Class Notes: Susan McCullough, Guest Artist

We had a special treat this week in class; award winning, Colorado painter Susan McCullough was our guest for a painting demo.
Sue is a Colorado native, life long painter and full time professional
who has earned her cred at painting shows, events, competitions and invitationals all over the west.  Plein air work is her specialty and the plein air piece at the right was done about 2 weeks ago, above Pinus Creek west of Alamosa. For the benefit of the demo, Sue planned to repaint it as a Spring scene.
Click on any of the photos to see them larger.

The photos follow her process as she starts with a quick lay in of the large dark shapes that will later become the trees and mountain in the distance. She used a paper towel to wipe out the shapes of the foreground aspen trees with the explanation that, by wiping off - instead of drawing in, a more organic shape is created.

The scene is backlit, so shadows are positioned and under painted in a relatively dark blue. Sue quickly mixed a warm tone of medium value, for the ground plane that would serve as under painting and give color and energy to the grass greens that would eventually cover it. The warm under painting was smeared on with the ever present paper towel. Sue used a palette knife to lay color across the aspens, pointing out that aspens, being very reflective in nature, will pick up color from everywhere in the landscape. They are also warmer at the bottom and become cooler as they rise up toward the sky.

 

Note in the close-up, the brush size being used.

I paint with Sue all the time but never get the chance to just watch a piece develop and hear a step-by-step explanation of the concepts and techniques used, as they are being applied. Sue is a master of the back lit scene, turning a dark mass into a forest of bouncing light and color, all the while explaining and demonstrating her palette and the color mixes that are key to making Winter turn to Spring, (in the painting). Nothing is random from the early decisions about design and placement to the final touches of color and light added to the trees, grass and forest shapes.

Go to the POST below, where I started, to see both paintings together and click on the photo to view it larger. To get more info on Sue and see more of her click this link to go to: Susan McCullough.com

Susan McCullough, Guest Artist DEMO

I sat down to write this post yesterday afternoon, moments before my kids blew in from school and I got swept up in the drama of a track fund raiser: buying dinner supplies, a home made dessert for the auction, did we buy tickets? - it's tonight?  do you have homework?,
etc, etc.

So, I am sorry if you logged on and only got the title. I will try again.

Susan McCullough, good friend and painting buddy, 

was our guest in class for a painting DEMO. Above are 

two paintings; the bottom piece done just a couple of weeks back, 

up on Pinus Creek and the top piece, Sue's demo where she took 

the plein air painting and turned it from a winter to a spring piece. Nice Job! Sue is a long time professional painter and her FARMHOUSE Studio is here in the San Luis Valley, outside of Monte Vista. To get more info on Sue and see more of her work go to: Susan McCullough.com

ps. I could kick myself for not getting back to this post at 12:30 last night. 

Somewhere out in the ethernet, between the time when I fell into bed and when and got up this morning, a whole new BLOGSPOT game plan took over my blog  and until I can relearn how to post and edit here - I am in a spot of a bother. Thanks for your patience. I will certainly need some myself.

A Little Bit of Alamosa - ARTWALK

Alamosa ArtWalk is this Saturday, April 14, from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m, and though we would never dare to predict the weather - I can predict a good day to visit Downtown Alamosa - to shop and take in the art scene. The work of local artists will be on display at downtown locations in celebration of the San Luis Valley's vibrant arts
community, of which I am very
proud to be a part.

My work is being showcased in the San Luis Valley Brewery during Artwalk and on Saturday I plan to be out on the street by 9 to do a plein air demo.
In the event of snow I will be warming a chair with a double shot in Milagros Coffee House.





If you are looking for a good reason to visit our corner of Colorado, this is it. On Saturday morning ArtWalk schedules and maps will be available at Milagros Coffee House, Treasure Alley, Cranes and Crows, Wild Roses and Firedworks Gallery. Get your ArtWalk schedule stamped from at least 10 participating merchants and turn it in for a chance to win prizes in the drawing held at the SLV Brewery at 5:30pm.




