Carla O'Connor Workshop, Day 1, October 8, 2007 ~ Lubbock, TX ~ Art Blog

Carla O'Connor

Nancy's first day effort 11 x 15 Seated Lady Watercolor and Gouache on Hot Press Paper

I am loving this first day of the Carla O’Connor Workshop. I put down my $50 deposit last year while in Lubbock for the George James workshop. I’d seen Carla’s work online and in art magazines, admired it, and decided if there was a way possible I wanted to take from her. It happened that it was back to back with the Robert Burridge in Mendocino, Ca. and I arrived home from that one Saturday afternoon, stayed up until 1:00 a.m. getting ready, and left Sunday for this one, but I’ve made it and didn’t fall asleep in class today.
I left Arlington about 8:30 a.m. Sunday and put on the cruise and drove like a mad woman to get unloaded and to the 3:00 demo which was about a five hour drive. I couldn’t help but compare the California twisty, turn signs I’d seen the previous week to the strait as an arrow ones I saw on Sunday. The most curved one was a slight curved arrow when the interstate narrowed down to one lane for road construction. The landscape didn’t change much from open land and ranches, with lots of oaks and mesquites, until after Abilene. On into west Texas, cotton was growing and oil wells began to pop into view. One farm had harvested the cotton and it was stacked and looked like giant loaves of bread with a silver covering over the tops. I made it with one gas stop, cheese crackers for lunch and not near enough coffee. I kept listening to country music and writing down possible painting titles from the lyrics.
Because of some miscommunication Carla didn’t make it on Sunday for the demo but we enjoyed one of the WTWS society member’s demo. Carla will demo Tuesday night instead. She is a delight. She said this was a first for her to miss a demo but as of late she’s been having some “firsts”…well, join the club.
Our class runs from 9-4 and is sponsored by the WTWS. They have a converted fire house for a meeting room and it is wonderful. We had a clothed model this morning in the center of the room and all of our tables were around the model stand in a circle and there was room enough for Carla to walk by for mini critiques. I would say this is one of Carla’s strengths. She gives a thorough explanation of the exercise and then is on the move constantly seeing each student’s work and speaking with them. She’d given us a handout about principles and elements of design and we tackled the first on the list today. It was all about SHAPES. She said, “I’ll give you about 10X more information than you can handle until another workshop with me next year”. I hope. I wish. She promises to tell a good “joke” after lunch to encourage people to get back on time. Carla says she is not a big colorist and likes grays and what do you expect as “I live in Seattle”.
She stressed to forget about the figure and look for shapes. I don’t think I did that very well during the painting session the last 1 ½ hours of the class, I see her my lady's arm needs more work. She told us not to pull it back to realism and I did and I'll try to follow directions better on Tuesday.
The first drawing exercise was something I’ve never done – short gesture drawing BUT we couldn’t change our sheet of paper. We kept working on that one sheet and overlapping the shapes. Finally, we changed sheets and drew some figures and divided it into 4 sections to look for possible figures for paintings. She cautions us to put your mark down with authority. We are creating the skeleton of the painting and you want your bones to be strong. I highlighted this statement after I didn’t do it “Resist the urge to make it REAL. Make a DESIGN.” We did exercises like the “raisin head”, no curved lines, “brain strain” and “dead body” and later we painted on quarter sheets in the afternoon.
After lunch, we had a group meeting to discuss some painting techniques with her admonition “All paint is the same, just different binders and use the fuzzy end of the stick”. All I can say is that Carla has certainly learned how to use the fuzzy end of the stick. Her palette is another story. Her arrangement was given by “I put reds on one end and blues on the other.” Yes, she’s a joy. She saved her old paint in the lid to use as a wonderful gray “Mother color” and she is not continually wiping it clean. Many of her paintings are done with a gold gesso ground on hot press paper. They have a beautiful glow. She prefers round brushes and less water for the gouache paints.
Creative Catalyst has made a dvd of her watercolor instruction but it is not available yet. You can always email them to be notified when it is available.

Other blogs where I post:

· http://artistfoodnetwork.blogspot.com
· http://canvasbycanvas.blogspot.com
· http://myspace.com/nancystandlee
· TO VIEW MORE PAINTINGS OR PURCHASE: Go to Paypal on http://nancystandlee.blogspot.com
· Eat Well ~ Paint Your Food ~ Laugh Often

Burridge Workshop, Day 5, October 5 ~Mendocino Art Center ~ Art Blog

Dancers
11x15 acrylic on gessoed paper
This was an end of the day exercise and I gave my girls some colorful clothes.

On the student slide show on the previous post, I’ve added two new students. Merry decided she would hold up her table cover as it was so attractive after her paint splatters. Marcia holds up her canvas painting and if you see it anywhere please let us know as when she got ready to pack up she couldn’t find it. Marcia, I do hope its safe at home with you now.

