| Author | Message | ||
  Whitewatercolor Senior Member Username: Whitewatercolor Post Number: 379 Registered: 10-2006 |
Joanna: This feels like a private conversation. I don't want to leave you hanging but I don't have anything to add either. Maybe someone should start another topic that interests them or maybe we should come back when it starts snowing. | ||
Joanna Advanced Member Username: Joanna Post Number: 197 Registered: 10-2006 |
Great advice: I'm planning to ask someone to drive around and photograph (maybe my guy, he's good with a camera.) I plan also to have the artists scout painting spots if possible before hand or make suggestions of the most scenic areas; the pond where Dead Poet's Society was filmed, the theater (ditto), the streets with Victorian mansions, the old colonial area, the estuary (river that runs out to the bay, lots of reeds and birds.) | ||
Whitewatercolor Senior Member Username: Whitewatercolor Post Number: 378 Registered: 10-2006 |
What a great idea! I've found that a lot of people have never painted outdoors and are reluctant to just show up. They don't have the equipment and don't know what equipment they need. They don't know how to dress (think there might be a code or something). They always seem a little embarrassed the first time. Therefore, it is good to have a few informal "trial runs" leading up to an event, where you can contact people either by flyer, email or both, announcing the painting date, time and location. Some people may just drive by to see how people are doing it. Take lots of pictures and send some out to the email list with the announcement of the next informal paint out. If they feel they're missing something fun, it is easier to get them out next time. Once they come out, it will be hard to stop them from joining in. Once you have the actual event, you'll have participants who feel comfortable with painting out and with each other. | ||
Joanna Advanced Member Username: Joanna Post Number: 196 Registered: 10-2006 |
Hey Whitewater, I spoke with our town art center last night (site of the Manhattan Short Film Festival this year)--and they like the idea of a plein-air fest. They tried a plein-air class, no one bit. But my plan is to email and call all our state artists, and have a designated day in town when we fan out and paint, then do a clothesline exhibit for the benefit of the local theater, which is in dire need after a ceiling collapse (it's historic, where Dead Poet's Society was filmed and a beautiful theater.) We're going to spend nearly nada to promote and get everyone out, hopefully, for a nice day of painting. | ||
Joanna Advanced Member Username: Joanna Post Number: 193 Registered: 10-2006 |
That song by Woodie Guthrie is now running through my head (a fave as a child.--Roll on, Columbia.) I'm thinking we could do 2 or 3 season meets--I'm just too busy to do every weekend until I retire (haha) but we could pick downtown (our town is very quaint), the coast (there is a famous bird sanctuary on Delaware Bay) and perhaps one of the historic areas or the beach. We often do statewide things here as you can trundle the length and breadth of the state in a day if you have gas money. (we're bigger than Rhode Island, but it is not Fractal-Land like Rhode Island, where I never got so lost as there in my life.) | ||
Whitewatercolor Senior Member Username: Whitewatercolor Post Number: 375 Registered: 10-2006 |
Joanna: This is from a place called Tom McCall Natural Area Preserve (named after a former Oregon Governor)in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. The river is the Columbia. On the right is Oregon, on the left is Washington. Everywhere I meet artists I tell them about our Tuesday painting and invite them to join the list. It is as simple as that. Set a week day and time that you can stick to. Arrange with landowners or if they are public places, just make sure nothing else is going on that day. Inform everyone who's interested by email and see what happens. It can only be good. You share information, make new friends, learn incredible amounts and grow by leaps and bounds as artists. Oh, and interestingly, almost every week I am approached by an artist who is either new to the area or disconnected and wants to join in. | ||
Joanna Advanced Member Username: Joanna Post Number: 189 Registered: 10-2006 |
WHAT A FUN IDEA! (and that's a gorgeous painting btw and a beautiful view! Where are you?) I'm really impressed with this idea. We have a budding art community in our town. We built a new gallery and art center in an old Hudson dealership (very retro) and next door is a historic theater (which needs a new ceiling --know any people with thick checkbooks? This is the theater in "Dead Poet's Society" where Robert Sean Leonard acts in "A Midsummer's Night Dream." The film was done in our little town.) A great suggestion would be to have a "meet me in ...." paint-along in town on some of the pretty Victorian streets and in some of our coastal areas with beautiful scenery. We are in an area with estuaries leading to the Delaware Bay and one such sanctuary is known for amazing birdlife (Bombay Hook.) I'll have to talk to our art group and see if that would be a good idea. Our weather stays pretty decent into late November and November is actually my favorite month for beauty here. Thanks for the update and the incredible idea. | ||
Whitewatercolor Senior Member Username: Whitewatercolor Post Number: 374 Registered: 10-2006 |
This summer I've been organizing a plein air adventure every Tuesday morning. I've compiled an email list of people I've met who are interested in painting out. Each week we seem to be approached by someone else who'd like to join. I find a place with a view and a restroom and get permission for others to join me and send an email out to the list. Since February I have been joined by at least one and up to eight painters each week. I then send out some photos of either the painters, their work, or both to the list the next week to encourage others to get involved. Each week has been a real treasure. I am joined each week by oil, acrylic, pastel, pencil sketching and other watercolor artists. I have become aware that we are all creating art that wouldn't have existed without the outing. Last week I forgot my easel, so I propped my board on an overlook ledge and began painting. I was immediately joined by a couple from Germany who asked if they could look over my shoulder. They photographed me doing the painting and then bought it. What a life experience!  | ||
Joanna Advanced Member Username: Joanna Post Number: 188 Registered: 10-2006 |
Here's a new thread (boy we are quiet again...) How does it happen? Meaning, do any of you find that you are painting and you may or may not have an exact vision of what you want and the painting just "happens." When I start a painting, sometimes I have no idea how I'm going to get the result I want. I know I have to do the sketch, I do a value study (sometimes, anyway it's a darn good idea) and I get out the frisket if I want to reserve whites, though I don't do a lot of this anymore as I don't like the harsh edges. I then pick my palette based on whether I want glowing transparency (quinacridones will dominate, if I use blues, they will be phthalos or indanthrones), yellows will be Hansa yellow not cadmium, etc or if I want an earthy look (then I will allow less transparent colors and granulated ones.) I start with a base wash, and right now, I'm doing a slowed-down process. Instead of my usual alla prima method (learned from my late aunt), I choose to do layers of glazes. This can take a week. I just let the painting dry on my table and just touch it every evening after work, adding a new layer. The final layer is touches of opaque paints (thanks, Am. Journey, I use coastal fog, periwinkle, possibly a naples yellow red version or some chinese white.) And I do some limited scrubbing with Fitch scrubbers to make sure that lost edges are lost where they need to be. But as I paint I have NO idea if it's going to happen as I want, and each painting is almost a surprise. There's that 'white paper' fear followed by the 'is this painting going to end in the dumpster' feeling. What about you? How does it happen for you? |
