Albert Handell Mentoring Program: Day 6, The Big Critique

On Friday, we headed back to Indian Canyons where Albert painted a large pastel, again using his transparent watercolor underpainting method. As with the previous day's painting, this was not a demonstration but a painting. "They are two completely different things," he explained. He was silent as he moved his empty hand over the paper, figuring out the design, and perhaps in rehearsal of what he would shortly do with a brush.

Albert at work

As someone who frequently gives demonstrations, I understand how important silence is. This early stage of the painting is critical to what comes after, and being pelted with questions by the audience or verbalizing one's thoughts can divert you from the best path. But as soon as he had laid in his design with Payne's Grey and Hooker's Green and picked up the first pastel, he began to narrate.

The finished painting was a beautiful abstraction of the scene before us. Here is the transparent watercolor underpainting followed by the finished piece:

Albert's transparent watercolor underpainting

The finished painting

While watching Albert from the cool shadows, I was taken with a clump of palm trees I'd painted the first day in pastel. The morning light on it was rich, warm and inviting. After the problems I'd had with oils the day before, I decided to paint the same scene again, this time in oil. I felt confident I could manage it, which is a helpful feeling when faced with a complex subject. I was very happy with the result, and Albert was, too.

Three Palms, 12x9 oil
Michael Chesley Johnson

After lunch, it was time for the Big Critique. For this, Albert wanted us to lay out all our work, good and bad, that we had done during the week. We turned a picnic table into a giant easel and then set up additional easels around it. As each participant's turn came, Albert would take his time looking at the work and moving pieces around. He put the strongest pieces together, which allowed him to see clearly what the artist's strengths were; the remaining paintings allowed him to see the weaknesses.

Pondering student work

Albert shows his work from the week

There wasn't a bad painter among us, but there were differences in craft and vision. For those who clearly knew how to paint, he offered career-building advice; for those who needed to work on their skills, he offered homework assignments to improve them. Although the advice and assignments were tailored to the individual, I think it was instructive for everyone.

The Big Critique takes longer than the daily ones, but we still had some time to paint. Albert wanted us to work on tree trunks - although they look simple, the coloring and texture present difficult problems. But I had some business to conduct, which didn't leave me enough time. So instead, with what was left of the day, I took a hike. It's something I'd wanted to do all week but didn't have the chance.

That evening, we met for dinner at Sherman's Deli to celebrate not only the end of our week under this great master but also Albert's 78th birthday.

Most participants are staying through Saturday to take advantage of a final painting session. Unfortunately, I have a long drive back to Sedona, so I will be leaving early and will miss it.  (Plus, I have my own Paint Sedona workshops to get ready for next week.)

I want to thank you, Albert and Jeanine, for a great week. It means a lot to me to be invited to work with you in one of your favorite locations. But I'll see you again soon!

Albert Handell Mentoring Program: Day 5, Color Flutes

We returned to Indian Canyons on Thursday, where Albert painted a complex cluster of palm trees. As he got into the painting and began to analyze what was happening with light and shadow, he said that even he felt this particular scene was quite challenging - and he wondered if perhaps he should have chosen something simpler. The fine structures of the palm fronds, the fast-changing side-lighting, the unusual coloration of the palm tree "skirts" all contributed to to the challenge. But he did pull it off, and grandly.

Albert's chosen scene

Albert's painting

My experience that morning was quite different. I made three oil paintings before lunch, two of which I scraped down. I'd chosen palm trees, too, but they weren't all that complex. My problem? I was using too thick paint too soon. I was up to my hips in it. I knew better, of course, so I'll just blame the warm air that made the paint so slippery as to be unmanageable. By the time I got to my third attempt, the light had changed too much, so I switched to painting rocks. This one went much better. I was very happy with the result, and Albert was, too.

Rock with Flutes, 9x12 oil

His only suggestion for this painting was to add what he calls "flutes" - tiny spots of color to increase interest to an area, or to connect two jarringly dissimilar ones. He calls them flutes because he likes to think of a painting as a symphony, with each shape being played by a particular part of the orchestra. To liven up the dead brush around the base of my rock, he added specks of pure Hansa yellow deep. In keeping with the analogy, you might consider the dead brush to be a somber passage played by the cellos, and the yellow specks, played by a flute.

