1 spot left for Mike Rooney plein air workshop in Onslow County on May 24th...

Connie Wenner (Executive Director of the Council for the Arts) just informed me that there is one spot left for the upcoming plein air workshop by Mike Rooney. The workshop is set for Saturday, May 24, 2008.

"Loosen up by Simplifying: Plein Air (painting outdoors)
Painting workshop by Mike Rooney
Saturday, May 24, 2008; 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

Mike Rooney will teach an outdoor painting class guaranteed to loosen up your style and transform your art. Learn to paint with a loose, colorful and impressionistic style. There will be a quick demo, indoor instruction (if it rains) and outdoor painting. Call Council for a recommended list of supplies.

Mike's workshops are awesome and I highly recommend them. To be honest.... at this low price (thanks Council)... if we simply watched him paint without a word we'd get more than our monies worth!

So far I think Dean, Mitchell, Stephen, myself, and (???) are signed up to attend. Workshop is limited to six artists.

CONTACT Connie at the Council for the Arts yesterday if you are interested... ;)
910/455-9840

Prairie Plein Air Call for Artists

Dear Artists,

We are delighted to tell you of an exciting opportunity with the Springfield Art Association in Springfield, Illinois.

This summer the SAA’s Gallery of Art will host an exhibit exploring the American prairie. Prairie Plein Air will run from June 28 to September 21 and will feature oil, pastel, acrylic and watercolor landscapes. Ecology and topography literally define the prairie but in this exhibit artists are asked to depict their American prairie.

All work must be executed in full or in part en plein air. (Pieces begun outdoors and finished in studio will be considered.) Three cash prizes totaling $800 will be awarded. Prairie Plein Air will run three months with an anticipated 7,500 attendance. The exhibit will be featured during our 20th Annual Edwards Place Fine Art Fair, which attracts thousands of art lovers and consumers.

Prairie Plein Air’s juror, Michael Chesley Johnson, is a Signature Member of the Pastel Society of America and a juried member of Oil Painters of America. He is a popular instructor and landscape artist, primarily of the Canadian east coast and the American southwest.

Entries are due March 14, so be sure to act soon!

Angie Dunfee
Executive Director

Emily Chase
Office Manager

Springfield Art Association

700 N. 4th St.
Springfield, IL 62702

www.springfieldart.org
(phone) 217-523-2631
(fax) 217-523-3866

Prairie Plein Air CFA.pdf

Tutorials on Linear Perspective...

With our March 16th Urban Scene "Paint Out" coming up in old downtown Jacksonville I thought it would be a good idea to include some tutorials on linear perspective. This will prove helpful for the new artists on how to capture a sense of depth, volume, proportion in their buildings. It may also serve as a polishing up tool for some of the seasoned artists.

Side note... you may find it helpful to bring some kite string to the paint out to help with linear perspective lines.

Enjoy... and learn...

One Point Perspective Tutorial.... Click link...

http://www.olejarz.com/arted/perspective/index.html

~

~

~

Two Point Perspective Tutorials... Click Links...

http://www.wetcanvas.com/ArtSchool/Toolbox/LearningHowToDraw/Perspective1/index.html

~

http://drawsketch.about.com/library/weekly/aa021603c.htm

~

http://www.ider.herts.ac.uk/school/courseware/graphics/two_point_perspective.html

~

http://drawsketch.about.com/library/tips/blperspectivetips.htm

~

http://www.technologystudent.com/designpro/twopers1.htm

~

http://www.technologystudent.com/designpro/twopers2.htm

~

http://www.khulsey.com/perspective_2pt.html

~

3 Point Perspective... a Primer...

http://www.ider.herts.ac.uk/school/courseware/graphics/three_point_perspective.html

The Artist en plein aire

Thought you guys would get a kick out of this painting I did this week...

"The Artist... en plein aire"... 5x7" Oil on Panel, alla prima, 2-2008.

Click on image to see a larger view...



This painting is dedicated to all those artists who enjoy the experiences of painting "en plein aire"... translated... "in open air". It's an experience that sharpens all the skills of the artist. All the senses are filled... plein air artists know what I am trying to say. Happy painting...

Finished Works from February '08 "Paint Out" at the Faulkner Estate

Here are some finished works from the February '08 "Paint Out" at the Faulkner Estate... stay tuned... more to come soon...
~
Click on images to enlarge...

~

~

Karen Crenshaw

~

~

~

Mitchell Morton

~

~

~

Patsy Lain

~

~

~

Kathi Lenn

~
~
~

Bernie Rosage Jr...

6x12" on panel...

~

~

~
Dean Remington...

~
~
~

Earl Tyree...

March "Paint Out" set for Sunday, March 16th, @ 1:00 PM.

WHAT: OOPS March "Paint Out"

WHEN: Sunday, March 16, 2008 at 1:00 PM

WHERE: Jacksonville Train Depot (BOLD Building) Downtown, Jacksonville.

WHY: Plein Air Painting... what else!

