Class Notes: Painting at the Marsh

Tuesday evening our painting class met at the marsh for some plein air work as the sun set. At first rain threatened and it was really windy - one reason why the evening class usually doesn't go out until September - but after a bit the wind died down to a mosquito foiling breeze and the evening was perfect. We have painted from this location, just north of Alamosa, many times and it always yields good stuff. The wetland is home to water birds of all kinds, the sunsets are always fabulous, and after the sun has set, Mt. Blanca lights up with alpen glow.
Photos cannot do justice to such a location at the absolute best time of the day. Who would not want to be us on such a beautiful evening out?

My piece is a 6"x 8", at the bottom.

WOMEN OF THE WEST Show, Boulder

Here we are, Women of the West: Cindy Carillo, Dawn Normali, myself and Margaret Jensen.
Cindy came all the way from Arizona, and Dawn and Margaret came from Estes Park.
Maggie Renner-Hellmann, from California, and Sarah Rogers could not make it- but no worries, the evening was very full.

It might have been nice to spend the time just catching up with each other but the show also attracted collectors and new buyers so much of our evening was spent meeting new people and making new connections. To the right here is Cindy with her award winning work and below is Eldon Warren with Ron Wilcocks. Ron and his wife Ann own the Earthwood Gallery in Boulder and also Earthwood Collections and Earthwood Artisans in Estes Park.
At the bottom, Cindy and Dawn in front of Dawn's fabulous piece that was highlighted at the front of the gallery.
I was honored to be in this show that featured the work of such great women artists. It is also a pleasure to call them friends.
The work of each of us is quite distinctive from the others- so makes for a very good show that will run through the end of August. If you are in the Boulder neighborhood this summer stop by Earthwood Gallery on the Pearl Street Mall and check it out.
And one last note: the painting "New Day", that I used to feature this event, 2 posts ago, sold during the course of the evening. Yay!

Class Notes: Paint Out In GREEN

Class painters headed out of the studio and into the landscape on Thursday to paint the trees and wetland right out my back door. We could not have asked for a more beautiful day, it was an exercise in "GREENS" from blue-green all the way around the color wheel to silver green. Separating greens in the landscape is one of the toughest challenges in color mixing.
For a really good example of greens in the landscape click on this link to see how Sue McCullough did it when we painted together with Dave Montgomery, last week up in the Zapata, at the base of the Sangre de Christos.

WOMEN OF THE WEST Show, Boulder

This show features Six award- winning artists, and I am honored to be in such wonderful company. Dawn Normali, Cindy Carillo, Margaret Jensen, Maggie Renner-Hellmann, Sarah Rogers and myself at Earthwood Gallery on the fabulous Pearl Street Mall in Boulder.
Party starts on Friday night, July 9th at 6pm and the show will continue through the end of August.

14th Annual PAAC Show- 2010

It is time again for the Annual Plein Air Artists Colorado (PAAC) Members' Juried Exhibition. Sue McCullough and I, both had work juried into this prestigious exhibition that features some of the best plein air work from PAAC members.
And they don't just come from Colorado; members juried into this show come from all over the country.
If you are in Denver this weekend or thinking about how to make plans;
the opening is this Friday evening at the Saks Galleries in Cherry Creek North - 3019 East 2nd Ave., Denver CO.
We are headed up to Denver tomorrow to be at the party. There will also be painting demos on Saturday at the gallery and the show will continue through the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, July 3 - 5, 2010. The entire catalog of work can be viewed online at the Saks website. Check it out with this link.
Denver is far for a show - but this is the show that is always worth it.

