PAAC Annual Paint Out in Grand Lake

I returned on Sunday from three days of painting alongside 39 other artists in my first participation in the Plein Air Artists Colorado Annual Paint Out. The event was very well organized, and took place in the town of Grand Lake and the Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. The weather was perfect and the Fall foliage was beautiful. My family came along and had a great time with campfires, swimming in the lake, hiking, and painting too.

I feel very encouraged that I was able to test a new easel and new paints (acrylic), sell one of my paintings and win Artists' Choice Award at the exhibit! This came as a total surprise, as I was trying a new medium and working hard to simply produce a painting that would not look too shabby alongside the work of all these experienced, talented artists. To win the vote of professionals I admire was a great honor. 

More details on the paintings, the event, and the lessons I learned, in upcoming posts...

Sandstone Ranch in Acrylics

Sandstone Morning, acrylic on board, 8x10, plein air

This is only my third attempt at painting in acrylic, and the first acrylic done en plein air (done on location at Sandstone Ranch park in Longmont on Friday). It was quite a departure from working in watercolors, but the same challenge of rushing against the hot, dry weather.

I used Golden Open acrylics in five colors: Titanium white, phthalo blue, transparent red iron oxide, yellow and naphthol red light. I covered the board with a thin warm orange layer, drew the main large shapes with red oxide, blocked the darker shapes of color before applying the middle and light tones. I must say I really like the Rosemary & Co brushes from the Ivory line that I am using.

I wish I had done a thumbnail value and composition study but I was concerned about the time and wanted to start right away... it would have helped me improve the design, by avoiding lining up the foreground rocks with the cliff, and making the grass line at the bottom less repetitive with the one farther back. Well, working my way through a new medium is hard enough, I think this ended up pretty nicely all things considered.

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A Gate of Opportunity, watercolor on paper, 12x9

This week I painted on site at Harvard in Cambridge, MA. I set my tripod easel in a tight corner in front of the tourist information office, about the only spot protected from the rain and from the groups of tourists. I painted directly, without a preliminary sketch or any drawing in pencil.


Many artists and students have concerns about using M Graham and other honey based watercolor brands in plein air work, especially those who have folding palettes with wells on the lid... But I used a folding palette and M Graham colors on this painting and even though it was a warm, very humid day, the paints did not run or spill. I stored my palette vertically in the bag, and kept a wet brush inside it, and it did not cause any problems. The paint was tacky in the wells when I reopened the palette at night in the hotel, but there were no spills. One reason is that the paint had been poured in the pans much earlier; if I had just added fresh paint the night before I may have had problems. At any rate, the only M Graham colors I have tried which have cause spills at all have been cobalt teal and cobalt violet--I no longer carry those colors in my plein air kit for that reason.

 

A snapshot of me with my two pieces at the opening reception of the Plein Air Artists Colorado National Exhibit last night in Boulder. 

The Mary Williams Fine Arts Gallery was packed with artists, guests and collectors. It was exciting to see so many friends and get to meet so many top level artists, whose work I had admired in magazines, books and videos. In fact the whole experience was that of walking through the pages of the Southwest Art magazine. It is such an honor to be included in this show. The exhibit is open until August 30th and is well worth seeing--and prices are very reasonable too!

Crested Butte on the 4th of July

We had a wonderful trip to Crested Butte to visit our friend and great artist Peggy Morgan Stenmark. What a beautiful place, and so many subjects to paint! After the 4th of July parade, I did a couple of sketches and completed this 12 x 9 inch plein air study on Elk Avenue. I set up in the only quiet, shaded spot I could find amidst the buzz of the tourist crowd. The stage with the band and the food court were only a half block away... The shade did not last long, a couple of families congregated on the same spot, and there were many passers-by who stopped to view, ask questions, comment and tell me about their own home towns. And I did not realize I had been painting in front of a gallery until artist Ann Sharkey came out to introduce herself! I did not do any planning and just tried to capture a bit of the scene and ended up overworking it, but it was only meant to be good practice and fun, and so it was.