WHAT ELSE: Dutch treat dinner (TBA) afterward where we fellowship and discuss the works (optional).

An exercise in urban painting en plein air. A great location with several choice urban scenes to paint. Everything from street scenes, old buildings downtown, old train depot, a park, to an old caboose. Polish up on your perspective skills and plan for another GREAT plein air painting day with plenty of fellowship.

Newbies welcome... all mediums and skill levels... simply show up with your gear and be prepared to have fun!

February Paint Out was a BLAST...

Our February 10th "Paint Out" at the Faulkner Estate was a BLAST! We were blessed with beautiful weather, an awesome location, great fellowship, and true southern hospitality by the owners, Matt and Julie. They not only provided a place to paint but provided refreshments... super people!

~

Thanks Matt and Julie... you definitely SPOILED us!

~

Left to right: Matt and Julie (estate owners), Mitchell, Donna G., Stephen, Patsy, and Bernie.

~
The only thing that we had to deal with was the WIND!... Gusting at times at 40 MPH. At one point... A page from Pat's sketch book went flying into the waterway... Bernie's painting blew of his easel and hit Karen in the head... Dean had at least 5 bugs imbedded in his painting... Donna's palette blew and stuck to her painting... Kathi had to move inside because the pastel chalk was blowing off her painting as fast as she could put it on... and... saving the best for last... Stephen did a backwards flip as his chair legs sank in the mud!

~

We had a GREAT turnout... Many of Matt and Julie's friends dropped by. Patty, Dean's wife, joined us and even took this photo for us. Here are the member's that came...

~

OOPS members left to right: Earl (Donna had to work), Kathi, Stephen, Patsy, Mitchell, Donna, Pat, Ellen, Dean (the tall one), Karen, and Bernie.

~
After painting, many of us went for dinner at The Red Barn. We had a great supper and discussed our paintings, sharing some great insights and techniques.

~

~
Dean...

~
Karen...

~
Mitchell...

~
Patsy...

~
Stephen...

~

Stay tuned for more photos and the FINISHED works coming soon...

Awesome site for Feb. 10th, 2008 "Paint Out" at Faulkner Estate.

WHAT: OOPS February "Paint Out"

WHEN: Sunday, February 10, 2008 at 1:00 PM

WHERE: Faulkner Estate, Queens Creek Community (see map and directions below)

WHY: Because we love to gather and plein air paint!

WHAT ELSE: Dutch treat dinner at the Red Barn afterward where we fellowship and discuss the works (optional).

Mitchell has lined up an awesome site for our Feb 10th "Paint Out"... The Faulkner Estate in the Queens Creek Community. The estate is set along the Intra-coastal Waterway and offers many varied painting opportunities like... marsh scenes, boats, docks, palm trees, the estate, etc. To top that... we have access to this boat house to paint from if the weather is harsh. WOW!

A special thanks to the Faulkner's letting us paint on their lovely estate and a hat tip to Mitchell for organizing everything.

Various scenes from the Boat House...

I edited Donna's map from last month since the "Paint Out" is in the same vicinity of last month's outing.... only difference... follow the RED arrows. The estate is very near the Red Barn where we ate last month (and plan to eat again this month). You turn to the left just before you reach the Red Barn (look for our OOPS sign) and the estate is about 300 yards on the right. I have included a photo of the entrance at the bottom so you'll know you have found the right spot.

Click map to enlarge...

Entrance to the Faulkner Estate where we will paint on February 10th. This entrance is between two estates with white fences (on the right).... very easy to pick out!

GREAT NEWS from Ellen about ART EXPOSURE L.L.C. coming in 2008!

Dear Artists and Friends,


My name is Ellen Elder and I am a recently retired art teacher. My dream has always been to open an art center that would be representative of The Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA and ArtSpace in Raleigh, NC. I own an acre lot on Highway 17 midway between Jacksonville and Wilmington, closest to Holly Ridge and Topsail Island. I plan to break ground this spring with a 4600 square foot open barnlike area that can be used for several purposes. If you’re not familiar with The Torpedo Factory and ArtSpace, let me share my vision:

Vision Statement: ArtExposure will provide the local community with a dynamic space for artists of all ages to work and learn. The art center will be a needed addition in an area that is lacking a large central location for artists to meet, teach classes, work in open studios and market their work in a public forum. ArtExposure will offer twenty studio spaces for lease to deserving artists that need space in which to work. Artists must spend a certain amount of hours a week working in their studios. Since ArtExposure will be open to the public, the artists will be juried in by a board of directors. The board will be elected by members of ArtExposure. Regular weekly and weekend classes will be offered for children and adults. Summer art and theater camps will be offered for children. A large open community space will be available for the public to rent for special events such as receptions and meetings. This will generate additional income for the center. In addition, this open communal area will be used for rotating art shows which will be open to the public.

Where: Highway 17. Drive ¼ mile south of 210 (by Lowes in Surf City) and Highway 17. It’s the one acre lot on the right next to Anchor Realty.

For additional information: please e-mail http://www.blogger.com/ArtExposure@charter.net