Taubman Museum School Outdoor Painting Workshop - April 14, 2012

 

A painting setup doesn't have to be fancy. 

The old furnace at Roaring Run, Oil on rag mat. February 19, 2012  

(photo from the next day)

Please join me for rare opportunity to paint amazing views from the balcony of the Taubman Museum. I'll help you translate what you see outdoors into two-dimensions is easier than you think. This workshop is designed to help you choose strong landscape compositions quickly and with more confidence. Work in Oil or acrylics using your usual supplies. April 14., 10 am to 2:30 pm. $40 for Taubman members and $48 for non-members. More information and a pdf of the Museum School brochure. Feel free to email me with additional questions. It should be a lot of fun. 

Supplies: 

 You're usual outdoor painting set up. 

A range of brush sizes.  

Drop cloth for under your easel, Roll of paper towels 

Please bring the following colors: Alizarin Crimson, Utramarine Blue, Yellow Ochre, Yellow Light Hansa or Lemon Yellow, Titanium White (Available at most art supply stores) 

For those painting in oils, do NOT bring any solvent as it will be provided. 

Dress in layers as spring weather can be unpredictable.

Taking the outdoor view

Greening Up, 5.5x7.5", acrylic on rag mat, 2012

 I was in the process of posting the above painting yesterday when a heavy snow came through and friend and neighbor, Ed Bordett, dragged me off to Roaring Run for an outdoor  painting session that couldn't have been more different.

The gates at Roaring Run

Ed Bordett hard at work

I went small, light, and a little impractical

The furnace at Roaring Run

It was an experience enjoyed all the more by the fact that it was the only real snow we had seen so far this winter. The light was great, the flakes were huge and my paint box was pretty wet. Even using oils I had some major issues. Now that it's dried out a bit, I plan to take some time later today and finish up my small painting of the remnants of a local coke furnace. It had been used quite heavily up until the end of the Civil War. 

Ed had an umbrella which proved to be a big deal by the time we finished up—it was snow really hard and soaking everything in sight. 

After hiking around a bit and taking a few photos we slid back down the road to Fincastle just as the roads starts to get covered up. The afternoon was a remminder that not all the best outdoor painting sessions are artistically great, or sunny, for that matter.

Coming attractions. Eventually.

Trunk Show, 6x8", acrylic on rag mat, 2012

It's getting into late February and I'm still relying on memories of last year's weather to help me out with a few snow sketches. Still, there is a tiny chance we might see a bit of snow on Sunday. Not that my paint box is holding its breath. . .

Is it really January?

 Cattle Pond, 24x36," acrylic on canvas. 2012, $675 (unframed). 

  

February is two days away and I'm hearing talk of a possible 70 degrees soon. Although one has to wonder when we're going to have to pay for all this mild winter weather, I've changed gears a bit, trying to take advantage as much as possible. 

Instead of twisted lines, I've been trying to figure out twisted branches, blowing grasses and a sky that often goes from bright blue to deep steel in the time it takes to set up an easel.

That's texture talking.

  "Drop," 2012. 16x20", ink, watercolor and crayon on acid free illustration board.

Winter walks are brisk and sharp and so is the landscape. Dried grasses, gnarled branches, brush, stone, brick. They all overlap and mingle like characters in a novel. When you get back home you can warm up while trying to figure out what the story was all about.

Standing around is better in the summer.

We've had very mild weather so far this winter. Despite that, what was a hot day six months ago is looking pretty good right now. I stood around waiting in the rainy cold this morning waiting for a very long train to rumble through town so I could cross the street. That was more than enough time to reconsider the value of very warm weather.

I'm sure in the summer there will be a day when I begin to think the opposite. Until then, a little heat and sun seems like a nice idea.

House on a hill.

"House on a Hill," 6x9", acrylic, 2011

A bit breezy for painting but lots of sunshine. The title pretty much tells the rest of the story.