S.I.P 3-day Large-format Workshop Nov, 4th - 6th

"SWIMMING-IN-PAINT"

 3- Day Workshop

"ABOUT THINKING BIG WHEN IT COMES TO OUR ART"

November 4th - 6th
 
10:00 am to 2:30pm  (Lunch break at 12:15)

The team will meet in CLASSROOM 1

 Contact Crossroads Art Center for details 804.278.8950 

"Swimming in Paint" is always about following the light, painting shapes with colour and energy!

Over the weekend, at Crossroads Art Center, the team will again step up to the "BIG" challenge "THINKING BIG WHEN IT COMES TO OUR ART" The 3-day workshop is primarily to push the team beyond a safe space.

As painting coach I urged the use of long broad deliberate strokes. This is a wonderful opportunity to explore energy painting, moving with the natural lines of our subject - stepping back to observe progress and adjusting our progress. Working towards the ultimate goal, intuitive painting......it requires some confidence and space to do it.

One of my most favorite things we did in Swimming-in-Paint was the 3-day Large Format workshop last month. We set up (2) workshops towards the end of the season to give the team an opportunity to show their stuff! The team relentlessly explores different painting subjects each week, working on paint quality, continually studying composition at a distance and closeup into finished paintings. 

This is another wonderful opportunity for team members to bring all their experience gained each week doing 30x30s to a "BIG" conclusion.  

"THINK BIG"

SOLO EXHIBIT - SIZING UP

The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen

Gumenick Family Gallery

Blue Iris & Lilies 84x72 oil on linen (7-30-13)

(6048 sq. in.)

The ultimate goal of "Swimming-in-Paint" is to discover that "Signature Look"  in a team member!

While we could end up with a masterpiece, this exercise is not about making a masterpiece. If it doesn't work, wipe it off, jump in again - always with energy!

PROJECT INFORMATION 

• There will be 5x7 references to work from - each will have a clear painting idea.....choose one and run with it!

• If a team member has a special idea they want to paint, that's OK, providing it represents a solid single idea. Otherwise be prepared to paint one of references provided.

• Canvas requirement 1700 square inches or larger. Canvas, preferably Centurion double primed oil linen. A limited supply of smooth stretched oil primed linen gallery wrap canvas will be available.

40x44 - (1760 sq. in.) $90.00 each

44x48 - (2112 sq. in.) $100.00 each 

48x56 - (2688 sq. in.) $125.00 each

 

"SUPPLY IS LIMITED - CALL TO RESERVE ONE OF THESE CANVAS"

A romantic Victorian, Artist Arthur Hacker

Artist  Arthur Hacker

I thought  this would be a wonderful opportunity to study the rhythm in Arthur Hacker's wonderful figure paintings and how he constructed his compositions. Hacker was born at the start of a very transitional period of art. So he's one of many who became hybrid painters.....painting light and shadow during that period.

BRITISH MASTER - ARTHUR HACKER 1858 - 1919

BIOGRAPHY

Arthur Hacker was born in London, the son of Edward Hacker, the line engraver. He went to the RA Schools before studying in Paris under Leon Bonnat, who was internationally famous as a portrait painter and a lifelong friend of Degas. Bonnat was the ideal teacher for Hacker who became a fashionable portrait painter himself.

His early work consisted of genre and historical scenes, such as The Waters of Babylon and The Annunciation which was brought by the Chantrey Bequest in 1892. As an indirect result of the success of this painting. he was elected an associate of the RA and soon after began teaching at the Academy.  He partially abandoned subject painting in favour of portraiture, in which he achieved considerable success. He was elected an Academician in 1910 and began to paint a series of London street scenes, including A Wet Night in Piccadilly Circus..... which met with mixed reception from the critics who were not prepared for a painting of this nature. It was far more modern in its treatment than anything else Hacker had produced.

In his later years he returned to painting mythological and allegorical subjects. He died on Wednesday, 12 November 1919 in London, where he had resided all his life, and was buried at Brookwood Cemetery near Woking, Surrey.

(Source: Adrian Vincent, A Companion to Victorian and Edwardian Artists)

Arthur Hacker 

I'm a great fan of painted signatures in art. After all. we use a brush full of paint which often causes it to become stylized.....perhaps even into a brand logo. Our signature is our own personal stamp. A visual identification that separates us out from all the rest in the sandbox. So it takes some time to develop with a sure hand and be aesthetically compatible with the rest of the painting. Like our art, it evolves to maturity. As a collector, I give it great consideration when purchasing any painting. Galleries do too!
 

