Tuesday, 24 January 2012
2012 Workshops
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There are now two workshops scheduled for 2012. There will be a weekend workshop March 24, 25 and a four day workshop June 19-22, both on California's Central Coast. Go to the "Workshops" page on this web site for details.
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
Watercolors in Morro Bay
The Gallery at Marina Square is hosting an exhibit of my watercolors and pastels during the month of January 2012. Generally I only exhibit oils in galleries although I continue to paint almost as many watercolors as oils. I began my career as a watercolorist and only gradually shifted to oils after about five years. Pastels became a passion during my Paris years, especially for the facility of portraits. It was a habit of mine to always take my pastel pad along to parties and do a few portraits before I'd had too much to drink. If I ever become a bit bored with one subject or technique I switch to keep things fresh, from oils to watercolor or pastel or even block printing. Watercolor has been my trusty travel companion when oils are impractical to transport. I can get all the thrill of capturing a subject with watercolors like I do in oils in a fracture of the time and without the mess. The exhibit in Morro Bay displays a variety of subjects and locales. The opening reception is Friday, January 13, from 5 to 8 PM. The Gallery is located at 601 Embarcadero, Suite 10, in Morro Bay California, 93442.
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Painting in France
Painting in France is always a delight where a hundred subjects are within walking distance. I like the scale and intimacy of French landscapes. The American West is so vast that is hard to fit onto a canvas. Another appeal of the French landscape is the harmony of the villages, their construction and arrangements, which fit so organically into the landscape.Wherever I turn in France I see a subject calling to me to be painted. A drawback while travelling however is the difficulty of painting in oils. Even an extended visit like the five weeks I spent this summer presents problems for transporting materials, drying time for oils, and guarding the finished canvases. Fortunately my great friend, Pierre Mori, and fellow New Fauve, is so welcoming and supportive of my art. Pierre lives in Feux, a small village near Sancerre in central France. There, he has a guest apartment for me and he also has a large studio where he can guard my work. So, for the week I spent with Pierre and his wonderful wife, Renee, I could paint oils daily and leave them with him to guard until dry. Pierre was also generous enought to supply me with an easel and materials, making the whole operation so much simpler and more enjoyable. The rest of my vacation was spent in my favorite occupation, drawing with pen and ink.
Tuesday, 25 October 2011
San Luis Obispo Plein Air Festival
Once again the SLO Plein Air Festival was an exciting and successful event during the first week of October 2011. As usual, the pressure was on to produce enough work and quality work for the weekend exhibit. This year artists were somewhat hampered by some unusual rainfall. I also lodged two great artists and friends, Tom Soltesz and Sterling Hoffman, from Marin and Sonoma Counties, respectively. Nearby Cuesta Cove was a popular subject this year as it affords a variety of compositions throughout the day and has the added convenience of being in the neighborhood. Collectors gathered on Saturday fro the Quick Draw whern all the artists painted complete works in two hours around the Mission Plaza in downtown San Luis Obispo. I executed a large, 24x30, piece of the side of the Mission with a fountain.