Lunchtime critiques

After lunch, we drove to a wash where palm trees stood like chess pieces at the end of the game, scattered across the board. There was no wind, the sun was hot, and although the trees provided shade, one had to clamber over boulders to get to it. That's my excuse, anyway, for another scraper. Albert came by and offered some suggestions, but then I cut my finger with my painting knife. You don't realize how sharp one of those can get from all the scraping, but it does. Scraping is like taking a kitchen knife to a whetstone. Plein air painters, I recommend you keep a first aid kit in the car. I didn't have one, but I'm glad one of the other painters did.

Albert was still recovering from his cold, so he passed on dinner at Sherman's. Still, we talked art. This time, about plein air painting goals and galleries.

Friday is our last day. I will be prepared - after class on Thursday, I picked up a first aid kit at the local pharmacy.

Albert Handell Mentoring Program: Day 4, And More Rocks!

Wednesday morning, we headed once again to Indian Canyons where Albert launched into painting a large pastel piece. He started with a transparent watercolor underpainting this time, using Payne's Grey as a base, modified with a warmer or cooler color as demanded by the scene. He worked with a large mop brush and let the watercolor flow freely.

When the painting was dry, he applied pastel selectively, keeping the shadows deep, intense and simple. In the light areas, he added suggestions of detail with value and color variations. When he was done, much of the underpainting still showed through, especially in the lower areas where he desired to leave a more abstract feeling. The subject was the same "Lion King" rock he'd painted the day before.

After his demonstration, we still had time to paint before lunch, so I went to a rim-lighted scene I had discovered earlier in the week.

Warm, Reflected Light 9x12 pastel
This is the one I worked on later in the day in a different place from where I painted it

I worked in pastel again because I had some mounted paper I wanted to use up. I didn't finish this painting in one session, but ended up doing a little more work on it while at a different location in the afternoon. It was a case of not needing to have the subject in front of me; the painting itself required certain changes to make it work better. (All suggested by Albert during the critique session.)

Albert and his two paintings

At lunchtime, Albert brought out and compared his two paintings of the "Lion King" rock. One was the transparent watercolor underpainting from earlier in the day; the other, the pure pastel piece from the day before. It was fascinating to see these two different interpretations side-by-side. In the mixed-media piece, he was responding to the Payne's Grey underpainting; in the pure pastel one, to the buff tone of the raw paper. Because of the underpainting (or lack thereof), each demanded a different color solution to the scene - even though both were painted at the same time of day under the same lighting conditions.

I asked him which one he liked better. "I like them both!" he said, grinning.

Lunchtime critiques

In the afternoon, we headed up to the Palm Canyon area were we could walk down to a stream. This is a broad area, carpeted with lush, green grass and filled with warm light and pockets of cool shadows. Boulders provide stepping stones across the stream and places to sit. I'd longed to paint in this beautiful oasis since the day Albert took me on our photography hike. Unfortunately, clouds had moved in (along with some wind), and the glittering moments of spectacular lighting were gone. At the end of the day, the pastel I made seemed so dull compared to the light-filled scenes we'd been looking at all week. I am putting it aside for further review before showing it here.

At dinnertime, we missed Albert and Jeanine. Albert had been fighting a cold all week, and he stayed home to rest up for the next day.

Albert Handell Mentoring Program: Day 3, Rocks!

In the Canyon

Tuesday morning, we headed back to Indian Canyons. This park has such varied subject matter that we will most likely spend the week there - and gladly.

Albert started us off by painting rocks in what has become his signature style. That is, the drawing is honest and true, the design is intimate and strong, and the colors are "pushed" to harmonize beautifully. Unlike his demonstrations, this was a full painting in pastel, from start to finish. By the way, although I haven't seen the movie, I am told that this particular rock was the setting for Disney's "The Lion King."

