First Impressions

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWEEvbCbc0f6SagSKo6Gl6pErp_xYMaq7xOejY6vVs-zmQru4x2uqp_3HbXXgBwU8IiRqzA4Rc8WXJCaNEHeWHZpQmQTQK5XPNpu_r1mi7xUT69hf1S3avSrzkdfMv4HKG_rJDtVz3EAE/s1600/East.Night_In_Cotswolds.vsm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Some people define “impressionism” as an approach to painting where the goal is to capture the first perception of a scene. The World Book Encyclopedia says that “impressionist painters try to show what the eye sees at a glance.”<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqTPRnrIS3g4ag1fyux2oChY45Nz1QcuPBuu2P8Mfv1TEPardInfFDvlf1lF-DwS_QRna3Dyh-FOa2xfPfRIhiNqfgv8xdsnbRxeC80B_7tQ7j0lqTtZcvr5yzSv0FFQSHLkE1HXKLfC8/s1600/Monet_-_Graystaks_I.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqTPRnrIS3g4ag1fyux2oChY45Nz1QcuPBuu2P8Mfv1TEPardInfFDvlf1lF-DwS_QRna3Dyh-FOa2xfPfRIhiNqfgv8xdsnbRxeC80B_7tQ7j0lqTtZcvr5yzSv0FFQSHLkE1HXKLfC8/s400/Monet_-_Graystaks_I.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />The first-glance impact is usually represented by an image with simple masses of color, painted with big brushstrokes without much detail, often with soft edges between the masses, such as this haystack painting by Monet. <br /><br />Typically, “impressionist” images have high-chroma dabs of color that resolve into a larger blurry image. Recognizable small details are conspicuously left out.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpWuTsNMOLK9dnWOPzDEVT7RAb8mcnNVYzqY2nUuldTVR04kyFaNlCjJYRyGNAiZnQUntr-5f9nMwW0abirftlWREbRmRO8iaVyt5ZyRXoLP_BJA3s23Itg-wIVxZNtDM3Cij3bT7u3bs/s1600/Impression.Scene.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpWuTsNMOLK9dnWOPzDEVT7RAb8mcnNVYzqY2nUuldTVR04kyFaNlCjJYRyGNAiZnQUntr-5f9nMwW0abirftlWREbRmRO8iaVyt5ZyRXoLP_BJA3s23Itg-wIVxZNtDM3Cij3bT7u3bs/s400/Impression.Scene.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />We’re told that this is how the eye perceives on the first glance. Let me see if I can simulate this idea using a photographic image. Here’s an unaltered photo of a street scene.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjNBWWLeCdX3M1z7nQR4ZUEWvg8pVufiRG4TQF0ZPBNYSUVyducKnRzyJgqt-gzNFLRJP6r3C9pcswImHoBvbr1GnF0Q9YBCaAK40Y_vtf0wOfTeqtUXNmxKydPQdw_O33fScRrl1QOWM/s1600/ImpressionB.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjNBWWLeCdX3M1z7nQR4ZUEWvg8pVufiRG4TQF0ZPBNYSUVyducKnRzyJgqt-gzNFLRJP6r3C9pcswImHoBvbr1GnF0Q9YBCaAK40Y_vtf0wOfTeqtUXNmxKydPQdw_O33fScRrl1QOWM/s400/ImpressionB.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Here’s an “impressionist” take on the same scene (using the Photoshop filter “paint daubs” and a heightened color saturation).<br /><br />I believe there are some assumptions here that need examining. Does our first impression really look like an impressionist painting?<br /><br />If I’m really honest about my own experience of vision, my first-glance take on a scene is nothing at all like a Monet. What I see in the first two or three seconds are a few extremely detailed but disconnected areas of focus. Small individual elements, such as a sign, a face, or a doorknob, take on particular importance immediately, perhaps because the left-brain decoding process (seeing in symbols) is so heavily engaged in the first few seconds.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYowE2Y5XS2R1otQdNsdy7EoAB2Tu0BdGC4r2UoWZcI7W3T6uuLLIW_bNvUHoH6yC-XeU4XUaAXzMUJ52nGa_abgSI943I5vLwzli-2lMSSvkHDuulLKkzQMVsqgKzGt2xC9evS0knMs/s1600/ImpressionA.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaYowE2Y5XS2R1otQdNsdy7EoAB2Tu0BdGC4r2UoWZcI7W3T6uuLLIW_bNvUHoH6yC-XeU4XUaAXzMUJ52nGa_abgSI943I5vLwzli-2lMSSvkHDuulLKkzQMVsqgKzGt2xC9evS0knMs/s400/ImpressionA.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />I’ve altered the photo to try to simulate this experience by sharpening and heightening these disconnected elements. What happens in the first few seconds for you? I don’t know how other people see, because I’m stuck inside my own head. Perhaps eye-tracking and fMRI studies can help us to better understand what really happens cognitively in the first few second of visual perception. Maybe it varies widely from person to person. <br /><br />What I’m questioning is not the artistic tradition of impressionism, but rather our habits of thinking about it. The idea of trying to capture the broad, simple masses of a scene is a valid artistic enterprise. But even though I’m a plein air painter with impressionist leanings, I believe that kind of seeing emerges only after sustained, conscious effort and training, or not at all.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWEEvbCbc0f6SagSKo6Gl6pErp_xYMaq7xOejY6vVs-zmQru4x2uqp_3HbXXgBwU8IiRqzA4Rc8WXJCaNEHeWHZpQmQTQK5XPNpu_r1mi7xUT69hf1S3avSrzkdfMv4HKG_rJDtVz3EAE/s1600/East.Night_In_Cotswolds.vsm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWEEvbCbc0f6SagSKo6Gl6pErp_xYMaq7xOejY6vVs-zmQru4x2uqp_3HbXXgBwU8IiRqzA4Rc8WXJCaNEHeWHZpQmQTQK5XPNpu_r1mi7xUT69hf1S3avSrzkdfMv4HKG_rJDtVz3EAE/s400/East.Night_In_Cotswolds.vsm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Above: Sir Alfred East, “Night in the Cotswalds.”<br /><br />Perceiving big shapes requires a deliberate act of defocusing or squinting. These are rather unnatural kinds of perception. When I squint and defocus on a subway, people look at me like I’m insane. Painting teachers know that students don’t see the big masses naturally. They need to be taught to do it. <br /><br />(Incidentally, this big-mass mode of artistic seeing was very much a part of 19th century academic training, and was by no means exclusive to the Impressionists—but that’s another topic.) <br /><br />I realize that the term “impressionism” was not coined by the artists, but rather by their critics. In any event the word and that sense of the word have become irrevocably associated with the movement. Of course the word has other definitions, such as the portrayal of transient effects of light and color, or a painting style using short brush strokes, and those meanings of the word are valid. <br /><br />But the notion that impressionist paintings are accurate representations of our first visual impressions strikes me as false dogma. I’m skeptical of the word when it’s used in that sense. <br /><br />“Impressionism,” whatever its merits as a mode of picture making, may not describe a universal experience of perception, so much as a particular style of painting.<br />----------<br />Related previous posts on GurneyJourney:<br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/09/eye-tracking-and-composition-part-1.html">Eyetracking and Composition, part 1 </a><br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/09/eye-tracking-and-composition-part-2.html">Eyetracking and Composition, part 2 </a><br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/09/eye-tracking-and-composition-part-3.html">Eyetracking and Composition part 3</a><br />Introduction to eyetracking, <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/02/what-are-you-looking-at.html">link.</a><br />How perception of faces is coded differently, <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/05/never-forget-face.html">link.</a>

