Workshop Week

Workshops are a wonderful way to immerse yourself in a learning experience and jump start enthusiasm. Being surrounded by like minded people can encourage a flagging ego and is a wealth of information as students share experiences and the instructor guides and critiques.

Bob Rohm demos at Cuttalossa Farm.

This past week I stepped out of my comfort zone (and isn't that part of attending a workshop?) and painted en plein air with Bucks County Art Workshops.  They offer an excellent variety of learning experiences and top notch international teachers. Jackie runs a tight ship and makes the painting experience a joy (Oh, those delicious lunches delivered to us each day...kiss Macario for me!).

Stone Ridge Farm B&B where Bucks County Art Workshops are held.

Bob Rohm was our fearless leader this week and led his small band to scenic spots each day where he would do a demo and then guide us as we worked. A great help to me was Bob's "Painterly Checklist" designed to make us aware of various compositional concerns (lightest light, darkest dark, most dynamic edge, etc.) Sometimes a painting simply isn't working, but we don't know why. This checklist can help.

I also threw caution to the wind by tossing aside my yellow ochre (my safety blanket for many years) and not toning my canvases before painting (hard to give up many years of tradition). Small changes, but for me big psychological humps to get over!

I generally avoid architecture of all kinds, trees are easier (who knows if a tree is crooked or not?), but decided to tackle the barn at Willoughby Farm.

Instructor came along and said "Stop! Don't do any more".  Thank you, Bob!
I have a tendency to keep painting until it is overdone, so it was good to have someone to put a stop to the overworking. Hopefully I will begin to employ some internal brakes from now on.

Pastels are something I haven't studied, so the demo Bob did at Stover Mill was especially fascinating to me. Building up careful layers of color was beautiful to watch. Watch out for poison ivy, though....

Friday was Critique Day and everyone put up their work for the week, to be seen and critiqued by the instructor. Critiques are a great way to learn as dozens of paintings are discussed and the instructor points out various aspects.  Good stuff!

Sheep shed at Cuttalossa Farm. Daniel Garber had his studio at Cuttalossa.

So I've already started saving my pennies and making plans. I'd like to do another workshop next year!

Anticipation

Big day tomorrow. actually a big week! This week I am taking a painting workshop and am expecting an exciting week of new ideas and getting to rub shoulders with fellow artists.

I'm heading over to Bucks County Artists Workshops to take a plein air class where I am sure we will visit various scenic localities in upper Bucks County. Getting my gear ready and trying to make sure I don't forget anything, though I am sure that if I come up short on supplies some kindly fellow student will help out. Praying for good weather!

I'll be reporting on my progress....don't expect any masterpieces, though. That very seldom happens in a teaching situation. You're supposed to be learning and "stretching" yourself, stepping out of that comfort zone and trying something new. Hopefully the masterpieces (or at least the competent paintings) should come later.

Storm over Slifer Valley - 16 x 20   oil on canvas

Permission to Experiment, Sir!

I recently read in a newsletter that I receive about an experiment in which they gave children a new toy to play with and then filmed them, keeping an account of how long they played and how many ways they found to use the strange new toy. Some of the children were shown in advance about several things the toy could do, while others were just given the toy ("Look at this! How cool is this?") and told to play.

The results? Those children who were NOT told how to use the toy played with it longer and found more ways to play with it than those who WERE told.

When I teach I have found that there are always a few students who will take what I show them and use it as a springboard to expand on the idea and loose their creativity. But, most people seem reluctant to experiment and need my permission to try something unusual. I suppose this is a trait we acquire as we are growing up and is usually a good idea when it comes to self preservation (experimenting with fire when you are very young is one example of something that could have tragic results). So, we often must relearn that trait of inquisitiveness and inventiveness.

So I am giving you permission to experiment, to play, and if what you try doesn't work out.....whose to know? You are not being graded and the only consequence will be that next time you will know what NOT to do.

Have fun!!

Kennesaw Pair

Here's a little experiment where I violated some of the rules of composition, just to see what would happen, and you are seeing it here because it worked (if it hadn't it, it would be in the garbage never to be seen again). Instead of placing the two trees in a standard way on the canvas, I chopped off the bottoms making them more of a visual barrier that you must get around before you can enter the picture.

Not standard, but it works.

Macrame Class Next Weekend

I am forced to take a break from painting because I am teaching at a bead retreat that is coming up this next weekend.

It's hard to switch mental gears!

My head is still up in my studio.

I need to write up the instructions and that means taking about 20 step by step photos, cropping and correcting them, then writing everything up into the correct format. 

I learn more from the photos or diagrams when trying out something new. But it's not that way for everyone, so I need to make sure that written instructions are clear and unambiguous. 

Here's what I am teaching:  

Victorian Lacy Macrame' Bracelet 

Ha! Macrame....it's not just for hanging planters anymore.

Remember the owl wall hanging? No, we will not be doing anything remotely close to that!

The most onerous thing I have to do is make kits. I hate making kits. Why can't everyone just bring their own supplies. Okay, now I'm whining. For some people, gathering up all the things needed is a deterrent to taking a class, so I will make kits as needed (rats!).

If you would like to brush up on your macrame skills visit my Macrame Tutorial Page.

All the major knots are there with "how to" photos. If you have ever knotted before you will get those skills back quickly. It's like riding the proverbial bicycle.

I started a new oil painting from a photo I took on a hike Delaware Water Gap area. But it will have to wait till next week for me to get back to it.  Here's the start:

             Later we'll see how it develops.

When the weather changes for the better I will head out and start to paint en plein air. Can't wait!

Blog Challenged

A fruitless day hunting for the book "Google Blogger for Dummies".
Guess I will have to wing it, or buy it online from Amazon. It is so much easier to let someone else go through all the pain of learning a technique, and then let them tell you what works and what doesn't. That's why people take classes!
I always point this out to my beading students when they get frustrated. They can benefit from all my experimentation and mistakes rather than having to stumble onto the correct technique after many failures. Click here for a list of classes I will be teaching for 2011.