Paint the Grand Canyon with Me! October 24-27, 2018

Mohave Point Morning, 18x12 Oil by Michael Chesley Johnson
Private Collection

Have you ever perched on the edge of the Grand Canyon to gaze at its unfathomable vastness and wondered how you might paint it?  No doubt you were overwhelmed by that awesome expanse of beauty.  Clouds sail over the maze of buttes within its walls, casting blue shadows that shift to violet and green.  Here and there, the Colorado River peeks out, a long mile below, far enough away that you can't hear its tumultuous rapids.  Closer at hand, sunlit cliffs drop into shadow.  A flying raven, a mere mote floating against the cliffs, tells you that the walls are, surprisingly, more remote than you thought.  Shadow and light confound your perception of depth and distance.

Your Instructor

Well, have no fear!  In this special plein air painting workshop, I'll lead you on path that will have you painting the Canyon like a pro.  I'll show you how to select a scene and block it in with a “best guess” of value and color, and then how to make adjustments to color temperature to capture the moment accurately—all without sacrificing the magic.  I feel confident I can help you have an enjoyable, productive time at the Canyon, as I've been an invited artist to the Grand Canyon Association's “Celebration of Art” plein air painting event four times, as well as painting there on my own for years.

Canyon Trails, 12x24 Oil by Michael Chesley Johnson
Available

This workshop, sponsored by the Grand Canyon Field Institute, is approved by the National Park Service.  What's more, the workshop includes the entry fee to the Park as well as complimentary camping at Mather Campground, located right in the Park on the South  Rim.  (Other lodging is available by reservation at your cost.)  There's nothing quite like waking up on the rim and taking a morning stroll with your coffee to enjoy the sunrise.

Registration for Grand Canyon Association members begins tomorrow, November 6; for non-members, registration opens up November 12.  Cost:  $550 for GCA members; $575, non-members.  You can find full details and register on the GCA website at this link.

I hope you'll join me!  Grand Canyon is a spectacularly special place, and I'm eager to share it with you.  Here are a few more painting I've made over the years of Grand Canyon.

Afternoon Shadows, 6x8 Oil by Michael Chesley Johnson
Private Collection

Outpost, 6x6 Oil by Michael Chesley Johnson
Private Collection

Morning Light, 6x6 Oil by Michael Chesley Johnson
Private Collection

Post-Workshop Report: Doug Dawson in Sedona, Arizona

Now and then, I like to sponsor a master artist to teach a workshop.  This week, Doug Dawson came to town.  He's taught workshops for me in Lubec, Maine, and Campobello Island, New Brunswick, but this was his first time in Sedona.  Eager to show him the sights, we went late into the evenings, scoping out locations for the next day.

Doug talks about toning choices for paper

Demonstration of a color study

Critiques every day!

If you don't know Doug, he's a wonderful painter and teacher, adept in both pastel and oil.  A founding member of the Art Students League of Denver, he was honored by the Pastel Society of America with the title of Master Pastelist and also was elected to the Master's Circle of the International Association of Pastel Societies. In 2008, he was named a Pastel Society of America Hall of Fame Honoree. Besides teaching regularly at the League, he travels to several workshops a year, and I'm always excited when I can get him to teach.

Painting with Doug in Jerome
(Doug on the left, me on the right)

Looking into the sun for some nice rim lighting

Talking design in the field

I guided our group to several of my favorite spots, including the ghost town of Jerome, the Tlaquepaque art village and the Jordan Historical Park.  Each of these locations is different in its own way, and often challenging.  The students, who came from as far as New York City and San Francisco, enjoyed a variety of scenery that is hard to find elsewhere.  It was a treat to work with Doug again, and I'm looking forward to next time.

Interlopers - javelinas!

Beautiful moonrise over Snoopy Rock and the Tlaquepaque Chapel

Below are my sketches from the workshop.

(They are available, so if you're interested in any, let me know!)

Ridge View - 9x12 oil 

Ridge - 6x8 oil

Tree Study - 6x8 oil

Hotel - 9x12 oil

And the last one is from my artist-in-residence demo

at L'Abuerge de Sedona for Goldenstein Gallery.  (Also available!)

Sunny Creek - 12x9 oil

Also, I still have a spot left in my November 14-17 workshop.  Let me know if you're interested!

To Blend or Not to Blend--That is the Question

Blending Swatches

(Pastels are Cretacolor; paper is Art Spectrum)

A = Two colors (blue, orange) feathered over each other

B = Same, but then blended with a finger protected by a finger cot

C = Blended with the pinky nail

D = Blended with the flat side of a painting knife

E = Blended with a lemon yellow pastel

F = Blended with a yellow-green pastel

Now and then, I have a pastel student who will say, “My last instructor likes to blend with a finger.”   Usually this statement is made in the context of my demonstrating and noting that I like to use hard pastel sticks as blending tools.  But sometimes, I, too, use my finger.  There's no hard-and-fast rule about blending.  I double-checked that much-loved tome, The Pastelist's Standard Desk Reference, and in Volume 43, it mentioned several tort cases involving blending, but no one case established any one method over another.  So, blend with what you will.

