William F. Reese

I was saddened to hear from Don Maier, of the Plein Air Artists NING site, (see the banner to the right) the news that one of the most esteemed members, Bill Reese, passed away this week.
I never met Bill Reese personally but his life and work were brought to my attention by Ann Templeton, who is a mentor of mine. Bill wrote a forward to her first book and through Ann I came to appreciate this wonderful artist. He joined the Plein Air Artists NING site about a year ago and I knew everyone else involved stood to benefit. He was an active contributor, sharing freely from his great experience on many topics. When he posted work or wrote comments - I made sure to look and read.
He will be greatly missed greatly by the art world.
Thanks for sharing Bill.

Plein Air Workshop - JUNE 21

Join me for a Plein Air workshop:
Monday, June 21 from 10 am to 1 pm, in LaVeta, Colorado at the Spanish Peaks Arts Council Gallery.
The focus is on design, and of course, color interpretation in the landscape; all en plein air in beautiful LaVeta, Colorado.
The workshop price is $35. and is part of their Colorado Expressions Celebration. Information is posted on the Spanish Peaks Arts Council website or call the Gallery there at 719-742-3074 to register.

If you have never been to LaVeta, this is a great chance to paint in one of the most charming towns in Southern Colorado and destination of the Scenic Rio Grande Railroad that runs from Alamosa to LaVeta, through some of Colorado's most beautiful scenery.

The painting above, "Barn Dance" was done at the Colorado Mountain Plein Air Fest '09 and just SOLD in the Nomadas del Arte show at Southwest Gallery in Dallas, Texas.

Good Times in Creede, CO

Memorial Day Weekend in Creede was not only great fun but also smiled down with fabulous weather over a holiday notorious for cold, rain and
even snow.
Here are Cindy Cutts, Charlie Ewing, Steve Quiller, myself,
Sue McCullough and Rita Roberts, posing for the camera before the Sunday Quick Draw.
Beautiful weather in the High Country brought art lover-tourists to shop, eat, bid in the auction, and buy art in Creede.
The Quick Draw lasts an hour and is a little unconventional in that the artists do not paint from a "view" per se but from some form of reference material - usually a sketch, and everyone paints together under one tent so viewers can easily walk around and see them work; close proximity allows painters to converse, distract each other or, on occasion- throw a few elbows.
It was great fun and after the works were quickly framed and put on display the auction got rolling.
The bottom shot shows Steve Quiller introducing my painting -
a 10"x 8" piece done from a sketch I did at O'Haver Lake last Fall during the Colorado Mountain Plein Air Fest. I am happy to say that it sold to a couple from Littleton. They were happy too.

Big Weekend Ahead

A lot is going on this weekend.
Saturday night, 5 - 7 pm, the charming town of LaVeta officially opens the Summer season with ART all over town. The gallery that represents me - LaVeta Fine Art, along with Pinon Hill Pottery, Ryus Ave.Bakery, North by Southwest and the Spanish Peaks Art Council Gallery will all be having celebrations . Good food and good art, all right in downtown LaVeta
between 5 and 7 pm.
I will be at the LaVeta Fine Art Gallery - hope to see you there.







In Taos, also on Saturday, May 29th from 5-7 pm - Wilder Nightingale Fine Art celebrates the Town of Taos’ 2010 theme, RETURN TO SACRED PLACES."
Meet the artists at an all gallery show celebrating Return to Sacred Places. For more information call 758-3255.
This show represents over 35 award winning Taos and regional artists, with each artist capturing what is sacred to them here in Taos and Northern New Mexico. This year Wilder Nightingale was voted "Peoples Choice - Best Gallery in Taos". Check it out this weekend and see why this gallery is a favorite - certainly it is mine and you can see my work there.

Sunday, Taste of Creede

Memorial Day weekend always means "The Taste of Creede" which kicks off the Summer Season for one of Colorado's most colorful and classic mining towns. High in the San Juan Mountains it is a treat to be there over the holiday.
The main event for me will be the Artist's Quick Draw on Sunday at 1 pm.
This party attracts some of the best artists from several states including Steve Quiller, Kris Gosar, Randy Pijoan, Peggy Stenmark Morgan, Charles Ewing, Jan Thompson, Frankie Will, Sue McCullough and myself -
to name a few.
The Quick Draw fun starts at 1 pm and there will be an auction immediately following. This is a chance to bid on work that you watched being done by top artists.
Creede will be the site of a lot of holiday partying - live music, vendors, Silver Chef Competition, stuff for kids and the National small Prints Show at the Creede Repertory Theatre;
all well worth the beautiful drive into the mountains.

