Master Artist Flashback: Interview with Calvin Liang

View in browser

**Authentically Human! Not Written by AI**

I recently had the chance to chat with California artist Calvin Liang for my ongoing series of interviews of artists from my new book, Beautiful Landscape Painting Outdoors: Mastering Plein Air. Originally from China, where he studied at the prestigious Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts and did theatrical set design, Calvin moved to California once his country opened its borders. Soon employed by Disney and Nickelodeon, he worked on many animated films including “Little Mermaid” and “Spongebob Squarepants.” Always eager to return to fine art, he finally did so full-time, and since then he's won many awards and has been featured in many exhibitions. He has Master Signature membership with Oil Painters of America—a very distinguished achievement indeed. (Visit www.CalvinLiangFineArt.com.)

I was pleased to meet Calvin several years ago when each of us was invited to participate at the Grand Canyon Celebration of Art, one of the country's premier plein air painting competitions. And so it was my pleasure to talk to him again, this time in his studio in southern California. View it here.

Painting Intensive Report: Improving Studio Work with Plein Air Studies

6x8 Oil Cottonwood Study
(all sketches/paintings mine)

This past week, an accomplished studio painter come to me for help.  She wanted to improve her plein air practice with the goal of improving her studio work.  Arriving from Maryland to study with me for a week, she agreed to a plan that we'd both worked on to help her with these goals.  The plan:  

• Gather field references in the way of color studies and photos
• Return to the studio to create designs in charcoal based on the color studies (and to avoid resorting to photos unless absolutely necessary)
• And then to “scale up” the color studies into finished paintings, using the value sketches to plot out our compositions

Although she'd painted en plein air many times before, it wasn't her usual practice, and she often worked just from photos.  Photos, however, give us nothing but shape and detail; value and color are always distorted by the camera.  The eye is the ultimate tool for observing value and color.  So, every day, we went to the field to sketch in color with a particular subject and scene in mind.  (All except for one day, when we experienced an unusual October snow.  We focused on studio work that day.)  Although she brought oil pastels and oil sticks, I gave her oil paint, too.  Ultimately, we decided that her best plein air kit would consist of oil pastel—quick, clean and easily ported to a location.

Mentor and Student

Back in the studio, we worked out a number of design possibilities with charcoal on newsprint.  To avoid getting distracted by the details of a photograph, we used only color studies and pencil sketches as a reference for design.  These references contained enough information for us to come up with successful designs.  Finally, we moved to a studio medium to build the finished paintings  To keep things abstract, she used large oil sticks, employing a brush dipped in Gamsol to help spread the pigment around.

Our first day found us at the nearby lake, where golden cottonwoods, juxtaposed against the red and white cliffs, made for some beautiful fall scenes.  We returned there later in the week, too, as the location offered so much.  Another day had us exploring El Morro National Monument to look at the rock towers with an eye to abstracting them into engaging shapes by stripping away unnecessary detail.  All in all, it was a very successful week, and my student now has the tools and a process for improving her studio work on her own.

If you're interested in a plein air painting intensive such as this, please see my website:  http://paintthesouthwest.com/sched_int.html 

By the way, I still have space in my November 2-5 Sedona, Arizona, painting retreat.  It's only $300—not including lodging and meals—and I'd love to show you some of my favorite painting spots.

Plein Air Studies

6x8 Gouache Study

9x12 Oil Panel Split into Two
4.5x12 Cliff Study and Cottonwood Study

9x12 Oil Cliff Study

8x10 Oil Cottonwood Study

9x12 Oil Cliff Study

Value Sketches

Studio Paintings

12x12 Oil Cottonwoods

12x12 Oil El Morro

Some Upcoming 2020 Plein Air Painting Workshops

New Mexico...Maine...Arizona...What's Your Pleasure?

Now that we have moved into the calm between Christmas and New Year's Eve, we can take a little time to make plans for 2020. If you're thinking about taking a plein air painting workshop, I invite you to join me in one of the following. The groups are usually small, and I offer plenty of personal attention—as well as plenty of stunning scenery!  By the way, if you know a painter who'd like to take one of my workshops, I will happily create a gift certificate for you.

