Guest columnist :: JT HARDING on plein air painting

We are happy to present this article from guest columnist JT Harding.Please feel free to leave your comments about your own plein air painting tips and experiences. Thanks and Enjoy! 

Making a Smooth Transition from Studio to Outdoor Painting

Posted by JT Harding on Jun 27, 2013 in Hardingville | No Comments

JT Harding
The Good Book
Oil on Panel, 10 x 8″

If you’re like me, you’ve been cooped up all winter painting inside your home or studio.  Now that summer has arrived, it’s prime weather for Plein Air painting but you still may be wondering how to make a smooth transition from the comfort of the studio to painting on site.  For even the most experienced painters, the inherent challenges of Plein Air painting makes the idea a bit daunting.  Another great blog post here will help you with making preparations.  But, for now, forget those thoughts because I’d like to make some recommendations which will help you ease into and even enjoy the experience.

Namaste

Most mornings, I start my day with a 15-minute video program called a.m. yoga.  In it, the instructor describes that after a night of sleep, the body is rested but stiff from inactivity.  To awaken the body/mind, he takes me through a series of gentle poses designed to allow me to meet my day with openness, peace, and serenity.  A similar set of exercises can help you transition from studio to outdoor painting.

Warming up

Like my yoga program, you can ease into Plein Air painting with Plein Air drawing.  That’s right, I’m asking you to leave your French easel and paints at home and just bring a sketchpad, pencils, and erasure to a favorite outdoor spot.  Sit in a comfortable folding chair and quietly contemplate the scene but remain alert and observant.  Now, make some notes about the time of day, weather conditions, and colors.  Really try to notice what is happening with the light effects and color contrasts.  Is reflective light bouncing off the grass and coloring the shaded trunk of a tree?  What happens to the color of objects in the distance?  If you’d like to eventually paint the place, make a few compositional sketches and take some photographs.  Not to paint from, but to further understand the scene.  This exercise helps to hone your powers of observation and better understand the various light effects on outdoor objects.

Paint in your back yard

Henry Hensche Color Study
Untitled
, oil on canvas, 24″ x 20″
 c. 1960′s
Collection of Emile Henault

With your sharpened powers of observations, take your easel and paints out into your back yard or a local park and set up a colorful but simple still life.  Here, I want you to think in terms of color studies, not finished paintings.  Keep your painting surface small and your brushes large.  Using burnt sienna, draw in the shapes with your brush, separating the light and shadow masses.  Observe the colors of the planes in the light and the planes in the shade.  Describe each mass with its’ associated color.  Relate each color note to another in the setup.  Make sure all color notes are different.  Keep the studies short (two to three hours at most) because the light direction will change quickly.  Paint the same scene in the morning and late evening light keys and compare the studies with one another.  You can learn more about the practice of color study from the Henry Hensche Foundation website and follow the Henry Hensche facebook group page for some great insights and inspiration.

Planning is the key

Now that you are ready to tackle outdoor landscape painting, planning is key.  Enlist a friend and make a date.  Keep your eye on the weather and try to pick a day that will afford you full sun and clear skies.  Deciding on a painting location has been made easier with new facebook and pinterest pages.  Here, you will find local locations in Massachusetts that have been pre-scouted and approved of by other Plein Air painters.

Arrive early and set up prior to the time of day you would like to paint.  To keep your frustration factor low, your subject should be simple just like your back yard color studies.  Bring along several panels and change them out if the weather changes dramatically.

Continue to think in terms of colors, color contrasts, and masses — not details.  Key all the colors and color values off of the color value of the sky.  To see what I mean, click on the video clip of Marc Dalessio below.

If you are still having difficulty, do more back yard color studies.  With continued practice, your landscape color studies will become full-fledged Plein Air paintings.  Plus, you can use the best little gems to work up larger studio pieces.

Most of all, have fun and enjoy the process!

