ANU Critiques today...one week to go, New Class May 28th!!!

This has proven to be a useful pragmatic class for painters, and we will begin our fifth repeat of this course come May 28th...

Registration and Information for this course

The course titled as "Foundations" is a little misgiving...while definitely a good course for those new to plein air to get off on the right footing, we deal with struggles many intermediates and even advanced painters face.  Namely over the years my observation of a common malady, what I call a blight with "Mid-Values Crisis"

So many painters develop a knack for good composition and yet their paintings come off mundane or blah, lacking a strong sense of depth illusion, atmospheric perspective.  Lacking the punch, the drama of light and atmosphere painted that lures and holds the viewer's eye.

The course come with complete downloads of my couple Go To Meetings I did with F&W Publications, a five week series, with power points, video...and that as a supplement.  Worth the price of admission right there alone, I'd say.  The course itself is four weeks long...with materials to guide you toward assignment target points, and at the conclusion of each week you submit your work efforts, and I critique.  For the most part, I upload visuals I create to illustrate the points I'm making.  The feedback I have been receiving has been most encouraging how this has been helping painters.  

Artists Network University is an affiliate of F&W publications, North Light Shop, Wetcanvas.com and is a complete virtual classroom, which can be exercised at your convenience.

I do enjoy my travels and teaching workshops, but often hear of those that cannot attend for one reason or another, sometimes simply the costs of travel and stay.  This is an essence a workshop with me and you...where you live and at your convenience throughout the week.

I will be working this summer to produce an advanced course that will help painters develop a color understanding using various strategies of limited palettes, a "where do I take command of my values next?" course.

Long Slide Falls

Trying to work on breaking edges more...each painting a bit more of a push.  Went to one of my annual waterfall treks, Long Slide Falls of the Peme Bon River in NE Wisconsin...gorgeous afternoon...

This is 12"x 12" oil on Arches Huiles oil paper...and I adhered it to board panel using Lineco adhesive...

Here is a short short video I took on the rocks over the falls, about fifteen seconds, but pretty cool place.  Just wanted something more to share of the location...

Short video of Long Slide falls...

11"x 14" oil on panel...set up near home, taking advantage of winter melt off...a late scene, rivers...creeks gorged with water.  A complicated scene, was interesting in the challenge to simplify.  Mixed up a warm neutral to tone the panel...and then mix color into it as a version of pigment soup.

here was my set up...a gorgeous afternoon, saw only one other vehicle...

Angle Road View...

Painted near Antigo, Wisconsin last night...about an hour from home south and west.  Lot of geese and waterfowl flying around...was a gorgeous night.  This is 8"x 16" oil on Arches Huiles Oil paper...which I adhere to board with Lineco adhesive...

My palette strategy was a triad...keeping each color slightly keyed above mid value to help emphasis mood of the light...

Fumee Falls...Quinnesec, Michigan

Traveled over to Quinnesec, Michigan today...37 degrees, sunny...and closest thing to spring so far this year.  Had to paint.

Brought my new pochade, a Sierra design...using plans from artist Bob Perrish.  The painting is 10"x 8" ..oil on a pumice panel.

Intending to play with a triad palette strategy for awhile...picking a dominant purer chroma, the other two of the triad notably less.  For example, this was painted with cobalt blue...plus yellow ocre as my yellow, and a grayed down red...plus white.  Please with the results of this one.  Should be an interesting journey experimenting with this for awhile

My new box from the side...Sierra..on a Bogen tripod

Test Drove my new Sierra Pochade...and mid April, we still have plenty of winter!

Made from Bob Perrish plans, supplies available at Home Depot...

Bob's various plein air boxes and studio easel plans

I wanted something lighter, that would support a panel up to 18" in height...and yet quite stable. I was looking to purchase possibly the Yellowstone pochade, or the Easy L...and then decided on the DIY Sierra...and quite happy. This will be a great addition to my boxes!

This was my first test drive, a 9"x 12"...and pushing it since more snow/mix was coming in.  Also new, I painted on Arches Huile oil paper...adhere to panel with Lineco adhesive.  

Foundations in Plein Air

Fourth time offered now, and I know many with cabin fever can't wait to get their paint boxes out...this Foundations Course thru the Artist Network...anchoring you, helping give you a confident springboard to grow. Really proud how this has been found a help to past students.

