Happy New Year! May this be a good year for you..a time to have new experiences, gain new insights and grow in understanding. And this a wonderful time to try watercolor painting.
New Paintings - What Do You Do When It Just Doesn't Work?
We've all had that experience - starting a painting with enthusiasm, only to realize part way through that the painting isn't working. Perhaps it was that new tube of purple you thought you'd try ..... or a new brush which was awkward to use. Or maybe you don't even know why the painting didn't work. What should you do?
First, get some space from the painting. Breathe deep and tape it on your wall,..upside down! When something is hung upside down, the errors in composition are more evident. Is the painting symmetrical? Did you create interesting shapes? Did you lose your focus? Some of these errors are correctable. More.
Class Paintings During Fall Semester
We have been very productive these past months, working on five paintings during this time. The students are keeping in mind two important things as we create each of our works: the shapes and the values. We want to be sure to include lights, mediums and darks throughout the painting, as well as interesting shapes. Technique-wise, we have been focusing on washes; these paintings include different sorts of washes, from flat washes to gradated washes.
Our most exciting adventure was the use of the easels. Most of the students had never painted vertically before, and to their great surprise, they found they liked it.
The Giclee Printing Process
Giclee printing is a relatively new process for producing artwork using large-format, high-resolution inkjet printers specially adapted for paintings. The creator of this process, Jack Duganne, was looking for a new word in 1991 to fully describe this incredible new process; he chose "giclee" from the French word for nozzle or spray. Duganne wanted the word to describe the spraying of the many inks. Artists have found that the giclee process allows for control of every part of the process: the size of the image, the colors used, and type of papers or canvasses. Plus, artists can now offer multiple prints of the artwork at reasonable prices.
I now work with Digital Color Imaging, a very capable printer of artworks. My latest giclee is called Pat's Window Garden. The original painting has won numerous awards and has been in many prestigious juried shows. Now, I can offer this print at a reasonable price. Contact me if you'd like to have a copy of Pat's Window Garden for yourself.
Summer Workshop in Vermont InView Center for the Arts at the Landgrove Inn 132 Landgrove Rd
Landgrove, Vt
Monday July 22 thru Thursday July 25, 2013
Save the date! I'll be teaching again at the InView Center for the Arts at the Landgrove Inn in Landgrove, Vermont. This will be the third summer I'll be teaching a plein air workshop for beginner and intermediate painters. The Landgrove Inn, built around a renovated 1811 farm- house, now has 19 guest rooms (all with air conditioning and private bathrooms) and a restaurant that produces delicious meals. There is a spacious, well-lit studio facility on the property. Your room fee for the Landgrove Inn includes all meals as well as use of the studio and all facilities on-site.
The painting opportunities around Landgrove are incredible .. from landscapes with rifts of mountains and valleys, to old barns and grist mills. All of these sites are only minutes away from the inn.
Both the Landgrove Inn and I are offering a 10% discount for those who sign up for the workshop before January 31. (All participating students must sign up with both the Landgrove Inn and Margie Samuels.) The Landgrove Inn has a 10% discount coupon and I am matching it for this summer 2013 workshop tuition..the regular tuition is $400 but with the discount, it is $360.
Alfa Art Gallery
108 Church St
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
(732)296-6720 www.alfaart.org
The Alfa Art Gallery in New Brunswick, just hosted a watercolor show for the first time in its history. Nine New Jersey watercolor artists, including myself, were chosen to participate. The show was up for most of the month of October. Alfa Art Gallery has mounted a new show at the George Street Playhouse, and six of my paintings are now showing in the playhouse's newly renovated lobby space.
Meanwhile, the Alfa Art Gallery also opened
another show in their home gallery, entitled Small Format, Affordable Art. This show was comprised of works done in many mediums, not just watercolors; however, the pieces in the show must not be larger than 12 inches in any direction. The Alfa Art Gallery has included many of my little paintings in the new show, including Lazy Sunset (pictured here),which was the inspiration for the first project of this fall semester.
Winter Semester Starts Tuesday morning classes Tuesday, January 15, 2013 Thursday morning and evening classes Thursday, January 17, 2013
Family Art Program Celebrating Tu Bishvat Sunday, January 27, 2013 Mt. Freedom Jewish Center Children 7 years or older may participate. For more information, contact the Mt. Freedom Jewish Center at 973-895-2100.
Watch for Registration for Spring Classes Mid March, 2013
Vermont Workshop July 22 thru July 25, 2013 Landgrove Inn
132 Landgrove Rd
Landgrove, Vt, 05148
(802) 824-6673
(800) 669-8466 landgroveinn.com
NEWS
Student News
Congratulations to Chris Iorio who was just made a full exhibiting member of the Essex Water Color Club
Our sympathy goes to Joan Weiss on the loss of her husband, Jay, and to Marilyn Saxe, on the loss of her mother, Dee
Best wishes to Marcia Mohl as she begins her retirement ... more time to paint.
We've all had that experience - starting a painting with enthusiasm, only to realize part way through that the painting isn't working. Perhaps it was that new tube of purple you thought you'd try ..... or a new brush which was awkward to use. Or maybe you don't even know why the painting didn't work. What should you do?
Giclee printing is a relatively new process for producing artwork using large-format, high-resolution inkjet printers specially adapted for paintings. The creator of this process, Jack Duganne, was looking for a new word in 1991 to fully describe this incredible new process; he chose "giclee" from the French word for nozzle or spray. Duganne wanted the word to describe the spraying of the many inks. Artists have found that the giclee process allows for control of every part of the process: the size of the image, the colors used, and type of papers or canvasses. Plus, artists can now offer multiple prints of the artwork at reasonable prices.
The Alfa Art Gallery in New Brunswick, just hosted a watercolor show for the first time in its history. Nine New Jersey watercolor artists, including myself, were chosen to participate. The show was up for most of the month of October. Alfa Art Gallery has mounted a new show at the George Street Playhouse, and six of my paintings are now showing in the playhouse's newly renovated lobby space.
