Summer Skies

This year I reorganized my online class schedule to better fit the course to the time of year. In the past, classes were added when a need seemed to arise and as a result some students in colder climes found themselves struggling to work outdoors. As a result, The Painted Sky is being offered again this summer (having just been taught in February). Summer is, of course, a glorious time to go skying.


Recently when I was looking through some old portfolios of drawings I came across these pastel cloud studies done in the summer of 2001 in Santa Fe. I wrote about The Summer of Santa Fe here. It made me smile to see them and think of those big New Mexico skies once again. Pardon the skewed cell phone photography.

The Painted Sky Online Class

July 26- August 23, 2013 For landscape painters, painting a believable sky means creating a sense of distance, atmosphere, light, and mood. This course is designed to give students the knowledge and techniques to paint beautiful atmospheric skies. In this course we will cover: ~ gradation of colors in the sky at various times of day ~ gradation of values in the sky ~ types of cloud formations and how to depict them ~ use of atmospheric and linear perspective to create believable skies ~ glazes and scumbling techniques ~ using a variety of edges in painting skies ~ composing skies for maximum effect Registration for The Painted Sky here Online classes are a great way to study at a slower, measured pace and on your own schedule. Participation is limited to ten students, so there is plenty of individual attention. To learn more about how these classes work, click here.

Many students find this way of learning to be challenging, effective and convenient. In any given class I may have students from throughout the US as well as Canada, the UK and Europe, so it makes for a lively, interesting learning experience. Click here to read what students have to say. And registration is here.

Summer and a Studio Visitor

Late Afternoon Light

16 x 20

This painting recently found a home in Chicago. Thank you Hildt Galleries! It reminds me of those hazy afternoons that summer brings. So far, we have had a cool spring and our start to summer has been cooler than usual as well. I am not complaining!

My days start with an early morning walk and then the rest of the day is spent on Lennox Woods- working steadily toward my solo show next spring. But occasionally I have a studio visitor. A few days ago I came back from my lunch break and found this guy waiting on my studio steps!

Last Light in the Woods- Lennox Woods

This painting began as a monochromatic study for a larger (48 x 64) work which is still in progress. During last month's workshop I took it out to demonstrate some glazing techniques and then decided to finish it - albeit in a different palette, season and light effect than the large piece. 

Last Light In the Woods

18 x 24

Western Visions Show and Sale

I am happy to say I have been invited to exhibit at the Western Visions Show & Sale at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson, WY in September. This small oil will be part of the fixed price sale, while the drawing will be in the "Sketch" silent auction.

 Evening at the Pond

8 x 10

Aspen Study

Charcoal - 8 x 6

Recently Adopted!

These four paintings recently found new homes. Thanks to my wonderful collectors!

 Sunset Pines

11 x 14

 Dusk-Edge of the Woods

18 x 24

 Aspen Twilight

20 x 24

Winter Morning

18 x 14

Ft. Worth, Bernini and an Article

Yesterday I drove to Ft Worth to deliver a painting. After meeting with Paula Tillman (Galerie Kornye West owner) about the upcoming Lennox Woods show, we headed to the Kimball Museum for lunch and to see the Bernini: Sculpting in Clay show.

Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) was the artistic titan of the 17th century and the author of the Baroque style. His dramatic naturalistic style was the perfect sculptural counterpart to the painting style of Caravaggio and his followers. This show, which originated at the Metropolitan Museum, traces the development of some of his most famous sculptures through the terracotta studies or bozzetti he created to work out his designs.

One of the things I love most about seeing original works of art, and particularly studies and drawings of artists that I love, is the palpable sense of being in the presence of the artist. In this case, that feeling is almost overwhelming. Seeing the thumb prints in the modeled clay, the textures created by quickly applied tool marks, the measuring points used to scale up the figures- one feels acutely the presence of the master and for a brief instant, can trace the movement of his hand as well as his thoughts.

This was not the first time I had seen some of these terracotta studies. Many years ago (too many!), Bernini's bozetti were the subject of my senior thesis. I traveled to Boston and spent a week in the Fogg Museum looking at their collection of bozetti and digging through their archives for unpublished research. So when I saw them again, together with the others from collections around the world, it was like greeting old friends from one's youth. Familiar, yet different, and seen through a different, more experienced lens.

Coincidentally, yesterday an article was published in Professional Artist Magazine tracing the careers of fours artists including me. The theme was "its never too late" which in my case meant not a late start, but a detour.  It was interesting to experience the Bernini show and relive those times many years ago when I first saw that work and have this article appear in print on the same day.

Drawing Trees- Student Work

My Drawing & Painting Trees class is off to a great start! In this  class we have students from Alaska to France and all across the USA. I am really pleased with the work they are doing and also with the enthusiasm they are showing for drawing and for trees! Here are a few examples. Enjoy!

Carole Baker

Carole Baker

Jessie Cook

Jessie Cook

Jon Main

Jon Main

Jon Main

(copy of Asher B. Durand)

Lolly Shera

Lucy Durfee

Mallory Agerton

Mallory Agerton

Maria Glodt

(Copy of Wm. Trost Richards)

Beppy Deaton
(copy of Asher B Durand)

Workshop Week in a few words and lots of pictures

The workshop bunch has come and gone and I am back at work in the Woods and in the studio. It was a good week with lots of hard work, fun and camaraderie. Here are a few highlights.

