About Varnish

 It was the French Impressionists who made the varnishing of paintings optional. Some of them liked the flat, matte look of dried oil paint. Today, I personally know one high-end painter who doesn't varnish his paintings.

The problem with not varnishing paintings is twofold. First, not all colors dry to a matte finish. The amount of gloss depends on oil content, how much thinner or medium was used, and also on the absorbency of the ground. An uneven gloss can detract from the beauty of an otherwise skillful painting. Second, a painting without varnish is much more difficult to clean. Paintings in the home are routinely exposed to smoke, airborne kitchen grease, pollen and other particulates that will dull and darken color over many years. With varnish, it's a simple matter of the conservator using some solvent and a light touch to remove the varnish and the accumulated grime.

All that said, painters look at varnishing as an unwelcome task. Mostly, it has to do with timing. An oil painting needs to dry for at least six months before applying a final varnish. Even though the painting might feel dry, oil dries not by evaporation but by oxidation. It doesn't "dry" so much as it "cures." Thicker passages of paint especially may still be soft and contain unpolymerized oil. A final varnish will seal the paint, keeping away the oxygen that the paint so desperately needs for curing.

But there's an easy way out - retouch varnish. I know many painters who apply a coat of retouch varnish but never bother with a final varnish. Retouch varnish can be applied at any point, since it's often used to revitalize dried, dull color during the painting process allowing for colors to be more accurately matched. When I'm done with a painting, I usually give it a couple of weeks and then apply a light coat of retouch varnish. The retouch varnish brings dull color back to life and also evens out the gloss. Typically, this is all the painting needs. Sometimes retouch varnish will seem to disappear over time, making parts of the painting look uneven again. But I don't just spray on more retouch; retouch is just a dilute version of final varnish, and multiple coats of it will seal the painting just like the final varnish. If the painting has sold, I offer to take the painting back from the buyer and varnish it.

I use either a spray varnish or a bottle with a brush. Spray varnishes tend to get clogged nozzles, leading to varnish blobs. I always do a test spray first to make sure I know how the nozzle will work. I prefer a brush, but sometimes while leaning over the painting, I end up getting a dog hair or two in the varnish. If I'm quick, I can pick them out without damaging the varnish. When I'm done, I always make a note on the back of the painting with the type of varnish used and the date.  As a side note, make sure you varnish on days of low humidity.  I don't know about acrylic or resin varnishes, but damar will "fog" if applied on a wet day.

By the way, if you like a matte finish to your paintings, you can get a final varnish that gives a matte finish.  You can have the flat, dull look of dried oil paint and still have the protection!

Above are some of the varnishes I have in my studio today.

Special Sedona Workshops 2012/2013

I know it sounds like maybe I set my clock too far ahead when Daylight Savings Time kicked in this past weekend, but I need to plan out my workshop schedules a year or two in advance.  I'm already looking at workshops in 2014!  But this week, I've been fine-tuning my Paint Sedona workshops for the next, 2012/2013 winter season.  I've decided to set up some special workshop weeks for advanced painters.  They have different requirements than my usual "all level" and "advanced/mentoring" workshops.  Here they are, below.  For a full description and schedule, visit www.PaintSedona.com.  I'm already getting signups for these small-size workshops.

Hiking to Paint:  We'll be going into some of the canyons and on some of the excellent Sedona trails.  You'll need to be prepared to hike, in some cases, up to a half-mile to our painting spot.

Large Format: I did this last year, and it worked out really well.  We'll be painting 16x20 or larger and returning to the same spot repeatedly to finish paintings.

Exploring Historic Verde Valley:  We'll focus on the historic communities of Jerome, Clarkdale and Cottonwood and their beautiful old buildings. Since this will be about architecture, you'll want to have your drawing skills up to snuff!  (Here's a photo of me painting in Jerome.  You can see the Spirit Room, which is in one of my favorite buildings.)

Advanced Design:  Rather than just jumping right into a painting, we'll be spending considerable time getting our compositions right.  But believe it or not, this will actually speed up the painting process!  You can expect some exercises in this workshop plus small initial studies followed by real paintings.

Advanced Color: For this one, we'll be looking for color schemes that will set a mood and enhance our painting.  Again, exercises and studies will lead us to our finished work.

I'm excited about these new workshops.  We'll have lots of fun in each one but also learn a lot, too.  In each of them, we'll go to beautiful locations rich in subject matter.

Pinterest: Marketing Tool?

Ever surfing the wave of novelty, I finally had some time to "hang ten" with Pinterest this week.  Pinterest, in case you don't know, is yet another, newly-evolved form of social media.  It allows users to "pin" images and share them.  When I first heard of it, my initial reaction was, "So?"

But now I'm seeing that it has possibilities as yet another place for the working artist to promote himself.  I discovered, for example, that I can also pin video.  I was able to pin my two promotional videos for my Paint Sedona and Paint Campobello workshops.

