skip to main |
skip to sidebar
During the afternoon of the second day we moved all of our gear to the pier at the end of Tayor St. in downtown Port Townsend. It was hard to find parking and it was hot. We finally all arrived there and watched Ken do a demo. By the time I got my gear all set up again I was, quite frankly, ready to be done. There wasn't much time left but I wanted to get whatever I could get from the workshop. In this painting I learned that if you don't get your darks in right away in oil painting it is very hard to establish them later. Therefore I don't have as much value contrast in this study as I would like. Now I know better. On the third day of the workshop we watched Ken show us how he uses his plein air study and some photo references to create a larger more finished work. In the afternoon he critiqued paintings. Those who oil paint a lot and live in Port Townsend (most of them) brought lots of paintings. Watching the critique was also a good learning. The Ray for the Day is "Taylor Street".
On the morning of the second day of the workshop we met at Port Hudson. Ken did a demo using the Commodore's House B&B as his subject. I liked the subject and felt I could learn a lot by following Ken's lead. Also there was a picnic table to put my stuff on and it was in the shade of a wonderful large tree. Finding comfort while plein aire oil painting seems to be a theme here, eh?So this is not an original composition. I enjoyed making the painting and had plenty of decisions to make on my own. By this time I am getting a bit more comfortable with the way the paint and the brushes behave. The shadow on the doorway moved fast, and I worked hard to capture it when it was at a pleasing angle. The Ray for the Day is "The Commodore's Doorway".
Still day one of the oil painting workshop with Ken Spencer. Our assignment was to make at least two oil studies during the day. It was hot and the thought of packing up all my equipment and moving to a new location seemed onerous to me. Since I am new to this medium my equipment is not yet streamlined. What I have is heavy and awkward. If I stick with this I will be getting more manageable gear. I love buying new art supplies. All of that being said, I decided to stay right where I was a do a different take on the same subject. BTW besides learning things about oil painting itself I also learned a great deal about gear and supplies. And so the Ray for Day is "Ajax Again".
Last week I spent 3 days in Port Townsend taking an oil painting class from Ken Spencer, a terrific painter and really good teacher. He paints all prima, meaning the first strokes are still wet when he puts on the last. My kind of painting. This was my first class in oil painting and I learned a great deal. The medium, of course, feels foreign to me. The feel of the paint is delicious, the brushes seem a bit like blunt instruments. I feel certain, with time, I will learn the properties of the paint and how to use the brushes. We painted outdoors for all three days. The weather was delicious. This is the Ajax Cafe in Port Hudson, a charming cafe with delicious food. It was hard being a beginner. I'm sure it was very good for me. I worked hard. The Ray for the Day is "Ajax Doorway".
On the afternoon of day 2 I was sitting in the shade close to the ranch house talking painting with one of my painter friends. I kept looking at these trees, the golden hills behind them that roll on and on, the clear sky and the wonderful varieties of texture in the grass between me and the trees. Once again, the contrast of the hot hills and the cool shade and the colors of that landscape were working their way into my bones. The Ray for the Day is "Sweet Spot in the Shade".
When I had finished The Rusted Relic there was still one hour left before lunch. I had energy for painting and decided to do a "quickie" of the red door slightly ajar. Again I was captured by the stark contrasts. It was nearly noon and the yard was hot and the light was flat. The neutral grays of the barn boards were washed out in the sunlight. The red door popped out, and the cool, dark interior seen through the slight opening in the door seemed very inviting to me. It was, in fact, very cool inside that barn. I went in there to the sink to get water and to wet my paper. I started this painting with the red door and went out from there. Using a two inch wide brush (I lay in all the local color with that brush) to splash on that rectangle of red was quite thrilling. The Ray for the Day is "Red Door to the Barn".
On the morning of day two I could not resist this wonderful rusting relic. I was grateful that it was situated in a shady grove. It was hard to find a flat spot to set up on, though my easel has adjustable legs, so I could get that set up securely. I prefer to stand when I am painting. It gives me more freedom of movement. I always carry a folding back pack chair though, so I can sit back, view the painting and rest my back for a bit. This subject was a no brainer for me, as I am so attracted to old rusting stuff. I was especially attracted to the seat on this piece of machinery. I loved the holes with the light coming through. The bugs were out en force on this morning. Fortunately a fellow painter and friend, Barb, had heard that Avon's Skin So Soft was a good bug repellant. It also makes your skin so soft. It smells good and it really worked. So I was able to paint in relative comfort. The bugs stayed away and I smelled good. One of the challenges of painting in hot weather is that the paint dries very rapidly. I generally paint wet paint on wet paper. I had a squirt bottle handy, and regularly squirted the paper, my palette and myself! We all had to adapt to the circumstances and found ways to accomodate to the quickly drying paint, and to the heat. Some were wearing wet head rags and wet t-shirts to keep themselves comfortable. The Ray for the Day is "Rusted Relic".
