AA OCT Plein Air:AA feature
Transcription
AA OCT Plein Air:AA feature
SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting 20 American Artist www.myAmericanArtist.com SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting Starting in Rome in the 17th century and eventually making its way around the world, the plein air movement began as a call for artists to reconnect with nature and develop an appreciation for the astounding beauty found therein. More than four centuries later, many of the values and beliefs that birthed the plein air movement are by Allison Malafronte still alive among practitioners of the genre today. The History of the Plein Air Movement T enduring that four centuries he term en plein air— after its inception, plein air a French phrase painters around the world meaning “in the open are still capturing timeless air” or simply “outdoors”— interpretations of the fields, has long been associated hills, trees, and coastlines with the act of painting that define their native land. directly from nature, alla prima. This style of painting is often traced back to its first The Birth of followers in 17th- and 18thPlein Air Painting century Rome, followed by in Europe the French Impressionists in Although the genre of landthe mid to late 19th century, scape painting was perhaps and then to the California legitimized by French artists Impressionists in early 20thClaude Lorraine (1600–1682) ABOVE OPPOSITE PAGE century America. From the and Nicolas Poussin Les Glacis d’un start, the purpose of the plein The White Horse (1594–1665)—who, by exeChâteau-Fort-en-Ruine by John Constable, 1819, oil, air movement was to develop 51¾ x 73 ⁄ . Collection The Frick by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, 1871, oil, cuting on-site sketches and Collection, New York, New York. 15 x 9. Collection Santa Barbara Museum a deeper understanding of then finished paintings of the of Art, Santa Barbara, California. nature through close obserRoman Campagna in 17thvation and study, and to learn how to accurately represent the century Baroque Rome, defied the belief that landscape was a appearance of the landscape under the ever-changing elenonclassical genre—the plein air movement as we know it ments of light, atmosphere, and weather. began during the 18th century’s Age of Enlightenment and As painting en plein air grew from its European roots to the early 19th-century’s Romantic movement, when poets, an international movement, the genre of landscape painting philosophers, and artists turned to nature to find peace, solbegan to be taken more seriously among those influential in ace, and the presence of God. One of the greatest landscape the art world, and on-site sketches and studies were considartists to emerge during this time was the French artist Jeanered worthy of exhibition and sale, even if they were only Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796–1875), who, in 1825, spent two preparatory for larger studio work. Suddenly, painting outyears exploring the Roman countryside through oil studies, doors was considered a sophisticated activity, as collectors which in turn inspired countless landscape painters to begin clamored for plein air paintings executed in exotic locales or recording truthful observations of nature. faraway countries as a way to travel vicariously through the One such artist influenced by the newly forming plein air artist. The advent of portable plein air materials—such as tradition was John Constable (1776–1837), an English paint tubes in 1841 and the retractable French easel shortly painter known for his sweeping outdoor scenes filled with thereafter—further encouraged artists to join this exciting architectural wonders and a sentimental pride for England’s movement and fostered a tradition so far-reaching and luxuriant countryside. Like Claude and Corot, Constable 15 16 www.myAmericanArtist.com October 2009 21 SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting TOP ABOVE OPPOSITE PAGE Landscape With a Calm Mount Etna From Taormina Incoming Tide by Nicolas Poussin, 1651, oil, 38¼ x 521⁄8. Collection J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, California. by Thomas Cole, 1843, oil, 78 x 120. Collection Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut. 22 American Artist by Guy Rose, ca. 1917, oil, 24 x 29. Private collection. Image courtesy Irvine Museum, Irvine, California. believed that landscape painting must be based on observable facts and not cliché formulas. The more time Constable spent outdoors painting from life, the more intrigued he became with the sky, light, and atmosphere of the landscape and was said to have studied these elements with a meteorologist’s accuracy. The artist’s fidelity to nature and interest in