Plein Air Workshop with David Tripp

Plein Air Workshop with David Tripp.

Yesterday, not knowing how to post this video, I posted the link.  I hope, this time, that the actual video is loaded for anyone interested to view.  The Eureka Springs School of the Arts was gracious enough to put it together, and I’m extremely proud to share it.

Eureka Springs School of the Arts (http://essa-art.org/) has provided for me the most perfect plein air workshop environment I have ever known.  This is the fourth year I’ve been afforded the chance to teach the five-day workshop which  is scheduled to begin one week from Monday, June 17.  We still have availability, and if anyone reading this has any interest in painting a mountain Victorian town replete with 19th-century architecture, cliffs, flowerbeds, quaint store facades, and the most lovely sunlight available, then please sign up and come spend a week with me.  I guarantee an experience you’ll never forget.

Plein Air Watercolor of a Eureka Springs House in the Evening

Eureka Springs House in the Evening

Here is a small plein air watercolor I did after my first class at the Eureka Springs School of the Arts last summer.  I only had an hour to get it done, as the late afternoon sunlight was waning, and seemed to linger on this house just long enough for me to finish it.  I’ll never forget the fun I had, as tourists continued to stop and look over my shoulder to see what I was doing out on that public sidewalk.  Eureka Springs has always been a fun place to paint in public.

I just finished putting this in a matte and shinkwrap bag and am glad to add it to my festival inventory next week.  I think I’ll put a $125 price on it.  The image is 8 x 10″ and is inserted in an 11 x 14″ white matte.

Thanks for reading.

Studio Walk-Through Tour at Eureka Springs School of the Arts

Thursday Evening Eureka Springs sketch

Rain drove us inside today, so we did all of our painting inside the studio at the Eureka Springs School of the Arts.  Our studio walk-through tour was from 4:00-5:30 and quite a number of people came out to the show.  I was gratified to see my students’ work arranged throughout the studio.  Some of them put out as many as three-four paintings a day, and then returned in the late afternoons/early evenings to paint.  Once the tour was over, six of us returned to the historic district and painted until the evening light faded.  All of us were tired, and talked considerably less, but nevertheless we worked.  Here is the one I cranked out this evening.  Below I am posting pictures of my easel on location, followed by each of my students holding his/her favorite piece from the week.  I’m really going to miss these people, they have been so inspiring to me, and affirming of me as an instructor.

These are the kinds of creative spirits and friends I wish could drift into my Man Cave every evening.  What a wonderful neighborhood that would make!  Tomorrow will be our last day together, and already I feel “heavy” about having to say Good-bye.  We’ve had a wonderful week together.

Continued Experimenting at the Eureka Springs School of the Arts

Experiment in Poured Watercolor

Students this year have expressed an interest in pouring techniques, so I developed this experiment over a three-day period, by masking, pouring Transparent Yellow, then Winsor Blue (Green Shade), masking some more on day two, then pouring Winsor Violet and Phthalo Turquoise.  After all of it was dry, I used my “ugly brush” to render foliage textures, using mostly Dr. Ph Martins liquid watercolors (Sap Green with touches of Transparent Yellow and Ultramarine Blue).  After removing all the masking, I worked in some tree branches, using an X-acto knife and Albrecht Durer brand watercolor pencil in Dark Sepia.  Plenty of salting and spritzing occurred throughout the two-day experiment as well.  I think I’ve done about all I can with it, so I now post it and let you have a look.

Daffodil Cottage in the Waning Light

Three of my students this year are residing within a block or two of where I am.   Last night, they invited anyone interested to “congregate” at the Piedmont House, where they were staying.  Seven of us gathered in the waning light, and gave plein air our best shot.  I thought I was choosing well by going to the second floor deck and looking down the street at the Daffodil Cottage and adjoining property.  What I hadn’t counted on was the low ceiling blocking out the light from my easel, and the longer I worked, the less I could discern between the reds and the greens on my watercolor block!  So, I threw in the towel.  I have posted what I attempted.  Nevertheless, I must say this–when a fisherman casts about all day, and never gets as much as a strike, and tells me that it was still a beautiful day to be out, I don’t trust him.  When a golfer shoots considerably higher than his comfort-zone-score, and says that nevertheless he had an enjoyable time golfing, I suspect he is lying.  I can say for myself, without hedging, that every plein air attempt brings me joy, even when I make a bad painting.   I already have more-than-enough paintings in my inventory; it doesn’t matter that the present one isn’t worthy.  I always enjoy plein air, and really believe that I have learned at least one thing from engaging in that effort.  And last night, I enjoyed immensely.

After I descended the stairs, I found everyone else still painting, still engaged, and still happy.  And I took genuine delight in that.  Afterward, we sat around awhile longer talking, laughing, listening to the sounds of a tourist town winding down for the evening.  I have no regrets from last night.