Just Before the Storm

The Red Garage in Winter, watercolor on paper, 9x12

This winter in Colorado has been very kind to plein air painters. Lots of sunshine and mild temperatures. Last week, for instance, we had a cold front and very low temperatures on Monday and Tuesday, and then warm days again towards the weekend. I managed to get a long lunch break on Friday to paint this scene in Old Town Niwot, just before the next storm moved in and brought snow for the weekend. My plein air group was painting at the canyon west of Boulder and I did not have enough time to travel that far, so I set on this location roughly five minutes from my house.

The muted colors of winter make colorful elements such as this red garage by the old Grange building really stand out. I am using a technique of direct painting, without a pencil sketch, with just some general guidelines in permanent orange to define the major shapes. It is exciting to paint without the pencil boundaries but the drawing accuracy suffers.

I parked the car, opened the passenger door and painted from the passenger seat, with the tripod easel set in front of me by the open door. Only five minutes into it, and the owner of the restaurant next door was sweet enough to come by and offer me a more comfortable chair. I politely declined; I wasn't going to be staying long. Ironic that 99% of the time I stand to paint and no one had offered a seat on those occasions... And I was too focused on the painting to realize I should have taken the opportunity to order a cup of tea or coffee...

Outdoor Creations Opening Reception

Standing Apart, watercolor on paper, 9x12

The Outdoor Creations exhibit opened last night with a nice reception and great turnout. For most of the evening the Great Frame Up gallery was packed with artists, guests and public in general. I had the opportunity to view the show with my wife and a number of our friends and to talk to a lot of the artists. Congratulations to the Boulder County Open Spaces and Parks organization for the successful event.

As an added surprise, my painting of a farm scene in Hygiene (a piece of land owned by open spaces), called "Standing Apart" won an honorable mention (see image above).

This piece was completed in two sessions: The first morning I set up, did my thumbnail sketch and pencil drawing, and after the first background washes, the wind picked up and almost took my paper block flying, and then it started raining. So I had to return the next day to finish the work, the cows were gone and the weather different, but I had enough information from the first day to complete the painting. I was pleased with it and it was the first piece I chose to enter in the show, so I am very glad it got acknowledged by the selection jurors and award juror.

After the reception, Christina and I (next to my four paintings in the photo above) went out with our friends to celebrate with dinner, drinks and dancing. Not a bad evening!

Outdoor Creations 2014

Prayer to the Fallen, watercolor on paper, 12x9

The four paintings I completed on site this summer for submission to the Outdoor Creations exhibition have been selected for the show! This juried en plein air exhibit is promoted by Boulder County to celebrate its parks and open spaces.

It was a joy to create these pieces, and I am very happy to able to share my view and interpretation of these magnificent places which, in the nearly 18 years I have lived in Boulder County, have served me well for relaxation, exercise and for inspiration. As an artist, my hope is that the deep connection and admiration I feel for our open spaces come through to the viewer of each of my paintings, that I do some justice to their beauty and may help our community not to take their value for granted.   

The Outdoor Creations exhibit will run from October 10 through November 8 2014, at the Great Frame Up gallery at 430 Main Street in Longmont. The opening reception will be October 10, from 6 to 9 pm.

Thomas Schaller Workshop

Pier Light, watercolor on paper, 18x12

I nearly missed the opportunity to attend Thomas Schaller's workshop in Denver last week, as this was a very busy time at work. But thanks to my wife's encouragement and support I worked alternative times and made it to the classes, and it was well worth the trouble. Schaller's talent and intelligence are inspiring and it is easy to see why he has become a star in the watercolor world.

Tom emphasized in his demos and instruction the need to go beyond mere beauty and to look for the Art in the subject. For him, that means to look for and capture the light in the scene, and to use design to add a time dimension to the "story" he seeks to tell. I imagine this explains his interest in bridges, rivers, streets and roads, all of which convey a visual and psychological expectation of movement through the pictorial space.

From this initial concept and a tonal value sketch, he builds his painting with very wet washes, using bright color and bold brushstrokes to maintain a look of spontaneity and freshness. He is careful to connect elements throughout the image, and to "listen" to the painting to avoid overworking. His approach is both simple and sophisticated, and at the same time advanced in vision and traditional in technique.

Tom took on some challenging material for his demos, and showed his ability to problem solve. He was brave to take the entire class to paint en plein air on the second day in very warm weather, but everyone enjoyed the experience.