Albert's view of the "Lion King" rock

By the way, for the mentoring program, Albert invites participants to set up next to him and paint along. Several of us did so, including me. I kept one ear cocked, though, and listened to his narration as I worked.  Here's my piece:

Lion King Setting 12x18 pastel (on Canson Mi-Teintes "Touch" paper)
I continued to work in pastel today because I was having so much fun drawing!

Albert finished this painting quickly to his satisfaction (and to ours), leaving plenty of time for us to finish up. Afterward, we met for lunch within a circle of palm trees that gave us full shade. Albert critiqued the work we had done thus far, and we also talked about the business of art. I'd given him a copy of my new portfolio, "Artist as Steward of the Land," and he asked me to discuss how I published it. We also talked about photography and other related topics.

Lunchtime critiques

By 2 pm, the light, which is often flat and washed out at noon, was getting good again. We headed over to the West Fork trail head to paint down by the waterfall. Many of the massive boulders in the narrow canyon behind the trading post are coated in dried mud; they looked like a rather bad sprayed stucco job on adobe. Although this indicated a recent flash flood, the waterfall had dwindled to something that might come out of your average garden hose. Still, there was plenty to paint. I managed to find a shaded spot and painted an intimate, somewhat abstract view of the upper reaches of the waterfall. Here's the painting:

West Fork Falls 9x12 pastel on Wallis paper
Can you find the waterfallf?

When Albert came around to visit, he really liked this piece and praised it. His only suggestion was to soften the upper left corner, since the detail I'd put there wasn't important to the painting..

Albert has given me lots of good advice this week. For this workshop, he's telling me I need to add darker darks and lighter lights for more contrast, and to use richer color. I do know this, but sometimes you need a master's eye to tell you just how far to push it. The paintings you see have all been tweaked with this advice in mind.

We met again in the evening at Sherman's Deli for dinner and talk. We have a standing reservation there this week. It's easy to find, there's plenty of parking, and the kitchen and wait staff are quick. Even when packed, the food arrives before you expect it and the bill is soon to follow. They like to turn tables - but yet you won't be rushed if you want to talk.

I should respond to a reader who asked for more detail on Albert's transparent underpainting for oil. Basically, the paint is scrubbed on in a dry fashion with little or no medium and a brush; even opaque paint will have a transparent quality with this approach. The method also "fixes" the paint in place so that thicker paint can be brushed over it successfully without muddying. This and other techniques are explained fully in Albert's early book, Oil Painting Workshop, which you can still find at Amazon.

Albert Handell Mentoring Program: Day 2, Why I Painted in Pastel Today

Can you find the painters?

Monday morning, we all met by the pool to caravan to Indian Canyons. Although we got there early, the day was already proving itself to be hot. Fortunately, our painting location, Andreas Canyon, offered plenty of shade in the way of tall palm trees.

Albert first took participants on a stroll to show us spots where he had personally painted. It was very informative to hear his reasons for selecting certain spots. Mostly, it had to do with lighting: rim lighting (or back lighting), side lighting and front lighting. Rim lighting and front lighting, he said, offer the most consistently stable shadows; side lighting seems to have faster-moving shadows. Rim lighting is hard on the eyes because you are looking directly into the sun, but it provides beautiful, backlit effects. Front lighting can be difficult because the intense sunlight shines directly on your painting surface, but it offers intense shadows that can be useful in composition. Side lighting often creates shadows that aid in defining form. Each of these conditions has pros and cons, and ultimately it boils down to artistic choice.

Albert's pastel demonstration

Albert then set up for a pastel demonstration to show how he handles white sanded paper. He made it clear that this was a demonstration, not a painting. "Making a painting is an entirely different thing," he said. The demo lasted about an hour and, although unfinished, it fulfilled its purpose.

The short demo left us plenty of time before lunch to paint. Most of us set up in the shade just off the road and out of the reach of the dust from cars. Here's my subject for the morning, and I have to admit, this is my first palm tree painting ever:

Two Palms in Morning Light, 12x9 pastel 

About noon, we broke for lunch. We continued our day in the shade by finding a group of picnic tables surrounded by 80-foot palms. Afterward, Albert asked me to lead the group further down the road to the West Fork Falls area to show them some of the scenery we'd photographed on Sunday. This will be another painting spot for us later this week, and he wanted them to be prepared for awesome beauty.

