Early Morning Fog 9x12 Oil

"Early Morning Fog"
9x12 Oil
by Michael Chesley Johnson
SOLD

On Campobello Island, where I have my summer studio, there is an old lobster pound.  A lobster pound is an area where fishermen store live lobsters when the lobstering season has ended; this keeps them fresh for the table.  One very foggy morning, I stopped to paint this one.  I loved the softening effect of the fog -- it created the perfect mood.  This little shack vanished a few years ago.

Read The Fine Print

**Paintings shipped unframed
**Free postage to continental US
**Prices in US Dollars
**Check preferred, but Paypal payment OK.  Contact me at info@mchesleyjohnson.com to purchase.
**First come, first served!
**PRICES GOOD UNTIL AUGUST 31, 2018
**View more of these paintings at https://mchesleyjohnson.blogspot.com/search/label/2018%20Sale

Placing Your Subject (with missing video link)

Mr Roosevelt's House - 12x24 Oil - AVAILABLE
This is the cottage made famous by "Sunrise on Campobello" and in which the
US President Franklin D. Roosevelt (and of course, Eleanor Roosevelt) spent much time.
By Michael Chesley Johnson.
Imagine painting this house on-location as I did, using the "envelope" method!

How many of us have been so smitten by our subject that we start painting ... and then realize too late that it doesn't quite fit on the canvas?  With a building, you can sometimes get away with part of it running off the edge; with a figure, you can't always do that.  Fixing the problem after the fact often becomes a headache.

Lately, I've been teaching what I call the "envelope" method, whereby you can guarantee that the whole building (or figure, or tree) will fit.  And what's more, the subject will also be correctly proportioned--and positioned exactly where you want it.

The below video shows you how.  Although the method is quite simple, it's difficult to describe and is better seen in action, in the field.  If the method isn't clear to you, I encourage you to take one of my plein air painting workshops, in which I will be happy to explain--and demonstrate--at length.  (Can't see the video below?  Here is the link: https://youtu.be/RQQ3J73UrCU)

By the way, at the top of this post I show a building in which I used the "envelope" approach.  It's not the same building as in the video, but you get the idea.

Some 8x8s - And About Gallery-Wrap Canvas

Passage 8x8 oil/canvas by Michael Chesley Johnson
(Mulholland Lighthouse, Campobello Island, New Brunswick)
Available - $170 includes shipping

Above is one of four little paintings I made recently.  I'm experimenting with two things in these.  First, with gallery-wrap canvas.  I long have had an objection to this method of frameless presentation, partly because it is so often badly done.  Either the edge is painted a flat color, which can be uninteresting, or the image on the front is continued around the edges with the same degree of detail, which creates an unrealistic, high level of focus throughout the painting.  For mine, I've toned the canvases with Gamblin's transparent red earth Fastmatte oil paint to give them a warm tone.  On the edges, I've continued the coloration of the shapes in a simplified manner, forgoing detail.  The peripheral areas of a scene are never seen with the same focus as what you are looking at directly.  The periphery is always softer, more simplified, and my approach mimics this effect.  In some cases, I left the warm orange-red tone revealed.  I really like the look-and-feel of these little paintings.

Showing the edge of the gallery-wrap canvas, no overpainting,just the undertone

Showing the edge of the gallery-wrap canvas, overpainting over the undertone

Second, I'm experimenting with representing the scenes as a collection of simplified shapes.  A knife works well for this, since I can block in a shape with a few swipes and then add complexity with successive layers of color rather than by brushing on detail.  Objects are identified more by the profile of the silhouette than by what is within the silhouette.   (You can tell a maple from a spruce by the shape's contour; leaves are not necessary.)  Also, because of the way thick paint behaves at the knife's edge, detail happens automatically, and it can be surprisingly realistic.

These are all 8x8, which is a rather small canvas.  Next, I'll be working with a triple square – 8x24 – and I'll post those after I paint a few.