Additionally, I've set up a board where I can feature links to instructional books, magazines and videos for the aspiring painter; another with links to recommended art products; another where I can store publicity shots of me and my workshops; and, of course, a board with images of my own paintings.  Visitors can go to my Pinterest page and then follow links to all kinds of useful things.

If you'd like to take a look, here's the link to my Pinterest page.

At one point, I even set up a couple of boards where I could share images from both living and deceased painters.  I really liked this idea, because there are so many excellent painters I want people to know about.  But there was a problem with this, and I decided to delete these two boards.  Why?  Because I didn't own the copyright to these images, and posting such is against the Pinterest terms of agreement.  (In fact, it's against the terms of agreement for most social media sites, including Google+, Blogger and Facebook.)  Despite this, most Pinterest boards are made up of nothing but stolen images.  Is posting images you don't have copyright to morally wrong, especially if you make no money off of them?

I'm a professional content creator.  That is, I don't paint and write just because I enjoy it; I do it because it's how I make a living.  But rather than get into a long essay here, let me just note that there's much that can be said on the issues of copyright and copyright enforcement, some of which I addressed in a previous post.

(UPDATE. I did a test and found that, even if you aren't intentionally copying images, Pinterest will do that for you.  When you "pin" an item from a site using the pin marklet, Pinterest actually copies the image to its server.  So who's violating copyright here?  I'd say Pinterest is.  If you're pinning images, you're just the mechanism that shows Pinterest where the good images are. So maybe I'll put back up those two boards I deleted.)

Alternate Oil Palettes

Some time ago, I read about an alternate palette that painter Daniel Corey recommends for students.  It's a simple, three-color palette based on the primaries, but one of the colors is unexpected.  It consists of cadmium yellow, quinacridone red and - here's the unexpected one - Prussian blue.  I never think of Prussian as being a workhorse color when it comes to oils.  I sometimes use phthalo blue; Prussian is similar, but more muted and, because it doesn't have the high tinting strength, it is less dangerous.  In Daniel's blog post, he shows the wide range of color than can be mixed with this palette.

During this week's workshop, I decided to give it a try.  I was pleased with the color range.  Overall, the painting has a cool feeling to it, but then, it was painted at noontime when the sunlight tends to be cooler.  Here it is:

"Cathedral Rock from Schnebly Hill" 6x12, oil - $100 - contact

Below are a few more paintings from the week, all done with my typical six-color palette (cadmium yellow light, cadmium yellow medium, cadmium red light, permanent alizarin crimson, ultramarine blue, phthalo emerald).  And one quick note - if you haven't seen my March newsletter, it is here.

"Hononki Tower" 6x12, oil - $100 - contact

"Hononki Cliff" 9x12, oil - $150 - contact

"Arroyo Cedar" 12x9, oil - $150 - contact

Arizona Plein Air Painters Annual Juried Members Show

I received word that I've had a couple of pieces juried into the upcoming Arizona Plein Air Painters Annual Juried Member's Show.  The exhibit runs March 30-April 11, from 10-5 each day, at the Sedona Arts Center on Main Street, Sedona, Arizona.  There'll be two receptions, one on March 30, from 4-8 pm, and again on April 6, from 4-8 pm.  If you're going to be in the area, I hope you'll drop by the reception or at least see the show!

The pieces are below.  Both are oil and painted, of course, on location.  Your purchase will benefit the non-profit Sedona Arts Center.

"Into the Flow" 12x16, oil, $750
This was painted at the well-known Red Rock Crossing.  Usually, photographers (and painters) like the view of Cathedral Rock looming up over Oak Creek.  I shifted my viewpoint to the left, and painted looking up stream.

"Warrior" 12x24, $1125
This is one of my favorite spots to paint, at what I call  Uptown Trails.  This is an area right below Steamboat Rock where the trailheads are for the Jim Thompson and Brins Mesa trails.

Who's Buying Paintings These Days - Part 2

The Tortilla Lady, 9x12, oil - $150 - contact Michael

I had over 90 responses to my survey on buyer demographics. It's a small sample of the buying population, and no doubt it is biased toward my own network of buyers, students and followers. Although I did have one billionaire - really! - cruise through the Campobello Island gallery a few years ago and buy a truckload of paintings, she's at the far end of the bell curve. With that in mind, here are some interesting statistics, starting with what people are buying:

• Over 87% buy landscapes. I am, after all, a landscape painter! But each of the other categories - abstract, figurative and still life - had approximately a 20% share. (You'll note that some questions end up with more than 100%; these allowed for multiple responses.)
• Over 62% buy impressionistic work. Half buy "somewhat realistic" work" and and nearly a third "expressive" work. A tiny percentage, 4%, buy photo-realistic work.
• A strong majority of 73% purchase work that evokes a mood. A little over a third buy because the work evokes a memory of a particular place. Nearly half buy work that they want to study in order to improve their own painting skills. Whether a painting had bright or muted colors didn't seem to matter so much - 15% or less responded positively to this question.