The pieces I did during the workshop turned out well, immediate and spontaneous, fueled no doubt by Tom's reminders to all of us to simplify, to stay in the moment, to remember to breathe to avoid tightness. This was exactly the advice I needed at this point, so this was both fun and beneficial.

Plein Air Marathon

We had a great day at the PAAC Plein Air Marathon last saturday. We started at sunrise and covered five different locations through the day, in Longmont, Niwot and Boulder. 

I had to fullfil my national civic duty to watch Brazil play at the World Cup, so I did not paint in one of the sites... but was happy with the four paintings I managed to complete.

It was my first marathon and a great experience... Fun but also very tiring, especially on such a warm day. There were 27 participants from several areas of the State and it was a pleasure to meet everyone and appreciate their work. My wife and children joined the closing get together as well. I definitely look forward to next time. 

Using a Pochade Box

I have been using a French Resistance pochade box for my sketching outdoors and at home. With the need to carry my paints with me around the house to keep an eye on the children or simply sketch around my family, and to be able to quickly close the sketch box and put it all away (as when the baby monitor goes "wahhh"...), this has become a convenient setup to buy me more time to paint.

The box mounts on any of my tripods, but it takes the Velbon to make it really stable. My En Plein Air Pro easel is more convenient outdoors, but to paint from the car, or a home on a table or on my lap, the pochade box works better. I carry it with me in the trunk of the car. It is pretty convenient and it takes only a minute to open it and get ready to paint, and even less to close it up and put it away.

I've been carrying a 7x10 sketch book in the storage compartment of the box, and have water, brushes and pocket brushes, and a folding plastic palette with my colors. The photos show both the use with a sketchbook, and with a loose sheet of paper, using the cover of the storage compartment as a support for a gentler angle.

The photo also shows a recent sketch of a house down the street, as seen from my back yard gate.

ArtWalk Demo

The Dicken's Opera House, Longmont, Watercolor on paper, 22x15

Last Friday night, I did a live demonstration at a street fair. It was the first time I did a demo outdoors in the evening. The Main Street in Longmont was closed to traffic at 6:30pm and then all the setup activity started, so I was not able to start painting until 7pm. I anticipated I would not have daylight for long, so I took a photo of the street corner scene I wanted to paint two days before, and used that as my reference. I also did all the pencil drawing ahead of time, so that I would be able to complete the painting during the demo.
I brought a daylight lamp, but that meant intense glare on the paper and less than enough light where my palette was. But I did complete my painting and was quite happy with it, and the viewers gave good feedback as well. This is a view of the Old Opera House in Longmont, a very nice building... so nice in fact that I accidentally allowed it to compete too much with the other focus area of the scene, where all of the figures were.

This is a photo of my setup. I used M Graham watercolor paints (mostly azo orange, cadmium red light, viridian, cobalt blue, cobalt teal, ultramarine blue and quinacridone rust, in addition to some neutral tint) and squirrel mop brushes, and a synthetic round for details. I worked on a half sheet of Arches 140lb Rough paper, and it took me one hour and 45 minutes.

Upcoming Demo at ArtWalk

A week from today, on September 16th, I will be doing a painting demonstration, this time in Longmont, as part of the ArtWalk festival on Main Street. I will probably do a street scene of that very location. I always have fun on these occasions, the dialog with the viewers is stimulating and I end up learning a lot from verbalizing the process to the audience and getting questions and immediate feedback. If you have a chance, please stop by! The demo starts at 6:30 pm, at the ArtWalk demo booth on 4th and Main, across from Ziggy's Coffee.
(Photo courtesy of Gene Youngmann)

Mammoth Mine and Louisville Fine Art Show

Standing Guard (Mammoth Mine), watercolor on Aquabord, 20x16

This painting was done on location at the Mammoth Mine site in Boulder County. It was painted on a beautiful June morning, the building has beautiful aged colors and a slanting stance that speaks of its age and service, and it is guarded on all flanks by aspen trees. It was a privilege to get to paint on this site, thanks to a permit from the Boulder Country Parks and Open Spaces administration as part of their first plein air exhibit event, since this location is closed to the public. The painting is now sold and I am very pleased that the buyer is someone who knew this location growing up and appreciates the environment and feelings that the painting evokes.

