PLein Air TOYS from Josh Been

Last Friday, my daughter and I had a chance to stop in Salida Colorado and visit Virtuosity Gallery, the working studio of Joshua Been - noted Colorado painter.
I love visiting Josh and sending my students up to Salida to see an awesome painter, working every day to make it happen.
When he is not traveling, Josh is in the gallery painting, engaging customers - and everyone is a friend.
I enjoy seeing what is on the easel and swapping plein air stories; and both of my kids think he's the bomb.
 Josh is always thinking out beyond his own easel, designing and creating products for plein air painters that really perform.
He would not let me leave with out toys to try out - " the last terps jar you will ever own";
and a trash bag that tells it like it is -"Toxic Waste".
Thanks Josh.  I will put them both to the test.
Visit Josh Been on-line or at his Virtuosity Gallery,  in Salida, Colorado.

Plein Air Classes

So what is Plein Air? - and what's the big deal?
It is "being there" - painting in the landscape as weather and "life" moves and morphs, and changes all around you. It can be a painter's greatest challenge and greatest joy - and it just does not get any better than plein air painting in Colorado.
At this time of year my classes head outside to catch precious moments of summer en plein air. These days will fly by and before they do I want to enjoy as much time as possible painting OUT, and encouraging my students to do the same.
On any day, we can have brilliant skies and torrential rain, and on any evening summer sunsets that last late into the evening.

Join us this summer starting Tuesday Evening, June 21st, 6:30 - 9:30pm;
and Thursday Morning, June 23rd, 9am to noon.
Every student will receive personal instruction.

Register for this 8 week painting session at Alamosa Family Recreation Center- 587-2105,  or contact me through my website at www.ConiGrant.com.
The first week we will be meet at the Alamosa Family Recreation Center  and I will have painting schedules so everyone knows where to meet- in and around Alamosa in the following weeks.
If you are passing thru Alamosa in your travels- we welcome drop-in painters who would like to paint with a group, on either Tuesday evening or Thursday morning. This requires a small drop-in Fee.

2016 Santa Fe Plein Air Festival

. . . And I am going to be there;
all week - painting the 'Enchanted Landscape' -
actually, all over New Mexico,  with about 40 other juried artists - painting en plein air.  We will be in Santa Fe, along the High Road,
at Ghost Ranch, Abiquii and Chimayo - these great spots are all on the agenda.
The show will feature almost 100 plein air landscapes painted during the week and awards will also be given.
I hope you will join us Thursday evening, June 9th,  5-7 pm
at   InArt Gallery,  219 Delgado Street
for the Opening Reception of this show - in beautiful Santa Fe.

Success in Creede

Beautiful weather in Creede and
artists gathered in the street Sunday morning with high hopes - myself included.
By 2 pm the Quick Draw was over and the auction begun. These folks from Nebraska purchased my painting of North Clear Creek Falls for their mountain home.

It is always a pleasure.

Thanks to Steve and Marta Quiller, and the good people of Creede, Colorado who do so much to make this a really great party - for artists and buyers.

Taste of Creede Memorial Day Sunday

In Colorado we live for the summer,  and it all starts this weekend with
Taste of Creede.

Historic and iconic - Creede is one of Colorado's most colorful high country destinations and the Taste of Creede  on Memorial Day weekend features Silver Chef Competition, live music, vendors, and the  National Small Print Show opening and reception at Creede Repertory Theatre on Saturday at 4pm.  All well worth the beautiful drive into the mountains.

On Sunday,   Stephen Quiller (internationally known artist and writer) hosts the main attraction - Artist's Quick Draw- Sunday at 1 pm where top artists from several states gather to paint fast and furious - for 1 hour.  Sharing the space with models and on lookers, there is always a lot of jostling, elbow throwing and general good fun - for artists, as well as viewers.
The auction immediately following,  gives viewers the chance to bid on work done by top artists.

Have a great holiday - hope to see you in the mountains.

Looking Ahead

Summer is JUST around the corner- or should I say - just around the next snow storm. We have had a couple of "nice" days here in the high country but I KNOW there is at least one snow still out there because my irises are just beginning to bloom.  Sigh. . . . .
Painting students are getting restless for the great outdoors and all my classes will go OUTside at the end of June - Yay!
Join us on Tuesday Evening, June 21st,  and- or
Thursday Morning 
June 23rd at the Alamosa Family Rec Center. Call 719-589-2107 to register for 8 weeks of plein air painting.

In the meantime- I am looking ahead to my summer - starting with Taste of Creede -Memorial Day Weekend, May 28 & 29.
Artists gather from all around the country to join world renown painter - Stephen Quiller in historic Creede, CO. Sunday's main event is the Artist's Quick Draw at 1pm - with a live auction immediately following.  Last year my buyer came all the way from Westminster, CO to be at this party.

2016 Santa Fe Plein Air Festival is next in June, and Susan McCullough and I will paint for a week in New Mexico with plein air painters from all over.  This is a juried event - so the show should be awesome and will open Thursday, June 9th at 5pm
InArt Gallery, 219 Delgado St in Santa Fe, NM.

Sun UP to Sun DOWN- Plein air Painting in Taos, NM - 
All day painting on July 29 and All day Show on July 30th at Wilder Nightingale Fine Art.
This special event will feature Myself, Susan McCullough, and Peggy Immel,  all painting from dawn to dusk, on Kit Carson Road in front of Wilder Nightingale Fine Art in Taos, NM. Come on Friday to watch, come back for the show on Saturday. All work will be for sale.