Now let's look at who's doing the buying.

• More than 82% of respondents are 50 or older. Twelve percent are 70 or older. Only 2% are in the 21-29 age group.
• Over 70% have only a bachelor's degree. Over 30% have a graduate degree.
• Nearly 70% are employed. About a quarter are retired. Of those employed, over 70% are self-employed. Surprisingly, nearly 75% of those employed are either full-time or part-time professional artists.
• Slightly more than 86% of the respondents buy one or more paintings a year. About 14% have never bought a painting. Two percent say they haven't and probably won't.

So what does all of this mean?

• The average painting could be described as an impressionistic landscape that evokes a mood.
• The average buyer is over 50 with at least a college education and is self-employed as a professional artist. He or she buys at least one painting a year.

Now the question is, Should this data guide me in my future work and the marketing of it? I'd be curious to hear your thoughts.

Who's Buying Paintings These Days?

If you paint a lot, as I do, the paintings eventually start pushing up the rafters. You either have to sell them, give them away, or burn them. I prefer to sell mine, since that fills the bank account so I can make more paintings. But sell them to whom?

I suspect most of my paintings either go to other painters or to my students, or to older people who have always bought paintings and still have the funds to continue to do so. I suspect that the paintings aren't going to twenty-somethings fresh out of college burdened by hefty school loans. I have some other thoughts on the matter, which I will discuss in a future post.

I've put together a little survey I'd love for you to take. Your responses will help me discover who's buying today. (UPDATE: Survey is now closed!)

By the way, we had a good time last week in the latest Paint Sedona workshop. Below are a few of the sketches I did.  They're all for sale.  Let me know if you'd like one.  (Shipping is $10, so if you buy several, you save!)

9x12, oil. - $100 - From Uptown
We had on iffy-weather day.  This is the view out the window of the Uptown Sedona studio.

6x12, oil. - SOLD - Munds Mountain Vista
There's nothing like Schnebly Hill for some good panoramas.

6x12, oil. - $75 - Thunder Mountain Vista
I'm really liking these 6x12 pieces.  Quicker to do than a 12x24, but they still give you the panorama.
This one is looking down the ridge from Thunder Mountain to Coffee Pot and beyond.

5x7, oil. - $60 - Up the Canyon
I like backlighting on the Sedona rocks.  This is a view from the Sedona Heritage Museum.

6x9, pastel. - $60 - Camelhead
Another Schnebly Hill view, looking toward Snoopy Rock and  Camelhead.  This is another backlit scene.

6x9, pastel. - $60 - Snow up the Canyon
One day we headed up Schnebly Hill Road to the Cowpies area.  There was still some snow up in the shadows.

Backlit Clouds

Backlit Clouds, 9x12, oil - $100 - contact Michael

As many of my students will tell you, I enjoy painting backlit subjects.  It seems like I'm always positioning myself so I'm looking into the sun with some nice rimlighting around a mountain.  (It makes for a nice tan.)  Sometimes, we get clouds in Sedona, and I like to paint those backlit, too.

Here's an example.  For this one, clearly it was the clouds that drew my eye.   They were incandescent and fiery around the edges.  I could almost feel the heat.

One thing I observed was the curious progression of warm-and-cool from the clouds nearly overhead to the ones on the horizon.  The ones closer by, and thus most overhead, had warm, shadowed interiors and a nimbus of cool light.  The farther away the clouds got, this reversed, so they had cool, shadowed interiors and a warmer nimbus.  This change in contrast of warm and cool quite striking and contributed to the sense of light and heat.

Testing the New Plein Air Panels from Judson's

"Near Palatki" 9x12, oil - SOLD

I got a few of Judson's Art Outfitters new plein air panels this week, and I thought I'd take one out for a test drive.  They are acrylic gesso on hardboard, and the gesso has a nice, eggshell finish that takes the paint well.  It has just the right amount of absorbency for plein air painting alla prima style.   When you lay down that first stroke, it stays there, and you can easily lay down more over it.  The price is right, too, a little over $4 for a 9x12 board.

For the test drive, I went out painting with my friend Christine Debrosky.  She drove, and I was happy to let her, since our destination was some distance out on a rather washboarded gravel forest road.  We headed toward the Palatki ruins, where you can get some really nice closeups of the red rocks nearby.  A storm was moving in - they were predicting an inch or less for Sedona but several for Flagstaff - so the clouds were building.  We managed to get in one painting each before the sun disappeared.

My painting is at the top of this post.  I really went for intuitive color and rapid brush strokes.  I've been reading the new biography of Van Gogh by Naifeh and Smith, so perhaps Vincent's approach is affecting mine.