atmospheric effects inspired the movement known as the Barbizon School, an informal group of mid-18th-century French artists—including Jean-François Millet (1814–1875), Théodore Rousseau (1812–1867), and Charles-François Daubigny (1817–1878)—who settled in the village of Barbizon on the edge of the forest of Fontainebleau to paint scenes of rural life. Following in the footsteps of Corot and Constable, this group’s focus on extracting emotional significance from the light and tone of the landscape became the foundation of the forthcoming Impressionist movement. In the late 1800s Claude Monet (1840–1926) and his friend Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919) pioneered the French Impressionist movement, using loose, heavy brushstrokes and multiple flecks of color to recreate the light effects found in an overall impression of a scene. Although www.myAmericanArtist.com SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting they were considered radicals of the academic movement, the Impressionists’ style was actually deeply rooted in realism, but it was also inspired by new optical theories about the way the eye processes visual information. Monet, Renoir, Édouard Manet (1832–1883), Camille Pissarro (1830–1903), Edgar Degas (1834–1917), and others believed that what one sees in nature is not form but rather light on form, and that light can be conveyed through obvious brushstrokes of unmixed, intense colors. Taking their painting gear outdoors and advocating the idea of a new way of seeing through direct observation, the Impressionists created spontaneous, intensely colored, light-filled paintings that soon became a standard for truthfully conveying the outdoor experience. Coming to America: Impressionism in California News of France’s revolutionary landscape-painting style and approach traveled quickly to other countries, and many Americans—including Californian Guy Rose (1867–1925)— went abroad to study with Monet. Rose bought a cottage in Giverny and resided there for 13 years to fully immerse himwww.myAmericanArtist.com self in the Impressionist’s approach for interpreting the landscape. When Rose returned to Pasadena, he joined several other California artists who were painting en plein air the coastlines, mountains, and floral vegetation that defined the state. Like Monet, Rose would often paint the same scene at different times of the day, and he developed a particular penchant for the coastal beauty of the Laguna Beach, Carmel, and Monterey areas. With its clear, intense light and pleasant climate, California became the ideal place to usher in the American Impressionist plein air movement, and artists from all over the country and world began flocking to the Golden State during the early 1900s. Like the pioneers of the plein air genre, California artists such as John Gamble (1863–1957), Paul Grimm (1892–1974), Edgar Payne (1882–1947), and William Wendt (1865–1946) saw light as the defining factor in the landscape and extolled its virtues as a divine creative instrument. Suddenly, all areas of the country known for remarkable light became destinations for proponents of plein air painting, and outdoor-painting artist colonies soon sprang up around the nation. October 2009 23 SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting LEFT Saddleback Mountain, Mission Viejo by William Wendt, 1923, oil, 30 x 40. Private collection. Image courtesy The Irvine Museum, Irvine, California. BELOW LEFT In the Mountains by Albert Bierstadt, 1867, oil, 363⁄16 x 50¼. Collection Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford, Connecticut. Plein Air Painting Movements in America Few of the American landscape-painting groups defined the plein air genre better than the first notable school of painters native to the United States, the Hudson River School. This group of early-19th-century painters, founded and led by Thomas Cole (1801–1848), documented the nation’s changing identity as its uninhabited land slowly became settled. Established in the early 1800s—around the same time Corot was exploring the Roman countrysides— these artists imbued their landscape paintings with the same spiritual sentiments as their French contemporaries, in an effort to show God’s ubiquitous presence in nature. Painting in one of the most beautiful areas of the country, the Hudson River School painters captured the enthralling light dancing over the Catskills and Adirondacks in Upstate New York and also espoused the importance of connecting with nature and recording their observations on-site. Cole, Asher B. Durand (1796–1886), Frederic Edwin Church (1826–1900), Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902), and others then took those on-site studies and created grand studio paintings filled with such