April 30th our start...four weeks lessons, and in addition, the entire Wetcanvas Live Foundations Go To Meeting (five session course) made available for you to download. You paint the assignments each week, I critique a personal critique over the weekend. A workshop without traveling, without flying me in. (though...heeheee...I am available for that if you want to pull students together!)  * all images below enlarge when clicked

Course and Registration Information

Why plein air...? Why not just paint in the studio?

The question often is why paint?  Is it to produce a work that sells?  Is it to liberate the heart and nurture joy, thanksgiving?  To validate oneself?

Okay, but then why paint Plein air?   As a vogue movement, plein air can lead to reputation, fine work, marketing and sales opportunity...but so often our work has to validate and justify the brush in hand, doesn't it seem to be so?

The opportunity to work long careful work in studio naturally tends toward wanting to share, lead to sales, etc., sitting in the interiors, mindful of interruptions, children fighting, dinner being made, phone calls.  But..discipline and sticktoitiveness leads to eventual polished work.

My exodus outdoors near 20 years ago now was revolutionary, shocking.  For one...away from the bias and limitation of a camera doing the seeing for me, my eyes were allowed to see real time.  The photograph is often the landscape painter's reference, and though digital photography has greatly improved along with Photoshops capabilities to enhance...there is nothing quite like the eyes being able to see, and the mind/spirit's state of inquiry.

The bias of the photograph pushing for light causes darks to darken, even turn black.  Worse is its treatment of shadows...and outdoors you realize there is reflected light, bounced light...not just direct light.  You see an amazing thing...COLOR in the shadows, and thus your natural means to utilize broader forms of contrast to develop your paintings.  Not just value contrasts, but color...color temperatures enhancing and giving new power for emphasis.

but over the years...as one's mind and spirit accustom and routine themselves to this practice painting outdoors...you adapt some of the benefits and reasons for being outdoors that might be compared to why people kayak...why people hike...why people bicycle...fish...camp...on and on.  It reconnects you to the outdoors.

there is a great book many educators have read from Dr. Richard Louv..."Last Child in the Woods "

Last Child in the Woods

or "saving our children from nature deficit disorder."

Well worth the time...and we can see from many studies that a number of building maladies is come of our modern habits of staying indoors, infrequenting recreation, exploration...and one is lacking the fostering of imagination.  Even some connections to autism, etc.,

Louv has a book out I mean to get too for adults as well...but we outdoors painting become greatly attuned to nature ,the world around us.  Now...if paintings about representing what it is we love...what has meaning to us, this presence of painting outdoors amongst nature will find to have effect in our work.  The essentiality will with mastery come thru individualized by your compulsion to paint.

While some see the "unfinished" look of plein air as a deficit or negative, in actuality the practice is teaching you to recognize the absolute essential reason for painting.  The novice, taking their studio practice to the field for the first time very often gets an effort home and wonders what it ever was that caught their eye to begin with.  This is because in studio we can long study a picture...and entertain to show just how good we are by putting in as much as possible and with every detail.

Outdoors...you have a limited amount of light, and the inclination to "report" what you see will find yourself becoming lost and overwhelmed very quickly!

The novice sets up...and tries to paint everything.  The master sets up and asks himself what NOT to paint.

It has been said that where everything is shouting, nothing gets heard...so coming to master plein air means quickly getting in touch with what has really and truly resounded with your artistic aesthetic inclinations.  It calls for quick determinations and discipline, and an acute honed awareness that paintings work for reasons paintings work.

Schooling yourself thru the rigors of plein air will help you interpret photographs with greater command of what makes for good paintings.  It actually will make painting instudio more meaningful and fun, to take photographs you know are but half-truths, and interject the culminations of experience you have gained by time observing and painting outdoors.  It should make you a better painter.

There are some fine fine studio painters that have not painted outdoors, but years of trial, errors...to arrive, and still many IMO miss a bit of the spark that feels more like this person has been there.  The life of the place.

Lastly...I have come too to understand what defines "realism" by other terms.