Albert makes a point during his oil demonstration

By two, we were back at Andreas Canyon where Albert began an oil painting demonstration. I give him credit, because he borrowed a participant's set-up - easel, palette and paints - for that purpose. (He'd flown out for the program and wasn't able to bring all his oil gear.) "I used Raj's palette because it is clean; you can't paint on a dirty palette," he remarked. Again, he demonstrated painting palm trees, but this time it was with his transparent oil underpainting approach.

Then we were free to paint. As in the morning, Albert went from easel to easel giving advice. I chose palm trees again:

Three Palms in Late Afternoon Light, 12x9 pastel

By the way, I almost painted in oil today but chose pastel instead. I actually had everything packed for oil but at the last minute decided to switch. Why?

Well, during Albert's first demonstration, I did some pencil sketching. Having not painted palm trees before, I wanted to explore their form with a pencil. I needed to draw to work out proportions and the like. I found my exercise so useful that I decided that I wanted to continue in pastel, which can be considered a "cross-over medium" between drawing and painting. I wasn't quite ready to pull out the sloppy oil paints just yet; I wanted something I could draw a line with.

The park closes at five, which is a little unfortunate because that's when the light on the mountains is just starting to get spectacular. But we were all tired by then, anyway. I went home and cleaned up before meeting everyone at Sherman's Deli for dinner later.

Albert intends the mentoring program to be an immersion experience, and it is. Over dinner, we didn't talk politics or gossip about celebrities - we talked instead about painting and the business of painting, and about our own missteps and successes as painters. Oh, and also about the huge size of the dessert portions. One slice of Sherman's tiramisu would feed you for several days!

Albert Handell Mentoring Program: Day 1, Albert Among the Palms

Albert among the palms.

I am in beautiful Palm Springs, California, for master painter Albert Handell's mentoring program. When I was hosting a similar workshop of his in Sedona back in October, he honored me by asking me to join him. And it is indeed an honor. In case you don't know, Albert's work is in major museums and is widely collected, and he is also a much-sought-after workshop instructor and mentor to artists. Plus, for me personally, Albert and his wife, Jeanine, have become good friends over the years. (Visit www.alberthandell.com and jeaninechristman.com for more on these engaging artists.)

Although our first meeting with the participants on Sunday wouldn't be until 5, Albert asked if I'd join him that morning for some hiking. He wanted to show me where we'd be painting most of the week. He also wanted to take photographs of some areas where we wouldn't be able to paint either because they were inaccessible with painting gear or too confined for a group.

Although Albert spends much of his time during the good weather months painting en plein air in pastel, in the winters he retreats to the studio to work in oil, using his photographs and plein air studies as references. It's important for a painter to have good reference material, and a hike Sunday morning would enable him to focus on photography.

The grass really is this green.

I met Albert and Jeanine at their hotel and then we drove out to Indian Canyons, just a few miles south of where we are staying. Indian Gardens is literally an oasis in the desert - springs and running water, green grass, and palm trees. I was blown away by the majestic palms, many of which towered 80 feet or more. Because the palms are left in their natural state, massive "skirts" of dead fronds wrap around their trunks. This gives the trees a broad-shouldered, anthropomorphic appearance. It's not hard to imagine them as sleeping, standing giants that may wake at night when the desert cools down.

After spending most of the day there, we took a short break and then met the students while it was still light by the hotel pool. Albert has 11 participants from all over - England, New York, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and, of course, California. Some will be painting in pastel, some in oil. Some have studied with Albert before, some not. After this introductory meeting, we headed uptown to Sherman's Deli for dinner, where we'll be meeting each evening for dinner and career-building discussions.  Afterward, I had just enough time to check e-mail before bed.

I'm very much looking forward to the week. Time and energy permitting, I'll blog daily about our adventures in Indian Canyons. Temperatures will be warm - in the 80s - but it'll be comfortable among the palms.