Plein Air Painting in Chatham

 

Chatham Dunes

Beautiful Chatham, MA is only a little over an hour from us, yet once we crossed over the Cape Cod Canal, it felt like a distant getaway.   This was a short end-of-summer vacation trip complete with lots of walking, touring, shopping, eating out, and - the bonus, plein air painting.     I painted three paintings over the three days, all of which are shown below.

On the first day after settling in, we sat on the beach for a while watching the incoming fishing boats being chased by seals and swirling seagulls.   The late summer colors were beautiful and subtle and I hadn't planned on painting.  I  figured though, if I gave myself one hour before dinner, I could get a color study done.  The thought was irresistable. The color match was pretty accurate and it may look nicer in person because of all the thick paint.  Chatham Dunes.

Chatham Boat Launch

On day two, we discovered the boat launch scene by using Google Earth.   I could see the kayaks stacked up on the sand and no houses nearby on this bird's eye view.  Sure enough we were able to drive right down to the shore and we had the place to ourselves.   Technology is occasionally great!   We both painted this pristine vista and you can probably make out my husband's figure on the left of the in-progress photo.

Boat Launch with Sand

I had just finished and stepped sway noting with satisfaction that it was just the way I wanted it, when the wind took my whole easel down.    The good news is that the painting landed face up.  The bad news is that - well - see photo. I was not happy and it took me a while to get over it.  I scrapped off the sky completely and decided that a little sand in the sand and grasses was okay!  True plein air after all.

Chatham Silhouettes at Dawn

The third and final painting was done the next morning about an hour past dawn.   The silhouettes of the veranda, chairs and beach house were dark and dramatic against the soft bright sky.    Luckily I worked the sky, ocean and far barrier island first.   I say "luckily" because these elements soon disappeared in the mist.    The up sloping lawn was very green and not a look that I wanted to emphasize.  I left that decision for the studio, and in fact, it soon started to rain.   I was very happy to have gotten a paint-out in at all!

Cape Cod Canal Sunset

Cape Cod Canal Sunset

It's seven miles long and was man-made just about one hundred years ago.  The Cape Cod Canal cut 62 miles off the water route between Boston and New York.   The previous route took mariners through treacherous waters around the tip of Provincetown to reach Buzzards Bay and Long Island Sound.

It was a modern day maritime marvel then, and it still is, but land lovers get to enjoy it as well.   Access to the shores of the
waterway has never been easier and people can walk, cycle, fish and of course, watch the scenic vistas.    This painting depicts an exceptional sunset with the Sagamore Bridge in the foreground and the Cape Cod Canal Railroad Bridge in the distance.   

Neon Water Lilies

Neon Water Lilies

The Heritage Museum and Gardens on Cape Cod was the inspiration for this water lily painting.   Our day trip was planned after seeing hearing about an ongoing scientific study of 200 varieties of hydrangeas.   The hydrandeas were very nice but it was the lily pond that grabbed my attention.  When I saw the watery blossoms and reflections, I thought it is no wonder that Monet was so fascinated with pond lilies that he painted dozens of versions of them over his lifetime.  The neon colors reflected by water ripples were simply mesmerizing!

Cloudy Claflin Landing

Beached Boats in Chatham

I was on my way to an art lecture on Cape Cod and decided to head down extra early so that I could paint.   Claflin Road is a offshoot of scenic Shore Road in Chatham, MA - quiet, beautiful, and no parking restrictions.  The harbormaster and local walkers seemed to most use the path as their beach access.     Right away I noticed some plump seals perched on their sand bar and I was tempted to quickly start a painting of them.   That temptation didn't last as the tide was rising so quickly that the seals were gone within ten minutes.   A classic - and less volatile - subject caught my attention.   These dinghies and kayaks were much closer than the seals, and made a serene picture under the cloudy skies.   I used a generous amount of quick dry white with an ever-so-small amount of naples yellow, cadmium red and cobalt blue, to create the cloudy sky.  The strokes of sky color was applied with a palette knife.   The threads of color barely show up in the photo, but they are plenty noticeable in person.

Claflin Landing - Stage One Horizon Line

Claflin Landing - Stage Two - A Few Sprinkles Starting

About an hour had gone by when I felt raindrops.   I retrieved my large patio umbrella with the broken spokes.  It worked well enough to keep the easel, painting and palette from getting too wet as I finished up and packed.  As I loaded the painting into my vehicle, relaxed and satisfied, I thought, "this painting is somewhat dull."  Back in the studio under full light, I changed my mind.   It really captures the day, and is a product of standing in a gorgeous spot doing what I love to do - the primary goal of plein air painting!