All-level, all-media workshops

Oak Creek in Sedona, Arizona

Arizona, Sedona. April 7-10, 2020. Plein air painting workshop. All-level, all media.

Only two hours from the Phoenix airport, Sedona is famous not just for its "new age" atmosphere but also for its history as a location for many Hollywood Westerns and its breathtaking vistas. You'll enjoy red rock canyons and cliffs, juniper-studded valleys, graceful white sycamores and gnarled cottonwoods, all bordering the quiet waters of Oak Creek. Plus, because the workshop runs from 9-1, you'll have afternoons free to explore the area on your own or with friends and family—or, if you wish, to paint more. (You can get my little book on painting in Sedona here.) 

Each day starts with a critique of the previous day's work and a lecture on outdoor painting fundamentals. Next, we move to the field where I will show you my method for capturing the landscape quickly but without sacrificing mood or magic, after which you will paint as I go from easel to easel offering help. 

$300 tuition. Workshop runs 9-1, Tuesday-Friday. For full details: http://www.paintthesouthwest.com/sched_reg.html

Quoddy Head in Lubec, Maine

Maine, Lubec. July 28-31 and August 4-7, 2020. Plein air painting workshop. All-level, all media.

Only 90 miles from Bar Harbor, Maine, Lubec (Maine) and Campobello Island (New Brunswick) are quiet, beautiful locations for the plein air painter. Think romantic lighthouses, cobblestone beaches, cliff overlooks, broad meadows, working harbours—and lobster! Lubec is a historic working waterfront with many opportunities for the painter. Adjacent Campobello Island is home to both the Roosevelt-Campobello International Park and the Herring Cove Provincial Park. Both locations provide lodging and dining to make sure your workshop week is an enjoyable one. Plus, because the workshop runs from 8-12, you'll have afternoons free to explore the area on your own or with friends and family—or, if you wish, to paint more.

Each day starts with a critique of the previous day's work and a lecture on outdoor painting fundamentals. Next, we move to the field where I will show you my method for capturing the landscape quickly but without sacrificing mood or magic, after which you will paint as I go from easel to easel offering help. 

$300 tuition. Workshop runs 8-12, Tuesday-Friday. For full details: http://pleinairpaintingmaine.com/sched.html

Painting retreat

Campobello Island, New Brunswick

Maine, Lubec. August 9-14, 2020. Painting retreat. Experienced painters.

I invite you to join us for a very special plein air painting retreat for experienced painters this summer. Unlike my usual workshops in Lubec, this retreat will be five luxurious days long, giving us plenty of outdoor painting time and the opportunity to make new friends. Our base camp will be the beautifully-restored West Quoddy Station, a historic US Coast Guard campus right on the water. (Read above for a paragraph on the beauty of the area.) 

Unlike my workshops, there will be no formal instruction. However, for this immersion experience, I'll give morning critiques, serve as location guide, offer to do demonstrations and, should you wish to go off on your own, give suggestions for painting spots. This is my third year running this retreat, and everyone says it is fantastic and not to be missed. 

$300 tuition. Retreat runs from Sunday afternoon through Friday afternoon. Download the brochure here http://www.mchesleyjohnson.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/retreat_wqs_public_pix.pdf

Private Painting Intensive

Ramah Lake, New Mexico

Ramah, New Mexico. April and May, 2020. One-on-one custom program. Experienced painters.

If you're looking to take your painting to the next level, I invite you to join me at my studio in the beautiful high desert of New Mexico. Two hours from the Albuquerque airport in Ramah, the studio is surrounded by many painting possibilities: cottonwood-lined lakes, candy-striped cliffs, sage brush valleys and more. Just a short drive away are El Morro and El Malpais National Monuments, the Ice Caves, the Chain of Crater volcanoes (dormant, thankfully), and ancient black lava flows.

For this private study program, I'll consult with you to create a customized program. Although it varies by the participant, the program typically includes a mix of outdoor and studio work. We'll work side-by-side throughout the week, mostly in the mornings, and then for the afternoons, I'll give assignments to further your progress. By the way, we don't need to just work on painting technique; if you need career-building or mentoring, I will gladly help with that, too. 