First Impressions

Some people define “impressionism” as an approach to painting where the goal is to capture the first perception of a scene. The World Book E...

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Van Dyck’s Little Masterpiece

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_van_Dyck">Anthony Van Dyck </a>(1599-1641) was so proud of his portrait of Cornelius Van der Geest that he carried it around with him throughout his career as an example of his abilities. He did the painting before he was 20 years old. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-OV-3j6_b39PnkaXRfZkJaWkEy_qCz7PB1VztDdfIBaf34granvsLFDaKVuMQKG5mz3iWrycrmajxCnS0wPF6H-9M0CaY-vifCxhuTSB5vpFdLlMeFQBg6sm8VV-P0Tyxv0Ykfrl60c/s1600/Van_Dyck_Cornelius.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-OV-3j6_b39PnkaXRfZkJaWkEy_qCz7PB1VztDdfIBaf34granvsLFDaKVuMQKG5mz3iWrycrmajxCnS0wPF6H-9M0CaY-vifCxhuTSB5vpFdLlMeFQBg6sm8VV-P0Tyxv0Ykfrl60c/s640/Van_Dyck_Cornelius.jpg" width="521" /></a><br />The tonal organization is very simple, aided by the soft frontal lighting. The plane of the forehead and the front plane of the nose have the highest tonal value. The cheeks and the rest of the face are slightly darker. <br /><br />Allowing the forehead to shine as the highest value in a portrait suggests a person with spirituality or intellect. It gives the face a generous, luminous quality. <br /><br />According to Royal Academy instructor Solomon J. Solomon (writing about a century ago), the painting was made with the following steps*:<br />1. A brown grisaille, keeping the shadows warm.<br />2. Loading of stiff white impasto in the forehead and the ruff.<br />3. When the impasto was completely dry, glazing the skin tones and lips. The glaze sank into the pits around the impastos, making them come forward even more. Translucency like this is almost impossible to achieve with an opaque alla prima handling.  <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnDxzoZpwoAoqhdiJ9Z-9bIWiBmTbzGhbfbKA1LKfRWCSFTi1chwnnZysWi3JloO_4vxIIm32SKQMOwwJtXMkvSQXvGzEoExnGhxzcwb5nRUJPbPRP92iX8bjT2yzFiIpfYGjq628J5o/s1600/Van_Dyck_Cornelius.det.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQnDxzoZpwoAoqhdiJ9Z-9bIWiBmTbzGhbfbKA1LKfRWCSFTi1chwnnZysWi3JloO_4vxIIm32SKQMOwwJtXMkvSQXvGzEoExnGhxzcwb5nRUJPbPRP92iX8bjT2yzFiIpfYGjq628J5o/s400/Van_Dyck_Cornelius.det.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Note the softness in the eyes:<br />1. The edges of both the iris and the pupil are soft.<br />2. The eyelashes and eyebrows are understated. You don’t see individual hairs.<br />3. The highlights are very carefully placed. On the bottom eyelid, there’s a highlight on the edge of the lid and the moist area where the lid meets the eye.<br />4. Finish is not a matter of greater detail, but rather of more complete consideration.<br /><br />Softness takes conscious, deliberate effort, and it’s often the mark of greatness.  <br /><br />According to British academic master Solomon J. Solomon, “there is more to be learnt in the painting of flesh from this picture than from almost any other I know, so luminous is this masterpiece.” <br /><br />The painting is 14.75 x 12.75 inches. It is at the National Gallery, London. <a href="http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/anthony-van-dyck-portrait-of-cornelis-van-der-geest">Their website </a>lets you zoom into it.<br />---------<br />* ADDENDUM. Note: a friend of the blog, who knows a lot more than I do about historical painting methods, sent me the following clarification, based on his research:<br /><br /><div>"I've one disagreement though. Your step by step list says that he did a brown grisaille, upon which he impastoed with plain white. Then, on top of the dry impasto he glazed down.</div><div><br /></div><div>Generally, the evidence does not seem to support that as his usual procedure. Both the <a href="http://yalepress.yale.edu/book.asp?isbn=9780300078886" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301935038_3">NG (London) Technical Bulletin #20</span></a> and the catalog from the <a href="http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.49015001275362" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301935038_4">1990 exhibition in Washington (NG)</span></a> show flesh <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1301935038_5">cross sections</span> which contain other pigments in addition to lead white, within the lead white layer.</div><div><br /></div><div>Contemporary writings, written by those who purport to have known van Dyck also do not mention a brown grisaille followed by a white system as you have described. All list a dead color layer followed by a carnation color layer."  </div><div></div><div>Thanks for the insight! </div><div></div>Previously on GJ: <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/search?q=eye+highlights">Eye Highlights</a><br />Wikipedia on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_van_Dyck">Anthony Van Dyck </a><br /><a href="http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/anthony-van-dyck-portrait-of-cornelis-van-der-geest">National Gallery website</a><br />“<a href="http://muddycolors.blogspot.com/2011/03/eyes-have-it.html">Muddy Colors” blog post on eyes.</a>

