Bridge at the Spring

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My demo for the High School Plein Air at Maramec Spring was so much fun!  Each of us artists had a group of students at the park during the Folky Fish Fest. We chose this gorgeous area by the waterfall for our painting location.  Each student could choose their own subject and medium of choice. I shared my process as I checked in with each during our painting time.  It was a wonderful painting and learning experience for us all! One of my favorite paintings of the week - I'm happy this painting has a new home in Springfield! Painting number 4905 in 4905 days.

Voltaire on Genessee

 

This was my demo for this weekend's Historic West Bottoms Sketching Workshop. It was fun to share the process of sketching the urban landscape with fellow artists.  Each worked out three thumbnail sketches with various compositions, and we looked at ways to determine the strongest one before turning that one into a painting.  Each used their own preferred mediums, and had strong work to show at the finish.  We disbanded as the first quick paint of the event was beginning.  What fun to start the event in this way!  Painting in days.....

Nestled in the Woods

This rainy day painting started as one of my acrylic demonstrations with the High School Plein Air sponsored by the Steelville Arts Council last weekend.  I mentored 20 students over three days in 5 different paint-outs.  It was such a super fun weekend filled with very talented young artists, and I hope that I have impacted their art journey in some small way.  I would have loved an opportunity like this at their age.  This painting is now showing at Gallery Zeke in Steelville, Missouri through mid-July.  Come take a peak in person.  Painting number 5068 in 5068 days. 

Looking Across Cleveland Lake

At 86 degrees, it felt so much cooler than the last three days of painting!  Humidity still high, at 93% when I left the house, there was a good breeze blowing across the lake.  I set up in a clearing of a wooded area, looking in all directions for my painting view.  Woods on one side, a dirt trail through the woods on another, meadow behind and lake ahead.  Today, I chose the lake with the drifts of wildflowers.  The colors have ever so slightly shifted forwards autumn in the last 4 days.  Walnut trees are showing a little yellow, the grasses are blushing with that late season ochre and pinkish and a few ivy and sumac leaves are turning to red.  Goldenrod blooms yellow across the prairie to heighten the color.  I try a new Princeton Aspen brush today, and I find it's best use on blending the water and reflections.  The edge is a little too sharp for me, and the marks too hard.  It may have it's place in architecture, though.  I finish this one quickly as I demo for a plein air class today.  So therapeutic to spend a little time painting, surrounded by nature.  Painting number 2065 in 2065 days. 

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Rainclouds over the Water

What a rainy, moody day for painting!  This painting is one of two I painted for demos this afternoon in "cloud painting", class.  It is helpful to start with an acrylic underpainting in the approximate color of the sky.  When this is completely dry, a dry brushing technique  in oils is used to achieve the airy cloud strokes.  The ground plane is not the focus, but is only there to bring the eye back to the sky.  Who knew those one inch bristle brushes could be so useful? Painting number 1894 in 1894 days.

Coral Rose Impressions

This painting is my demo from painting class this week where we are studying palette knife strokes, and what we can do with them.  Roses are perfectly suited for the knife, as each petal can be pulled from edge to center.  Everyone brought a selection of knifes, and I brought about 20.  I found three that I really liked their marks for use with the roses.  One of my very favorites was only good for stems and leaves, leaving a line too sharp for a rounded petal. It is so good to just pull out the knives and practice pulling paint with each one, using a disposable plate.  No pressure to think about "painting", because it is a plate!  Only the knife, paint and the stroke, because it's ALL about the process.  Painting number 1869 in 1869 days.

Shine of Christmas

How can I possibly cram so many things in one day?  Burning the midnight oil, this is my first chance to post today's painting done as a demo for painting class.  After arranging a few Christmas balls in the center of the table, everyone could then draw and paint from their own spot. It truly is so much better to see the ornaments before you vs looking at a photo.  Saving the highlights is paramount in watercolor, so that is the key while laying down the colors.  Once lost, it does not return like it was never painted.  One could use a masking fluid, but I almost never do.  It simply isn't spontaneous enough for me, too controlled, almost contrived.  Watercolors lighten as they dry, so I add more paint as needed while the masses are still wet. I love the mingling that occurs wet on wet, and try not to lose that.  I wonder what medium I'll choose tomorrow....... painting number 1787 in 1787 days.

Wine Party Demo

Tonight's Wine and Paint party goes to support Michael's robotics team, as well as local projects Xi Gamma Phi donates to.  Our subject - a wine still life!  We set up glasses and bottles in front of the guests, and each could paint either what was before them, or from several paintings on easels.  Composition and paint mixing were on the line up - and each walked away with their own unique painting!   So fun!  My still life demo is my 1505th painting in 1505 days.

Wine for Three

For this afternoon's painting class, I set up this still life with wine bottles and glasses of three different heights.  Arranging them before me, I started blocking in all edges of the glass, overlapping them where applicable.  Next, with a large brush, I paint the masses I see, looking for central colors within the shapes.  Once the panel is covered, I start the palette knife work, breaking edges and dropping in thick paint. As I approach completion, I start to check that my colors are harmonizing, and bouncing off the varied surfaces.  With so much glassware, all colors should reflect off their surfaces.  I wanted quiet color today, so I chose a chardonnay for the lead wine.  If I didn't have such a full day, it would have been lovely to have a little wine for lunch!  Painting number 1503 in 1503 days.

Vineyard at Noboleis

This morning started with a wonderful group of artists, each relatively new to painting en plein air.  Noboleis Winery was gracious to allow me to hold my workshop in their vineyard!  Could there be a more gorgeous setting than this vineyard for class?  After going over some tried and true plein air tips, everyone set up their easels and I started to sketch the composition.  I took my demo to the block in stage, then circulated as they all progressed towards the same.  Checking at each stage to make sure all were on track, I finished my demo.  I love seeing how each artist progresses through a painting.   It is as individual as handwriting!   Each walked away with a beautiful vineyard landscape and a new tool to help them find their composition in the field.  Helping other artists further their skills is SO rewarding!   This painting was my first of three on Saturday!   Painting number 1354.on 1354 days :)