CT Plein Air Painters at Weir Farm National Site

Spent a lovely fall day at the Weir Farm National Historic Site. The CT Plein Air Painters gathered on Sunday and Monday for a group activity. The trees in that area of CT seem a bit more colorful than where I live, but maybe it's an illusion that goes with the wonderful weather. I think about 7 artists from our group showed up on Monday, and I was told a few more attended on Sunday.

I immediately found several places in the park that I would like to paint. None of the places were far from a bathroom or water. And the Ranger was nice enough to open the beautifully restored barn so we could gather for lunch or a rest. I settled for a scene in a back field. The peach tree was a blazing red/magenta color, and the early morning light and shadows were terrific and gave the scene a sense of mystery? I was standing in the shade when I started, and about two hours later, I was standing in the sun. It was hot. I was happy to take a water break and change into a short-sleeved shirt. Bugs were not a problem. I am ready for a new umbrella that offers some UV protection.

Plenty of places to paint or sketch . . . stunning rock walls, apple trees, red buildings, and manicured gardens, as well as many natural areas that artists Alden Weir and his friends painted.

Many thanks to the Ranger who gave us a lovely tour of the property and studios. One of the paintings she showed us depicted one of the other sites I chose to paint. I will go back another day or two or three. And, quite possibly, the CT Plein Air Painters will return for a paintout next year on this same weekend.

http://www.nps.gov/wefa/index.htm

Watercolor Journaling

So far, this fall has not been visually beautiful! Not in CT. Nevertheless, the warm temperatures make it especially attractive to be outside. I just returned from a week of outdoor painting in and around Baxter State Park in Maine. This was a planned week with several wonderful artist-friends and we met some wonderful non-artist folks. Many told us how much they wished they could do this "painting outside thing"! So, a workshop is being offered, designed to help anyone get started. It will be fun and the weather looks sunny!

Enjoying a Sunny Day!

Over the last couple of weeks, Mother Nature delivered extraordinary amounts of rain into the CT area. We thought Hurricane Irene had tested us, then along came yesterday's storm and all the flash flooding that followed it. But, the days just after Irene, and this day just after the BIG rain were nearly perfect sunny days. Perfect for watercolor painting outside. Here is a good start, I think, in Harrybrook Park (just before the hurricane). Their volunteers have worked very hard to make the more-than-just-roses garden beautiful. I was surprised to learn how many people visit the park during the day. The paved walking area is perfect for a little exercise, and this little garden is perfectly delightful! When the puddles recede, I will go back and finish.

Looking for New Subjects . . . and Keeping an Eye on the Audience!

For most of my life, I have enjoyed the wilder, least developed areas of the great state of Maine. Early mornings anywhere are great opportunities for finding new subjects and enjoying the invigorating morning atmosphere. Often nature provides a spectacular show during these early morning hours. This morning was no exception . . . except I also was the show!

After loading up my little boat with my plein air painting equipment, gathering up a life jacket, cushion, then snack and water, I zoomed my little boat across the lake to a quiet spot. Expecting to see a fisherman as a subject, I sat and waited. The little puffs of wind turned the boat and kept me working to keep my eye on the area where I thought a fisherman would appear. The water was lapping the boat, the boat was swaying, the wind was puffing, the light early fog was lifting to reveal gorgeous sunshine, and the birds were tweeting . . . . "real" tweeting! (It is worth a smile.) Then, they stopped tweeting.

Competition. Even the osprey around the lake take notice when this guy arrives. We think he has given up his youthful feathers from previous years. as he's sporting a head of beautiful white feathers. He's a big bird. We've seen three osprey fight back when this eagle scouts too close to their nests.

When the boat drifted close, I took this photo with a little point-and-shoot camera. When the boat drifted too close, the eagle gave me a warning. I didn't find him too scary, but he did warn me. I have seen a bird like this attack a blue heron mid-air. So, while he was watching me, I was watching him. Using binoculars, it was very clear he was keeping an eye on everything around him, probably looking for breakfast. So, I started the motor and did some looking of my own. Further down the lake, a float plane was moored inside a cove more protected from the wind. For the record . . . plein air subjects . . . ar-r-rg! Got a good start and the plane took off!