PS: I encourage you to leave your comments or questions below.  Also, please consider joining other outdoor painters at Kim Morin Weineck’s Vermont workshop or at this year’s Adams Farm Plein Air Paint Out on September 7, 2013.  Click here to pre-register and download a prospectus.

Interested in writing a column for the Foxboro Art Association website?
Email foxboroart@gmail.com for details.
Thanks! 

Call for art :: Zullo Gallery

Zullo Gallery Center For The Arts
19th Annual Juried Exhibition

PROSPECTUS

September 21 - November 9, 2013

~ OPEN TO ALL ARTISTS ~

TO ENTER: The 19th Juried Exhibition is open to all artists (18 years or older) working in all mediums.
Applicant's may submit up to three works - on CD, by e-mail (files must be in jpg. form with a resolution of at least 300dpi ) or as photographic prints.
Work must have been created within the past two years.
The gallery requests a $20 donation from each applicant. (e-mail applicants please use the zullogallery.org web site, under HOME scroll down to DONATION, make a $20 donation - write 19th Juried Exhibit in comment area.) Checks should be made payable to the Zullo Gallery.
Each application must include: 1. Artists's name, address, phone number and email address

 2. Title, size, medium and date each work was completed

Send to: Zullo Gallery, 19th Annual Juried Exhibition, 456A Main Street, Medfield MA 02052

DEADLINE: All entries must be received by Wednesday, August 21, 2013
 (If you wish application material returned please include a self-addressed stamped envelope)

NOTIFICATION : All artists will be noti ed by email of the juror's selection by August 31
Selected art work must be properly framed and delivered to the Zullo Gallery by Saturday, September 14.

The gallery reserves the right to exclude any work that, on delivery, is different from what was represented in artist's application. All work must be for sale. The gallery receives a 35% commission on all work sold.

Images of selected work may be used for publicity purposes.
Juror: Mim Brooks Fawcett
Mim Brooks Fawcett has served as the Executive Director of the Attleboro Arts Museum since 2006. She holds a Bachelor’s and Master of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design. Fawcett additionally served as the Sr. Art Director of Boston’s Keane, Inc. as well as Art Director for Boston-based Scudder Funds and Waterline Publications. For 18 years Fawcett instructed a wide range of undergraduate graphic design courses at both Northeastern and Boston Universities. Currently, Mim Fawcett lives in Sharon, MA
with her family and devotes much of her time to promoting and expanding the arts and education in the city of Attleboro.

ZULLO GALLERY CENTER FOR THE ARTS
456A MAIN STREET MEDFIELD MA 02052
 web: www.zullogallery.org tel. 508.359.3711
 email: art@zullogallery.org

Workshop with Deb Quinn-Munson

The Foxboro Art Association hosted a workshop with Deb Quinn-Munson Saturday, April 6, 2013 at Studio East, Walpole. 

Deb Quinn-Munson begins with an oil underpainting on
Wallis (or UART -- can't remember which) paper

Having attended last year's workshop, I was excited that Deb was invited back to lead a class focusing specifically on techniques for painting water.

Students in rapt attention

Assessing references

Deb had many wonderful tidbits about painting water. She shared this quote by Don Demers, " Study the water until you understand what it looks like, then paint how it feels." I personally love stuff like this!

Deb made two underpaintings, this photo shows watercolor on
watercolor paper. Another was in oil on Wallis paper.

Deb continues to develop her underpainting

Deb shared her 80/20 Guide with us, asking us to consider this ratio when making decisions regarding composition, shape, value, color, line, texture, and rhythm.

Karole Nicholson came up to see the painting in progress and make inquiries

We have so much to think of when making good paintings. Often this is done intuitively, but Deb's insight encourages artists to slow down and consider the options for deliberate choices -- a smart thing to do.

The painting with the introduction of pastel shows lovely sparkle.

Deb, again with the group in rapt attention, shows the two paintings and discusses their  attributes.

