New this year is painting at local vineyards. What, you didn't know Arizona has vineyards? We have wineries, too, and they are winning awards. On Wednesday, artists were invited to paint at
Page Springs Cellars.
But first, I stopped by the Sedona Arts Center to "refresh" my wall of paintings. I had several new pastels and oils that I wanted to put up before the week got away from me. I didn't notice it while I was hanging, but one of my paintings, "Detachment," a Grand Canyon painting, had been sold and wasn't on the wall anymore. I'm happy about that - it just gives me more room for the new work!
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| The Wall of Pastel |
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| The Wall of Oil |
After helping out a fellow artist who needed some paint and varnish (another advantage of having my home studio nearby is that I have supplies to lend out, if need be), I hurried down to Page Springs, about 10 miles south of Sedona. Page Springs Cellars is a beautiful vineyard situated on rolling hills right along Oak Creek.
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| Location Photo for "Gold in the Vineyard" |
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| "Gold in the Vineyard" 11x14 oil |
The day was getting hot, so I found some shade to work in. I've never painted vineyards before, so I stayed on the small side - 11x14. I kept things somewhat abstract, too, not wanting to get lost in all the detail of leaves and vines. By the way, for those of you interested in the technical aspects of painting, I painted this one (as well as yesterday's "Ghost") on Multimedia Artboard mounted on foamboard. This is how it came from the manufacturer. But because I feel the board is too absorbent, even for me, I brushed on a coat of acrylic matte medium and toned it with yellow ochre acrylic. It's still absorbent, but not as much. I did my block-in with a brush and then completed the painting with a knife. I like the look - it reminds me of pastel.
After that, I had a bite to eat and headed home to clean up. For the evening activity, the Festival had arranged for painter Jim McVicker to give the keynote address. McVicker also is teaching a three-day plein air workshop here and will be the judge of awards Friday evening. His talk consisted of a retrospective of his work over the last 40 years and his thoughts toward painting large (really large, like several feet across) in the field.
One more day of painting! Today all the painters will be at Alcantara Vineyards, where another set of awards will be dispensed.
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| Painters frolicking along Oak Creek |