This is one of my favorite of Hackers

How cool is the weightless drapery effect

Hacker, if you look closely, is actually a very good example of different textures from thin wet-in-wet to heavy globs of paint.... sometimes built up dry brushed layers. Often quite abstract marks closeup, which at a distance gives a very compelling sense of  realism and refined detail..... He definitely established a very romantic rhythm in his work shown here by punctuating light and shadow with colour.....Something to be admired beyond his subject.   

Team chat - Painting to a Conclusion

The last team chat post was about Plein air and quick warmup paintings as learning tools. These are two important learning tools I used to improve my skills as a painter.

BULLETS

• Observational skill - painting what you see - as in painting shapes, light and shadows with colours you see.
• Developing paint quality, as in juicier brushwork - lost and found edges - the painterly aspect. 
  

This post is about the next BULLET - "painting to a conclusion" - one painting at a time or in a series concept to a conclusion. 

I'm a firm believer in "one painting at a time - good or bad...move on". I'm also a firm believer in learning your subject first by studying it and doing quick warmup studies. If you want to paint cows........study their characteristics, gestures, then binge paint a bunch of cows until you're comfortable before going for the Gold! 

If you learned how to use your first BULLET, "Observational Skills", seeing and painting shapes gets much easier as you go!

The sun, moon and snow had my attention at the end of 2009. Richmond had a lot of snow that winter! It was perfect for a series of learning paintings..... studying the morning sun effect through bare trees and how the light reflected on fresh snow. I had a perfect 10 studio window view to capture all the action every morning.

Below is a total of (12) paintings completed over (11) days, including, (2) 16x20s and (1) unsigned failed 16x20 canvas. which to me meant, the series energy was done....move on!!!

EXAMPLE of a Learning Series

2009 WINTER SUNRISE (plein air)

 #187 December Snow 10x8 oil on linen (12-20-09)
 

#188 December Snow 10x8 oil on linen (12-21-09)

#189 December Snow 10x8 oil on linen (12-21-09)

 #190 December Snow 10x8 oil on linen (12-22-09)

#190 December Snow 12x12 oil on canvas panel (12-22-09)

 #192 December Snow 10x8 oil on linen (12-23-09)

#193 December Moon 10x8 oil on linen (12-23-09)

#194 December Snow 8x10 oil on linen (12-24-09)

CONCLUSION

(larger 2-session painting)

#195 Christmas Moon in Virginia 16x20 oil on linen (12-26-09)

#196 Winter Sunrise 10x8 oil on linen (12-27-09)
 

 CONCLUSION
(larger 2-session painting)

 #197 December Dawn 16x20 oil on linen (12-29-09)

 A FAILED  CONCLUSION - TIME TO MOVE ON!!

#198 Not Signed 16x20 oil on linen (12-31-09) 

 

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT NEVER STOPS!

Once in the studio, the focus was soon on developing paintable subjects - in my case, basically painting anything about the sun or moon had my attention in 2009. Working in the studio quickly led to more organized painting. A good thing, because Plein air was always more in search of a paintable view than actual painting.....

Rotating subjects in the early days played a big part speeding up my personal progress. I'll show how it worked favorably with Venice in next Team chat post.

S.I.P #32 & #33 Friday, 28th and Saturday, 29th of October

"SWIMMING-IN-PAINT"

 The Sea

10:00 am to 2:30pm  (Lunch break at 12:15)

team LIMITED TO 10

The team will meet in CLASSROOM 1

 Contact Crossroads Art Center for details 804.278.8950 

"Swimming in Paint" is always about following the light, painting shapes with colour and energy!

 #1094 Seascape 30x30 oil on linen (10-23-16)

REFERENCES

 SOFT SUNRISE OR SUNNY ACTION

Friday and Saturday, the demos and team project will be painting the Sea. There will be (2) references to work from - each will have a clear painting idea.....so just choose one and run with it! I'll paint both as demos. One before lunch and one after lunch.

OR

If a team member has a special seascape they want to paint, that's OK, providing it represents a solid single idea. Otherwise be prepared to paint one of the two references provided.