I've been running this program for three years now, and participants report that the week has been very valuable to them.

$1400 gets you tuition, six nights' lodging and all meals. (If you would prefer to lodge elsewhere, I offer tuition only for $700 and can make suggestions for where to stay and eat.) Program runs from Sunday afternoon through Saturday morning. For full details and list of weeks available, visit http://paintthesouthwest.com/sched_int.html

Customized Workshops for Your Group

If you're part of a painting group or art association and get a few members interested, I'd be happy to schedule a customized workshop just for you, either at one of my locations or at yours.  The workshop could be all plein air, all studio, or a mixture of both; or all oil or all pastel.  

Final Private Painting Intensive Week of the Season - Wrap-Up

Water's Edge
9x12 Oil - Available $600

The other week, I finished my final Private Painting Intensive week of the season.  The weather was superb, except for one day of rain, which gave us studio time to work on some projects.  We also tried a new concept this week, of doing a preliminary, practice color sketch before embarking on the "real" painting.  Below, I've included some photos from the week and images of some of my paintings.

Full sun is now getting to be a bit intense.
Sunblock is essential!

If you're curious about the Private Painting Intensive, these workshops for experienced painters start up again in November.  You can find out about them at PaintTheSouthwest.com. 

By the way, after this last session, Trina and I headed up to Taos, New Mexico, for a couple of days.  Our excuse was that we had to deal with an airbag recall on our Subaru, which we decided to have done in Santa Fe.  Taos is only 90 minutes away from there, and since we hadn't been in several years, we thought it was a good time to refresh our minds--we are planning a painting retreat there in the fall of 2020.  I'll have a blog post on Taos shortly.

Paso Por Aqui
9x12 Oil - Available, $600
For this painting, we first did a 6x8 color sketch, below,
before embarking on the final version.

6x8 color study for "Paso Por Aqui"
This allowed us to work out some color issue prior
to the "real" painting.

Rock Meets Water
9x12 Oil - Available, $600
This is a "reverse plein air" painting, as explained in an
earlier post.  Basically, we gathered reference material in the field,
returned to the studio to work out design and to block in the final painting.
Finally, we took the block-in and returned to the field to finish the piece.

Color study for "Rock Meets Water"
9x12 Oil
This was my color reference for the above painting.

My Valley
6x8 Oil - Available, $200

Another Private Painting Intensive Week - Wrap-Up

"Early Spring Day" 11x14 Oil/Canvas
Available - $800, unframed

Another week of the Private Plein Air Painting Intensive program ends, this time with a student from California.  Each student gets a completely customized program, and for this week, we focused on a number of issues.  After the end of the session, she said, "The skills I refined and the new ones I picked up have taken me to the next level...I am looking forward to a lifetime of friendship and painting together."  Thank you, Tracy!

Painting at El Morro National Monument
(You'll notice the coat - yes, we had one cool morning)

Painting at the north end of the lake

We had great weather this week--warm sunshine and only one afternoon of our springtime winds, and for that, we headed to Zuni and indoors for a cultural talk by the chief archaeologist at the pueblo.  We also had lunch at the Village Bistro, which serves authentic Zuni cuisine.  I recommend it.

I thought I'd share a few paintings and some photos from our time together:

"North End of the Lake" 9x12 Oil
Available - $600, unframed

One of our sessions included experimenting with color palettes.  I'll post my results here, and in a future post, I'll talk about what the goal was.

"My Color Experiment" 12x16 Oil - NFS, for now
(More on this in a future post.)

Now I am off to Sedona, Arizona, to teach an all-level plein air painting workshop.  It looks like we'll have great weather there, too!

Private Painting Intensive Week - Wrap-Up

The Last Snow - 9x12 Oil - Available

As many of you reading this blog know, last year I started to teach private, one-on-one plein air painting intensives at my studio in New Mexico.  I just finished the first week of the Spring 2019 season, and I thought I'd share some images with you.  (The paintings are mine.)

