THE COTTONWOODS SCREAM YELLOW:    Painting at the Rio Grande Nature Center Bosque  in New Mexico I found the most stunning Cottonwood trees.    The yellows and gold leaves were screaming with color.  They were!  I could hear them!  They were screaming yellow.  The color and majesty of these trees were to be the theme of my painting. 

Besides the bright yellow color, I also love very much the organic twining tree trunks and limbs.  I am remembering a phrase from a book that I picked up called "The Painterly Approach" by Bob Rohm.  I don't normally spend much time reading "technique" books I prefer to look at master paintings and visit galleries of contemporary artist I admire. But this book was interesting and helpful.  Mr. Rohm talks about using a limited palette, which I always prefer. He talks about using warm and cool color as well as value, which I am challenging myself to do more of.  He also talks about "approach".  Beginning the Cottonwood painting one might be inclined to spend hours trying to capture all the intricate and complicated twisting and turning of the tree limbs and minute details of branches and leaves.  From the very beginning I did concentrate a little to much on the "linear" aspects.  Paying too much attention to detail.  Only when I began to loosen my approach and feel the forms more in a painterly manner did I achieve my goal.  Which was to talk about the "shock of color" that was in front of my eyes.  I am glad that I went out that day because today is a winter wonderland.  I will write about that experience next.

DESCRIPTION:  3-DAY NON-INSTRUCTIONAL PLEIN-AIR MENTORING WORKSHOP designed for experienced plein air painters who have worked on their own before and can work independently.    Jeanean will be available for questions and will lead the critiques, but will be painting side-by-side with you. Arrangements have been made for the Host Farms for your every convenience and private entry into a rustic wonderland. A lovely lunch and evening activity is planned at each farm.  Each day of this 3- day workshop we will visit a different farm in Northern Maryland and Pennsylvania.  We will paint on location in the morning, enjoy lunch followed by an afternoon painting. At the close of each day we will have a group critique led by Jeanean. Each evening, we will meet for dinner at a local restaurant to enjoy the comraderie of other artist and share our painting experiences. 

COST:    – $140 All three days or $50 per day.  Come for one or all three days!

Optional:  $10 extra per day for “Plein air fare lunch” provided by Chef Lydia  and Chef Sandi.    Lunch includes: sandwich, soup, salad, fresh fruit, cheese & crackers, cookies . Complimentary Coffee, tea, lemonade, water included.

 

DATE & LOCATION: 

Friday, 8th: Cheshire Place Farm, Mt. Airy MD – Host: Deborah Brower Beautiful, scenic, rolling farmland of  Mt. Airy with historic log houses. Views of another adjacent farm with cows and charming church and grounds.

Saturday, 9th: Farm in Fairfield, PA   Host – Sandi Polvinale.  Surrounded by forest and rolling hills with a private view of a crystal clear pond and distant vistas of Ski Liberty mountain with lovely farmhouse and barns. A campfire in the evening will be enjoyed by all!

Sunday, 10th: Catoctin Mountains & Farm, Thurmont, MD Host– Lydia Martin We will begin our morning painting deep in forest of the Catoctin Mountains with views of the streams and waterfall. The afternoon will be spent at a 50- acre farm in Thurmont, MD with views of a charming farmhouse, barns and outbuildings, rolling hills and open fields and pond. A special farewell celebration dinner at a local restaurant with music by the Martin Family Band on Sunday

FOOD: You won’t want to miss the special  “ Plein-air fare” a  buffet provided each day  by our individual  host.    Lunch Buffet cost: $10. Coffee, tea lemonade and water will be provided at no cost.     Dinner: We will be dining at local restaurants in the area individuals responsible for cost of own meals.

TRANSPORTATION: Provided by individuals. If you are interested in car-pooling please call Jeanean for assistance. If you are commuting please plan to meet at the appropriate site each day at 9:00 am. Map and directions will be mailed to you upon registration.

LODGING: 

FAIRFIELD LODGE: Small, moderately priced (717) 642-8245

FAIRFIELD INN & B & B & TAVERN:    (717) 642-5410 

LIBERTY MT. RESORT & Conf Center (717)642-8282

Individuals are responsible for making their own arrangements for lodging.

CONTACT: JEANEAN   AT (301) 540-2092 or E-MAIL: jeaneansongcomartin@hotmail.com

 

“Not just another painting workshop but an enriching experience”

 

Don't forget to mark your calendars for Common Ground on the Hill on the beautiful campus of McDaniel College in Westminster, MD Come for one or two full weeks of fun for the entire family.  Drop the kids off at the "World Village - 5-12 and newly added Mini-World Village 2-5

Tradition classes:  Week I - July 5 -10th,

Roots Festival 11&12th  Farm Museum,Westminster Md

featuring an array of Fine Artist and World Class Musicians and headliner , legendary Ralph Stanley and the Clinch Moutain Boys 

Tradition classes:  Week II July 12-17th

 Jeanean will be teaching

 PLEIN-AIR PAINTING & EZ OLD-TIMETUNES

  See ya' there. register on line: www.commongroundonthehill.org

Purist will argue that a plein-air painting must be started and finished outside. I go back and forth on this notion.  I feel it depends more on what the painting needs. If you have said everything you wanted to say about that landscape then a one shot “alla prima” painting done in one sitting is fine and it is fabulous when it works out that way.

Another approach is the "pochade", which is the plein-air study or smaller painting sketch used as an aid to the development of the larger studio painting.  Pioneers of plein-air painting in the 18th and 19th c. such as Valenciennes, Thomas Jones, Corot and Constable made small outdoor sketches for their own personal use and were never meant to be exhibited.  these outdoor paintings were "tools"; means to an end and not the end all.

