join the class, or if you are visiting the valley for the summer, or even if you are just passing through and would like to join a group and get some instruction - contact me through my website at ConiGrant.com.
I can let you know when and where we will be meeting.
OR if you check on the right hand side of this article the painting location should be posted each week.
Drop-in fee is $15, paid at the location with cash or check made out to the City of Alamosa.

SAVE the DATE:

Carl Judson, the GuerrillaPainter, will be visiting our class on Tuesday Evening, June 25th at 6:30 pm at the Alamosa Family Recreation Center.
Carl is a long time painter and front man for Guerrilla Painter,  world wide supplier of all things "plein air".
His presentations on outdoor painting are always entertaining and insightful. You won't want to miss it.
Invite your friends;  NO drop-in fee for this class.   Join us.
Check out more about Carl, his company and his travels at
GuerrillaPainter.com

Painters Day OUT

 Thursday was the first plein air class meeting of the season. A beautiful day,  12 painters in the landscape, including a couple of absolute beginners, brave and enthusiastic- BRAVO!
We took it very easy.
Sometimes the adjustment from studio painting to the great outdoors - can be a jarring one - so it is good to encourage each other, and be kind to ourselves. Not too much judging or analysis going on - just a day in the park, so to speak.

Many of us will spend a heck of a lota time this summer doing chores, going to Walmart (I AM sorry about that)- taking care of business or just trying to stay out of trouble (I speak for myself here)
SO - what could be better than a dedicated time OUTSIDE enjoying our beautiful Colorado landscape?
If you are a painter, but there has never been the time . . . . .
or a beginner wanting to learn something new - come out and paint in and around Alamosa all of July and August.
Two great opportunities: Tuesday Evenings, 6:30pm to 9pm
and Thursday Mornings, 9am to noon.
It is $15. to drop-in on a class or you can register for the entire session at the Alamosa Family Recreation Center. Call them at 719-589- 2105.
Locations for WHERE we will be meeting each week will be posted on this BLOG - over to the right.

Plein Air Summer

Painting outdoors is one of the most gratifying ways to experience the amazing Colorado summer. Join a group or take advantage of a class that will get you OUT there.
This Thursday, July 6th (9am to noon) the Alamosa Painting class will start its summer Plein Air session. It is a good time to test the skills you have been honing all year and pit yourself against the ACTUAL landscape - in one of the most beautiful places in the world, Colorado.

Thursday morning class starts at 9am, July 6th and that first meeting will be at the Alamosa Family Rec Center. We will talk about supplies, do some painting and hand out schedules of all the dates and locations for where we will be painting in July and August.
Tuesday Evening class starts at 6:30pm, July 11th and will also meet at the Rec Center for that first meeting, to go over information and pass out painting schedules.

Set your sites on getting the most out of our short summer by being in the landscape.
Our painting locations are in and around Alamosa for varied views of the mountains and the river.
If learning the knack for SUNSETS is your goal- come along for the Tuesday Evening class, which never disappoints.

Painters Drop-in Fee in $15.- paid to Coni at the start of the class.
Let the SUMMER begin.

Toys Toys Toys

We had a great time last week with our special guests Carl and Sarah Judson - just what we needed to bring enthusiasm and zing to our Fall plein air season. Carl gave a informative talk and visual presentation about plein air painting through history - but the best part was a thoughtful take on painters who did not follow the beaten path.  Ha! The rebels- they are our favorites.

It was encouraging and fun for everyone and

we all got Guerrilla Painter Viewers (very handy), paint samples- who doesn't love that? Free stuff!  

After some discussion and some snacks we all went out to the Guerrilla Van to see Carl's work - and for the REAL fun:

shopping out of the Guerrilla Van. It was almost as good buying at the ice cream truck- 

and just about that crazy 

as 17 painter/kids

stormed the van.

I suddenly had a vision of Carl Judson in a Santa suit. . . . . .

The item most popular?
the Guerrilla 6x8 Thumbox
with carrying case -
 SUUWWeeet!
I think we bought out
his entire supply.

So, this is the challenge:
bring your box to class
every week. You will get better with it the more you use it
and it just may change your life,
at least your painting life.

Ahh - the places we'll go!

Spring ? ? ? Where's the GREEN?

Spring is finally coming to our part of the country. You would never know by the views or snow covered mountains but temps are rising and that is always a good sign.
Last week, David Montgomery and I went east towards LaVeta Pass- looking, for something -not sure what, but we finally pulled over on the road and just started walking around. I am not very patient, or willing to spend a lot of time looking for a certain thing, but am more inclined to find a view with what is available. In this case, the bushes and fence served but I came home rather cranky about all the BROWN landscape.
I guess I haven't been getting out enough.
Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Class Notes: Staying In the Flow

After painting every day for a week at the Colorado Mountain Plein Air Fest I came home pretty toasted but still had to teach classes on Tuesday night, Thursday Morning and again on Saturday morning.
I am grateful for my classes that always help me continue in the flow of painting - when my natural inclination is to take a week off and just nap.
These two 6"x 8"s at the top are from Tuesday evening and Thursday morning. The top one is self explanatory - the bottom one not so much.
Thursday the class drove out east of town to a beautiful ranch owned by a local couple - the Brandt's. In the center of an oasis like setting they have a beautiful Koi pond covered with lily pads, and at this time of year, surrounded by golden Cottonwood trees. I chose to abstract a very small view across a portion of the pond.
Saturday morning we went east up to Rock Creek, which is a riot of colored aspen right now.
The 6"x 8" format is not my favorite but I have found it to be a good discipline for working out simple shapes and good design. And sometimes it's about all I can finish in the time frame while also working with students. It was beautiful morning.

Summer Plein Air

The PAAC Show was a happy success for me with 2 of my 3 paintings sold- YAY!- and all the craziness of May and June has passed. July is a bit of quite in the middle of the summer; instead of framing, packing, shipping - there is a little more time for actual painting.
These pieces were all done
here around Alamosa:
a water fall at Rock Creek- 9x12,
beaver ponds above Rock Creek- 16x12,
Cows- 9x12,- what can I say about that? -they were there,
and at the bottom the afternoon sun on Mt.Blanca- 6x8, painted last night with my class.
So now I have to go to the studio and really get to it; I have a commission waiting with a serious deadline- but more about that later.

The Little Caboose That Could

We are so lucky to have a working train yard in Alamosa and "scenic" trains, pulled by steam locomotives that go out of town in 2 directions.
Back in March, Sue McCullough and I went out early on a beautiful morning to paint this little caboose and got a pretty good start before the wind really kicked up. There is no protection out on the tracks and always a lot of dirt flying around. We were holding down our easels and chewing grit before finally baling out.
I really hate leaving the field with a piece unfinished and tell my students how important it is to do the center of attention (or the complex) stuff FIRST.
HA! Good advice I did not heed in this case.

So the "unfinished caboose" has been sitting around my studio -
until Cody, a 4 year old friend and train enthusiast came by recently - just because he saw it through the window. Cody is not a casual train fan; he knows his stuff, wanted to view all of my "train work", gave me a few pointers and suggested I finish the Caboose painting.
Thanks Cody!

Well, this piece, may or may not stand the test of time but it made one train enthusiast happy.