Christmas Greetings from OOPS!

The artists of the Onslow Outdoor Painters Society wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! See you in the field in 2011!

The return of Plein Air Magazine... Hip Hip Hooray!

You Asked. We Listened. We’re Back.

PleinAir™ the magazine you loved is back for artists and collectors.

Rich color reproductions, stories about historic and contemporary painters, demonstrations plus a new studio section. Take advantage of our bonus for early subscribers.

Click HERE to check out the website and subsribe!

Beth Ellis' 12 Tips for Painting in Cold Weather

Please read the Beth's indepth description of each topic in her article, Beth Ellis' 12 Tips for Painting in Cold Weather, on the Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society webpage.

No. 1 - Check the temperature.
No. 2 - Eat a good breakfast.
No. 3 - Dress in warm layers.
No. 4 - Be sure to choose a time of day when the light is at its best.
No. 5 - Choose a location protected from the wind.
No. 6 - Set up your easel to avoid direct sun on your painting surface and palette.
No. 7 - Premix a strong, cool grey to add to your winter palette.
No. 8 - Keep your medium more fluid than you would on warm days.
No. 9 - Thin out your whites.
No. 10 - Remember that white snow is not really white.
No. 11 - Observe your subject before diving in.
No. 12 - Enjoy!

From the field to the studio...




"Standing Artist"
circa 1845-47
John Kensett

My love of history and art mesh as one when it comes to plein air painting, especially early American plein air painting history as exercised through the Hudson River School. The Hudson River School wasn't a school but an art movement during the mid-19th century embodied by a group of landscape painters whose aesthetic vision was influenced by romanticism. The paintings for which the movement is named depict the Hudson River Valley and the surrounding area, including the Catskill, Adirondack, and the White Mountains; eventually works by the second generation of artists associated with the school expanded to include other locales. Hudson River School paintings reflect three themes of America in the 19th century: discovery, exploration, and settlement. The paintings also depict the American landscape as a pastoral setting, where human beings and nature coexist peacefully. Hudson River School landscapes are characterized by their realistic, detailed, and sometimes idealized portrayal of nature. 

Thomas Cole's Sketch Box
circa 1840


The artist Thomas Cole is generally acknowledged as the founder of the Hudson River School. Cole took a steamship up the Hudson in the autumn of 1825, the same year the Erie Canal opened, stopping first at West Point, then at Catskill landing where he ventured west high up into the eastern Catskill Mountains of New York State to paint the first landscapes of the area. The first review of his work appeared in the New York Evening Post on November 22, 1825

Cole's close friend, Asher Durand, became a prominent figure in the school as well. With the advent of photography, the need for realistic renderings gave way to the sublime as landscapes took on a more spiritual feel. There was no need to capture what a scene looked like, photography could do that, more emphasis was put on the mood, light, and feeling the artist gained from the scene and being in nature. This was the goal of the second generation Hudson River School painters (my favorites) like Frederic Church, John Kensett, and Sanford Gifford.


John F. Kensett
in his studio, 1864.

In gathering the visual data for their paintings, these artists would travel to rather extraordinary and extreme environments, the likes of which would not permit the act of painting in some cases. During these expeditions, plein air sketches and memories would be recorded and the paintings would be rendered later, upon the artists' safe return home. They would do their finished works in the studio from their sketches.


I recently returned from my own painting expedition in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina in September. I was accompanied on this journey with two of my artist friends, Mitchell Morton and Stephen Greer. The three of us and several other plein air artists had the pleasure of studying at the Florence Thomas Art School under the master artist, Tony Griffin.  

Artist Tony Griffin giving plein air
demo at the Florence Thomas Art School.

A blog post a mile long could be wrote about Tony concerning his art training, his artwork, and his workshop but I'll save that for another day. Of all the gems I brought home from his workshop the greatest was this... to capture the essence of the scene! With Tony's guidance I learned to simplify... before his workshop, I was putting too much emphasis on getting a finished painting. Tony taught me that plein air painting is a a gathering of color notes, a simplified composition, and a spiritual experience. I can still hear him saying... "Observe, Mix, and Apply" while I work at my easel. Thanks Tony! 