Obligatory group photo!

We spent day 1 & 2 in the field

Lolly drawing at the secret pond

Bea among the bois d'arc

Steve's wonderful food

My favorite workshop moment courtesy of Fleda Kraft

At work in the studio

A walk through Lennox Woods

Low country shrimp boil

Whatever I was saying provoked a sneezing fit!

Workshop Week is Here!

Spring's Promise

20 x 20

Later this afternoon, twelve hardy souls arrive in Clarksville from all over the US- Washington State to Florida to Boston and points in between. It is the inaugural of The Landscape Atelier, which is designed to provide a start to finish, eight day course in landscape painting. Our first two days will be spent in the field, drawing and doing painted studies to use as reference for the remainder of the week's work. Luckily, our stormy, cooler than usual weather is gone for the moment and we are enjoying a beautiful spring day.

Artists in Residence

The Historical Society of Red River County sponsors an Artist in Residence program. This program, which is the brainchild of my husband Steve, brings painters, sculptors, writers, filmmakers and other creative types to Clarksville for one to two week residencies.

This past week we have hosted Denise LaRue Mahlke and Kim Carlton. Yesterday they painted in the woods across the road from our home. It was a gorgeous spring afternoon and as the sun went down and it got chilly they enjoyed the warmth of a big bonfire on our property.

Click the link to see a short video!


Artist in residence

Back In the Woods- Exciting News!

I have been back at work in Lennox Woods for about a month now, working in both the field and the studio toward my solo show Lennox Woods-The Ancient Forest next March. And there is exciting news about the exhibition!  The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) will be co-hosting the show! BRIT has a beautiful new facility located in the Cultural District in Ft. Worth near Galerie Kornye West. They have a spacious exhibition space which will be a perfect venue for the large format paintings. On Spring Gallery Night, March 29, 2014 there will be simultaneous openings at BRIT with 16 large format paintings and at Galerie Kornye West with another 25 paintings.

Galerie Kornye West and I are excited to partner with BRIT for this exhibition! In addition to the show, a lecture series, gallery talks, and other special events are planned in connection with the month long exhibition.

Me standing near #52, one of the huge short leaf pines in the Preserve

Out of Season

Summer Evening

10 x 12

This small painting was started as a demo in my workshop in Telluride last summer. I just got round to finishing it, and it will be available at Galerie Kornye West in Ft Worth next week. A bit late and out of season, but it can be any season in the studio- or several! This week as I was finishing this up I was also working on a snow scene of Lennox Woods!

I am back to work in earnest for my solo show next year, Lennox Woods- The Ancient Forest.  I will have news about that soon. Stay tuned!

Field Sketching

The online class  Field Sketching for Landscape Painters begins March 8. Whether you are new to working outdoors or an experienced plein air painter, this course will get you ready for the spring and summer season!

Here is a description of the class. Join us!

Working from Nature and direct observation is the time honored way to learn how to paint landscapes. Unfortunately, many aspiring landscape painters miss the essential first step: learning to draw and sketch in the field. If you are unable to draw the landscape you will have a much more difficult time learning to paint it convincingly. Most classes and workshops jump into plein air painting without giving students any tools to make a success of their efforts. This course is designed to give you the tools to draw and sketch in the field with confidence, both improving your plein air paintings and leading to better, finished work in the studio.

Topics covered will include:

~drawing materials and techniques
~a history of field sketching and study of examples of 19th century field sketches (drawings, watercolors and oils)
~how to do close studies of elements in Nature, value studies and thumbnails sketches
~how to use field sketching to gather reference material for studio work (and reduce your dependence on the camera!).
~how to use field sketching to aid in working from memory and imagination

Not sure that an online class is right for you? Click here to read what students say!

Walking

Dawn Study

8 x 10

I am back to my morning walks. Walking is for me my most intimate connection with the landscape, my subject. I am in it and its scale (and mine) are obvious to me. Many of the artists and writers I revere were dedicated walkers- Emerson, Thoreau, Constable, Frost, just to name a few. This is no accident. Walking clears the mind and attunes the senses. It is a great pleasure, especially on these winter mornings when the beautiful, bare bones of the landscape are scattered before me.

Painting Water

A Little Night Music

12 x 10

Painting Water Online Class

February 8- March 8, 2013

For centuries the depiction of water has challenged artists. Its unique properties- transparent, reflective, moving, still- create wonderful visual opportunities. This course will cover water features such as rivers, lakes, creeks, and ponds. We'll examine both the natural characteristics of water and techniques for depicting them:

~ how are reflections created and how to depict them

~ how the depth of water affects its color and value

~ the structure of waves

~ how the surface of water is affected by wind

~ techniques and color palettes for water

~ using water features in your compositions

Registration for Painting Water here Online classes are a great way to study at a slower, measured pace and on your own schedule. Participation is limited to ten students, so there is plenty of individual attention. To learn more about how these classes work, click here.

Many students find this way of learning to be challenging, effective and convenient. Not sure an online class is right for you?  Click here to read what students have to say. Register today!