VIEW FINISHED PAINTING

Workshop Studies

Cataumet Cove

This week I was one of the lucky painters who participated in a workshop with contemporary realist painter Joseph McGurl.     The workshop was information rich - covering everything from composition to paint application to framing and even today's challenging art market.   If you are ever given the chance to participate, jump at it!


Seagull on Boulder

Despite the - almost - constant mist and rain, we got four painting studies done using some of the techniques, tips and strategies that this amazing artist uses.    It is always a bit unnerving to try new methods (custom view finder, acrylic underpainting, atmospheric glazes), but in the spirit of breaking out of our comfort zones, Joe challenged us to do just that.     He circled through the group offering assistance several times during each painting session, keeping us moving along on our paintings - what was working and what aspects needed attention.

Cataumet PO 02534

My favorite part of the workshop were the demonstrations. I was absolutely mesmerized during both the plein air and studio work.   I remember sitting at one point staring at his illuminated canvas and thinking how fortunate I was and that it was a gift to be able to see this painting in-progress (soon to be on display in New York for international audiences to appreciate.)   His approach and methodology are uniquely his own.   I don't think it was shared so that they would be precisely emulated, but rather to be considered within our own signature styles.  New tools for the toolbox.

Misty Garden Cherub

I've included my four painting sketches, Marsh Cove in Cataumet, Big Boulder, Cataumet PO 02534, Misty Garden Cherub.  All four need work, but here are the post paint-out versions.

Alongside the Craigville Painters

Once again this year, I joined the Craigville Painters to kick off their paint-out season.   I met coordinators Avis and Alison a couple of years ago and they invite me each year to visit their lovely seaside community located within the town of Centerville.   It was a good turnout with about eight painters.

On this day, we painted high above the beach at the top of the "100 steps" under the gazebo. Depicted in the middle of the painting is the private bathhouse building that sits right on the beach below the 100 steps.  This was a south facing view of Nantucket Sound.  The high humidity translated into a milky pink sky, a far shoreline that was pale blue, and ocean water that had a foggy greenish look to it.  I've learned to never hestitate to paint because the weather is cloudy, misty or muggy.  In paint, capturing the dense atmosphere can yield a painting with a dreamy feel to it.


Top of the Hundred Steps

Hawthorne Vista

Chatham, Massachusetts is located at the elbow of Cape Cod and given its maritime location, the views are spectacular every which way you look.   The Hawthorne motel is situated up on a slope overlooking Chatham Harbor only a quarter mile south of the Fish Pier on Shore Road.    There was no need to look any further than outside the door of our modest room when deciding on a painting spot for the next morning.

Before going to sleep, I set up my field easel with a canvas panel and prepared some sunrise sky colors.  I wanted to be all ready to record the Chatham Harbor dawn.   Honestly, I wasn't out there at dawn, but I was painting by 7 AM - not too bad for a vacation day.



Hawthorne Vista - Stage One

I was trying to be quiet while pulling my gear out to the grass outside our door, so as not to disturb other vacationing guests.  I was maneuvering the fully extended easel out the storm door and was in the process of not making a racket that I threw out my back.  

At first I denied to myself that I had done it, and continued to paint.   It started to become a struggle to step back and I became more and more stooped to one side.  Had it not have been for being determined to paint this gorgeous spot, I probably would have given in and stopped.   to it and have gotten.  Trying to work through the discomfort only made it worse.  Unfortunately I finally conceded defeat and reclined into a back stabilizing position.  The painting was about 90% complete, only missing the tops of the evergreens down in the sand dunes.  I would have to finish those in the studio.

What I hadn't noticed was that several of the other guests were taking a keen interest, not only in the painting, but in my worsening back.   Evidently my S-shaped posture and wincing was more noticeable that I realized.   One nice woman even offered me a frozen ice pack she had brought with her for her bad back.   (A reminder not to lose faith in humanity!)   A fellow from Canton periodically checked on the painting's progress and asked if I was doing anything for my back.   Another nice couple from Canada had lots of questions about the painting process, and what about the gnat that had plopped down in middle the sky.  Would I be getting rid of that?  And how was my back doing?  Yes, there are many more good people in this world than bad.

