Liz Wiltzen-A Painter's Journal

Celebrating the Gift

2011-12-24T14:35:00.000-07:00

"Among Friends"
Watercolour - 14x21"
Limited Edition prints available

Christmas seems to be a time that inspires reflection on the year we've just lived. As we do this in a year where many artists have experienced a slow down in sales, I think a check in with our hearts is enormously valuable. What if we focused a little less on how sales or career "success" went (even it went swimmingly), and a bit more on how connected we felt with that wonderful, creative flame that burns inside of us.

There is a gift we artists have been given that can sometimes get lost when looking through the lens of material accomplishment, a gift that is kind of the whole point. We get to experience the wonder of taking a flat, white surface and creating a whole world on it in a matter of hours. This is so incredibly cool that at times it takes my breath away. If I never made another dollar from my art, this alone would be worth the ride. :-)

On another note, there is a Christmas post on my blog, The Art of Living Attuned, that I would really love to share with you. Please stop by if you have a moment.

Merry Christmas amazing painter friends, see you on the other side.

Scottsdale Best and Brightest 2012

2011-12-01T17:48:00.004-07:00

"Place Saint-Michel - Paris"
Oil on linen - 12 x 24"
purchase info

I'm proud to report the above painting was juried into the Scottsdale School of Fine Art "Best and Brightest" show. The show will run from January 5th to March 25th, 2012. I'll post a link to the show when they have one active on their site.

Quick side note to those of you who view my blog in your email readers - when I post a video on my blog, unfortunately it won't show up in the email. However, if you click on my blog title in the email, it's an active link that will take you straight into the blog where you can view the video. (In the case of my last post if you couldn't view the video, just click on the post title in this email and once you arrive at my blog, scroll down one post to find it.)

25 minutes well spent

2011-11-26T21:21:00.000-07:00

A fellow painter who I've been trying to connect with (we will soon Jacquie, I promise!!) recently sent me this TED video.

I am in awe of, and so inspired by how this man has used his art in the world. Very worth watching if you have the time.

5 Keys to Guaranteed Growth as an Artist

2011-11-06T14:18:00.004-07:00

"NaPali Coast"
Oil on Linen - 4x10"
Click here to bid

Do you bring the qualities of a highly engaged learner to your journey as an artist?

In observing many learners over the last few years, and continuing to be a very keen one myself, I have noticed that there are key ways to show up that facilitate accelerated learning.

I just taught a 4 day plein air workshop in Kauai, and the workshop participants ranged from some with years of painting experience to one wonderfully enthusiastic woman who was picking up a paint brush for the very first time in her life. Over the 4 days I had the joy of watching each of them have their own personal breakthroughs and move to a deeper level in their painting.

They worked hard, laughed a lot, cheered each other on, and grew in their skill as painters, in large part because each one of them brought these important elements of learning to the game:

Beginner's Mind
Knowing stuff is good, but it can block the way to new good stuff coming in. Practice moving what you already know from its position of priority - let it rest in the background while you create space for what there still is to learn.

Willingness to be Uncomfortable
It's amazing how many people greet this idea with enormous resistance. Like being uncomfortable is a bad thing. What if it's a good thing? What if it's a big fat doorway into awesome? I would argue it is, because that's where the growth lives.

If you're comfortable - you're stagnant. Doing the same old thing over and over. All that does is keep getting you better at what you already know. What about all the cool stuff you haven't discovered yet?

Full Engagement and Curiosity
Ok, so if you're willing to embrace the first two ideas, then bring along with you an undefended openness to the learning. Stand on the precipice of "What's possible here?", wildly curious, and dive in with both feet and a wide open heart. The best learners embrace the joy of not knowing and the adventure of finding out.

Relinquish Attachment to Outcome
Now that you're open, ready and set to learn, you will gain the most benefit if you can do one more thing. This is the most difficult, and most essential mindset to stand in. Let go of needing the painting to "work out in the end." I know - hard, but try. Play with paint, dance in the creative process, try things on, don't worry if they're right or wrong, just try them.

Workshops are not about performance pieces, they're about playing scales, learning new notes, seeing what it's like to play standing on one foot. Moving at top speed. Or in slow motion. Backwards. Upside down. Blindfolded.

Learning is about: "What happens if I stand in a place I've never been, what will I see that I have missed until now? How will this grow me? What magic is possible when I stretch beyond what I already know?"

A Little Faith
Expect to feel bumbly, inept, out of control, like you've stepped backwards in your skill level. It's part of the deal. Even though it may not feel like it now, you are expanding yourself in ways that will show up in the most unexpected places down the road. Trust this and give yourself to the learning - it will pay huge dividends in the end.

The Kauai gang - 2011

Brush Cleaning Tips from the Pros

2011-10-28T01:23:00.000-06:00

"Pair of Reds"
Oil on Linen - 6x8"
Click here to bid

If I was an independently wealthy being, my studio would be equipped with an assistant who's number one job would be cleaning brushes. One of my least favourite painting tasks, I sometimes put it off as long as possible before doing a thorough clean.

That said, your brushes are your tools, and caring for them well will go a long way toward getting the most out of them, both in longevity and function.

I recently stumbled across a great article with cleaning tips from several artists, you can view it here.

How I tackle mine:

Wipe off all the excess paint with paper towel.
Give it a good swish or two in thinner (I use Gamblin Gamsol), followed by another good wipe with paper towel
I then use Master's Brush Cleaner (the big tub), but dish soap or bar soap will also do.
Get some soap on the brush and then using the palm of your hand, the inside of half a tennis ball, or the bottom of the sink - swirl it around to loosen up the paint and give it a good rinse - repeat this step until no more color comes out of the brush.
Finally I dry it, dip it in Turpenoid Natural, and give it a quick wipe leaving some of the turpenoid in to condition the hairs.

If I have 10-15 brushes in various sizes, this job takes 20-30 minutes, so I usually only do it about once a week. I don't use a quick dry medium or alkyd paints, so the paint in the brushes is still soft enough to be easily removed by this process as long as I wipe the excess paint out and give them a swish in Gamsol at the end of each painting session.

Great music is a definite asset. Choose your mood and get down. :-)

How to See in Value

2011-10-09T22:54:00.004-06:00

Still life value study - 6x6" (demo)

A couple of months ago I put out a challenge to anyone who wanted to take on doing 50 value studies in 30 days, ideally from life. We also set up a challenge over on the Daily Paintworks site for those who wanted to simply take one crack at it. (This challenge is still on if you want to join in.)

The idea is to use only 4 values (white and black included) to portray your subject. What this forces you to do is make decisions about where values must be pushed darker or lighter to stay within the limited range, which has the serendipitous outcome of shapes naturally being linked together into interesting patterns. Result: strong design sneaks in the back door while you're busy thinking about reducing values. Kinda like magic.

Is working from a B&W reference cheating?

One of the painters over at DPW, Gloria Zucaro, wrote to ask: "As I am preparing to do the challenge of the week I am wondering if it is "cheating" to see the values in your color photo by turning them to grayscale?"

A key skill you are working on developing with this kind of exercise is honing your ability to see color as value, one of the most difficult things to learn in our artistic journey. The more you develop this skill, the stronger your paintings will become as you learn to design great patterns of light and shadow while looking at a subject in color. Printing a B&W photo is not so much cheating as it is taking a short cut that bypasses a valuable learning opportunity.

50 in 30 - the learning:

Jason Gunby (would link to his blog but he doesn't have one - yet) was one of the few artists who took my 50 in 30 challenge all the way to the end (super proud of you Jason!) One of his efforts is shown above. I absolutely love the abstract quality of this study. There is a strong, balanced variety of shape size and he has used form and line in a dynamic way to pull the viewer in.

Here's the wisdom Jason reported back after completing the challenge:

"Once I did a few studies I found that my attempts were pretty weak. At that point (like you said on your blog) I realized that this could be an important opportunity for growth. In the process of painting these value studies, helped by sheer repetition of the challenge, I rediscovered the value of relaxing and accepting the struggle and whatever my best efforts created. In doing so I began to enjoy the process of painting more--as in this quote 'artwork is more of a verb than a noun'. "

Great work Jason, and I also want to send out a big congrats to Sunny Delmer who dug in as well and stuck it out to the end. You guys rock!

Heli-Painting with Robert Genn - 2011

2011-09-22T19:34:00.003-06:00

Photo of Tamarak Glen in the Bugaboos.

The weather gods smiled on us this year for our 2nd heli-painting trip into the Bugaboo mountains of British Columbia. We had 3 days of bluebird skies- spectacular! Tamarak Glen is an especially powerful location with so many compositions it's a challenge to narrow it down - the requests rolled in for more time here next year.

For those of you wondering how this kind of a trip works - here's the goods:

The accommodation is a gorgeous lodge in the most unlikely backcountry wilderness with private rooms, queen size beds and feather duvets. The cuisine is 5 star, and all the painters gather for dinner each night to share and relive the day's adventures. The lodge also has a hot tub on the roof, so often the conversation continues while floating around under a starlit sky. This year there were stars, a full moon and Northern Lights - pretty nearly perfect.

Robert Genn painting at Pearl

Each day we fly by helicopter to one or two magnificent locations, and once we have been deposited and the heli has left, the painting begins. Robert and I do demos and lots of circulating and giving feedback and pointers, but the priority is painting time for the artists, and often we all just paint together as a group.

Nathan Cao, Bob Genn and Don Hodgins on Rocky Point Ridge.

There are two things I've noticed each year we have immersed ourselves in this truly unique environment to paint - the artists improve in leaps and bounds, and a wonderful bond forms between the group that is fostered by engaging in a shared experience filled with camaraderie, challenge and heart-stoppingly beautiful inspiration.

Robert about to demo on Black Forest Ridge

Each painter develops a whole lot of work, anywhere from 5-15 studies each, and on the last night we gather them all together for review and critique. It is truly moving to see well over 100 paintings created in 3 days by one group of artists. So cool to observe the incredibly varied ways of seeing the same landscape, and each person's clear progress from beginning to end as they find their feet and became more deeply connected with the environment.

The crew - 2011.

Heli-painting is a truly extraordinary adventure. If you'd like to join us next year, more details can be found here.

Please log on to my Flickr link if you want to see more photos from this year's trip. (Make sure you click on slideshow view to see the best quality images.)

Paintings from the trip coming soon!

The #1 Reason to Enter Juried Shows

2011-09-08T19:04:00.000-06:00

"Denman Island"
oil on linen - 14 x 24"

I recently read an article titled: Awards and Ribbons - Who Really Cares? While the author, Jack White, makes some valid points about cost vs. financial payback, and the potential for misguided egoic motivation in this pursuit - I believe a very important payoff is missing from his argument.

If you don't read his entire article (though I think you should) - it makes the point: "All the juried ribbons and plastic trophies will not help you generate any real sales or give you fame. What do you want to do, win ribbons or earn money?"

These are two options available to us. I would like to add: What if your goal is to become the best artist you can in this lifetime?

Raising the Bar
Is there space for more than simply winning awards or selling paintings? I believe some of us go after the awards not because we think the awards will sell our art, but because of what happens to our art in pursuit of them.

If you want to play in the big leagues you have to hone your skills to a big league level. There is a vast difference between assessing your painting from the perspective, "Is it saleable?", and a perspective that asks, "Could it hold it's own beside the high caliber painters that will likely be entering this show?"

If your primary focus is making money, this might feel like the long way around. Perhaps unnecessary. Perhaps even a recipe for disappointment and dissatisfaction.

If your primary focus is mastery, I propose there's enormous value to be had here, despite the sometimes frustratingly high costs associated with it. As for the sting of rejection, put your game face on - stiff competition is the point.

Determined Practice
Ultimately it comes down to what Daniel Coyle, author of The Talent Code, calls 'determined practice'. You will get somewhat better putting 10,000 hours of brush time behind you.

You will achieve excellence and rise to the top of your game if the 10.000 hours includes consistently focusing on your weaknesses with the intent to replace them with both skillful handling of your chosen medium, and mastery of the underlying principles of painting in general.

I believe in the end this choice will lead you to both extraordinary satisfaction with your art, and the financial compensation that it deserves. (Patience and faith required.)

"Los Cuatro Amigos"
oil on linen - 16 x 20"

"Denman Island", featured at the top of the this post, was recently juried into the 2nd Annual AIRS show hosted by the Federation of Canadian Artists in Vancouver this October.

"Los Cuatro Amigos" has just been juried into the Oil Painters of America 2011 Regional Exhibition . (Some of you may recall that this painting also won Best of Show this March in the Raymar Fine Art Competition.)

I love that these paintings got accepted - and - both of them were declined from the first shows I entered them in. When a painting is rejected, I do my best to take an even harder critical look at it, and if it still feels like one of my better works, I send it back out there for another lap in front of the judges. If you know in your heart your piece has merit, it's worth trying a few shows before retiring it from the competition circuit, while working in the background to create paintings that soar even higher!

Top 5 Reasons You Won't Get into Juried Shows

2011-09-04T17:18:00.001-06:00

"Early Evening - the Bow River"
oil on linen - 6 x 8"

Daily Paintworks is currently hosting a "Help the Children of Africa" Challenge where several artists have posted paintings for sale by auction and agreed to donate all proceeds to this very worthy cause. The painting above is included in the auction, and whatever $ it raises will be matched dollar for dollar by the Canadian government. Yay! Head on over and check out the auctions!

On with the post:

The 5 reasons listed below are not the only ones, but they're among the most common. None of them are a reason to stop entering, and only one has to do with quality. Let's start there:

1) Your work isn't good enough (yet)
Painting is easy. Painting well is not. It requires years of dedicated practice to execute work that is strong on every level. Keep working.

2) The jurors don't like it (not the same as #1)
When I jury for a show, I find there are times when I am inclined to overlook technical shortcomings if the piece has strong emotional impact. I have worked with jurors who feel the exact opposite. And there are as many different ideas about what each of these things are as there are humans on the planet. Add to that maybe the juror was stalked by a psycho ballerina and is no way ever going to let a ballet inspired piece into a show. (Could happen.) Jurying is subjective. No way it can't be. Keep working.

3) Your style isn't the right fit for the show
Abstract work doesn't fit in a traditional show and vice versa. Good to view past years of the show you want to enter and ensure your work is a fit.

4) The field of submissions is large and good
Take the Oil Painters of America National Show. They regularly receive over 2500 entries from some of the top painters in North America, and usually accept about 250 pieces. In the 90% of declined entries, there simply have to be some outstanding paintings. What does that mean if your work gets declined? You're in some very good company. Keep working.

5) They've already filled the quota for your genre
Ok this one is speculation - but If your piece is so drop dead gorgeous that it stops everyone in their tracks, it's irrelevant anyway. Go do that!