Social Media and Painting

H.L. Mencken

That old curmudgeon, H.L. Mencken, once wrote:  "Those who can, do; those who can't, teach."    Not true, of course, since there are many teachers who do, and many doers who teach.  (This might be grist for a future post, perhaps.)

These days, we can take Mencken a step further:  "Those who can, do; those who don't, live in Facebook."

Or, instead of Facebook, substitute your favorite social medium.  We have many now, including Google Plus, Twitter and Pinterest.  And tomorrow we'll have more.

I'll be the first to admit that I spend time on Facebook.  I've found it great for reconnecting with friends from whom I've wandered over the decades.  Originally, though, I signed up hoping to  increase my presence as a professional artist on the Web.  I did the same with all the other social media sites.  The other day I even signed up for Pinterest, but mostly just to test some HTML code that will prevent people from "pinning" my copyrighted images from my blog and website.  (Thank to Katherine Tyrell for that tip!)

So, as a professional artist, how is social media working for me?  Frankly, it's not.

I'm sure I can hire a consultant who might suggest ways I can improve this situation, but honestly, I don't think it's worth the effort.  Social media takes away valuable time from activities that can have a  bigger impact on my professional life.  These activities include meeting potential buyers face-to-face, working my mailing list of already-proven buyers and students and, yes, even painting.

And if you don't paint, you have nothing.

Besides my website, which I use as an online portfolio, I've found the blog most useful.   I've sold from both the website and the blog; and both have pulled in new students.  When I post to the blog, I make sure a link to the post also goes to Facebook, Google Plus and Twitter.  This doesn't take much effort.  I've also made sure I have a professional page on both Facebook and Google Plus that encourages new visitors to visit my website and blog.  I use Youtube, too.  Although it isn't exactly a social medium, I encourage visitors to my channel  to visit my "real" sites, too.

All of these social media sites require time and energy to evaluate.  Time and energy I'd rather spend painting  and doing my old-fashioned social networking.

Prepping Panels

About four times a year, I spend a few days preparing panels for oil painting, maybe 40 or so at a time.   I have enough tables and other flat surfaces for the prep, but once the last coat of gesso is laid on, I like to move them out of the way so I can embark on other projects.  Although after a day acrylic gesso may feel dry, it really takes several more days for it to fully harden.  If you don't let it cure long enough before stacking, the acrylic will stick.  When you separate the boards, some may be blemished.

One way around this, I've heard, is to interleave waxed paper.   But here's a system I've come up with.  It doesn't require drying racks and doesn't take up table space.  I find a little corner somewhere in the house where I can stand up the boards.  You might start building a house of cards in the same way.  Below is a photo of the arrangement.  That's my usual batch of about 40 boards.  You can see how this arrangement saves space.  It may not work, though, if you have a dog, cat or small children.  It is, after all, a house of cards.  Still, you can make a surprisingly sturdy construction.

Someone asked me how I make my boards.  I wrote on article for The Artist's Magazine on this very topic (December 2011) issue.  But here's my favorite recipe.  I start with hardboard ("Masonite"), and if it's the tempered variety, I rub it down with alcohol first to remove surface oil.  Next, I brush on a thin layer of Gamblin PVA.  For most of the boards, I follow this with two thin layers of Golden Acrylic Gesso, randomly applied with a trim brush, the kind you use for painting houses.  I also put a coat on the reverse side to even out warping.  Finally, I sand just lightly at the end, as I like a bit of surface texture.  This makes a semi-absorbent surface that works for me.  I always save a few boards, though, to treat differently.  After the PVA size, I apply a coat or two of either Golden Heavy Gel or Golden Matte Medium.  These dry clear, allowing the hardboard's natural golden tone to shine through.

Upcoming Workshops: Doug Dawson Mentoring Workshop

August 20-24, 2012: Lubec, Maine.  Doug Dawson Mentoring Workshop.  All  media.   Price:  $600.  Class limited to 8.  Visit http://dougdawsonworkshop.com for details.  Contact:  Doug Dawson, (303) 421-4584.

Although this isn't one of my workshops, I am the sponsor.  Doug Dawson is returning to Lubec, Maine, for a five-day mentoring workshop.  This is his third year teaching here.  Doug is a very giving instructor and a fantastic painter. This is a rare opportunity to work side-by-side with a Master Pastelist!

Because this is a mentoring workshop, you'll paint along with Doug as a colleague or, if you prefer, watch as he paints. (Doug will work in pastel, but you may work in any medium.)  As your mentor, he'll critique work and talk informally about painting. You can expect a very intense, "immersion" experience in some of the world's most scenic locations.

The workshop will be based in Lubec, Maine. Students will paint en plein air in Lubec and, just minutes across the Roosevelt Memorial Bridge, on Campobello Island in New Brunswick. Lubec is a quaint, historic fishing village with a scenic waterfront, and Campobello Island is home to the many natural areas of Roosevelt-Campobello International Park and Herring Cove Provincial Park. Expect real working wharves, picturesque buildings and lighthouses, fishing boats, rugged cliffs and peaceful beaches.

