"Andre's Garden" a Plein Air Study, 5" X 7" Colored Pencil on Ampersand Pastelboard
The delays that life brings to an artist's schedule have kept me from posting new work and updates on my Blog. I hate to just post a picture and not let you know about the process, inspiration and possible difficulties in the completing of artwork. Rest assured that my absence has not been due to inactivity but on the contrary. I have been working on a colored pencil piece which I will reveal soon, along with photos in progress, as my entry into the 2016 International CPSA (Colored Pencil Society of America) show. Stay tuned.
The small plein air works in this post were started on a previous plein air outing season and set aside since they needed a few last minute tweaks and touches before I could call them complete. They can be seen or purchased, currently at Crossroads Art Center in my exhibit space. The first, "Andre's Garden" above, is the home of popular nurseryman and national call in talk radio personality Andre Viette, a local icon known for his gardening expertise, in Fishersville, VA. My intrepid Plein Air partner in crime Kathy, and I ventured there while out on a painting weekend and we found the gardens to be a pleasure. Finding it hard to position ourselves in one spot as there were so many to choose from. We eventually were rained out that day, thus the delay in finishing. Andre Viette's Garden.
"Lazare Pond" a Plein Air Study, 8 X 6" Colored Pencil on Ampersand Pastelboard
The above small plein air works were started on a previous plein air outing season and set aside since they needed a few last minute tweaks and touches before I could call them complete. The first, "Andre's Garden" was at a popular home of nurseryman and national call in radio persise in Fishersville, VA. My intrepid Plein Air partner in crime Kathy, and I ventured there while on a painting weekend and we found the gardens to be a pleasure. Finding it hard to position ourselves in one spot as there were so many to choose from. We eventually were rained out that day, thus the delay in finishing. Andre Viette's Garden
The second piece, "Lazare Pond" was from a great Plein Air paint out with several Moscow School of Painting masters who schooled us in Russian oil painting techniques when working in the fresh air. Located and hosted by Lazare Gallery in Charles City, VA. If you haven't enjoyed the works of Russian contemporary painter's you really must look them up. You can find their website here: http://www.lazaregallery.com/gallery/welcome.html
Kathy and John Wurdeman's gallery and home are on the scenic banks of the James River and do not disappoint. Lazare Gallery is beautifully decorated and the wonderful collection of Russian painter's they represent here are a must see if your in VA. Their son Jonathan is one of the Russian painter's who demonstrated his style and technique that day, and he acted as translator for us for the others Russian artists. Experiencing the gorgeous lighting in the paintings of these Russian master's at the gallery brought warmth to the cold November Day we were painting in.
Now at the time I had not started painting in water miscible oils, so I was working in "crayons de couleur" (the French term for CP), which is what they used when referring to my media. All of the Russian masters looked and commented with a nodding head as they reviewed my in-progress work, not speaking very much English. And I had to wonder what their impression was of my working in colored pencil..
You see at the Moscow school of painting, children to teens work for 4 or more years copying and drawing only, not painting when they enter the school. First mastering their rendering skills. So I think they thought I was a newbie and student. Not realizing I use this as my final media when working Plein Air. They also seemed interested in the fact I was using my trimmed off bristle brushes to blend and fill the sanded surface of my Ampersand Pastelboard. Well they we partly right as aren't we all life long students LOL ;))
It was a cold windy day so blending the wax of my Prismacolors was not easy. Usually in warmer weather the wax blends easily and with little effort. Which is one of the perks of doing Plein air work in colored pencils in my southern state of Virginia. Use this link above to see Lazare's website and read about the fabulous work of the Moscow School of Painting as well as to see beautiful examples of their work.
I hoping to post a little more frequently as life permit's, check back in for views of my current piece on the drawing board.
Waiting for Spring's colors,
Gloria
