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Archives for October 2014

Workshops, Workshops, Workshops…

Thomas Kitts · Oct 23, 2014 · 3 Comments

pleinair composite
It doesn’t matter if you’ve been formally trained or not, or how long you have been painting: if you feel stuck or uninspired as an artist, it can help to take a workshop.

Teaching in the Studio
Teaching in the studio
If you’ve never taken a workshop before and are now considering one, start by asking yourself what you want from the experience. Be specific. Do you feel something is lacking in your work? If so, what? Be practical and make a list. Is it something you think you missed in school, or, if you are largely self-taught, something you don’t yet understand? Are you able to travel to a workshop location, or ready to pursue your long-delayed dream of becoming a full time artist? If you are a professional already, have you been grinding away for years and fallen into a rut? Or is it something as simple and direct as raising your game or experiencing something new? All of these questions have applied to me at some point and each time they prompted me to seek out a workshop.
But why not just buy another set of DVDs or the latest how-to book? After all, many of them offer a viable option to the expense and effort of attending a workshop. But books and DVDs are limited by how they are written and can only present a one-way flow of information – even the best of them can’t respond to the way you might learn. When you work face-to-face with an experienced teacher the instruction you receive becomes more fluid and tailored to your capabilities and interests. When you get stuck you can ask the instructor a question, and question the answer, and the teacher has a chance to clarify anything which still may elude you. Painting may not be as complicated as brain surgery or rocket science, but there are times when a little back and forth between you and a real person makes all the difference in the world.

Admittedly, it can be difficult to decide which workshop is best for you. Why? Because you may not know what you don’t know and picking one workshop out of the thousands which are out there can be daunting. It can feel like playing roulette. So again, hedge your bet by asking yourself specific questions such as these: Do you want to learn how to create harmonious color relationships? Do you want to learn how to paint using a limited or extended palette? Do you want to become a loose and expressive alla prima painter, or focus on developing a disciplined multi-session approach? Do you want to learn how to recognize, alter, or transform reality, or do you simply want to paint what you see? These kinds of questions help clarify your goals as you choose a workshop. You can probably come up with many more. (Please post your own questions in the comment section below if you wish to share them with your OPA members. I will read and respond.)
Once you have a better idea of what you want and have settled on a couple of options, contact the instructors and inquire about their teaching methods. Yes, shoot them an email or message them on Facebook. They will respond. Ask for student referrals too. If the teacher you are considering is noted for his or her instruction, then approaching a few students for bona fides will not be awkward. You are just doing your homework like any new student should.
Painting in the studioHowever, once you’ve signed on, show up fully prepared and ready to go. Your instructor is sacrificing valuable painting time to teach the class so give it your all. Come with an open mind and let him or her deliver the voodoo they do. Accept the expertise and advice they have to offer. Keep what works and discard what doesn’t – after the workshop. Arrive with high expectations for yourself but don’t necessarily expect to produce paintings ready to sell or hang on a wall. The things you will be asked to do may fundamentally challenge your previous working methods, or what once felt safe and comfortable, but still, remain open to what your instructor is offering. Accept that there will be moments of exhilaration and moments of frustration, with all of it impacting the way you paint that day and the weeks and months which follow. It may even feel as though the instructor is sowing seeds for a later harvest as you fumble with the present. If so, then you are in the presence of a master teacher.
It also means you are likely to continue reaping a rich reward from a short investment of only a few days for years and years to come…
What you should expect from your workshop:

  1. An immediate but fair evaluation of your present painting ability.
  2. An clear and effective set of goals scaled to the length of the workshop.
  3. An instructor who can demonstrate what he or she teaches, and who is fair with the one-on-one contact time.
  4. An instructor who creates a critical, yet respectful space for you to take a risk in.
  5. An instructor who can respectfully identify the negative, yet teach with the positive.
  6. An efficient and organized itinerary appropriate to all students in the class.

What you want to avoid:

  1. Vague or ill-defined goals for you and the class, or too much improvised instruction.
  2. Insufficient painting time for you. Demos are fun to watch but you must paint too.
  3. Instructors who make the class all about themselves. (Hmm…need I say more?)