One tidbit Deb shared has sat in my head as a good default for making these decisions:
What will make someone walk across a room to see the painting? Of course you should choose the options that would do that!

Pastel painting by Deb Quinn-Munson -- what shimmer! 

Deb offers instruction

As important as composition is, Deb mentioned that composition doesn't get credit for its role in good paintings. No one really says, "Wow! What composition in that painting!"

Workshop attendees give each other guidance 

Diane Scotti with her pastel of waterlilies

Diane Scotti's work in progress

She encouraged us to be deliberate with our marks and to make bold, decisive paintings:
"You only get to hit it once -- maybe twice. That's it."

Workshop in full swing with everyone painting!

The start of my painting - Kim Morin Weineck 

Kathy Hutchinson's work-in-progress
(apologies for the crooked photo)

The day ended all too soon. Perhaps Deb will be invited yet again to instruct another aspect of pastel painting!

Deb Quinn-Munson and I at the end of a great day

Thanks for reading! ~kmw

Our own Ellen Little on Chronicle discussing a new venue!

From Foxboro Art Association artist, Lisa Bloom:

Chronicle on ABC is airing a piece called “Hidden Treasures” which is featuring our own Ellen Little being interviewed for the new Artist’s Alley at Winsmith Mill Marketplace in Norwood. The show is tonight, April 2, at 7:30pm. Please check it out, and if you’re interested in having an exhibit there contact Lisa Bloom at lbloom4@comcast.net for information.

Also, like them on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/WINSMITHMILLMARKET

Very exciting stuff! 

January Demonstrator :: Ann Gorbett

Our January demonstrator was palette knife painter Ann Gorbett. 

Ann Gorbett with some of her palette knife
paintings before the demonstration began

Ann gave the members an overview of her artistic experience which led her to paint exclusively in palette knife and then started painting. Someone in the audience commented that her painting process seemed similar to icing a cake since she only uses a knife. Ann responded that it was similar and that she had 'painted' a cake before copying a Van Gogh! 

Ann Gorbett at work with her image reflected
in our demonstration mirror above

A few comments of note from the demonstration:

-Ann uses a reddish underpainting, this way she doesn't have to 'cover all the holes'

-Mottled paint in a color mixture can make the painted area more interesting

-try to complete the painting in the fewest strokes

-'noodling' a painting can lose the freshness of saying more with less

-sometimes scraping a painting can result in amazing chance results

If you attended the demonstration, what was your takeaway? Please share in the comments!

Thanks, Ann, for a great demo. 

UPDATE :: Christine Bodnar

As mentioned in my prior post, Christine Bodnar left our meeting intending to rework the piece back in the studio.

Yesterday she messaged me this completed piece.

Christine Bodnar
completed pastel 

And the demo piece.

Christine Bodnar
pastel demonstration FAA

Thank you for a great demonstration, Christine!

Thanks for reading, ~Kim Weineck

May Demonstrator :: Christine Bodnar

At the FAA May meeting, Christine Bodnar was our demonstrator, and she showed us step-by-step her process to make a loose, expressionist, pastel landscape painting. 

She started with a drawing in three colors. For a landscape she said she often focuses on magentas and purples for her underpainting colors. 

The drawing complete and Christine Bodnar lays in her underpainting tones. 

Christine uses PastelMat which has been dry mounted. After her drawing is complete, she uses water and a big brush from the hardware store. She wets the pastel, and the pastel becomes a loose watercolor underpainting of the wet pastel pigment.

Christine Bodnar's completed underpainting

Christine worked quickly and efficiently. The members were interested in watching the piece develop, asking pertinent questions about the work and the pastel medium. 

Members watch in rapt attention

 

Christine's demonstration at the end of her demo wasn't complete because she had left some of her required colors at home. Even without those select color notes, this painting is a wonderful example of the medium and her preferred technique. 