Here are the other three paintings:

Ready to Paint 8x8 oil/canvas by Michael Chesley Johnson
(Lubec, Maine)
Available - $170 includes shipping

Hillside Harbor - 8x8 oil/canvas by Michael Chesley Johnson
(Lubec, Maine)
SOLD

East Quoddy Lighthouse 8x8 oil/canvas by Michael Chesley Johnson
(Campobello Island, New Brunswick)
SOLD

Upcoming Shows - Sedona Arts Center, Phippen Museum of Western Art, Kolb Studio Grand Canyon, Sedona Library

A Day in Jerome, 9x12 oil, en plein air
At the Sedona Arts Center

Hippie Bus in Winter, 9x12 oil, en plein air
At the Sedona Arts Center

I have several shows coming up plus some gallery news for everyone.  Read on!

First, the Sedona Arts Center's Annual Members' Juried Show starts Friday, March 7th.  I'm proud to say that two of my paintings have been juried in under the "professional" category.  (The paintings are at the top of this post.)  The show runs March 7th through April 1st with an opening reception on Friday, March 7th, from 5-7 pm.  I'm sad to say I won't be able to attend the reception, but I do hope that you will stop by and see my work there.

Slide Rock Apple Barn, 12x16 oil
At the Phippen Museum of Western Art

Hillside Town (Jerome AZ), 9x12, oil, en plein air
At the Phippen Museum of Western Art

Second, two of my paintings have been curated into the Phippen Museum of Western Art's "Architecture in Art" exhibition.  It's a real honor to be invited to show at the Phippen.  I'm looking forward to meeting the other artists and guests at the opening reception, which is Friday, March 7th, from 5:30-7:30 pm.  (Free for members; $10 for the public.)  I will be on-hand for this one, so I hope you'll come out to Prescott to visit.  The exhibition runs from March 8th to July 13th.

Third, one of my paintings from last year's Verde River Artists Challenge fund-raiser will be on display along with works from the other artists at the Sedona Public Library.  The work is also up for auction.  The opening for this worthwhile event is Friday evening, March 7th, from 5:30-7:30.  Obviously, I won't be able to be at this one, either, but I hope you'll consider visiting the exhibition.

Cottonwood Shadows, 9x12 oil
At Sedona Library
Auction starts at $375!

Finally, as part of the Grand Canyon Association's ongoing promotion of the annual "Celebration of Art" plein air painting event, the GCA has invited me to put work in their store/gallery at the Kolb Studio.  These are small framed pieces that will be for sale until the the big painting event this September.  Below is one of the paintings I've sent in.  If you're up at Grand Canyon, it's easy to get distracted by the scenery, so please remember to visit the Kolb Studio!

Canyon Space, 6x6, oil
At the Kolb Studio - Grand Canyon Association - Grand Canyon National Park

Tubac, Arizona, Plein Air Painting Workshop

I've just returned from a three-day plein air workshop in Tubac, Arizona.  For those of you who don't know Tubac, it's a nifty little art town just 20 miles north of the Mexican border.  Tubac was, indeed, part of Mexico until 1853, and it has seen its share of booms and busts.  Lately, it's been booming as a prime retirement community and a great place to find both art and artists.  Artists Hal Empie, the "Dean of Arizona Artists," and Hugh Cabot lived and worked there for many years.

It's also a great place for painting architecture.  On our first day, we went to the Tubac Presidio Historic State Park (now operated by the Tubac Historical Society.)  The Presidio, a fort built in 1752, gave us some wonderful light and shadow patterns to paint.  Here is a 9x12 oil sketch I did as a demo.  It's a building just outside the Presidio wall.  The Director of the site told me it was the original Historical Society building.

On the second day, we headed over to the Tubac Golf Resort.  As a rule, golf courses aren't very interesting as subject matter, but this one occupies the historic Otero Ranch.  The developers did a great job of integrating their modern buildings with the remaining ranch buildings and old silos, which they worked hard to preserve.  Painting there felt like painting on a grand old estate.  Here are some photos plus a 12x9 pastel sketch I did of one of the silos.