amazing light and lofty atmosphere that viewers were, and still are, instantly transported to a peaceful paradise. From that first American plein air-painting school in the early 1800s to the California Impressionist movement in the early 1900s and well into the later 20th century, numerous other landscape-painting groups were established around the United States, including the Lyme Art Colony, in Old Lyme, Connecticut; the Hoosier Impressionists of Brown County, Indiana; and the Boston Landscape School, in New England. By passing down the ideals set forth by the original plein air painters, these artists created an enduring legacy for future generations of landscape painters. Today, many of those original art clubs and colonies are still flourishing, and, in fact, a great number of contemporary landscape painters seem to be encouraging a return to the social, artistic, and spiritual values upon which the plein air movement was founded. ■ Allison Malafronte is a senior editor of American Artist. 24 American Artist www.myAmericanArtist.com SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting California landscape painter Camille Przewodek credits her teacher Henry Hensche with opening her eyes to a new way of seeing and setting her career Inter view by A llison Malafronte on a path filled with color and light. Camille Przewodek: Seeing the Light American Artist: Henry Hensche was your greatest mentor and the artist you said changed the way you saw light and color. What were the main tenets of his teaching? Camille Przewodek: Hensche was a student of Charles Hawthorne and took over the Cape School of Art, in Provincetown, Massachusetts, when Hawthorne died. Hensche had his students paint simple blocks of primary colors outdoors under varying light conditions, which allowed them to focus solely on the color of the light. Another point he espoused was to let nature be your guide. Hensche actually ended up developing the understanding of color beyond even what Hawthorne or Monet did. AA: Why do you think focusing on how an artist sees is so important, especially as a plein air painter? CP: As Hawthorne said, “The vision of the artist is the vision to see and the ability to tell the world something that he or she unconsciously thinks about nature.” We live in a time when the pigments and tools for recreating this vision are available to us. The ability to paint the effects of light accurately takes a lifetime of study, and there is no limit to the development of this vision. We as artists have the ability to show the beauty in the mundane. AA: Why have you decided to make light the focus of your work and the understanding of light the focus of your career? What is it about light in the landscape that draws you? CP: When I met and studied with Hensche, my life as a painter changed. How often do you take a workshop that alters your whole perception? Where once there were gray shadows, now those shadows were filled with color and light. I knew I was in the presence of greatness when I was with Hensche, and I wanted what he had to offer. It was so honest, unlike any other instruction I had ever received. I became a born-again painter. Morning Volleyball 2009, oil, 11 x 14. All artwork this article collection the artist. www.myAmericanArtist.com October 2009 25 SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting LEFT Sweet Springs Nature Preserve 2008, oil, 12 x 16. For more information on Camille Przewodek, visit her website at www.przewodek.com. AA: Do you consider your approach to painting light similar to or different than that of the French Impressionists? CP: The French Impressionists were at the forefront of a new way of seeing. They were experimenting with the juxtaposition of color, and their color was broken color. I like the American Impressionists better because they put more emphasis on solid spots of color and form. AA: Many plein air painters struggle with capturing quickly moving light. What advice do you offer your students on this subject? CP: Paint fast and efficiently. Hawthorne felt that starts are the most important. After you do enough of them in many different lights, you develop a painting memory. Also, if the light is in and out, have two canvases available so you can change from one painting to the other as the light changes. AA: You say that you desire to use color to build form and not rely on formulas. What formulaic traps do you often see landscape painters fall into? CP: I have seen painters use the same formula for all their trees. They put a color wash down and paint on this every time. I try to respond to a subject each time as if it is the first time I have painted it. AA: You are a resident of California, but you paint en plein air throughout the country and