Hawthorne Vista

Now, let me make this long blog longer.   The painting itself?  The main thrust of it was to capture the warm, early morning light on the cottage on the left, and record the memorable elements of the iconic Chatham landscape - Tern Island, the Chatham Fish Pier and the boat filled harbor.   I used mostly palette knife so there is quite a bit of thick paint on this one.   By 9AM, the water was no longer pink, but a deepening blue, so it took concentration to stay locked into the dawn color scheme.

Toward the end of the paint out, our lodging hostess took a picture of the paint-out and posted it in the Hawthorne Facebook page if you want to take a look.  Here is the finished painting and as I look at it, I'm thinking the September golden grasses are really starting to show through.   I'll be sending this one over to the shop next week.

ps.   My back is much better!

July Beach Day in Harwich

Maureen Painting at Harwich Beach -
Photo courtesy of Julia Hatch

Sunny, breezy and mid-eighties.    That was a forecast that got people young and old to their nearest beach on Cape Cod.   For us, that beach was in beautiful Harwich facing Nantucket Sound at the end of Pleasant Road.     I set up early in some shade from the pine trees that bordered the beach parking lot.     The light on the canvas was not ideal, but I hoped that by comparing all my color mixes in the sun against the scene, that it would turn out okay. 



Harwich Beach Day Stage One

Lots of people stopped by to observe and/or chat.   I'm used to it now, and have discovered that the curious want to be painters, but for whatever reason, haven't gotten into it yet.   On this day I met a couple on an eight week USA road trip (in a Prius by the way), a guy who sketches with charcoal and/or pencils, a teacher on vacation with her daughter, a middle school youngster who told me he had no talent in art, but was a pretty good baseball player and finally, a lovely, young woman who was a photographer from Vermont.   She took some great photos and was kind enough to send some to me to use in this blog post.   (Thank you Julia!)



Harwich Beach Day Stage Two

My eyes had a rough time looking at the blinding light in this beach setting.   I left my sunglasses on while I sketched in the placement lines, but once I start mixing colors, they had to come off - for color accuracy.       I decided to include the couple with the colorful beach umbrella in the foreground and the lifeguard stand further in the distance.   



Maureen Painting at Harwich Beach -
Photo courtesy of Julia Hatch

The light was warm and the shadows were cool and since there was more sand than any other element in the painting, it was important to get the heat into the sunlit sand,  I mixed in naples yellow and hints of cadmium red (along with titanium buff).   The cool shadowed sand was painted with asphaltum (a Gamblin transparent brown), cobalt blue and a bit of titanium buff.

Time flew and two hours into the painting, things were very different.   I was now in the sun, the shadows had moved and there were twice as many people on the beach.   My sister was now on a chair in front of me, no doubt waiting for my lively conversation so it was time to take a swim and get on a beach chair myself!

Harwich Beach Day Stage Three






West Harwich Riverview

Artist Eli Cedrone at Herring River

If you aren't familiar with painter Eli Cedrone, you haven't seen the beautiful work of one of the most talented artists in our area.   Her work is in local galleries, and across the country.    I was fortunate to have attended a "pop-up" workshop on Cape Cod with her recently.

The weather cooperated and the location Eli had picked was a gorgeous spot along the Herring River in West Harwich, Massachusetts.

She began her demonstration with small thumbnails done in pencil.   She explained that this step helps to work out the design of the painting.  She emphasized the importance of first designing the scene in black and white to come up with a strong composition.  She encouraged us to use nature as the reference but liberally move elements as necessary to support a better painting.

For the second stage, she used the upper half of her canvas board to paint the scene in three values.   This value study and the thumbnails would serve as the blueprint for the actual color painting.  


My Value Study

Finally, she produced the color rendition of the same scene which was created on the lower half of the board.   I liked using this disciplined approach and I've used it in the past, so I soon got started on my own painting.

Two rustic red dinghies tempted me while scoping out my composition, but I would have been looking in a southerly direction  - and into the glare.   My eyes just can't take that much light.  I don't wear sunglasses while applying color as they change both the values and the colors.   I turned my back on the sun and looked downstream instead.  There was a steady stream of both moving water and colorfully clad kayakers.

Per our process, this poor photo (why is it checkered like that??) is the value study done in quick dry paint.   I toured all the other participants' easels while it dried.   It is always amazing to see the variation in the paintings when most were of the same scene.