On a different note, this has been a busy season, with overlapping shows. Just as the Boulder County plein air exhibit came to a close, it was time for the opening reception of the Louisville National Fine Art Exhibit, last night. The event was very well attended by many artists and the local community. In fact to crowded to even take a photo together with my painting, but no regrets. I hope to return there during the week for a calmer viewing of the great paintings in the show.

Boulder County Plein Air Art Exhibit Opening

Afternoon Glow, Legion Park, watercolor on Aquabord, 16x20

Friday, August 19th is the Exhibit Opening Reception of the Boulder Parks and Open Spaces Plein Air Art Exhibit, at the Old Firehouse Art Center in Longmont. The exhibit features four paintings by each of the twenty artists selected for this event. In addition, a preview of the artists and their work is being held at the Boulder Courthouse at the Pearl Street Mall, where my painting Afternoon Glow, Legion Park is on display. This painting, like the other four, was done on site, completed in two sessions, last June.

This has been a long process, the selection started back in March, the painting period was in June, so we are all excited to finally have the show open to the public. The reception starts at 6pm and the exhibit will be open until September 3rd.

Out and About...

Fourteen days, nine locations, ten paintings... my output from the painting phase of the Boulder County Parks & Open Spaces event, just finished.
My evenings and weekends in the last two weeks were spent outside in the field, in these great, inspiring locations--from rock formations to open fields to vistas to historic buildings... You can see some of these and my set up with paintings in progress in the images.

The paint out sessions were very peaceful and enjoyable--well, mostly... Last Sunday, at Hall Ranch, I walked to a gate to check the view from there, and all of a sudden heard a sound that made me jump five feet back... I'd come within three feet of a rattlesnake, and it didn't like it a bit, it was coiled and rattling loudly! Other encounters were a lot more friendly: I saw a young moose in the canyon the previous weekend, and on different days a herd of deer, a fox carrying a dead squirrel, another fox, cotton tail bunnies, and lots of cows! I met some interesting people too: A historical site guide, park rangers, other artists. A great experience in all aspects. Now I have to select four of the paintings and submit them for the upcoming exhibit.

Reporting from the Field...

This is the last weekend of the Boulder Parks and Open Spaces Plein Air painting portion of the event. Artists were given special permits to some areas that are not normally open to the public. I have been very busy producing my pieces, this is a photo taken last Sunday at Hall Ranch in Lyons. My wife and son accompanied me and hit the trail while I painted. This also shows my compact gear: It all fits in a backpack, but I took a portfolio as well as I am using some larger panels.
Painting on site is always such a joy! In some of the outings, I joined other painters, which made it even more fun! I'll be sharing some of the resulting sketches and paintings in upcoming posts.

Boulder County Plein Air Art Exhibit

This a recent plein air study done on location in North Boulder, celebrating the fact that the weather is more friendly nowadays, and that I have been accepted into the first Boulder Country Plein Air Art Exhibit. The 16 selected artists will be doing their paintings in June, and the exhibit will be held from August 1st to September 3rd, in two different locations, in Boulder and Longmont. Four guest artists will also add four paintings each to the show, for a total of 80 pieces portraying the beauty and variety of the local open spaces, from lakes to museums to mountains.

The painting above was done with a single brush, a squirrel mop size 6, on a 18x12 sheet of Fabriano Artistico rough paper. All the colors are M. Graham: ultramarine blue, cobalt violet, yellow ochre, cobalt teal, viridian, burnt sienna, permanent alizarin crimson, and burnt umber. I used a lot of drybrush to bring out the textures of bark, ground and rock.

Boulder Creek Sketch

My latest outdoor work was this sketch of Boulder Creek, with the morning sun shining through the canopy of trees and warm up the water and some of the rocks. With the colder weather and shorter days and a busy schedule the opportunities to paint outdoors have not been that many.

This was done with watercolor sticks and watercolor pencils, and a size 10 synthetic travel brush.

Paint-out at Longs Garden, Boulder

Paint-out at Longs Garden, watercolor on paper, 10x7 in.

Today I rejoined the Boulder plein air group, after many months of absence. Actually I hadn't been in a paint-out with the group since my son was born seven months ago. We met early morning at Longs Garden in Boulder, where the irises are in full bloom. I was drawn to the shape of the tree and the rows of flowers pointing to it, but ended up giving in to the temptation on including one of the artists in the scene as well. It was a refreshing one-hour session... made me glad to be back!