abroad. What locations do you admire most for their quality of light? CP: I love the difference of each geographical place. For instance, I don’t paint in the desert a lot, so I try to spend some time there to better understand how the sand particles affect the color of the light. A location like that is very different than a place like Laguna Beach, for instance, which has a very blue light because of all the moisture in the air. I like to paint in California because you can be en plein air year26 American Artist round with the wonderful weather, but I also do a lot of traveling to other areas. Provincetown, Massachusetts, is one of my favorite travel destinations for plein air painting. AA: What is your favorite time and type of day to paint? CP: I paint all lights. When I was in Laguna Beach one year doing the invitational plein air event, we had a lot of gray days. Many artists had never painted a gray day. I was in heaven because I love gray days and find a lot of color in them. I don’t think you should limit yourself. I even work in the middle of the day to try to paint the difference between early-morning, midday, and late-afternoon light. AA: Can you recall a plein air-painting experience in which you encountered an extraordinary lighting situation? How did you handle it? CP: Painting the hills of La Quinta, California. Normally, early-morning light is very pink, but those hills were orange in the morning. If I had followed a theory, I wouldn’t have gotten the color right. People would look at my mountain paintings and comment that they could tell those were La Quinta hills. AA: If you had to give one piece of advice to a novice plein air painter looking to understand and accurately paint light in the landscape, what would you say? CP: Get good instruction. Show me a good painter, and I guarantee he or she had good teachers. Don’t just accept a teacher that tells you to just express yourself. Also, under every good painting is a good abstract painting. When I start, the first note of color is the key to the whole painting. I cover the canvas quickly, and then I can determine whether or not my colors are accurate. ■ Allison Malafronte is a senior editor of American Artist. www.myAmericanArtist.com SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting The Original Jullian French Easel You've Always Wanted, Now At The Price You've Always Wanted! Reg: $600, On-sale for Only: $147.99! (Madison Art Shop are authorized direct importers of Jullian Paris products from Paris, France.) Richeson Lyptus® Wood Dulce Studio Easel Reg: $325, On-sale for Only: $112.50! Madison Art Shop, where you'll find the highest quality Art Supplies for the best prices! www.MadisonArt.com 3900 County Road F Fish Creek, WI 54212 920.868.3455 Plein Air Workshops In all media In every season Notable instructors A World Class Event July 25-August 1 Plein Air Education for the student Inspiration for the master Treasures for the collector www.peninsulaartschool.com Advice on Plein Air Equipment The growing interest in plein air painting over the years has resulted in an overwhelming array of supplies, books, videos, workshops, and do-it-yourself recommendations. As an experienced plein air painter and conservator, Ross Merrill has a number of recommendations to offer both the novice and the by Ross Merrill experienced landscape painter. J ohn Ruskin (1819–1900), the influential 19th-century art critic and artist, believed that truth was to be found in nature. He advised artists to turn to the landscape for their inspiration and thereby achieve fresher, more vibrant paintings. His point was neither lost on the French Impressionists nor the American painters who embraced the landscape as their motif. Interest in plein air painting spread rapidly, and in recent years it has prompted the establishment of official groups in almost every region of the United States. You may logically ask, “Why is plein air painting becoming so popular?” One of the many reasons is that this type of painting reconnects a person with the history of landscape painting, with the spirit and energy of nature, and with the opportunity to become completely engaged in the act of responding to a vital, yet diminishing, natural landscape. This growing interest has resulted in an overwhelming array of supplies, books, videos, workshops, and do-it-yourself recommendations. As an experienced plein air painter and conservator, I have a number of recommendations to offer both the novice and the experienced landscape painter working in either oil or acrylic paints. Below I list a few readily available products designed specifically for outdoor painting. The Tools of Success Here is a basic list of some standard plein air equipment: ■ collapsible easel ■ solvent and