Van Dyck’s Little Masterpiece

Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641) was so proud of his portrait of Cornelius Van der Geest that he carried it around with him throughout his caree...

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Value Planning

An art student recently asked me the following question:<br /><blockquote> Dear James,<br />Some discussions I've been involved with lately have got me thinking about the relationship between color and value. Do you approach them as two different steps of a painting? For example some people see a well worked out monochromatic grisaille painting as perhaps the most important step in a painting, with the scumbled on color as an accentuating element. On the other hand some people have a more Alla Prima approach where they jump right into color, and create the illusion of "turning" surfaces and value directly through color mixing. How long do you spend on the monochromatic stage of a painting?<br />                    ---Pro Cedure.</blockquote><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAC81b3B18sVteT8fSnIIam1tws3Aeabe5FAfZVY46d862bwn0Vu4oHHfvFwkV0eInTspTBifyIypNOV7OKp4A3MFETDXZuN7a99vCehg3RXoeymwyi987yuIj3AqltbTX3Je9kHMQPyI/s1600/Rockwell_The+Ferry+Story.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAC81b3B18sVteT8fSnIIam1tws3Aeabe5FAfZVY46d862bwn0Vu4oHHfvFwkV0eInTspTBifyIypNOV7OKp4A3MFETDXZuN7a99vCehg3RXoeymwyi987yuIj3AqltbTX3Je9kHMQPyI/s400/Rockwell_The+Ferry+Story.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a>    <br />Dear Pro Cedure,<br /><br />You ask a very great question color and value. Yes, I do think about the value structure as a separate step in developing a studio composition. I tend to do that thinking as a preliminary step in the charcoal or pencil stage. As I'm sure you know, Norman Rockwell was the king of planning the value design first in charcoal before jumping into oil (above: "The Ferry Story" courtesy of Heritage auctions).<br /><br />Whether you plan the tonal structure as a separate study (as Rockwell, Cornwell, Lovell and many academics did) or whether you establish it on the final canvas as a preliminary stage of painting, either way it really is the foundation of a good picture. Color adds a lot, but it can’t save a bad value design.<br /><br />And even with a thorough planning, you can still turn forms with color temperature as you suggested in your question. Rockwell is a good artist to study for that, and I believe many of his instincts for impressionistic color effects came from his study with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Webster_Hawthorne">Charles Hawthorne.</a><br /><br />In my case with a fantasy or historical painting, once I have figured out the tonal design in two or three values as a separate step, I begin the layin or block-in. I don’t use a monochromatic grisaille but rather a limited palette of color, such as yellow ochre, burnt sienna, and ultramarine blue. The whole step should only take an hour or two.<br /><br />My goal in the preliminary block-in is to establish not only the tonal statement, but also the big warm and cool relationships and the overall color mood at the very outset of the painting process. I stay well short of darkest darks, saving those for the finishing steps of the painting.<br /><br />When working on location, or when painting the figure in under two hours, I am under shorter time requirements. So I often dive right in with color, but sometimes I do a quick pencil thumbnail sketch to plan the value design.<br /><br />All the best, JG<br />---------- <br />Related post on GJ: <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/02/two-streams-hypothesis.html">The "two-streams" hypothesis of visual perception</a><br />Recommended books: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hawthorne-Painting-Mrs-Charles-W/dp/048620653X">"Hawthorne on Painting"</a><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rockwell-How-Make-Picture/dp/082302380X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1301411411&sr=1-1">"Rockwell on Rockwell"</a><br />I also cover this material in <a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/dinotopia-store.html">"Imaginative Realism"</a>

Value Planning

An art student recently asked me the following question:  Dear James, Some discussions I've been involved with lately have got me thinki...