On our last day, we drove down to the Tumacacori National Historic Park.  The centerpiece is the Mission San José de Tumacácori, founded in 1691.  The current building wasn't actually begun in earnest until 1800.  The Mission presented us with a number of architectural problems.   The key to painting it was to forget everything you know about perspective and simply paint what you see.  I prefer to paint architecture this way, anyway.  If you measure angles and proportions rather than draw perspective lines and vanishing points, the building will look a lot more convincing, and it'll take a lot less time to paint.  Below are more photos and a 5x7 demonstration.  For this one, I was showing how to make accurate color and value relationships more than focusing on accurate perspective.

I did another demonstration that day, but I don't have a photograph of it.  Never sell your paintings without getting a good photo first!  But the painting was bought by Lois Griffel (www.loisgriffel.com), and I am honored for her to have it.  Lois was the last director of the Cape Cod School of Art and studied with Henry Hensche.  She now lives in southern Arizona and came to visit my workshop.

At the end of the day, we headed over to Abe's Old Tumacacori Bar.  It was built by WPA workers, who also built the highway in front of it, and opened in 1933.  I played a game of eight-ball - my first in nearly 30 years! - before going over to the Tumacacori Restaurant, which serves the unusual combination of Greek and Mexican dishes.  Below is the bar.

We had such a great time this week that we've already set up a workshop for 2012.  Put January 17-20 on your calendar!  Artist Katherine Reyes will be coordinating the workshop again.  Visit www.losreyes.com for more information.  I hope you'll join us for a warm winter getaway.

St Andrews Workshop

"Sunbury Shores" pastel sketch, 9x12

As many of you know, I just returned from the beautiful seaside resort town of St Andrews, New Brunswick, where I taught a weeklong plein air workshop for the Sunbury Shores Art & Nature Centre. This was my fifth year teaching in St Andrews. Although it's an exhausting five full days with a dozen students, it's relaxing, too. Because the cottage I rent has neither TV nor Internet, I spend my evenings going to the wharf for ice cream and then back home to read a novel or some of the half-dozen art books I lug along. (This year, Robert Ludlum won out over Emile Gruppé.)

We had some great locations to paint, but my favorite was Water Street, which is where all the shops and quaint buildings are. Normally, in early August, Water Street is thick with tourists and quite parked up. I wouldn't dream of dragging a dozen students out to paint street scenes there. This year, however, the town decided to replace a water main and cordoned off four blocks. Although many of the shopkeepers questioned the mayor's wisdom in doing this at the height of the tourist season, it turned Water Street into a pedestrian mall. I've always dreamed of having the group painting on Water Street, so I grabbed the opportunity. We had a wonderful day painting. At the top is the pastel demo I did of the Sunbury Shores building.

This year, some students requested a paint-along. I've done this only with my one-day classes for beginners, but I thought, why not? So, I found a location along the St Croix River that had not just a nice view but a huge picnic shelter that all of us could fit under. Everyone enjoyed this activity, where I stopped at each step to let them catch up. I found one drawback, however. Students were inclined to cease observing the landscape and to copy me instead. In a plein air paint-along, students should use the instructor's demonstration only as another reference, and not as the subject. I'll remember to mention this next time!

By the way, I've set up a "blog store." This is where I'll be selling small sketches and demonstration paintings - pieces I won't put in galleries. You can follow the link on the sidebar on the right or go to http://johnsonstudiostore.blogspot.com/

More Buildings, More Perspective - and a Video!

"Red House on School Street" 9x12, oil

For this week's plein air workshop, we had a bit of fog. Nothing serious - if you went out for a walk, you could always feel your way back home - and it usually lifted by mid-morning. One such foggy morning we drove across the border to paint in Lubec. We began down by the water at the old McCurdy Smokehouse complex, but it was chilly, so next we headed up the hill where it was warmer. Amazingly, when the fog lifted, every trace of it vanished, leaving behind a clear, beautiful blue sky. You can see that sky in the painting above.