painting medium ■ lightweight paint box and tripod ■ wet-pannel carrier ■ folding stool ■ paper towel or rags ■ small clamp-on umbrella ■ small plastic trash bags ■ paints, brushes, palette knife ■ bungee cords The Pochade Box Feed Your Passion JlYjZi`Y\kf[XpXe[^\k X=I<<KI@8C@JJL< nnn%dpXd\i`ZXeXik`jk%Zfd&jlYjZi`Y\ The French easel is the most common piece of equipment for plein air painting. It evolved during the 19th century and is currently built in full- and halfbox sizes. An easel with folding legs and a telescopic canvas support has space for storing paints and brushes, adjusts for working in either a standing or seated position, is relatively inexpensive, and accommodates panels and canvases of various sizes. The disadvantages are the extra weight and cumber28 American Artist www.myAmericanArtist.com some size, the slow and awkward set up, and the weak hinges and stops that inevitably break. A small, portable pochade box is a viable alternative, especially for traveling artists who must store their equipment in overhead compartments, in checked luggage, or inside backpacks. There are numerous commercial pochade boxes on the market with prices ranging from The inside of a portable painting box, which is attached to a standing tripod for outdoor painting. about $150 for a basic wooden box, to more than $300 for a beautifully finished walnut box. Virtually all of the 19th-century American landscape painters rested paint boxes on their laps while working, but today most artists prefer to either stand or sit, and therefore they need either a folding chair and/or a tripod to mount a palette and panel support upon. The Tripod If you buy or make a pochade box with a tripod mount, you’ll need a sturdy tripod, which will cost as little as $60. There are cheaper versions available, but the plastic heads break easily, so I recommend buying a good-quality metal tripod with a metal head. A quick-release shoe is important because you will mount the shoe on your pochade box and use the quick-release feature to easily mount and remove the box. www.myAmericanArtist.com October 2009 29 Even outdoors, GOLDEN® OPEN Acrylics remain wet and workable for hours. So take your time painting, blending colors or subtracting paint; OPEN Acrylics allows you to do all that. Because OPEN is a water borne paint, you can paint outdoors or indoors and cleanup is easy and odor free. Your palette can remain wet for weeks (even months) which means less paint is wasted, and mixed colors can be re-used and easily matched. Once dry, OPEN Acrylics have the color intensity and durability of acrylic paint with the archival quality you expect from GOLDEN. Learn more about OPEN Acrylics at your local art supply store or at: goldenpaints.com/OPEN. SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting beryard, and a minimum of two coats of high quality gesso must be applied to both the front and back of the panel. Keep in mind that wood-based panels respond to changes in moisture by shrinking or swelling, resulting in some panel warping. To minimize warping, a whiteboard may be used in place of the hardboard or plywood panel. A whiteboard is hardboard with a tough, white coating on one side. Usually used for magic-marker writing, hardPainting Supports Wet-panel carriers, such as this board can be found in better lumberyards. The painting support of choice for most plein handmade one, allow you to transport wet canvases from onMounting the canvas to the unpainted side air painters is a panel with a primed-canvas site back to the studio safely saves the step of sealing the hardboard. face. Many companies make plein air-painting and easily. The most stable painting panel is an alupanels, but not all of them are created equal. Some have an acrylic ground (called a “multimedia” ground) minum panel, such as Dibond (made by Alcan), that consists of a polyethylene and aluminum-skin core. Dibond on poor-quality cotton canvas mounted on paperboard or does not respond to moisture or temperature changes, is poor-quality pressed wood. There are also panels made of exceptionally rigid, and is lighter than plywood. ■ high-quality oil-primed linen mounted on quality hardboard or birch plywood. Wet-Panel Carrier Although it is possible to close your French easel or pochade box with one or two wet paintings stored safely, it’s better to place the panels or canvases in a carrier specifically designed to protect a wet surface. The same companies that make pochade boxes also make wooden or cardboard carrying cases. Homemade Panels The least expensive painting panel is a pressed-wood panel coated front and back with acrylic gesso. Good quality hardboard or veneer plywood must be selected from the lum- ACCOMMODATES THE OIL, ACRYLIC, AND THE WATERCOLOR ARTIST. Ross