OR

Some team members have requested time to finish unfinished paintings. They can bring their unfinished work to class and finish up. I was going to try a few separate painting days to accommodate the team - however time is not available. We're close to the end of the season, so we have  (6) more single day sessions (including this week) to accommodate the team request.

OR

A member can use a Centurion OP DLX Linen canvas pad and do quick studies - similar to my Demos

 

The ultimate goal of "Swimming-in-Paint" is to discover that "Signature Look"  in a team member!
 

While we could end up with a masterpiece, this exercise is not about making a masterpiece. If it doesn't work, wipe it off, jump in again - always with energy!

For those who can't make the class or live in distant lands, download the references and try this at home. Email me at Chuck@Larivey.com with your results - I would love to see them:=)

BASIC PROJECT INFORMATION 

5X7 References will be available

Brown bag or order lunch from Gretchen's before class. The lunch table is a wonderful time to chat and study our progress.

Canvas, preferably Centurion double primed oil linen. An ample supply of smooth stretched oil primed linen canvas in various sizes will always be available.

24x24 - $20.00 each
30x30 - $25.00 each

There will also be a supply of Royal soft grip brushes (SG4500 Series) available at $2.50 each.

I do encourage using a glass palette - old picture frame glass works with a white sheet of paper and a cardboard backing or foam core with blue taped edges to hold it all together. 

Please try to have (1) Flexible palette knife. Preferably similar to the two on the left.

(16x20 shown)

SUPPLY LIST

(1) 24x24, 30x30 or larger canvas - Centurion oil primed linen or equal

(1) #10 Royal soft grip SG4520 Filbert (rounded flat)

(1) #12 or #10 Royal soft grip SG4510 Bright (flat)

A few palette knives (flexible)
Glass palette with a small paint scraper
3 or 4 sheets of paper towels (folded into quarters)

Neo Megilp oil painting medium

Clean cotton rags - (cut up old cotton Tee shirts and white socks work well)

Small amount of odorless mineral spirits - at least 8 oz.

Basic palette: I added a few of the specialty colours I often use - either way I always share those colours.

Titanium White or a fast drying Griffin alkyd by Winsor & Newton

Naples yellow

Lemon yellow

Cadmium Yellow medium
Alizarin Orange (Williamsburg)
Permanent green light

Sap green
Chromium Oxide or green oxide

Cerulean Blue
Sevres Blue (Williamsburg)

French Ultramarine Blue
Ultramarine Blue French (Williamsburg)

Dioxazine Purple
Provence Violet Bluish (Williamsburg)

Alizarin Crimson
Permanent Rose
Persian Rose (Williamsburg)

Cadmium Vermilion (Williamsburg)

NOTE: PAINTING SURFACE

Jerry's has Centurion oil linen well priced already stretched by the box (6)......check it out.

  ALWAYS WAIT FOR A SALE

http://www.jerrysartarama.com/canvas-surfaces/stretched-canvas/centurion

Royal SG4500 series long handle soft grip brushes (LINK)
or
Direct link to brushes - scroll down to the SG4500 series

Team Chat - Colour chips & Plein Air

I'm of the camp, Plein air is for learning and developing observational skills more than it is about finished paintings. My first 6 months was all about Plein air painting and I absolutely enjoyed the process....and still do. You move fast, record the info and move on......if you don't, you end up following the light.....or getting rained on:=) Back in the studio, as colour chips, these little paintings work well as reminders and are easily used in conjunction with photo references later.......colour chips!

MY FIRST PLEIN AIR PAINTING 2009

 #2 Libby Terrace 10x10 plein air oil on canvas panel (3-18-09)

PLEIN AIR IN THE RAIN & LIGHTNING

 #27 Stormy James from Libby Terrace 12x12 oil on canvas panel (5-4-09)

SAME DAY BACK IN THE STUDIO 

#28 Stormy James 30x24 oil on canvas panel (5-4-09)

AN EARLY SURPRISE 
AN HONOR THROUGH PLEIN AIR ON LIBBY HILL

 #124 Libby Sunset - plein air 8x10 oil on canvas panel (8-3-09)

 #125 Libby Sunset - plein air 8x10 oil on canvas panel (8-3-09)

RESULTED FROM THIS PAINTING THE NEXT DAY
Juried into Oil Painter of America 2009 Eastern Exhibit
Corse Gallery, Jacksonville, Florida

 #126 Richmond - Libby Sunset 18x24 oil on linen panel (8-4-09)
 

Another thing I did in the studio was fast "warmups", even more effective than plein air. I would stack a half dozen related photo references pared with small 8x10 inexpensive canvas panels (purchased by-the-box) and quickly go through each. Sometimes it would be a few or up to half a dozen in a single session. If the sunrise out my studio widow was right, I would also paint it and use one of the photos as my setting. These learning rants frequently ended up in a painting that was a bit larger. It was a constant approach......that just evolved. 