Colorado Expressions '10 in LaVeta- Saturday Night

In another part of Colorado, the Spanish Peaks Arts Council Gallery is hosting the Colorado Expressions'10 show with a reception for the artists at 5pm at the SPACe Gallery; 132 W. Ryus in beautiful LaVeta.
I taught a workshop is LaVeta last Monday and also served as judge for the show. My work is featured and I am looking forward to the party at the SPACe Gallery and show - which I recommend highly.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Thursday the Painting class went up toward Conejos Canyon, to paint in Josie's neighborhood at Bear Creek. June is magical there; the Aspens are finally out and twinkling in the breeze, and deep stands of trees are lit like a fairy forest. I never tire of painting there. This shot shows my sketch sitting on the easel and my finished under painting.
Dave Montgomery joined us and was a great addition to our outing - not to mention his valuable insight at critique time. Thanks Dave. Click on the photo to get a bigger view of his piece.
Margaret Jones here, is intent at mixing and behind her is Dee Bartee. This area has enough material to keep us entertained for years; a pond, a river, waterfalls, tall pine forests, distant canyon walls and deep aspen forests. The only part I don't like about this place is leaving. Thanks Josie, for being such a great hostess.
Below is my piece - a view into the woods as the sun filtered through the tree tops.

Class Notes on Neutrals: What Color Is It?

The star if this little demo is the "Brown" bag.
What color is a brown bag? What color is BROWN.
When seeing neutrals the temptation is to give them the generic title of BROWN or GREY. But how does that play out in the mixing?
The limited palette we use in class has 2 yellows, 2 reds and 2 blues;
mix those primary colors together to create orange, green and violet. So where is BROWN on that darn color wheel.
BROWNs, GREYs - and all neutrals must have some color base.
Is it cool, meaning green, blue or violet based?
Or is it warm, meaning yellow, orange or red based?

To me the BROWN bag seemed "yellow". At least yellow described it better than any other color in the color wheel.
With yellow as my base, at least I know where to start mixing. But HOW do I get BROWN?
Another way to say it would be: How do I get that neutral version of yellow? Gee, I thought you'd never ask.
Mix yellow with its complement- VIOLET!
In the end, or should I say, in the beginning - every neutral starts with a color base. Pick a color on the color wheel that most resembles the neutral you want to mix; then begin to "neutralize" that color with the complement - the color directly across the color wheel.
Viola! Brown; and not just any BROWN, but a neutral golden yellow that makes the little bag sing.

Soward Ranch Paint Out

These are some snaps from the Plein Air Paint Out to support the Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust. The flat mountiain on the left is Bristol Head early in the morning as we headed to the Soward Ranch from Santa Maria. The ranch is somewhere down past the clouds.
A beautiful morning but win-deeee. Here Dave Roepke looks pretty relaxed - don't believe it. Bristol Head is in the background.
Two hours later Sue McCullough wrapped up a fabulous piece of Bristol Head. This was not a day for the faint of heart. We would stand in 40 mph gusts and just hold the easel, with both hands, minutes at a time until the wind died down a bit.












Dave Montgomery here, is living dangerously and about to do an impersonation of Mary Poppins with that umbrella.
I used to think WIND was a deal breaker but these 2 paint outs for the Land Trust have force me to paint in extreme wind situations I never though possible. Amazing what you can do when you have to.

These are my two pieces from the day, both 8x10. The morning sun just glowed across this pond toward the little cabin. As noon approached "weather" seemed to come at us from all directions and when the thunder started to roll we packed it in.
Some of the other artists involved were: Stephen Quiller, Karen Bonnie, and Charles Ewing. To learn more about the Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust and why it is important - click this link.

Plein Air to Support the Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust

What: Artists paint the landscape to support Colorado open spaces
When: Saturday, June 12, 8 am to 2 pm
Where: Soward Ranch above Creede;
Take Hwy 149 out of Creede toward Lake City for about 7 miles. Turn Left onto Middle Creek Rd. and follow this for 5 miles. Stay to the right following the signs and ribbons; the road will end at the Soward ranch.
Hope to see you there.

The Public is invited to come out Saturday, June 12, to the beautiful Soward Ranch, above Creede, where local and regional artists will gather to paint on-site in a program connecting artists with conserved lands in Colorado.
Come out to support the Rio Grande Headwaters Land Trust and enjoy a day at the Ranch in a part of Colorado seldom seen by the public.