But your choice does make a difference.  When I use my finger, it's usually just a quick touch to soften an edge or fill in a spot.  I use the back of my pinky finger's nail to make an adjustment.  Using the pad instead would add oil to the pastel, darkening and muddying it.  If I'm wearing finger cots, this is not an issue.

Other than the finger, just about anything can be used for blending.  Styrofoam peanuts—which can screech like fingernails on a chalkboard—bits of pipe insulation, a variety of erasers applied lightly, painting knives (yes, really), pastel pencils, graphite pencils or vine charcoal sticks.  And cats, which can add a random element to one's approach.

My favorite tool, however, is a hard pastel.  I like a long, unbroken square stick such as NuPastel, Cretacolor or Polychromos.  I hold the stick like a miniature conductor's baton and lightly feather the other end over the passage to be blended.  It requires the most delicate of touches, and the more you work the pastel, the more consistent the color and texture become, and the richer the texture.  (The swatches above are still rough.)  Color choice is also important.  A complementary color will grey down the passage as well as blending or softening it; a richer color can raise the chroma of an area; a cool one or a warm one will cool or warm an area, respectively.

With this post, I've included a few swatches of blending options.

A New Version: Changing Things Up

Now and then, I have the opportunity to make a studio “copy” of a painting I did in the field.  I put “copy” in quotes, because I never try to make an accurate copy.  Instead, I create a brand-new piece that's based on the first one—and I take liberties with it to keep things interesting.  I don't want to paint the same painting, and to keep from doing that, I may change materials or process or both.

Last fall, I went with my group up to Slide Rock State Park in Arizona to paint the spectacular fall color.  Golds, oranges, tawny greens—we had it all.  I made an oil painting of a cluster of aspen trees, set against Sedona's red rocks, and backlit by the late afternoon sun.

Original:  A Poplar Time
12x9 Oil by Michael Chesley Johnson
SOLD

It loved that little painting.  But when it sold recently, I decided to make another version for myself before shipping it out.  So, I set up my easel and went to work.

I changed a few things, though.  In addition to my standard palette, which uses only ultramarine for my blue and no violet, I added cobalt blue and quinacridone violet, plus burnt sienna.  (All Gamblin colors.)  In the original, I'd used just ultramarine blue and phthalo green in the sky; the ultramarine made the redder, darker part of the sky and the phthalo green, the lighter, warmer part.  In the new version, I wanted to sandwich a cobalt blue between the two.  Additionally, I wanted to enrich the cool reds of the shadowed rocks in the near distance.  In the original, I used just permanent alizarin crimson, modified with blues and greens.  In the new version, I used the stronger quinacridone violet.  I tempered it with a little burnt sienna and cobalt blue.

New Version: That Time of Year
12x9 Oil by Michael Chesley Johnson
AVAILABLE

Finally, I used a small painting knife.  I'd employed a brush in the original, and it made blending the shadowy parts of the aspens easy.  In this one, I had to use all my Jedi powers to get the knife to blend effectively.

All these changes kept the job interesting and also made for a whole new vision of this scene.  It's a different painting than the original but presents the same quality of light as in the original—and this was my goal.

By the way, my Holiday Sale continues!  Visit www.mchesleyjohnson.com/sale-items to get a gift for yourself or a friend.

2017 Holiday Sale! Paintings, Paintings, Paintings!

Fifteen Paintings!

Every year about this time, I like to offer some of my smaller paintings at a special holiday price.  It’s an opportunity for you to acquire some nice pieces as gifts for yourself or for friends.  These 15 oil paintings feature either land forms, trees or water–my favorite subjects!

The collage above only gives you an idea of the paintings.  Go to my holiday sale page at this link to see the images in all their glory.   You can order them there directly, too.

Paintings this size sell for $700 framed in my galleries.   But for this sale only, you can get them unframed for only $150, which includes shipping to the lower 48 states in the US.  PayPal, credit card or check accepted.  Paintings will ship after November 15 via USPS Priority Mail.

So, think of that favorite someone–even if it’s yourself!

By the way, don't forget that I am now taking registration for my New Mexico programs:

First is the painting retreat in Santa Fe, April 16-23, 2018.  This will be a small group, and designed for experienced plein air painters.  We'll be painting in the historic areas of town plus some other locations just outside of town that I love.  You an also plan on visits to the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum plus the New Mexico Museum of Art.  We've run the retreat at this time of year before, and it's a beautiful time to visit the city.  The wisteria will be in bloom!  Our retreat will be at the same time as PleinAir Magazine's convention. For only a few hundred dollars more, you can be with us -- and get lodging and breakfast and more days! You don't get lodging and breakfast when you sign up for the convention!   Details at www.PaintNewMexico.com

Second is my "Private Painting Intensive Study" program at my home and studio, again, for experienced outdoor painters.  I'll post more about this later, but for details, please visit www.PaintTheSouthwest.com.