I liked this scene not just because of the sky (and the red house) but also because of the perspective. It's not an angle you see painted often. Usually, to avoid what they see as a drawing challenge, novice painters will avoid dramatic perspectives and choose something simpler, such as the side of a barn seen straight on. But I actually find it easier to draw a dramatic perspective. It's like drawing a caricature as opposed to a serious portrait; it's easier to exaggerate a prominent feature than to get it "just right."

Even so, I found it important to measure angles with my brush. If you try to just guess at the angle, I guarantee you'll get it wrong. It's important to use your brush handle as an angle-measuring tool. Hold it out with your arm extended, match the brush angle to the angle of, say, the roof line. Then, after locking your wrist and elbow, swing your hand to the canvas. Locking your joints will preserve the angle of the handle so that you can see exactly how the angle should be drawn on your canvas. Do this for each of the major lines, and do it whenever you're in doubt.

By the way, I put together a short (2 1/2 minute) video about my Campobello Island plein air painting workshops. Take a look!

Another Cottage Painting - and a New Book!

"June Garden" 12x24, oil

I am in the process of packing for the annual Plein Air Painters of the Bay of Fundy paintout and exhibit, but I wanted to do one more large painting before heading out on Saturday. When I get back from the paintout - and the workshop I'm teaching for the Saint John Arts Centre - I will be teaching my Campobello Island workshops flat-out until September. Most of my painting the rest of the summer will be small demonstrations, painted to illustrate a concept. They're not necessarily something I'd paint on my own time.

This is the last cottage painting. It also happens to be a painting of our house. I've painted this scene many times - the house often has some lovely light on it - but not in a wide format. I wanted to include the tree because we may lose it soon. Last winter, it split, and about a third of it had to be chipped. The trunk has a good bit of exposed raw wood, but I minimized the damage in the painting to make it seem healthy and whole again. Before we leave for the winter, we'll most likely have it cut down so it doesn't hit the house during a violent winter storm.

Although this was painted over two sessions on warm June mornings, I sensed a coolness to the sunlight. As a result, I pushed the warmth of the shadows and cooled the light. (Remember the rule: Warm light, cool shadows; cool light, warm shadows.) I even added a touch of Phthalo Green to the sunlit parts of the house. This gives a much cooler cast to the light than pure white or white mixed with yellow.

I offer a couple of photos of the intermediate steps.

By the way, I have a new book. This is Paint Sedona: A Plein Air Painter's Field Guide to Sedona, Arizona. It's a square format (7x7) that'll fit in your backpack and includes many of my favorite painting spots in Sedona along with photos of the locations plus a map marking them. I've also thrown in my pastel and oil supply lists plus tips on plein air painting in that area. The book is only $10 (+shipping) or $7 as a download. You can order it from here: http://www.lulu.com/miragenm.

Painting the Cottages - Summary

Yesterday, we had beautiful sunshine. I took a large 18x24 stretched canvas out to the field and began to paint more lupines. I really wanted to work on a larger version of the lupines I've been painting recently. After about two hours and my block-in, the clouds rolled in and the light changed. I figure I'm about halfway through and will return when the sun comes back tomorrow.

Now that I've painted the Roosevelt Park cottages, I thought it would be instructive to show them again all at once and to discuss why I made certain choices. They're at the bottom of this post. You'll notice I used two different formats, a panoramic one and a square one.

For the cottages that were well-sited with a view, a panorama was a no-brainer. For ones that were closed in with trees or had a small lot, I chose the square. The Wells-Shober cottage was problematic. I couldn't back up far enough to present the whole building properly. Instead, I chose to focus on the abstract quality of the close-up. The Hubbard cottage had another problem, but problems sometimes open opportunities. The view I had wanted to paint was blocked by a service truck, but this forced me to choose another angle, and so I discovered the view with a truly beautiful, giant red maple. Later I went back to the view I had wanted to paint originally, and again chose a square format to emphasize the abstract quality of the architecture.