Oh, how we hate to pack up and leave on the last day of this wonderful experience: beautiful workshop in a beautiful setting. I planned to paint, but never got my brush wet on Day 5. We had a group meeting in the morning and Bob answered questions and gave advice on photographing work, getting into shows, copyright, signature, how to approach a gallery, framing, matting, marketing. He cautioned us to remember we’re not in the framing business, but in the painting business. His advice on matting got a big laugh when he said when he judges shows, one of the first things he does is look at the mat and if it looks like it’s been cut with a butter knife, out it goes. He complimented our group and said we’d been a good class and that boils down to not having to deal with a bunch of prima donnas. From the first day he wanted us to have a good attitude. This is not the time to paint your masterpiece but time to have fun experimenting with new techniques and soar outside our comfort zone. I beamed when he complimented my drawings as I don’t consider myself a good drawer. Now I’ll try even harder.
I’ve felt like I was in a protected art cocoon and didn’t hear a radio or turn on the TV all week. We left about 3:00 and took off towards Willits and Sacramento on California 20 and saw many of those twisty, curvy signs again telling drivers to stay within 10 to 25 MPH and “Slower traffic use turnouts”. I was still in a art haze until Williams and we stopped at a convenience store for a snack. Here was a fellow on a cell phone leaning over his truck engine trying to figure out what was wrong, Mothers with hungry children in line to pay for their fast food so now I’m forced back out into the real world dealing with everyday human problems, traffic, and flight schedules. Art hibernation has been complete with the exception of my must have email news from my Canvas by Canvas painting group.
Regrets? I would say there would be one. There are numerous galleries in each town and I didn’t have time to check out each one of them. Instead we drove south on Saturday after arriving, towards Mendocino and Point Arena and then Anderson Valley to the wineries. On Sunday called for a drive towards the redwoods, taller than any other living thing, so we could to see the country. We stayed at the Ebb Tide Lodge in Fort Bragg.


If some wanted a workshop break and they could walk into town for a quick lunch. Everyday was sunny with perfect temperate coastal weather and warm enough if you were sitting on the patio eating in the sun. Flower gardens and plants were blooming in this most picturesque of cities to entice us away from our day’s project.
If you ever travel this way, the Host airport hotel in Sacramento is right across the street from the airport. Friday evening after turning in our Budget rental, we grabbed a luggage cart and pushed it to our room to load it down Saturday. It was easy work from what could have been a daunting task for 2 seniors. Because I was afraid of having overweight baggage, one bag was 50 and one 51 pounds on the way out, we got a thrift store bag and loaded it up with art supplies. It is a challenge to fly and take an acrylic drawing/painting workshop, but Bob said “You don’t have to bring everything on the list”. Oh, you don’t understand, Bob. I want to bring everything on the list.
On the flight home in the early morning we saw the Grand Canyon and the first light dusting of snow on the mountains, then lots and lots of crop irrigation circles and I sketched some to use in a future painting. Good to be back in Texas and we got our bags loaded up and turned on a good country station looking for some Willie Nelson. Bob brings his “own” I pod music and plays it during painting and he tells us or maybe “warns” us to get prepared as “It’s my sandbox”. Oh, yes, a stop at a favorite barbecue café for some sliced brisket and sausage, beans, potato salad, and lots of iced tea for our nearly 90 degree day with hope of scattered showers.
All I want to do is go home and paint on some of the starts from the workshop but suitcases never made it in the house as I loaded them in the back of my Rav4 minus a few washables for a trip to Lubbock Texas the next day, Sunday, October 7, and a week at a Carla O’Connor workshop. I know. I know. But that's just how they were scheduled and I wanted to take both of them. I'll rest another day. More to follow.


Other blogs where I post:


http://artistfoodnetwork.blogspot.com/
http://canvasbycanvas.blogspot.com/
http://myspace.com/nancystandlee
TO VIEW MORE PAINTINGS OR PURCHASE: Go to Paypal on http://nancystandlee.blogspot.com
• Eat Well ~ Paint Your Food ~ Laugh Often

Burridge Workshop, Day 4, Thurs. ~ Student Slide Show ~ Oct. 4 ~ Art Blog

These are students who let me take a photo of them and a piece of their art work on Thursday during the Mendocino Art Center's class taught by Robert Burridge. (For more about this class see previous posts). A few naysayers said they were in a witness protection program or worked for the undercover branch of the FBI and couldn't have a photo appear on a web site.
It is Friday a.m. and after hearing stories about it being 90 in Dallas/Fort Worth maybe we'll try to bring some coolness back to TX. on Saturday. We won't have a model today (Friday) and it will be a time to work on these MANY stops and starts I've thrown under my table, in the suitcase by my work area or on boxes and chairs against the wall. At noon today we will see a slide show of Burridge's work which will inspire us to try even more. Bob says he'll stay there until 4:00 but I will have to pack up after lunch as we're facing at least a 4 hour drive over very, very twisty roads to Sacramento.
Bob demoed yesterday how to attach an acrylic on watercolor to canvas. He says nothing of his gets framed anymore as it will set the piece back 100 years. He gives details on his newsletter and you can search the newsletter for the information. His newsletter has now reached about 5,000 subscribers and I would recommend it to all as it contains some great information.

