On painting that ever changing light

This post is inspired by a comment Molly left for me yesterday on the challenge of painting sunsets en plein air. As I've noted before, this golden hour of the day is my favorite time to be out painting-- but it's also one of the most challenging because the light changes incredibly fast. Since I've made my share of stinkers (and had a few successes too) I thought I'd offer a few tips from what I've observed along the way.

• At first, try keeping it small! This will ensure that you can cover the entire canvas within the time limitations you have.
• Broadly tackle first the overall light and shadow pattern and don't give into the temptation to lose yourself in details in the early stages.
• For as long as you can, try thinking in terms of light and dark, shapes and patterns instead of objects and things.
• Simplify.
• Squint.
• Develop what you know is going to change the fastest. In the recent harbor paintings I did in Annapolis, those clouds were such an important element in the paintings and I knew they'd change quickly as the sun was breaking through them across the sky. So I set about developing the sky and clouds first, even though I'd merely blocked in the dark shape of the boats.
• Make a commitment. Try not to change your entire painting with each change of the sky (or light). This will drive you crazy and it will quickly start to causeyour painting to look confused. At some point you have to decide on the statement you want to make with your painting and commit to it. Learn to develop those memory muscles so that when the light changes you can recall the moment you were trying to capture. This is why blocking in the overall light and shadow pattern is so very important at the beginning.
• At the same time (and this is going to sound like a contradiction to the previous statement,) if you want to capture that elusive golden moment you almost have to try and anticipate what's going to happen next and be ready for it. The best way to do this is to observe, observe, observe. Paint at different times of the day often enough and you will really begin to notice and observe what happens to the quality of the light. I find myself doing this mentally now, even when I'm not painting.
• Color is seductive, and it's understandable to want to change and tweak it as the sky gets more and more beautiful with that rosy/golden evening glow. Sometimes it is necessary to add that flourish of color at just the right momentin your process to get the feeling you want. If you feel you really must change the color, I'd first try changing the color without changing the value.   Those sunset colors can be pretty intense. Too much white will kill the intensity. Too much change can shift the value (and/or color temperature) to the point that it throws off your whole design. It really is a dance.
• Don't be stingy with your paint. Many don't put enough paint out on their palette, and/or mix smaller piles of color than they'll really need. While I usually keep my shadow areas relatively thin, I can really load it on in the highlight areas.
• Be grateful for the stinkers. (I am still working on this one.) Nowadays, while I still indulge in a brief tantrum, I am more and more appreciating the duds, and how well they teach me. Each one gives fuel to the fire and helps to inform a future masterpiece :-)
• Time is of the essence, but remember, this is a process of both measured intent and spontaneous response. These two approaches may seem to be at odds, but really they can work in tandem. For me, they are easiest to apply if I can relax, have fun, and enjoy the moment.

Goodbye downtown Richmond- a gallery closing and other distractions

An artist's blog is a lot more challenging without being able to upload images, but I'll give it my best shot until my studio computer gets de-virused (fingers crossed). As it is, I haven't been painting much this past week as I've been all consumed with house guests, plus other changes and distractions (the good, the bad and the ugly).

The Good

Since I've become (mostly) an optimist in my old age, I'll start with the good stuff. I've written before about plans to return to southern France to teach a workshop next year. The details are getting solidified now and I've put the info up on my website to get this ball rolling. This is very exciting for me as it is such a magical place and I can't wait to share this experience with fellow artist-travelers. I've also got some other local workshops firmed up on my site too. 

The Bad

Well, aside from the computer virus, there really isn't any "bad" stuff;  but who looks forward to packing and moving?  Yes, the otherbig news is that as of October 31st I will be closing the downtown gallery space andmoving to a private/by appointment studio (still in Richmond).  And while at first glance it seems like a "bad" thing, it will actually be a very good thing for me personally (once the dust settles.)

Some would say that two years is not nearly long enough to judge a gallery's (or any new business') success or failure. I'd heartily agree. But it IS long enough for me to know if it's supporting what's most important to me. My passions in the art arena continue to be painting (in the studio and more and more en plen air),  as well as traveling,  and writing, teaching and learning, learning, learning. None of which really require a retail shop, and some of which actually conflict with having one. 

Really, this gallery venture has served me well, as it has helped me to realize that what I wanted is pretty much what I'd already had all along (Doh! ) It's also enabled me to get out there and meet with some great people and new collectors, but hopefully this will continue even without my own gallery.

