Thoughts on Landscape

The landscape thumbnails we have been doing in class have brought up a lot of discussion points. Several of you asked if I could make a list of them to refer to. Landscape is a large topic and these points are only a jumping off place. Refer to my blog post on "Reference Books for Landscape" to learn more. John Carlson is indispensable.  

Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting

Questions that need answers:

·       What is the direction and angle of the light?

·       Is there a foreground, mid-ground and background?

·       Where is your focal point?

·       What is the story?  There can be only one.

Design:

·       Always design inside a design space (the four edges of your thumbnail or canvas).

·       Always design to a ratio. A different ratio means a different design.

·       Seek balance, but not symmetry.

·       Use the steelyard balance. Think of your shapes as if they were on a teeter-totter. The greater the weight of the shape, the more compensatory actions will be needed to balance it.

·       Think of everything in terms of dominance – dominant, subordinate, sub-subordinate. This applies to everything (value, color, texture, temperature, chroma, shapes)

·       Avoid half and half in anything.

Distribution of values:

·       When designing in B&W, initially think in terms of light, medium and dark value shapes. Do not divide them equally. Think dominant, subordinate, sub-subordinate.  This is referred to as Papa Bear, Mama Bear, Baby Bear or Gallon, Quart, Pint.

Carlson’s Angles of the Landscape:

·       I refer to them as planes rather than angles, but in terms of light theory or how the sun relates to the landscape determine which planes are directly facing the sun (light); which planes are in the process of turning away from the sun (halftone or medium); and which planes are turned away from the sun (dark).

·       In landscape the three types of planes correspond to vertical planes (trees, sides of buildings), inclined planes (hills, angled rooftops) and horizontal (the ground, the flat top of a rock). Carlson called these the angles of the landscape.  The fourth angle is the vault of the sky, which is a secondary light source.

·       Before you paint, know which angle/plane of the landscape corresponds to which value.

·       Remember that while you must have three values for the three planes, those three values can be close together or far apart. The closer two values are, the more the eye will link them. The sky can create a fourth value or link with one of the other three values.

Randall Sexton

I first saw the art of Randall Sexton at the LPAPA Laguna plein air event. He does many things well, but I especially admire his design, use of shapes, how he links the darks, brushwork and color.  He sees paintings in things most artists would pass by.

You can see Randall Sexton's paintings locally at the Debra Huse Gallery on Balboa Island.  His complete gallery listings are on his website.  Here are a few paintings from his website.

"Casa di Orsa" by Randall Sexton

"Crawdads" by Randall Sexton

"Puppets Here" by Randall Sexton

"School is Out" by Randall Sexton

"Spirit of 76" by Randall Sexton

June 1st Class

Tomorrow is my last class.  It has been a seven year ride full of learning, great experiences and good friends.  I have no plans at this time for future classes but will keep you informed about what develops next.  I believe my next foray into teaching will be along the lines of an atelier where students make a one year commitment to be part of a painting life for a year.  This will involve a weekly class, but also a studio day, and a monthly formal critique and a monthly long form demo. It will be an opportunity to develop skills to the next level.  Thank you to everyone who has been part of the past seven years!

Class tomorrow will continue in the same vein as the past two weeks.  Bring B&W comps from the photo we chose or a photo of your choice.  I will review them and you will then do several color comps in class.  After lunch I will do a landscape demo.

CAC San Diego Quarterly Paint-out June 4th

The California Art Club San Diego Quarterly Paint-out is Saturday, June 4th, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  Members and non-members are welcome to paint. Artists should meet at 4441 Park Boulevard in University Heights, San Diego.  Parking is along the street.

The paint-out is followed by a critique at the Athenaeum's San Diego Studio, 4441 Park Boulevard.

San Diego Chapter Co-Chair, Pat Kelly, is hosting the paint-out and critique. Contact her at patmkellystudio@sbcglobal.net.

University Heights is one of San Diego's older neighborhoods, along the north edge of Balboa Park, with a revitalized, historic main street and bungalow neighborhood. This video gives an overview of University Park.

Idyllwild and San Clemente Plein Air

I am officially registered for the Idyllwild and San Clemente Plein Air events.

The Idyllwild Plein Air is Saturday, June 10th.  Artists will paint on location from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  The champagne reception and sale, at the Quiet Creek Inn Gallery, is Sunday, June 11th from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Lily Rock, visible from many vantage points in Idyllwild, is a popular subject matter for the artists. Idyllwild has over a dozen different galleries and many excellent restaurants.

The 10th annual San Clemente Plein Air starts with a Quick Draw on June 18th, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.  Artists will paint in front of the San Clemente Gallery and along Avenida del Mar to the Pier Bowl.  The Quick Draw paintings will be on display for judging and sale at 4:30 p.m.  Any paintings not sold will continue for sale in the gallery until June 25th.

The San Clemente event continues through the week with the Gala awards and sales event on Saturday, June 25th, 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. in the Community Center Auditorium.  Tickets for the Gala are $35 and include catered food and drink - but also first chance to purchase paintings.  The San Clemente event is nationally known, with $13,000 in prizes and attracts professional as well as local artists.  Any painting not sold will be on show in the gallery through August 5th.

See you there!

A Good Day

The reception for the North Park Plein Air at the San Diego Art Department on Ray Street was lovely. The gallery looked wonderful. Thank you to Marjorie Taylor, Andrea Rodriguez Chamberlin and Lesley Anderson for planning and executing the event. The judges were Anthony Bernal of the San Diego Art Institute, and Pat Kelly and Jeff Yeoman of the California Art Club.  

I was very pleased to win First Place for my plein air painting, "Ray Street Afternoon" and also the California Art Club Award for Painting Excellence.  

Again, thank you to SDAD, SDAI and CAC.

Are You Playing to Play or Playing to Win?

Good question.  It comes from Crys William's blogpost, "Bringing a Knife to a Gunfight".  I can think of a half a dozen things to apply the question to. Playing to play or playing to win ...

My art.  I let every head game in the book come between myself and the canvas.  Stop thinking about the shows, the judges, the sales and focus only on what I can learn from putting myself on the canvas.

My teaching.  I'm a good teacher, but I've been the best teacher I've ever been since January of this year when I focused only on what the students needed, rather than on what they wanted or what I thought they would pay for.

My students.  Show them again and again that the process will get them where they want to go.  Focusing on the product, the praise and the masterpieces will only get in their way.

A gallery.  Unless it can self-sustain, the plug can be pulled at any time.  Make the hard decisions.  Be a business.