Now that we've jumped in - stay tuned for my next post - "The #1 Reason to Enter Juried Shows".

Surefire route to solid design

2011-08-28T00:14:00.001-06:00

6x8" value study of a Maine shoreline

Just returned home from teaching a workshop in South Freeport, Maine. This demo was done to emphasize the value of values. :-)

Rule#1: Simplify, simplify, simplify. This is all about finding the large abstract shapes. If you take color out of the equation, it gets you looking at things in a whole new way.

When you're done your value study, stand back and ask yourself where you could link things together to strengthen your design. We need to remind ourselves again and again that we are not painting rocks, trees, water, sky. We are painting shape, value and color. And striving to employ a gorgeous variety of hard and soft edges to create depth, integration, texture and mystery.

Click for more tips on the whys of exploring your subject in this way.

The umbrella brigade hard at work. As offices go... I think we might be winning!

One of my students said she had an 8 hour car trip ahead of her and was looking for a way to work on her art while on the road.

There are a couple of games I often play when on long road trips. One is to squint down as I watch the passing landscape and compare the relative value of things. Use the number scale of 1 to 10, and really work on your ability to determine exactly what # one value is relative to another:

shadow on foreground bushes relative to shadow on background hills
blue sky relative to clouds.
what about the clouds? - sunny side to shadow side, verrrrrry subtle, half a value? Stormy? 3 values?

This will really fine tune your ability to assess value.

The other game is the "how would I mix that color?" game. As the landscape rolls by, ask yourself - what tubed colors would I use to mix the:

late evening sunlit hills
sunkissed mountains
what about the shadow sides? how would you neutralize the color?
morning sunrise filling the sky
is it one color at the horizon and another higher up?
what about the pavement? Exactly what would you use to nail that gray?

It's endless, and endlessly fascinating. You could even have a tiny palette in your lap and try to mix the colors you're seeing right there in the car (works better if you're not driving - steering wheel gets in the way.) If you decide to try this, I'd love to hear how it goes for you!

A huge thanks goes out to Bobbi Heath for inviting me out to Maine and organizing the workshop, including filling it with 12 AMAZING students! We had a fabulous 3 days together. You rock Bobbi!

Something New and A Little Magic

2011-08-12T18:18:00.001-06:00

"A Twist on Tulips"
Original Oil - 6"x8"

You thought I forgot about 50 Flowers in 100 Hours, didn't you? Not so! Just been sidetracked lately.

All proceeds from the sale of this painting will go to relief efforts for the current famine crisis in East Africa. In addition, the donated amount will be matched equally by the Canadian government. In other words - you get a painting and you'll be doin' a whole lotta good!

Something New
I'd like to step outside of the art forum for a moment and share some other news with you. This is my art blog, and I assure you it will remain dedicated to art related posts in the future, but I wanted to let you know about something else I've been up to.

In addition to taking and teaching a lot of workshops in the last year - I have also been pursuing something I'm as passionate about as I am painting - working toward certification as a life coach. It's something I've put off for years, thinking I already had a fantastic career, but the call just kept getting louder and I finally decided to go for it.

The journey from there to here has been enormously powerful and enlightening. I have learned so much about how we get in our own way, and how empowering it is to get really clear about our choices. I've been working with my own amazing coach for some time now, and we've been making some pretty big strides together.

What Is It?
If I were to sum it up, I would say that a great coaching relationship supports you in getting connected with your biggest, most fabulous vision for yourself, and then helps you go out there and get it! (Wimping out not an option.)

If you're curious to find out a bit more about what I'm doing as a coach, and the wonderful benefits of working with one, please check out my coaching website. I've also just started a coaching blog. It will be filled with all kinds of lift your spirit, conquer those naysayer voices kind of inspiration, so if that interests you, please drop on over and have a look.

And Now a Little Magic
This crossed my path a few days ago and I thought you would love it - a most amazing time lapse video of night turning to day in a very special place in the world. Click on the little white icon on the bottom (to the right of the blue HD) to watch it full screen.

Plein Air Tip and a Big Fat Challenge

2011-08-05T20:24:00.001-06:00

"The Sunshine Coast"
Original oil - 6"x8"

What trips you up the most in plein air painting? It's a good thing to ponder. Once you have an answer, there is huge value in focusing on that particular thing the next few times you go out.

For me it's detail and design. Seeing past all the detail - and the challenge of finding a good design. Here is one exercise that will really help you address both of these issues at once:

Do a quick (15 minute) value study of the scene - in paint - using only black, white and one or two mid-tone grays.

Photo of scene

6x8" value study

Remember the goal is not to copy the scene. It's to create a strong design. As you go - squint and compare, and be exploring:

how to eliminate detail
where to link shapes to create an interesting pattern of light and dark
where you can lose edges by bringing values close together (to connect shapes)
where to push values lighter or darker to strengthen your design
what stays - what goes

Lots of folks do value studies with pencil in a sketch pad. I prefer to do them in paint as it gets me thinking about edges and brushwork at the same time that I'm sorting out simplification and design. This was a workshop demo so there is no finished painting to show, but you get the idea.

Big Fat Challenge:

A few of my students have taken on a challenge to do 50 of these studies in the next 30 days. If any of you want to do the same, jump on in. Once you've done 50, send me a photo of your best one, and a photo of the scene it was done from, and I'll post a selection of them here on my blog later in the fall. Bonus - you have until September 30th to get me your image. :-)

On another note, I am only teaching one Daily Painting workshop this year. It will be in my Canmore studio Oct. 1st-3rd. For more details please click here.

Sunshine Coast plein air workshop

2011-07-30T12:57:00.001-06:00

"Gibsons Landing"
Original oil 6x8"
Click here to bid

Robert Genn and I taught a plein air workshop on the Sunshine Coast last week. I taught 4 days and Robert parachuted in for a couple of demos and some wonderful sharing of wisdom mid-week.

Robert doing a demo for the group

I have watched Robert paint several times in the past, but this time I was particularly struck by what an intuitive painter he is. He spends a few moments resting in his custom designed painting rig (has to be seen live and in person to be fully appreciated), and then he begins his process of shape making on the canvas, pulling ideas from all that is in front of him, rather than a particular, specific scene. His strength as a plein air painter seems to me to be in his wonderful ability to bring his imagination to the game. He adds so much of himself to the scene, a bright red spot here, a gorgeous gradation there, an expert balancing of elements that leads to a compelling and captivating design. "Commit and correct" is his mantra, it's all about finding out.

Robert's demo in progress (acrylic on canvas)

This is a demo before the important next steps of glazing and refining, but you can see the strength of design and interesting elements that are already present, ready to be pulled together in the final stages. Sorry I didn't take a finished photo, so this is all you'll see unless you track the finished piece down online.

Next post I will talk about a couple of the exercises I worked on with the students that really seemed to support huge progress by all of them through the course of the week.

Burdick/Lyon workshop - Part 3

2011-07-14T23:09:00.005-06:00

"Doulton"
Oil on linen - 11x14"

This will be the final post on Scott and Sue's workshop.

This portrait of Doulton (Sue's Spanish teacher) was from the afternoon of the 10th day, when things finally began to click in and integrate. Had some help from Scott on this one, and I loved painting it. Doulton posed for us twice, and there was something so wonderful about his energy - he had a big, easy smile and a warmth in his presence that was immensely captivating. It was super rewarding to bring all the learning into capturing the essence of this wonderful model.

Scott and Sue's morning demo of Doulton

"Begin in a slow, steady, meditative mindset" - Scott
"Don't work out of stress - work out of thoughtfulness." - Sue

We saw this demonstrated again and again - a slow, deliberate approach by each of them. And at least once every hour, Scott would spontaneously announce, somewhere between a question and a declaration, "Isn't this fun?!" - I was never quite sure if he meant it or if he was trying to convince himself - but it definitely seemed to keep him in the zone and connected with his process.

So here are some key pointers:

5 Darks of the Face: (when lit from above)

eye sockets
base of nose
top lip
beneath lower lip
under chin

Initial block-in:

Immediately establish the correct angle of the eyes, nose, mouth
Initially draw changes in angles, point to point - round things off later
Don't move off of one point until you're sure it's accurate (get eye correct before moving to nose, look for the smallest jumps possible, nose correct before moving to mouth)
Think only of shadow and light at first, the largest division of lights and darks
Squint and lose halftones to create the drama of light, otherwise you will over-model the lights and not make the shadows dark enough - everything will come too close to the middle
It's easy to make the halftones too dark, remember they belong to the light
Color isn't critical at this stage - value and temperature relationships are what's important
Open eyes to see color - squint down to see value

Once the block in is complete, begin refining shapes and edges, using halftones to turn form.

When you've got a lot done and are trying to decide what's next - ask:

Where is my lightest light?
Where is my darkest dark?
Where is my hardest edge?

Put these in and diminish everything else.

"I am not concerned with getting a likeness. My focus is on getting the drawing, shapes, values and colors correct - and trusting that this will result in a likeness." - Scott

You can see that almost all of these pointers are universal - your work will grow if you apply them to whatever subject matter you're painting. It's impossible to try and share in a few short blog posts all the learning that happened in a 10 day intensive workshop, but I hope these few things have been helpful, and inspired you to put these two wonderful teachers on your list of important ones to study with.

Burdick/Lyon workshop - Part 2

2011-07-04T13:06:00.005-06:00

Susan and Scott demo-ing quick sketch in tandem.

I have been home from the workshop for a week now, and as I am processing all the learning, my strongest feeling is what a truly great honor and privilege it was to study with these two incredibly gifted artists and teachers.

What I would like to share today is the biggest thing they impressed upon us every day of the workshop:

Confident, well honed drawing skills are essential for a painter to become masterful. Top level painting requires constant, careful attention to keeping these skills sharp, and drawing from life, because it is so much more difficult than working from photos, is the best way to achieve this end.

Scott Burdick - 45 minute figure demo

In the first few days I really couldn't believe how slooooooowly and carefully they had us drawing, insisting we were measuring, checking, rechecking - not moving from one point to another until we were sure where we were leaving was accurate. It felt truly painful to hold my attention for this long as all the old familiar voices that have kept me from focusing this intently on drawing in the past rose up: "It's close enough, my measuring tool is out of focus, it's too hard to see it accurately anyway, I can't find a measurement that matches, even when I measure it doesn't come out right (read: even when i measure incorrectly ...), this is way too hard, does it really matter? I'll fix it later..." and they just kept circling the room, reminding us again and again that "Artistic license comes after the careful, accurate drawing is mastered."

So I believed in them and stuck with it, and somewhere around day 4 or 5 it began to click into place. My drawings actually started to look like what I was drawing - well proportioned, everything fitting on the page exactly where I intended it, a little like magic. Timed perfectly to move us into painting, where we spent the next 5 days really experiencing how inextricably intertwined these two aspects of creating art are. More next post, for now I'll leave you with the workshop mantras:

Squint and compare. Slow down. Work carefully.
Squint and compare. Slow down. Work carefully.
Squint and compare. Slow down. Work carefully....

Susan Lyon - 45 minute figure demo

Scott Burdick/Susan Lyon workshop - Part 1

2011-06-24T20:59:00.003-06:00

Scott Burdick doing a charcoal sketch demo of a Planes of the Head mannequin. (Yup, he did hold the charcoal stick this far back for pretty much the whole drawing).

I'm currently in North Carolina with a couple of painting buddies taking a 10 day intensive workshop with Scott Burdick and Susan Lyon. 5 days drawing and 5 days painting the figure and portrait.

It is academic, thorough, methodical and packed with core fundamentals that are presented over and over in various exercises geared to really connect us with the value, importance and skill of seeing accurately. This workshop feels like I have landed in the middle of an art students league and I am LOVING it!

Our first demo was a basic charcoal drawing,. Throughout it Scott shared tons of info on how to sharpen your drawing tools, how to hold them, how much pressure to apply, how to use them for measuring, and what to look for and consider as your drawing is developing.

Charcoal, chalk stick, pastel pencil, and china marker, all sharpened to long, fragile points to force you to hold them far back and use a super light pressure.

The biggest tip this day was to begin with the big shapes of light and shadow, blocking in the abstract forms, keeping everything in either the light or the shadow. Lots of squinting and comparing to maintain a clear division, and keeping the half tones in the light, and the shadows dark enough to avoid losing the pattern of light and dark. After the demo we all drew a head model, and then the next day moved to quick sketches of the figure. Below is one of several I did that day.

"Naomi" - 45 minute charcoal sketch

I am learning sooooooo much, totally awesome. Scott and Sue are hugely knowledgeable, so kind and helpful, bending over backwards to make sure everyone (20 students) is getting enough attention and fully understanding the concepts they're teaching. They are top notch instructors and should be on every oil painter's hit list of artists to study with.

Sorry this is not a super articulate post, it's late and we are on day 7 of the 10 days, but I wanted to start to share some of what we are learning.

More great stuff here: Scott and Susan workshop Part 2 and Part 3.

FYI: The Planes of the Head mannequins are great academic tools for working on drawing skills in your studio. You can order them on the website linked here.

Start with the essence

2011-06-11T23:50:00.010-06:00

"Daisy" (block-in)
Original Oil - 6x6"

This was a demo from a recent workshop done to illustrate the concept of blocking in the large abstract shapes when beginning a painting. This is especially helpful when you are dealing with a complex subject (like 9 million petals). The trick is to really squint down and reduce your subject to the key shapes of light and shadow. The next step in this painting will be to begin to introduce detail and refine edges, but if you can capture the underlying structure and design elements of your subject then the detail rests on on a strong foundation. In this way less becomes more.

On another note, I will be teaching workshops in an interesting variety of locations over the next 4 months. Please click on the links below for more details:

Plein Air in Southfreeport, Maine - Aug. 19th-21st
Heli-painting in the Bugaboo Mountains, BC - Sept.6th-10th
Plein Air in Kauai, Hawaii - Oct. 24th-27th

Robert Genn's recent post opened the door on some differing perspectives about workshops. Here is mine:

We live in such a marvelous time - we have the ability to handpick the artists whose work we admire, and travel far and wide to share a few days learning from and talking art with them. If we are lucky a keen student or art group will bring a valuable teacher into our own back yard. These are golden opportunities. I am a huge believer in studying with fellow skilled artists as a means of deepening and broadening our own abilities. Painting is a highly complex pursuit with endless possibilities for advancement and improvement, and whatever we may know, there will be others who know something in addition to it.

At the very least, a good workshop will shake things up and push you out of your comfort zone. At best, it will give you some fresh ideas for exploration, and one or two pearls of wisdom you will carry with you for the rest of your painting life. As well as teaching workshops, I take at least one a year. It has become my process when I return from a workshop to dedicate myself to honing the best of the skills I've learned, and then incorporating them into the rhythm of my own teaching. In this way, my students learn not only from me, but indirectly from all the wonderful artists I have studied with.

