#1 of 100 Series - 'At Rest'

Here are the first examples of '100 Series' Plein Air Painting. Let the discussions begin!  This day was a beautiful clear beach day in the low 70s.  The air was very still along the northern California coast, the sun was shinning, it was about 1pm in the afternoon.  Nice scenes were available in several directions.  I chose this one to tell the story of this young couple at rest after a fun morning of surfing.  They are organized with their supplies and shade tent.  Their chairs were carefully chosen for relaxation.  And they are obviously in sync with each other.  Ok, on to the more technical part. 

The first photo is the actual scene, the next is the initial sketch,the third is the block-in of darks, lights and a hint of the local color.  The fourth photo is more local color added.  Still unfinished, and may stay unfinished, this example is meant for analysis.  So let's get started. First I will step back and analyze the stages.  You are welcome to follow along.  After a couple of days, the next post will offer insight on drawing, values, color temperature, edges and composition for 'At Rest'.  Constructive comments welcome.

It has been several days and I have read more than 150 pages in 'Alla Prima' by Richard Schmid, AGAIN.  One thing I know for sure, knowledge precedes skill.  What I know for sure, the painting does not convey what interested me in the scene.  But, because I am very optimistic, let's start with what is working in 'At Rest'.

What is working in 'At Rest', well, I had a lovely time at the beach.  The couple gazed a long time at the ocean, their surfboard and shade tent nearby, all beckoned to be painted. The scene conveyed a contented pair relaxing by the water following a morning of surfing. 


Did the design and drawing work?   The subject and supporting elements are no longer at eye level.  Eye level is somewhere up near the distant mountains. The planes are somewhat foreshortened.  Had the planes appeared expansive, distant and far-reaching, the sense of relaxation would have come through. The background, middle ground and foreground values are very close creating a somewhat flat appearance.  The edges in each plane are the same also creating a flat look.

This is a simple design that has me much perplexed.  It will continue to challenge me.  I will solve the problems and triumph!

Knowledge proceeds skill. Next is 'Evening Train in La Selva Beach'

An Artist's Journey - Developing Technical and Artistic Expertise

As a developing artist, I have immersed myself in the journey of painting this year.  This year has been a particularly exciting journey of meeting and working with some of the best master artists in the United States today.  Here in the Monterey Bay area of California, two world class events took place this fall (2011), Weekend with the Masters and the American Impressionist Society Conference. 

In September, Weekend With The Masters was held in Monterey and such masters as Richard Schmid, Daniel Gerhartz, Rose Frantzen, Nancy Guzik, Quang Ho, Daniel Smith, and many more, (26 masters in all).  For four days, each conducted demonstrations, held technical lectures and instructed small groups for the day.  Hundreds of artists from around the country participated in both events.

In October, the American Impressionist Society held their annual conference in Carmel, CA.  I volunteered one week of time (prior to the event) receiving, unboxing and hanging more than 250 exquisite entries for this prestigious event at the host gallery, Windsong Gallery, Carmel.  Following my help I studied landscape painting for five days with Scott Christensen, a nationally known landscape artist.  Under his guidance, we painted along the pristine coastlands of Carmel and Big Sur.  While the locations were exhilarating, landscape painting can be very challenging with the continuously changing light and shifting weather conditions (such as dense fog breaking way to clear skies, then shifting wind gusts and spraying surf).  What I know (and learned) is that the most fun is when I am one with nature placing color notes to convey the experience in all of these changing atmospheric conditions.  It takes 100 paintings to develop a higher level of technical ability.  In the months ahead, you will see each of the '100 Series' plein air paintings along the Monterey Bay.  At the end you will see the progress from the first to the final paintings and read interesting technical insights on improving.

As my journey continues, I will post links to some of the best technical notes posted on the web today.  I will also be sharing my successes and 'learning opportunities' as they are available.  So stay tuned for a year in the life of a developing artist and all the challenges and opportunities along the way.

Happy Painting!
Susan Hogan Girard

Sunflower Series - A Study in Yellows 6"x6" oil on linen panel