Painting What You Know

"Painting What You Know" isn't always easy. What we think we know isn't the same as knowing. In the art world, much of knowing comes from having had an experience, or experiences. That is just the tip of the iceberg. Every day I paint out I learn something. My focus is the visual world, but other elements are always present. Choices have to be made. People talk to me about my painting, about "the painting" and influence my choices. This last month I've made a special effort to get out and paint. I stopped making the little thumbnail sketches and value studies that have always helped me figure out a composition, color scheme, patterns. Today I read an article that reminds me I need to follow my own path. Choices. http://christensenworkshops.com/wordpress/

Jones Family Farm 'En Plein Air' for the CT Farmland Trust

It was a spectacular warm and sunny day for painting at the Jones Family Farm. This outing was organized by the CT Plein Air Painters, and the goal was artists supporting the preservation of CT's farms by creating paintings that may be purchased during the Trust huge fall event. Last year's event was very successful, and information can be seen by Googling CT Farmland Trust. The Jones family asked that artists show up only on designated days as they are a working farm. It's been a tough spring weather wise. Yesterday really was a 'work out'! We painted at Pumpkinseed Hill in the morning and at the main farm in the afternoon. I painted two watercolors. The first showed a group having a tour of the Pumpkinseed Hill farm. The view included a panorama that looks over the main farm with it's vast tree farm and winery. I want to go back and paint the piggies! Spotted piggies, with awesome personality! In the afternoon, we painted a section of the tree farm. Lots of new growth provided ample opportunity to learn about tree shapes and the huge variety of greens out there. I'm not thrilled with my second painting. But, the day was great and I was outside enjoying it.

More Rain, More Fog, etc.

The weather this week has been oddly wet and rainy. It's been good for catching up with paperwork, filing, phone calls. The lilacs picked earlier in the week made their way to the compost pile. No replacements yet. After a short tour of the yard between rainstorms, I planted some seeds sprouted on a wet paper towel in my kitchen. The vegetable garden needs to be turned over and planted. Cleaned and refilled the hummingbird feeder and it took just about one minute for hummingbird entertainment to begin.
We have a group preparing to paint out tomorrow and Saturday. I'm really looking forward to it. My paints, easel, and other necessary equipment are already in my car. Need to add big spray and a good hat.
Let the sunshine appear!

Fog, Rain, Mist, Rain and More Fog!

Enjoyed a mostly cool and rainy week in Maine. I am very grateful to the Harlow Gallery in Hallowell, Maine for the opportunity to speak, share my ppt presentation, and show paintings and sketchbooks from my month-long art residency in France. Those who gathered in the gallery that evening were very kind and generous with their enthusiasm and comments. Several signed up to paint en plein air in the Hallowell area. We'll see what we can do to get something going in the next month or so. The Maine Plein Air painters go out, usually, on Wednesdays (I was really happy to paint with them in East Boothbay on Wednesday) and the Western Maine group goes out, I think, on Saturdays. Since we all want the join up with them when we can, we will choose another day of the week for our paint out. Anyone who is interested may e-mail me and I will add their names to the list.
Most of last week was rainy, overcast, and wet. It was a challenge finding a spot to paint out with watercolors. But, I was successful going back to two locations and completing paintings I previously started. I also planted a few flowering somthings, and hope to return in a few weeks and find they are beautiful. Spent a day prepping some of the papers for future paintings. I like to thoroughly wet both sides, and lay in a transparent wash of color. I use a hair dryer to speed up the process and sometimes direct the paint into interesting patterns. Often painting on a previously tinted paper helps unify a painting. And, wetting the paper removes some of the sizing. Paintings done on a pre-washed paper have a very different look than those painted directly.
Kept up with my sketchbook most days. Hurray!! It was great fun going back over sketches (dated) from previous years and remembering the sights and weather, and reminding myself and others of great places to stop and paint. Also, had a good couple of evenings drawing ancestors from old photos! We had some awesome family gatherings, both my family and my husband's family. I'm reminded we have to make our own good times.

Laurel Ridge Farm and Their Daffodil Fields

Woke up to another foggy morning. Rain is predicted, so it sounds like I'll be doing things around the house. The birds have had a lot to say this morning! They must know a fairly heavy rainstorm is on its way.
Painting the daffodil fields is always a treat this time of year. They seem slow coming out this year. This morning, I have only one daffodil open in my yard. But, the crocuses are nearly past and peonies, etc. are well on their way. In about a week the tulips in my yard will be gorgeous (if the deer don't get them first)!
Looking forward to a sunny weekend and a trip to the daffodil fields.
Laurel Ridge Farm

REMINDER: Bring My Paint!

