Red Easel

THE BERMUDA WORKSHOP: NOV. 13-15, 2008 with ELI CEDRONE!

Hello everyone!

There has been a growing interest in the Bermuda workshop this year.  If you would like to be a part of this workshop, please make a deposit of $150 by Sept 15th to hold your place.  Eli Cedrone will let you know by Sept. 16th if there are enough students signed up so that the workshop can go forward.   She would suggest you book your flights and hotel (in Hamilton if possible) at that time.  Eli can also help answer any questions you may have about the island and places to stay.  Delta Airlines flies direct non-stop in November.

If the workshop goes forward she'll need the balance of $150. by Oct. 15th.  The initial deposit is non-refundable unless the workshop is cancelled or postponed.  Please send your deposit in the form of a money order payable to:

Eli Cedrone
63 Sunrise Terrace
Stoughton, MA 02072 

Please pass this on to anyone you think may be interested in joining in on this workshop!

The Bermuda Workshop

November 13-15, 2008

Join award winning artist, Eli Cedrone for a unique experience in Bermuda!  Follow in the footsteps of Winslow Homer.  From the breathtaking beaches of the South Shore to the winding alleyways of St. George’s, explore the island, “en plein aire”  while learning to paint in the alla prima tradition.  From life too in one sitting!  Package includes airfare, and 3 nights at the Hamilton Fairmont Princess Hotel.

Please contact Eli Cedrone at 781-443-4014 for prices and more info. Space is limited, reserve early for best rates!

The workshops will focus on

• Plein air painting outdoors
• Understanding and simplifying shapes
• Laying down a foundation quickly and confidently
• Creating focal points and developing them
• Balancing cool and warm colors
• Creating atmospheric perspective
• Composition
• Developing an individual's ability

November 13
* 9:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
* Arrive at 9:30 for late registration, seating, refreshments, handouts and meeting other artists.
* Workshop starts promptly at 10:00 a.m. for lecture and demo.
* Please bring supplies for taking notes
* 10 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. lecture and demo
* 1:00 p.m. break for lunch (1 hr)
* 2:00 p.m. arrive at designated location
* 2:00 - 5:00 p.m.  paint on location
   
November 14
* 8:45 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
* 8:45 a.m. arrive at designated location
* 9 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. paint on location
* 12:00 p.m. break for lunch (2 hrs)
* 2:00 - 5:00 p.m.  lecture and demo

November 15
* 8:45 - 5:00 p.m.
* 8:45 a.m. arrive at designated location
* 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. paint on location
* 1:00 p.m. break for lunch (2 hrs)
* 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. lecture and demo

Space is limited to 15 people. 

Contact Eli Cedrone at 781-443-4014 or artfulhand@comcast.net for supply list.  She can arrange for shipping of your artwork back home for you.

June Bessette of Carlson Wagonlit Travel is available to assist you with planning all your travel arrangements for this package. She has selected several hotel options for you to choose from.  Book at the earliest possible convenience to take advantage of special air travel rates.  Airfares are based on availability at the time of booking.
• All packages require a deposit to book and are subject to cancellation and length of stay restrictions. A valid passport is required for travel to Bermuda.

Carlson Wagonlit Travel
634 Broadway
Raynham MA 02767-1735 
(800) 828-6938
www.carlsontravel.com/carlsononthego
       
PRICES:
Workshop ONLY - 3 Days (no accommodation)     $300.00
Hotel & Air (sample price) - Fairmont Hamilton Princess : $1295.00
Price may increase depending on availability at time of booking. All rates are per person, based on double occupancy Air is from Boston. Standard) Accommodations, three nights, four days. Includes all room gratuities and taxes and airport transfers. Bus/Ferry Pass is available for an additional cost. 

ELI CEDRONE FINE ART
www.elicedrone.com
The value of a spritual stroke, correctly placed is beyond calculation - Balthus

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Plein Air Oil Painting Workshop with Mary Erickson

Mary Erickson
Professional Visual Artist
Medium: Oil
Marshville, North Carolina
USA
Mary Erickson Fine Art
Erickson Red Easel Gallery

Join Mary Erickson and a limited class of no more than 8 students for a four-day learning adventure into Plein air oil painting. The workshop includes demonstrations, individual critiques, and lots of one-on-one attention. You will be guided in seeing and capturing the essence of a landscape with the use of value, scale, and color.  

With practical information on materials, and tips for optimizing the outdoor painting experience, this workshop is designed to help you experiment and grow as a landscape painter.  Learn the essentials of capturing the landscape in oils! 

The class is limited to 8 students, with the instruction tailored to your specific needs.