Christine Bodnar's demonstration painting at meeting's end

Christine's smaller pastel study

Some of Christine Bodnar's supplies, imagery, and her pastel study

Discussing her work with her pastel demonstration on easel

Christine Bodnar's demo piece

Christine Bodnar's small pastel sketch 

Christine mentioned she was going to rework her piece. When she does, I'll be sure to post it here as a follow up. 

Thanks for reading!

Kim Morin Weineck 

Pastel workshop overview :: Deb Quinn-Munson

Saturday, St Patrick's Day, Foxboro Art Association offered a pastel workshop with Deb Quinn-Munson. The focus was on underpainting and Deb demonstrated the technique of underpainting with oil for a pastel painting. Very interesting and vibrant!

Cindy Kerr listens to Deb's demo

Those in attendance were privy to a plethora of helpful information about painting, composition, underpainting options, etc. Deb even provided each participating artist with a sample piece of Ampersand PastelBord. How wonderful free gifts are! 

Deb mixes her underpainting colors in oil. 

Deb is an acclaimed artist and was well-known to many workshop participants. She's been the cover artist for the Artist's magazine and will be featured in an article in the same magazine this coming fall. 

The cover was beautiful and only the light on the water
and the boater is done in pastel - the rest is oil underpaiting! 

Deb is a consummate professional and came to the workshop thoroughly prepared with examples of her planned demonstration. Watching her develop her sheet of blank Wallis paper to nearly the level of completed pastel she brought to show us was a wonderful learning experience for everyone there.

Deb's pastel demo on easel and the completed piece near the window. 

Personally I was so busy working I didn't get to take photos of everyone working or their individual pieces except for this one of Kathy working on her successful venture and mine below. 

Kathy Hutchinson's successful workshop creation. 

Kim Weineck's workshop creation. What fun this was! 

Some pearls of wisdom from the workshop:

Put as little pastel on the piece as you can. 

Use a light touch at the beginning.

Flirt with applying the pastel at the onset. 

To remove a mistaken application of pastel, just brush it off. 

No color exists in a vacuum. 

Something is appealing about lighter colors on top of darker ones. 

Skies are good places to experiment with color. 

Always watch shapes and marks you create. 

Museum glass is wonderful but expensive. 

Think about the re-doing something as losing it and finding it again. 

Move around the painting so things develop at a consistent pace. 

Go for it and don't be afraid!

Blue tape can adversely affect your color decisions. 

Remove the wrappers to your pastels and break them up!

Color gets all the glory. Value does all the work. 

Start with the focal point. Don't paint yourself into a corner. 

Thank you, Nancy Bacevich, for organizing this fantastic day! 

Spring Show set up

When I popped into the Art Gallery at Patriot Place I found four people diligently working toward hanging all the beautiful submitted work.

Frank Quinn, FAA president, and FAA member
Steve Cross hang the pastel section of the show

What a talented membership we have!

Please excuse the blurry photo of Paula dePierro, FAA treasurer,
and FAA member Nancy Bacevich. They were moving so fast hanging
labels and getting things in order this was the best I could get! 

Our reception is this Saturday, March 10, 2012 from 2-5pm. Will you join us?

November Demo Recap and Resources

Hello,  Foxboro Art Association! As promised here is a blog summary of the demonstration I did for your November meeting. This post is a long one, but it's jam-packed with good source information about a bunch of topics discussed at the meeting.

Please feel free to contact me with a comment on this blog or by emailing kimweineck@gmail.com should you have further questions. It would be my pleasure to help. 

**********

RECAP OF STUDIES CREATED AT THE DEMO

The nearly two-hour demo concentrated on four different surfaces and somehow I quickly was able to sketch four (!) paintings to show just how varied these surfaces can be.

Sennelier's Pastel Card is my favorite and so it was my opener. I created this landscape with two hay bales on dry-mounted charcoal colored Pastel Card. I find the paper, with its cork tooth, grabs color vibrantly.