A few more thoughts…
Here is a hint: If you are thinking about taking a number of workshops over the next few years then consider attending a few national or regional art events to meet and preview potential instructors. When Oil Painters of America presents their yearly exhibitions they often invite signature painters to come and present demos and quick workshops. The same is true, if not more so, for the folks who host the Plein Air Convention and Expos, as it is true for the American Impressionists Society, the Portrait Society of America, and other groups. These events offer you a chance to meet instructors with little fuss or muss, reducing the likelihood you will sign up for an experience that isn’t a good fit. Sure, most of these events charge fees, but weigh those costs against the time and expense of a couple of bad workshops and you may decide the entry ticket is worth it. Plus, while you are there you can network with your fellow artists and talk to those who have already studied with the teachers who most interest you.
However, be wary of guarantees when speaking to a teacher. Be realistic. Even if you do take a workshop from a master painter don’t expect to become a master yourself after taking a single class. And multiple workshops will not make it happen either. What you can learn from the workshops you take is how to become a better painter over time. The unavoidable truth about becoming masterful at anything is there are no short-cuts. A good workshop may save some time by pointing you in the right direction but you still have to clock in the hours yourself. So play the long game. Don’t measure yourself by the successes you experience along the way, measure yourself by the miles of canvas you cover. For it is only through your discipline and practice that the things you struggle with today become reflexive and unconscious tomorrow. That much can be guaranteed.
I hope this post helps you make a good workshop choice. If you are interested in my approach to teaching, and the methods I’ve developed over the last twenty years while working with individuals and groups, as well developing and running an accredited BFA program, visit www.thomaskitts.com. I’d love to hear from you.

2014 Summer Online Showcase Winners Spotlight

Oil Painters of America · Oct 21, 2014 · 1 Comment

We’re proud to highlight the winners of the OPA Summer 2014 Online Showcase. Enjoy some brief biographies below, detailing their painting history and journey to becoming award winning artists.

Anna Rose Bain

First Place Award for the painting titled “Sharing Secrets”

Anna Rose Bain Anna Rose Bain was born and raised in rural Wisconsin. She began drawing from the moment she could pick up a pencil. Inspired by her grandfather, who started painting at the age of 70, she spent her free time as a child sketching from nature and poring over art books. She was home schooled all through high school, giving her the opportunity to focus on art. Her primary medium was colored pencil until she began classes at Hillsdale College, majoring in Art. There, she fell in love with oils and decided to focus her studies on painting. Her strong background in drawing helped her to launch forward in advanced classes such as figure painting and sculpture. Under classical instruction and rigorous technical training, Anna excelled in the Hillsdale art department, sweeping juried art awards every semester. She received a full scholarship for her senior year, allowing her to attend summer painting classes at the Florence Academy of Art in 2006. She was the first student in Hillsdale College’s history to have a solo senior exhibit, and she graduated in 2007 with departmental honors. 

Sharing Secrets by Anna Bain
“Sharing Secrets”
by Anna Bain
20″ x 16″ Oil

Anna now resides in Garland, TX with her husband, Steve and daughter, Cecelia. She works full-time as a fine art oil painter and commissioned portrait artist, teaches private painting lessons and workshops, and is actively involved in the local arts communities. Having had such inspiring teachers and role models in her own life, she firmly believes in sharing her passion and knowledge of classical art with other aspiring artists, as well as showing practical ways to stay up to date in today’s changing art market. Anna attends regular life drawing and painting sessions with the Society of Figurative Arts in Carrolton, TX, and is a member of the Oil Painters of America and American Women Artists. She also serves as Texas Ambassador for the Portrait Society of America. She is represented locally by Weiler House Fine Art in Fort Worth, TX.
Anna’s classical style both idealizes the subject and captures its true essence, while employing a direct painting method. She draws her inspiration from the joys and struggles in her life. Her paintings are an expression of gratitude and an exploration of the questions one faces at different stages of their life. For example, her “Self Portrait at 23 Weeks Pregnant” is a coming to terms with change and a joyous celebration of new life.
www.artworkbyannarose.com
Anne Blair Brown

