Class Notes - Got Photos?- Week four.

 My kids come home from school, open the fridge and ask the eternal question - what's to eat? There is a difference between just ingredients and a meal.
Most of us take tons of photos, store them on the computer, where they sit until we have long forgotten what inspired us to shoot them in the first place.
Well, if you are stuck for something to paint, pull out the photos, and learn to cook.
You might be amazed what you can come up with if you start looking at them with a designer's eye. Subject matter aside, look for interesting shapes, and value patterns of light & dark, then start sketching. Sometimes turning a photo upside down helps you to see major shapes and simplify the elements. Simple ideas, communicated simply, are the most powerful: patterns of trees in the forest, or just interesting diagonal and vertical shapes. Take that kernel of inspiration and see if you can fit it to a sound compositional idea, arranging the shapes so they lead the viewer through, and around.
You might be sitting on a gold mine, right there in your own refrigerator.

We could always make Lemonade

Are all of your photos lemons? Two photos, from above, and two sketches came together for this layout. I emphasized the diagonal shapes and used strong verticals to break up those shapes. If the viewer was a squirrel it would be possible to enter at the bottom follow the diagonals to the trees, scamper up the trees, through the branches, down the other side, into the distant trees to do the same thing.
I have used colors in the middle and background, that come forward instead of receding. This breaks a few traditional rules of distance in the landscape but serves to abstract the view in a way that suits me.
That doesn't mean I won't tweak it a bit while it is still wet.

Class Notes - The SKETCH

Do I hear a collective groan?
I always feel a little "parental" when talking about doing a sketch before the painting; like saying "Eat your vegetables; they're good for you" - maybe reason enough NOT to do it; oops, let's not go that way.
I painted in the landscape for years without doing preliminary sketches and arrogantly felt that I didn't need to. What would it serve?
Though, in my past life as a graphic designer, the sketch/layout was the way to communicate my thoughts for everything, from art directing an illustrator or photographer to communicating visual concepts to a client. The layout was the visual language we spoke - NOT doing a layout would have been like suddenly becoming mute - by my own hand; not even an option. But, what does that have to do with the painter?
At this point, my brain wants to go out into a zillion directions- let me just say - the most common thing I hear from student painters, and even the more advanced painter, in the landscape is: "I'm lost". Ever been lost in the landscape? Ever found yourself miles up a trail with no water bottle, no lunch, no end in sight and really big blisters? (Gee, it was so beautiful, I just had to JUMP in and GO). It's called being unprepared and it can ruin the day, the hike, the painting.
The sketch is that bit of preparation that can make or break the whole day. My plein air sketches are simple, small, but are the map that keeps me ON the trail to the finish. See the next POST: we left the site way before that painting was done, but - not without a sketch. That map helped bring it together in the studio. I rely on the sketch because in it, I have already organized the values, the shapes and my thoughts on the scene; the photo is only documentation of the day. The sketch is my mind on the subject.
Some small photos here are examples of the type of sketch I do -
2 value, simple, done with a fat Sharpie; cometimes called a NOTAN. I am not selling this type of sketch but the idea that any sketch - is a Good Thing -
and it IS good for you.

On LaVeta Pass- Yes, it was COLD!

Wednesday morning David Montgomery I went up to LaVeta Pass looking for some open water, a snow bank with red willows - or any view that didn't require standing in 3 feet of snow. About 10 minutes out of Ft. Garland we found a little creek frozen over a beaver dam, not far from the road. David took the beaver dam in view and I focused in the opposite direction toward a snow bank with willows. Thankfully, the morning was sunny, and we both started strong but the wind really whips up that pass and the wind chill was bitter. You can see in the photos that we barely got more than a lay-in.
About that time I heard a cappuccino calling my name and I really don't know who was the first to suggest it but there wasn't much discussion -
we were ready to bale.
A little while later we were answering the call-of-the-wild-painter for . . . . .coffee.
My painting is below; obviously the piece had to be brought up to speed in the studio. I had done a black and white sketch in the field and, as is my method, that sketch is painted on the panel in black acrylic and a color under painting is put over that, before working with the oil. The piece didn't paint itself but the hard part had been done on location, the bones were all there and I was able to wrap it up while the inspiration was still fresh.

This IS the Wild West. . . .