Here's my setup for "Where the Mountain Lion Hunts."
I have yet to see a mountain lion on that ridge.  Not to worry,
as we are safe where we are painting.

On our final day, we took a break and joined a Zuni guide
for a hike up Pierced Rock.  You can see the "piercing," that is,
the window, created in the sandstone by the wind.

Our guest this week was from Great Britain (we made sure to have some good Yorkshire Gold tea on hand for her), and we had a very productive time.  The weather was near-perfect, though we did wake up one morning to find a crust of snow on everything.  Real plein air painters, of course, aren't discouraged by a little snow, so we geared up and went out to paint it before the early spring sun melted it.

If you are interested in this program, I have posted my schedule for Fall 2019 season here:  http://www.paintthesouthwest.com/sched_int.html.  The price includes lodging and meals, in addition to tuition.  The program is completely customized to the individual's needs.  And, since these are one-on-one, the weeks fill quickly!  I'll soon be posting the Spring 2020 weeks.

Where the Mountain Lion Hunts - 4.5x12 Oil - Available

Spring, Morning Light - 9x12 Oil - Available
My favorite cliff, which I can paint a hundred times and not
get tired of it.

Red Willows - 9x12 Oil - Available
These red willows sport stunning color when the light is right.

Clouds II - 6x8 Oil - Available
It was a good week for cloud studies.

Clouds I - 6x8 Oil - Available

Questions About Plein Air Painting Workshops: Advanced Workshop

Photo by Terri Attridge

(Looking for the post on Questions About All-Level Workshops? Click here.)
(Looking for the post on Questions About One-on-One Private Painting Intensive? Click here.)

Many of you are already active plein air painters. Chances are, you're beyond needing a "basics" workshop. But maybe you feel your paintings could be improved, or you'd like to try my method of painting outdoors. This, then, is the second part of the three-part series of answers to questions I get about my plein air painting workshops, and it concerns workshops for painters with experience. As I have mentioned before, if you don't see a question that you'd like an answer to, please let me know, and I'll be happy to update this post. 

How do I know I'm ready for this workshop?

If you've taken a beginning workshop with me or another instructor, you probably didn't have time to learn anything beyond the basics. If you'd like to learn about different color palettes and how to use them, or the concept of color temperature and how it works in the landscape, or the finer points of handling edges and brush work, then this workshop is for you.

For this workshop, you should be comfortable with your gear and materials in the field. You should know the basics of value and design and color mixing.

Exactly what will be covered in this workshop?

In this workshop, I cover different color palettes for the landscape; how to see and capture color temperature; how to manage edges and brush work; and increasing our understanding of what makes a good painting. We may also have the opportunity to introduce the topic of outdoor-study-to-studio.

What do I need to bring for supplies?

I have a full supply list for oil and pastel on my web site. Please try to bring everything on the list. If you want to bring something different, please let me know, and we can discuss it.

I'm flying. How do I take my paints?

Oil painters, pack your paints in a non-crushable container (a large plastic container works), insert a copy of the MSDS (Manufacturer's Safety Data Sheet) in with the paints, and label the container "Artist's Oil Colors—Made with Vegetable Oil—Non-Flammable." Tape the lid on securely. Put this in your checked baggage. Do not take mineral spirits or turpentine on the plane! Arrange to ship this to your destination or locate a local art supply store where you can get it. Other items, such as brushes, easel, etc., you can either put in the checked bag or carry-on. Pastel painters, do NOT put your pastels in your checked baggage. Pastels are "carry-on only," and make sure you are present when the TSA officer opens your bag so you can give him direction in opening the bag. (I have a blog post with more detail here.)

How will I get my paintings home?

Pastel painters, just sandwich your paintings between two sheets of foam board, and interleave the paintings with glassine. Tape up this sandwich so nothing shifts. Oil painters, I recommend Handy Porters, resuable cardboard boxes that can hold up to four wet panels or two wet canvases. The boxes come in different sizes. When heading home, these can either be packed inside a second box and shipped home, or you can carry them on the plane. On the other hand, if the paintings are dry to the touch when you're ready to leave, you can simply stack them and interleave them with waxed paper and make a sandwich, similar to what I recommend for pastel painters.