Fun on Vancouver Island

2011-06-01T14:28:00.001-06:00

"Salt Spring Island"
Original Oil - 6x8"

This was a demo done a couple of weeks ago on Salt Spring Island, BC. It was a flat, gray, mid-afternoon scene and I was completely uninspired by what was there.

I always find this is a perfect time to dig into the bag of tricks and play with an exercise. In this case I chose one of my favourites - thick paint right out of the gate, so thick you have to use a stiff brush and scoop it off the palette. The trick after that is to apply it with a light enough stroke that you don't ultimately wind up with a big, muddy mess.

Every time I try this exercise it is SO fun. There is something about all that paint that feels really playful, and it seems to open up some special, magic portal into creativity. I find I start mixing more colorful colors, trying bolder ideas, and moving the paint in rhythmic ways just because there's so much there. The best way I can think of to describe it is it's like finger painting with a brush - gooey and gorgeous and full of wonderful surprises.

The joy of scales

2011-05-23T10:00:00.004-06:00

"One Compelling Note"
Original oil - 6x6"
Click here to bid

Just got home from teaching a couple of workshops on Vancouver Island. In working with 30 students over 6 days, I was reminded of our reluctance to spend our painting time on work that is not leading to a "finished product" - something tangible to show for our time. Coupled with this is the idea that painting is supposed to be fun. Always and only fun.

I find whenever I propose the idea that serious painting requires determined, intensely focused, incredibly challenging hard work, a minority of heads in the room nod in agreement, while most folks start tensing up.

When we are presented with an exercise (or several) that forces us out of our comfort zone, our natural inclination is to run, fast and far. We like to move away from awkwardness, from "looking bad", from anything that has the potential for "failure" built in to it.

The key is to notice that feeling and dive head first into the discomfort, in service of our growth - of moving toward our full potential as artists. We can only get there by breaking this enormously difficult undertaking into its individual parts (drawing, design, shape, value, color, and medium specific technique) and honing each one, so that our wholes become an expression of all that we are capable of.

Carolyn Anderson workshop (part 2)

2011-05-13T20:17:00.000-06:00

The two images shown here are detail sections of portraits I did in the Carolyn Anderson (totally awesome!) workshop. I'm showing the close-ups to illustrate what I think was one of the most important things I learned: how to paint soft eyes and mouths.

There is such a strong pull (for me) to carefully draw in the shapes of things and then fill them in. Carolyn likens this to walking down a hallway slamming doors of possibility closed behind you. (I like to call it safety.) But I was there to learn, so when I caught myself doing that in the workshop, I would intentionally drag off a couple of edges or bring the values really close together where edges met.

She also encouraged keeping the larger shapes of light and shadow open (not outlined and filled in). In her words "it's important to maintain the integrity of the dimension of the shapes." I had to bend my mind around that one, but essentially I think I got her meaning. In order to create dimension (the feeling of things "filling up space" and having 3 dimensional form, as well as the feeling of the space itself), edge variety is critical (soft, hard, lost - and interesting shape of line when there is one.)

Just a few things to be thinking about once you get past the easy part of getting the drawing, color, and value right. :-)

Carolyn Anderson workshop (part 1)

2011-05-04T23:20:00.000-06:00

"Tiffany"
Oil on linen - 16x12"

Just back from a 5 day Carolyn Anderson workshop in Scottsdale, AZ. It was FAN-tastic! Learned so much - she is funny, direct, wise, focused and wickedly talented!

This painting was actually done outside of the workshop on the second night at an open studio put on by the Scottsdale Artist's School. (If you haven't heard of the school or taken a course there, check it out. They offer workshops by some of the best artists painting in the States right now. It's a top notch venue, and the staff bend over backwards to provide an outstanding experience.)

Okay, it's pretty much impossible to share all I learned as it was fairly intense, but here are some key thoughts I brought home with me. (Look for my next post to see images of paintings that illustrate what I learned between this painting and the end of the week.)

Strive to put down each brushstroke with a clear intention.
As things are rounding or moving back in space - soften edges.
Think of eyebrows as accents on the bottom of the forehead (love that).
Painting is a process that continually responds to information - not step by step until it's done.
Look at the model and the painting together throughout the painting process.
Stand far enough back to see all 4 corners of the canvas.

And a couple of powerful things to contemplate:

"We see not only an arrangement of color and shape - but an interplay of directed tensions." Rudolf Arnheim
(This, once I got it, opened up my ability to see and draw in a whole new way.)

"Paintings are like snowflakes. They are unique because of all the events that are unfolding as they fall to the ground. They are not meant to be a fixed idea from beginning to end." Carolyn Anderson

Best of Show - Raymar Fine Art Competition

2011-04-19T22:23:00.002-06:00

"Los Cuatro Amigos"
Oil on Linen - 16"x 20"

I am super happy to announce that one of my favorite paintings I have done so far this year just won Best of Show in the Raymar Fine Art Competition for March.

A big thanks to judge Michael Gormley - Editorial Director of American Artist magazine for selecting it. Please click on the Raymar link above to see the other winners.

Off to Scottsdale

2011-04-17T01:22:00.001-06:00

"Daisy Reflected"
Original Oil - 6x6"
Click here to bid

Continuing with the 50 flowers project, I tackled this daisy recently. It was set up on a piece of glass laid over a black cloth, and viewed at eye level. Painting the reflection was a supreme challenge, the brain got very busy telling me what it thought it was seeing and I had to keep reminding myself to SEE what was really there.

I leave tomorrow to Scottsdale, AZ for the Carolyn Anderson workshop and the Legacy Gallery's Salon of Fine Art opening night. Look forward to reporting in with some great new learning next post!

Painting models from life

2011-04-01T21:29:00.006-06:00

"Moira"
Oil on Linen 16x12"

My good painting friend Sarah Kidner and I have been hiring models to come to our studio lately to prepare for two terrific workshops we will be taking this spring. (A 5 day figurative w.shop with Carolyn Anderson in April and a 10 day figurative/portrait intensive with Scott Burdick and Susan Lyon in June).

Mostly we have been doing one afternoon a week, but last week in a big push to get our chops down, we had a model in every day for 5 days. And just to add to the fun we invited some other friends to join in, which was huge entertainment value. Lotta whining going on, but we did get lots of work done, and we agreed that 5 days straight made for some clear progress - if not in skill, then at least in focus.

Here is what I find valuable in painting models from life:

It demands you address your drawing weaknesses
You can see amazing nuances that simply do not exist in photo reference
There are a world of subtle color temperature shifts beckoning to suggest form
It is divinely, completely captivating
It is hands down the hardest thing you can do as an artist
It DOES get easier with practice

If you're serious about developing your skill as an artist, I can think of no better way to tackle that goal. You don't need to hire professional models, any warm body that will sit still for you is an ideal subject. We pay our models $20 an hour and usually have them in for 3 hours at a time. We have found that putting a movie on the laptop for the model keeps them entertained for a sitting, and they just take breaks when they feel the need.

L-R: Liz, Sarah, Gaye Adams, Jean Pederson and Bobbi Dunlop in Sarah's studio

Randy Higbee Gallery 6" squared exhibition

2011-03-25T09:38:00.002-06:00

"Apple Study"
Original Oil - 6x6"

I'm pleased to announce that 3 of my paintings have been juried into the Randy Higbee Gallery 6" squared exhibition. The show is held in Orange County, CA and runs from April 16th to May 6th, 2011. For purchase info please contact the gallery: 1-800-506-7624.

For all you daily painters, this is a great venue to get your work out there and seen. The next show is December 2011.

Note: I originally didn't post all 3 accepted entries as the other two have recently been posted on my blog, but inquiring minds want to know ;-), so here are they are:

"Rose Study"
Original Oil - 6x6"

"Cherry Fun"
Original Oil - 6x6"

Relief for Japan

2011-03-17T00:10:00.002-06:00

"Pink on Green"
Original oil 6x6"

All proceeds from the sale of this painting will go to relief efforts for the devastation the Japanese people are currently coping with.

I can't begin to imagine what it must be like for them to wake up each day and see what has become of their world. I hope as you are reading this you will take a moment to pause and connect with them in whatever way feels most appropriate to you.

Scottsdale Salon of Fine Art

2011-03-05T23:06:00.000-07:00

"Peruvian Potato Vendor"
Oil on Linen 18x24"

I am proud to announce that my painting "Peruvian Potato Vendor" has been accepted into the inaugural Scottsdale Salon of Fine Art. Click on the link to check out all the other really spectacular painters that were juried into this show. It is hosted by the Legacy Gallery in Scottsdale, AZ and runs from April 21st-May 19th, 2011.

Gallery Ground Rules

2011-02-24T22:40:00.007-07:00

"Rose Parade"
Oil on Linen 10x8"

A recent experience has stimulated some serious pondering about the value of a good gallery. What this looks like is different for every artist, and of course galleries have their own thoughts on it.

After a wide range of experiences, and a few years clattering around the planet, I have gained clarity on what is essential for me when choosing to team up in a business partnership with a gallery. The best way I can think of to share this it to list the qualities that exist in the owner of a gallery that currently represents me. Without fail, she shows up in this way:

She has integrity in all of our dealings.
She's accessible and easy to talk with about art, and the business of art.
She respects my opinions and finds value in them.
She believes in my work.
She's passionate about art and constantly broadening her exposure to what's out there.
She 110% supports my quest to grow as an artist, and gives me the breathing room to make that a priority.
She's curious about my other passions and believes they enhance my art.
When a sale has been made, she lets me know that a check is on the way and a ballpark time I can expect it. WOW! When you live in world of inconsistent income, this is golden.

What I strive to offer in return are many of the same qualities, as well as honoring my commitments regarding shows, trusting that she's doing a great job whether work is selling or not (not calling her frequently to "see if anything has sold"), never undercutting, fostering great relationships with my collectors and focusing my energy on continually raising the quality of my work.

Your relationship with the person who sells you art deserves the same respect and attention as the other valuable relationships in your life. In many cases your galleries are your future collector's first connection with your work, the impression they make will have lasting effects. Choose wisely, and do your best to honor the partnership and your artistic journey with equal care.

Dissecting how we see

2011-02-15T23:42:00.001-07:00

"Rose Study"
Original Oil 6x6"

Hey, I just watched a great TED talk on how we perceive things visually. Beau Lotto, founder of Lottolab, a hybrid art studio and science lab, uses optical illusions to demonstrate the way we are wired to see things.

Pretty fascinating stuff, especially interesting to contemplate for artists.

Check it out here:

Carol Marine's new challenge

2011-02-08T00:19:00.000-07:00

"Lottsa Tulips"
original oils (4 - 4x3" panels)

If you haven't heard about it yet, Carol Marine has started up a new online challenge. Not sure exactly what the deal-io is, but it looks like she's mixing it up each time. This one was the "10 minute challenge". Paint the same thing 8 times, max. 10 minutes a painting.

So to be right up front, a couple of times I totally forgot to start the timer (really), and a couple of others I just let it beep away while I kept on a paintin'. I did not, however, spend more than 15 minutes on any of them. Can't get much done in that time, really had to wrastle with my 'need to complete'. I was a bit cranky, but definitely got looser each one. By #6 (bottom panel, bottom left) my poor tulip had completely wilted under the heat of the lights and I needed to recharge for the last two (right side of the bottom panel).

Super good learning. Follow the link and give it a go!

50 Flowers in 100 Hours

2011-01-30T18:43:00.002-07:00

"Menagerie"
Original oil - 6x6"

This is the first painting of my new project: "50 Flowers in 100 Hours". Yup, that's 50 flower paintings in 100 hours. (To be clear, that's 100 painting hours, not 100 calendar hours.)

The goal is that they will all be painted from life, and no more than 2 hours a painting. So far I'm 3 paintings in and averaging 3.5 hours each, so failing miserably. Being WAY too finicky, haven't painted from life for a while and it's showing. In addition, it's a stretch for me to tackle flowers, not something I am typically drawn to paint, and definitely an area where I will need to build some skill. My words to live by: "Simplify, simplify, simplify."

In keeping with the theme of past blog projects, each painting will be offered for sale by auction on ebay well below market value for a 7 day period, after which it will be available on my website at full market value.

Anyone care to join me?? :) Double dog dare ya....

Richeson 75: Small Works 2011 Finalist

2011-01-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

"Repose"
Original Oil 6x6"

You might remember this painting from a recent post. It's a demo from a Vancouver workshop I taught this October. The exercise was to apply paint as thickly as possible right from the first stroke and it was really fun to paint.

I'm pleased to announce it was just juried as a finalist in the Richeson 75: Small Works Competition, and will be hanging in a show at the Richeson School of Art (Kimberly,WI) from Feb.7th to March 25th, 2011.

More news: I have cooked up my newest painting challenge, and will be jumping in this week. Watch for the first painting of the project next post...

Merging Time

2011-01-15T16:48:00.003-07:00

"Dusk"
Oil on linen 24x36"
for purchase info click here

This larger studio piece was inspired by a combination of two paintings from the 100 in 100 project, #97 and #100 (see below). I loved the overall mood of #97, but I wanted the feeling of a little more light in the sky, closer to dusk than nightfall, which I was captivated with when I painted #100.

It was fun to combine both elements, and I also added a more definite mountain range. Interestingly, a couple of folks remarked when seeing this piece at my show that you wouldn't actually be able to see the mountains from that vantage on Sarcee trail, you would need to drive about a kilometer further and be pointed a little more west. Which is exactly what happens each time I drive out of Calgary, and it crystallized for me one of the greatest joys of painting. One moment following another can be combined into one painting to express the full experience of moving through time.

Love that!

#97 - "12:01"
Oil on linen - 6x8"

#100 - "And to All a Goodnight"
Oil on linen - 6x8"

A new year of adventure!

2011-01-03T23:14:00.000-07:00

"Mountain Patterns"
Original oil - 6x6"

This is a little 6x6 I did from a photo last year, quick and fun, I loved the rhythmic patterns and simple, abstract shapes.

I have to say it was great to finish painting for a show right at the end of the year. Now it feels perfect to launch into the new year tackling some fresh subject matter and continuing to keep that bar moving higher.

There are 3 tough competitions coming up in the next month and a half that I will be painting for. Here are the links if you want to take a crack at them as well:

Scottsdale Salon of Fine Art (1st annual) (Deadline Jan.15th)
Greenhouse Gallery's Salon International (Deadline Jan.21st)
Oil Painters of America National Show (Deadline Feb.18th)

I'm rooting through my resource material looking for the most exciting, challenging subjects I can find. This is what gets me jazzed to get into the studio, it's so fun to step waaaay out of the comfort zone and watch what happens...

