May 9 - Greeting the New Boot Camp Recruits

As I sit and await the arrival of the seven newest Color Boot Camp recruits in gorgeous North Georgia, I'll share with you one of the two six by eight inch canvases I did during the other workshop.

Although there is glare on the upper right, you can see the Color System working in the gentler light of the Florida evening. Note the repetition with variety in the trio of duplicate shapes--clouds, palms and shrubs. One might think that it is a no-no to repeat in twos, but in this case it works, as the dark cloud on the left middle balances the weight of the duos on the right. And each of the dual objects is similar but not equal. Design is such a strong aspect of painting; one I'm always considering!

Georgia is cool and lovely this time of year, and holding a sumptuous spring feel, and no better place to enjoy it than Fay's farm. Her generosity in allowing us to descend upon her for a five days is not to be taken lightly, and I'm honored to be considered her friend. Here's an image of the barn apartment upstairs with the balcony where the workshop will be held, across from the main house.

After this workshop, the only one remaining will be in Maine. I do hope to meet some more East Coast artist friends there! Color Boot Camp is special. Here's Maggie's most recent post.

You can see earlier posts from my blog HERE.
My workshop schedule for 2010 is HERE.
Color System information can be found HERE.
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August 9 - Bass Harbor, Maine Acrylic on GOLD!

How fun it is to revisit Maine with the lovely results of being there and painting on location and in the great studio of Acadia Workshop Center! This is a canvas that came back with me in my luggage, and barely fit as it was just as long as the bag with little to spare! An acrylic, this 8 x 24 inch gallery-wrap is the view from Bernard over to Bass Harbor. What makes this acrylic painting so interesting, is the underlayment is GOLD! I was inspired by the medieval religious paintings I showed the students in the Power Point presentation on Wednesday night, and so used gold as the underpainting for this canvas. The veils of blue, rich purple and earth tones that cover the resultant luminescent layer are just wonderful to see, and looking at the jpeg is not nearly as good as seeing the veils of glowing gold that are in the original. I will be using this in more paintings!

I reluctantly part with this painting for $350 plus $7 shipping to the lucky collector who uses Paypal first.

You can see the entire blog here.
Interested in Elin's newest DVD? Acrylic Painting - Fast and Loose!

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August 6 - Maine Revisited, Acrylic 9 x 12

Ah, summer in Maine! On the second day of the workshop, I took the students out to paint on location just a stone's throw from both the ocean and the central location for the "Color Boot Camp". The goal for this painting was to focus on values, and the all-important six value plans in the paintings. I demonstrated this one, painting in acrylics, and included the beaver lodge in the lower middle part--the local wildlife! The fog was coming in and out across the water, and the wildflowers were blooming like gangbusters!

This painting is already in the hands of Carolyn O'Connor, from Washington Grove, Maryland.

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May 20 - Detour! Plein Air Day at UCR Botanical Gardens

I spent a few hours as a participant at the "Primavera in the Gardens" fundraiser for the University of California Riverside Botanical Gardens. Combining wineries and restaurants, the ticket holders were able to sample many regional and California wines as well as cuisine from area restaurants while strolling the beautiful grounds. I painted this 16 x 12 oil sitting next to the last area where the wines were being served and fnished it in about 45 minutes. I did another one, with fewer values, of the vista over to Box Springs Mountain, with the rose gardens in the foreground that I'll post later this week. The draft horse painting from yesterday is still "fomenting" in my head.

Thank you to those who are going to sign up for the workshop in Maine, a comment from my sister is that this is one of the most beautiful National Parks to visit, and with a place to stay right on the water, well...she's not an artist, but her comments made me appreciate what's coming up!

"Color Boot Camp in Maine"!!


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