Wednesday, October 22 through October 26 at High Ridge Gardens in Marshville, North Carolina.  

For more info on this workshop or the March '09 workshop in Venice, Florida, visit Mary Erickson Art Workshops or call 704-219-0391.

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Dan Schultz Painting Demonstration

Meet Dan Schultz, a Colorado Artist who works in the classical style.  He teaches aspiring artists and has offered his expert demonstrations to Red Easel! 

Dan Schultz
Professional Visual Artist
Medium: Oil, Charcoal
Colorado Springs, Colorado
USA
Dan Schultz Fine Art
Schultz Red Easel Gallery

West Wind, Oil on Linen, 16x28

For this studio painting I used Claessens double oil primed linen canvas, #15 (my usual painting surface). This painting, as with most of my larger paintings, was completed using a photograph as my reference. (My wife, Sarah, is the lovely lady in the photo. Somehow I doubt she would have been very excited to pose in the middle of a field long enough for me to do the painting from life.)

Step 1:
When doing a painting of this size (or larger), I am most comfortable starting with a fairly detailed drawing of my composition. In this case, I use vine charcoal directly on the canvas. I make sure to take as much time as necessary on this step since it will provide me with the direction I will follow for the rest of the painting. As I draw, I take careful measurements using my reference photo to make sure everything ends up the right size and in the right place. (On a side note, I carefully measure when painting smaller sizes too. I just don't necessarily do a charcoal drawing first.) I always double-check my drawing by looking at it in a mirror. Somehow seeing the image in reverse makes it easier to see my mistakes.

Step 2:
Now that I am ready to paint, I take a few moments to think about how I will proceed. When doing smaller paintings, I will often work on the whole painting at once. But, because this painting is a little larger, I decide to start in one area and work outwards. This way I have the freedom to stop if I need to, and when I return it won't matter if the paint has started to dry because I (hopefully) won't have to work on areas that I've already painted. (I always prefer to work wet-into-wet so I can easily handle my edges without having to repaint over dry paint.) Of course, this requires some planning as I begin, but it's also a fun way to work because I can see the painting begin to take shape fairly quickly. So now all I have to do is decide where to start! I've found that the easiest way for me to establish my value range for a painting is to start in an area with strong, dark values and some good contrast. For this painting, some of my darkest values are in the focal point (Sarah), so it makes sense for me to start there.

Step 3:
I do a lot of squinting at my photo and at my painting to compare the value relationships between shapes. If I get the relationships right, I will be able to continue through the painting without having to go back to change any of the values.

Step 4:
As I continue, I also pay attention the edges between shapes so that they won't all end up looking the same. In order to lead the viewer's eye to the focal point, I make sure to keep my sharpest edges there, while softening other surrounding edges in comparison. One of the keys to good edges is variety.

Step 5:
As I work on Sarah's white coat in the picture, I keep in mind that photographs have a tendency to incorrectly portray color information, especially in extremely light and dark areas. As a result, I must think about the sunlight from the day I took the photo and remember the effect its color temperature had on the entire scene. (This is where all of that continued practice painting from life pays off too, because I have information in my mind from experiences painting in these very conditions.) Since I remember that the color temperature of direct sunlight is warm, I make sure to add warm colors to all the areas of the coat that are in the direct light. As a result, the shadows are relatively cooler when compared to the light areas.

Paint the Maine Coast in Watercolor

Now this looks like it will be a fun 4 days in Maine.  If you have nothing else to do in mid-August, this may just be what you need to renew your creative juices.   -Susan

WHERE:

Rockland, Maine

WHEN:

August 18-22, 2008

WHO IS TEACHING:

Instructor:  Bill Teitsworth, NWS

ABOUT:

This summer take your painting to the next level with award-winning artist/instructor Bill Teitsworth, on location in beautiful coastal Maine.

CONTACT:

For information contact Coastal Maine Art Workshops,
info@CoastalMaineArtWorkshops.com

Emanuel-Teitsworth Studio

Finding Your Mark

By Christopher Schink
THE PALETTE MAGAZINE #25
March/April 2008

"I'd like to do one of those" is the natural response of most painters when they first feel the urge to learn to paint.  Early in our careers, all of us have come upon a painting that we wished we had done and that we hoped we could someday duplicate.  We find ourselves attracted to a particular artist with an appealing style that inspires us to take up the pursuit of painting.

In time we usually distance ourselves (or outgrow) these early influences.  we find new inspiration and discover other ways to work.  We explore and experiment, and eventually, if we're lucky or work hard (or both), we develop a way to think and paint that is identifiably our own.