In the old wildlife art years of the 80's-90's...and competitions, it was paint every feather, wings frozen in air.  However, painting outdoors...your painting proceeds over a duration of events happening as you stand there.  Not a frozen moment caught in a picture...but clouds existing not just now, but what is to come in five minutes from now.  Trees moving.  Birds flying, grasses under influence of winds, water choppy...on and on.  In other words what you are also finding exists as a subject to be painted is the presence of TIME...

Time exists only frozen in a picture. 

Reminds me of viewing a corpse in a funeral home...not to be disrespectful, but our loved one (while so many respond to the cosmetics and remark how they look just like they are sleeping), is laying there.  While we are making closure...this really is not the person we know, and frozen, still...is not the picture in our mind.  This now...years after painting plein air, is how reliance on photographs in studio feels if it comes down to just copying.  It is but a corpse of life...

Painting on location though...is dealing with a living thing...which is not going to conveniently hold to our preferences.  TIME...and all that transpires in that window of opportunity we paint, enters our sphere of comfort...like somebody getting too close.  We have to deal with it.  I always find myself at some point of the painting recognizing a knot building in my stomach.  Such tells me that the success of the painting is at that moment pivotal.  I have to press in and on...and doubts love to jump at you at such a moment, and I defer to many many times before that same feeling overcome with a successful work.

I never experienced such instudio.  At worst...only a decision to put the brush down for a time being, and return at a more convenient time to work things thru.  Rarely...is there a convenient time outdoors, because like a living person walking, breathing...nature plays by its own rules, its own spontaneity.  And while a photograph captures one moment...and we are aware it was a lucky moment, or not as good as we wished the moment before we took the picture...the whole moment standing there painting carries optimism, opportunity.  We are very much aware at precisely such a time just how alive and in the moment we are!!!  :)

Old Snow Covered Truck...plein air

Had been threatening for sometime to paint this truck, and wanted to get it while some snow was still resting on it.  Well, the way things are going here spring of 2013 in northern Wisconsin, doesn't seem losing our snow is to worry over.  This time last year, was a warm 70's...people out on the golf course.

Set up later in the afternoon...unfortunately my El Greco Trident halfbox easel I've had for about 18 years broke apart. Plans to replace underway with a new pochade.  I use my Guerrilla box for smaller works...

this is 12" x 18" oil on a pumice ground panel.  Used a Zorn palette, which I think I'll explore once more further.  Black, red, yellow-ocre, and white.  Zorn's black of his day had more blue content...so I prepare by adding 1/3rd by volume Fr. Ultramarine blue to the black...

History of Early Wisconsin Artists, Painters, Art Teaching, painting outdoors

Going to note some good sites, as I attempt to piece together fragments of what I already know and what I wish to know more of.  I have come across information that more than suggests Wisconsin, (particularly southeast...the Milwaukee area) had its own Impressionist movement.  Its own plein air traditions as well.  Stemming from the early German artists trained in Europe, that came to work on the large panoramas popular in the aftermath of the Civil War era, to depict dramas, battles, histories to an appreciative American audience.  As friends, a number of these painters would venture into the countrysides of the more urban Milwaukee, and paint together.

In my searching today...I came across an article detailing the origins of Art Teaching...the first known, and was surprised to read that one of the early art schools was incorporated into the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, the instructor at the time Alexander Mueller, retiring in 1923...

Here is a good link to begin with-
Art Teachers, Art Schools and Art Museums in Early Wisconsin

artists of influence and importance, links of their bios-
Scotch born Bernard Isaac Durward (1817-1902);
Bernard Durward
another Scotsman- George J. Robertson, arriving in 1846;
George Robertson
Henry Vane Thorne, landscape painter settled in 1847;

English born- Thomas H. Stevenson (showed up in Milwaukee around 1855...then eventually Green Bay);
Thomas Stevenson
Heinrich Rose and James Reeve Stuart, two German Art instructors (1834-1915) genres and portraits primarily; The first really influential art teacher in Wisconsin, however, was the German-born landscape painter Henry Vianden (1814-1899); 
Henry Vianden
two of his best know pupils, were Carl von Marr (1858-1936)
Carl von Marr
Images of Carl von Marrs works

 and Robert Koehler (1850-1917);

