Plein Air or Not Plein Air that is the Question!

So, I posed this question on the facebook page for plein air painters.  Let me tell you why.  I have a home in Hilton Head which has a beautiful view of the marsh with a creek winding through it and out to the sound.  I paint this frequently from my yard, my deck or, in inclement weather, from my enclosed porch.  So, I just wanted to know what others thought.  I also have heard of people painting from their car or van.  I even heard of someone outfitting a small trailer (large enough to stand in) with a picture window so that they could paint in virtually any weather condition.

So, the first response  was that any painting I did, when looking at the actual scene was "en plein air".  The second responder agreed.  The third thought it was ok to paint from your car but the porch was not "plein air" and the apparent reason was you didn't have to deal with all the possible problems of painting "en plein air".   Personally, I don't get that she thought painting from the car was ok but the enclosed porch was not but, I welcome all opinions.

But, I ask, if painting from my enclosed porch is considered "plein air" painting then what if I set up a bouquet of flowers in natural light and paint it?  What if the bouquet is outside and I am inside?
I think that is going a little far.

I don't think this argument will ever be settled and I venture to say that if any painter has a paintable view from a window in their home they should just go for it.  Call it plein air - the only thing which being in the enclosed porch effects is the comfort of the painter.  I still have all that great light bouncing around and can still see the cloud patterns moving across the marsh and the incredible sky evolution.  So, I guess it is up to the individual.  But I do know that there is nothing quite like standing outside, in a field or by a stream and listening to the birds, beavers or whatever and being in that moment, splashing paint all over the canvas and feeling completely one with nature.

This is a small section of the panoramic view from my house and was taken late in the day on which we had a very high tide.  Small wonder I take advantage of my porch view when the weather is adverse.  Plein air or not plein air - you be the judge.

Getting into the Swing of Things Again

Well, I have done two paintings in the last two days.  The one I did today is the first in a number of flower paintings I intend to do for my upcoming show at the Coastal Discovery Museum, Hilton Head, SC and the other in Gates Mills, Ohio in May and June.  I hope I can assemble a lot of inventory for the shows as well as the gallery up north.  Inventory doesn't really sound like the appropriate word for assembling a large number of paintings but, it works.

This is my piece today - the pitcher was a tired silver pitcher I found in a thrift store and the peonies are silk but they have the feel of the real thing.

Oh, and I got some good news yesterday - I happened to call Chestnut Hill Home (a store that carries my work) and they had sold 5 of my paintings - yay.  With the wedding coming up I could use some extra cash.

Maggie Siner Day 3

We have models now - two of them and Maggie has arranged them with great emphasis on the dark winding up through the picture plane.  Once again we start with our gray grounded canvas and then, in an abstract way, define the line of the dark through the canvas.  Really more like identifying the dark as it travels around the painting's plain.

Then wipe it off until nothing but a pale reference shows and start painting.  Once again we were to start mixing the color of the correct value and placing a mark on the canvas.  This should be done all over the painting - not just filling in one spot but a mark.

I think I forgot to mention in my last post that when trying to identify the color of an object or area one should look at something else.  I can't remember the logic in this other than it had something to do with the peripheral vision and seeing the true color as it relates to the colors around it rather than just the local color.

So below is my painting of the model - Ms. Siner's comments were:

Her face looked like it had been run over by a car but that could be corrected with a couple of strokes.
(I am not a people painter and the strokes she is referring to would be her strokes, not mine)

She loved the way the darks ran up through the painting on from the bottom and up along the scarf and she loved the focal point of the scarf and it's draping.

It is interesting and challenging for me to paint a model.  I would love to try it some more in the future.

The next and last exercise we did was to look at a portion of a still life and paint all the warm areas with a turped down orange and all the cool areas with a turped down blue.  This was very challenging, largely because most of us chose sections of the still life arrangements that were just too large. I don't really have a photo of this because I just tossed it when I left but In know that everyone found this difficult and not a lot of fun.  Plus it was late in the day and we were tired .  

This was followed by a talk on colors and the relationship between colors.  How when you put a color next to another color it will effect the first color.  (the cool/warm factor)  

All in all, the workshop was great - I might even take another from her - I would certainly consider trying to go to Provence to paint with her - speaking of which I know there are two more slots open.  Moi, you say - unfortunately/fortunately all my efforts will be directed toward my daughters wedding. Maybe next year.

Maggie Siner Workshop: Day 1 and 2

I am not sure what I expected but probably not the petite, flurry of energy and life, person that Maggie Siner is.  She started out the workshop with a slide show featuring, not her work, but the work of other artists through the ages.   From early Eastern Chinese (maybe Japanese, not sure) ink drawings, to Rembrandt and then impressionists, her intention was to show how brush stroke and value create great paintings.  The gesture can lead the viewer into and throughout the painting creating a sense of mood, whether it is drama, excitement or calm.  The gesture informs the viewer.