How should I prepare for the workshop?

At this point, you should be painting outdoors regularly. I suggest you read my new book, Outdoor Study to Studio: Bring Your Plein Air Paintings to the Next Level, as we may have an opportunity to apply the practice I describe therein. Also, if you need a refresher or, if you haven't seen my approach to plein air and would like to do so, I recommend that you enroll in my Plein Air Essentials self-study, self-paced online course. My other book, Backpacker Painting: Outdoors with Oil and Pastel, is a good reference. I also have several videos through Northlight Shop.

Will I need to walk far?

Most likely, we will paint just a few minutes from the car. However, I do recommend that you wear good walking shoes. If you have mobility issues, please understand that you will need to carry your own gear unless you bring an assistant.

Can I bring my spouse or friend? My dog?

Most of our locations will having hiking and photography opportunities. If your spouse or friend likes to hike or take photos, they are more than welcome to join us on-location. In the studio, when we are doing critiques and lectures, they are welcome to join us if there is adequate seating and they sit quietly in the back. Unfortunately, dogs are not allowed in the studio or to be with you while we work on-location.

You mention retreats and mentoring.  What's the difference?

A retreat is just that:  A time for the artist to get away from the daily grind and join a few like-minded painters for some serious time painting and building friendships.  There's no formal instruction in a retreat, although I do daily critiques, offer to do demonstrations, initiate talk about art and provide an organized itinerary.  Mentoring is much different.  I offer to guide you through your craft and, if you wish to "go professional," through the business of art.  This is more of a long-term relationship founded on attending my workshops regularly.

In my next post, I'll talk about the one-on-one private painting intensive. In the meantime, if you're interested in taking a workshop with me, please see the following for my schedules:

Paint the Southwest (all-level workshops): www.PaintTheSouthwest.com/sched_reg.htm
Paint the Southwest (one-on-one private painting intensive for experienced painters): www.PaintTheSouthwest.com/sched_int.htm
Plein Air Painting Maine (all-level and advanced workshops in Maine): www.PleinAirPaintingMaine.com
General Workshop Listing (which includes workshops for art centers): www.MChesleyJohnson.com/workshops

Also, I host painting retreats once or twice year.   These are for past students only.  Although there is no formal instruction, there is plenty of art talk, critiques and camaraderie.  Retreats are small in size, we all stay in the same place, there's lots of painting time plus an organized itinerary.  By the way, they are always in scenic spots!  Past retreat have been to Isle of Skye (Scotland), Lunenburg (Nova Scotia), Grand Canyon, Zion National Park and elsewhere!  If you'd like to join us on a retreat, first, make sure you've taken a workshop with me, and then make sure you have signed up for my newsletter!

Ready for critiques!

Last Week's Painting Intensive

Rock Cliff Study, 6x9 oil

We just finished up a fantastic week with near-perfect weather at this last one-on-one painting intensive.  My student, who is from the far northern part of New Mexico, worked with me on painting rock faces and cliffs, and tried to nail down good value observations while modeling rock forms.  (You can see one of the demonstrations I did on value here.)  Mornings started off a bit cool, but by the time we got to our location, things always warmed up nicely.  I think both of us got a lot of value out of the week!

By the way, this is my last one-on-one painting intensive week until next spring; if you are an outdoor painter with some experience and are interested in joining me for this unique program customized to your needs, please take a look at www.PaintTheSouthwest.com

Now I'm off to Sedona, to teach an all-level plein air painting workshop.  (And if you are more of a beginner at outdoor painting and wish to join me in an all-level workshop, I'll be teaching in Sedona one last time April 2-5, 2019.  Details are also at www.PaintTheSouthwest.com.)

Below I offer some of the pieces from the intensive.  All are available for sale.

Rock modeling exercise, 6x9 oil

Simplifying shadows demo, 6x9 oil

More modeling of rock cliffs, 6x9 oil

More cliff shadows, 9x12 oil

Cliff Shadows, 12x9 oil (see earlier post)

Backlit tree demo, 9x12 oil

Expanse of rock wall demo, 12x9 oil