Koehler images of work

Richard Lorenz, Alexander Mueller, George Raab, Gustave Moeller, all training in Germany and returning to teach in Wisconsin;  Mueller was curator of Layton Art Gallery from 1902-1922; Lorenz the last of the Panorama painters to have an influence teaching art;

1910 marks the date of the last of the need to travel to Europe to be trained in painting; Elsa Ulbricht (1885-1980), a Milwaukee native who was trained at the Wisconsin State Teachers College in Milwaukee and at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, considered one of the first art teachers trained entirely in the United States;

Wisconsin-born art teacher was Dudley Crafts Watson (1885-1972), a native of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Watson received his training at the Art Institute of Chicago; from 1914 to 1924 was director of the Milwaukee Art Institute;

- - - -

Society of Milwaukee Artists


The public exhibition was the means by which society members felt they could best promote the arts in Milwaukee. The group sought to hold at least three exhibitions annually of no less than two weeks duration each and proposed that the exhibitions occur on a permanent basis.[8] Exhibition space was first provided by the Milwaukee Public Library where the first four shows were held between 1900 and 1903. The first exhibition was the largest in the society's thirteen years with twelve artists showing a total of sixty-one works.

The landscape became a very important subject for paintings made by the Society of Milwaukee artists, and a look at the earliest exhibition catalogues will testify to the importance of depicting local scenery and its changing appearance in daylight. This type of landscape was exemplified by Bernhard Schneider's paintings of the Milwaukee River and Cedarburg areas. The idea presented in much of Schneider's work is one that attempted to evoke a mood of tranquility in the viewer.

In 1903 the Public Library could no longer furnish exhibition space to the artists, and they were left without a permanent place to exhibit. Later exhibition locations during the following years were Bressler's Gallery, the University Club, the Old Exposition Building (before it burned in 1905), and the subsequent Auditorium Building, which was built in 1908.

The artists continued to meet and to exhibit occasionally despite the discouragement they felt by their failure to gain permanent exhibition space. In 1906, a special meeting was called by members in an attempt to organize a society for the promotion of art and to organize exhibitions of local artwork. The inclusion of non-artists in the organization and a proposal to purchase art from local artists, which was to be placed in public buildings in the city, were additional aims discussed within the context of this proposed new society. Although this new group was never established, the idea it generated was acted upon in 1910 by the Milwaukee Journal newspaper company, which offered to buy paintings by Milwaukee artists to be hung in public buildings and schools. This offer represented a vital step toward corporate patronage in Milwaukee and one which escalated during the second decade of the 19th century.

I shall add to this, more as a journal of my own interest and convenience to refer to...

Did a last light finger painting digitally with Sketchbook Pro

One of those days I needed to get out...end of day, not much time as I had a prior commitment, so thought it would be fun to try my hand (literally...finger painted) at Sketchbook Pro on an ipad...

It would require spending some time with the app to become more than familiar with the tools and options...but, with only about 40 minutes time to work with, I found I was amused and somewhat happy with the results...

Went to the end of a road in a shaded corner of a local body of water we call the "Mill Pond"...and parked.

Second session of the Ruffed Grouse piece

about another 40 minutes following my teaching day...still somewhat blocking in...14"x 18" on stretched linen...

Studio piece started for Ruffed Grouse Society fund raiser

I have been asked once more to be a featured/guest artist for the Ruffed Grouse Society here in NE Wisconsin...so started a new one...on stretched Senso linen, just blocked in thus far...  14"x 18"

Building a crate to ship a half-dozen paintings to New York City for the World Tour of Contemporary Landscape Artists...

This is my oil of "Frozen Creek Tag Alder" in a hand made red oak floating L-frame...

painting is 11-1/2"x 12-1/2"

Dead Tree...Lake Michigan shores...WIP

a chance to work a bit more today...but neglected to bring my camera with other than my smartphone.  So, took a picture anyway.

The linen is taped to a board, with intentions to stretch or glue down later...so there are shaded ripples which account for value changes, and to the right of the tree is a bit of muted grayed water, which is not like that. 

Having said that...I added textures to the sands, values and more dead branches to the tree...worked the distant shoreline and trees, and nearer water reflection...
Not done...but getting there...

Deadwood Lake Michigan...oil on linen

Started a new one tonight...12"x 18" oil on linen...some ideas where I want to take this one.  I taped the linen to a board, and as such it is not taut enough to be photographed without the suggestion of ripples in the sky.  Those are not actually there...