Nevada artist Valerie Cohen has taken that journey, progressing from enthusiastic beginner to a skilled and knowledgeable artist with a mature, distinctive style.  Although the early influences on her painting style are still visible, the results are uniquely her own.  In this article, she describes her journey with humor, insight, and candor.

(The above painting is "Topo Map #3 - Blue Sage" by Valerie Cohen, 30x22 Mixed Media)

Creating the Colors of Nature

By Philip J. Carroll
Professional Visual Artist
Award Winning
Medium: Oil
Haddonfield, New Jersey
Philip Carroll Gallery at cWOW
Carroll Red Easel Gallery

The creation of a work of art starts the same way every time no matter how long you have been painting …Staring at a Blank Canvas.  It is our choice of subject matter that inspires us to paint and to begin our artistic journey.  I find the selection of  colors on my palette to be fairly consistent each time I start a new painting.  I have been working with the same values and mixtures from warm to cool for over twenty years.  The amazing aspect of painting is even though we may choose similar palettes, our perception of color, how we mix and mingle the values, tones, and the shading will always lead us to create an individual work of art. I like to think of it as "The Artist's DNA!"      

Avoid Cracks When Layering Oils

By Ron Sanders
Professional Visual Artist & Instructor
Ron Sanders Art Studios
Sanders Red Easel Gallery

Many artists are unfamiliar with the basic and fundamental rule of oil painting: “Fat over Lean.”  Understanding the rule and its application is necessary to avoid cracking.

Drying oils, most commonly linseed oil and walnut oil, dry by oxidation rather than evaporation.  When liquids dry by evaporation, the liquid becomes a gas, leaving no trace behind.  However, when a liquid dries by oxidation, the fluid combines with oxygen from the atmosphere and undergoes a molecular change, altering its form, but remaining where it was placed.  Diluents, such as gum turpentine from pine trees or mineral spirits from petroleum, evaporate.  And if they are pure, there is no trace of them in the paint film.  Their purpose, therefore, is to thin or dilute the paint, but do little to modify the paint film.  What little affect they do have will be discussed later in this article.  Drying oils, such as linseed or walnut, dry by oxidation.

Simplifying Relationships

Richard Baumann relies on two complementary colors to develop his landscapes and interior scenes, applying mixtures of them around the canvas so he can orchestrate the relationship between shapes and values.  As a result, subtle color accents stand out against the balanced composition.

(Right: Interior with Poinsettia, 2006, 20x16 Oil)

The best way to make something important in a painting is often to make changes that subdue everything around it.  That's a simple statement to make, but the concept is one that artists often forget when they are trying to make a flower, a vase, or a cheekbone more significant than it currently appears in a painting.  They are inclined to add more yellow to the color of the flower, thicker highlights on the vase, or more pink to the crest of the cheekbone.  But quite often the best solution is to make everything around that object grayer, softer, or less contrasting.  By adding a complementary color, smoothing an edge, or reducing the difference between values, the competing shapes become less important and the center of interest becomes more obvious. 

Richard Baumann understands and applies that concept as well as almost any contemporary artist.  His interior scenes and landscapes are brilliant examples of how colors, shapes, and values can be simplified so they will have the maximum impact in a painting.  The key to the success of those paintings is that Baumann works with a limited palette of colors that emphasizes the complementary relationship of violet and yellow, red and green, or blue and orange.  For example, Abingdon Square Studio With French Tulips is structured around the relationship of violet and yellow, with most of the sunlit shapes warmed with a cadmium yellow, and the shadows cooled with shades of lavender that represent subtle shifts in the combination of blue and red.  Because the composition is developed with "color/gray" mixtures of the complementary colors, the yellow tulips and blue cloth stand out without the colors or the values being pushed to the extreme.  That is, with most of the canvas covered in subtle mixtures of violet and yellow, the pure yellow and pure blue grab the viewer's attention without much effort.

(Above Left: Abingdon Square Studio With French Tulips, 2007, 14x11 Oil)

Mix 'em up and Try Something New

First Day at the Beach - 16x20 Oil on Linen
by Kevin MacPherson

Before I start painting I like to plan my strategy and my palette.  I do have a set palette of colors that I use regardless of what I am painting, but I try to keep an open mind to experimentation and a more limited palette. 

Kevin MacPherson is an artist that I truly admire.  He can take 3 or 4 colors and make a rainbow of colors for his paintings that are harmonious and true to the scene that he is trying to depict.  He is a mix-em-up genius.  He knows his mixes and he knows his palette, and he, apparently, does not feel the restrictions to having a limited palette either.  That takes great discipline and experience.