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Answers to your questions on "Moving Out"

Thanks, everybody for your interesting comments about the recent post “<a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2011/03/moving-out.html">Moving Out</a>.” It was a little experiment in form, combining a plein air study with fictional story. Sometimes I paint a house and think of it as a stage where a million private dramas are played out.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlzwOArRwtEVnDeQ-EnH2PU3u30_XnkC4O2f5VTCwp5iOuAOGEgWKOr8Qmbl-TwG2t2OvpkFtL4oW0dV-Y0494frxvmEQdDEWhuijz1d9QoBSkFquwfJYzzOdRQ1GLMINtUv_uv9EckA/s1600/Moving_Out_Steps.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlzwOArRwtEVnDeQ-EnH2PU3u30_XnkC4O2f5VTCwp5iOuAOGEgWKOr8Qmbl-TwG2t2OvpkFtL4oW0dV-Y0494frxvmEQdDEWhuijz1d9QoBSkFquwfJYzzOdRQ1GLMINtUv_uv9EckA/s400/Moving_Out_Steps.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/04770238579550226268">Tom</a>, as far as the technical details, it’s in a Moleskine watercolor sketchbook, so it’s about 5 x 7.5 inches. I started with a pencil drawing and laid in an ochre undertone for the sky. I was going to going to come back with a blue wash, but forgot to, and liked it better warm. <br /><br />I laid some color down over the whole surface of the paper, saving out the shining tarp and the little bit of snow by the fence, which were the lightest notes. In some of the early passes, I floated the dark tones for the windows onto wet paper to let them bleed into the surrounding tone.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggr69qM4Xhd8gPTRzCwwFDkMJSRcpIagRGLvimD3o400iMA9Tc7Z8yCausJ2_4NRM14eywwa4mrSWYhwIEbEh-Yix5TmM-wWRTNly1OPypQh7-miL9AcFu3M6JziOcPO8mSI0sMgCqWoM/s1600/Painting_Moving_Out.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggr69qM4Xhd8gPTRzCwwFDkMJSRcpIagRGLvimD3o400iMA9Tc7Z8yCausJ2_4NRM14eywwa4mrSWYhwIEbEh-Yix5TmM-wWRTNly1OPypQh7-miL9AcFu3M6JziOcPO8mSI0sMgCqWoM/s200/Painting_Moving_Out.JPG" width="200" /></a>Even after the first pass, the house needed to be “dirtied up” to look old. The truck was an ultramarine blue underwash with a semi-opaque light red laid over.  The tree branches are mostly drybrushed, with branches added in pencil. <a href="http://mariozara.blogspot.com/">Mario</a>, some of the fine lines (clapboards and wires) are drawn in with a Caran d’Ache colored pencils.<br /><br />The whole sketch took about an hour and a half. In the composite at the top of this post, I stuck a photo of the subject at the right so you can see how the camera saw things. The far semi tractor-trailer in the photo was in motion during the photo. And the pickup really did leave halfway through, so I had to rely on memory to finish it up. I did all the work on location; I almost never work on a study after returning home because I feel unplugged from the inspiration.

Answers to your questions on "Moving Out"

Thanks, everybody for your interesting comments about the recent post “ Moving Out .” It was a little experiment in form, combining a plein ...

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Painting Workshop Announcement

