Provence Trip and a few Plein Airs finished

                                                   Lourmarin Plein Air Study 5 X 7

 

                                                   Roussillon Plein Air Study 5 X 7

Well finally I've scanned two of the Plein Air pieces done almost completely on site.  Both are on
Ampersand Pastelboard this first one on white and the 2nd one on the green pastelboard.  I prefer the white as the green or colors make bright whites a chore.   The Lourmarin turret turned into a home was completed with a underpainting of Watercolor Colored Pencils (Caran D'Ache) with layered  Premier Prismacolors completed on top.  Before starting the piece I photographed the scene and did a quick graphite study for composition purposes in my sketch book.   (I tried to scan it but the sketch doesn't want to show up well, sorry.)  I used the wc cp's to quickly tone the background area leaving the sky untouched.  When the wc cp was dry which happened quickly on site because of the dry warm day in July.  I then worked the sky.  Wanting to capture the atmosphere from morning haze still in the Luberon mountains behind.  Working small in Plein Air cp has become a must for my getting near completion in one day, but the sanded surface helps work much more quickly.

The Roussillon piece was started on a very windy morning sitting in the parking lot across from this hillside town.  Roussillon is where natural sienna pigments are found in the ground and the hues are amazing.  I did not do a composition sketch before starting this, nor did I do a WC CP underpainting, just straight Prismas onto the board.  Because this board was green to start with I mapped out a sketch with white cp lightly to build the drawing.  The day was so windy I had to leave halfway done and finish back at the hotel.  Building the colors due to the green Ampersand base coat, first with white.  Final finishing came when I came back to the states, but mainly tweaks and small details.  There was so much to get into this small 5 X 7, but the feeling of the village and it's colorful earth pigments is there. 

So there you have it, a recap of 2 of the pieces I did while on my France Plein Air Trip.  Colored pencil really is better thought of as a sketchbook media when on site.  But when you use a sanded surface, work small and use an underpainting of WC pencils things can move faster.  Perhaps not as fast as other media, but getting a saturated look is possible.  When wanting to work bigger I still use pastels, but  I do not love the mess I create nor are my pastel skills highly evolved.   And taking pastels on this long France trip would have meant more weight for my luggage.

Soon to post my Central VA British Car Show piece, just have to get it photographed.   Have a colorful Day!
      

Framing and getting started in showing your work.

I know it's been a little while since I posted here, trying to get my life back in order after the trip to France took a little while.  I have much to post here so look for several up coming with a few France trip Plein Air pieces and newly finished work.  But first I had a question from a student asking about framing for just getting started in showing or competing with your work.  By the time I answered her I had what looked like a good blog post so I'm copying my answer here for anyone alse who may want to know.  I wrote to her:

Framing and getting started in showing your work whether it's in competition shows or galleries, or for jurying into art groups, can be one of the most difficult decisions for an artist. I've done it myself and many other artists start the same way.   You first frame things for yourself/home/friends.  Then if you enter a competition or jury process, you have to take into consideration what their requirements are.  Many have distinct regulations, such as the CPSA (Colored Pencil Society of America) and other large shows require plexiglass for glazing to minimize breakage issues.  They also stipulate simple lines for frames or no heavily carved ones.  Neutral matting, suggesting a minimum of 2"  margin with 3" being the norm and other criteria. 

At BAAA (Bon Air Artists Assoc. my local art group) some on our jury team believe you should have all 5 pieces in similar or like framing, along with the simple lines and neutral matting.  I believe many artists jurying in for the first time are not going to reframe something on the chance they get in to the group, especially if this is their first jury in attempt.  But in laying out your display for the jury process or show, you can place like frames together and group the display.  Like if you had some gold frames, then some black with gold trim, and then a dark chocolate/expresso frame may make the layout look OK. 

If you have a piece that was done say in a purple mat for a special room but a basic frame, I would re-mat the piece with an off white or neutral mat to jury in or show.  I've been on the jury committee and this person had a bright green matted piece and purple mat one mixed in with others, well lets just say it didn't go over well with the committee. 

Many of us start out with a mixture of finishes, or styles that change over time.  Richmond for some time now has been a gilded frame town.  But things are changing here to match other areas of the country.  Many of my professional artist friends along with myself, reevaluate our framing frequently.  Most can't afford to completely redo them so we figure out a way to make a gradual conversion to a switch.  And of course it never fails, I'll find a great frame I'm changing to, only to find out the company has discontinued that style or color/shade.  As starving artists or new to selling, we may buy on sale at local shops, as we're testing our worth in the art sales arena.  But eventually we learn to standardize and realize you can't frame for every taste.  Neutral in all realms works well for a client, judge or gallery to evaluate the merit of an artwork.  Letting the art speak for itself is my motto.  But I do believe on not skimping on quality when it comes to framing.  I try to give my clients a good value quality frame.  Except if they specify a certain frame or ask for it not to be framed, although I do not like to sell unframed work at shows.   I have given a frame away just so the sold artwork had a safe vehicle in which to be transported to a clients home.  

