Class Notes: What Color Is Brown?

The mixing recipe for BROWN is the most often asked question in my classes. Students who have been with me for awhile have learned - even asking makes me a little testy.
BUT it isn't a dumb question.
When seeing neutrals, the temptation is to give them the generic title of BROWN or GREY,  but these terms give no real indication of the color you are seeing in the landscape or trying to mix on the palette.
By definition NEUTRALs are ANY color greyed down, or muted by it's complement. Cool neutrals are lumped together as GREYS and warm neutrals fall into the sad BROWN category. Both can kill a painting if used without understanding; conversely, sensitive neutrals can create work of mixing mastery.
But, the question still hangs out there - "How do I mix brown?"
The simple answer: mix complements together - 2 colors directly across from each other on the color wheel.
Before we even get that far - try giving that "brown" you are thinking about a name based on the color wheel.  Is it close to a yellow, orange, red, violet, blue or green?

Learning to see and understand the relative nature of color and NEUTRALS is part of the artists journey.
And mixing color is not a short drive to the market. It can turn into an extended road trip, full of unexpected discoveries, dead ends, wrong turns, and very lost moments. Embrace it!
So, how do we start?
Get rid of terms that do not "describe".
If something appears "brown" or "grey"- describe it with a color on your palette.
We use a limited palette in my classes: 2 yellows, 2 reds, 2 blues. What color is it most like?
Say that color and begin mixing it using that color as a base.
All  BROWNs and GREYs -  must have some color base.
Is it cool, meaning green, blue or violet based?
Or is it warm, meaning yellow, orange or red based?
Learning to SEE the color is the first step to identifying and correctly mixing color.  It all leads to better understanding of color and  your work will not only take on a more lively look but your neutrals will be more varied and sensitive.

Summer- Plein Air Workshops

June is here- Yay!
Wondering what to do this summer? - consider a class or workshop.
I will be teaching 2 workshops this summer - something for everyone- in different parts of the state.

4-Day  Plein Air Workshop at Adams State University, Alamosa Colorado
July 13 - 16th, 8am to 2:15pm each day.
Register for this class, at http://www.adams.edu/summer/

For 4 days we will focus intensely on composition, method, and how to apply it in the plein air setting. Demonstrations and painting instruction will benefit students wanting to enhance their skills as well as novice painters looking for more confidence in the landscape.
ALSO, painting supplies are included in the fees and special rates for housing are being offered.
Go to the ASU website via the link and look for  Course #579  in the Summer 2015 Class Schedule. APPLY on line, get Tuition info - etc.  
For help - call the folks at the Adams State OneStop - they can walk you thru the process. Adams State OneStop -phone: 719-587-7306 or toll-free: 866-344-1687
email: onestop@adams.edu


1-Day Workshop in Estes Park at the Art Center of Estes Park.
Monday, August 17th,  10am to 4pm
$85. Better Paintings - More Confident Painters.
We will use the landscape to focus on Design, Color, and Finding your own voice.
Call the Art Center of Estes Park at (970)-586-5882 for information and registration.

Now get out there and PAINT!

Taste of Creede - Creede, COLORADO

Taste of Creede Quick Draw looked to be a slow starter this year. Memorial Day Sunday brought intermittent snow as artists set up   -  but in true Creede fashion, once we started painting people came out of the - well, I don't know where they came from  - but they came and they purchased art.
It never ceases to amaze me - the buyers who come to this event - from as far away as Santa Fe and Denver - very often in bad weather - come wanting to buy work at THIS show and support artists and the town of Creede.

I love Creede and the Taste of Creede Quick Draw is one of the most fun events I do all year;
really, more like a gathering of good friends - all invited by Stephen Quiller.
 - And the people that come - are tenacious buyers,

hardy as the painters themselves. I have garnered several dedicated collectors over the years, and was very excited to send my piece home with new friends who drove all the way from Westminster, Colorado to be in Creede for the Quick Draw.
Hidden in the beautiful San Juan Mountains, Creede is one of Colorado's best high country destinations and loves tourists and artists. The Taste of Creede is dedicated to Food, Culinary Arts, and Fine Art;  Sunday's 1 hour Artist's Quick Draw attracts some of the best artists from all over the country including: Steve Quiller, Susan McCullough, Peggy Stenmark Morgan, Kris Gosar, David Montgomery, Karen Bonnie, Charles Ewing, Jan Thompson, Tracy Miller, Laura Reilly, and myself - to name a few.
Creede also hosts the National Small Prints Show currently hanging at the Creede Repertory Theatre. Another good reason to visit Creede.
Thank You to Stephen & Marta Quiller and the Creede Chamber of Commerce for putting together a great event.