Doug Dawson is a founding board member for the The Art Students League of Denver and teaches 8 to 10 workshops around the US each year. He has received numerous awards from a number of different art organizations such as The Pastel Society of America, American Watercolor Society, Knickerbocker Artists, The National Academy of Western Art, Southeastern Pastel Society, Pastel Society of West Coast, Audubon Artists, Kansas Pastel Society, Pastel Society of the Southwest and the International Association of Pastel Societies. To honor his achievements, he was given the title of Master Pastelist by the Pastel Society of America and elected to the Master's Circle of the International Association of Pastel Societies. In 2008, he was named a Pastel Society of America Hall of Fame Honoree. (For more, visit www.dougdawsonartist.com.)

(I hope you'll join us.  If the timing doesn't work out for you, please consider my own workshops on Campobello that run from July into September - www.PaintCampobello.com.)

Painting the Grand Canyon with a Teensy Knife, Part 2

Sunset Glow, 12x16, oil - contact Michael

I've been working in the studio on what may be my final Grand Canyon painting for the season.  Although this is a studio piece, I used a variety of photo and plein air references from my last couple of trips to the Canyon.  The reference photos don't do the scene justice, but the plein air sketches, thankfully, give me lots of accurate color notes that I was able to use for this project.

What I'm finding particularly fun to play with in these paintings is the way rock colors change from foreground to far distance.  The sunlit passages, for example, go from hot cadmium yellow deep and cadmium red in the closest rocks all the way back to a cool mixuture of white, cadmium red, ultramarine blue and a touch of chromatic black.  The shadowed passages go from mixtures of alizarin crimson, phthalo emerald, ultramarine blue and chromatic black in the closest rocks and then back to a mixture of white, alizarin red and ultramarine blue. There is a lot of variety in these mixtures, though, and sometimes I mixed more intuitively than with thought.  It's possible to do that when you set your palette exactly the same way every day.

I also enjoyed working with the knife again.  Here's what my palette looked like when I was finished, followed by detail shots of the painting.

Two Paintings Juried In

Faithful blog readers will have seen these two images before, but I am posting them again because they have been juried into the annual Sedona Arts Center Juried Member's Show.  The show will run from March 2-27 at SAC's main (upper) gallery.  SAC is open 10-5 every day.

There's also a reception where you can meet me and the other artists on Friday, March 2, from 5-8.  If you're in town, I hope you'll stop by! 

Grand Canyon Gold, 12x24 oil

Precipice at the Grand Canyon, 16x20, oil

Painting by Jeep

My friend, Tony Donovan, is here in Sedona now with his Rubicon.  The advantage of having a painting buddy with a Jeep is that we get to go places your father's Oldsmobile - or your average low-slung rental car - can't.  Many of the forest roads in Red Rock Country require high-clearance, heavy-duty tires and chutzpah.  Jeeps have all that, and lots of chutzpah.

Sometimes students get a treat and get to go, too.  Last week, we headed down Vultee Arch Road, which snakes around the backside of Thunder Mountain into some very pretty country.  The road is more washed out than it was last year, and the catclaw and mesquite seem to stick out more; the Rubicon now sports some brand-new "Arizona pinstripes."  We drove to a little platform near the historic Van Deren cabin and painted the view overlooking a very dry Dry Creek.

It was a good week over all.  We had snow at the higher elevations the first day and cool, overcast after that, but the last two days were just spectacular and Sedona at its best.  I've put a few photos up for your vicarious pleasure.  I should also mention we have a few spots left in this season's Paint Sedona workshops.

Somewhere behind Thunder Mountain (sketch), 9x12, oil

Schnebly Hill area (sketch), 9x12, oil

Munds Mountain "fin", showing bounced light (sketch) 12x9, oil

Reusing Canvas

Thunder Mountain sketch, 9x12, pastel

Sometimes I get questions about reusing canvas.  My short answer for this is, Don't.

I think all of us have a collection of  old paintings stashed away somewhere, paintings that should be thrown out.  Because of the cost of materials, it's easy to wish that these could be recycled in some way.  The worst thing you can do is to brush on a fresh coat of white paint and paint over that.  Over time, the new paint will become more transparent, revealing the old painting.  But there's also a good chance that the overpainting, because of differences in paint layer thickness and oil content, will develop problems such as cracking and flaking.  Even if you think you'll be doing nothing but quick, throwaway sketches, don't do it.  Never assume that a quick sketch won't turn out to be something valuable.  Always use archival materials in an archival manner.

If you really do need to reuse stretched canvas, one thing you can do is take it off the stretchers and turn it over, exposing fresh canvas to your brush.  This you can treat just like raw canvas - size it, and then apply either oil ground or acrylic gesso.  Many old paintings, hundreds of years old, have paintings on the reverse side.  Of course, if you paint on panels, you can simply flip those over and paint on the backs.  (I'm talking about wood or hardboard panels; this won't work for those cheap cardboard ones from Frederix.)