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T16:17:00.000-07:00

"Starry Night"
Watercolour 14x21"

I want to thank you all for the tremendous support and encouragement you have sent my way in this past year. Having an online journal and so many great people who are interested enough to follow it has been such a wonderful addition to this artistic journey.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with wonderful moments under star filled skies!

It's Show time!

2010-12-18T00:31:00.001-07:00

"Alberta Sky"
Oil on Linen - 18x24"
(for purchase info click here)

Finally, the paintings are painted, photographed, varnished, framed, delivered and hung. Yay! This is always my favourite time - the "I can stop going at a million miles an hour" time.

My show of 20 new works + 20 of my 100 in 100 paintings will be on display at the Avens Gallery in Canmore until January 1st, 2011. The show opens tomorrow and I will be there from 1-4pm. I would LOVE to see you there if you can make it!

PS: The above painting was done from field study #70 in my 100 in 100.

"Rain Approaching"
Oil on Linen 6x8"
(not for sale)

Workshop demo

2010-12-04T13:18:00.000-07:00

"Onion and Garlic"
Original Oil - 6x6"
Click here to bid (begins December 4th @ 7pm MST)

Quick post tonight - crunch time for my upcoming show, so that's where my focus is at the moment.

This is a demo from a workshop I taught last month, another variation of choosing like colored objects and background as a way to visually achieve lost edges.

As I was setting up the demo, one of the guys in my class (you know who you are Dave :), asked "What are those little white things?" Needless to say, surrounded by 6 women, the stage was set for his downfall....

Commercial work vs. growth work

2010-11-25T23:44:00.002-07:00

"Red Delicious"
Original Oil - 6x8"
Click here to bid

A common dilemma among professional artists is the need to produce commercial output and the desire to focus on growth as an artist. It seems that one almost always comes at the expense of the other when trying to merge them.

After several years of straddling the fence between the two, I have found what works best for me is to keep them entirely segregated. When I'm painting for a show, I focus on painting at my current skill level - no double gainers, cliff diving, or juggling balls of fire allowed. Taking chances mid-painting when I have a deadline adds unneeded pressure. I cut myself a lot of slack and don't do much second guessing. If the work is competent, it gets signed, and I get on with the next one.

On the other hand, when I am working from a model or doing still life, or any other kind of work where challenge and skill building are the key motivators, my bar goes way up, and I don't let myself off the hook for anything. The goal is to rise to the challenge or die trying, no excuses, no cop-outs, no fear. Failure is welcome here. That said, whining is frequent and ongoing.

In keeping the two camps separate, I find I can give myself fully to each one without conflict, making me a happy painter and allowing me to perform to the best of my ability whichever roll I'm in.

RayMar Art Painting Competition Finalist

2010-11-20T10:45:00.000-07:00

"Lake O'Hara" (study)
Oil on linen - 8x10"
not for sale

This painting was just selected as a finalist in October's Raymar Art painting competition. I was a bit surprised as it looks sub-optimal on their website (seriously), but I have always loved this little field study, so I'm really happy it was chosen.

The most magical part of it was that little strip of torquoise, which wasn't initially painted in. I had just finished and was standing chatting with Sarah Kidner, my painting companion that day, when I looked up and saw the wind kissing the water at the far end of the lake, stirring up a little piece of color heaven. I quickly mixed it and laid it down in one stroke, and shazam! - totally pulled the painting together. Awesome!

Thanks so much to this month's judge Scott Jones, general manager of the Legacy Gallery. Their website is well worth a look - they represent some really fabulous artists.

Upcoming Show

2010-11-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

"Silver Basin"
Oil on Linen 8x10"

This is of one of the paintings I completed while heli-painting in the Bugaboos this September. I am currently painting a body of larger works inspired by my 100 in 100 project (and other plein air adventures) for a show at The Avens Gallery in Canmore, AB.

The show opens Saturday, December 18th, with me :) in attendance form 1-4pm. I would really love to see you there if you can make it!

Black and White show

2010-11-04T23:23:00.000-06:00

"Snowy Egret"
Original oil - 8x10"
For purchase info click here

One of my galleries, The Artym Gallery in Invermere, BC recently asked their artists to create a painting using only black, white and one colour. The show opens on November 12th, and I'm sure it will include quite an interesting variety of approaches to the challenge.

My posting will be a little less frequent for the next month as I am painting for an upcoming solo show in mid-December. More on that next post, in the meantime, paint on friends!

Daily Painting Phenomenon

2010-10-29T18:50:00.000-06:00

"Bottles on Blue"
Original Oil 6x6"
Click here to bid

I did this little guy a while ago, lots of fun working with glass!

Not sure if you've read Robert Genn's recent post about Daily Painting, if not you might find it of interest. Check it out here. As you might imagine, I had a few things to say about it. You can see my comments, as well as a lot of other interesting ones, over on his site.

Losing Edges

2010-10-25T19:35:00.003-06:00

"Red on Red"
Original Oil 6x6"
Click here to bid

This is another workshop demo. Lost edges add a lot of interest to a painting by engaging the viewer's imagination to "fill in the blanks", allowing them to participate actively rather than simply observing.

There are several ways to lose edges but one effective way is by bringing values or colours close together where edges meet. A great way to practice this is by painting objects on a like colored cloth. This is one example, but you could try a multitude of variations, one of my students did a great painting of a glass jar of milk on a white cloth.

Use your creativity and give it a try, it's a lot of fun!

Bold Brush FAV 15% finalist - September 2010

2010-10-20T13:28:00.000-06:00

"Peruvian Schoolboy"
Oil on Linen - 20 x 16"

I'm pleased to announce that one of my recent Peruvian portraits was selected as a Fav 15% finalist in September's Bold Brush Painting Competition. This is a terrific monthly online art competition that attracts some of the finest artists painting today.

Entering competitions is a great way to get you looking at your work critically, it keeps you raising your bar, and it helps build that thick skin we artists so benefit from. The more comfortable you get with both acceptance and rejection in juried shows, the clearer it becomes how subjective the process is, and the less knocked for a loop you are when your masterpiece isn't selected.

If you haven't yet, I encourage you to enter an image in the upcoming months, it's a great opportunity for exposure and a chance to win some dough as well!

Advanced Skills workshop (cont')

2010-10-15T22:41:00.002-06:00

Workshop demo - oil 6x6"

This was another demo from one of my recent Vancouver workshops. The goal of this was thick paint again, lots and lots of it! On this one it really clicked in why this is way of painting is so fun...when you paint really thickly it forces you to focus on shape, value and color. It's super easy to forget about the object your painting and just get into yummy, luscious oil paint and pushing it around. You really, really, should try it! Smaller the canvas and bigger the brush the better.

"Kitchen Break" - oil on linen 8x6"
Click here to bid

This was another exercise working from a photo reference. The students turned their reference photo upside down and then painted only the large, flat, abstract shapes, trying to match color and value but with no attention given to creating form. The idea is to gain an understanding of how to create a strong foundational pattern of light and dark from your photo before begin to model form and add finishing highlights and accents. I recommend my students do a whole lot of these after the workshop to continue building this skill. It is one of the best things they can do to develop their design skills and their ability to see accurately.

Advanced Skills workshop

2010-10-06T15:41:00.002-06:00

"Evening Greens"
Oil on Linen 6x8"
Click here to bid

This is a demo from an Advanced Skills workshop I just taught in Vancouver. This exercise is from the last segment of the workshop, where we focused on different exercises to stretch ourselves when working from photos.

The goal of this one was to put paint on as thickly as possible right from the start, trying to match the color and value fairly accurately, and getting the entire canvas covered quickly. Every time I demo this exercise I have SO much fun, I wonder why I don’t paint with tons of paint all the time. The students were game and really jumped in with the thick paint, doing some beautiful little pieces. If you want to try this one, use stiff brushes so you can really scoop the thick paint off of your palette, and then apply it with a light touch.

On the first day of the workshop we did speed painting from a model (maximum 20 minutes a painting and most getting wiped when the buzzer went). The purpose of this exercise was to learn how to zero in on what is essential quickly, with no time to get caught up in detail.

On day 2 and 3, the students worked on setting up simple still life arrangements and trying to nail the colour and value of their subject as closely as possible, with a lot of focus on the right questions to ask themselves to error correct along the way. At the heart of these questions is the idea that they must be able to be answered in paint. If some part of the painting was off, they asked themselves, “Is it...”:

too warm?
too cool?
too light?
too dark?
too red/blue/yellow?
too gray?
too pure?

In doing exercises that develop your ability to measure and draw well, and see and mix color and value accurately, you gain the freedom to paint as expressively as you like, with skill. Because your expression is coming from a foundation of truth, your paintings will breathe with life and authenticity.

Plein Air tips from the trenches

2010-10-01T23:42:00.004-06:00

"Silver Basin" study - 8x10" oil on linen

This painting was done on the heli-painting trip Robert Genn and I led in to the Bugaboos this fall. I'll post a better shot of it once I get it photographed properly, but I've had a few questions about my pochade box so I wanted to show it here. It stores two wet panels in the lid, and folds up super compact. Made by Ben Haggett in Montana. Superb quality and design, I ordered mine with a clip on tray instead of the drawer to make it more compact. Mounts on a regular camera tripod.

As promised last post, here is a summary of the key things I learned in my 100 in 100 project:

If a scene is particularly complex, have a clear plan about how to simplify it.  Rule of thumb: Squint to eliminate detail and clarify values. Attempt to reduce the scene to 4 or 5 large abstract shapes and ask if it’s still an interesting design. If not, consider how you can make it stronger.

Values must be seen relatively. Getting enough contrast painting outdoors can be difficult. In part this is because when we look in to the shadows our pupils dilate and everything seems at least 2-3 values lighter than if we look at shadow areas RELATIVE to the light. Remember to keep checking everything against each other.

Pick something and get painting. Hours can be wasted seeking the perfect design. Our job is to create something interesting from the elements available. More often than not if you just stand still in a place for 5 or 10 minutes, something appears out of what at first seemed uninspiring. See if you can let the painting find you.

Choose a star player, and make everything else subordinate no matter how compelling it is. Light on the peaks, sparkling water, backlit forest, sundrenched meadow, gorgeous clouds - sometimes all these things are present and compelling in the same scene, but they can't all be given equal attention or nothing will shine.

When you see something beautiful and you know the light is going to change before you even get it drawn out, try to convince yourself to go for it anyway. The only way to develop visual memory is to practice it.   If this is the case: Stand quietly in front of the scene for a few moments before painting and burn every vital detail into your brain:

What are the major patterns of light and shadow?
Is something catching bright light in front of a darker background? Is it cool and blue in the distance / warm and bright in the foreground? Perhaps the opposite of this?
Is the sun lighting up the water and infusing it with colour?
Are clouds or mist moving in front of mountains and catching the light?  Establish what is essential that is going to change with the light.
What is captivating you? Once you begin painting, try to get that down first.

Choose what you’re going to say and stick with it no matter how many other ideas you are tempted by as the painting unfolds. An exception is if something intriguing happens that will still work within your initial plan - but be wary of changing horses mid-stream.

Above all - if you’re getting cranky - try to remember to not take yourself too seriously - ultimately plein air work is about information gathering and exploration of your subject. Know that no matter what winds up on the canvas, every brushstroke you put down with care and attention makes you a better painter. Remember to have fun, and find joy in the very cool act of being outdoors painting life unfolding before you.

I'm currently in Vancouver teaching a couple of Advanced Skills workshops, hope to be able to post while I'm here. Those still in fair weather climes, hope you're getting out there for a blast of late fall plein air, lucky you guys!

Plein Air Workshop in Banff

2010-09-23T17:35:00.004-06:00

Just finished teaching a 3 day plein air workshop here in the Banff/Canmore area. The first day was superb outdoor painting weather! Our first outing was in a meadow 5 minutes from my studio where we all had a crack at mountains and fall trees.

The gang! 12 keeners, some with quite a bit of experience and some trying plein air for the first time.

Robbie Hosegood in front of The Three Sisters

After day one, the non-summer we have experienced this year returned with a vengence. On day two, we took this opportunity to work indoors. We spent some time on theory and then dedicated the day to building our skills painting from photos. I used exercises from Kevin MacPherson's book "Landscape Painting Inside and Out" (highly recommend it!) The 3 we did were:

turn the photo upside down and paint it in flat, abstract patterns
paint the photo in black, white and grey only
THICK paint right out of the gate, increasing thickness as the painting develops

They were all great learning exercises, each one challenging us in different ways. It was the first time I had done them, so I got to learn too! Most importantly, they give you more tools in your kit for ways to move beyond merely copying a photo.

Day 3 was cold and rainy again, but a lot of the group was eager to get outdoors and do some more plein air work, so we went to the Banff Park Administration Buildings where they plant a gorgeous flower garden every year, and remarkably the flowers were still in bloom. I think everyone was pretty excited (and a little warmed) by the color, and lots of them used the fun nature of the subject matter to try the thick paint exercise we had worked on the day before.

Wendy Lockie undaunted by the weather

Hermann Brandt able to set his umbrella down in a drier moment

Holding an umbrella is not huge fun, if you want to do a lot of plein air I really recommend the BestBrella kit - for keeping things dry in rainy/snowy weather, and for providing even light on your panel/palette and access to a wider variety of subject choices when the sun is out.

Jackie Ramsay with a really good start - we talked a lot about blocking in the large, abstract shapes, and she really got a handle on this here.

Helen Whyte setting up

After braving the elements in the morning, we headed back to the dry, warm studio for our last afternoon session and did another Kevin M. exercise, this one painting the whole piece high key, no value darker than 5. WAY harder than you might think, give it a try! Start by mixing your 5, placing it where your darkest darks are in your photo reference, and then don't go darker than that anywhere else on the painting.

*If you're not sure, a 5 value is is a tone that is halfway between white and black on a scale of 10. Now all you have to do is translate that in to color and keep everything else lighter :D

PS: This post on a plein air workshop seems woefully short of plein air tips, I guess because most of them were sprinkled throughout the 100 in 100 project, but I promise to do a brief review of the key tips next post.

Bold Brush Finalist - August 2010

2010-09-16T10:51:00.000-06:00

I'm pleased to announce that "Secret Vantage" (#74 in the 100 in 100 project) was a finalist in this past month's Bold Brush painting competition. You can view the other winners here. Thanks to judge Brian Stewart for selecting my work!

Other news, my good friend and super accomplished painter Frank Serrano has a new blog. Great chance to get some little gems on ebay at a terrific price, click on his name to check it out!

Finally, I'm teaching a 3 day Daily Painting workshop in my Canmore studio November 5th-7th. There's one spot left if you're interested. Details here.