I’d like to announce that I’ll be teaching a three day painting workshop this summer, from July 1-3 at the <a href="http://carriageart.com/">Carriage House Art Studios </a>in Newburgh, New York.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIxPssysu09302nBcCd1v70c64GwH25jbvkBn3v9iFVk8uqW7b03IprpPHmQhzCIkiJQEoj4j75Vw6D9SFwGhpt5YqQKp802_6L2pknmD_4PAFhAMRMhlubIbqwaACQdJ4hvQCHOQeR8/s1600/Color_Light_Workshop.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIxPssysu09302nBcCd1v70c64GwH25jbvkBn3v9iFVk8uqW7b03IprpPHmQhzCIkiJQEoj4j75Vw6D9SFwGhpt5YqQKp802_6L2pknmD_4PAFhAMRMhlubIbqwaACQdJ4hvQCHOQeR8/s400/Color_Light_Workshop.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><b>The Workshop: “Painting in Colored Light”</b><br />We’ll learn how to see, understand, and capture the effects of colored light. This is vital experience for all landscape, portrait, and imaginative artists. If you haven’t painted under strongly colored light, I can guarantee that this experience will revolutionize your work.<br /><br />Beginning by studying white plaster casts under colored illumination, we’ll learn about additive versus subtractive color and the principles of visual perception. We’ll practice painting the nude figure and the  costumed model under a variety of combinations of colored light sources. I’ll start the morning session with explanations, discussions, and then you’ll work with my guidance in the afternoon. Plus, weather permitting, we’ll do an optional sunset painting expedition.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SlVZ78mSQZo_7lt-a-1v4NTNpidiYrZai067HBjLwut8e0-QJAdZt-v8AJ_g24SUSGXeybfTifczFD9rnqHUcOQUQlOUdb1N5LesZElhvxU-p5MY10C1QU6hFGwiOihRsBoNMsvHAi8/s1600/Model2.sm.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3SlVZ78mSQZo_7lt-a-1v4NTNpidiYrZai067HBjLwut8e0-QJAdZt-v8AJ_g24SUSGXeybfTifczFD9rnqHUcOQUQlOUdb1N5LesZElhvxU-p5MY10C1QU6hFGwiOihRsBoNMsvHAi8/s320/Model2.sm.jpg" width="285" /></a><b>Media</b><br />I encourage you to use oil, which I’ll be using, but other opaque painting media are acceptable, too. I’ll provide a materials list later. The workshop is intended for intermediate and advanced levels. Students should have some experience in both drawing and painting.<br /><br /><b>The Venue </b><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYIxPssysu09302nBcCd1v70c64GwH25jbvkBn3v9iFVk8uqW7b03IprpPHmQhzCIkiJQEoj4j75Vw6D9SFwGhpt5YqQKp802_6L2pknmD_4PAFhAMRMhlubIbqwaACQdJ4hvQCHOQeR8/s1600/Color_Light_Workshop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>The workshop location is the <a href="http://www.carriageartatelier.com/">Carriage House Art Studio</a>, the spacious and historic studio and home of the noted mural and gallery painter Garin Baker.<br /><br />There are a few rooms to rent in Garin’s home (Jeanette and I will be staying there, too), nearby B&Bs and hotels. It’s a really congenial setting. We’ll sit around in the evenings looking at art books, sketching, and talking.<br /><br />The Carriage House Studio will also be offering other workshops by other New York based painters. Announcements of those workshops will come soon.<br /><br /><b>Sign-up Details</b><br />The price for the three-day workshop is $500. Space is limited to 15 participants, so please sign up soon if you want to do it. Spaces will sell out quickly. Please register directly with the <a href="http://www.carriageartatelier.com/">Carriage House Art Studios</a>, 478 Union Avenue, New Windsor, NY 12553, 845-562-7802. Email Garin at: gb@carriageart.com.<br />-----<br /><a href="http://carriageart.com/james-gurney-workshop-painting-in-colored-light.php">Link to official announcement, with links and more info for questions and signup.</a>

Painting Workshop Announcement

I’d like to announce that I’ll be teaching a three day painting workshop this summer, from July 1-3 at the Carriage House Art Studios in New...

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Painting Rainbows

It's the final day of Video Week. Today the camera flies through my studio, ending with a demo of how I paint the rainbows in copies of my book <i>Color and Light.</i><br /><i><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="290" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/jE7WWmYL91M" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe><br /><br /></i>From now through the month of March, if you order a copy of <i>Color and Light</i> from the <a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/dinotopia-store.html">Dinotopia Store </a>I'll do a similar sketch in your copy.<br /><br />Tomorrow, I'll announce the "Color and Light" Book Trailer Video Contest.<br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/11/book-trailer-contest.html">Winners of the 2009 GJ Blogreaders video contest</a><br /> <a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/dinotopia-store.html">Get Color and Light at the Dinotopia Store</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jE7WWmYL91M">Direct link to video on YouTube</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/gurneyjourney">GurneyJourney channel on YouTube  </a>

Painting Rainbows

It's the final day of Video Week. Today the camera flies through my studio, ending with a demo of how I paint the rainbows in copies of ...

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Meet Harvey Dunn

Here’s a two-minute video with archival footage of Harvey Dunn (1884-1952) as he paints a western character.<br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DdGAR5zaipw" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe><br /><br /><b>About the video</b><br />In the late 1940s, illustrator and teacher Frank Reilly visited the studios of the premier illustrators of his day and filmed their working methods. He used state-of-the-art color film equipment, and in some cases, sound. He filmed Dean Cornwell, Arthur William Brown, F. R. Gruger, Bradshaw Crandall, William Oberhardt, and Harvey Dunn. He called the series “Artists at Work.” The films have been lost for many years, and a few of them have recently resurfaced. <br /><br />The purpose of the Artists at Work series, according to Reilly himself, was “to create a permanent collection of films that will be available to schools, societies, and museums.”<br /><br />In June, 1948, <i>American Artist </i>magazine interviewed Reilly about the project. According to <i>American Artist,</i> Reilly said the series “is intended to impress upon us the accomplishments of those among us now and to perpetuate their memory for the inspiration of those who are to follow. Eventually the collection will be entrusted to some museum or foundation or society where it can continue indefinitely to serve the purpose of its founder. This is a strictly non-profit educational venture, Reilly investing in it thousands of dollars of his own savings and will never receive a penny of the income from rental fees charged for showing the films...The enterprise has been set up legally to assure its operation on this wholly altruistic basis.”<br /><br />I’ve added a brief narration and some sound effects to this silent film. I would like to thank the teachers, institutions, and individuals who have helped preserve and share Mr. Reilly’s wonderful gift to the world of art.<br /><br /><b>Links for further reading</b><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdGAR5zaipw">Direct link to this video on YouTube</a><br /><br />Harvey Dunn is featured in a major new book written by illustration historian Walt Reed of <a href="http://www.illustration-house.com/">Illustration House Galleries.</a> You can find out more about the book called <i>Harvey Dunn, Illustrator and Painter of the Pioneer West </i>available at the publisher, <a href="http://fleskpublications.com/blog/?p=505">Flesk Publications</a>, or the <a href="http://www.sdstate.edu/southdakotaartmuseum/">South Dakota Art Museum museum</a>. And<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Harvey-Dunn-Illustrator-Painter-Pioneer/dp/1933865199/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1297958036&sr=1-1"> the book is available only in limited quantities at Amazon</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://illustrationart.blogspot.com/2010/12/harvey-dunn-1884-1952.html">Post about Dunn on David Apatoff’s "Illustration Art" blog.</a><br /><a href="http://www.linesandcolors.com/2011/01/04/harvey-dunn/">Post about Dunn on Charley Parker's "Lines and Colors" </a><br /><a href="http://www.bpib.com/illustrat/dunn.htm">Biography of Dunn on Jim V's BPIB</a><br />Walt Reed’s Illustration House<br /><a href="http://www.sdstate.edu/southdakotaartmuseum/explore/Collections/Harvey-Dunn/index.cfm">South Dakota Art Museum website on Dunn</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Dunn">Wikipedia on Harvey Dunn</a><br />Previously on GJ:<br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/01/reilly-and-beyond.html">Reilly and Beyond</a>