Pastel on paper is a different story.  I use Wallis sanded paper, which is remarkably durable and eminently reusable.  I can take my "starts" and unsatisfactory paintings to the kitchen sink and wash off the pastel.   Some of the pastel stains the paper, but the stained paper, once dry, makes for a good surface to do more paintings on.   If the paper doesn't dry completely flat, I cut it up into smaller pieces for sketches.  (The pastel at the top of this post is purely meant for your pleasure and not to illustrate a point; it wasn't made on re-used paper, nor will I wash this one out!  It's a sketch I did the other week during one of the Paint Sedona workshops.)

So if you don't reuse canvas or paper, what should you do?  Make a bonfire.  Slash them with a razor.  Paint a black X on them.  Get them out of your studio at any cost, or these zombie paintings will haunt you forever!

Upcoming Workshops: Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada

July-September, 2012: Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada.  All levels, all  media, many weeks available.   Price:  $300.  Visit www.PaintCampobello.com for details and to signup.

Painting at Liberty Point

I've been teaching plein air painting workshops on Campobello Island and across the border in Lubec, Maine, for five summers now.  (This will be my sixth.)  I love the area and never tire of showing students some of my favorite spots to paint.  Campobello is a small island, and one-third of it consists of parklands.  Between the Roosevelt-Campobello International Park and Herring Cove Provincial park, we have plenty to paint in the way of bold cliffs, quiet beaches, ponds and bogs, and meadows.  We also have historic buildings, lighthouses and several working waterfronts to pick from, too.

As with my Paint Sedona workshops, I limit the students to usually no more than 4.  I'll be working in oil or pastel, but students are welcome to work in whatever medium they wish.  Also, during the summer I schedule a couple of advanced/mentoring workshops for those who would like to learn the finer points of painting.  Each workshop begins in my home studio gallery and starts with a brief talk on plein air basics, after which we move out into the field to paint.  I'll demonstrate first, and then you'll get to paint with me working beside you and offering help.

Since the workshop runs from 9-1, you'll have your afternoons free to either paint on your own or explore.  Many students bring friends or family and enjoy a whale watch or hike in the afternoon, followed by a dinner of the day's catch at one of our restaurants.  Some just keep on painting - and that's fine, too, because I'll be happy to critique whatever you do the next morning.

By the way, Master Pastellist Doug Dawson will be teaching a workshop for me in Lubec, Maine, August 20-24.  I'll have more details on this in a future post.  Or, you can go to www.dougdawsonworkshop.com.

For more on the area, visit www.campobello.com and www.visitlubecmaine.com.

More on Framing

12x24 pastel framed with museum glass, mat and spacer

A reader writes:

My area of confusion is regarding the framing. This influences the amount of the artist's share more than anything else. Some galleries decide what frames should be used, some want better or higher quality frames, some probably contribute to this expense depending on the value of the work. Particularly, in the case of larger works, the buyer will probably change the frame. Styles vary widely when it comes to frames among what artists want to use and what buyers want. It is a big investment to put a good frame on a work, it ups the price, and then occasionally it is replaced adding so much more money on the buyer's end. Such a conundrum.

I can't figure out how to make this work out in a more favorable way for the artist. Can you speak to us, the 99%?

Framing for the 99% is a tough call.  As I mentioned in my earlier post on framing, I have a few basic concepts, which I adhere to.  These seem to satisfy the galleries, as well.  (In fact, the way I frame is the way my galleries want me to frame my work.)   The framing is expensive, but if you have a resale tax certificate, you avoid paying sales tax.  And, because the certificate also signifies you as a professional, framers will often sell to you close to wholesale.

9x12 pastels framed with simple, homemade wooden frames, mat and picture glass, no spacer

Otherwise, there aren't many options to get around the issues you mention.  You might tell the gallery manager that if a buyer doesn't like the frame you can swap it out for one of similar price.  Of course, this makes things more complicated in that the re-framing will have to be dealt with in some way.  Either you need to live close enough to do it yourself, or the gallery will need to do it.  If the buyer wants a more expensive frame, then the buyer pays the difference.  Or, and this is probably easiest, they can buy it without the frame, and the gallery deducts your frame cost from the price.   (The gallery's commission, by the way, should then be calculated on the unframed price.)  In my studio gallery, if I don't have a frame handy, this is what I do.  It's usually always a satisfactory solution for both me and the buyer, especially if I can recommend a good frame shop.

Scattered through this blog are some ways I've framed pastels in the past.

I'd be interested to hear if any of my readers have other solutions regarding Framing for the 99%.