©2011 Kim Morin Weineck
WORK IN PROGRESS: Hay Bales
original pastel, 12x16"
Sennelier Pastel Card

The next surface was Canson Mi-Teintes paper, which has two distinct sides. The 'right' side (with the Canson watermark) offers a zillion small circular 'nubbies' on it which I am constantly feeling the need to eradicate. I have a hard time with this paper on the 'right' side, but this paper keeps you 'true' and the effect of it can be soft and beautiful.

A member made the observation that this piece looked like it had a netting over the entire surface - the exact 'nubbies' I'm describing! Yes, I think you're right on!

©2011 Kim Morin Weineck
WORK IN PROGRESS: Marsh Light
original pastel, 12x16"
Canson Mi-Teintes paper, RIGHT side

If you turn this Canson Mi-Teintes paper over to the 'wrong side, an entirely different effect is achieved. No 'nubbies' are there. It's smoother and, for my way of working, I enjoy myself more as I am not fighting the paper the entire time I'm painting. The pastel pigment sits nicely on the paper, simple as that. 

©2011 Kim Morin Weineck
WORK IN PROGRESS: Hay Bales
original pastel, 12x16"
Canson Mi-Teintes paper, WRONG side

To finish up the demo, I painted this incredibly dull start of a pastel which needs so much work I nearly didn't post it here. For the purposes of being accurate, I'm including it, pride be damned!

PastelMat by Clairefontaine is a relatively new surface which is so mind-boggling in its ability to accept more and more pastel and yet confounds because it has no tooth or grit to grab the pigment. The paper I had was white, and a lot is still showing through. More work to be done, but those in attendance got to see how one works on the surface. 

©2011 Kim Morin Weineck
WORK IN PROGRESS: Marsh Stream
original pastel, 12x16"
PastelMat

My goal is to finish up what I can on these and post when they're completed. I hope I can keep on this positive flow of energy since the demonstration this week and get to them soon! Please cut me some slack on these studies. They were done in great haste and aren't refined yet.

****************

RESOURCES AND QUESTIONS ANSWERED:
People asked me some wonderful, pertinent questions about materials. Keep in mind that this is my opinion. Please experiment and enjoy your own process of discovery! I'm reluctant to use the word 'best' here, but in my opinion, that's what they are!

The plein air set

The best go-to set of pastels for plein-air:
Sennelier's 80 half-stick set for Plein Air

The best paper for plein-air:
Sennelier's Pastel Card pad in either size available

The best fixative to protect your pastel and not have too much dulling of color:
Lascaux fixatif

The pastels I used for the demonstration:
Sennelier (so beautiful with Sennelier Pastel Card), Unison (loved these with the PastelMat surface), Terry Ludwig, Nupastel, and Girault.

The best sources for on-line ordering of pastel supplies:
Dakota Art Pastels
Dick Blick
Jerry's Art A Rama
Terry Ludwig

Please find me online at kimmorinweineck.blogspot.com and follow my blog, should you like.
I'm also at Gallery9 at Custom Art Framing as the Gallery Director. I'd be delighted to see you there.

What a wonderful experience it was to test myself for this demo. The crowd was wonderful with amazingly on-point questions and such encouraging comments.

Thank you to Foxboro Art Association for having me!

November Demonstrator :: Kim Morin Weineck

©2011 Kim Morin Weineck
CLOUDS AND CONIFERS
original pastel, 16x12"

Kim Morin Weineck will demonstrate various techniques in pastel related to the wide variety of surfaces available for use in the medium at our next meeting, November 8th at 7pm St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Foxboro, MA

©2011 Kim Morin Weineck
BEACH BIKE
original pastel, 16x12"

More information can be found about Kim and her classes on her blog kimmorinweineck.blogspot.com and on her Facebook page: Kim Morin Weineck's Art and on Twitter @kimweineck.