Besides the fact that many clients choose to re-frame a piece for their decor, working in standard sizes for mats and frames makes this framing thing much less of a daunting task.  Sometimes you can pop one out of the frame and pop it into another more suitable if you work in standardized sizes.  Of course I learned how to cut my own mats and do my own framing to keep the cost of framing a piece low and the value high on a finished work.  Do I like to cut mats NO, but hey it's all part of owning your own business as I see it.  Or until you make it big with high sales volume and big prices tags $$$$$ then you can have it all professionally done.   One of the reasons I have moved to working almost exclusively on Ampersand pastelboard is the no mat, no glass is needed.  They hang like oil paintings making self framing easier and allowing for quick frame changes.   Inevitably a frame can become damaged by dragging it to shows or in shipping to competitions so then it's always good to re-frame in a your new style keeping your exhibit cohesive. 

I do have a few high priced framed pieces in my private collection that I may never sell or that I will re-frame should I decide to enter in a show or to sell. 

Oh by the way, she also asked if it was OK to use complementary colors for a mat.  Since we have talked in class about using complementary colors I needed to make sure what her understanding of complementary was and to be clear on my answer to her I asked her what she meant.  For the rest of you I thought I'd make clear the differences. 

The dictionary definition of complementary is: 
complementary |ˌkämpləˈment(ə)rē|
adjective
1 completing; forming a complement : backyard satellite dishes and the complementary electronic components.
• (of two or more different things) combining in such a way as to enhance or emphasize each other's qualities : three guitarists playing interlocking, complementary parts.

While the definition of complementary colors is:  
complementary colors
plural noun
colors directly opposite each other in the color spectrum, such as red and green or blue and orange, that when combined in the right proportions, produce white light. The effect is not the same when mixing paints.



If she meant "this compliments you artwork in like colors".   Neutral usually does show well, off white, white, tan, light grey, black, brown, etc....are good choices.   If she meant complementary as in the first definition above my answer is the same.  I hope she didn't mean complementary colors as in the second definition.  Although this might work for a decorator or in a special room this would not be a good choice for framing if exhibiting in shows galleries or for a jury in process.

Well there you have it, framing per Gloria.  Have a colorful day!

Last day in Paris and Monet's Home and Garden

 Claude Monet's garden is about 1 hour 15 min., from our hotel via our special tour bus, and was everything I had hoped it would be and then some.  The artist's home is inviting with the rose arbors lining the garden side of the house.  And the gardens it over looks are so filled with blossoms you hardy knew which direction to look.  My only disappointment was it was so busy (we got there when it opened) there really was not a place to even do a quick sketch.  And we only had 2 hours to see it all.  Inside no photos are allowed but for those who have not seen it, it's decorated to the exact duplicate of the photos displayed inside. With replicas of his paintings hanging in his studio. My favorite part of the house was the blue and white kitchen.  His bedroom was a cheery space that's windows opened up onto his magnificent garden.       

The bridge view today is much the same as in some of his famous paintings but appeared to be lower than I expected.  I suppose it's because he painted from his boat in the water, giving it a higher angle and view.  But again many crowds to contend with thus no drawings ala Plein Aire.

We concluded our afternoon with a trip to the Musee de l'Orangerie  on the grounds of the Louvre gardens.  Containing a tribute to Monet's Water Nympheas series that took over 4 years for him to paint. They fill the walls of 2 long oval rooms. The link here will give you a teaser. www.musee-orangerie 

So that was a good ending for our Monet day.  
Au revior,

Gloria

The Louvre's Mona and the Eiffle Tower from my hotel room tonight.,

 At the Louvre to see Mona, my Italian mother's favorite painting.  Hectic and crazy today because Sunday's are free admittance to museums in Paris.  Wilma and I had a great time on the Batobus (a river boat that transports you to many of the sites all day along the Seine River.  Unfortunately we did not get to see the Museum D' Orsay due to extremely long lines.  No drawing or painting today it was our free day and art appreciation day.     

After a lovely dinner that cost way too, much we're back to the hotel and our rooms view of the Eiffel Tower at night.  Now to get a good nights sleep before our painting day and tour of Giverney tomorrow.  (our last day in Paris and France).

The one thing I've learned on this trip to France with other media Plein Aire painters is that the still life artist in me and the vignette lover in me has much to practice in my landscape cp work to feel comfortable.  I did stick to my guns and worked small the whole time 5 X 7 or 4 X 6.  A few I've shown here or will how in the next few weeks to come.  So stay tuned for more.

Gloria