Second Place Award for the painting titled “Wishing”

Anne Blair Brown Award winning artist, Anne Blair Brown, was born in North Kingstown, Rhode Island and currently resides in Nashville, TN. Her work centers on both rural and urban landscapes, figure, and interior spaces. While she enjoys the quiet solitude of her studio, she delights in painting on location. Brown says, “Painting from life creates an intimacy with the subject that I just can’t get from a photograph, and it heightens my sense of spontaneity. That energy is translated to the canvas in and out of the studio.”
Currently, Anne’s work can be seen at art galleries across America including Provincetown, MA, Carmel, CA, Naples, FL,Atlanta, GA, Delray Beach, FL, Richmond, VA, and Leipers Fork, TN.

Recent Accomplishments:

  • 2nd Place, Oil Painters of America Online Summer Showcase
  • Still Life Award of Excellence, 23rd Annual Oil Painters of America 2014 National Exhibition
  • 1st Place, Buildings Category, Plein Air Salon, Spring 2014
  • Plein Air Magazine Award of Excellence, American Impressionist Society 14th Annual National Juried Exhibition, 2013
  • Artists’ Choice Award, 2013 Los Gatos Plein Air Festival
  • Third Place, 2013 Wayne PA Plein Air Festival
  • Honorable Mention, OPA Online Showcase 2013
  • 22nd Annual Oil Painters of America 2013 National Exhibition

Wishing by Anne Blair Brown
“Wishing”
by Anne Blair Brown
16″ x 16″ Oil
Anne Blair Brown is the President of the Plein Air Painters of the Southeast (PAP-SE). She is also an active member of The Cumberland Society of Oil Painters, The Oil Painters of America, The American Impressionist Society, and The Chestnut Group, a nonprofit group of artists dedicated to preserving endangered ecosystems, historic locales, and
aesthetically and environmentally significant places.
Brown received her training from the University of Georgia and Watkins College of Art&Design.
www.anneblairbrown.com
Charles Young Walls

Third Place Award for the painting titled “La Vespertina”

Charles YoungCharles Young Walls has been an artist all of his life and art has always been in the forefront of his pursuits. He completed a BFA from Arizona State University after which, following years of artistic struggle, he finally found the training he was looking for. He studied art at the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League, both in New York City. Continuing to hone his painting skills, Charles then spent a decade pursuing a successful career in illustration before returning to the field of fine art.
He enjoys a growing reputation as an award winning painter and has exhibited in numerous exhibitions in the South and nationwide. At the 2013 Oil Painters of America National Exhibition he was awarded the John August Dietrich Memorial Figurative Award of Excellence. In the November 2009 issue of Southwest Art Magazine, he was featured as one of their “21 Over 31” Emerging Artists of 2009.
 

La Vespertina by Charles Young Walls
“La Vespertina”
by Charles Young Walls
20″ x 16″ Oil
He is a member of the Portrait Society of America, and the American Impressionist Society, and is an Associate Member of Oil Painters of America. Charles and his wife currently live in the Atlanta area.
www.charlesyoungwalls.com

Great Expectations

Tina Garrett · Oct 6, 2014 · 3 Comments

21 Days “Painting” on the Road

“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.”
― Jack Kerouac, On the Road

Like so many of my fellow artists I suffer from unrealistic expectations. This means when I set out to do something, though it may not be grand or expensive, (it usually is), it certainly cannot be ordinary or dare I say easy. I believe this affliction is a common character trait of artists — a main driver for the skill of being able to dream big dreams and imagine impossible ways to make them come true, an asset in many ways because it gives us the guts to try and put our work out there to be considered by the world.
However, gone unchecked, these Wild Toad expectations sometimes can drive you right over the ledge. First stop, my most recent adventure into the land of great expectations, a 21-day road trip. A working/vacation trip to California via Kansas, Colorado, Utah and along Nevada’s loneliest highway into Yosemite’s Tuolumne Meadows and up and over into the Valley and out the other side — in the first week. Week two would begin in San Francisco where we would visit my husband’s relative (whom was to celebrate his 110th birthday in October) then drive down the Pacific Coast Highway touching base with my family in Huntington Beach, stop to take a one-day workshop with Jeremy Lipking in Agoura Hills, to me the pinnacle of the trip. On to San Diego by week three, then wrap around towards Vegas and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and find our way home through Oklahoma City.