The fun part was the color.   Using the now dry value study, I applied color right on top of it, expressly trying to stay true to the monochrome lights and darks.   While on site, I decided that I liked a pair of twin red umbrellas off to the left in the distance and as the most chromatic element, they called for attention. Back in the studio though, I decided to add the kayakers in the distance in the same general area as the umbrellas and I liked the misty look of cruising the river.

Herring Riverview - West Harwich

Hot Chatham Day in October

Facing North from Chatham Light Overlook

It was another glorious day in Southeastern Massachusetts.  In spite of it being October, the forecast predicted temperatures in the eighties.   I packed up the Cube and headed to Cape Cod, specifically Chatham Center where I visited a couple of art galleries, including one of my favorites, J. Todd, before starting my paint-out.  I wanted to check out their new location and saw that it is right in the middle of everything, next to the gazebo.   I was not disappointed!  My fellow painters have supplied an exquisite collection.  I could have lingered, but I had "fun" to do - I mean "work."

Chatham Light which hovers over the "elbow" of Cape Cod is a popular tourist attraction.   The high vantage point is a spectacular place to see the shifting sand bars that shield Chatham Harbor.   During storms, the wild open ocean beyond the barrier islands cause tremendous variation in the shorelines from year to year.   They seem to change dramatically every time I visit.  To the south is Monomoy Island which is known to have changed its shape and even island status over the years. On this day, the vivid and bright blue Atlantic rivaled the hues you might see in tropical places.

There is a row of parking that overlooks the ocean, and in the past I have found it so crowded and chaotic that I haven't painted there.   Today, the dream spot awaited me (the last spot on the left), so I pulled in and set up.

Harbor from Chatham Light

I became mindful of the feeling of awe we humans experience upon seeing amazing things for the first time. Audible reactions I heard from people as they emerged from their vehicles, walked to the railing and saw the beautiful panorama...    "Oh my goodness!  ....Soooo blue.....Wow.....Beautiful! .....What a spot.....Can we go down there?  ....Where is my camera? ... No wonder you are painting here!"

And that's why it needs to be painted.   Experiencing the beauty of the location for the span of time it takes to create a painting is just as much of the enjoyment as coming away with a series of marks on a canvas that captures the scene.  Oh, lucky me, how exhilarating!   (And a stop at Marian's Pie Shop on the way back was only icing!)

Nantucket Sound Vista from Centerville

Gazebo Overlooking Centerville Beach - Stage One

I had never seen the Centerville beaches until the day of this paint-out even though I've been visiting Cape Cod my whole life.   Centerville is just to the west of Hyannis so the trip did not take very long travelling down Route 3, over the Sagamore Bridge and along Route 6 to Exit 5.   I was meeting a group of plein air painters from Craigville, a small community that overlooks the beaches.

The meeting spot was the gazebo at the top of "the forty steps."    It had plenty of parking, shady trees and a beautiful view of the ocean.   The heat was still turned all the way up even though Cape Cod is known for being generally cooler in summer than "mainland" Massachusetts.   The winds were brisk but hot at the gazebo, forty steps above sea level.

Gazebo Overlooking Centerville Beaches

In the first photo, the scene and my painting are shown. In the top left corner is a large branch, part of the tree on the left that crossed through my viewfinder.    I included it thinking that it would offer a foreground element that framed the painting.    When I asked the group for their opinions, the consensus was the branch was confusing and detracted from the painting.    I was thankful for the insight because once I removed it, the scene seemed to become lighter and airier, like the day itself.   The sky was a pale blue (cerulean) with some hazy, pinkish clouds (yellow ochre, cad red) that are present on humid summer days like these
.  Although the figure is not prominent in the painting, she is sitting in the gazebo doing a watercolor painting if you look closely.

Sagamore Bridge

Precarious Position

It's This Big

I needed to make another trip to the Cape today so I stopped at the Scusset Beach side of the canal and pulled into the parking lot at the base of the Sagamore Bridge.   Three weeks ago we had discovered a spot further down the canal and we painted the waterway with the bridge in the distance.   Today's location was practically under the bridge and what a sight it was.      I really got a feel for how huge the bridge was when I spotted workers up underneath it on the other side.  See the photos to the left.   There does not exist enough money to pay me to do that job!