Meet Harvey Dunn

Here’s a two-minute video with archival footage of Harvey Dunn (1884-1952) as he paints a western character. About the video In the late 194...

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Kazuo Oga

I’ve probably put way too much emphasis on American and European artists, overlooking painters from other great traditions. So let’s take a minute to appreciate Kazuo Oga, the painter who helped create the forest in Hayao Miyazaki’s animated film <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp9PDj_zb1k"><i>My Neighbor Totoro.</i></a> <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVmh4bM1C6QoYBkJ206aP2ipw5Pj4MX12zDefkBdAghihrDHjrCuYw67mK8bm8nplprsa5JMxCpV7w001fOtW4CNj3rGGdkhO6z_C8UHOq_b8hBVwnT9w_ixmvhKdErzB20b1Yb_8CxE/s1600/oga_kazuo_umigame_1b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcVmh4bM1C6QoYBkJ206aP2ipw5Pj4MX12zDefkBdAghihrDHjrCuYw67mK8bm8nplprsa5JMxCpV7w001fOtW4CNj3rGGdkhO6z_C8UHOq_b8hBVwnT9w_ixmvhKdErzB20b1Yb_8CxE/s400/oga_kazuo_umigame_1b.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />On ConceptArt.org, Mr. Oga said: <span style="font-style: italic;">"Basically, I use poster- color. Because as we have to paint much, we can't use expensive paint. Poster colors can show brightness or depth of color and, above all, it is easy-to-use."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>In the landscape below, I love the way he alternates empty areas, such as the sky, with busy areas, such as the hanging laundry. He also alternates the parallel stripes of the cultivated areas with the wild shapes of the foreground.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxw8EHZiux791duOy-Z51MEqa2K-p2-dQ8eEDN_DzztpRRfBMmGFdWlMSPJzgTfJCXHJxB0j_EUMpGa7rjf6C-8OFGIaPEq-yC6lRwkxI9seC1do4UX6Gu7xCgq8uECL4KU450ib1VQc/s1600/Katzuo_Oga.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTxw8EHZiux791duOy-Z51MEqa2K-p2-dQ8eEDN_DzztpRRfBMmGFdWlMSPJzgTfJCXHJxB0j_EUMpGa7rjf6C-8OFGIaPEq-yC6lRwkxI9seC1do4UX6Gu7xCgq8uECL4KU450ib1VQc/s400/Katzuo_Oga.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />Look at how he builds gradually toward the mysterious dark under the tree. He keeps the grouping of far trees in the center of the picture close in value.<br /><br />The result, for all its complexity, is quite simple in tonal and coloristic design, an important consideration for animation backgrounds, which must be understood quickly.<br />------<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp9PDj_zb1k"><i>My Neighbor Totoro </i></a>trailer on YouTube<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio_Ghibli">Studio Ghibli on Wikipedia</a><br />Background painting from <a href="http://my.opera.com/opera%20kanta/blog/2007/10/20/kazuo-oga-1">My Opera.com</a><br /><a href="http://www.onlineghibli.com/films.php">List of Studio Ghibli Films</a><br />Photo and quotation from <a href="http://monisawa.blogspot.com/2010/04/ponyo-kazuo-oga-and-poster-paint.html">Monisawa Blog</a>

Kazuo Oga

I’ve probably put way too much emphasis on American and European artists, overlooking painters from other great traditions. So let’s take a ...

