May 9 - Thank you and Goodbyes

Here's the demonstration painting for morning light done as part of the lecture for the Georgia workshop this week. It's a 12 x 16 and done with acrylics (traditional) on a board-backed canvas and is one of the views across the woods and hayfields of Georgia. I really like the light patterns that fall on the jump on the right of the scene. I've walked this path on Fay's farm many times and never tire of it.

The students ("Recruits") in the Color Boot Camps are producing outstanding work--all because of the Color System applied to their curret style and subject matter. I'm honored to be teaching such a great group, and will be heading optimistically to Florida tomorrow to meet up with yet another great group of folks with a desire to know the Color System.

Here I am doing the demonstration for noon light--on a 16 x 20 canvas in Golden Open acrylics, pill boxes at the ready! Fun demo, and I'll post the finished painting later this week.

I want to thank all of you--especially those to whom I've not had time to personally reply--who wrote about Shadow. It is tough to lose a pet, and those who wrote such kind emails cement for me the connection I feel to all of you, and for that I thank you sincerely. I have a busy life, yet there are those bittersweet moments of memory that still bring an ache to my heart.

Now I'm off to Florida tomorrow morning, and will be seeing new faces, new Color Boot Camp Recruits, with Sparky is by my side! I hope I'll have a good Internet connection while I'm there!

You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

May 8 - The Georgia Workshop Finished Up

It's Friday night, and the five-day workshop is finished here in Georgia, and what a great one it was! The students painted beautiful paintings, the time of day with the Color System keps falling off their brushes, and all went away worn out and ready to apply the new knowledge to their work.

I'm tired, but satisfied that I did my best in sharing the Color System with them. Tonight I reflect on how it went, what I can do better next week in Florida, and enjoy the quiet introspection.

Here for your pleasure is the 9 x 12 oil I did as a demonstration piece for evening light. This is "Susie" one of Fay's brood cows, and I quickly painted this for the demonstration and lecture of evening light. It is now in the hands of returning Boot Camper Joanna Karpay of Tampa, Florida, and on it's way to its new home.

And all of us had a silly night last night when they presented Fay (hostess on the left) and me with capes adorned with lines of praise and humor during the annual camp fire dinner we have now for the workshops. Note the full moon making fools of us all! What a great workshop, great place, and great folks!

Two days, and Sparky and I will be driving to Florida for the next workshop. Stay tuned for more images!

You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

May 6 - Georgia Workshop First Paintings

Yes, some of my students in the Georgia workshop do WONDERFUL paintings!!
After the value studies in the first day of the Color Boot Camp workshop, the "recruits" are given the challenge of painting without mixing--but choosing values (lightness or darkness) based purely on the colors straight from the tube. The results are wonderfully colorful, exciting, contemporary works. I share two of them with you in this email.

The first one of the draft horse is done in acrylics and is an 8 x 8 canvas. It was a great challenge for these folks to not mix colors, yet they all admitted that the exercise taught them volumes about the true values of their pigments.

When we know the values of our colors, it allows us to make exciting color choices and perhaps not trying to mix on the palette. It also showed the students that colors have an "inherent value" when they come out the tube.

The second painting I've attached is of a rooster done in oils. It is 9 x 12 inches and has a little glare on the right side. But it, too, is very successful in the exercise.

The third day has us doing misty light and finishing up our moonlight work from yesterday. These students are spot on with design and drawing skills, yet I have one who has not used acrylics before...just watercolors!

You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.

May 4 - Workshop in Georgia Going On!

I'm in Georgia teaching the first of two workshops--five days of Color Boot Camp. This acrylic was a quick study done yesterday to demonstrate the value plan of a large light in midtones. The weather is WONDERFUL for this California gal, with rain ad cool breezes, I'm "plumping up" as the moisture kisses my face!

This image might look familiar to you because of my doing it for another workship at another time of day. This one is morning light, and that one was evening light. One can vary the time of day when working with source material with the Color System. Right now the students are doing a brand new exercise of painting without mixing any colors together--just finding the correct values by deciding which color straight from the tube is the value they need. Their brains are hurting!

The very sad note, and one of the reasons I haven't been able to post, is that we lost Shadow the Tibetan Mastiff pup to parvo virus a week ago. I cannot tell you how much of a hole his death has put in our lives, but it has taken until now to even write of it. He is buried up on the hill by Chiron's corral, and near the pond where he would drink and play.

Everyone else is fine, and Sparky is here with me in Georgia. A fun week ahead for all of us!

You can see my entire blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2009 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
If you need to email me directly, please click here.