A Little More Info

I posted thumbnails and three underpaintings done at the workshop. Also there are photos of The Little Everglades Ranch; a thousand acre working farm with Belted Galaway Cows, Hanavarian horses, sandhill cranes and the most beautiful old Florida landscapes one could ever find in Florida. Early one morning before the workshop began I witnessed an early foggy morning that required me to pull the car over and take the pictures. Thought you would enjoy them.

Back From Deborah Paris Little Everglades Workshop

I just returned from an exceptional five day workshop with Deborah Paris at the Little Everglades Ranch in Dade City, Florida. There were 13 students very eager to learn what Deborah had to teach. Probably the biggest effect on people was the realization of the need to brush up on the skills of field sketching; going back to the basics of drawing which most of us lacked in our early years of art education. The artists through the ages up until the 20th century were trained to draw and it became second nature to them. We spent the first two days out in the field sketching thumbnails and value studies. Some people had the courage to put away their camera and draw the landscape learning to look for those values, work up a composition that was acceptable (with a little help from our friend Edgar Payne) and edit the sketch into a design that would make a good painting rather than painting exactly what was there in nature. People really saw the value of Slowing Down and Thinking! Then we brought the sketches back to the studio and started working on underpaintings. Deborah gave a color demo showing the colors she likes to use and explained the glazes and scumbles technique. She brought with her examples of her latest works and shared indepth her growth process in tonalism. She has a vast knowledge of American landscape artists and is able to present a timeline of American landscape art that is so impressive one only wishes they had a tape recording of it to play over and over. Deborah also has an excellent way of working with artists at all levels; beginners to professional artists. Each artist can receive information at the level they are at. (Much like reading John Carlson).

The time flew by and the last day arrived way too soon. We each lined up two to three pieces along the wall and Deborah gave the most informative critique I have ever been in. It was a thrill to see and hear what people had to say and how much they had learned. Everyone left the workshop very fulfilled and inspired to do so much more. I think people became believers in Field Sketching and the value of Thumbnails. Hope so anyway.

It was a Two Thumbs Up Week!

latest works

I am finding working very small is so useful to learn how to compose my landscapes a bit better. They are mostly ideas and there have been thoughts on trying to capture more intimate misty trees, as in being in a wood, to standing back and sketching and painting trees. I am not keen on acrylics but have managed to find a handful of colours recently that are more natural. I used a glazing medium and started off painting in flesh coloured tones then moving onto bamboo and terte verte colours. As the paint dries so quickly it is useful for a learning purpose for me to establish what colours I can use for a bigger painting. The top sketch was done in water soluble graphite pencils and they are great to use out on location when you don't want to have to carry lots of paints out with you. I am relying more on memory and from making notes too when outside. I learned a great deal on working out in the field on Deborah's latest classes which were very helpful in getting me to work more from life and not to rely on the camera.

Back to the Basics

Back to the drawing board! It's been quite awhile since I've posted anything on this blog but I am more convinced in the value of Thumbnails than ever before. It is the most important stage of a painting or a finished drawing because it is the stage of developing a good composition and thinking about what idea or concept you want to convey. For me, right now that's the biggest challenge. The only way to get comfortable with it is to practice, practice, practice. Skipping steps in the process of painting is always costly. Thumbnails build a solid foundation. If you believe in the concept, develop a good composition, understand where your values are, then you're well on the road towards a good finished piece. But if any of these things lack at the thumbnail stage they will not improve in the future stages.

I have put away my camera and am drawing from life or memory. If I can do a good thumbnail and value study on site I can do the rest in the studio editing as I wish using the sketches as references. IT REALLY WORKS! But I have to admit it took a long time to believe it would and trust in my thumbnails.

I have really enjoyed doing pen & ink studies. These were done on sight so they aren't really completed.

So that's the latest on this end. If there is anyone still coming to this blog I would be happy to hear from you and see your work. Feel free to comment and post.

Thanks much, Phoebe

More Thumbs

These are results of an exercise. They are quite rough but postable. O;-)