Merrill is the former chief curator of conservation at the National Gallery of Art, in Washington, DC, a professional artist, and a member of several artists’ organizations, including the MidAtlantic Plein Air Painters Association. For more information on the artist, visit his website at www.rossmerrill.com. ™ The IBIS Offset Portable Easel U.S. Patent No. 5833201 Canadian Patent No. 2193753 ■ “The ■ Its offset design allows the artist to stand or sit directly in front of his/her art work with no drawers or obstacles in their way. most functional ™ and accommodating easel ever made.” ■ It gives you 100% access and utilization of all of your supplies. ■ Right and left hand. Retails for $35000 ea. INTRODUCTORY OFFER Manufactured and distributed by: Art and Stone Products, Inc. 2050 17th Street, Sarasota, FL 34234 • 1-914-954-5636 www.artandstoneonline.com 250.00each $ plus shipping, handling and applicable sales tax. SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting Joseph McGurl: Nautical Masterpieces Joseph McGurl grew up under his talented father’s artistic tutelage while cultivating a passion for boating and a love of the sea. This early influence, coupled with years of hard work and practice, have made him one of today’s foremost landscape painters, and in this interview he shares his knowledge, experience, and insight on the art of Inter view by A llison Malafronte painting nature. AA: Artists often admire your artwork for your ability to capture light and create luminosity and atmosphere. Could you summarize how you do this, both from a technical standpoint, as well as from a mental standpoint? JM: I should preface my responses by saying that I know many artists will disagree with some of the things I say. This is good and as it should be. If everyone agreed with my views, everyone would be painting like me, and that would be very boring. The technical aspects of painting light and atmosphere are fairly straightforward. It really comes down to mixing the right color and value for a particular location in the illusionary space in the painting. Sometimes I will modify a passage with a glaze or a scumble. I also use texture, or the lack thereof, to help define space and light. One of the things I learned from the masters is that thick paint helps bring objects forward and makes light objects appear brighter, so I will frequently use this “trick.” Thin, transparent paint gives depth to a painting. The importance of the exactness of color and value becomes obvious to me when I see a reproduction of one of my paintings. Sometimes a partic- Glimmer 2008, oil, 30 x 40. Collection Hammer Galleries, New York, New York. www.myAmericanArtist.com October 2009 31 A New DVD From SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting Mark Saenger The Wonder of Oil Painting This DVD is a ‘paint-along’ with Award-winning artist Mark Saenger, depicting the breathtaking mountains of Grand Teton National Park. ular color or value will not reproduce correctly, and it jumps out of its position in space. Mentally, it is really important to envision the scene in three dimensions. I have spent years studying the landscape and trying to understand what is happening and why. For instance, an object’s color changes as it recedes into the distance differently at sunset than it does at midday. By understanding how space and light affect color and value you can exaggerate or minimize colors in order to push the depth even more. Remember, you are trying to paint a threedimensional space on a flat surface and the light of the sun with just pigments, so you can’t just paint what you see. You have to paint what you know, too, in order to exploit all the possibilities. Mark has an understandable, straight-forward, and easy-to-follow teaching style. This two hour lesson is not only a practical guide, but will leave you with a finished painting you can be proud of! Included with this DVD: 18" x 24" Drawing Guide Atmospheric Value Study Guide Contact Mark for upcoming Workshop Information: (908) 451-3352 www.thewonderofoilpainting.com ® ® OPEN BOX M, Inc. an American Tradition...Finely Handcrafted Outdoor Painting Equipment AA: Please describe your connection to the sea, including your “floating studio,” Atelier. JM: I grew up on the water and spent my summers swimming, boating, and exploring the nearby islands and coves. There are probably psychological reasons why I have such a strong connection to the ocean, but there are also artistic ones. The ocean and coastline have so many aspects of what interests me intellectually and visually about our world. There is endless space and wonderful light, which are primary subjects in my art. It is not a static environment. The sun, tide, wind patterns, and cloud formations