Struck by the beautiful day, I packed up my painting equipment and a lunch, and headed out for a day of painting. I had several places in mind. Two possibilities for morning paintings and one place (firm) for the afternoon. My first stop was Laurel Ridge Farm (see my blog from last spring). The fabulous daffodil fields are not yet in bloom. Disappointed, but knowing I have much to look forward to in a week, I moved on to White Memorial, then New Preston falls.
The falls at New Preston are exceptionally beautiful this year. The water is high, so the plume is gorgeous! And, below the falls skunk cabbage are plentiful, so the foreground is delightful with spring greens. Across the street from the falls is a long view to the next hillside. The foreground elements include a large turquoise colonial with a hillside of daffodils, then a valley, then the next hill. The trees beyond are tipped with red buds.
My sketchbook was on the front seat, so I took a little hike to check out the vantage point for a future painting. Walked to another site, made a sketch. Walked to another site, made a sketch. Pretty happy with all that, I drove toward Washington and discovered one of my favorite barns fell over the winter. Another casualty of this past heavy-snow winter.
I decided to make a quick trip home for lunch before my next stop. Lunch was great! It's warm enough to sit on the deck and enjoy the potted tulips and pansies. They are tempting me to paint them, but I'm sticking to my plan and will go out for an afternoon painting.
And, there is was . . . my paintbox at the bottom of the stairs near the garage!! I had so much fun sketching this morning that I never missed it! So, inadvertently I followed my own advise from a previous blog entry. "REMEMBER; to sketch." I found and documented several great places to return to, practiced designing good compositions, planned for simple perspective and color placement, edited out the junk, found my whites and connected them
But, I'm reminded to keep my sketching kit in the car at all times.

REMINDER: Use the Sketchbook in My Pocket

Another week nearly gone by and I haven't kept up with my plan for a sketch a day or a painting a week. I always keep a tiny sketchbook in my purse, a decent fine line marker and simple watercolor palette. On a recent trip to Brooklyn to visit my daughter, I reminded myself that the hardest part of making art is getting started, and a thumbnail can be a wonderful thing. This little sketch was done in a coffee shop. It took all of five minutes and is a wonderful souvenier of my trip, of time spent with family and the beautiful sunny day. The snow is nearly gone in Brooklyn. I came home and used the computer to add a little color.

Getting into the Winter Blues

My original plan was to post a painting a week, or a drawing each week, and provide myself and other artists with ideas on locations for plein air painting. I thought it would be handy to review my blog and see where I've been, what I've done, and share ideas for upcoming art activities. All this blogging, facebookking, digital imagery making, etc. takes time. So, I abandoned my blog and enjoyed my summer and fall, and happily traveled, sketched and painted. The long gray winter days of late are giving me the opportunity to look back on this year, and catch up with my original plan.

Winter 2011. . . WOW! New England has had it's share of snow. During a regular winter, I went out with my artist friends and painted. We painted cornstalks breaking through the crusty snow, fir trees and deciduous trees tinged with lovely rusty red buds, ochre bushes veiled with vines dangling red berries, long cobalt blue shadows against the warm white areas of glistening snow, or the jewel-toned winter birds enjoying a feast at our home feeders. (I have enjoyed the birds this year and the squirrels. Just yesterday, while traveling along what is now a one-lane road, several wild turkeys jumped the snowbank into the road in front of me. I was both happy to see them and happy I had not hit one!) But, the snowfall this winter has been a bit much and my artist friends and I have been out only a few times. I'm estimating 50" of snow on the ground at this writing, and two more snowstorms predicted. We're shoveling instead of painting.

This morning it is gray and snow-sleeting again. My husband is raking the snow off the roof, and I probably will start the process of moving things from the basement that may be damaged when a thaw finally arrives. During days off, we've enjoyed snowshoeing as a alternate to shoveling. The scenery around us during those adventures has been beautiful, quiet, and refreshing in its coldness. I've had thoughts of bringing my painting gear in an abbreviated form, but last week I stepped off the snowpack and went thigh deep into a no-longer fluffy area. The snowshoes work great, but I can see myself struggling with my easel and struggling with dropped items. Eventually, the snow will pack down and I will be able to take off the snowshoes, put up and easel and paint.

The sketchbook I keep in the car does not have as many wintertime sketches this year, as the roads are narrow and it's difficult to find a place to pull off . . . even for a moment. But, I am sketching. And, I went to a parking lot at the Henderson Cultural Center at Hunt Hill Farm (http://www.hunthillfarmtrust.org). I painted for a full hour before I was too cold to continue!