Bernie plein air painting along the New River.



Taking what I have learned from Tony Griffin and the Hudson River painters I now use my plein air pieces as studies for studio works. I am not so concerned about getting a finished painting in the field anymore. Below is one of the plein air paintings I did during the workshop. The scene is set along the New River in one of Tony's hidden spots.



Plein air oil sketch by Bernie Rosage Jr.
Along the New River, Glendale Springs, NC.
September 2010.

Below is the finished studio piece worked from the above sketch with the exercise of a little artistic license.

"Blue Ridge Afternnon"... 11x14" acrylic on canvas by Bernie Rosage Jr., 2010.





Thanks for dropping by... would love to hear your comments.

Bernie

Sources:
1) The Painted Sketch: American Impressions from Nature 1830-1880
2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_River_School

 

Jean Wenner will sorely be missed...

Jean Wenner, founder and former Director of the Council for the Arts passed away December 14, 2010. She truly enriched her community and left a positive legacy in her memory. Her impact on Onslow County concerning the Arts is beyond measure as a pioneer with vision for the arts in our community. She was dedicated to her family and extended family of friends and artists. She opened doors and created many opportunities for countless local artists (myself and many OOPS artists included) who will forever be grateful for her dedication. She was an accomplished artist whose work crowns many collections throughout the country.
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Click HERE to see some of her artwork.
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The community has lost a great artist and art advocate... Tami, Olivia, and I have lost a great friend. I am so glad that she got to see the "Jean Wenner Art Library and Studio" named in her honor for her many, many contributions to the arts and our community. She can never be replaced but she will always be remembered!
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Bernie
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There is a great tribute to Jean in the Daily News paper... Community mourns the loss of Jean Wenner

Meet the Artist ~ Ann Lees

Ann Lees ~ Artist

Born and raised in Cheshire, England, I was lucky to spend time at London University (majoring in French), in Paris and at Poitiers University, France, and three years in Madrid, Spain, soaking up the galleries and museums and art history of those cities. A love of the great works of art and a passion for nature and gardening have combined into my plein air painting.

I love to paint outside in nature, capturing the mood and light of the Carolina marshes, seascapes, shores and gardens. I paint en plein air in oils, and try to put onto canvas the beauty that I see: attempting to capture the fleeting moment, the ephemeral beauty of a garden, the light on water. It’s much harder painting outside than in the studio. You’re outdoors, and do battle with the heat, the wind, the bugs, the rain and the changing light. I love to feel I’m alone with nature. If you are at all successful, sometimes you can put into the painting, not just what you see, but the smells and sounds as well. Outside you paint quickly. You have to be spontaneous; capture, not a whole lot of detail, but the mood. I like to paint old forgotten buildings and rotting boats and things other people don’t pay attention to. I try to let the feeling of the place take over.

Raised in the North of England where there is much gray light, a Van Gogh exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery was my epiphany! I always wanted to paint in oils. I love the malleability, the richness and the smell of oil paint.

A more recent passion for life drawing has led me to work on the female form in pastels, watercolor and gouache.

Mainly a self-taught painter, I take as many workshops as I can with nationally known artists, and am fast becoming a workshop junkie!

My work can be seen at Airlie Gardens and FastFrame Gallery in Landfall Center near Wrightsville Beach, at Franklin Square Gallery in Southport and at ArtExposure in Hampstead. Shows and exhibits include Wilmington Art Association Shows, Art at the Arboretum, Art for the Masses, Associated Artists of Southport Shows, Arts By The Shore, Oak Island (First Place in Oil), Brunswick Arts Council Shows, Spadefish Gallery, and shows at Landfall.

I have been the Featured Artist at Montage Art and Design, Franklin Square Gallery and at FastFrame Gallery.

ANN LEES
624 Woodland Forest Court
Wilmington, NC 28403
(910) 791-4137
annfittonlees@yahoo.com