are changing by the minute. I am also drawn to the challenge of trying to paint the ocean’s depth, reflection, transparency, weight, and motion. I have been painting from boats since I was a teenager. In my early 20s I worked as a yacht captain and have used painting vessels since then. The Atelier is the latest. It is a 44-foot-long ketch-rigged sailboat. It was built in Chasm 2008, oil, 14½ x 14. Courtesy Tree’s Place, Orleans, Massachusetts. Endorsed by Jacob Collins - Hudson River School for Landscape Dedicated to supplying artists around the world with the highest quality handcrafted plein air equipment since 1992. www.openboxm.com 800-473-8098 32 American Artist www.myAmericanArtist.com 1965 and has nice, classic lines. So many modern boats are ugly and look more like kitchen appliances than boats. My family and I spend the greater part of the summer sailing around New England, and I paint very frequently from on board, or I take the dinghy to shore and paint from the land looking out. Sailing gives me a better understanding of my subject. AA: What is your plein air process? How important is it to you to create on-site studies and sketches, as opposed to using photographs as references for your studio work? JM: I am trying to portray my response to the real world—not a flat visual representation of it. I am trying to paint the whole tree, even the side you can’t see. I am also trying to paint a living tree that will die in the winter and bloom again in the spring. Science has taught us that space and time are not static and that on the subatomic level there is a frenzy of activity. Knowing this, I cannot paint from a photo that is devoid of all these realities. I am also trying to understand nature in the most complete way possible, and studying it intently while interpreting it in paint is the most effective way I know to accomplish this. The challenge of going into the field with just my paints and coming away with a useful picture is also appealing. Sometimes I don’t have enough time to capture a certain effect, but that’s just the way it goes. It’s difficult relying on just my own observations, and it may seem easier to paint from photos, but my goal isn’t to do it the easiest way but the best way. Like everyone, I sometimes have tendencies to be lazy, and if I know I have a photo to back me up, I may not look as hard or work as long at the sketch as I should. ■ Allison Malafronte is a senior editor of American Artist. To read this interview in its entirety, and other articles related to landscape painting visit our En Plein Air blog at http://forums.myamericanartist.com. For more information on Joseph McGurl, visit his website at www.josephmcgurl.com. Sedona Arts Center 5th Annual Sedona Plein Air Festival Oct 24 - Nov 1, 2009 Keynote “Plein Air to Studio” William Scott Jennings Featuring 32 nationally recognized plein air artists painting in the beautiful Sedona landscape. Showcase Gallery - Demonstrations - Workshops - Quick Draw - Evening Gala and First Showing - Weekend Sale www.SedonaPleinAirFestival.com “Sunset Thunder” by William Scott Jennings 2009 Plein Air Workshops in Sedona Jill Carver Clark Mitchell William Scott Jennings Betty Carr Tom Lynch Oils Pastels Oils Oil or Watercolor Watercolor Oct 19 - 23 Oct 20 - 23 Oct 26 - 30 Nov 2 - 6 Nov 6 2009 Fall Workshops in Sedona Adele Earnshaw Vince Fazio Libby Caldwell Kath Macaulay Ken Rowe Lesley Briers Valarie James Judi Betts Tom Lynch Jan Sitts Gretchen Lopez Lorri Acott-Fowler Alok Peggy Sands Gretchen Lopez Bobbie Goodrich Peg Doig-Brent Cox Carol Marine Polly Cullen Studio Workshop Painting w/o Fear The Reflective Journey Pocket Sketching Sculpting Animals Sectional Vessels Bas Relief & Molds Excitement with w/c Secrets of w/c Visual Sensations Understanding Color Raku Figures Zen Calligraphy Drawing w/o Fear The Portrait Photo Shoots & Editing Alternative Photography A Painting a Day Shimmer and Glow Watercolor Oils/Acrylics Journaling Watercolor Oil-based Clay Ceramics Oil-based Clay Watercolor Watercolor Mixed Media Water-based Oil Ceramics Inks Various Media Oils/Pastel Digital Photo Digital Transfer Oils Pastels Sept 12 - 14 Sept 14 - 18 Oct 1 - 2 Oct 3 - 5 Oct 5 - 9 Oct 10 - 11 Oct 15 - 19 Nov 2 - 6 Nov 3 - 5 Nov 9 - 12 Nov 11 - 14 Nov 13 - 15 Nov 14 - 15 Nov 16 - 20 Nov 16 - 20 Nov 16 - 20 Nov 16 - 20 Nov 30 - 12/4 Dec 7,8,10,11 2010 Field Expeditions David Haskell & MC Johnson David Haskell Karin Jurick Adele Earnshaw & Joe Garcia Michael Schlicting Luca Tripaldi Betsy Dillard Stroud Painting at Marble Canyon Painting in the Grand Canyon A Painting a Day/New York City Watercolor & Oils in Tuscany Acrylic Painting in Tuscany Crystal Glazes in Tuscany Journaling in Tuscany April 19 - 23 May 13 - 21 May 24 - 28 Sept 4 - 11 