Remembering Sue "Soupe" Patterson

Sue Patterson, artist, teacher and mentor - passed away in her home in Alamosa on April 7th. If you are a resident of San Luis Valley - Colorado - you probably know this news.
I just want to take a moment to remember Sue.
She was the first artist I met when I moved to the San Luis Valley 12 years ago;  she was my son’s elementary school art teacher.  A lot of people in Alamosa,  parents, and their now grown-up children, will remember her in that capacity - Sue was a very special teacher.  Everything she did sparkled with life and wit and imagination.  She was raising up artists and art lovers right under our noses - and these kids saw it as pure magic. Thank you Sue - for the way you planted a love of art into the hearts and minds of my children.

In 2009 she received the Colorado Elementary Art Teacher of the Year award and I believe this will be her true legacy:  the kids she motivated, and the many student teachers from Adams State University that she mentored and inspired to go on and be part of Art Education in our state.

Sue was an accomplished watercolor painter and after recently retiring from education she concentrated on both painting and welding, making fabulous metal sculptures. It was a second, or third art career,  just taking off.
Last November Sue and I traded art pieces. I desperately wanted her belly up “Daschund” - and she chose my plein air painting “Spring Thaw on 6th Street”; it was a very happy trade.
And now - I am even more grateful- because I have something that celebrates her - in the fun and witty way I remember her.

A Service will be held at Richardson Hall Auditorium on the ASU Campus on Saturday, April 18, 2015 at 2:00 pm.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Sue’s memory to the Sue “Soupe” Patterson Art Memorial Scholarship fund at 208 Edgemont Blvd., Alamosa 81101.
We have lost a dedicated and inspiring arts educator,  artist,  mentor and wonderful person.
Sue
will be greatly missed and greatly remembered.

SLV Painters "Eye of the Artist" Show

 Last night the San Luis Valley Painter's "Eye of the Artist" exhibition reception at Milagros was the jewel of the Alamosa Art Hop.
I may be indulging in a little bit of hyperbole but I do think this is the best show we've hung yet and our reception played to a packed house. 49 paintings were shown and several have sold - Yay!
Last night over 40 people had a chance to vote for their favorite for Best in Show.
In Alamosa- that is a big crowd.
Patrick Myers painting "Alpenglow Reflection" won the prize. Patrick is an artist and ranger at the Great Sand Dunes National Monument.  He paints the area with great insight and sensitivity to the subject. Congratulations Patrick!
Thank You to the everyone who came out to support us, and to the SLV Painters who participated.
SLV Painters Group is an informal association of artists who have been involved in my painting classes, both currently and in the past. We come together to show work from our year and hopefully, inspire others to share their work with the community.
Thank You to Milagros coffee house/gallery, a non-profit very much at the heart of Alamosa community life.
20% of all proceeds from sales are donated back out through Milagros and LaPuente to serve Alamosa.
This show will hang until the end of April.
To everyone a blessed Easter and Passover.

Class Notes: Art Scam Emails

I just spent the morning amusing myself researching Art Scams on the internet.
Though I wrote on the topic of Art Scams a few years back - (see Art Scams under Labels - to the right on this blog),  the fact that these annoying emails keep coming, says that the topic is still relevant.
It started with this email:

Enquiries Department <enquiries_department@outlook.com>
to

Hello Artiste,
  My name is Michael……Am interested in your artworks, am so excited to search through your artworks online, it really attract my attention and am willing to purchase from you directly. I will appreciate your
response for availability with total cost.

Best Regard

Michael

Gee - if this person was SO interested in my work they could have at least addressed me by name. That's Red flag #1
Red flag #2 - bad grammar. You would think that internet fraud alone would raise the call for better grammar in emails. Why is it that scammers can’t seem to get it?  Good Grammar counts.
Red flag #3 - specific works are not mentioned. This scammer has never seen my website.
This is a template letter and when an artist responds with available art titles and prices - the scammer has the info needed to engage in a supposed sale which always involves a 3rd party shipper,
and a money wire transfer or certified check for MORE than the amount. In which case the seller (me) cashes the check and sends back the difference. It is a way to steal!
Classic scam stuff!

Artists always perk up when someone comments on their work. We are by nature a needy lot - wanting to be seen, appreciated, relevant. It all comes with the territory but let's not be foolish as well.
And I'm not immune;  my heart skips a beat when someone makes an inquiry, but I have also become actively skeptical.
If you get a suspicious email about your work, Google the name or the email address. Chances are someone else has received the same email.  The link to the right on this blog Stop Art Scams is a great site for more information about Art Scams and a list of names often used.

I have gotten so many Scamming emails that I seldom respond. Like the one above - I will simply hit delete- or better yet - hit SPAM.
That's not to say that I won't sell on-line. If an email inquiry comes to MY name asking about specific work, uses correct English grammar, is not in a hurry and is willing to work through my process in a professional way; Great!
Legitimate buyers, or even just shoppers, usually see this as a safe and careful way to do business.

Tim Deibler in His Studio

A couple of weeks ago I had a chance to visit Tim Deibler in his studio overlooking the Spanish Peaks in southern Colorado.
I tagged along with Tracy Miller of the Tracy Miller Gallery in Manitou Springs, as she interviewed Tim for a feature on her gallery website.