Thanks for reading.

Another Eureka Springs Plein Air Post

Spring Street Plein Air Setup

Good evening, once more.  I just wanted to post this photo of the early evening attempt I made of a plein air watercolor sketch.  This town is just sublime, the weather is mild in the late afternoon/evenings, and the air smells so fresh.  I just wanted the sun to hang back for another hour or two, so I could enjoy the light on the side of the hill.  I cannot wait to get tomorrow under way.

O.K., to bed.  5:00 will come early.  Thanks for reading.

Another Quick Plein Air Watercolor Sketch in the Eureka Springs Evening

Evening View from Spring Street

I was pretty wiped out when Day One of class was over.  Arriving at my lodgings at 4:30, I set a 45-minute alarm and dropped off into a quick nap.  A damned robo-call about our “election-year crisis” woke me after only 20 minutes.  So, I rose, made a quick dinner, then dashed to my Jeep to retrieve easel, watercolor block and back pack.  It took me less than five minutes of walking to settle in on this gorgeous house tucked into the trees high above Spring Street.  I set up my easel in front of the Post Office and went to work.  I forgot to time myself, but it “felt” like a 45-minute dash–I worked as quickly as possible, surprised at how long the evening sun lingered on the crest of that mountain.

I love the “side show” effect of this tourist town of Eureka Springs!  So many passersby will stop and chat, always apologizing for interrupting.  But they’re not interrupting, I continue to chip away at the watercolor while chatting it up, answering their questions, asking some of my own.  About 50% of the people who stop to chat are actually locals, out for their evening stroll.  I really think there is real treasure in this Victorian town.  I love the architecture, the general friendliness of the locals, and just the smell of the fresh air here.  And the plein air potential is off the charts.  At any given hour of the day, the sun will be in the right part of the sky to cut apart highlights and shadows on some architectural structure, somewhere.  And the clarity of the light is intoxicating.

Well, it is only 8:21.  I’ve had a nap (sort of).  And now I think I hear Thoreau whispering in the evening breeze.  Time to open his Journal and listen for awhile.

Thanks so much for reading.  I appreciate all of you.

A Re-Worked Edward Hopper-Style Plein Air Watercolor

Edward Hopper visits Waxahachie

Those of you following my blog are already aware of this plein air sketch I attempted last week during the Historic Waxahachie Paint-Out.  This home, located on 902 W. Main, I chose to render as closely as possible to Edward Hopper’s early watercolor techniques.  I fell in love with his watercolor of the Methodist Church cupola in Provincetown.  I am still astonished that the 6’7″ Hopper managed it from the back seat of his sedan!  I had the benefit of an easel on the sidewalk, though it broke and dumped my painting face-down into the street.

This painting took an Honorable Mention, but interested no buyers at $150.  So, I decided to do what I should have done from the start, and had actually made myself a critical note to do so, but the collapsed easel distracted me, making me forget to finish it.  The “finish” is the darkened rooftops along the bottom of the composition.  I just now did that, and now like this painting much better.  I’ll still offer it at $150, which I think is reasonable for a 10 x 8″ Hopper-like piece.

Time to move on to the next painting.  The morning has been good so far.  It is now 7:20.  Thanks for reading.

Contemplating the Next Move

Edward Hopper Visits 902 W. Main Street, Waxahachie

The first day after a long flurry such as I have just endured leaves me with plenty of “domestic business” to tend that has been neglected the past ten days.  I still cannot believe I chose to do a three-day art festival, finish the last week of school and participate in a ten-day paint-out, all in the same space.

I have decided, however, that I will not allow a single day to go by this summer without some attention given to making art.  Currently I have a Colorado mountain watercolor I’m trying to finish, and a watercolor of the Colorado ghost town of St. Elmo.  But I also have this Honorable Mention painting posted above.  Strange to me, in my four straight years of participation in the Waxahachie paint-out, I have won an award of some kind, and the award-winning painting immediately sold.  This one did not.  I also noted with curiosity that a number of other award-winning paintings this year went unsold.  Strange.

Nevertheless, I was never satisfied that I left the bottom rooftops of this painting as light as I did.  I intended for them to have the same kind of “accent” darkness as the ones at the top, so I could somehow punctuate the perimeter of this composition, rather than allow the bottom one-third to wash out as this one did.  I’m glad the painting won something, and I guess am also glad that it stayed behind so I could experiment with it further.  Whatever happens, I’ll leave the price at $150 in case someone out there becomes interested in it.  It measures 10 x 8″ and is in a white matte, encased in a plastic sleeve.  I plan to re-post the finished piece tonight.  Meanwhile, I still have personal business to tend, so I must get on with that.  I hope the man cave cools this evening.  It looks like Texas is headed for triple-digit temperatures again today.

