BRUSHSTROKES May 2007

Bloomington Watercolor Society

May 2007

DATES and UPDATES
May is an exceptionally busy month, so grab your datebook!

• May 5, Tomorrow, BWS Paint Out at Spring Mill State Park, Mitchell, IN, 9:00 am to 2:00.
  The Pioneer Village is the area where we'll be painting. Plan to gather for a lunch break at or around Butternut Grove Shelter near the village at noon. Of course, you can set up to paint anywhere in the Park.
• May 14, Monday, Monthly Meeting at 6:00 p.m. at the Monroe County Library, Room 1C. This will be our last regular meeting before September! Our featured speaker is Mrs. Stanley-Baker, an American living in Taiwan.
• May 14, Monday, Deadline for registration for the T. C. Steele Festival of Flowers Paint Out.
  From the web page http://www.tcsteele.org/events.asp, where you may acquire a copy of the registration form, comes the following information: "Artists of all ages will set up to capture the beauty of the spring flowers on the property, just as painter T.C. Steele did at the turn of the 20th century. Admission is free for the general public for all outdoor activities, including an outdoor concert from 1:00 to 3:30pm. There is a $7.50 registration fee for adult artists. Children 12 and under, and teens 13 to 18, may participate free of charge. Artists of all ages must pre-register to participate in the contest. 7:00am to 3:30pm."
  For complete information, call 812-988-2785, or email tcsteele@bloomington.in.us.
• May 16, Wednesday, Watercolor Class, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. Jeanne Iler is teaching on the subject, "Creating the Look of Batik with Watercolor Media." Meet at Michael's on the west side; cost is $20.
• May 19, Saturday, Pick up Paintings, 12:00 noon -12:30p.m, Monroe County Bank on Kirkwood. If you cannot pick up your pieces during that time, you must make alternate arrangements. Contact Tricia Wente tricia@wente.com or me, jeanne.ellen.dutton@insightbb.com if you need assistance.
• May 19, Saturday, T.C. Steele Festival of Flowers Paint Out
• May 21, Monday, Beginning Watercolor Class, 6-8 p.m. Jeanne Iler instructs this class on "Pet Portraits" at Michael's on the west side of Bloomington. Cost? $15.00
• June 2, Saturday, BWS Spring Workshop, 9:00-4:00 p.m. Enrollment for the class is full, but we are maintaining a waiting list.
• June 16, Saturday, BWS Paint Out at Katy Lynn Old West Buildings. More information will be coming your way...watch your email!
  

WELCOME
to new members Tricia Hillenburg, Candi Bailey, and Samantha Stacy - we are glad you joined the group!

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
The Indiana Artists' Club's 75th Annual Exhibit opened earlier this month at the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Both Jacki and Tricia had pieces that were accepted into the juried event. Tricia was awarded a Merit Award for her painting, "Zion." Robert Eberle presented the award in memory of Rosemary Lawson Thomas. The show will remain in place through June 2. (Note: if anyone is interested in membership in the IAC, please contact Tricia or Jacki for information. The next deadline for application is early September.)

Shelley Frederick and Jeanne Ellen Dutton have a show currently at the Bloomington Hospital Administrative Conference Room and Doctors Lounge. (The exhibit is not open to the public, unfortunately.)

Plain Words regarding Plein Air

Spring has sprung!! Now, as we dive into our season of paint outs in the beautiful southern Indiana outdoors, it seemed appropriate to refresh and review our thoughts on painting outside. And for those beginners, like this editor, it's a great time to learn a bit about the method.

The term "plein air" comes from the French, en plein air, meaning "in the open air," a painting done out of doors rather than in a studio. The impressionists were particularly interested in the influence of changing light outdoors on color.

Tricia Wente offers the following suggestions for your supply list:

• Small paper pads that double as sketch and watercolor paper for your starter paintings
• A small travel pack which includes paint, brushes and a water bottle. (Pygmalion's carries a couple different styles - one is a classy black leather "book" style and the other is nylon with a shoulder strap.)
• Extra water so you can change your water frequently.
• A bigger block of paper to use as you develop your painting.
• A brush pack.
• Wet naps or towelettes.
• A plastic cup.
• Sketching pencils.
• Roll of tape.
• Masque.
• An easel, or a board which you can hold or your lap.
• Bug spray and sun screen!
• Food and camera optional.

Jacki Frey shared a great idea. Pack everything in a five gallon container - then use it as a stool!

To begin your session, Tricia suggests the following:

• Look over the scenery and find a spot you are comfortable in.


• Sit and start - do it quickly. Brevity is the key. You don't have to finish the painting; just get started.


• Light changes. Color changes. If possible, do the initial painting all at once. Just keep it brief, and do "baby paintings."


• Start painting at different times in order to get more pictures from the same scene. Take advantage of the color and light changes.


• Remember: there is no "right" or "wrong" way to do plein air painting - just do it!

Jacki also noted that it is best to wear neutral colors. The sun reflecting off bright clothing can affect the colors you see. So do sunglasses. Avoid them.

Perhaps the greatest challenge, at least for yours truly, is to stay on track when the world is so beautiful and distracting. I mean, a little downy woodpecker sticks her head out of the hole in that old tree and the next thing I know, my brush is down and I am tip-toeing through the grass to get a closer look at her pretty red head.

Jacki's solution is to use a small cut picture mat to focus on her chosen scene. Hold it up, move it around until you find your focus scene. Then, keep it handy as you develop your painting. It keeps your eyes from being overwhelmed and distracted.

Our plein air artists/organizers, Alice and Paul Sharp, were kind enough to share their experience from a plein air workshop.

PLEIN AIR PAINTING - A STRATEGY

by Alice Sharp

A few years ago, while Paul and I were taking a plein air workshop on Amelia Island, Florida taught by Tony Van Hasselt, one key step that Tony demonstrated made a big difference in my painting.

In the first half hour or so, after setting up the easel on location and choosing a subject, Tony proceeded with one or more black and white "pattern sketches" in black marker or dark paint on newsprint paper, cut the same size as the watercolor paper we would be using.

The idea was to simply record the shadow shapes that the morning light created. The decision making process went like this: Is this area a light area, or a dark area? If light, leave it white. If dark, make it black. Use your eyes as a light meter and divide the scene into two high contrast zones...black and white.

This is a sample of Paul's pattern sketches:

This exercise ensures that you record the light when it's creating the best shadows - either in the morning or late afternoon. Then, the sun can move, the weather can change, but you'll still have your pattern sketch to refer to as you paint. If you like, you can trace your pattern sketch lightly in pencil onto your watercolor paper to get your painting started.

This procedure gave me a strategy for simplifying the plein air painting process, which in turn gave me more confidence to paint on location.

Here are some links for your viewing pleasure:

http://painting.about.com/library/weekly/aapleinairchecklist.htm

http://painting.about.com/od/landscaqpes/a/plein_air_paint.htm

http://www.tonyvanhasselt.com/AboutTony.htm

Brushstrokes May 2007
A monthly newsletter from the
Bloomington (Indiana) Watercolor Society,
Jeanne Ellen Dutton, editor
Jeanne.ellen.dutton@insightbb.com