Dan Schultz workshop

2010-09-12T14:13:00.001-06:00

Just took a 3 day Dan Schultz workshop where we covered portrait work as well as painting the figure in the landscape. I find the longer I paint, the less workshops are about learning something new, and the more they are about either being reminded of things I have forgotten to focus on lately, or hearing something in a new way that helps crystalize it.

Those things for me at this workshop were:

Placing an intermediate color/ value between shapes is a great way to soften edges
When drawing, measure, measure, measure!
When blocking in, CONTINUALLY squint and compare to get the values down accurately
While it's important to compare a value to the one beside it, it's even more important to compare it to the lightest and darkest values in the entire subject. Here is an example:

In this photo of Maya, it's easy to see that if you were trying to assess the value of her face only against her hair or the background, it would appear very light, but if you compare it to her hat or scarf you can see it's at least a couple of values darker than they are, and you must leave room for those lighter values.

Workshops also help shine a light on the bad habits we can develop when working unmonitored in our studios. During this one I realized that in my impatience to get to the painting stage I will often move on to it before I have achieved a totally accurate drawing. Bad.

I also find that when a painting's not going well, I have a tendency to do something bold and dramatic to try and fix things. Dan is a very careful, subtle painter, and watching him was a valuable reminder that sometimes what is required is the patience and discipline to slow down and make some very small, focused, intricate adjustments. At times this calls for painstaking attention, but it is amazing how it can make all the difference in pulling a painting together in the later stages.

Dan's demo of Marsha. This is unfinished, but it gives you a good idea of how well he simplifies busy, complex subject matter into a few well placed, varied strokes to suggest what's there.

Photo of Marsha modeling (NOTE: Photos posted here are copyrighted. Please respect this as well as the models - they were paid to model specifically for us.)

Dan is humble and sweet, a passionate painter and a thorough and engaged instructor. I highly recommend taking a workshop with him if you have a chance.

Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night....

2010-09-09T23:06:00.001-06:00

Robert Genn and Sally Pearson painting in Silver Basin.

We had it all for Bob's trip, from sun to sleet and everything in between. A couple of snowed in mornings gave the opportunity for demos in the warm, cozy lodge, but as soon as the clouds lifted we piled into the helicopter and headed into the field to experience first hand high alpine plein air.

Sunrise painting session at Hourglass Lake.

Painting above Kick Off

This spot had particularly great design elements, but truly the beauty of heli-painting in the Bugaboos is that every landing gives you a wealth of new material to draw from. Just as heli-skiing is the ultimate ski experience, heli-painting is a remarkable and unparalleled plein air experience. This whole thing started last summer when I suggested to Robert that this would be a pretty cool trip to offer. He agreed, we ran with it and the two inaugural trips we've just completed were pretty outstanding. We will be presenting another trip like this next summer, please let me know if you would like to be notified once we have set dates.

Check out Robert Genn's current newsletter for more about this past trip.

I am currently taking a 3 day Dan Schultz workshop. He's a great teacher and I'm learning lots, will share some of it next post.

Robert Genn arrives with the gang!

2010-09-04T23:08:00.000-06:00

View of the Bugaboos from Rocky Point Basin
(click on images to see larger)

Robert Genn arrived in the Bugaboos this morning with 10 eager students, and this afternoon we flew out to this spectacular location to get our feet wet. The crew were troopers, the weather was far from summer warm, but they bundled up in layers upon layers and soldiered on. Most of them did a couple of paintings each in the 3 hours we were out, working in acrylic, watercolor or oil.

Robert giving some guidance to Laurel McBrine.

Tatjana and Sinisa Mirkov-Popovicki starting their first piece, don't think Sinisa stopped smiling the entire afternoon.

Sorry for posting photos and no paintings, will post some of the work from the trip once I get it home and photographed, but I thought you'd enjoy seeing the gorgeous scenery up here!

Heli-painting in the Bugaboos

2010-09-01T23:36:00.002-06:00

"Cobalt Lake"
Original Oil 8x10"
(purchase info)

I guided heli-hiking in the Bugaboo mountains of British Columbia for 12 years, and it was such a pleasure to fly back in there last week with two of my dearest friends for some plein air painting. Cobalt Lake is my favourite lake in the world, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to paint it from life.

Today I headed back up to the Bugaboos with a group of keen plein air painters to explore this amazing place and work on our outdoor painting skills. About 5 cms. of new snow, and air temps were crisp to say the least, but they LOVED it! Here are some photos from our first afternoon out. (click to see larger)

Oil Painters of America Western Show 2010

2010-08-27T13:52:00.001-06:00

"Parade Day"
Oil on Linen 8x10"

I am pleased to announce that my painting “Parade Day” was juried into this year’s OPA Western Juried show, which will be held at the Mountain Trails Gallery in Jackson, Wyoming from October 9th - November 10th, 2010.

Heli-painting in the Bugaboos:

I will be leading two heli-painting trips with CMH into the Bugaboos in early September. On the first trip I will be guiding and teaching a plein air workshop, on the second I will be guiding and assisting Robert Genn teach a workshop.

I flew into the Bugs with a couple of friends this week to get warmed up and do some location planning. This was one of a few pieces I finished while up there. (Watch for it on my website soon).

There is still space in the first trip (Aug.31st-Sept 4th). If you are interested in further details, please click here.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #100

2010-08-20T17:28:00.001-06:00

#100 - "And to All a Goodnight"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/07/17 (10:15pm)
This is not what it looks like - a fishing expedition to see if I could find Darrin again... I was actually on a side road BESIDE the highway, not on the highway - which enabled me to paint outside of the car, always better.

I see this view every evening when I drive home from the studio, and always love it, so it seemed fitting to paint it for my last piece of the project. Hadn't planned on putting cars in, but as they kept streaming by while I was painting, they started to feel like an essential part of the subject, so in they went. One thing I have discovered during the project is that I LOVE painting plein air nocturnes, more to come for sure!

Many of you have been commenting or writing to congratulate me on finishing the project. It really wouldn't have been nearly such a great experience without you (that includes the silent ones of you watching from the sidelines). Lots of people have also mentioned they will be sad to see it end, and I want you all to know that it's not ending, just changing. I will continue this blog with the intention of posting interesting paintings and sharing insights and stories that I hope will inspire and captivate you, so please check in from time to time to see what's new!

Sending out a HUGE heartfelt thank you for your interest and support! You guys made it fun, and kept me going on every level from painting them to posting and writing about them. This project was one of the coolest things I've done recently, I'm so glad I took it on, and so glad you followed!

PS: I will be publishing a book, both a softcover and hardcover version, of this project in the near future and will post about it here when it's ready to roll.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #99

2010-08-18T18:48:00.002-06:00

#99 - "Catching the Light"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/07/17 (7:45pm)
Sometimes you don't even have to try, the light just gives you one. There was so much that was beautiful about this subject, and once again I knew it would be gone fast, so I spent a few moments before beginning to really take note of what I wanted to capture.

Knowing this was day 100, I was so grateful for a gorgeous evening. This painting gave me a chance to work with some of the key things I've learned along the way such as:

squinting to make sure I can reduce the scene to 4 or 5 large abstract shapes before starting
keeping the distant values light enough (always lighter than I think)
neutralizing and blueing colour as it recedes
using a few simple brushstrokes to suggest a whole lot of detail
choosing what I'm going to say and sticking with it no matter how many other ideas I am seduced by as the painting unfolds...tough one
if the wheels are falling off just keep putting paint on 'til it looks right
above all - when I'm getting cranky I try to remember to not take myself too seriously - (really tough one...)

All in all it's been one hell of a ride ~ can't wait to share #100 with you guys!

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #98

2010-08-16T22:37:00.006-06:00

#98 - "Miner's Peak"
Original Oil 6x8"

*All proceeds from the sale of this painting will be donated to aid the victims of the Pakistan floods via Oxfam Canada.

10/07/17 (5pm)
Sorry for the delayed post guys, the internet was giving me a lot of grief tonight. That gave me time to decide that I'm going to post the last 3 one at a time though :-) ... can you tell I don't want it to end either?

This one was done at a new painting location I discovered right near the end of the project, and one I'm sure I'll go back to often. I feel like this one has a more graphic feel than a lot of the work done, more like how I used to paint, which I thought was a pretty cool thing to pop out right near the end of the project. Plein air painting - just like a box of chocolates...

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #97

2010-08-14T15:44:00.001-06:00

#97 - "12:01"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/07/16 (10:45pm)
This is my favourite painting, and my favourite story of the project, so it gets its own post.

I had been painting all day just outside of Calgary (#'s 93-96) and was heading out of the city along a fairly major thoroughfare (Sarcee Trail) when I saw this scene. I was SO captivated by it, but it was 10:30 at night, I still had more than an hour drive to get back to the mountains, I'd already done 4 paintings that day, and it was not the ideal painting location. So I almost kept driving. What motivated me to stop was the project, and the fact that it was almost over. It really seemed like a now or never moment, so I pulled over, put on my hazards, and started painting in the front seat of the car, all the while thinking, "It'll be a miracle if I get this finished without a cop showing up"...

Sure enough, 45 minutes in, flashing lights in my rearview mirror. I unrolled my window as he walked up and said, "Bet you're going to tell me I'm not supposed to be here." He said, "No, I'm just concerned, is everything alright?" As I assured him all was well, he looked into the car and said, "Wow. You're painting..." "Yes," I answered, "I really loved this scene. I know it's not a good spot to stop, I can pack up right now." To which he responded, "No, no, you just keep working and I'll sit behind you with my lights on 'til you're done."

Okay, not the answer I was expecting. I said, "Seriously???" He said, "Yup, go for it". I assured him I would wrap it up in 10 minutes or less, and he replied, "No worries, take as long as you need..."

I did wrap it up in under 10 minutes, because honestly it felt a little too weird having my own police escort while I finished my painting, but this ended up being the finished piece, no studio tweaking. It was ready to be done. When I ran back to thank him, he said, "16 years I've been on the job, and this is a first. It's always something wrong. Happy to help out".

So this painting is dedicated to Darrin from the Calgary City Police, car # 1201. Thanks for looking out for me, and for giving me one of the coolest painting memories of my life. You rock!

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #95/#96

2010-08-12T17:12:00.001-06:00

#95 - "View from the Leighton"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/07/16 (5pm)
Wow - I just got such a pang in my heart typing in #95. Really hit me that this is almost over. It has been such a great experience, and wouldn't have been nearly as special if not for all of you following, so thank you SO much for your interest, support and enthusiasm, it has meant the world to me.

Here was my BIG learning on this one: use the opportunity of working on a small canvas to create depth, movement and interest with brushwork. The foreground triangles of this piece were painted fairly flatly, and then somewhere near the end it occurred to me to throw in some expressive brushwork. I couldn't believe how much energy and space were created with those 5 or 6 simple marks.

#96 -"Evening Warmth"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/07/16 (8pm)
I LOVE this painting. It's the same day and location as "Summer Greens" (#93). As you can see, it turned out to be a beautiful evening. What I find most interesting about plein air painting is that often I can look at a piece months or years later and remember the moment it was painted so vividly. The air temperature, the sounds and smells, who I was with, exactly how I was feeling. They're like little canvas time machines, magical doors into moments lived. This is why I am compelled to hold a few of these back for my own collection, they are a record of such valuable moments in my life, and worth so much more than any money I could exchange them for.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #93/#94

2010-08-10T17:48:00.001-06:00

#93 - "Summer Greens"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/07/16 (12:45pm)
Painting with the girls again today. This was a really beautiful marsh, and I was just getting a feel for the subject when a small hailstorm blew in and chased us to the shelter of the car.

#94 - "Peony Study"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/07/16 (3:30pm)
I got 30 minutes into this one and lost the sun. Packed up thinking I would finish it in the studio. And every time I glanced it's way for the next couple of weeks, I would think, I love it just as it is. Why would I do more? So in the end I didn't.

On another note, I just stumbled across this wonderful video clip of Virginia Vaughan's moving year long daily painting adventure. Both she and her paintings are lovely, well worth a look. If you're interested you can check it out here.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #91/#92

2010-08-07T18:07:00.001-06:00

#91 - "Green on Green"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/07/15 (5pm)
The background and the water gave me so much grief on this one, I changed them and changed them and changed them. And then I remembered.

Simplify.

#92 - "Late Day Light"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/07/15 (7:30 pm)

Painting outdoors is incredibly challenging, but it is also infinitely rewarding. There are moments when I have just spent an hour or two completeing a painting and am cleaning my palette when I stop to look around and I realize I am in an altered state, connected with the landscape on a deep level, rooted in it. Integrated. It is this sense that I have become more and more aware of throughout the course of this project.

In the end it doesn't much matter if my painting turns out, I have been changed by the experience, and that's what I hope will show up my future work.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #89/#90

2010-08-05T18:34:00.002-06:00

#89 - "Shoreline Patterns"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/07/14 (4pm)
The light changed at least a million times while I was painting this, often completely reversing itself to background hills in dark shadow and foreground trees in full light. This was a case of being commited to stick to plan A and not get seduced by B,C,D,E and F.

#90 - "The Dike"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/07/14 (7:30pm)
Are you guys figuring out I'm an afternoon/evening painter? This actually worked to my advantage in this project as it's light in our neck of the woods until 11pm for most of June and July, so I would often start around 4 or 5 pm and paint into better and better light as the evening unfolded.

I have been reading a really interesting book called "The Talent Code" by Daniel Coyle. The basic premise is that talent doesn't have to be born, it can be grown, that anyone can greatly improve their skill at anything by practicing in a very specific way. To paraphrase from the book: "If you use your muscles a certain way - by trying hard to lift things you can barely lift - those muscles will respond by getting stronger. If you fire your skill circuits the right way - by trying hard to do things you can barely do, in deep practice - then your skill circuits will respond by getting faster and more fluent."

If you looking for motivation to keep working at your art on the "I forgot how to paint" days, and you want ideas on how to excel more quickly, it's worth checking out this book.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #87/#88

2010-08-03T17:45:00.001-06:00

#87 - "Summer Evening"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/07/11 (7:45pm)
Okay, right off the bat I can say this is my second favourite painting of the project. (My favourite is coming up at #97 - but technically this one is better).

The most striking thing I recall is the perfume of some unknown flower filling the air as I was painting, in hindsight it was probably a bush I was trampling on my trips back and forth to the easel, but it was powerful stuff, overwhelming and gorgeous...

I had this light for about 15 minutes, and I knew clouds were going to block the sun, so before I started I spent 5 minutes standing in front of the scene, burning every vital detail into my brain (primarily high key backlit greens and highlights on trunks) and then painted those even though they left with the sun.

#88 - "Cloud Dance"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/07/12 (6:20pm)
There was little light to work with on this one, but I saw a great pattern of shapes and rhythm in the sky, so that's what I decided to follow...