Rio Grande Land Trust Paint Out

Saturday at the beautiful Gilmore Ranch, was -- well, beautiful and WINDY - so windy it was frightening. But, we painted out anyway.
Sue McCullough and I went out to the ranch about 7:30 in an effort to beat the wind, Ha! Hanging on for dear life, we painted as fast as we could and after wards, we were lured by coffee and muffins to the barn, where we added our dirt covered paintings to the art show hung in support of the Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust. You might not think anyone would come out on such a rough day but, certainly the right people came because 3 major pieces of art sold.
At the top is Jim Gilmore, award winning Colorado wildlife Sculptor and our host for the day. Those are my paintings on the left, and below Sue is waiting to be interviewed by Rio de la Vista about her participation in the event and thoughts on Plein Air Painting. That interview should show up on UTUBE sometime soon.
There will be a second Plein Air Paint Out on June 12 at the Soward's Ranch in Mineral county, from 8am to 2pm. Come out to see this beautiful property and we will be there along with other artists -
taking what ever the day throws our way.
Plein air - not for the timid!

Class Notes: Black and White, in Color

In Class, students often ask how to mix "black"; a good question though I don't like to see black in work and don't think absolute BLACK appears often in nature. In reality absolute neutral black (I call it "dead black") really only comes from a tube, and unless skillfully used, creates unnatural looking work.
The same goes for absolute WHITE; seldom seen in nature, using it in a still life or landscape gives a painting the look of animation, or a cartoon.
In the piece above the black is a mix of Ultramarine Blue and Alizarin Crimson - the 2 darkest pigments on our "limited Palette". It is really violet but in this context has the appearance of black because our eye only perceives the dark and unless white is added, we can't discern the color. It does, however, have a lively look compared to the "dead black" you could actually mix by adding, maybe one other color from the "limited palette"- or by getting it straight from the tube.
The white pitcher appears WHITE in context but is many values of blue and violet.
BLACK and WHITE, are both neutrals but learning to see them as color, and then mixing them as color will create work with more energy and color interest.
The question should not be "how do I mix black?" but
"how do I see, mix and use color to appear as black (or white) in the context of the painting?"

If you are not familiar with a limited palette- here it is:
Lemon Yellow
Cad Yellow Medium (close to the color of a school bus)
Cad Red Light
Alizarin Crimson
Cerulean Blue
Ultramarine Blue, and White

"Plein Air" to support the Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust

What: Artists paint the landscape to support Colorado open spaces
When: Saturday, May 22, 8 am to 2 pm
Where: The Gilmore Ranch just west of Alamosa;
Take Hwy 160 west out of Alamosa to County Road 105 South and turn right, go 1.5 miles until the road ends at the Big Red Barn.

The Public is invited to come out Saturday, to the beautiful Gilmore Ranch, home to Jim Gilmore, award winning Colorado wildlife Sculptor, where local and regional artists will gather to paint on-site in a program connecting artists with conserved lands.
Come out to support the Land Trust and enjoy a day at the Ranch.

Paintings From Taos

Eldon - here they are,
at least a few, and the jury is still out on those. Sue McCullough and I hit it pretty hard, painting about 3 a day. We started 2 mornings before dawn, hoping to beat the wind but in the end our days were beautiful. We did get caught by a sudden storm while painting on the mountain near Pilar - nearly lost the easels but got everything thrown in the truck before it really began to pour.
At the top is one of those early mornings around the San Geronimo Lodge and right below here is a long view toward Rancho de Taos, done near the end of the week. Next to that is my interpretation of the Gorge. Jeannie Breeding was standing conveniently in my view, and later bought that piece. Thanks Jeannie.

Spring in Taos, NM with the PAAC

I just got back from 5 days in Taos painting with the Plein Air Artists Colorado (PAAC).
This time of year can be blustery or even snowy in Colorado - so Taos is like a tonic. Cottonwoods are bursting a brilliant green and crab apple trees are blooming pink; it is a treat to paint there in the Spring, and a challenge. It must be a type of snow blindness that we get during a long winter, because seeing all those New Mexico greens made me think the cones in my eyes would pop.
At the top is Sue McCullough and David Montgomery painting a street scene in Arroyo Hondo. We also spent a day painting in Arroyo Seco and this is the view from the back of the little church there.
The bottom photo is Ranch de Taos Church, a land mark in Taos and later I will post the painting I did of that same church from way down the road.