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| (Link and video down at the end) |
Back in May, I was on the faculty of the Plein Air Convention and Expo in Santa Fe. I gave a demonstration one evening on “Outdoor Study to Studio.” Even though I was presenting to a group of hardcore plein air painters, I wanted to share my thoughts on why it's important for us to get back to the studio. Out in the field, while wrestling with environmental factors and changing light, it's difficult to do our best work; the studio offers a more controlled space, allowing us to address the finer issues of painting and thus to become better painters. I think everyone enjoyed the session and got something out of it.
Prior to the convention, presenters were told that sessions would be recorded. This was so attendees could later watch presentations they might have missed; there were several stages running simultaneously, making it impossible to see everything. Also, the convention had an online version for those unable to attend in person. Unfortunately, when I arrived at my stage, the AV tech was AWOL. Finally, just moments before I was to start, he rushed in to hurriedly wire me up and set up a camera, and then he left the room. I don't remember if he came back. After all, I was focused on making my presentation and on my audience. I'll give him the benefit of a doubt, so maybe he did return.
A few weeks after the convention, some of the faculty—including me—were sent an email letting us know that, regretfully, our sessions had not been recorded because of a technical problem. This saddened me, as I had hoped that more people would be able to see my demonstration. (There were two other events, not to mention a large cocktail party, happening at the same time as my demo.) Worse yet, the videos were supposed to be available to view for a full year after the convention, a teaching opportunity that was now lost to me.
So, I decided to take matters into my own hands and record a video.
To avoid disappointing you, I need to tell you that it doesn't show any actual painting happening. After having practiced this particular painting intensely prior to the convention, I didn't want to have to recreate it yet again. (I know this may sound lazy, but I want to move on to other projects.) However, in it I do go over the complete set of slides I presented, and I also show my reference material, my design and color explorations and also the final painting. The video contains about 90 minutes of material compressed into 14 minutes. Enjoy!
Here it is (can't see it? use this link):