I had a dream last night that someone said, "You know, you never really pushed yourself on this project, you could've grown a lot more". Whoever belonged to that pesky voice, they were right.

There is great accountability value when you announce a project like this out loud, certainly all you wonderful folks who have been following have been my inspiration countless times to keep getting out there. But I think if one really wants to raise the bar, it would actually make more sense to announce it after the fact, because on several occasions when my intention was to make fast, loose colour and value studies, I painted them into perfect little finished pieces. Knowing I would be showing them to the world was a big factor at play here, I was in performance mode far more often than exercise mode, and probably would have progressed further if that was reversed.

Just putting that out there for anyone considering taking on something like this....

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #84/#85/#86

2010-08-01T13:47:00.005-06:00

#84 - "The Rundle Range"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/07/09 (5:15pm)
These 3 paintings were done on the same day (4 actually, but the first was a wiper).

Carol Carmichael commented recently to say, "I have NEVER painted plein air and know it would help me progress. Definitely got me thinking - that's a start. "

Carol, in my experience (and that of all of my artist friends), you can pretty much guarantee your first few plein air sessions will not produce a stellar painting. There are a lot of things to sort out and it takes a few tries to get the hang of it. It's pretty tough to be a once or twice a year plein air painter, I would say if you're going to do it, it's helpful to dive in fully and commit to a fixed time (say 20 plein air paintings of the course of a summer) so that you can push through the start of the learning curve. Fellow artist Bobbi Heath has been doing this and I applaud her tenacity!

I do hope this project has inspired some of you to get out there. I needed a motivator, and would never have been this dedicated if I hadn't made it into a project. Knowing there was a deadline (and a finish line) helped me dig deep and get out when I didn't feel like it, and once I was out there I always (ok, almost always) loved it.

#85 - "Blowing Through"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/07/09 (7:45pm)
I was painting with Bobbi and Sharon today, and at this point they decided they were done for the day and would rather watch than paint. Based on this I decided to try a 1/2 hour painting, as if I was doing a demo. They were so quiet and respectful while I painted this, and afterward encouraged me to do another. That's when everything changed...

#86 - "Artistic License"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/07/09 (8:25pm)
3 artists painted this one, even though I was the only one holding a brush. By the time I was halfway in Bobbi and Sharon were both firing out suggestions, one on each side of me: "Put an orange highlight on the water", "no make it purple", "trees darker", "no - trees lighter". Together: "More paint on the sky, lighter! ooh, ooh - leave those brushstrokes alone!" It was so funny, they were vocalizing the inner dilemmas that are always going on in my head when I'm painting, but it was weird to have it coming from the outside in. It felt like the old cartoons with the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other (won't say which one was which) - let's just say it would have been an entirely different painting if I'd been standing there alone - and not nearly as entertaining!

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #81/#82/#83

2010-07-29T00:18:00.003-06:00

#81 - "Light and Shadow"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/07/08 (7:30pm)
I LOVED this subject, it's always intriguing to paint from the shadows into light, I find it's a composition that really invites the viewer into the painting.

These 3 pieces were painted on the same day as the 4 in the last post. Yup - 7 paintings in one day... this was the most painted on any single day in the project, my average was 2 or 3.

#82 - "Mountain Patterns"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/07/08 (8:55pm)
Went home and stocked up on more panels, wanted to try another speed painting. With timed paintings sometimes my approach is to seek out a rhythm and try to get that down in as few brushstrokes as possible. Really fun!

#83 - July Evening"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/07/08 (9:25pm)
Mosquitoes were out in full force for this one! Same spot as #81, turned 180 degrees. Halfway in I heard rustling in the grasses behind me and turned to see this female elk wading through the water. We eyed each other up for a few moments, decided we had our own agendas, and proceeded to get on with them. (Keeping one eye over my shoulder - just to be sure she hadn't changed her mind.)

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #77/#78/#79/#80

2010-07-26T17:07:00.007-06:00

#77 - "Afternoon on the Bow"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

Sorry I've been M.I.A., had some company in town. I'll post 4 today to make up for it.

10/07/08 (1pm)
I'd like to share a quote from American artist Bill Anton. He says, "Painting outside is essential to growth in an artist. The best artists always address their weaknesses and nothing points these out like working directly from life." (Boy have I confirmed that in the last 3 months.) He adds, "There is nothing better or more fun for the dedicated painter." I would agree with this, but one revision: it's fun when your painting's working.

Robert Genn's daughter Sara once said to me, "The crazy thing about painting plein air with a group of artists is that their mood is entirely dictated by what happens in the next 45 minutes." Indeed it is quite a challenge to stay cheerful and 'thrilled to be outdoors painting' when your painting is going down in a ball of flames. That said, it's the joy when you hit one out of the park that keeps you coming back!

#78 - "Summer Afternoon"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/07/08 (3:30pm)
This was painted directly after # 77, (on the shores of the Bow River) turned in the opposite direction. It was the effect of sun sparkling off of moving water that I was compelled to try and capture.

Note: the next two paintings are the only variance from the 6x8" size I have been using for the project, they are each 3x4". Bidding on them begins at $75.

#79 - "Fairholme in Shadow"
Original Oil 3x4"
For purchase info click here

10/07/ (5pm)
#79 and #80 were an exercise in speed painting. The challenge was to paint the same scene twice and get everything necessary down in 15-20 minutes. I really wanted to try this challenge and I only had one panel left with me, so I divided it in half and painted two paintings on it.

#80 - "Reverse Pattern"
Original Oil 3x4"
For purchase info click here

10/07/ (5:30pm)
What was so cool about this one was that there was a lot of afternoon cloud building up, and just as I finished #79, which had the foreground in light and the peaks in shadow, the light completely reversed, so I got to tackle a whole different story - super interesting!

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #74/#75/#76

2010-07-21T23:15:00.004-06:00

#74 - "Secret Vantage"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/07/07 (5:30pm)
When I found this little spot tucked away at the base of Tunnel Mountain, I was super keen to paint it but I knew the danger would be in making it too busy. Which I then proceeded to do. After fiddling endlessly with it, I took out a big brush and knocked it all back to big, simple shapes, and immediately liked it much better!

#75 - "Tunnel Mountain"
Original Oil 8x6"
For purchase info click here

10/07/07 (8pm)
One thing I have loved about this project is that I am getting to know places I have walked in for 20 years much more intimately. That, and discovering all kinds of little nooks and crannies that I never noticed before. I've always thought it was cool the way the strata on Tunnel arcs toward the sky, so that was the subject of this painting.

#76 - "Very Last Light"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/07/07 (9:30pm)
This was the 3rd painting on this day. I had hiked back up to the parking lot and was moments from the car when I saw this over my shoulder. I really debated whether I wanted to unpack all my gear and set up for another painting. Once again the project motivated me and then it was a race to get this down in the remaining half hour of light.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #72/#73 (and just crossed the finish line!)

2010-07-19T18:55:00.004-06:00

#72 - "Blast of Summer"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/07/03 (7pm)
This was SUCH a difficult subject, and I made it even harder than I thought I would! Really took a lot of painting in circles to get it right, but it was a great challenge to tackle a more intimate plein air subject.

"73 - "Evening Storm"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/07/04 (8:15pm)
I think my brushwork on this one shows how fast I was working to capture the fleeting light!

I am super excited to announce that at 11:15pm on July 17th (day 100), I finished the last painting of the project! Yay! In total I painted 115 paintings in 100 days including wipers - some were just not meant to see the light of day.

For those of you wondering why I am only at #73 in posting, I started the project on April 9th, but knew I was going out of town for the last two weeks of April, so I didn't begin posting until May 1st.

I learned SO much from this project and will continue to share my insights as I post the final 27 paintings.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #70/#71

2010-07-16T01:42:00.001-06:00

#70 - "Rain Approaching"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/07/02 (6:30pm)
I LOVE painting storms! There is wild energy bouncing around, the air is electric, and things are moving fast. I was driving back to the mountains from Calgary when I saw this storm moving across the foothills and had to stop and paint it. I initially set up outside but then thought better of it and jumped in the back hatch of my car to paint, good thing because halfway through it was pouring rain. SO much fun!

#71 - "West to Banff"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/07/02 (8pm)
Once the storm passed I set up outside of the car in the same spot and painted the clearing sky. Such great light after a storm, and I've always loved the view heading into the mountains, the clouds and the land seem to go on forever.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #67/#68/#69

2010-07-13T16:59:00.005-06:00

#67 - "Wind Shelter"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/06/30 (4:20pm)
All 3 of these paintings were painted between 4-8:30 on the same evening. This was hands down the windiest day of the project, gusting to 50kms., really quite insane to be even attempting to keep an easel standing in these conditions.

#68 - "Twisted Wood"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/06/30 (6pm)
I recently learned about a terrific Australian artist by the name of Herman Pekel. Check out the YouTube trailer for his DVD here, you'll get a lot just from it, but I highly recommend the DVD. He is carefree and all about the exploration while he paints - SO inspiring! He often starts by laying in a super thin, watercolor like wash and then moves to really thick, juicy paint in key areas. My plan was to try that here but I didn't get as far as the thick paint because the wind shut me down and I moved on to another location - but I had a ton of fun with this composition!

#69 - "Cascade Mountain"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/06/30 (7:30pm)
The wind had died down a little as I was about to start this one, so I was cocky enough to set up my umbrella. Walked away for a second to throw the ball for Lily and turned back just in time to see the wind pick up my easel and toss it through the air, turps flying, brushes scattered across the shoreline. Not a very smart girl...

I am amazed at how peaceful looking this painting is considering the conditions, I think it's a result of having a wonderful evening wandering the shores of the Bow with my dog and my painting gear on my back (dog on ground), stopping whenever I saw something intriguing to paint. Truly one of my favourite days of the project, so glad I didn't let the wind confine me to car painting.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #65/#66

2010-07-10T20:40:00.003-06:00

#66 - "Foothills Sunset"
Original Oil 6x8"
10/06/28 (8:30pm)
I have included a photo of the scene on this one because I wanted to illustrate that often I draw a lot on what's in front of me while embellishing based on my personal response to the subject. (I find much of this happens sub-consciously.)

#65 - "Alberta Sky"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/06/28 (6pm)
Both of these were done in the foothills just south of Calgary. I was painting once more with my new painting friends, Bobbi Dunlop and Sharon Williams.

Sharon was the guide on this evening and took us to a couple of really great locations, loved the change of scenery, especially the chance to get a sweet little farm in, not many of those in the mountains. This one will definitely be turned into a large studio painting as there is so much great material to work with. For those of you curious about the process, I will use my photo reference for more information about the structures of the farm, and the study for colour and value reference. I find there is much more latitude to push colour from a living subject. In contrast, photos seem to have a static end point that dulls inspiration. I am discovering that there is a subtle energy driving your choices when painting outdoors, things are heightened in away that is hard to explain but unmistakable.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #62/#63/#64

2010-07-07T15:15:00.005-06:00

#62 - "Early Summer"
Original Oil

10/06/26 (5:30pm)
Okay, I was DETERMINED to do a 15 minute study for this one, and finished it 90 minutes later. Just can't seem to stop when it's "not finished". Reminds me of an Oscar Wilde quote: "I was working on the proof of one of my poems all morning and took out a comma. This afternoon, I put it back in"

#63 - "Rundle Near Sunset"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/06/26 (9:30pm)
This one had about 15 minutes of light left when I started it - I wound up finishing it in almost total darkness.

Sorry I am a little behind on posting. The crunch is on now, so being out painting is going to start taking precedence over photographing/editing/posting, and I may continue to be a little behind in this area until the project is finished. Will post 3 tonight to make up for missing yesterday.

#64 - "Fading Light"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/06/27 (7:30pm)
Painted myself in circles on this one. At first it had a bright green foreground of trees and bushes, but it just didn't read so I wound up completely repainting the foreground in a more silhouetted manner to keep the attention on the background, which was the point of the painting. Definitely got lost here by not having a clear idea at the outset of where I was going and had two equal centers of interest battling it out.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #60/#61

2010-07-04T20:10:00.003-06:00

#60 - "The 1A"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/06/25 (8pm)
This scene is from a field about a 5 minute walk from my studio. LOVING the long days, started this at 8pm and still got another one done after it.

#61 - "Moving Through"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/06/25 (9:30pm)
Same spot as #60, turned 180 degrees. This one was fast and furious, trying to get the sky down before the light was gone.

Here are some primary questions I have learned to ask myself before I start that seem to lead to things going well:

When I squint can I reduce the subject to large, abstract shapes? (meaning things I can block in on a 6x8" panel with a 1 inch flat).

If I can, is the design still interesting now that I have eliminated the detail?

What are my chances of success with this subject? (Good design, interesting light, relatively easy to simplify, is there a center of interest I am excited about?)

What is the light doing (late morning moving in to mid-day flat? mid day subject-lots of time? about to cloud over? stormy with all kinds of changing, interesting things to choose from? late afternoon moving into gorgeous evening light?) Primarily: What needs to be addressed immediately and where do I have a little more time? Or am I setting the stage and waiting for the light? (this works in a place you know well with steady weather).

When first starting to paint plein air, there is a tendency to be excited by a subject and jump in with no conscious plan, or even a clear consideration about what the primary focus will be. Next thing you know you're out there mid-painting doing the dog-paddle for life and wondering how the water got so deep.

John Carlson puts it beautifully: "Art is the transmittable, personal impression of one quality in the quantity before us. It is the ability to determine consciously what it is that interests him, and why, that differentiates the artist from the art student."

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #58/#59

2010-07-01T18:59:00.004-06:00

#58 - "Summer Solstice"
Original Oil 8x6"

10/06/21 (8:30pm)
This painting was done in exactly the same spot as #57, just turned 45 degrees to the right. I was actually finished and packing up for the evening when I remembered discipline, and started looking around for something I could paint fast as there was about 45 minutes of light left. I really loved the soft evening light on the trees, so this was it. No drawing, just blocked it in quickly, wiped out the trees, and started painting in negative and positive shapes. I was just starting to put some branches on when Lily started acting weird (wildlife in the area weird), and I realized it was about 15 minutes from dark, so I called it a day.

#59 - "Above the Bow"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/06/24 (11:30am)
I really was compelled by the soft light filtering through the trees and sparkling off the river below in this one. Such a tricky scene to simplify, especially from branch level on the trees upward.

Someone recently emailed to ask, "I was wondering if you would comment on whether you will execute larger paintings in your studio from these studies, which ones, and why?"

