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.

Hibbards Mitten

I signed up for Stapleton Kearn's SnowCamp again this year. I have a practiced year of plein air painting under my belt while reading Stapleton's blog. I feel like I really know this guy in a way that's different from other artists because he has graciously shared his knowledge and experiences as an artist from his blog.  He is living and had success living solely as a picture-maker. It takes an enormous amount of courage to be a painter let alone be able to make a living from it.


Another dilemma I have been thinking about id keeping my hands warm.  I don't remember freezing too badly last year, using warm packs in my gloves but I would have to break from time to time and take the glove off to do a detail or something else that required precision with a hand. That would get your hands cold fast. Last night I was looking into the hunters gloves - the kind that keep your fingers exposed but also have a flap over to cover exposed fingers but I'm wasn't convinced.

The word word Hibbard's glove popped in my head.  I googled it and arrived at Thomas Jefferson Kitt blog (another artist I like),  where he takes a wool sock and cuts a hole at the end to allow the brush handle.

I think I'll give this a go.