5x7 pastels framed with readymade frames, mat, picture glass and no spacer

12x9 pastel framed with readymade frame, museum glass, no mat, plus spacer

Upcoming Workshops - Matakana, New Zealand

March 5-11, 2013: Matakana, NEW ZEALAND.  All  media.   Price:  $2500,  includes accommodations, most meals, transportation to/from Auckland airport and excursions.  Contact me directly if you want to be on the list.

The New Zealand trip will be a real painting retreat.  Although it won't include formal instruction, I will do daily demonstrations in oil, and we'll have group critiques.  This will be a laid-back adventure where your outdoor studio is a beautiful beach, island or rain forest on the Kowhai Coast just north of Auckland!  In this area of the North Island, native bush and unique birds abound. Spend the day painting on the beach with other artists; take a break to swim in the South Pacific.  Watch the sun go down, glass of wine in hand, while listening for moreporks (native owls).  Find the Southern Cross in the night sky.  The next day, ferry across to an island, visit a farmer’s market or find tidal pools in the rocks along the ocean’s edge.

I am very excited to be joining painters Adele Earnshaw and Joe Garcia for this very special adventure.  We'll have a great time exploring the coast in paint.  For non-painter partners, you'll also have a great time since all of our excursions offer plenty for you to do, too!  For many details on the trip, visit www.PleinAirNewZealand.com and www.paintingnewzealand.com.

In order for this 2013 retreat to happen, we will be asking for commitments and deposits by June of 2012.  I hope you'll join us!

(Click here if you'd like to see my full workshop schedule.) 

Getting the Feeling: Creating Mood

Canyon, Near Sunset I - 9x12, oil

Sometimes, we're more interested in putting down our feelings than in dealing with painting technique.  If, like me, you're heavily left-brained and love the technology of painting, it might be hard to let go and "just express yourself."  We're busy trying to remember whether burnt umber is fat or lean.  But I'd say that even "expressing yourself" requires technical skill.

Without it, it's like not knowing the rules of grammar and trying to write a novel.  Communicating your story - and all the feelings that fuel a novel - will fail if you don't know the rules.

So, how does one put down one's feelings?  To me as as plein air painter, my feelings come about as a response to the landscape's mood.  Mood is a synthesis of subject, light and shadow, and color.

Canyon, Near Sunset II - 9x12, oil

"Putting down your feelings" involves three steps.  First is discerning exactly what your response is.   Are you awed by the grandeur and majesty?  Calmed by the peacefulness?  Second is analyzing the landscape's mood and determining what features provoke your response.  If you are awed, perhaps it's the sense of atmospheric depth and the scale of the subject.  If calmed, perhaps it's the dominant horizontals in the scene and the dulled color.  Finally, it's taking these features and rendering them effectively on paper or canvas.  If it's grandeur and majesty you're after, you might start with a larger canvas and rich color; if a sense of calm, you might go with a 1:2 or even a 1:3 format and a subdued palette.  Every decision you make needs to work in concert with the mood you wish to convey.

It's worth playing with this concept, especially in the studio where you have more time.  On a few scrap sheets, play with format and design, and with value choices and palettes.  Which combination is most effective at recreating your feeling about the landscape?

The two sketches illustrating this blog are ones that I painted out in the field while thinking purposefully of mood.

Upcoming Workshops - View Arts, Old Forge, New York

May 15-17, 2012: NEW YORK, Old Forge.  Oil Only.   Price:  $350/$325 members. Contact: View Arts, (315) 369-6411, bgetty@viewarts.org , www.viewarts.org

This will be my second time teaching in Old Forge.  Old Forge sits in the central Adirondack Mountains of New York, and it's a beautiful spot with ponds, trails and trees.  In mid-May, we should have some good spring foliage.  Bring a tube of permanent green light!

The workshop is for oil only.  We'll spend a little time in the studio each morning going over plein air basics, where I'll also go over my gear and materials.  Afterward, we'll head out to some of my favorites spots where I'll give a full demonstration.  During the demonstration, I'll show you how to capture the moment quickly and efficiently but without sacrificing mood and magic.    We'll talk about abstracting and simplifying the landscape; how to make the most use of value and color; and how to finish a painting.  Next, you'll get to paint!  I'll go from easel to easel offering help.  Time permitting, we'll do critiques at the end of the day or, if not, the following morning.

I hope you'll join us!

(Click here if you'd like to see my full workshop schedule.) 

Upcoming Workshops - Lima, Ohio

May 11-12, 2012: OHIO, Lima.  FULL.  Price: $150  Contact: Ruth Ann Sturgill,  419-331-4999, rasturgill@woh.rr.com

This will be my second time teaching in Lima.  Lima has a beautiful rural setting with plenty of barns and farmscapes.  It's also got a neat downtown and is headquarters for Kewpee's Hamburgers.  Why do I mention Kewpee's?  As a bit of historic Americana, it was one of the first fast-food restaurants to  offer curbside service with its heyday before World War II.  There are only five Kewpee's left, but it's a fun place to eat.

