Meeting Notes, August 14, 2014


At todays meeting Loretta, Vicki, Tim, Za, Gary, Thomas, Kristina, Jerry, Susan, Lisa, Diane, Jeannie, Eunice, Joanne, Stephanie, Erin, Quin, Carol, Bob, and me Celeste.

Today's suggested table topic: Thalo paint. What do you know about it?

Celeste: I did an experiment with two paintings using Thalo cerulean. I did it because of todays topic. I know that Thalo is very strong and I have (up until now) avoided it. I liked trying it out, however, so maybe I will use Thalo in the future. I knew an artist who regularly used Thalo blue for water. He would "knock it back" with a touch of black.

Quin: I have not used Thalo paint since Ovanes Berbarian’s workshop. It is something I try to avoid. I like the simple palette I am using now. I painted 22 paintings while I was at the coast (over a two week period).

Erin: I know nothing about Thalo paint. I did see it in an art store! It is pretty. I'll try it. I brought in a painting that I did in Scott Gellatly’s workshop.

Stephanie: I love Thalo paint. When I started painting I particularly liked Thalo green and Alizarin Crimson together. When you mix that you get a beautiful gray and it also makes a beautiful black. I don't use Thalo green on my plein air palette. I do like Thalo blue, it is warmer than ultramarine.

Joanne: I don't know a lot about Thalo paint. I have used Thalo and burnt umber together. It makes a very good dark.

Kristina: I took a portrait class with a celebrated artist.  I helped someone put together their palette before the beginning of the class. Later I heard the artist say: "WHO put Thalo on this palette"?! It was as if I had given a child a gun! But, to my way of thinking, Thalo is a good very color. I use it.

Jerry: Thalo intimidates me. I find it to be a frenetic color. I'm just afraid of it.

Susan: I don't use Thalo. I live next to Alpenrose dairy. I did a couple of challenging pastel paintings recently of the llamas/sheep there. They move around, you can’t stop them!

Lisa: I know nothing about Thalo. I might experiment with it in the future.

Diane: Thalo green and purple mix to make a beautiful blue. Thalo has a transparency and energy that is unmatched. As you may know, the original Thalo comes from Copper. I have been taking a drawing class.

Jeannie: I use Thalo a lot.

Eunice: I spent the weekend at the beach. It was very windy. I got photographs. My husband pointed out that the ocean looked brown. We were at Seal Rock. I use Thalo red rose and Thalo yellow-green in some florals.

Loretta: I like Thalo blue. One thing I know is that it gets on me. I have to tone it down... it gets too neon looking if you don’t.

Vicki: I have to agree that inevitably Thalo will get everywhere. On my clothes, on my skin, in all the wrong places. I have banished it off of my palette. I do know that Thalo, umber and alizarin mix together for a beautiful dark green.

Tim: I had banished Thalo from my palette. It is too messy and too strong. I have since reintroduced it. You can use it if you are careful and use it with discretion. I haven't been painting.. I have been moving.

Za: I mentioned our topic today to a chemist at school. He showed me this (visual/molecular structure) that shows what Thalo is made from. Thalo green is a shortcut to green and I always change the temperature. I brought in a painting that I did with ultramarine blue yellow ochre and cad red.


Gary: For many years I did not paint. Life got in the way (I had to make a living). I am self-taught. I have done lots of color charts. I “see” the painting in my mind and use what I need to paint it.

Thomas: I think of Thalo colors as the crack cocaine of the plein air palette. (Laughter)! For my recent European trip and I needed to find a highly saturated blue. I chose only three colors to travel with. I used Hansa yellow, Quin magenta and Thalo blue. The reason this combination was successful is that all are equally strong. Jill Carver uses Thalo blue on her palette. She only uses a few touches of it! Scott at Gamblin recommended that I use student grade Thalo. It actually “knocks down” better than straight Thalo does. I did a tint test between Gamblin 1980 paint and regular straight Thalo paint and....as you can see.... there are differences. Very few paints are really toxic. Manganese is toxic. I recommend that you try to work with saturations that match high medium or low. Try to make your saturations similar. Keep your relationships together.


Carol: I don't use a lot of Thalo. I did use a small amount of Thalo green in the painting I brought today.

Bob: I was an animator with Disney for 40 years. I am now painting again. I took a workshop with Skip Whitcomb in Colorado. I brought in a sketch I did from the workshop.

Announcements: 

Erin will have a joint show at Coffeehouse Northwest on Burnside (more information to come). She is also possibly going to have a studio space.


Za highly recommends that you do the Hillsboro paint out! It is so much fun! Do it! Here is the link:
https://www.facebook.com/HillsboroArts
(Sept 12 and 13)

Za’s portrait workshop through Sequoia Gallery: (Nov) Here is the link:

Brenda’s value workshop thorugh Sequoia Gallery:

(OMG!) Za will be featured in the October issue of Plein Air Magazine! (Congratulations, Za!)

Joanne says that Dwell reality is looking for artists.

NECC Call to Artists:

Jeannie has art in the Gresham art show (“The Shape of Things”) Reception: August 26 5:30-7pm, Gresham City Hall.

Check out the excellent article Expert Tips for Painting in 
Tuscany about Thomas Kitts in Outdoor Painter! 

Did you enjoy the Portland Art Museum event? Please send an email to them to thank them! (Elizabeth Sackett Thomas
Assistant to the Executive Director)
elizabeth.thomas@pam.org

Thanks especially to Thomas Kitts for his work in arranging for/organizing the PAM Pacific Northwest invitational 2014

ART IN THE GARDEN PARTY AUGUST 23RD 5:30 TO 9PM (Villa Catalana)
Join Villa Catalana for a summer garden party featuring a jazz trio, dinner items by A Simply Elegant Catering and wines from the Villa Catalana Cellars. (The painters have already been selected for this event). Plein air painters will be roaming the gardens painting vignettes of the gardens. The resulting paintings will be for sale. Sit by the ponds and enjoy the music or roam the gardens to visit with the artists and see their work progress. (The nursery will not be open). http://www.villacatalanacellars.com/
A reservation is required and there is a $10 cover charge. 

Welcome new people today: Jerry, Gary and Bob.

Thank you all for coming today and sharing what you know, together with your paintings.

Next meeting: Thursday, August 21, 9am O’Connor’s. Suggested table topic: Art Organizations...please tell us what/who you “belong to” and why you have joined them. What are the advantages/disadvantages of art organizations?

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