Thanks for reading.  My website is http://www.recollections54.com

Honorable Mention

Saturday at the Waxahachie Paint Out

On the Gingerbread Home Trail, Waxahachie

This morning, I chose to set up my easel on the Historic Gingerbread Home Tour in Waxahachie.  This beautiful home, located at 500 Oldham Street, presented quite a challenge.   I worked on it for almost two hours.  I was surprised to find a buyer who was interested after it was only half complete.  I never realized what kind of pressure it could be, painting for an additional hour on a work that was already purchased.  Usually, I don’t get too hung up on the detailing and finish work of a plein air watercolor.  But I must admit, I kept worrying about “blowing it” as I kept working on this, knowing someone had already paid for it, and was expecting a good work to be turned in.  Picking it up later, the patron seemed satisfied and pleased with it, and I was pleased that another painting of mine found a home. Returning to the Chatauqua building, I was pleased to find that another one of my watercolors, painted last Thursday, had sold.  That makes four sales now this week.  Not a bad return.  I still have four more available for sale.  The show closes tomorrow at 5:00.

Thanks for reading.

Four Plein Air Watercolors in one Cool Waxahachie Day

Summer Morning on Waxahachie Main Street

This was a week in which I found difficulty getting on track watercoloring en plein air.  I dashed 40 minutes to Waxahachie every day after school, but encountered hot, humid weather in the upper 90′s and found myself without any energy or enthusiasm to paint.  Last night, north Texas got blasted all night long by vicious thunderstorms.  I finished my school finals by 10:30, and stepped outside to an amazing 68-degree overcast day.

This is the first home I painted, in the 900 block of West Main Street.  I kept all my sizes small today (8 x 10″) and as simple as possible.  We are allowed to compete in the Paint Historic Waxahachie event with as many as five paintings, and as of today, I only had two.  Today would be my last day, since tomorrow’s deadline of 2:00 will pass with my still being in school for a meaningless Teacher Work Day (today was the last day for the students).  I have been working with an altered palette of late, and found real dynamics in Winsor & Newton Transparent Yellow.  I mixed it with Winsor Blue (Red Shade) and got some amazing light green foliage variations.

Edward Hopper Visits 902 W. Main Street, Waxahachie

After completing the first watercolor rather quickly, I returned my attention to this sketch of 902 West Main Street in Waxahachie.  I had drawn this out in pencil two days ago, then lost the sunlight that had made the facade so striking.  Yesterday I tried to begin painting on it, but made several bad decisions, and decided to lay it aside awhile longer.  Today, having warmed up with the painting across the street, I felt ready for this one, and tried to render it many ways similar to Edward Hopper’s watercolor of the Methodist Church in Provincetown.  I did manager to pull off a few of the techniques, particularly combining pencil work with transparent watercolor washes.  Again I found the Transparent Yellow pigment to work very well in coloring the blinds in the windows of this historic house.

Waxahachie Patriotism

After matting and hanging the first two watercolors in the Ellis County Art Association, I journeyed back up Main Street, trying to decide on a house with American flags displayed.  Since Memorial Day, Waxahachie has had flags fluttering everywhere.  I finally selected this house that had about a dozen flags planted on the front lawn.  I was struck by beauty of the porch pillars and hanging baskets at this house, so I thought I would try a quick plein air sketch of just a portion of it, again staying with the 8 x 10″ size.  This is the smallest of my compositions, as I tried to work very quickly and bring it to completion.

Sunset on the College Street Pub

And finally, the College Street Pub, one of my favorite haunts in the city of Waxahachie.  I drew out this composition with an HB pencil two days ago, right after the house on 902 W. Main.  But I was weak with fatigue, and the sun was extremely hot that afternoon.  Today’s 68-degree temperature was ideal for painting outdoors.  I loved the details on this building–the signage, the electrical wiring, the light and shadows–all of it appeared rustic to me, and I just had to paint it.  I began work on it just before 4:00, and knowing the Ellis County Art Association office would close at 4:00, I saw no reason to rush this.  I will make a quick dash to the office tomorrow before the 2:00 deadline.

Once this painting was finished, I realized that I had not had food since about 10:30 this morning.  I had drunk plenty of bottles of water, but had had no food intake between 10:30 and 6:15.  So, I decided it was time to re-visit the College Street Pub to enjoy some food and beverage and to salute a successful day.  The last time I painted four watercolors in one day was during a paint-out competition in McKinney, Texas.  That was several years ago.  I’m thrilled that today I rose to the challenge.  Today I felt an energy that has been rare of late.  I’m grateful for the experience.  Now, it’s time for bed.

Thanks for reading.

Stella Artois