Taking pictures of hot air balloons
Tina, not plein air painting at the Hot Air Balloon Rodeo in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

At some point the reality of 21 days on the road set in. How would I practice for Lipking? Would I forget everything I think I know? So with a percentage of my recent OPA Spring On-Iine Showcase winnings I purchased my first real grown up plein air easel and in true form set myself up with all the gear to paint plein air on the road.
This will be easy. I’ll paint the morning of the Hot Air Balloon Rodeo in Steamboat Springs! I’ll paint El Capitan in Yosemite! I’ll paint on the beach in Surf City! I’ll paint up to four pieces a week, if the kids are having fun and I get up in time for sunrises. Ha! Ha! I’m a genius. By the time I get to L.A. I’ll have 6 to 8 pieces under my belt and be practiced and ready. Heck, I’ll even sell them on Facebook and make a little vacation spending cash!
Can you hear them yet? The pieces of my broken heart and impossible dreams tinkling to the cold hard floor? I didn’t have a clue what plein air painting really requires, having only painted plein air maybe 4 times. Ever. In my two whole years of painting. At all. I vaguely recall now that I actually hated plein air painting all those four times. Something about bees, or maybe it was hornets, comes to mind.
Why didn’t I stop myself? No, I drove right off. And the air was clear and blowing fresh in my face. Just like it is any time you drive off a cliff.
Painting outside with a hat on
Note the color charts done in transit from the passenger seat the day before.

My first warning, the flashing red hand, “Do Not Cross” sign should have been the incredible amount of crap I was packing. I actually brought more in cubic square feet of painting gear than I did in clothing and toiletries. Real plein air painters know how to get around needing everything studio artists require.
I was so proud of myself when I managed to do color charts while riding in the passenger seat. I paint mainly portraits. I’m not familiar with very many blues, or green at all for that matter. I-70 is flat and there was plenty of sky and vista to reference. I only clobbered my clothes and the interior of the door. It was all good. Incidentally, the dash is a great place to dry paintings.
In my dreams I was to be awake fresh after 11 hours of driving and set up in a perfect position for the gorgeous morning of the Hot Air Balloon Rodeo in Steamboat Springs. In reality, we set out on our bikes together to watch the launch. I would go back to the RV for my paints after I scoped out the scene. I had plenty of time, right? But as the sun got higher and we finally found parking I got more and more, lets just say, frustrated. By the time we parked our bikes and walked forever to get right up under the baskets of the balloons, I was down right fit to be tied. I knew then the balloons would launch and set back down in a matter of minutes. I might get far enough away to get a photo or two, but it would all be over before I had so much as set up a palette.
Okay, major plein air painting realization: The sun moves quickly and so do hot air balloons.
painting of cliffs and water
One of the four paintings I was able to paint, was a thank you to a couple that invited us to stay at their phenomenal guesthouse overlooking the beach in Monterey. I was really glad to have my paints with me then and very proud of that piece considering my plein air track record.

After hot miserable tears, I resolved to paint the view from our RV later that evening. I left everyone to setup and make dinner and insisted on having 2 hours to myself to paint. And I did sell that little painting on Facebook. See! I can do it…
That little piece was the only piece. All in all I painted en plein air 3 times, four if you count the time I set up my easel at the beach but had to run through the hot sand half a dozen times to get the essentials I realized I’d forgotten, such as brushes and then paper towels, etc. I never actually painted that day. I gave up after two hours of struggling to set up and was then overwhelmed by beach umbrellas.
Essentially, I was worse for ware by the time I sat in Lipking’s workshop. (But you’ll have to read about that on my blog.) I have since recalculated my plein air expectations to include admiring those incredible artists who do it so well and simply doing it more often myself. Yes, more practice. That will have to be good enough.

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