Sept 11 - 18 Sept 11 - 18 Sept 22 - Oct 1 Sedona Arts Center, PO Box 569, Sedona, AZ 86339 888-954-4442 www.SedonaArtsCenter.com www.myAmericanArtist.com October 2009 33 SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting THE PLEIN AIR SOLUTION Pochade Boxes for Oils and Pastels Plein Air Organizations Plein air-painting organizations continue to spring up around the country, and this comprehensive guide shows which groups are in your particular region of the country. Check out the organizations’ respective websites to learn more about these groups of artists, where and why they paint, what upcoming events they are offering, and how to become a member. WEST SOUTHWEST Bay Area Plein Air Artists (CA) ■ California Plein Air Artists (CA) ■ Laguna Plein Air Painters Association (CA) ■ Monterey Bay Plein Air Painters Association (CA) ■ Nevada County Plein Air Painters (CA) ■ The Oak Group (CA) ■ SCAPE—Southern California Artists Painting for the Environment (CA) ■ Sonoma Plein Air (CA) ■ Southern California Plein Air Painters Association (CA) ■ Verde Artist Guild (CA) ■ Plein Air Artists Colorado (CO) ■ Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters (CO) ■ Plein Air Painters of Idaho (ID) ■ Plein-Air Painters of Oregon (OR) ■ Plein Air Washington (WA) ■ ■ All-In-OneEasel.com 1-207-439-0223 SUSAN SARBACK Capture Radiant Color 2010 Plein Air Landscape and Color Intensive Workshops California: Napa Valley, Fair Oaks Florida: Bonita Springs South Carolina: Charleston North Carolina: Cary AUTHOR OF THE BOOK Capturing Radiant Light and Color in Oils and Pastels (Instructional DVDs Available) The School of Light & Color 916-966-7517 www.lightandcolor.com Feed Your Passion MIDWEST Great Lakes Plein Air Painters Association (regional) ■ The Plein Air Painters of Chicago (IL) ■ Indiana Plein Air Painters (IN) ■ Michigan Plein Air Painters (MI) ■ Missouri Plein Air Painters Association (MO) ■ Ohio Plein Air Society (OH) ■ South Dakota Plein Aire Artists (SD) ■ NORTHEAST Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society (CT) ■ Acadia Plein Air Group (ME) ■ Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association (MD) ■ New Hampshire Plein Air (NH) ■ Plein Air Painters of the Jersey Coast (NJ) ■ Plein Air Painters of the New Jersey Highlands (NJ) ■ Genesee Valley Plein Air Painters (NY) ■ Plein Air Painters of Western Pennsylvania (PA) ■ SOUTHEAST Plein Air Painters of the Southeast (regional) ■ Plein Air Florida (FL) ■ Georgia Outdoor Painters (GA) ■ Plein Air Georgia (GA) ■ Western North Carolina Plein Air Painters (NC) ■ Charleston Outdoor Painters Association (SC) ■ The Chestnut Group (TN) ■ NATIONAL/ INTERNATIONAL International Plein Air Painters Plein-Air Painters of America ■ National Academy of Professional Plein Air Painters ■ ■ JlYjZi`Y\kf[XpXe[^\k X=I<<KI@8C@JJL< nnn%dpXd\i`ZXeXik`jk%Zfd&jlYjZi`Y\ Tucson Plein Air Painters Society (AZ) ■ Plein Air Austin (TX) 34 American Artist www.myAmericanArtist.com SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting Sources For Plein Air Equipment and Supplies PAINT BOXES AND POCHADE BOXES PAINTING PANELS SourceTek Panels Art Boards Archival Art Panels Mabef Sketch Boxes For more information, visit www.artboards.com. For more information, visit www.sourcetek-art.com. Available from local art-material retailers and online suppliers. Multimedia Art Board Open Box M Fredrix Archival Linen Canvas Board For more information, visit www.multimediaartboard.com. For more information, visit www.openboxm.com. For more information, visit www.fredrixartistcanvas.com. OTHER OUTDOOR SUPPLIES Guerrilla Painter Boxes Ampersand Art Supply For more information, visit www.pochade.com. For more information, visit www.ampersandart.com. Soltek Easel Dibond For more information, visit www.soltekarts.com. For more information, visit www.alcancompositesusa.com. Artwork Essentials RayMar panels For more information, visit www.artworkessentials.com. For more information, visit www.raymarart.com. Sun Eden For more information, visit www.suneden.com. ezPORT Wet Panel Carrier For more information, visit www.artworkessentials.com. Open Box M For more information, visit www.openboxm.com. Art Instruction at its Best! TM Painting with Irby Brown *SCZ#SPXOtINt/ Reflectionst-ZOO(FSUFOCBDI En Plein Air Collections INt $8.VOEZtIPVSTt/ Finding Geometric Shapes in the Landscape 5JN%FJCMFStINt/ 5PDIPPTFGSPNBHSFBUFSTFMFDUJPOPG'JOF "SU*OTUSVDUJPOBM%7%TGSPN-71 QMFBTFWJTJUwww.lilipubs.com Painting Large Landscapes 4DPUU$ISJTUFOTFOtIPVSTt When you Can’t Paint Out +JN8JMDPYtIPVSTt * Please note that the prices listed do not include shipping & handling costs.These DVDs are not produced by Liliedahl Video Productions. -JMJFEBIM7JEFP1SPEVDUJPOT4#SPBEXBZ4U-B1PSUF59t [email protected]