Meeting Notes, March 9, 2017

At today’s meeting Tim, Jim, Mike, Mary, Lisa, Diane, Kathy, Tom, Bhavani, Jerry, Paula, Dotty, Ward, Jerry, Eugenia, Tedd, Eunice, Loretta, Jeanie, and me Celeste.

Today’s suggested table topic: Color studies-- have you done any color studies? Why? and if not why not?

Celeste: I have not done very many colors studies! To me, most everything is a “study”. I don't do a color study before I paint a plein air painting –but I have done pencil or marker thumbnails. I have done a few figure painting color studies. I am showing some recent paintings. I’m also showing a painting that I bought at Mark Larsen’s posthumous art walk. Mark Larsen passed away last October and I’m very happy to have this floral painting by him.

Eugenia: I did google  “color studies”. I found some articles on it. If I had to do these repetitious color studies I never look at the subject again! (Laughter)!  I did find the articles enlightening. I don’t have anything to show it today.

Jerry: I am someone who likes a lot of spontaneity in painting so no, I don’t do color studies. I have been taking classes with Mark Andres. He is an artist and filmmaker. I’m taking his life series. We work from models that are clothed and not clothed. It is very challenging --every week we copy a master painter and also he has us do the live model in many different ways. I copied a drawing by Seurat. He used crayon so I used crayon. Crayon is very unforgiving you can’t erase it. Andres had us draw in the shoulder and hip girdles first and then the rest. Andres does not let us use newsprint --we have to use good paper. Here are several of my drawings from the class so far (Applause)!

Ward: I do a value sketch before I do a painting. Mostly when I see a reference I like I will think : "how would I paint that?" I have to see it as a clear map in my head…what would I do first and so forth.  If I don't see it clearly, I'm not inclined to do it. I am showing you a painting I did recently.

Dotty: I generally don’t do color studies, but I did bring one today. This is a painting that I did as a study for a much larger painting. The larger painting is going to be 3’ x 4.5’.

Mary: I understand that color studies are probably important, but I'm sort of an inpatient type of painter, so I haven’t done many. I am showing charts that I did when I was learning to mix colors. I'm also showing a recent painting where I figured out the values and colors ahead of time.

Kathy: I don’t do studies. I work with the product Brusho. It is transparent pigment in a crystal form. I can see how it the painting will work in my mind before I get started…. I see it as layers. I will ask myself as I’m painting things “does this seem alive”? It is important to me to see the life and energy as I go. I will ask myself “What can I do here with texture and color”? I am showing a recent painting of a rosa Bianca eggplant.

Diane: I will pass on this topic.

Lisa:  I don’t do color studies. Generally, when I am painting-- if I don’t like the results I will paint another passage over the one that I don’t like.

Mike: One advantage of watercolor is that it goes down very quickly --and if it doesn't work out you can just simply go to the new page in your sketchbook (laughter)! If Aimee Erickson were here she would give a lecture of color charts. Doing color charts makes it so that you build confidence in knowing how to get your colors right the first time. I have been working with watercolor and casein. The casein is wonderful because it is opaque. I do a travel journal wherever I go. You can cover up old work with opaque paint. I am going to pass around my sketchbook. Investigate some of it at your own peril! (Laughter)! This one is a combination of watercolor, watercolor pencil and gouache.

Jim: I am always more pleased with the color study then with the actual thing! Laughter! The second painting seems to get stiff. To me it's more of a thought process instead of a physical process. The daily paintings have helped me a lot. This painting that I did of this funny face is actually an inkwell that we own (the inkwell was made in 1914).  I had trouble with this the first time and repainted it again. That is something that is helpful, to paint something more than once. I am also showing a beach at Cannon Beach (that has a waterfall.)

 Jeanie: No, I do not do any color studies. I am showing a painting that I just recently completed.

 Tom: I don't do color studies either. I think that it seems restrictive. I did this painting in Scotland. I have 26 colors on my palette. Does that make me a Philistine? (Laughter)! This is a painting that I call “woman in traffic”.  (Tom turns the painting to reveal an abstract painting)

 Tim: No I don’t do anything that I would consider a study. Everything that I do is the study! (Laughter)! I’m showing a painting that I did with dirt paint. (I made this paint out of the dirt). I’m also showing an acrylic painting and also an oil painting.

 Paula: I did a workshop with Marla Baggetta. The name of the workshop was “Color Confidence”. I brought in this exercise to show you. We have this color wheel and a die cut mask to place over it. This helps you make color theme decisions. What I have learned is that every color is influenced by the background. I am showing a study that I did of the same subject with different backgrounds --it became clear quickly that every color is influenced the other next to it..

Bhavani:  I do color studies! I have studied with Tony Ryder. He has you do this thing called poster study. What you do is you paint an egg shaped face without any detail and absolutely no features. You put down the colors in a flat  poster like manner. The goal is to capture the light effect. You think about hue, value and chroma, but not about any of  the features. After you are clear about how the light falls on the object, only then do you do the final version. I will also do color studies to see if a composition is working. I am showing a study that I did that I ultimately did as a large finished painting. I’m also showing I finished portrait.

 Loretta: I don’t start with color study but I might end up with the color study I might try to do it this way in the future ---Maybe.

 Eunice: I did do an exercise one time where we were painting in acrylics --two colors that met in the center. That was a color study! I have been out of town so I have not been painting lately.

 Tedd: I  used to teach a class and I noticed that many of the students would hold the brush choked up on it and holding it tightly.  This is where trouble will start. I taught them how to brush like this (hold the brush in your palm) and use your whole arm when you paint. That is how you loosen up. I’m showing two recent color studies.

Announcements:

Max Ginsburg workshop--just a couple spots left. This will be his only west coast workshop

 Art on the Boulevard Michael Lindstrom

Ward Stroud has a new teaching position, stay tuned for more news from him about where and when.

Louis Bunce at Hallie Ford Musuem through March 26

Wendy Westerwelle (Mark Larsen’s wife):
Starring in Golda’s Balcony
The Sanctuary @ Sandy Plaza, 1785 NE Sandy Blvd., Portland, OR 97232
March 9-April 1 
CONTACT: 503-239-5919 or trianglepro.org

Fine Art Friday with model Sean OSA 1-4pm (March 10)

Also, Still live painting this Friday and Saturday at OSA
Paint from still life at osa. Some assistance and materials provided . Joanne Radmilovich Kollman
9-12 & 1-4 both days. you may stay for 4 hour @ $20 drop in 
Contact Joanne joradarts@gmail.com

Washington County Open Tours Call to Artists

13th Annual Pacific Northwest Plein Air Event
in the Columbia River Gorge
July 31 - August 4, 2017

at Maryhill Museum of Art
35 Maryhill Museum Drive
Goldendale, WA 98620 USA
509-773-3733
deadline to apply March 20

Joanne Kollman Floral workshops:

Thank you very much (from Celeste) to everyone who contributed toward my new Strada easel and my gift certificate! Very much appreciated! :) (see below)


Next Meeting: March 16 9am, Suggested table topic: EDITING your own work! How do you decide which of your paintings are “good”? Do you rely on an established standard? How have you arrived at decisions about what to send where? Entering competitions or just putting something on facebook or your website or blog—what is your thought process? Let’s discuss!


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