 There is a real danger, however, that if you continue to work on a painting in the studio that you might lose the freshness and initial feeling of the sketch.   The definition of “en plein air” means literally in the open air. The physical act of being in the field, observing nature directly and responding emotionally is very exhilarating.    It is precisely this “emotional response” to nature that gives plein-air painting its’ vitality. The commitment to keep a particular kind of light and color corresponding to a particular time of day and moment gives the painting honesty, integrity and believability. The sense of immediacy, gesture, feeling for light and air, described with quick, descriptive brushstrokes that abbreviate form and shun high detail are consistent with what we have come to associate with the idea of the “look” of a plein-air painting.

 

Those only concerned with representation of fact will take the painting to a certain level. Those interested in not only recording the retinal image but the emotional impact the visual stimuli has provided, take the painting to a higher level. There is no magic formula, time frame or technique to achieve this. We paint as who we are.  We recognize a place because of the painting’s verisimilitude to that place. We feel an emotional response to the painting not simply because of the faithful recordation of fact but because somehow the artist found a way to convey how this place was perceived; how it was felt; and most importantly how it was remembered by him. The remembrance of place is what we share together.   

 

When I begin a landscape  painting, sometimes I know exactly what and why I want to paint this scene. Sometimes I have no clue, but there is an energy there that has peeked my interest.  I try not to think at all, just react quickly. With the ever-changing light, it is a bit of a race. If you wait too long to start you will have a whole other painting on your hands.  The more the painting progresses the slower the pace becomes. I have made my commitment to a certain kind of light and now the challenge is to emphasize things in the painting that supports this theme. Everything else should be subordinate to the main theme. 

Cezanne said that “the painting only begins when the entire surface of the canvas is covered”.So in the initial stages try to cover the whole surface.   Nearing the completion stage, my pace levels out to an even flow and not so frenzied and even becomes thoughtful.  The painting rhythm definitely changes as the painting progresses.  It is not unlike a dance.

Painting is creating a visual language.  Knowing  what it is that you want to say is half the battle.  Take time to really look at the painting and ask yourself questions. Are the elements of the painting such as color, value, composition adding to the central "theme of the painting" or distracting from this idea?   Be consistent and support your choices. 

 

“PLEIN-AIR COOL”

By Jeanean Songco Martin

 

Remember the country song “I was country when country wasn’t coooool” by Barbara Mandrell? Well, I feel a little like singing a tune of my own “I was plein-air and didn’t know that it was coooool” Back as an art student in the 70’s and 80’s (yes, it took me about 10 years to graduate… I had to take art classes and paint in between changing diapers, cooking meals and running back and forth to ballet lessons and wrestling matches)  Back then painting outside wasn’t really referred to as “plein-air”. It was just called painting outside. There was nothing special about it or unique. There was certainly no mystique associated with it. There were no groups or paint outs, no hype, no fancy gear, special easels or equipment. You simply took yourself out there and set up. There was also not so much dogma concerning the allotted “plein-air time frame” to paint within. Yes, I think we can all agree that the light changes so quickly that a couple of hours is approximately all that you will get at one sitting but what about the ability to work for a longer period of time and still keeping the commitment to a specific time of day and particular kind of weather and light and still maintaining a sense of freshness and immediacy.  Can it be done? I think it can. But you must be consistent with your thinking and your commitment to an idea. 

 

If  you hold on to the initial observational truths gathered from your outdoor painting  and stay on the course that you have set up for your painting, then it is possible to continue to refine ever so slightly and add subtle nuances and a few more details  that you simply didn’t have time to do in the field. It depends on your mind-set and how much or little you want to say in your painting. I have found that taking notes and actually writing down your observations help to define and emphasize the important elements. Hopper did this all the time and so did Turner and Constable. All three of these artist sketched or painted out of doors but completed their paintings in the studio.  

 

When you bring the painting indoors you should honestly take a few moments to asses what you have accomplished. The light from outside to inside is drastically different. I always check the value first. That is usually the problem.  You may not really need to add another thing. In fact, sometimes it’s not what you must add but what you can take out. A big paint rag or brush used to blot out unnecessary marks or detail is extremely helpful at times. My favorite thing to do is to take the painting in the bathroom with me. In our house, the bathroom is the quietest place and the most private.   As I lay in a hot tub of sudsy water relaxing, I see things I would never have seen in the heat of painting. Think before you act at this level and tread lightly.

 

 

 

WORKING METHOD:  The medium to large landscapes are usually started in the field.  I actually enjoy taking a large canvas outside.  It is a challenge especially on a windy day!  But there is definitely a "connection" made working directly on the spot that is hard to replicate in the studio.  However, I am challenging myself more these days  to create larger paintings that employ other methods than a simple one-shot deal.  I use my smaller plein-air paintings and drawings as an aid to achieve this more studied formal image.  Ideally, it is great to do a couple of paintings on the spot. In this way the painting emerges out of the investigation process.  There is also no pressure to "produce" a piece.  It is a time to get to know the landscape and the lay of the land.    Hopefully, the end result of this more studied approach will come full circle to the initial reaction which is a moment in time.  An instructor of mine once said that Rembrandt puts everything in, every detail, everything and then he takes it all out by subduing the unessentials but you still feel the structure underneath.  Making a painting is similar to constructing a building. Every good painting has a strong underpinning.  I hope that these works not only convey a particular place and time of day but also formally read as a strong composition and go beyond a simple recording of fact