I am planning a show with my gallery in Canmore, The Avens Gallery, later this year that will be a collection of larger works inspired by this project. The show will run from December 9th to 19th, 2010. I will choose which pieces after the project is over, but there are a lot of factors that will dictate which ones, such as whether they will transfer well to a large canvas from a technical perspective (sometimes what's interesting on a small canvas becomes a whole lot of space to fill on a large one), how excited I am about a cerain idea, and how much of an impression a particular painting experience left on me.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #56/#57

2010-06-29T19:08:00.001-06:00

#56 - "Valley View"
Original Oil 8x6"
For purchase info click here

10/06/21 (1:30pm)
The advantage of starting this project in April was 2 months of bug free painting. That all ended today. Not only did I have ants crawling all over my feet, but there were these nasty little varmits that die and get stuck on and crunchy behind your ears as soon as they bite. Oh yeah, and it was hot. If I sound like a whiner now, you should've been in my head at the time...

But, I loved this scene looking across the valley. It started out well, and then the wheels fell off about 2/3rds of the way in and I thought it was going to be a wiper, but I kept re-focusing and painting and in the end was quite happy with it.

#57 - "Afternoon Build-Up"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/06/21 (6:30pm)
Walked around and around like a dog packing down its bed before settling on this scene. Noticed it passing by as I went to tromp around in the forest looking for a subject - when I emerged 20 minutes later - it was still there, quietly whispering, "What about this?" I loved the soft cumulus clouds and decided to do the best I could to pull together a foreground that would support them. The interesting thing about a sky like this is that the physical form of it changes continually while in essence it stays the same the whole time you're painting it.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #54/#55

2010-06-28T00:43:00.003-06:00

#54 - "Rundle Patterns"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/06/20 (3:45pm)
I was captivated with the snow patterns on Mt. Rundle and this was the only vantage I could see them from, so I had to work with it. The middle ground trees were blocked in with transparent oxide red and it was my intention to cover them with a blued green, but in the end I really liked how the warm played off of the cooler violet mountain, so I left them as they were. I also felt this helped get the eye past the weight of the large, dark foreground trees, but mostly I just thought it was fun!

#55 - "Evening Light"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/06/20 (8:30pm)
Sometimes time of day will dictate choice of subject, and in this case I chose the scene because I knew the light would linger on the high peaks long after it left the valley bottom where I was painting.

Today was also prime wildlife viewing! Both of the shots below were taken just before I started the first painting. If only they would hold still for an hour or so!

Big horn sheep - Lake Minnewanka Road. (click images to enlarge)

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #52/#53 and Upcoming Workshop

2010-06-25T19:17:00.003-06:00

#52 - "Banff Evening"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/06/19 (8pm)
This was a perfect, calm, beautiful evening down at Vermilion Lakes. I was in the painting groove, loving that I was outside painting and warm, listening to 101 birds tell the world how happy they were to be alive, and thinking life was pretty good.

One of the Canadian Group of 7 painters, J.E.H. MacDonald said, “Art is the successful communication of a valuable experience.” That's what this evening felt like for me.

#53 - "Lingering Snow"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/06/20 (12pm)
What inspired me about this scene was the soft, summery clouds against the stark snow capped peak, something we see often in the mountains, even in August if we've had a couple of cold, rainy days.

On another note, I will be teaching a plein air workshop here in the Banff/Canmore area September 18th-20th, 2010. Please click here if you are interested in more details.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #50/#51

2010-06-22T16:23:00.006-06:00

#50 - "Forest Patterns"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/06/18 (3:30pm)
I had just completed packing up this painting and was unscrewing my box from the tripod when it got away on me and tumbled about 30 feet down a steep hillside, bouncing and cartwheeling all the way. I was with Gaye and Lily and the 3 of us stood in awed silence watching it, wondering if it would go all the way to the bottom. It did. This is a testament to the solid construction of Ben's boxes. Not a dent, nothing broken, and though the painting was shaken loose it only had a couple of minor scratches to be touched up.

#51 - "Shoreline Study"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/06/19 (5:45pm)
Loved this the minute I saw it, the only decision was whether to push the shoreline high and make it about the water, or low and make it about the trees. Either way would have worked, but I'm glad I chose this one.

I have discovered that there seem to be 3 distinct approaches that I fall into when painting plein air:

Uninspired by the scene, I tap into the energy of the place and, drawing on a few key elements that are present, make up a painting (#50)
Inspired by the subject, I try to nail exactly what's in front of me (#51)
Inspired by the subject, I try to get down my best impression of it in a fast, loose manner

I think they are all valuable approaches for their own reasons, and instead of trying to choose one (which I thought this project would help me narrow down), I've decided it's best to get good at all of them and then let the situation dictate.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #48/#49

2010-06-19T14:47:00.006-06:00

#48 - "Banff Sunset"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/06/08 (8pm)
Well today I went well into the dark side. Did 3 paintings, wiped 2 of them. For all of them the light and I were on completely different programs. Every time I started to key in on something, it would change completely (lots of clouds in and out), and instead of committing to my first inspiration, I followed it everywhere it went. I can truly say that this day my head was just not in the game, to the point where I got extremely frustrated and just stopped caring and started slapping any old thing down. Observing my aggravation escalate, I recall thinking, "Hmmm, so this is what halfway through feels like..."

I really didn't want to start this 3rd piece, but I did, and I tried to stay focused when the sun set about 20 minutes in and I had to draw on memory to finish it. Was pleasantly surprised when I got it out of the box at home to find there was a lot of good stuff in it.

Here's something that has helped me deal with the sense of "wasted time" one feels after spending a few hours painting and winding up with "nothing to show for it". I have learned to consider that every brush stroke I put down moves me toward being a better painter, so even though I may not have a successful painting to show for it, progress toward the goal that really matters to me has been made.

#49 - "Rainy Night"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/06/09 (10:30pm)
This was interesting to paint. A few days of rain and gray and nothing I was excited to paint compelled me to tackle this subject one night on the way home from the studio. I used a little LED booklight (in the car) which worked really well, and it was super fun to play with the street lights and wet highway reflections. In the end I think it's a bit dark (a friend asked, "Well isn't night dark?"). Good point, but all the great nocturnes I have seen suggest darkness without being dark. Really inspired to tackle a few more of these down the road...I can see this subject matter has a lot to teach.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #46/#47

2010-06-18T00:14:00.003-06:00

#46 - "Indian Flats"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/06/05 (3pm)
It had been raining all day and finally in the late afternoon it started to clear up so I headed for this field which is about a 5 minute walk from my studio. I was captivated by the spring greens against the violet mountain in this setting and thought it was finished out there (it should have been), but I tweaked myself in circles with it back at the studio, right up until this evening. Not sure why, just couldn't leave it alone, wasn't making it better, just changing it. Sometimes I think we take our own unsettled selves out on our paintings, thinking if we can fix the painting it will somehow fix our state of mind. Would be very useful to keep these things separate...

#47 - "Storm Window"

Original Oil 6x8"

For purchase info click here

10/06/05 (8pm)

This was painted in exactly the same spot as #46, I just turned 180 degrees. There is a quality of light in the mountains when the sun comes out after a storm - especially in the evening - that I haven't seen anywhere else. The clarity of light is beyond crystal clear, the air has been cleansed of dust particles and the moisture evaporates almost immediately, making mountains miles away feel like they are towering over you. I wish I had time to do 5 paintings in a row here to begin to get to the essence of that drama.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #43 / #44 / #45

2010-06-15T00:51:00.004-06:00

#43 - "Study in Greens"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/06/04 (2pm)
I wanted to post these three together because they were painted on the same day. I was painting with an artist I have bumped into several times over the painting years - Sharon Williams, as well as my good friend Conrad Habing and a new friend, Bobbi Dunlop. Good thing the company was great because the light was uninspiring to say the least. For the first one I was determined to do a 15 minute study. It took 20 mins., but I count that as a win. The goal was to capture the colour, value and rhythm that were present without thinking about it too much. It's wild to paint this fast, feels like you're flying by the seat of your pants every single brush stroke, but it sure forces you to make decisions intuitively.

#44 - "East End of Rundle"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/06/04 (3pm)
Loved the first challenge, it was so fun I vowed I would do the same speed painting exercise every painting for the rest of the day, and proceeded to spend an hour on this one, and an hour and a half on the 3rd. Change does not come easily...

#45 - "Middle Lake"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/06/04 (8pm)
These women are painting maniacs, we started our last painting at 8pm after driving around for about 45 minutes scouting things out. Sharon found this magical little spot and the light got interesting for a brief time just as we were setting up. I was really striving to push things back on this one. The middle ground trees were much darker in reality but I wanted to see how much depth I could create using value and colour temperature changes.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #41/#42

2010-06-12T21:07:00.005-06:00

#41 - "Hidden Treasure"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/06/01 (12:30pm)
This waterfall was raging! Full spring run-off. To walk up and view a waterfall like this for a few moments is spectacular. To stand in the continual mist of its spray and listen to its thunder for and hour or two while painting it was one of the most powerful plein air experiences I have ever had. It was cloudy for a part of the time, so every time the sun poked it's little head out and lit up the water, it was a race to get the good stuff down before it was gone. Here's a photo of the falls:

#42 - "Juniper Ridge"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/06/01 (6:30pm)
Two big learnings on this one. The first I walked right into. As I was drawing out I heard John Carlson's voice in my head saying, "Always start your foreground at least 50 feet in front of you or you will get caught up in unnecessary detail". Yup, pretty much exactly what happened, lost a lot of valuable time there as the light was slipping away. Note to self: Don't do that again. Second one, I thought I would be bold and start with a Dioxazine Purple ground. Note to self: NEVER do that again. It stained the canvas SO dark, couldn't wipe it down to a light value, which wreaked havoc with all of my colour and value judgements - made me completely mental. Super bad plan.

These two pieces were painted on my way back from Vancouver at a stop-over with my good friend Gaye Adams in Sorrento. Loved this photo of her, coffee in hand, scouting locations:

Note: Sorry this post is a day late. I'm teaching a 3 day workshop this weekend and just ran out of day yesterday. I'll make up the lost one before the project ends.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #39/#40

2010-06-09T20:34:00.005-06:00

#39 - "Vancouver Skyline"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/05/30 (1:30pm)
When I was out in Vancouver teaching a workshop recently, I had the opportunity to spend a day plein air painting with my good friend and fantastic watercolourist David McEown.

For the first painting, I found I was really captivated by the city skyline in the far distance. I kept looking around to find less complex subjects, and being drawn back to this. The obvious challenge here was simplification, between boats and lots of people on the beach, about a gazillion boulders on the shoreline, and of course the city buildings, I really had to sort out what was essential to convey my inspiration. In the end this was it.

#40 - "West Coast Blues"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

This study was done from the same spot but looking across the water toward Lighthouse Park. It was raining lightly and pretty socked in. David has hundreds of days of plein air under his belt, and he approaches it in a very soft, meditative way. He says there are moments painting outdoors when the observer and the observed become one, when all sense of separation is gone. That was the space I tried to rest in while painting this one.

Here's a shot of David painting. Little bugger did 4 to my 2. For those of you on the West Coast, he will be instructing at the FCA's Gabriola workshop this September along with Mike Svob, Brent Heighton and Deanne Lemley. If you're going, you're going to love him!

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #37/#38 (and large, furry, sharp-toothed carnivores)

2010-06-07T11:22:00.006-06:00

#37 - "Mountain Meadow"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/05/24 (2pm)
This day of painting was all about the wildlife. For this first one, I was in a small enclosed meadow surrounded by forest, mid-painting, when Lily started with her low rumbling growl that says, "Intruder in our midst". I looked behind me to see a coyote silently watching us from about 100 feet away. I asked him politely to carry on his way, he kindly complied and was starting to trot away when Lily (the smart, beautiful wonder dog) decided she needed to really let him know who's turf he was on, and started bluff charging and barking her fool head off.

He took one look at her display of bravado and started marching in a determined fashion straight toward us, at which point I picked up my orange fluorescent ball thrower and started waving it madly in the air, trying my best to look ominous. He considered this for a moment, looked at me like I had totally lost my mind, and loped off in to the sunset.

And then...

#38 - "Vermilion Lakes Road"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/05/24 (7:30pm)
A bigger visitor... I was painting in the back of my car with the hatch open on a side road in Banff that runs along 3 beautiful small marshy lakes when I looked up to see this girl ambling along the side of the road in my direction. Aborted the painting and jumped in the driver's seat to follow her as she climbed the shoulder and cruised along for about a kilometre before disappearing into the woods. Sure wish I had my good camera with me.

As for the paintings, I seem to switch back and forth between a representational style and a more graphic approach, not intentionally, just happens, and it especially surprises me when I do it in the same day. Needless to say it was rather challenging to bring my focus back to finishing this one, but well worth the diversion. (Hey, don't those trees look kinda like big pointy teeth? Hmmm...)

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #35/#36

2010-06-06T00:27:00.005-06:00

#35 - "Golf Course Greens"
Original Oil 8x6"

10/05/22 (10:45am)
I'm pretty happy with this one. I was working in the car and was especially cramped, perhaps because Lily was in the front seat with me. I was getting funky glare off the windshield and weird side light coming in and hitting my panel. Despite the visual distractions (and my desire to have them gone), I managed to keep my focus on the painting. For this study it was primarily on capturing the aerial perspective necessary to push the mountain way back where it belonged (it's probably about 10 kms. away from this vantage), and on getting the greens right.

#36 - "Storm in the Bow Valley"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/05/22 (12:45pm)
So far one of the very most valuable things I have learned on this project is this:

When you're looking for something to paint, squint down and see if you can reduce your subject to 5 or 6 large abstract shapes. If you can't, choose another subject. If you can, block them in, and then work on modeling those shapes further and adding the accents and highlights to finish. If you can keep it that simple, plein air becomes so much more manageable.
My intention with this piece was to block it in and then build up a lot of thick paint, but at this stage, I re-evaluated. Everything important was there, for a field study there really was no need to keep going.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #33/#34

2010-06-03T18:39:00.003-06:00

#33 - "Evening Sun"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/05/21 (5:45 pm)
These two paintings were painted one right after the other. It was a gray overcast day, and as you can see from the time I started it - I had to really talk myself in to getting out on this one. Was definitely working on the discipline part of the project. I got lucky after I started and got a little sun, which helped brighten things up. My main focus on this one was to try and nail the colours and textures of the foreground marsh and bushes.