Since I originally photographed these paintings, I made some minor adjustments in the studio. The adjustments were limited to softening or strengthening an edge or knocking down brushstrokes. The new photographs are also more accurate with color.

By the way, I did not type this post today but actually dictated it to my computer. Yes, I spoke my post. I'm using Dragon Naturally Speaking. Dictating is harder than you'd think. I'm a natural typist and very comfortable with making quick, off-the-cuff corrections in Microsoft Word. Trying to speak coherently, logically and grammatically, all the while trying to issue voice command corrections, is a skill that must be learned. Believe it or not, this is a lot harder than extemporaneous speaking!

"Red Maple, Hubbard Cottage" 12x24, oil

"Hubbard Cottage" 12x12, oil

"Mr Roosevelt's House" 12x24, oil

"Prince Cottage" 12x24, oil

"Wells-Shober Cottage" 12x12, oil

And More Cottages! Wells-Shober

"Wells-Shober Cottage" 12x12, oil

Did my last post say that the Roosevelt cottage at the Roosevelt-Campobello International Park is the ultimate challenge? I think I was wrong. Today I painted the Wells-Shober cottage, and I have to say it was even more of a challenge. The issue is the corner porch, which is circular, and the room at the corner, which is also circular! I chose to paint the cottage in a square format (12x12), which forced me to zoom in on the cottage to get a workable composition. As you can see, this minimizes the curve. It's still there, but because you're looking at a small portion of it, it's not as noticeable - just as you don't notice the curve of the earth.

This painting also has a cool light source. As I was painting, a thin fog ran overhead, cooling the sunlight. This made, to me, the shadows seem warm. I even pushed the warmth a bit by putting Cadmium Red Light into the shadows. I pushed the cool of the sunlit whites by using Phthalo Green.

By the way, for those of you who are interested, I have a new video series out for the plein air painter. Prices for downloading episodes start at 99¢. For more information, please visit my web site: http://www.michaelchesleyjohnson.com/html/book.htm

More Cottages - Roosevelt Cottage

"Mr Roosevelt's House" 12x24, oil

Morning dawned clear and cold, so I knew I'd have good weather for a morning session at the Roosevelt-Campobello International Park. After several days of painting Victorian cottages, I felt I was ready for the ultimate challenge - the cottage that Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt lived in during their summers on the island.

The Roosevelt cottage is different from all the others for two reasons. First, it's painted red, not white. Second, the architecture is, in some ways, more barn-like than cottage-like. But it's an impressive structure with some very daunting fenestration. (Visit http://fdr.net/roosevelt-cottage to read the story of the cottage and to see some photos.) I chose an angle that was a bit different from the one tourists photograph, and I like the way the building is foreshortened and looks less barn-like.

As with the last cottage, I spent most of my session working on the drawing and placement of features. It didn't take long to color in the shapes. At the end, I had enough information on the panel to finish up in the studio.

By the way, for the shadowed reds of the cottage, I did a block-in with mostly Alizarin Crimson and a bit of Phthalo Green and Chromatic Black. At the end, I pulled out my secret weapon - Grumbacher's Thalo Red Rose. I laid this on top of the underpainting right from the tube to enrich the color. I also used a bit of it, mixed with a great deal of white, for the red in the Canadian flag in the back yard.

Finally, don't forget my eBay auction of small sketches. To see them, go to eBay and search on "Michael Chesley Johnson" or follow this link.