I met Tim a few years back when we showed together at Art for the Sangres in Westcliffe, CO - and I was excited to just
be a "fly on the wall" -
Ha!

Turned out to be more of a party;
Tim’s relaxed style belies his amazing work ethic and we could have chatted the morning away gawking at his art collection, his HUGE art library and his stockpile of what looked like thousands of stacked plein air paintings. He let it fall rather casually that he really didn’t market the plein air work so much but saw it as the path to improving his work. That, being his goal as a professional painter- and his “job” everyday -  to improve the work
- and the right people will find it.
And so they have: Tim has authored a wonderful book on landscape painting  “Capturing the Seasons in Oil” and you can see his work in places like the Brown Hotel in Denver where a huge mountain aspen scene dominates the front desk area. He was also featured as the cover artist for the 2014  L.L.Bean Christmas Catalog. You cannot BUY advertising like that.
Faith is a guiding principal in Tim’s life and work, and his gentle and generous outlook seem to flow naturally from it.
This weekend the 13th annual “Representing the West” Show opened at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center and Tim’s huge sunset over the Spanish Peaks is the piece that opens the show- it is a stunner.
See more photos and read the interview in it’s entirety at studio-visit-with-tim-deibler.

Happy New Year - or How to Get Going Again When the Going Has Been Rough.

Happy 2015.
I haven't posted since November 29th -2014.
Now, even I am beginning to wonder where I have been. . .
The end of my 2014 was full of drama when a 48"x 36" painting I had shipped to Texas arrived there in several pieces.
You try to take those sort of things in stride but it was very hard when the client is crying foul, the insurance adjuster is claiming fraud and I am just crying.
I spent a lot of December painting a copy of the destroyed piece then set it aside to cure and left with my family on a long awaited trip to Germany for the holidays.
Our time in Germany was magical-  beyond expectations,
and I did not paint a lick - or even have a desire to do so.
I know, to some artists that is heresy, but I felt used up in side - or maybe just fed up.
It happens to almost all artists at some point - the lack that comes from only pouring out and not soaking in. The hardest part can be figuring out just how to get the juices flowing again.
Sometimes what we need is a really long soak in a really big tub.
I think what I needed was a lot of really dark beer in a foreign country.
But, you don’t need to go abroad to gain a new perspective -  sometimes you do need a bit of soaking.
If your 2015 has been a slow starter, don't panic.  Stress, work and so many other things, common to us all - can dry up the tank of Inspiration. And it is amazing sometimes how far we often go - on empty.  Hmmmm. . . .
Be good to yourself.  If you are an artist type, or even if you aren’t - get together with others, take a class where someone else directs the creative activity - and soak it up. A class can be the recess in your week- a time of creative play, or the lab of discovery that can become pure alchemy.
All the best to you in 2015.

Holiday Treasures

Looking for a fun way to start your holiday shopping -
that does not involve appliances or big screen TVs?
Head to historic Manitou Springs, Colorado on Saturday, November 29th, where  the fun begins at the Holiday Miniature Show and sale from 4 to 7 pm  at the TracyMiller Gallery,
16 Ruxton  Ave.

Holiday Miniature shows pop up everywhere at this time of year and are the best places to buy work from established, and emerging artists,  - for the best prices.
With so many great artists featured at this show, you can be sure there will be something for everyone - all very affordable.
The Christmas Season is also a wonderful time to be in Manitou Springs; located between Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak,
this fun and festive mountain town is a hotbed of galleries, unique shopping, restaurants, and family attractions- especially inviting at this time of year.
This show will continue in Manitou Springs, at the TracyMiller Gallery, through the end of December.
These pieces here are just a few of the miniatures I painted for the show. Have a great weekend.

So. . . .what did you do on your summer vacation?

Every summer my painting classes head to the great outdoors.
For the evening class this summer I chose locations with long views specifically so that we could work on sunsets.
In the Studio Class we work on "sunsets"- as an element of the landscape and I have found that practice and a little study about: cloud shapes, sky color, landscape values, and low light painting can go a long way in preparation for the actual outdoor experience.

My personal feeling is this: cloud shapes MAKE the sunset. Sky colors and a quiet landscape help to make it all work but if the cloud shapes are dynamic and an active compositional element- then the sunset will also appear active and dynamic.

Everyone in class improved their plein air sunsets and I found my self much more comfortable doing what used to be very intimidating.
The time frame for a sunset is SO short - if you only do one plein air sunset a year -  it can be like trying to catch a tiger by the tail;  the results are seldom pretty.

I did a bunch this summer as practice and most went off wet to galleries where they sold rather quickly.
These are only a few - all are plein air, and all are pretty terse.
The last is 9x12 and probably my final plein air sunset of the season.
This winter I want to make larger versions of the studies and next summer do much larger work en plein air.
Practice, practice, practice.