#34 - "1st Vermilion Lake"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/05/21 (8pm)
Windy and cold, I elected to paint this one from the passenger seat with the heat on. My goal was to accurately capture the colour and value of these gorgeous evening clouds and sky, something that is almost impossible to get in a photograph. The lake at the bottom was a last minute addition, in reality standing at this vantage the lake is about 100 feet to the right, but I wanted to brighten the foreground and tie it in to the sky.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #31/#32

2010-06-01T09:10:00.003-06:00

#31 - "Evening Cloud"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/05/19 (6pm)
Today's two paintings are a continued experiment to paint thickly. I have found it to be a great way to create interest in a subject that isn't super inspiring. That and pushing colour. (I've included a photo of the scene I was working from - there was quite a bit more blue sky when I started.) Here's what I'm learning about applying thick paint:

Soft brushes don't work, needed to break out the hog hairs to get a really loaded brush

It's really hard to get a lot of paint on the panel

Ignore frustration - just keep putting paint on til it looks right. What's interesting about this one is that when I'm painting thinly, the more I work it the more the life gets painted out of it. When working thickly, it seems to improve with continued effort. Not sure what that's about, but when I figure it out I'll get back to you on it.

#32 - "Spring in the Rockies"

Original Oil 6x8"

10/05/19 (7:30pm)

Had to remind myself to keep varying the brushwork on this one (direction, size and shape). I am finding it is easier to keep modifying the painting with an impasto approach because for some reason thick paint breeds a more cavalier attitude. Perhaps because I feel that I have much less control than when painting thinly, so I decide to relinquish my need for it and just go for it.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #29/#30

2010-05-30T11:42:00.007-06:00

#29 - "Catching the Evening Sun"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/05/12 (7pm)
These two paintings were painted in exactly the same location a few days apart. I was walking along the shore looking for a subject when I noticed the sun catching the tree and grasses on this outcrop. I knew the light would go fast so I focused on getting that element captured as quickly as possible and then worked out the remaining areas.

On another note, I've been asked about the value of painting with an umbrella. First and foremost, it is extremely difficult to paint with glare on your canvas, and difficult to judge your colors accurately unless your palette and canvas are in consistent light. An umbrella allows me to choose any composition, even one that will direct full sun onto my palette and canvas because I can shield it. If you paint in full outdoor light you will mix everything as it looks under that bright source. Indoor light (where paintings are viewed) can never compare to this, so the paintings look much darker when brought indoors. A white umbrella is great when you are looking in to very bright light as it minimizes the extremes of contrast looking from your scene to your work area, but in most situations I find a black underside is best.

#30 - "Evening on the Bow"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/05/17 (6pm)
I just discovered a new artist - Kathryn Townsend. In real time, about 2 weeks ago, in the chronological time of this project, the day before this piece was painted. She paints field sketches in wonderful, thick, interesting paint, really using the texture of the paint to her advantage. I was enamored, and set out with the intention to take a crack at this approach. This first effort was SO FUN! Just about the most fun I have ever had painting, it was pure play, putting lots of paint on and pushing it around. Instead of painting literally, I was trying to just letting brushstrokes suggest things. I kind of slipped into my way of painting in the background, it will require some refining, but I'm sure this approach will show up here and there in future pieces.

PS: Just finished teaching a 2 day workshop in Vancouver. If any of my students are reading this post, thanks so much for a great weekend. You guys were awesome!

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #27/#28

2010-05-28T23:01:00.004-06:00

#27 - "2nd Vermilion Lake"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/05/12 (10:30am)
Someone asked recently why I chose 6x8" for this project. I answered in the comments, but for those of you who didn't see it there: It's because the goal is to spend a maximum of 2 hours per painting (otherwise the light has changed so significantly it's a different scene), and I have a really hard time working that fast, even on 6x8. My average time so far (just finished #37) is 90 minutes, and I veer over that much more often than under it. This painting is an example of that, I started in morning light and painted right in to mid-day light, starting in one lighting situation and finishing another. (I try really hard not to do this.)

#28 - "Early Evening - the Bow River"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/05/12 (6pm)
I really love the mood that was captured in this piece. I was about 20 minutes into it when the sun dropped behind the mountain and I had to forge ahead on memory. This is perhaps part of the reason why much of it is suggested rather than finished, but that's one of the things I really like about it.

100 in 100 - what I've learned so far

2010-05-26T12:49:00.002-06:00

#26 - "Spring Cumulus"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/05/11 (6pm)
This one was primarily an exercise in letting the texture of the brushstrokes suggest the masses. It required a lot of paint and a lot of pushing it around until it looked right.

I thought #26 was a good time to share a few of the things that I have learned while making my way through this project:

If a scene is particularly complex, I don't even begin unless I have a clear plan about how to simplify it. I have gotten myself into trouble on several occasions learning this one (translation: wiper), but I think I've finally figured it out.

On that note - simplify, simplify, simplify! Squint to eliminate detail and clarify values.

Values must be seen relatively. I seem to have a lot of trouble getting enough contrast painting outdoors, and I believe this is because when I look in to the shadows my pupils dilate and everything seems at least 2-3 values lighter than if I look at it RELATIVE to the light. Have to remember to keep checking everything against each other.

Pick something and get painting. Hours can be wasted driving around looking for the perfect design. The job is to create something interesting from the elements available. I've learned that often if I just stand still in a place for 5 or 10 minutes, the painting finds me. Something appears out of what at first seemed uninspiring.

Choose a star player, and make everything else subordinate no matter how compelling it is. Light on the peaks, sparkling water, backlit forest, sundrenched meadow, gorgeous clouds - sometimes all these things are present and compelling in the same scene, but they can't all be given equal attention or nothing will shine. I'm learning to accomplish this with design (ie: only compose for the area of interest) or by downplaying the other elements if they are included.

When I see something beautiful and I know the light is going to change before I even get it drawn out, I try to convince myself to go for it anyway, because I realize the only way to develop visual memory is to practice it. (This one can be particularly frustrating.)

There are so many things to consider in trying to create a successful plein air piece. The most important thing I have learned so far is that sometimes it's just too many balls in the air, and it's okay to work on building skills in one or two areas rather than trying to nail them all in every single piece. Curiosity keeps it fun. Most important, willingness, patience, and a shot in the arm for getting out there have replaced an unrealistic desire to have every painting be a star.

(I'm leaving today to teach a workshop in Vancouver this weekend, but hope to keep up with the posts while I'm away.)

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #24/#25

2010-05-24T18:50:00.007-06:00

#24 - "Hidden Corner"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/05/10 (4:30 pm)
Let's talk about cranky pants painting day. Oh yeah. SUPER cranky pants...for several reasons, but let's address the biggest one. I had lent my brand new, I love it more than I can say, umbrella to a friend and was attempting to use my old, hate it more than I can say, contraption with like 19 adjustment points and a really bad clamping system - and the wind was seriously gusting. So I spent about 1/2 my time painting and the other 1/2 dropping everything on the ground and clutching my easel with both hands wondering if I was going to be the next incarnation of Mary Poppins. (Can you see me hanging on with both little legs flapping out behind me?)

Despite this, I was really thrilled to find a spot I had never been to before, and some lingering snow on the shoreline for interest. I was actually back at this spot today, all the snow is gone and the river is right up to the grass, different world.

#25 - "Last Light"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/05/10 (7pm)
Believe it or not this was painted the same day as #24, a couple of hours later, and about 500 meters away on the other side of the road. It was serious speed painting, the sun dropped fast and my light was gone about a 1/2 hour in. I almost wiped it, but I really loved the warmth so I kept it and finished it in the studio.

Note: For those of you who don't know, you can click on any of the images in my blog to see them larger.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #22/#23

2010-05-22T21:05:00.011-06:00

#22 - "Bow River Shoreline"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/05/08 (5:30 pm)
This was painted about a half hour after #21 - same gray day. This time I used it as an opportunity to work on design, I really love the composition of this scene, and the thin underpainted background with only brushstrokes to suggest detail. Linen is such a great surface for this kind of passage due to its irregular weave.

#23 - "May Snow in the Alpine"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/05/09 (7pm)
Brrrrrr!! Again, but really cold this time! Down coat, hat, gloves, jumping jacks. Lots of them...but I was stoked to have another opportunity to paint snow in the peaks before summer gets here.

On another note: Someone emailed to ask how I hold my panel when I'm painting in the car. On the sidebar to the right there is a link to 'my favourite pochade box', and it really is! For numerous reasons. Outdoors the box mounts on my tripod, but when painting in my car it easily sits on my lap.

I have painted from the driver's seat, the passenger seat and the back with the hatch open, all have varying degrees of discomfort and cramped quarters, but when I'm tired of being COLD or holding on to my easel while painting to keep it from blowing away, it's worth the trade off. Someone else asked how I keep my car clean. Sometimes the brushes get away on me, but I try to catch it and get stuff wiped before it dries. I'm sure eventually it will look like everything else in my life - unequivocal evidence that paint's been flying. :)

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #20/#21

2010-05-20T18:09:00.012-06:00

#20 - "Last Snow of Winter"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here
10/05/05 (5pm)
Another car painting on the way home from the city. I was attracted to the contrast of warm foreground and cool background. I found I really had to keep lightening/cooling the values to get the background pushed back enough, and I concentrated on diminishing size of brushwork to create depth in the field.

#21 - "Banff Springs Golf Course"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/05/08 (3:30pm)
I really pushed the color on this one. It was a super flat, gray day with very brief windows of light. The real world wasn't inspiring me, so I made up my own world. (Fun!)

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #18/#19

2010-05-18T19:21:00.009-06:00

#18 - "Late Spring"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/04/30 (11:15 am)
Wow, it was so interesting to come back from the desert and be thrown back in to cool on every level. An entirely different palette is required for spring in the Rockies. This is one of my favourite places to paint and I was glad to see there was still a little snow hanging off of the river banks, it's such a great element to design with.

#19 - "Mt. Rundle"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/05/02 (7pm)
This was a car painting as it was a super windy evening. The light was constantly changing and there were several moments that the mountain disappeared entirely. It's exciting to paint through such dramatically shifting light. I felt completely engaged - almost a part of the weather. What seemed to work best was laying in, and then grabbing the elements I wanted as they passed in and out of view.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #16/#17

2010-05-16T17:33:00.005-06:00

#16 - "Desert Bloom"

Original Oil 6x8"

10/04/24 (2:30 pm)

Boy the desert is a prickly place! We laughed so hard at some crazy kind of tennis ball cactus thing that stuck to the heels of our shoes and came with us wherever we went. Couldn't set anything down or it was covered in prickles and burrs. It seemed like there was just nothing soft there until I saw this bloom and thought it would be a fun opportunity to focus in on the micro landscape.

#17 - "Tonto Sunset"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/04/24 (5:30 pm)

This is the last painting from our desert trip and my favourite. I'm adding a photo of me painting it to show what isn't seen in a photograph. I definitely took artistic license and pushed the warmth, but in reality I would say the scene looked about halfway between what I painted and what the photo represents.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #14/#15

2010-05-14T22:00:00.004-06:00

#14 - "Sonoran Desert"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/04/23 (5:15pm)
The light was very soft and flat on this day, so I decided to tackle the desert foreground and think about texture and simplifying. I loved the muted greens against the violet backdrop with warm bits of desert floor showing through It was a quiet, unhurried piece with no urgency to race against light.

#15 - "McDowell Mountains"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/04/24 (9:30 am)

The two challenges with this piece were the flat light and the busy-ness of the scene. I focused on simplifying all those crazy sagebrush into masses and trying to create a sense of depth using color and value. This one worked me. Oh, and it was hot! Are you hearing this, I finally get to complain about being hot instead of cold! Not for long though, stay tuned.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #12/#13

2010-05-12T15:08:00.006-06:00

#12 - "Desert Storm"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/04/22 (5pm)
I did 6 desert paintings when I was in Scottsdale at the end of April, these are the first two. Talk about visual memory skill building, the light was changing so fast that picking an idea and sticking to it was essential. When I set up to paint this the foreground was in shadow and the background in bright sun, by the time I squeezed out it was the opposite, so that's what I went with.

Gaye took this photo while I was painting "Desert Storm". I wanted to add it to show how high key this scene was even with stormy light. I don't usually paint with my camera over my shoulder, but things were so exciting I wanted it close!

#13 - "Saguaros at Sunset"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/04/22 (6:15 pm)
As I was gearing up to start this one, the light was bouncing around everywhere - it felt impossible to pick a subject because fascinating things were happening in every direction - and disappearing as quickly as they came. Desert sunsets are an incredible thing to be a part of, they build in intensity for about 45 minutes to this magical, mystical, spiritual crescendo, and then they're over and 10 minutes later it's dark. I got to share this one with my good painting friend Gaye Adams and we were both pretty blown away by it.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #10/#11

2010-05-10T12:07:00.016-06:00

#10 - "Bow River"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/04/19 (6:15 pm)
This was painted in the same spot as "The Fairholme Range" (#7), but this time I wanted to focus on the river and trees as I loved the evening light on them. This is one of my favourites so far, because I finally did something that feels painterly to me, and because it really captured the mood that was present.

Note: I've decided to start posting two paintings at a time, every other day. One, to give me a break from daily posting, and two, to give you all a break from getting an email from me every single day - I know from my own experience this can be a bit tedious. So here's #11:

#11 - "Banff Morning"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/04/20 (11am)
This painting was done shortly after having a conversation with a terrific artist from the west coast, Brent Lynch. We were discussing plein air and he reminded me of some very important ideas:

-field studies are meant to be field studies, not finished studio paintings
-design is super important, move things around to support it
-keep the relative values of foreground/middle ground/background in mind (John Carlson talks about this a lot)
-visual memory is key, especially when painting at the ends of the day when light changes quickly, or in stormy weather (boy am I working on this, one of the hardest aspects of plein air).

Thanks for the great tips Brent!

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #9

2010-05-09T10:50:00.003-06:00

#9 - "April Evening"
Original Oil 6x8"

10/04/18 (6:45pm)
This scene is a 5 minute walk from my house, and I always find it most captivating near the end of the day as the sun drops lower in the sky. It seemed too difficult to paint around the trees, so they were added at the end while the painting was still wet (oh the joy of 6x8!). I have always had a bit of trouble with tree shapes, so I really worked here to study them carefully before painting them, and they came surprisingly easily. I started with a dark mass in their general shape, suggested the detail with some middle tones, and the trusty palette knife came in to play once again for the trunks. Without them this painting was a wiper, so yay! that they worked.

100 plein air paintings in 100 days - #8

2010-05-08T11:48:00.006-06:00

#8 - "Lake Louise"
Original Oil 6x8"
For purchase info click here

10/04/16 (4:15pm)
Lake Louise is a stunning turqouise blue in the summer, but there was something special about being up there in the spring quiet painting it still under its winter cover.

Today I'd like to share a quote from Keith Hiscock about outdoor work: "What I like about plein air the most is that it is not meant to be a masterpiece or a statement of something profound for the world to contemplate for centuries to come, but simply a sketch, a notation with paint or whatever medium one chooses, of a moment in time where one is actually observing at a particular place their surroundings and trying to make a nice note of it."