Camp 20 Creek "Thin Ice" 8"x 10" done

Worked up more last night...nearly came to scrape the painting off...but, it was a long day, eyes were tired, and decided I could always scrape today.  Came in with fresh eyes, and liked what I saw from about ten feet away (thus the smaller image to give you the same sorta look.

I added back thin ice in the foreground, but reshaped it to work better compositionally I think.  Made the snow darker, the reflections...er, um....okay, basically I repainted the work!  Time to move on to another painting now...

Camp 20 Creek...8"x 10' study...oils

Chance to do a study today...started with yellowish-orange undertone, used umber, blue and cad orange to draw wet into wet...lay some darks, then mixed up some cools, blues, blue-violet, even a hint of viridian.  Used paper towel to push edges, suggest some movement...and looking forward to working more on it...

I may scrap out the suggestion of the thin ice on bottom and extend reflections, for the sake of design.  I'll toss that idea around...
(clicking on image brings up larger view)

Signed and Finished...11"x 12" Backwaters...oil on linen

Felt I pursued an idea, pushed things...learned, gave me some directions to play in the future...enough to call this one done.  Was fun...stimulating.  Was even thinking it might be interesting to revisit the theme casting the entire foreground into dark cool shadows with light penetrating the distance.  All as ways to orchestrate a complicated scene, simplify and make a statement.  How complicated?  Well...I'll include the reference image as well...and you can see how I orchestrated, moved things around, chose to leave out...etc.,

(click on images to see larger view)

Another Four Week Course of Plein Air Essentials- February 12th

Pleased to announce another four week course offering thru Artist Network University begins  February 12th of my course, "Plein Air Essentials- Take Control With A Values Driven Palette"...

A good deal of materials including video, available, as well as access to my Wetcanvas Live "Strategies to Improve Your Painting" or..."for reasons paintings work"...

You work thru the assignments, Blackboard offers materials each week for four weeks.  Includes a message board, Ask The Instructor...for dialogue, questions...and end of each week I will critique your week's efforts personally.  A pretty cool deal really...

Pushing the Paint...Pushing the Comfort Zone!

I've long held the alla prima axiom, "a brushstroke laid is a brushstroke stayed" as a discipline that has lent itself well to building confidence, judging proper color and accent quicker...aiming toward efficiency, especially since I paint plein air so often...

This one I started last night represents what I've been doing with my paintings of late, areas I'm exploring...namely broken edges.  I still pretty much start with the alla prima approach, but then after the session use paper towel, handle end of a brush...a dry brush, and break up the edges.  Exploring how much the edges can be broken...and still come off coherent.  

In a sense...I am finding the effect more realistic, as it seems to suggest atmosphere, pushes things where they need to be in space...and anyone painting outdoors knows that nature is not stagnant, but is always in a state of transition.  The broken edges seem to read that for me...light flickering, movement, air...etc.  as if "time" is part of the subject to be captured.  Not a frozen moment in time...but one that breathes.

Such in now way precludes I am suggesting others do the same...as everyone's art is different, and likely also in a state of transition!  :wink:

Its just what I'm playing with right now.

Here is an image that shows a closeup of my session's end last night following teaching, and what I mean when I say I intend to "destroy" my work.  How much I'll build back up, destroy again I don't know.  For now I think I'll know when it feels right...but with experience should become more intuitive I would think...

(as always, click image to see larger view)

More Progress on my Frozen creek Tag Alder

Teaching day done, cleaning my room, custodians trying to free up a wash sink kids have gunked up with clay. Took my moment to paint some more, about an hour or so...having much fun suggesting branches, trunks of this tag alder, then breaking up edges...back and forth. Not done...will take at least one more night...but as said, having fun... 11-1/2" x 12-1/2" oil on oil primed linen-

Been Chompin' on the Bit to Paint...

Following my day teaching yesterday, threw some paint on a 9"x 12" stretched linen...a scene of the Rat River as it runs thru our small logging town.

Then, today...as my painting class was cleaning up, I started a painting of a tag alder guarding the entree of a frozen creek.  Hopefully a chance to get this well done tonight following my day...