I found it interesting to step outside the studio onto the patio area and find wonderful memorial stones that made for good reading. One that I would like to know more about is the one for Wino Willie Boozefighters MC Teri Forkner. The Boozefighters are a motorcycle club and my son belongs to the Boozefighters in Fort Worth.

Hold MOUSE over slide for student's names.

Burridge Workshop, Day 3, Wednesday, Oct. 3 ~ Mendocino, Ca. ~ Art Blog

11x15 acrylic on gessoed watercolor paper

To read previous posts about this workshop click HERE.

There are approximately 22 excited, ready to work students in the Robert Burridge Figurative Class. On Wednesday, we had a female undraped model. We began with some 3 minute gestural drawings and then some 15 minute drawing/painting times. In the afternoon, we had two 45 minute sessions of drawing and painting. The models have my utmost respect as I marvel at how they can hold a pose for 45 minutes with only a short break. At times, they may need to be helped down if a limb has gone to sleep.
We’ve had some excellent models, but I have had very little experience with live model drawing and painting, but others have said how great these people have been. We have a beautiful, well lighted classroom but with the undraped class, we have to close the blinds and drape the doors for privacy.

Burridge quotes and admonitions for the day

1. Handouts included one on varnishing acrylic paintings and he gave us a demo on several paintings and on using a spray varnish for watercolor.


2. Pretty pictures are so boring. Don’t paint boring pictures.


3. Show the world something they have never seen before and “Paint something you have never done before”.


4. Complicated paintings are boring….SIMPLIFY.


5. He discussed and showed us the New Burridge Goof-Proof Color Wheel. I purchased 2. One for me and one to give as a drawing at the SWS meeting when I get back to Texas. I was awarded the Stepping Stone Award and that paid for my tuition to this workshop and I will bring back a surprise drawing for a SWS member.


6. Give yourself goofy assignments such as don’t use brushes today, only paper towels.


7. He discussed more on how his color wheel is set up and a demo on how to use it by painting with 4 colors and black and white.


8. Have your painting tell a story. Every painting is a metaphor. Stories fall into 2 categories – Romeo and Juliet or David and Goliath or a combination of the two.


9. He mentioned the “painting groove” we get in and once in, we can’t stop but the bad thing, once out of it, it’s difficult to get back in.


10. He discussed brushes and gave out a supply list for his materials. He does list some cheaper bristle brushes from the hardware store as some of his favorites along with the more expensive synthetics.

The weather has been ideal here this week – in the 50’s and 60’s in the day and low 40’s at night. I wear a light jacket and hat everywhere as the wind from the ocean can be brisk at times.

On Sunday, September 30, 2007, it was about 51 when we headed north toward the Avenue of the Giants (Avenueofthegiants.net) – home of some ancient redwoods. It was a 31 mile scenic drive of old highway 101 and an outstanding display of these giant trees, some as tall as a 30 story building. Mendy is the name we gave the GPS system in honor of Mendocino and Mendy needed a wake up call several times as she’d get lost in those tall, tall trees. We did see and touch a drive through tree and witnessed a smaller car drive through the opening. Our final destination was Scotia, one of the few company towns in California. It is a Pacific Lumber Company town that we’d wanted to eat at the Inn but looked like it had been closed for the season. Most of these towns were lumber towns and one, Westport, had 20,000 population in it’s heyday but now about 254.

I saw directional highway signs that are completely foreign to flat land Texans. One was a horseshoe shape and many said speed limit 10 or 25 miles along with those crooked signs and one that said “Narrow winding road next 22 miles”.

Along the coast tourists are warned about rogue waves or sneaker waves and not to get on the rocks as these sudden waves can sweep a person out to sea.

We got a snack at the Riverwood Inn in Phillipsville. The Riverwood Inn was built in 1937 and is the last of the old roadhouses that populated the Avenue of the Giants which also used to be Highway 101. I nearly let my purse fall out an open window about a story high when I set it on a window ledge and the window flew open. My new camera was inside and just considering the consequences makes my heart jump.