Sagamore Bridge - Stage 1

As for the painting, I had brought a previously painted 14 x 18 inch canvas and composed it with the bridge arch shooting out the top of the canvas and the road exiting right.   The sky was bright with thick, colorful clouds.   The water in the canal was a bit puzzling; it was not a true reflection color of the sky, but instead was a chromium green type color.      The winter tree line on the other side of the canal was a muted grayish rust color.   The thatched roof and windmill of the Christmas Tree Shop was a recognizable silhouette that I wanted to include.






Sagamore Bridge - Stage 2

 The foreground was so non-descript that I worried at first that it was quite ugly.    As the painting developed, I realized that the dull foreground would provide relief from the detail of the various mid-range elements.  I kept the foregroung subdued and void of any attention grabbing features.




Sagamore Bridge Late March

I find design elements with interesting detail - like bridges - somewhat difficult.  My tendency is to want to produce an accurate depiction of all the detail - in this case - the intricate supporting rails and beams.   Artistically, I knew that not only was it not necessary, but it would probably detract.

Stage 2 is far from an accurate depiction of all the steel beams.   Hopefully, I've included enough  to allow the viewer to get the gist of the structure, without overwhelming it.

When the painting was nearly complete, I realized that the color harmony was somewhat disjointed, ranging from red brown in the distant trees and foreground grasses, to blues in the fence shadows.   I decided that I would play
up the yellow/purple harmony, which was the dominant scheme in the bridge and grasses.

Cape Cod Canal

Occasional trips to Cape Cod Massachusetts mean crossing over the Cape Cod Canal, a manmade marvel that changed commerce for and transportation through southeastern Massachusetts,



Cloudy Cape Cod Canal

Next year will mark the Cape Cod Canal Centenial as its grand opening was July 29, 1914.    Just three short years after the arrival of the Pilgrims on the Mayflower in 1620, Miles Standish of the Plymouth Colony proposed a man-made canal separating Cape Cod from Massachusetts’ mainland. At the time, a major factor in the decision to dig this canal was to create more efficient trade routes between the Plymouth settlers in the north and the Native Americans and Dutch in the south. Instead of braving the treacherous waters around the arm of Cape Cod, Pilgrims would be able to leave Cape Cod Bay and head directly south.   This would allow vessels to avert the treacherous waters and rocks along the outer shores of Cape Cod.  Unfortunately, the settlers were unable to take on such a task, as their labor force and technology could not bear the required work.

During the American Revolution, building a Cape Cod Canal was again of interested in order to circumvent British harbor blockades. Going into the nineteenth century, many plans were made, but none succeeded. Meanwhile, the toll of shipwrecks along the hazardous outer banks of Cape Cod continued to mount. During the late 1880′s, shipwrecks occurred at the rate of one every two weeks.

Eventually, by the 1900s, ideas and technology were both advanced enough to finally build the canal.

In 1927, US Corps of Engineers selected two land areas that were naturally elevated, and erected fixed high-level bridges designed to accommodate the superstructures of large ocean-going vessels. The Corps created a vertical clearance of 135 feet above water and a horizontal clearance of 480 feet.

So not only is the Canal an important and functional wonder, it is beautiful.  There are numerous scenic areas along the canal and finally today, we took a walk along the canal while deciding upon a spot to paint. Late winter gray clouds predominated and there were even flakes in the air. We found a great parking spot right next to the canal so we set up knowing we could quickly pack up if we had to. The weather actually improved as we painted and a bright sun peaked through the puffy clouds. This is the Sagamore Bridge over the canal.   What a treat to watch the swirling canal currents and large colorful fishing trawlers pass by. Oh - and we produced paintings too.

At the Dock in Hyannis

Photo of Painting Location - Hyannis Dock

I was driving to Cape Cod to deliver paintings so I took the opportunity to find a nice spot and do a painting "en plein air."   Was it a sparkling, picturesque, postcard type day?   Not at all.  It was late February, gray, and overcast.    I headed to the water in Hyannis and turned into the Fast Ferry Terminal parking lot.  It was deserted except for the off-season skeletal crew who pointed out a spot where I could set up. 



Waiting for the Ferry at Hyannis - Stage 1

The location was at the dock railing overlooking the ferry lane.    I stood between two rows of luggage carts, which served nicely as wind blockers, although it was fairly calm.  As I was first setting up, the ferry arrived.   It was so large with respect to the small inlet that it essentially filled up the entire middle area of my scene. I decided that I would include the ferry in my painting.  Until another one came I would begin working on the static elements which included the multiple shorelines to the left and right of the ferry lane at their different distances including a beautiful little lighthouse. 