The Ugly

So nothing ugly's gone down..... yet. But I am trying to prepare myself just a teensy bit for that possibility until the dust settles. What we're wanting/hoping for is to build a home studio on our property. For all intents and purposes (and for resale purposes) this will be a garage, but I hope to fix it up to create a little cottage garden studio. Any way, this is my hope, and I will share my experiences here once we get futher along. (Boy, that last paragraph sure is full of hope!)

The wild card is that there is no telling how long this will take. We've gone through many floor plans and design plans already and we're close, but we're not there yet. If we have serious delays or if it doesn't fly for whatever reason, then we'll have to move on to plans B & C, which I won't entertain here on the blog at this point. Let's just say there are boxes involved. Lots and lots of boxes.

Richmond plein air class info is up

Heading out early again to get in some morning painting, so hopefully I'll have something new to show later on. Meanwhile, I've posted details for "Warm Up to Plein Air" in Richmond, VA.The France workshop/painting holiday info is almost ready (promise!), but it has been a time nailing down pricing what with the Dollar/Euro conversion and the communication limitations due to time zones. More on that very soon.

Back from France painting trip- a travel log, of sorts

I am one week back from a most inspiring painting holiday to southern France, and over the next while I'll be posting pictures of my paintings and sketches from my journal, as well as a few photos highlighting my trip. I've returned to lovely weather here in Virginia as well, so my travel posts will likely be interspersed with other art-related posts as I gear up for a summer of plein air painting. I'll start with my favorite painting from this trip (though I may need to reshoot as the greens are looking a little "off" in this image). This is a plein air painting looking upward towards the ruins of a 13th century abbey, ironically named "Abbaye Nouvelle" (New Abbey). I and the other artists on the trip were so fortunate to be able to paint at the abbey during the time of their annual plant and flower festival. It was a lively scene with a stunningly beautiful backdrop. It was also quite a challenge painting there, not only due to the light shifting in and out behind the clouds, but also due to the inquisitive passers-by. We attracted quite a few onlookers, and all were very complimentary and encouraging:

"Fete des Plantes, Abbaye Nouvelle" Oil on linen, 9x12" (SOLD) ©Jennifer Young

This was really an investigative trip for me. I have been invited to conduct a painting workshop at a beautiful site in the Lot region, so I thought it would be worthwhile for me to travel there in advance to meet the hosts and get a sense for what they did. I also really wanted to go back to France, so this was a good excuse ;-)

Exterior of my "home" during my 10 day painting holiday.

The setting was idyllic. Le Vieux Couvent is an old convent that has been converted to gites and B&B style rooms, with lovely gardens AND a large art studio to boot. The session I chose for my visit was led by plein air painter Mary Pettis, and it was billed as an "alla prima artist's retreat". It appealed to me not only because I liked Mary's paintings, but also because it seemed geared more towards experienced artists interested in painting, sharing, and touring together--perhaps not requiring as much instruction as what would be expected in a "how to" type class. Mary did do one demo, however, and offered plenty of feedback and great tips during our time together. I admit I did not know of Mary before this retreat, but she is a very fine painter and a lovely person who is very knowledgeable and generous with her thoughts and ideas.

This particular retreat was for 8 days, so considering time for arrivals and departures, there were 6 days for actual painting and touring. Given the way I like to travel, this is a pretty short overseas trip for me, so I couldn't resist tacking on a few days after the retreat was over so that I could rent a car to sketch and tour on my own. I was glad I did. I can never seem to predict how I'll do with the jetlag, and it took me a couple of days on both ends of the trip to get fully back into the swing!

Stay tuned for additional posts about my trip. I'm still going through all of my pictures, my journal, etc., and have plans for plenty more pics and posts detailing my experiences at this beautiful location. Speaking of details, I'm also working out the details for a painting workshop of my own at this location, hopefully in late spring/early summer of next year. More info to come, but in the meantime, please contact me directly if you're interested in joining me for a France workshop in '09!

I've been interviewed by Creative Spotlite!

Recently I was interviewed by Creative Spotlite's Ralph Serpe.  In the interview, I respond to Ralph's questions about my journey as an artist and my art career thus far. Ralph is the founder of the Creative Spotlite art instruction website and blog, both of which feature an ever-growing collection of free art lessons, demos, links,  and a wealth of other resources for artists. In conjunction with the interview, Ralph has also featured my plein air demo for my painting "Vineyard Patterns" on his site. Thanks Ralph, for featuring me and my work, and for creating such content rich sites for artists!