Stapleton Kearns Snow Camp Day 1

It's nice to be up here again in New Hampshire for snowcamp with Stapleton Kearns.  Stape is entertaining, armed with quips and memorable quotes, stories, and phrases.  One quote I noted, "A painting is a lie well told." Stape shared the inspiring story "Acres of Diamonds"by Russell Cronwell. There was a pesky crow calling on occasion during the morning demo which Stape would look at one of us and ask "Who said that?" After few repetitions, I caught on to the game.

After lunch we all ran out to our easels to paint in the great expanse and presence of the mountains behind the inn.  Some things he mentioned to remember was looking for poster shapes, and rearranging nature in a pleasing manner.  Nature rarely gives you a good design, one often needs to install this into the picture.

 I constantly peppered Stape with questions.  He recently posted a picture on his blog of a picture of a  lovely night scene with a bridge on which I asked about the sky color.  I learned he used ultramarine with a touch of ivory black in that sky.

After the afternoon, we met for dinner and discussed art history and the work Williard Metcalf. Stape explained Metcalf's use of impressionistic rice grain strokes of color were painted in a manner to allow the appearance of white canvas beneath the paint strokes.  Metcalf learned some of this  rice grain technique from Childe Hassam.


Stape is a self made artist who sells pictures for a living, but his expertise level didn't come without struggle and some hardship.