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Stylelessness

One of the requirements of a backdrop for a museum diorama is that it creates an illusion of real space. If it makes you think of paint on a wall, it’s not working.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDcZ6hT480mao5l9KmmVtQyz6cPN43ROc4qPrtT1FJpENiBhrXe54X4XdxogJnHuV2A18ZnwU6frBwivul4o7L48ShWfjHUYry4ZxPu66LIlmnYiroIJBrcxbStMURoDvF7Eo4QpPG1s/s1600/3155291102_e1c6d9c7e8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDcZ6hT480mao5l9KmmVtQyz6cPN43ROc4qPrtT1FJpENiBhrXe54X4XdxogJnHuV2A18ZnwU6frBwivul4o7L48ShWfjHUYry4ZxPu66LIlmnYiroIJBrcxbStMURoDvF7Eo4QpPG1s/s400/3155291102_e1c6d9c7e8.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />To really succeed, you have to paint a scene without any individual style. Some people call it “painting actuality.” It’s carefully composed, but composed to be artless, that is, it doesn’t make you conscious of the means it took to produce it. (Above, bighorn sheep diorama in New York, with background by <strike>James Perry Wilson </strike>correction: Belmore Brown.)<br /><br />Carl Akeley, who helped develop the art of the diorama to its highest level at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, put it this way:<br /><br /><blockquote>"The landscape painter who has cultivated a style or manner is not any good…the painted background must display a complete unity with the mounted animals.  The painter must make the beholder forget that he is looking at paint, and feel that he is looking at nature itself.  The artist must forget himself in his work.  We must set the standard to which others will have to rise."</blockquote><br /><br />William R. Leigh, one of the backdrop painters for the AMNH said painting backdrops "calls for the utmost measure of truth; there is in it no place for individuality." <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcZSTAFg5y5li0qsyCCTGN8T3XTdNBOOdjgd4gZoPl-yya2nCw1x9s7naK6WSElOG33BwweDf10oFVRbQqR4go0eFIMQf-GGVE0Vd7KIZwxkSBpS3816Tlpa6-OjBVK_aRREBjiVFef4/s1600/leigh_waso_nyiro-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggcZSTAFg5y5li0qsyCCTGN8T3XTdNBOOdjgd4gZoPl-yya2nCw1x9s7naK6WSElOG33BwweDf10oFVRbQqR4go0eFIMQf-GGVE0Vd7KIZwxkSBpS3816Tlpa6-OjBVK_aRREBjiVFef4/s400/leigh_waso_nyiro-1.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><br />Leigh did brilliant studies in Africa (above) as preparation for his diorama paintings. But great as he was as a painter, some of his backdrops were criticized for their distracting style. Trained in Germany in the Dusseldorf tradition, he had a hard time getting rid of the very theatrical lighting, brushwork, and unnatural colors that served him well as an easel painter. The backdrop below is by W.R. Leigh.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj79xiWx8y12LeCmABStaxhZ24OWTDQ_OexoQ1dH-tmHpMxA1cX5RPbasTcx1Y6cXZIx9RZQzcU4AdBoeGd6_IGRX-1oQPTZYZFwsrAwgyfV_qDtd5sRz39Jat49sE-rtoVFyFeq2gDq4k/s1600/g_koodoo.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj79xiWx8y12LeCmABStaxhZ24OWTDQ_OexoQ1dH-tmHpMxA1cX5RPbasTcx1Y6cXZIx9RZQzcU4AdBoeGd6_IGRX-1oQPTZYZFwsrAwgyfV_qDtd5sRz39Jat49sE-rtoVFyFeq2gDq4k/s400/g_koodoo.jpg" width="400" /></a><br /><br />The person who fit into the role perfectly was James Perry Wilson, who I’ve mentioned a few times before in other contexts. Wilson came from a background in architectural illustration, and was largely self-taught. He first worked at the museum assisting Leigh, who was 20 years older. Wilson learned the craft, and then applied his own intellect to the unique challenges of the art form.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNDcZ6hT480mao5l9KmmVtQyz6cPN43ROc4qPrtT1FJpENiBhrXe54X4XdxogJnHuV2A18ZnwU6frBwivul4o7L48ShWfjHUYry4ZxPu66LIlmnYiroIJBrcxbStMURoDvF7Eo4QpPG1s/s1600/3155291102_e1c6d9c7e8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1Ac1n8s4ULRrLA7Tnoxf9KJtL0L8NC9WmcZl_f-3AL2cDpr7_bxsElA2vaVP7HWb4dBFXHDExIu3gwqxBEdw9xYz-bSTl1FdO3AOlD6K4IaP80L0jpr9ILGXa9B6EAYrA9Q13ZgiFP4/s1600/jpw_ptg_mule_deer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi1Ac1n8s4ULRrLA7Tnoxf9KJtL0L8NC9WmcZl_f-3AL2cDpr7_bxsElA2vaVP7HWb4dBFXHDExIu3gwqxBEdw9xYz-bSTl1FdO3AOlD6K4IaP80L0jpr9ILGXa9B6EAYrA9Q13ZgiFP4/s400/jpw_ptg_mule_deer.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Wilson (above) was a slow painter and a bit aloof in his personality. The detailed story of what he went through to navigate the museum politics is told in the latest chapter of Wilson’s life by online biography.<br /><br />This chapter is no ordinary blog post. Wilson’s story is being written by the Peabody Museum’s own Michael Anderson, who originally planned it for a book, but is publishing it online instead, chapter by chapter. <br />---------<br /><a href="http://www.peabody.yale.edu/james-perry-wilson/chapter5-joining-the-american-museum-of-natural-history.html">Wilson Biography, Chapter 5: Joining the American Museum of Natural History</a> (scroll halfway down for the discussion of stylelessness).<br />Quote is from W. R. Leigh, <i>Frontiers of Enchantment</i>. 1939, p.49.<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Windows-Nature-Habitat-Dioramas-American/dp/0810959402/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1293648058&sr=1-1">The big book on the AMNH diorama is Windows on Nature by Stephen Quinn </a><br />Previously on GJ: <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/01/james-perry-wilsons-dioramas-part-1.html">"James Perry Wilson's Dioramas"</a>

Stylelessness

One of the requirements of a backdrop for a museum diorama is that it creates an illusion of real space. If it makes you think of paint on a...