I sight sized the scene onto a 9x12 inch panel. It consisted of tan-gray shrubbery, winter-bare blue- gray trees and yellow gray sand.  The pigments for the thick blue clouds and the water were grayish blends of yellow, pink, eggshell and lavender.   I felt like I was honoring the day, as gray as it was.       I love the gray days for painting!

Waiting for the Ferry at Hyannis - Stage 2

When it began to rain lightly, I moved under the ticket counter overhang until it stopped.  I wasn't able to paint in a ferry as I had planned because unfortunately there were no more ferry arrivals or departures - at least up until the point I had to leave.   What a different painting it would be to have added a ferry.   Instead this is a serene understated winter scene - still nice I think.   I am reminded by this experience that I am not able to paint from memory very well.  That would be a good thing to practice.

Yarmouthport Paint Out

Today I delivered a painting to the Cape Cod Art Association for the 2012 All New England Exhibit.   I headed down to the Cape around 6:45 a.m. so that I could take the opportunity to paint prior to delivering it.   My goal was to find a painting locale nearby and take advantage of the beautiful Cape Cod light.  (Marshfield actually has similar luminous feel, but it's always nice to explore.)   I used my GPS to find a road that appeared to lead to the bay side of the Cape in Yarmouthport.   The road opened up to a marsh river that had a beautiful one lane bridge over it.   This was a peninsula that overlooked the bay.   Two women walking their dogs directed me to the perfect painting spot.   It was a boat launch area at the end of Water Road.   Fantastic views surrounded me.






Yarmouthport Painting One - Stage One

The temperatures were relatively chilly at 58 degrees with a brisk wind off the water.   It was a gentle reminder that, calendarwise, autumn is only ten days away.   I suited up appropriately with some clothing layers that have been in the trunk since Spring.   I was a fashion disaster, I'm sure; just look at my bulky silouette in the photo above.


The sun was on my palette and my canvas.  This bright light can result in a painting that can be too dark once viewed with indoors.    I decided that I was not willing or capable of compensating for this darkness on the fly, so I just painted it the way I saw it.  




Yarmouthport Painting One - Stage Two

An old dead tree with twisted whitewashed branches provided a stark contrast against the vivid blue sky, water and summer green marsh.

The stage one sketch-in was prior to recording the specific branch shadows as I wanted them.  The stage two painting has more refined branches and tree shadows.







Yarmouthport Painting 2

Yarmouthport Painting 2 Stage 2

The second painting was done more swiftly.  The initial block in was done with my wide pastry brush.   I then switched to my palette knife.   It was impressionistic and loose which is a look that I wish was more prevalent in my paintings.   As I did my color matching, I held the loaded palette knife or brush up against the target landscape color.  With such great light, it was a surefire way to see if the mixture matched.  There is a lighthouse in the middle which I was told by a  visitor is on a peninsula in Sandwich.  

My next planned visit to Yarmouthport will be for the painting pick up and I am thinking I will try to find that lighthouse.




A Key Workshop Experience - Days Three and Four

The third and fourth days of the Daniel Keys oil painting 

Teacups, Fruit and Flowers

workshop focussed on still life.     Antique teacups and fruit were added to the floral displays from day two.    Daniel set up a large canvas, 16x20 inches, and painted a beautiful composition of teacups, begonias, yellow pansies and fruit.   The lighting scheme was cool light and warm shadows and he worked it with clean, bright color over the two days.

For me, having painted the purple and yellow pansies on the previous painting, they were much easier this time around.     I nudged a pansy down into the left teacup to create a shadow inside.  Daniel thought it was a neat idea and did the same to his set up.

I tried to stay in step with his painting by executing the floral elements and greenery first. The values contrast of the pink impatiens light and shadow is a definite improvement over my past florals.   We also worked on painting the negative spaces around certain leaves and stems. The dahlia may be too dominant from a composition perspective, but it was good practice setting in each row of petals from outer to inner.  

The teacups that Daniel painted had gold leaf trim.   My teacups didn't have gold, but I liked it so much that I added it.   The gold on the darker sides of the cup was made from cad lemon, terra rosa and light green.   The gold highlight was cad lemon and cad yellow deep.