Later that evening we ate our dinner meal at Sharon’s by the Sea on the Noyo Harbor in Fort Bragg.

One of the west coast's most scenic harbors, Noyo Harbor is tucked into the forested hills at the south end of Fort Bragg. You may remember seeing Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell sailing out of the harbor at the end of the movie Overboard. Noyo Harbor is your starting point for a day out on the ocean, whether it's on a fishing or whale watching charter, or paddling your own kayak.

Burridge Workshop Slideshow ~ Mendocino CA ~ Art Blog

These are some photos taken around the Mendocino area, Mendocino Art Center, Avenue of the Giants, Little River, Fort Bragg, and Point Arena.

Burridge Workshop, Day 1 ~ Mendocino, CA ~ Art Blog

Mendocino, California October 1 – 5, 2007

I’m not in Texas anymore! I’m taking an acrylic painting class, "Contemporary Abstract Figurative Painting" in Mendocino, California and Monday, October 1 was the first day. Robert Burridge is the instructor.

The class description:

"This is a class for drawing and painting the contemporary nude. You will learn expressive painting techniques for the modern painter. If you have ever wanted to learn how to paint the free style abstract figure, this workshop is for you. Color theory explained and explored. You will learn the 12 Design Compositions for a successful painting. “Drawing the nude” skills are not a prerequisite. Variety of poses with the undraped model. Lots of paint sketching, gestural wet drawing and finger painting techniques. Be prepared to paint loser, bolder, freer, lighter and more intuitively. Plenty of time for action-filled painting exercises, demos and personalized attention. All eater-soluble paints are welcomed.”

ROBERT BURRIDGE paints almost every day in his country barn studio located on California’s Central Coast along the beaches of San Luis Obispo County. His style explores and interprets “real life” in his own passionate, painterly voice. Art critics describe his work as “vibrant, beautiful, masterly done and just a little tweaked;” and “His use of bold, rich color and adventurous texture, while complex, is uplifting and Pop.” His current subjects feature “the Good Life,” as seen through his life as an artist. He is the President of the International Society of Acrylic Painters. His work is featured on Starbucks Coffee mugs, Pearl Vodka bottles and on eight commercial tapestries.

The class is being held in the Mendocino Art Center and it is an educational, exhibition, and resource center for the visual and performing arts founded in 1959 and it overlooks the Pacific.

Mendocino County’s most visited city, Mendocino, a quaint New England style town with many of the buildings dating to the turn-of-the-century. The Mendocino Coast is one of the most picturesque areas of the state. Main Street is filled with dozens of shops on one side as the other side is left for a spectacular ocean view. There are art galleries and lots of restaurants and B&Bs. Many of the small towns along the Northern Coast region had their beginnings because of the logging and sawmill industry. Mendocino started as a logging town and has become an art colony and in the center of the village is the Mendocino Art Center, which hosts classes and seminars each year.

Classes run from 9:30 to 4:30 each day. Our model, G., arrived about 10:00 a.m. and we drew and painted all day except for a lunch break and short model breaks. These sessions ran anywhere from 2-3 minute poses to two 45 minute drawing and painting sessions. The room set up is not ideal. There are 2 adjoining rooms and the model stand is in between. The class is full with about 20 students and 30 on a waiting list. My biggest concern is there is not a table and chairs set aside for Bob to do demos – the main reason I take a workshop is to see the instructor paint. I hope this situation improves. We are the only class this week in session and I hope later we can have a demo set up on the patio area.

Some Bob instructions:

1. Maintain a GOOD attitude. Don’t expect to do a great painting. Paint the way you’ve always wanted to paint. If you end up with a lousy painting so what. Do hundreds of paintings and drawings.
2. Try to find a theme or series. For example, at present he’s doing a circus theme. He’s just finished a Wingland/Lovers theme. He recommended the book “Water for Elephants”. A theme is something closest to your heart. Know and trust your heart and develop a theme and place a model in your theme.
3. Nothing is original. Everything has been done before BUT not by you. That’s what makes it your original.
4. Experiment with your drawing. Draw with twigs, paper towels, big brushes, pens, charcoal. You can include more than the model.
5. For the gesture drawings, do not put in eyebrows or fingernails.
6. Most people make the head too large. Try to exaggerate a feature.
7. We used very little color and started with black and white paint or gesso and then added one color, and later added one more color just as a highlight color.

After the class, I visited 2 local art supply stores and just looked. You never think you have enough supplies but I restrained myself and settled for a wonderful dinner, upstairs and overlooking the city, in Fort Bragg at the Mendo Bistro. for fresh pasta and wine. Too tired for any homework and fell asleep reading my handouts. I'm being courageous posting this initial attempt but I'll work on her later.