This will be a workshop for oil only, and it is now full.  Because the workshop runs only two days, we'll head quickly out into the field and get started.  I'll start with a full demonstration to show you how to capture the moment quickly and efficiently but without sacrificing mood and magic.  We'll talk about abstracting and simplifying the landscape; how to make the most use of value and color; and how to finish a painting.  Next, you'll get to paint!  I'll go from easel to easel offering help.  Time permitting, we'll do critiques at the end of the day.

I hope you'll join us!

(Click here if you'd like to see my full workshop schedule.) 

Upcoming Workshops - Art Barn, Valparaiso, Indiana

 May 7-9, 2012: INDIANA, Valparaiso.  Price: $275 (incl. lunch) Contact:  ArtBarnIN@AOL.com, 219-462-9009, www.artbarnin.com

This will be my third time teaching at the Art Barn.  In case you've not been to the Art Barn, it really is a barn, and it's situated on nearly 70 acres in a beautiful, pastoral setting.   We'll have a pond, fields and groves of trees to paint.  I'm hoping the giant dogwood outside the barn is blooming again, as it was the last two Aprils.  This year, we may try a "chickens in the landscape" session.  One of our students last year discovered that if you feed them, they'll stay still long enough to paint.

This will be a workshop for all media, all levels.  (I'll be working in oil and pastel.)  We'll spend a little time in the studio each morning going over plein air basics, where I'll also go over my gear and materials.  Afterward, we'll head out into the field where I'll give a full demonstration.  During the demonstration, I'll show you how to capture the moment quickly and efficiently but without sacrificing mood and magic.    We'll talk about abstracting and simplifying the landscape; how to make the most use of value and color; and how to finish a painting.  Next, you'll get to paint!  I'll go from easel to easel offering help.  Time permitting, we'll do critiques at the end of the day or, if not, the following morning.

Valparaiso - or "Valpo," as the locals call it - it nearby with restaurants and galleries and a fascinating historic district.   I hope you'll join us!

(Click here if you'd like to see my full workshop schedule.) 

Upcoming Workshops - Water Street Studios, Batavia, Illinois

May 4-5, 2012: ILLINOIS, Batavia. Price: $200. Contact: Kari Kraus, Water Street Studios, 630-761-9977, kari_l_kraus@sbcglobal.net, www.waterstreetstudios.com

I taught a workshop through Water Street Studios last year, and we had a lot of fun. If you've not been to Batavia before, it's a quaint, historic town near Chicago on the Fox River. At the turn of the last century, it was called the "windmill capital of the world" because it made more windmills than anyone else. It has several parks along the river that we will paint in, including the Fabyan Forest Preserve and the Downtown Riverwalk.

This will be a workshop for oil or pastel painters, all levels. We'll spend a little time in the studio each morning going over plein air basics, where I'll also go over my gear and materials. Afterward, we'll head out into some of Batavia's beautiful parks where I'll give a full demonstration. During the demonstration, I'll show you how to capture the moment quickly and efficiently but without sacrificing mood and magic. We'll talk about abstracting and simplifying the landscape; how to make the most use of value and color; and how to finish a painting. Next, you'll get to paint! I'll go from easel to easel offering help. Time permitting, we'll do critiques at the end of the day.

If you've not been to Batavia before, it has a large selection of good restaurants and shops. Plus, Waterstreet Studios always has something fun going on. I hope you'll join us!

(Click here if you'd like to see myfull workshop schedule.) 

Upcoming Workshops - Sedona Arts Center

April 9-12, 2012: ARIZONA, Sedona.  4 full days. All levels. All media.  Price: $450 Contact: Sedona Arts Center 1-888-954-4442, sac@sedonaartscenter.com, www.sedonaartscenter.com

I teach many workshops in Sedona, but this will be one of the few for all levels, all media.  If you were a bit fearful of taking one of my advanced workshops, then this one is for you!

We'll spend a little time in the studio each morning going over plein air basics, where I'll also go over my gear and materials.  Afterward, we'll head out to some of my favorites spots where I'll give a full demonstration.  During the demonstration, I'll show you how to capture the moment quickly and efficiently but without sacrificing mood and magic.    We'll talk about abstracting and simplifying the landscape; how to make the most use of value and color; and how to finish a painting.  Next, you'll get to paint!  I'll go from easel to easel offering help.  Time permitting, we'll do critiques at the end of the day or, if not, the following morning.

It doesn't matter what medium you prefer to work in.  I work in both oil and pastel, and will do so for the workshop.  But since we'll be focusing on painting principles, you can work in oil, pastel, acrylic, watercolor - whatever suits your fancy!

Sedona is a beautiful area to paint in with red rock hills, sycamore and cottonwood trees and running creeks.  Plus, if you've not been to Sedona before, it has a large selection of good restaurants, galleries and shops.  I hope you'll join us.

(Click here if you'd like to see my full plein air workshop schedule.)