Summer Workshops
I will be teaching 2 one-Day Workshops this summer:
Wednesday, August 17th at the Art Center in Estes Park, CO.  
Call 970-586-5882
and  
Friday, August 19th at Fare Bella Gallery in Manitou Springs, CO  
Call 720-226- 4315

Classes and workshops are a good way to inspire your painting and make the most of the summer season.  Get OUT there!  -  and I hope to see you at one of these events.

Colors of the West - Landscapes We Love

The Tracy Miller Gallery presents

Colors of the West - Landscapes We Love

Opening - Sat., May 7th,  4-7pm

Western Landscape show that pays homage to our beautiful and diverse Western Landscape. 

All new work by Coni Grant;

 this group show will also feature the work of
Rose Collins, Ray-Mel Cornelius, Greg Dye, Sushe Felix, Tracy Felix,
Randy Honerlah, Buffalo Kaplinski, Deb Komitor,
Laura Reilly and Peggy Trigg.

 16 Ruxton Avenue, Manitou Springs, CO 80829  

Call: 719-650-0827

A Visit from the Guerrilla Painter

Last week I got a call from Carl Judson, AKA Guerrilla Painter; the traveling plein air guru and THE Judson behind the famous Judson’s Art Outfitters - supply/lifestyle catalog for all things PLEIN AIR.
If you click on the link above for Carl Judson, then click Track my Tour - you can see where he has been in his travels - visiting artists like: Shaun Horne, Carl Ortman, Peggy Immel, - me - to name a few.

While I had known about Carl by reputation, we met in person when I painted at the Sedona Plein Air Festival - and hoped that some time in his travels he would come through Alamosa.
Last Thursday we had coffee and a wonderful visit - about all kinds of stuff,  our mutual interest in San Francisco, where I am from and where he also has history,  and we talked about painting - of course,  the nitty gritty of how and why,
and of course - where?
I got to see the inside of his famous Guerrilla Paint Mobile - and could kick my self for not taking photos - BUT Carl is coming back to town  - this summer  - to spend time with the Plein Air Painting Class- and anyone else who is interested. He talks to groups, of any size - about the Plein Air Life, and his personal take on 30 years of plein air painting. He will also come with books, catalogs and all kinds of wonderful Plein Air Supplies.
I am looking forward to it and that date will be posted on this site.

Volleyball Painting

So - what do Volleyball and Oil Painting have to do with each other?
Yeah - -  I don't know either.

I was asked to put together a one-time painting class for the Adams State University Volleyball team.
 Do we need a reason?
We do it because it is fun. These girls were way FUN.
Fresh from practice and weightlifting, the team blew in and immediately engaged with enthusiasm - ah, youth. . .
For me the hardest part was figuring out WHAT to prepare for a one time, disinterested group (not to be confused with -uninterested) and how much real learning should be my goal for them.
Yes! I believe learning can be fun.
In the end, I chose to focus on Design (my favorite thing),
Value, Color and Brushwork- bringing those things together in one painting with no reference or set-up to paint from.
Below are my 4 basic points and what I hoped they would take away - besides their painting.
Design: placement of imagery on the canvas
Value: the light and dark of imagery, that's a little bit of Light Logic
Color:  just WARM and COOL - no color wheel or color theory
Brushwork: using the EDGE of the Brush, and using the FLAT of the brush

This might be reminiscent of a one-time event that involves wine and some paint, where folks pay and walk out with the ubiquitious copy of some one else's painting
. . .  not that there's anything wrong with that. . . .
but as an educator my highest hope is that some real learning will take place - even if it is ONE thing, or ONE "ah ha" moment.
Well, I had an "ah ha" moment - I need to loosen up and get a few more athletes into my painting classes.
Bring on the football team. - Go Grizzlies!

Blessed Easter Happy Spring

This week marked the 1st day of spring - and in class we celebrated with a painting to honor the change of seasons.
Usually, I like to paint from LIFE (still life setup) but this week we contrived the image from our heads and painted in a step-by-step manner focusing on: Perspective, Value, Color Temperature and Brushwork.
See below - the 7-step gray scale that we made in class; (read about it a few posts back) - we used it in this painting and I will refer back to it.



To start the painting we sketched a simple back-lit bowl with eggs inside, - onto a black panel.
If you paint from direct observation a lot this should not be a stretch to create a painting that works - however,  to be on the safe side - I did bring an actual bowl with eggs into class so that students could use it for reference.                                                                   
Using a #8 or #10 Flat brush and the gray scale as a guide, we mixed a dark, cool neutral in the value range of #6 and painted the front of the nest that would not be lit, and the inside of the nest behind the eggs.
Load the Flat brush with paint and make thin, twiggy, individual strokes with the narrow edges of the brush - NOT the flat of the brush. This may not sound hard but it does require disciplined brushwork and is a great way to PRACTICE using just the edges of the brush; 2 edges - 2 juicy strokes, then reload your brush. Pull a few strokes out beyond the edge for interest and to create more interesting negative spaces to paint around later.

Next, I went back to the gray scale and mixed light, warm neutrals in the range of #2-3 and painted more twiggy strokes in the upper left and around the rim of the nest to show that the light is coming from the back, upper left.

The background is 2 variations of a cool color - in the value range of #1-2.  Use the FLAT part of the  brush to paint negatively between the 'twigs'  for depth and the look of light peeking in and around the edges. I purposely made my eggs darker than the background and correct light logic gives them a realistic feel.
 This was fun to paint and would also work well in watercolor or acrylic. Remember - think twiggy, thin brushwork.
Happy Spring!