There will be live music in the afternoon at the SLV Brewery and Saturday’s ArtWalk events will wrap up with the drawing at 5:30 p.m. for a $200 gift certificate- good towards a piece of art of the winner’s choice, as well as other prizes.

The paintings shown here, all scenes of Alamosa, were either done en plein air at past ArtWalks or done specifically for past ArtWalks.

Honorable Mention in Texas for Happy Trails

This is the first year I entered the Midland Arts Association 2012 Juried Art Exhibition, in Midland, Texas, and I was very happy to be notified this week, that my 16"x 20" entry "Happy Trails" won an Honorable Mention at the opening on March 29. Whoo- Hoo!
and
a HUGE Congratulations to my friend, photographer Steve Immel who won a First Place Prize and an Honorable Mention. Click the link on his name and check out his website.
Special THANKS to Peggy Immel, friend and fellow painter who suggested I enter the show in the first place. Thanks Peg.

Congratulations SLV Painters

Congratulations to the San Luis Valley Painters on a very successful show.
We closed the SMall Works Show at Milagros last Friday after a very happy "hometown" run. We sold 15 paintings and tho' it was a small percentage, were able to donate over $200. to the Milagros fund for our community.
Thank You to everyone who took part.

Looking for Snow

Last week Sue, Dave and myself went looking for snow and found it up the Pinus Creek Road in the San Juans, above Del Norte, Colorado.
As Spring comes on, the winds kick up in Colorado but we managed to catch a morning that was very mild and almost calm. There was a lot of "atmosphere" though, because of fires that burned in other parts of the state; downright smokey day actually. Some painters go for that atmospheric/air look -
being originally from California, I'm not so keen on it.

Spring in the Mountains

I painted with Sue McCullough at Rock Creek, in the San Juan Mountains this last week. It is amazing, to me how seemingly colorless the landscape can appear at this time of year.

Spring ? ? ? Where's the GREEN?

Spring is finally coming to our part of the country. You would never know by the views or snow covered mountains but temps are rising and that is always a good sign.
Last week, David Montgomery and I went east towards LaVeta Pass- looking, for something -not sure what, but we finally pulled over on the road and just started walking around. I am not very patient, or willing to spend a lot of time looking for a certain thing, but am more inclined to find a view with what is available. In this case, the bushes and fence served but I came home rather cranky about all the BROWN landscape.
I guess I haven't been getting out enough.
Happy St. Patrick's Day.

SMall Works Show and Party

Most of the San Luis Valley Painters gathered last Sunday in Milagros Coffee House for our SMall Works Show party. It was a pleasure to share it with the community and people passing through from as far away as Santa Fe (3 hours away) joined in our Art celebration; some even took a painting home with them. As part of the festivities, everyone was encouraged to vote for their "favorite" painting. The honor went to Brown Cow by Kayleith Pellandini; by an overwhelming margin.
Kayleith could not stay for the
photos so a young admirer stood in for her.
Thanks to everyone who participated. Thanks, also to Milagros Coffee House and the community who are helping to spread Red (sales) dots all over the walls. The SLV Painters are donating 20% of all sales to the Milagros fund for our community.
This show will hang until Friday March 30th.

SLV Painters present the SMall Works Show

The San Luis Valley Painters is a group loosely associated with my Painting Classes. We try to hold a show locally every Spring and today we hung our SMall Works show in the Milagros Coffee House Gallery in downtown Alamosa.
Milagros is a place in the San Luis Valley, where roads, friends, art & book lovers, free thinkers, musicians and writers, all seem to meet. It is a stop for tourists, a setting for conversation and coffee drinkers, and for years the site of the only espresso maker in town.
A gathering spot, very much at the heart of Alamosa,
that supports causes that our little community hold dear.
It is a natural place to show and celebrate art in Alamosa.
18 Painters are represented with 107 pieces,
all in sizes less than 80 square inches and all very affordable.

It felt a bit like mayhem as work went up but response from the morning coffee crowd was very positive; 3 pieces sold before the work was all up.
BRAVO! to all the painters who participated - and Thank You!

Join us to celebrate with a reception on Sunday, March 11 from 2 - 4pm.