Acrylic Landscape Warm-up ~ Annual Spring Gallery Night

Acrylic Landscape #1


Acrylic Landscape #2


Acrylic Landscape #3


Acrylic Landscape #4


51/2" x 7 1/2" Acrylic on paper, no mat, no frame, no shipping charges

The two previous posts have discussed the Robert Burridge workshop at Dena's Ranch and how we "warmed up" with some painting exercises. Bob had completed a larger painting similar for Dena and he said we could use some of his Gold Holbein paint to experiment with. I loved his colors and tried some similar with some alcohol and paint splatters. I've never been a big fan of landscape painting or plein aire painting because painting trees and just perspective in general has been a bugaboo to me so I've signed up for the July 7-11 Burridge Plein Aire Experience in Cloudcroft.
The workshop will be done in watercolor out in the field and then with acrylics back in the studio so I will have much to learn. Bob is an encourager to artists and his teaching style is entertaining and informative. One morning at Dena's when we'd had to many coffees, Dr. Pepper's and Cokes and we laughing out of control and generally horsing around, instead of getting a little discouraged with us, Bob calmly said "I love your enthusiasm" and I'll never forget this kind of attitude as he makes taking risks easier.
Saturday night found 6 Canvas by Canvas artists Betty Taylor, Barbara Hackney, Maryann Stephens, Karen Foster, Cindy Yandell, and Nancy Standlee out on the Annual Spring Gallery Night. Next year we want our members, Connie Michael, Margie Whittington and Cindy Campbell to join us. We met in Arlington at the Upstairs Gallery where our friends, Maureen Brouillette and Joel Sampson, were having an opening of their mixed-media work, Double Entendre. In the slide show, you will see some of their work. I brought along my T.A. (travel assistant - Garmin Navigational device) and Cindy Y drove us to the Rebecca Low Sculptural Metal Gallery and Studio. I quickly decided maybe my art supplies didn't take up so much room after all after checking out her supplies out in back. Carotta, the door greeter, issued an alarm if you touched her "headlights" or rear bumper. Other artists are represented at this gallery.
Next was Galerie Kornye West where we viewed contemporary work and works from the 19th through the mid 20th century.
Artspace 111 highlighted more than 50 works of some of the most progressive artists in Fort Worth. There are several photos in the slide show taken here and they provided valet parking.
I always wish we'd started earlier so we could go to more galleries but we had the reception at The Fort Worth Community Arts Center and just had to take our photos by our work. FWCAC is in it's fifth year of serving the Fort Worth community as an exceptional venue of all of the arts. The CafeART will open soon to offer a delightful light fare menu, coffee and WiFi in a friendly environment.
Food always figures in anytime we get together and after a variety of great snacks at the galleries, we decided on the Blue Mesa on University Drive for some light fare of our own, their Painted Desert soup.
Thanks to the Arts Council of Fort Worth and Tarrant County for providing and operating the FWCAC. Canvas by Canvas will be having a special exhibit there in the summer and you will be sure to be notified.

Mouse over for captions of the slide show.

FWCAC Biennial Show 2008 ~ Acrylic Floral Warm-ups ~ Burridge Workshop

Acrylic Floral #2

Acrylic Floral #3

Acrylic Floral #4

5 1/2" x 7 1/2" Acrylic on Paper

These are warm-up exercises I did at the Robert Burridge Workshop. See yesterday's post.
Bob has developed this way of working with warm-ups and cool-downs. He likens his warm-ups to the practice of an athlete with a stretching exercise or a musician playing some scales before the actual performance. As a painter, he's getting ready to paint and this is a loosening up exercise first thing in the morning on a toned canvas or paper. He completes multiple paint sketches of the same subject and each day will choose a different subject and then paints 3 to 6 small paintings. Not all of these will be little gems and some can end up in the turkey pile but this will teach about color, subject matter, and "how to paint". Bob works fast and loose, lets the small paintings dry, goes back and adds the wow! His method is explained in his "Loosen Up: Workbook and Studio Notes", a 130 page book on pages 71-74.
These are floral warm-ups 2-4 that I have posted today that I completed at the workshop at Dena's and will post 5-8 later.
Saturday is Gallery night in Fort Worth when the art galleries will be open and the party moves from gallery to gallery. I'd like to invite you to begin at the Fort Worth Community Arts Center and see my painting, "Delightfully Timeless" and the work of Canvas by Canvas, The Red Lantern. Gaile Robinson, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, art and design critic, has written a story with a photograph of the artists. This show is open to the North Texas community and no one gets a rejection slip and works are hung as they arrive. Prices are ranging from $15-$5,000 so there is something for all art collectors in the area. All Canvas by Canvas artists are in the panoramic photo except Cindy Y and I. We were both in the Hill Country on separate trips and we missed out. Look for Barbara Hackney, Karen Foster, Maryann Stephens, Cindy Campbell, Margie Whittington, Betty Taylor, and Connie Michael. Read the article and see the photo online. Be sure and click on the 360-degree view link so you can see the photograph. Oh, I see Colleen, Soon, Marie and Jo Ann, also. Do you see a familiar face? You can see "Delightfully Timeless" by the exit doorway, to the right and there is a piece of sculpture pointing to it . If you're a painter, try some of Bob's warm-up techniques and I'll see you Saturday night somewhere on the art gallery walk. More information can be found at the Fort Worth Art Dealers Association.

Robert Burridge Workshop ~ Dena's Ranch ~ Acrylic Warm-Ups

$30.00 Each
Floral 1 (1 of 8) 5 1/2" x 7 1/2"
Acrylic on Watercolor paper, unframed, includes shipping, tax


1- 4


5 - 8


Nancy at the Robert Burridge Workshop, photo was copied from the ArtsyFartsy Newsletter.
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Bob's Abstract Acrylic Painting and Collage workshop was held February 18-22, 2008 at the Dena Wenmohs Ranch about 20 something miles from Marble Falls, TX.
One of my Canvas by Canvas friends says I look awesome and sooo young in this photo. Well, thank you, Maryann, at 72 I treasure all of those comments. It's easy to be happy and smiling with all your stuff stacked up all around you and under the table and everyone's in a painting frenzy and Bob playing his crazy music (he says it doesn't matter if it's too loud or we don't like it 'cause "It's my sandbox".) At day's end your tired with swollen ankles but it's the best game in town. I absolutely adore being at Dena's as her whole house is art ...everywhere...she's got paintings in progress and her easel is set up in one corner, saddles from the rafters and she's an art collector also...it's just one big painting party from daylight to way past dark thirty.
The small painting that is for sale is an exercise we do to warm-up each day. We used very little reference material and tried to paint like we'd never painted before. Bob admonished us to "Be a mad scientist this week and the secret is "paint lots of paintings", and there's nothing to get, you already have it."
The weather was delightful and only once or twice did we have to step outside in the sun to get our extremities working again. We were surrounded by donkeys and dogs (more about that in the next post, and new painting friends ready to take some risks and paint like they never had before.
Bob said "Paint to feed your soul" and "always take the high road." Watch for the slide show at the end of the post for some photos taken at the workshop. Mouse over for captions.

Other blogs where I post:

http://artistfoodnetwork.blogspot.com

http://canvasbycanvas.blogspot.com

http://myspace.com/nancystandlee

TO PURCHASE PAINTINGS: Go to Paypal on http://nancystandlee.blogspot.com

Eat Well ~ Paint Your Food ~ Laugh Often