Energy of Spring and "The Patron's Show"

I love the energy in spring, something in the air that calls us to rearrange, clean our spaces, and take on new projects (more on this later). The green fog of pollen must work in a similar way to the oxygen pumped into the casinos in Vegas, alerting our senses. So with this "energy", this week I gave in to urge to rearrange the furniture in my studio at Liberty Town.

Above is a photo of Studio #3 at Liberty Town Arts in downtown Fredericksburg...my space, my solace, where some of my work gets done, and I teach a few workshops throughout the year. Over the past few years, I attribute my success and growth as an artist, in no small way, to the support, camaraderie and creative energy of the artists and mentors at Liberty Town. In May, Dan Finnegan, the founder is hosting Liberty Town's Annual "Patron's Show". Local artists come together to donate paintings in support of the arts and vision of LibertyTown, and to celebrate it's anniversary. The concept for the "Patron's Show", simple: buy a ticket, take home an amazing piece of art... and enjoy the company of the colorful community of artists and patrons in Fredericksburg. Tickets for the event go on sale "First Friday" May 7th. Visit the website for more information. www.libertytownarts.com

Another love to share this week...watercolor sketching (long overdue)... simplified, loose, and rich in color. Doing small sketches, I can explore a concept, test a composition, plan a color scheme and structure without having to commit. If a design doesn't "work" as a sketch, it won't work when enlarged to a finished painting. Only, I won't have invested so much time to the idea and therefore feel compelled to persist. I also avoid that uncomfortable middle ground in a painting, full of self-dought, when I am not sure if I can pull it all together. "Energy" takes on many forms.

A few sketches, soon to become paintings.

Six Small Studies

This week I am helping a class of art students at Massaponax High School work through their first watercolor paintings. We began last week studying our subjects outside and working to develop an interesting arrangement and perspective, considering the design and composition of the shapes created from the cast shadows. We set objects in the sun to create a strong light source, good lights and darks and value contrast.
Having never done watercolor, it will be hard to see how each step will lead to a final painting. Using the images the students selected, I painted small color and composition studies that will serve as guides to working through their paintings. Not only for the class, but for studio paintings, I will often do a small study to "test" color selections, pigment mixes and properties.

Considering color harmony, I will choose pigments that represent each color family (yellow, red, blue) and vary in color temperature (warmness and coolness). Yellows: Aureolin yellow, New Gamboge Reds: Burnt Sienna, Brown Madder, Alizarin Blues: Cobalt, Ultramarine Blue, Pthalo Blue are a few of my favorite "staple" pigments.

My goal is not color accuracy, but rather to give the color more life allowing colors to mingle on the surface. One aspect of color illusion, is making a color appear to be what it is not.