Class Notes: Ladies of the PAAC

I shot the photo scrap for this little piece at a Plein Air Artists Colorado paint out in Taos almost 2 years ago. The directionality of the painters at the easels is interesting enough but without the contrast of the dark bluff behind their highlighted forms this would just be, so - so photo scrap.
I am always looking for scenes with strong value that translates to good patterns of light and dark.
Can you see strong value shapes in your color photos? Not sure? Take them to a copier and print them out in black and white. A color photo with good value will pop in black and white. Once you see clearly - exactly what you are looking for - look for more photos with the same sensibility: strong darks and strong lights. You will eyes will recognized what it is and your photos will get better and lend themselves more readily to paintings that communicate the sense of light.
And isn't that what we all are going for?

"Reigning Cats and Dogs" in Salida

This Saturday night saw the opening of two big juried shows for Sue and myself: Nomadas del Arte plein air show in Dallas and the Associated Artists National Show in Ft. Collins. It is always hard to miss a big show opening, touch base with friends and make new connections, meet buyers- it's all good. Having two on the same night is a bummer. Missing both is doubly sad - but we decided to take a road closer to home (about 5 hours closer) and headed up to Salida, Colorado Saturday afternoon to see our friend Sally Mather and take in her "Reigning Cats and Dogs" Show at the Salida Steam Plant in the Paquette Gallery. The work of Sally Mather (dogs) and Padgett McFeely (cats) represents over a year of work in support of (20% of proceeds) the Ark-Valley Humane Society. Bravo Sally!
Light hearted and full of life this show was so fun and gave us a good excuse to spend and afternoon in the very arty town of Salida and still be home by dark.

Nomadas del Arte '10 - the Southwest En Plein Air

With the goal of bringing together 200 of the best plein air artists in the country, working in 6 Southwestern states - this is probably the biggest Plein Air show in the country.
The Nomadas del Arte Show 2010 opens Friday, April 9th at 5pm and continues through Saturday at the Southwest Gallery in Dallas - 800-272-9910. A show worth seeing if you are within 200 miles of Dallas this weekend.

Artists Association of Northern Colorado National Show and Sale

The Artists Association of Northern Colorado (AANC) in Fort Collins presents its 19th Annual Juried Art Exhibition and Sale with a reception this Saturday April 10th at the Lincoln Center (417 W Magnolia, Ft. Collins).
Artwork is chosen from nearly 300 entries from all over the country (so I am told). I was very happy when my plein air piece, "Spring Thaw" was chosen for this national show.

Class Notes: Proportional Landscape

Working in this, small 6"x 6" format, is a continual challenge for me - and my students. I like broad brushwork and large shapes but getting that look, in the 6"x 6" size, when you are used to a 16"x 20" format
- well, you see the problem.
A small canvas can really psych you out and students immediately grab the smallest brushes in the box. So what's to do?
I have found that being more selective about reference material is a priority. Many of us are used to working with 4"x 6" photo prints that can take in epic views: trees, mountains, a barn, the river, foreground, etc. - and they all look so good in the photo. . . and soooo tiny.
Broad work calls for broad forms. Look for photos with strong shapes and values, that means good patterns of light and dark . If you have a snap shot you love - blow it up on a common copier and see how it holds up in black and white. It can be so helpful to make the reference the same size as the painting, and not too hard if our format is 6"x 6".
Then ask yourself the really hard question: What is this painting about?
The piece above is from a photo taken of me with a group of painters last Fall at the Colorado Mountain Plein air Fest. What struck me was the light and dark pattern around the umbrella and the hat. I blew that photo up and moved over it with a square frame until I found the composition that suited a small format.

ArtWalk Saturday

ArtWalk Saturday dawned sunny - good news because snow had been predicted.
Sue McCullough and I were out on Main Street about 9am and took advantage of a southern exposure on the side of the SLV Brewery. It was not as warm as last year but warm enough. We both painted looking west up the street to Alamosa's historic Rialto Theatre building; now home to the Rialto Bistro.
Thanks to everyone who volunteered, promoted, planned and participated in Alamosa's ArtWalk and to the San Luis Valley Regional Medical Center for hosting a beautiful reception on Friday night.

Alamosa ArtWalk

Alamosa Artwalk is tomorrow, Saturday, from 10- 5pm in downtown Alamosa. This photo was taken from my painting spot last year.
The weekend kicked off with a gala reception at the SLV Medical Center this evening in their beautiful Artrium. The Medical Center Artrium is an art destination all on its own and is currently showing the Great Sand Dunes Exhibit, that hung last year in Denver International Airport. Featuring artists from the Valley, myself included, and other parts of Colorado, this juried show got so much acclaim at DIA that our Medical Center contracted to hang it here. Click this link to Sue McCullough's BLog to see more reception photos.
This all made a great backdrop for the reception; and as the sun set in the west it began to snow.
But - one worry at a time. I still have high hopes for tomorrow. Sue MCCullough and I will be plein air painting in Downtown Alamosa, on the sunny side (north) of the street just about where San Juan St. crosses Main.
Click on this link for Alamosa ArtWalk to see photos, events, times and the poster painting by, good friend and Alamosa painter, Dave Roepke.

Beautiful Day in Taos

David Montgomery, fellow plein air painter, friend and noted Colorado landscape artist is being featured this month in TAOS Magazine and at Walden Gallery in its new location on Kit Carson in Taos. A chance to harass Dave is reason enough but I don't need much of and excuse to visit Taos. While Colorado is still mostly white, Taos is usually sunny and their snow always appears so charming and decorative.
Dave made the most of the weather by painting en plein air in front of Walden. There is actually a pretty nice view across the street to the Parson's Gallery patio. Here he is talking with some young fans. Check out his website to see more of David Montgomery's work and while there you can also read his thoughts on conservation activism and wilderness advocacy. His work really does celebrate nature in the wild places of Southern Colorado and New Mexico.

Class Notes: Can We Get Small Without Getting Small?

This is my offering this week- on the Square format.
The challenge at this small 6"x 6" size, is to be disciplined about brush size and making each stroke work harder for you as opposed to pulling out the tiny brushes and - well, you know - noodling.
Personally, I am a less-is-more type of painter, trying never to use 2 strokes when one will do. It is a technical style I don't force on my students but I do push for more disciplined brushwork that leads to a straight forward, loose and non-fussy end product.

Plein Air a la Norman Rockwell

Back in December, a friend and Blog reader from San Diego sent me a 1930 edition of the Saturday Evening Post with this charming Rockwell cover depicting a young plein air painter trying to escape the rain. Brush between her teeth, palette, brushes, box and easel under her arm, and a pretty sweet landscape in hand, she is running for cover.
I recognize that frustrated look in her eye.
A huge fan of Norman Rockwell ever since I was small - and even then, when the magazine covers were old, I was fascinated by his technical ability as a painter and the illustrator's art of story telling.
Of all the gifts that came my way around the holidays, none gave me as much pleasure as this. Just recently, it came back from the framer and I have it hanging over my desk in the studio - where it will charm and inspire me every day I pick up a brush. Thanks to the great Norman Rockwell, truly an American original, who inspired so many painters and illustrators - and thank you David for thinking of me when you found that magazine cover.