More Cottages - Multi-Sessions

"Prince Cottage" 12x24, oil

These last two days, I've been painting the Prince Cottage at the Roosevelt-Campobello International Park. I went over yesterday and worked for about three hours. With paintings of natural scenery, three hours is about an hour longer than I like to work. But for something as complex as a Victorian cottage, it does take longer. Most of what I did yesterday was simply to get the cottage. At one point, I had the cottage nearly done on an otherwise blank canvas! I wanted to make sure my drawing was accurate and that the cottage reflected all the rich luminosity of a clear spring day. Everything else - the lawns, woods and sky - I merely blocked in at the last minute. I couldn't have worked longer to finish, because the light had changed significantly.

I'd planned to finish the painting entirely on site in a second session, but when I got back to the studio, I saw that I could complete the sky easily without a reference. I had painted in enough information to work from in a convincing way. I spent an hour or so painting it and working it down into the tree shapes. I held off doing anything else, because I really wanted to do the rest from life. I could have made it up - but it possibly would have been recognized as such by the viewer.

This morning, clouds were moving in, so I hustled and got to the cottage especially early, at 7:30. The Park officially opened today, and an Elderhostel group had moved into the cottage overnight. I thought I'd get there before they finished breakfast. It turns out they'd already eaten and had left for a birding event. (This is a special birding weekend in Lubec and on Campobello.) So, I worked in solitude - double-checking my drawing, adding a few finishing touches to the cottage, and then completing the landscape around the cottage.

Above is the finished painting. Below is the intermediate stage plus a shot of the easel in the field.

Intermediate Stage:

In the field at the finish:

Friar's Bay Studio Gallery Opening + More Cottages

"Hubbard Cottage" 12x12, oil

As we approach US Memorial Day Weekend, I want to let folks know on both sides of the border that Friar's Bay Studio Gallery will be open this three-day holiday weekend. I've got some new work hung and, of course, you are always welcome to visit the studio upstairs while you're here. We'll be open afternoons. Then, we'll be open by chance or appointment until July 1, when regular hours resume. For details, please visit www.FriarsBayGallery.com.

This morning, my computer blue-screened with an NMI parity error. I'll spare you the details, but after opening the patient and taking a look inside, I decided it was time to go paint. I went over to the Roosevelt-Campobello International Park to paint the Hubbard cottage again, this time from a different angle. The early morning light was just beautiful on the grass and the roof, and I had a very relaxing time. The painting is above.

When I returned, the patient was still sedated and waiting. I finished up, and now I'm online again. I wonder for how long?

Cottage Series

"Red Maple at the Hubbard Cottage" 12x24, oil

I live about five minutes away from the Roosevelt-Campobello International Park. Some of you may have heard me mention it in the past, since I do paint in the natural areas a great deal. But the centerpiece of the park, and what most tourists come to see, is the Roosevelt Cottage. FDR and his family vacationed on the Island over a period of 56 years. But the Park has other cottages, too, all of them lovely and with interesting architecture. By the way, "cottage" is a bit of a misnomer, since they are all quite large, typical of Victorian-era summer retreats for the moneyed class.

As part of my plan to paint larger pieces, I am embarking on a series of paintings of the park's cottages. I enjoy painting old buildings, and it's a great opportunity to be so close to these beautiful specimens. Today, I posted myself by the Hubbard cottage. (Interestingly, I wasn't the only artist around; Ken Burns' film crew was at the Roosevelt Cottage shooting for an FDR documentary.)

What attracted me to the Hubbard is the huge red maple out front. It really dominates the landscape, and the dark reds in its shadowed boughs are a nice contrast to all the "spring greens." I blocked in the tree mass first, using just Alizarin Crimson and Chromatic Black. I adjusted the colors with a bit of Phthalo Green and Chromatic Black, and then warmed up the greens ever so slightly to make the shadows more complex. Highlights I made with Cadmium Red and white, warmed with a bit of Cadmium Yellow Deep. I'm sure there are other colors in there, too, added for variety.

I have to admit, I took off the wheelchair ramp on the side closest to the viewer. Was that a mistake? At the time, I thought it was a modern addition to the house, but now I think that perhaps FDR might have used it in his day when he went over to the Hubbard's for coffee.