I can see that I will have to come back to this painting for a few details, like the shine on the middle apple and the cup handles and any other comments that I get from readers.

What a worthwhile experience!   I have lots of notes on techniques and color that I will be trying in the near future.  It was a week packed with learning and I have an even greater admiration for a rising star in the art world in Daniel, and I met great group of new friends who paint.

A Key Workshop Experience - Day Two

The agenda for Day Two of the Daniel Keys oil painting workshop was painting a morning Cape Cod location, breaking for lunch, then painting a different location in the afternoon.     Rain squelched this plan so Plan B was enacted.   A large local studio became our shelter for the next three days.   A trip to a local garden center produced an assortment of local plants and flowers for grouping into a simulated greenhouse landscape. 



Yellow Pansies

Daniel demonstrated his technique by painting a lovely purple and white bearded iris.     How dark are white petals in shadow?   Probably a lot darker than I would initially paint them.   It was so valuable to observe the methodology for applying clean, clear color to achieve a fresh and beautiful result.  This means getting the right color at the right value and applying it correctly the first time.  Subsequent application of paint can only make it muddy.

My station's set up had magenta dahlias and purple trimmed yellow pansies.   The first challenge was mixing the shadow color for what looked like very light yellow pansies.   I used my green mixture (viridian and cad yellow deep) and my purple mixture (cobalt blue and permanent rose) to get a greenish gray.     I trimmed the petals with a purple that was initially too dark...I resolved this problem once I realized that anywhere the yellow petals were lightest, the purple trim had to be its lightest too.   So obvious, right?   Not always when I'm in the moment.



A Key Workshop Experience - Day One

I attended a four-day, thoroughly enjoyable - workshop this week with a masterful young artist, Daniel Keys.    Not only is Daniel producing incredibly beautiful art, but he has a natural talent for teaching, sharing information in clear and understandable terms.    On the previous weekend, living legend, artist Richard Schmid dubbed Daniel the artist to watch.  I consider myself very lucky to have had this opportunity to learn from and paint with this remarkably accomplished phenom.

Click here to get a closer look at Daniel's art.
http://danielkeysfineart.com/

My Easel at Beach Rose Inn Side Garden

The first two days were to be focussed on the Cape Cod landscape.   The charming Beach Rose Inn in West Falmouth was a perfect backdrop for capturing on canvas a gorgeous June day on Cape Cod.   The roses, shasta daisies, and peonies were in full bloom decorating the grounds, and providing a variety of floral subjects.    Other choices were a koi pond with lily pads (and yes, the frog sitting on a lily pad), rustic cottages with flower boxes, and centuries old cedars.

Planter, Lantern and Spring Greens

The multitude of Spring greens, a blue speckled pottery planter and wrought iron path lantern were the elements present in the scene I chose.  On my palette I had introduced some colors that were new to me, like Transparent Oxide Brown.   It was a bit arduous - but rewarding - to not only try the new colors, but to adhere to the discipline of applying color shapes in the methodical process that Daniel had demonstrated in the morning.     The warm undertones of the transparent brown are still visible.   Using a nice clean blue has resulted in a pot that is a bit too blue.   I'll most likely tone it down with a glaze in a few days.   Here is my painting from day one of the workshop.

Schmid and Keys Cape Cod Demo

A remarkable, once-in-a-lifetime event occurred this past Sunday.    This rare opportunity presented itself in the form of a painting demonstration with a living legend and a young phenom.  Seventy-five lucky people gathered in a small West Falmouth library to see this special demonstration.

Richard Schmid and Daniel Keys painted their respective still life painting on either side of a centered floral display, watched by a mesmerized audience.       Richard Schmid, looking strong and fit at 78 years old was absolutely magnificent.   He shared some techniques, some stories, and by example, his philosophy on mentorship in art.   He in no uncertain terms stated that the young man next to him, his mentee, Daniel Keys, was the person to watch in art today and declared him a premier artist.

Daniel Keys, a mere 26 years old, appropriately deferential to the master, showed a level of talent and discipline that was truly remarkable.  It was both fun and amazing to see their paintings develop.   They seemed to thoroughly enjoy each other's company, fondly exchanging smiles and comments, so confident in their abilities, that they seemed to hardly notice that a crowd of observers were watching.

For a sampling of their beautiful work, use these links:

www.richardschmid.com

http://danielkeysfineart.com/



Richard Schmid and Daniel Keys Painting Side-by-side Demo