On the way home we pulled off and took photos in Ft. Garland, home of the Fort/outpost manned by Kit Carson. - Dave surveys the landscape wherein just about every "old West" cliche imaginable has been squeezed into an area of a couple of blocks. From left to right, in this view alone is the steeple of the old church, a corral with a real Bison, horses, a tee pee, a hogan, and old west store front. The sign announcing "gunfights every day" didn't make it into the shot. Fortunately, the fort isn't more than a block away, in case things get out of hand. . . .
There is no discounting the beauty of Mt. Blanca though. These peaks dominate the view for miles around and stood as a silent guard eons before the first Americans came through this valley;
they are the Wild West.

Gettin' Out

We have enjoyed beautiful, if chilly, days here in Southern Colorado and after spending several days preparing for my show at the Rio Grande Museum I was very anxious to get OUT. Even when it is desperately cold, no amount of sitting by the fire, sorting through photos or reworking small studies can satisfy the need to go out and paint in the landscape. I may not speak for all landscape artists but for plein air types - going out - is WHAT it's all about.
Yesterday, Sue McCullough and I went out to her family ranch - acres and acres of trees and snow, the river and great views of the Sangre de Christo Mountains stretching south from Taos up north to Buena Vista where they meet the Collegiate Peaks; so beautiful and white, and big. Fortunately, we had sun and it was around 20 degrees -perfect!
At the top is a shot Sue with the gear and below that, my sketch, painted on in black acrylic. I learned a lesson after my last time out when I tried to thin the paint with water; Dumb, I know. This time, no thinning the acrylic- just go for the gusto.
Check out Sue's painting with this link to her blog
and see my piece below.

Snowy Blanca

In the morning there is, very often a low lying haze that settles on the Valley floor and the mountains seem to rise out of that. Cottonwoods catch the early light on the ends of their branches and the river is just an expanse of snow. A Bald Eagle flew over us and settled in a nearby tree. For this California native and city-girl, it was something.
Chances are, you will never see that while painting in the studio.

Class Notes, Week 2 of Painting From Photos

This week in class we focused on COMPOSING a painting from reference material (that would be photos). Remember Guideline #3 from last week: The artist's job is to select and arrange major shapes to lead the viewer's eye around the painting in a pleasing way.
Here I used several photos taken at a local landmark and tried to let the reference material suggest the way to compose the final painting. Now if I had developed a layout BEFORE taking the photos, certainly, I would have shot them to fit my layout; not the case here.
The Chapel at San Luis is quite famous, as much for the building itself as for the path and "Stations of the Cross" that lead up to it. The top photo suggested a path and a general sense of perspective that I liked but the tree shapes were awkward and didn't add anything to the view. The second photo doesn't have the right light but the building is going in the right direction and I will use the lower trees and bushes for reference. The 3rd photo gave me enough detail to do a credible job on the facade of the building, and finally, I did a black and white sketch to establish the compositional elements, adding the mountain shape to the right.

Finished Painting- Composed From Photos

The Chapel at San Luis sits atop a hill and is the destination of the path that follows the "Stations of the Cross" that leads up to it. I exaggerated the perspective to heighten the sense of approach and added a tree and the fence; these elements were in the photos. The mountain shape to the right I added purely for the sake of the composition.
"Capella San Luis" is 30'x 36".

Hanging Out at the Rio Grande Museum

In preparation for my show, I spent most of Tuesday in Del Norte in good company at the Rio Grande Museum and Cultural Center- a well appointed and well supported regional museum here in Southern Colorado. I had Paul Williams, of watercolor fame and father of Roger Williams (well known Western oil painter) there to share painting stories, war stories (his), skiing stories, and generally help get the show together. Paul taught for years at Adams State College in Colorado and set standards that probably few of us could meet. It was a painful/pleasure to have him critique my work and tho' I didn't ask for it, it isn't often you find yourself with someone truly qualified, who will give up the "goods" in such a genial manner. We had a great time, put up the work and pretty much yakked about art all day. Thanks Paul.
My Expressions in the Landscape Show will hang until March 27. There will be a public reception on Saturday, January 31 from 2-4 pm, with food - of course.
The Rio Grande Museum is located at 580 Oak St., Del Norte, CO and regular hours are Tuesday - Saturday 10 am to 5 pm.
Thanks to Dr. A.J. Taylor for this photo.