I think in our subconscious we all get that but it doesn't always bubble to the surface of my brain when I need it most.

So, she started us out with a diluted saucer of india ink and a bamboo brush and had us make strokes on a large newsprint pad (without looking) expressing our feelings about various things.  The two here are fear and breath.  Then we were to draw various objects she had set up, both were done with continuous strokes.

Then on to 3 color value studies using the same brush and diluted india ink.

Then we toned our canvas with turp and raw umber and wiped it off until it was dry for a 3 color value study.

She had laboriously arranged a number of still lifes around the room from which we could select our subject matter.  And yes, for anyone who has seen info about other workshops she had the dreaded hand (don't have a picture) among the still life objects.  I didn't opt to paint it.

Then lastly she let us use color.

She did demo in a fashion.  Her initial demonstration was about finding the pattern of dark in the painting.  She would start from the edge of the painting (always) and move through the painting in an abstract way sketching out the dark.  Then she would wipe this down until only a suggestion of it remained.  Down the road she started working on value.  She would put strokes of paint in the correct color and value randomly (meaning in their correct place but working throughout the canvas) on the canvas, identifying the lightest light 

and the darkest dark and all other values.  She was not filling in shapes at this point, just establishing color and values.

The next day we worked with models and did an exercise which completely frustrated me.  I will talk about that tomorrow.  And, I think I should add here, that I am showing you what I did for informational purposes - not that it truly demonstrates her ideas or methods.  I was just a student endeavoring to improve my painting ability.  But, her methods changed me and I think will help further the evolution of my painting ability.

Heading to Jacksonville for a Maggie Siner Workshop

Today I leave for Jacksonville and the Corse Gallery.  The opening ceremony (have been watching the winter olympics) for this 3 day workshop is tonight.  If you have never seen her work go to her web site
Maggie Siner  and check out - there is a sense of mystery and poetry to her work - I love the way she grays down much of the painting and puts the punch of color in to jump at you.  I will keep you posted about this workshop as I go through it.

I will say this though, the supply list was lengthy and I can not see us using all of the stuff she requires.  I wish these artists would tailor their supply list to the workshop they are doing - if it is 3 days only don't ask for someone to go out and purchase stuff that just won't be used.  Oh, well - I guess the only things I suspect I won't use are the 3 sheets of watercolor paper - and maybe the india ink and Japanese brush.  I may have to eat my words if I end up using everything.  :-)

I have a beautiful day for traveling!

Valentine's Day

Well, a change in the weather made Valentine's Day in South Carolina lovely.  My husband got to play golf and I got to do some organizing for my dessert party (after a wonderful dinner at The Studio on Hilton Head).  I love this place for a number of reasons - first they have a great selection of vegan and vegetarian items.  Secondly, and for my carnivore husband, they have a great selection of meat prepared (according to him) perfectly.

Because I try to be vegan at home and will eat seafood when dining out or when invited to a friends house for dinner, Ed gets a slab of meat and he has to prepare it.  And given that he is anything but a gourmet chef he usually throws it in a non stick scan pan on the stove and cooks it with a cover.  So, when given the option of having lamb chops with a port wine sauce or duck with some sort of sauce he jumps at it.

Back to my dessert party, though.  I served a povlava.  For those of you unfamiliar with this dish it is native to New Zealand and is a meringue that is crunchy on the outside and soft in the center.  Normally it is served with piles of fresh fruit and whipped cream - my addition to the dessert was to create a cointreau whipped cream and sprinkle the whole thing with grated dark chocolate.  I wish I had taken a picture but I didn't.

We popped a bottle of champagne and had cappuccino made with my wonderful Nespresso machine and frother.

As so, another Valentine's Day comes to a close.  Now I have to organize to leave for Jacksonville tomorrow for a workshop with Maggie Siner at Corse Gallery.  YAY - I bet this will jump start my painting!

A New Painting Method

I am primarily a plein air painter.  That being said the weather this winter has not been too cooperative.

So - when faced with a problem find a solution, right?  Right!  So, we found a 40" television - a Westinghouse (who'ld of thunk it) for $250.00 to use as a  3rd TV for our superbowl party and now, post superbowl, I have turned it into a large monitor for my Ipad photos. All I needed was an adapter for the Ipad and a HDMI cable and voila!  I can paint using that photo reference rather then heading outside into the bone chilling and damp cold.

Do I hear a collective groan and sense some eye-rolling here?  Anyone who follows my blog, has visited my website or knows me realizes that I am in South Carolina for the winter and the weather is nothing compared to Cleveland (or virtually any of the northern cities) this year.  But, none the less, when you can't get warm inside the house (our house in S.C. has no insulation and is heated via a heat pump) then it is very difficult to stand outside in the damp, windy and cold weather outside.

So, here is the first painting done with my new method.  The title is Goldenrod on Cape Cod and it is 6 x 6 inches.

It is available on http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Artists/barbara-benedict-jones-4356