Sunday, January 27, 2013

Thoughts on Snow camp

I arrived Friday night exhausted from my 8 hour drive from Baltimore. We all met that evening, five of us painters speaking. In the morning we had breakfast and talked about art around the round table.  We then headed outside, all in our snow gear to watch a demo by Stape.  The boots (Cabellas)Stape recommended were wonderful in keeping my feet warm.  As the morning progressed the cold did get to my legs and I felt I needed another layer of jogging pants, something that would shield from the cold.  So in all I had thermals. gray REI cargo pants, jogging pants and overalls.  This kept me warm. The factor I continue to battle is keeping my fingers warm and at times when I'm caught up painting a passage my fingers become heavy and numb.  Then I know to stop and take a break.


Most of camp I've been sick, and I'm having to consume various elixirs of cold medications and tonight I feel a bit more decent but not 100%.   Stape throughout snowcamp hammers away on art history which all artists need to know.    The landscape artists Aldro Hibbard and Edward Seago are just a few.

Here's Stape at work:


Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Snow Camp 2013

I've started packing for Stapleton Kearns snow workshop in Sugar Hill, New Hampshire.  My wife was warning me about the weather. Yes its going to be cold.  Yes its going to snow.  It's about an 8 hour drive from Baltimore so I might start out Thursday night to get a head start if the weather becomes an issue. I will be missing my two kids over the time I'm gone so I would rather not leave earlier.

In John Carlson's lansdscape painting book he states you don't need to go far or some exotic place to find painting subjects.  Well I am driving quite a ways that is exotic but not in the warm sense.

One artist, landscape Aldro Hibbard keeps appearing in Stape's blog.   Once you see his work you'll see why. Here's a  link to some of his work:

http://www.clarkegalleries.com/hibbard/

Besides packing I've been working on little studies like this one:





quick value copies with Tombow markers of varying grays shades plus a blender.  Love that little blender.



Thursday, January 17, 2013

A very quick study

It was late Christmas night.  My wife and I were exhausted from the days festivities and after putting the kids to bed Helen passed out.  I could have easily joined her but I wanted to make a painting of our red lamp illuminating her.  These moments late in the evening are excellent times to paint because the mood is a calm and contemplative but mustering up the energy is difficult.  Once you get painting, you get a spark of
creative flurry.



This is 5 x 7 acrylic on panel study, I found several problems although it is successful in capturing the mood.  The composition could be stronger. Perhaps the the  head in a stronger diagonal relative to the lamp and better illumination with the values of light.  Also if you divide this painting in half you have two paintings that could probably stand on their own. (below)



Go figure.  Working out the design before going into painting with thumbnails is a great idea.


Friday, January 04, 2013

Neighbor's house in the snow




This piece was completed outside my window when the kids were napping in their rooms.  It is snow scene of my neighbor's house.  This is a precursor, considering I just signed up for a New Hampshire snowcamp 3 day painting workshop with painting legend Stapleton Kearns in late January. I am pumped, and just ordered a pair of serious warm boots.   But this piece was painted from the warmth of my bedroom and quiet moment between the ever demanding state of raising and loving two kids. Thanks to my wife for giving me a few days off, and this is how I spend it - painting outside in cold weather.