So, I chat with the team about some of the things I did........well not as effective as the visual presentation above and below and the class demo will do. 

 "VISUAL EXAMPLE OF MY EARLY COLOUR CHIPS - IN THE STUDIO"

#235 8x10 1/25/10

 #236 8x10 1/26/10 (sunrise out studio window)

 #237 11x14 1/26/10

#238 8x10 1/26/10 

NEXT DAY

 #239 8x10 1/27/10

 #240 8x10 1/27/10

NEXT DAY

 #241 10x8 1/28/10

 #242 11x14 1/28/10

NEXT DAY

 #243 8x10 1/29/10

 #244 8x10 1/29/10

 #245 10x8 1/29/10

A SNOW DAY

#246 8x10 1/30/10 (out the studio window)

 #247 10x8 1/30/10

NEXT DAY - END OF MONTH

 #248 8x10 1/31/10 (sunrise out studio window)

#249 11x14 1/31/10

(This continued on with various subjects for months on end!)

THIS WAS MY DAILY LEARNING PROCESS.......THE CHALLENGE  NOW IS HOW TO SHORT CUT IT & PASS IT ON?

I DO A 30X30 CLASS DEMO as part of my coaching program. In reality, because my attention is also shared with the team and their own canvases, my demos often are not finished. If not, they will be in the studio........ a bit of a problem because it doesn't show the team a conclusion - which they need to see -- especially if you expect them to sign-off at the end of the day......as I do!

So, I had a brainy idea to solve my demo problem and show the importance of also doing quick smaller work....critical to the learning process, especially at the front end. It helps develop that all important paint quality so necessary to any finished canvas.

Last week I started using one of these cool 20x16 Centurion linen oil painting pads Jerry's sells  to tell my story.

WHY LINEN? EASY, THESE DOUBLE OIL PRIMED PADS DO NOT ABSORB PAINT - very inexpensive too!

WORKING OUT THE DEMO CONCEPT

I chose my one standard small painting size 12x12 as my basic demo. Centurion's 20x16 size was perfect for what I had in mind. I would have room for a colour bar or other details at the top and my 12x12 painting at the bottom. If one was worthy of a frame it could be cut out and stretched. And, I could perhaps do several, getting different ideas across quickly as opposed to an unfinished 30x30.

 REFERENCE Libby Terrace 1

My first worked well because I was demonstrating and talking to the team about the Colour chip idea and the reasons for it. The colour notes are at the top as intended. Going forward I also want to add different types of brush marks used as well.

 

REFERENCE Libby Terrace 2

(notice both are numbered at the top)

On the second one I lost sight of the colour notes at the top......there was less time after lunch, and everyone was more involved with their own projects......although often broke to watch a moment.

OBJECT: I wanted to show another way of LEARNING by removing the "CAUTION" out of painting.......YES, more about the "FEAR" of wasting an expensive canvas!  At a few dollars a sheet it's better than an expensive linen stretched canvas. Why linen? Because we do need a good inexpensive surface to paint and learn on. Something we can toss and won't hurt financially or we can frame as one session paintings! They store flat one on top the other. In my experience, you'll have more learning paintings than paintings worthy of wall space! Know that and save yourself some time and money at the front end.

Painting must become intuitive if we expect to capture our vision and at the same time make us happy with the result. That means working in sync, brain to brush to canvas!

The team will still work on their larger 30x30 canvases. Or depending on a team members own development, have a choice to also use the Centurion pads as warmups to their benefit in another class or perhaps put it all together in the 3-day studio on large format painting. Developing paint quality and understanding your subject matter at smaller scale  gives a leg-up - one less hurdle to jump over when moving into a large finished work.