Archive for September, 2011
Color Gradations in the Sky
Most of the time, when I paint a sky it is lighter at the horizon and gradually becomes more blue at the top of the painting or I avoid the issue totally and paint the sky pink. But I do plein air paintings and they are finished in a few hours. Perhaps I should take the following advice.
Michael Albala, in his book Landscape Painting, says that “to interpret the sky as a solid patch of color is to miss one of the best opportunities to explore the richness of color available to the landscape painter.” The sky actually undergoes several color gradations from horizon to zenith – namely, red-orange, yellow orange, yellow-green, blue-green and blue-violet. They are not distinct bands of color and vary according to the weather conditions and time of day. They are more obvious in early morning and late afternoons. Color choice can make the sky feel like the luminous light source that it is.
Landscape Paintings on Parade
Suzanne brought 5 landscape paintings to my house today and I will add several of mine and take them to Betty’s house tomorrow. We are getting ready to show our plein air paintings at the Ocean City Library from September 19 to October 31. Betty and some friends will hang the paintings on September 19.
Tonight Betty also received a call from Mary at the Ocean Pines Library asking if we would like to show our work there – during October! Even though the request comes at the last minute, how could one refuse a request like that? Now we are scampering (and rapidly painting) to find enough paintings for that exhibit which will begin October 1.
Plein Air Painting at Chincoteague, Again
What a time we had this week! The weather was cloudy, occasionally misting rain. Katya was coming up the coast producing phenomenal waves. The big problem was that the sky had very thick white clouds, hence no shadows, what we all need to describe form. And when you looked at the breaking waves, they were almost the same color as the sky!
This was the 8th annual plein air event and 45 artists came to celebrate. There were many sales. Paintings in the $75-$125 range were popular, but also many paintings in the $350 and above also sold well. I don’t know the final tally, but Nancy West, the Coordinator, said it was the best year ever! And that is amazing!
Plein Air Painting at Chincoteague
This is the week of the annual Paint Out at Chincoteague, VA, made famous by the childhood book, “Misty of Chincoteague.” The book tells the story of the annual rounding up of the wild ponies, descendents of refugees from the Spanish galleons which sank many years ago. These ponies are driven across a small waterway from Assateague Island to Chincoteague, VA, to be auctioned off by the Volunteer Fire Department for their annual expenses. The ones not sold are returned to the island.
Forty artists will gather this week and paint en plein air. On Saturday these paintings will be hung, the public invited and, hopefully, many paintings will be sold. In past years, over $10,000 in art has been sold in that 3 hour time span from 6-9 PM. It’s a great week to paint and see old friends, and meet new ones.
The Plein Air Painter in Studio
The way the plein air painter works with paint in the studio will differ from the way he/she works with it on location. In the studio, the size of the paintings can scale up, so should the palette. Michele Albala uses a palette 19” x 25” and some artists’ palettes are much larger.
In long-term studio paintings, you might use certain sets of colors for many weeks and therefore mix up a large batch of color to last several sessions. After each session you might want to save the colors on a small 4” piece of glass, wrapped in plastic and stored in the freezer. Larger batches can be stored in empty paint tubes which can be purchased in major art supply stores. An added benefit is, if the painting needs a “touch up” for any reason, you have the exact color.
Occasionally, a painting done over a long period may need several changes. To test a new color value without actually committing it in paint on the canvas, cover all or part of the dry painting with light weight acetate sheeting. This allows you to test your changes without losing the present version of the painting.
Landscape Painters in Studio
Mitchell Albala in his book, “Landscape Painting,” says that “Although the indoor studio is more convenient and comfortable than working on location, it has its own set of challenges. There are many practices that can make the work flow smoother.” Then he mentions a few.
First, good lighting provides two things: enough light and a balanced light between canvas and palette. The best lights are those that produce a bright diffused light. Daylight balanced fluorescent bulbs are an economical and efficient way to create natural, diffuse light throughout your workspace. Otherwise, a pair of tall floor lamps with reflectors facing the ceiling can work well. The room needs to have light or neutral colored walls.
Professional grades of paint have a consistency appropriate for most applications; however, many are too soft for building texture that really holds its shape. You can make a paint stiffer by extracting some of the oil. Spread the paint thinly onto cardboard. In 10 or 15 minutes the excess oil will be absorbed by the board. Then, scrape the paint off the cardboard with your palette knife and place it on your palette. (Thanks, Jenni)
Hudson River School
The Hudson River School was a mid 19th century American art movement embodied by a group of landscape painters whose aesthetic vision was influenced by romanticism. The artist Thomas Cole is generally acknowledged as the founder of the Hudson River School. Cole took a steamship up the Hudson in the autumn of 1825 and traveled into the eastern Catskill Mountains to paint the first landscapes of the area.
The Hudson River paintings reflect three themes of America in the 19th century: discovery, exploration and settlement. The landscapes are characterized by their realistic, detailed and sometimes idealized portrayal of nature. In gathering data for their paintings, the artists would travel to extraordinary and extreme environments which would not permit the act of painting. Sketches and memories would be recorded and the paintings created later in the comfort of the studio.
In the Studio
Landscapes executed in the studio can be the artist’s most full-bodied expression. In the comfort of the studio, the landscape painter has the luxury of time to resolve all the visual problems that fleeting light and time don’t permit in outdoor work. Studio paintings do not have the spontaneity of plein air work, but what they lack in immediacy they more than make up for with fully realized solutions.
The slower, studied approach of studio work gives the painter options to explore issues of composition, color and paint handling in ways that can bring the visual idea to its most complete state. In oil, for instance, glazing or textural brushwork can take several days to dry. In the studio, there is time to put a painting aside and gain a fresh perspective days or weeks later. In short, the studio embodies everything that outdoor work does not: controlled lighting, a comfortable environment, and time to take a more contemplative approach to the subject.
Comings and Goings
Yesterday I went to Berlin, MD, and picked up the two paintings I did at that Paint Out two weeks ago or so. The Worcester County Arts Council sponsored that event and kindly displayed those paintings for the past two weeks. Then on to Ocean City where I picked up paintings that Betty, Suzanne and I left a month ago for display.
Next week is the Chincoteague, VA, plein air Paint Out. My friend, Val, and I will go on Thursday and paint through Saturday. We’ll have the paintings framed by about 4:30 PM on Saturday and the sale will be from 6-9 PM. The public will have been given notice of the sale and many will attend. This is about the sixth year of the Paint Out and in past years, more than $10,000 in paintings has been realized in those three hours! This is such a fun event! I get to visit with the friends I haven’t seen for a while and meet new ones. I look forward to this plein air event each year.
Drawing
Drawing is an essential foundation skill because it trains your eye to render things accurately. It gives you the ability to place shapes and lines where you want. Don’t forget the keys to drawing: gesture, line, measuring, proportion and negative space. All are essential for the landscape painter.
If you find that your drawing skills are holding you back, take time to get the necessary training. Classes are a great way to improve drawing skills with the one-on-one guidance of an instructor. There are also two excellent books I recommend: Betty Edwards’ classic Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain and Brian Curtis’ Drawing from Observation. If you practice drawing 15 minutes each day, in about 6 months you will see a dramatic improvement!