“Sky #2″

Light and paint…how to get one to reflect the other…an ongoing ‘battle’ . Light doesn’t just illuminate it saturates, it melds into whatever we are looking at. Objects shouldn’t be ‘objects’ they need to be abstracted within the light or in this case the paint. We need to identify the light characteristics – strength , temperature, color,  in order to portray it. How we interpret the whole makes for a very personal statement which becomes part of an artist’s style – evolving as the artist progresses and matures. Betsey Nelson teaches periodically at the Sedona Arts Center. Watch for her one-day workshops in our ongoing program called “Art Experiences” and in our Art Talk newsletter. Subscribe HERE.

 - I made a pact to myself to go down the road and do some Holiday painting, Plein Aire.  So, on the Monday after Christmas, I headed down the trail.  It was 10:30 a.m., and the light was wonderful, the snow drifts had melted, so I wasn’t knee deep.  I started out painting the duck pond down on the Kachina wetlands, my painting complete, I proceeded to make my way back up the road, when I laid eyes on a John Deere stuck in a snow bank.  I thought to myself, do I really want to paint this?  Well, Tractors and bulldozers are fun to paint.  I accepted the challenge, pulled out my 5×7 pocket box and painted!  Using a tweeked version of Kevin MacPhereson’s limited palette, I had French Ultramarine, cadmium yellow medium, Alazarin Crimson and titanium white.  I used a bit of burnt sienna for toning my 5×7 canvas and a wee bit of Indian Yellow to give me some nice dense greens for the background.
All in all it was such fun, really nifty, because I didn’t have to lug all those tubes of paint!  Thank you Kevin!

Gretchen Lopez teaches painting on an ongoing basis,  each Friday at the Sedona Arts Center. There is a class for Beginners and Going Further. She also offers a 4 day workshop in color mixing for the artist Understanding Color, April 19-22, 2012 and periodically there will be a Saturday one-day workshop for portrait and figure. See more of her work at her website www.gretchenlopezart.com

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We are pleased to offer a holiday special on our workshop program for enrollments that occur during  Dec 6 – 30, 2011. (You may enroll in any available workshop in the Spring 2012 or Fall 2012 program.) Gift yourself or a loved one the gift of art during this time and take 10% off the entire cost of the workshop!

While registering online enter the promo code: GIFT101 in the coupon box of the payment screen. Then click the “Apply” button directly below the coupon box. Both your deposit and your balance due will be discounted.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS
AND HAPPY SHOPPING FROM THE SEDONA ARTS CENTER!

 Our workshops are organized by area of interest and chronologically on our website.  Shop for workshops  HERE .

This discount does not apply to Year Round Classes or Field Expeditions and cannot be used with other discounts or scholarships. Call the Sedona Arts Center at 888.954.4442 to apply your gift code over the phone or with any questions.

The Wonder Of It All

Photography is a great way to learn about the world. It heightens our ability to observe and be attuned to our surroundings. Photographs tell tales of places we’ve been, people we’ve known and wonders we’ve had the good fortune to capture. Photographs evoke emotions. They educate, inform and inspire. Their ability to make people aware has changed the world and served as an effective tool for conservation and preservation. Advances in technology have greatly improved photography over the years, but one of the most important elements, that will forever remain the same, is the photographer behind the camera who decides when to press the shutter.

Award-winning photographer Susie Reed is teaching a new Business of Art class “Inside the Jurying Process for Artists” at the Sedona Arts Center on Dec. 12th from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m The class is free to Sedona Arts Center members and $5 for non-members. Part one of a 5 part series on the Business of Art. For workshop details and registration information click here.

The workshop will  followed by a calendar signing to celebrate the publication of her 2012 Southwest Rock Art Calendar.   To learn more about Susie Reed visit www.susiereedphotos.com.

Sumo Match is a painting documented as a complete process on David Shevlino’s  new DVD “Painting Loosely”. David is coming to the Sedona Arts Center Feb 27-Mar 2, 2012 to present his workshop, “Alla Prima Figure Painting”. The workshop will focus on wet-in-wet techniques for oil painting with the live model. Demonstrations and group and individual coaching will guide students in learning to simplify and see in terms of basic forms. See details HERE.

A Little Goes A Long Way

Modern cameras and photo software have so many bells and whistles it can be overwhelming deciding which to use when. The good news is by just mastering a few settings and functions you can create really good pictures. If you then add one more option at a time to your repertoire you can see and understand what’s occurring as a result of the changes you make. There’s no need to learn everything a camera or software program does. A little can go a long way.

Susie Reed will be teaching a 4-Part Photography class at the Sedona Arts Center starting on October 3rd. For details or to register click here. To see more of Susie Reed’s photography visit Goldenstein Gallery in Uptown Sedona or her website at www.susiereedphotos.com.

Help an Artist!

Artist Carol Marine is an inspiring and generous teacher, sadly she has just lost her house and studio to the wildfires ravaging parts of Texas.

The fire devastated their entire subdivision. She and her husband and their son were not harmed, but they were able to take only what they could carry when evacuating, and the rest is lost. The good news is that they have fire insurance, but the bad news is that it will take time for that to take effect, and they are living in a camper with few possessions.

If you’d like to help the family get back on its feet, a family friend has started a fund to immediately assist them.

You could also, of course, bid on some of the wonderfully bright and energetic small paintings that that Marine currently has up for auction through Daily Paintworks. These will change over time as the older auctions end and newer ones replace them, as usual.

As Marine describes on her blog, her small paintings are one of the few things she was able to grab, so the auctions can be fulfilled.

Special pricing on Abbey Ryan’s January workshop.

This painting was another one of my five demo paintings from my recent Sedona Arts Center Workshop. Read more about the workshop in my blog post here. This September marks four years since I began making paintings for my blog. In honor of this special month for me, we are offering a September Special for my upcoming January Workshop at the fabulous Sedona Arts Center.

Click here to view discount and workshop info

Note: the September Special will only run from now thru the end of September!

If you’re considering it, click here to read comments by workshop participants, read more about Sedona in wintertime, as well as view photos and my recap of my August 2011 workshop.

Sometimes simple subjects make great painting material.  This scene captured me because of its solid design and rich colors.  The long format of a 1:2 canvas adds to the relaxing mood of the subject.  But, the power of the balance of the components and the masses of cool and warm colors create a great interest for me as the painter, that I hope comes through to the viewer as well.  By carrying the blues of the sky through to the foreground stream, there is a balance of color maintained in the painting along with a needed 3 dimensional lead in to the middle ground and background.  It was also important for me to control the use of edges throughout the scene, manipulating how the viewer’s eye travels through the painting…gravitating to what is important and allowing the viewer to travel over areas that would otherwise become too distracting.

William Scott Jennings 3-day plein air workshop is Nov 18 – 20, 2011 at the Sedona Arts Center. See more work and details about his workshop HERE.

This is my most recent painting. It was a commission piece for Loves’ Emporium Art Gallery, in St Augustine, Florida. I love Epiphyllums, a type of succulent commonly called a “cactus orchid.” I flew to San Diego to shoot photos for the painting in May. That area is home to many wonderful gardens. I visited with Gail Oyer, a student from my last Sedona workshop, who invited me to stay in her guest room while I visited the SD area. We had a blast. One of the cool benefits of my workshop teaching is the wonderful friends that I’ve met.

Brian Davis’ five day workshop “Luminous Oils” meets Oct 10 – 14, 2011 details and online registration available HERE.