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Blended-Stroke Method

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo_hF6liBC-aqvrkeThBl3kzt0jBFUeVNULe4VcItWx6mdotF_GKZj2H0-_78jZouxvVSx6PBzh7rB_CuejwFa-6n1ipztdJfzV7OaPGJROfuC7fExRix7GXx4yiEOv_j-UJOqE6TIjkcd/s1600/ANDERSON.WIDOW.detail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>In a 1956 article in <i>American Artist</i>, Harry Anderson described how he used an uncommon practice in gouache painting. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo_hF6liBC-aqvrkeThBl3kzt0jBFUeVNULe4VcItWx6mdotF_GKZj2H0-_78jZouxvVSx6PBzh7rB_CuejwFa-6n1ipztdJfzV7OaPGJROfuC7fExRix7GXx4yiEOv_j-UJOqE6TIjkcd/s1600/ANDERSON.WIDOW.detail.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo_hF6liBC-aqvrkeThBl3kzt0jBFUeVNULe4VcItWx6mdotF_GKZj2H0-_78jZouxvVSx6PBzh7rB_CuejwFa-6n1ipztdJfzV7OaPGJROfuC7fExRix7GXx4yiEOv_j-UJOqE6TIjkcd/s400/ANDERSON.WIDOW.detail.jpg" width="380" /></a><br />He said he used “two different colors on a single bristle brush in painting objects whose color might run from light to dark—as on a cylinder. First I load the brush with the lighter hue and then with a section of the brush I pick up the darker paint so that, when the stroke is made, very interesting accidentals result.” <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hpXaG6iHMsX0Chp4S7hU5PXTcKOT2yOtK3vcHK4jPmdD7OQdLt-fO0XUTk_g5nAzAQTt4uv3ipGMuy8weL0aulDKbdRZfkMfoFwRccr-Qrf79G78MknMA4sjZdX6qme2g29V9vTLTe7G/s1600/ANDERSON.bookcase.1.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="383" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hpXaG6iHMsX0Chp4S7hU5PXTcKOT2yOtK3vcHK4jPmdD7OQdLt-fO0XUTk_g5nAzAQTt4uv3ipGMuy8weL0aulDKbdRZfkMfoFwRccr-Qrf79G78MknMA4sjZdX6qme2g29V9vTLTe7G/s400/ANDERSON.bookcase.1.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />“This works very well on small objects,” Anderson says. You can see Anderson’s blended-stroke method in the rendering of the bookcase, where each book’s spine was made with a minimum of strokes. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5oI-MA2pjqI7aTR5gRNQ2yOd38GtEhyphenhyphenI5x-aSVkbxTd7Bqqom6SV6agCqYaVL-geN99HRx9yWlf02lCaTaKN6JtEwWiuRQTRiZzB4G-CAg3A4CQrSx0RjYhJJeJFVIfiOk_Ny3pCzyDC/s1600/ANDERSON.WIDOW.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5oI-MA2pjqI7aTR5gRNQ2yOd38GtEhyphenhyphenI5x-aSVkbxTd7Bqqom6SV6agCqYaVL-geN99HRx9yWlf02lCaTaKN6JtEwWiuRQTRiZzB4G-CAg3A4CQrSx0RjYhJJeJFVIfiOk_Ny3pCzyDC/s400/ANDERSON.WIDOW.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />These enlarged details are from the painting “The Widow,” which appears as a double-page spread on page 10-11 of <i>Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter.</i><br />--------<br />Quotes from: “Harry Anderson Discusses his Painting in Tempera,” <i>American Artist,</i> May, 1956. (“Gouache,” “tempera,” and “opaque watercolor” are all roughly the same thing.)<br /><i>Color and Light</i> on Amazon internationally: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Color-Light-Guide-Realist-Painter/dp/0740797719/ref=pd_ts_b_?ie=UTF8&s=books">USA</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/0740797719?tag=parblo0c-20">CA</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0740797719?tag=parblo-21">UK</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/0740797719?tag=parblo08-21">FR</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/0740797719?tag=parblo01-21">DE</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/0740797719?tag=parkablogs-22">JP</a><br /><i>Color and Light </i>signed (and doodled in) by me, from<a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/dinotopia-store.html"> the Dinotopia Store</a>

Blended-Stroke Method

In a 1956 article in American Artist , Harry Anderson described how he used an uncommon practice in gouache painting. He said he used “two d...

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Drawing with the Brush

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-9MRtiByps2kCgsMbzc9bqnZKS0yjlq_-nWAAvqL2S5D96VMTPi5ZswYKEV12WVRub2XCnBmhujGwM7kfY0Vi04IW_WqBV3dSASZxtuS8ByaAyauHGFQ3pXxScZQ8U-GchD5aaK5-_k8/s1600/IA.Dec.2010.Diner.sm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>The new December/ January issue of International Artist magazine includes a special feature that I wrote for them about “Drawing with the Brush.”<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-9MRtiByps2kCgsMbzc9bqnZKS0yjlq_-nWAAvqL2S5D96VMTPi5ZswYKEV12WVRub2XCnBmhujGwM7kfY0Vi04IW_WqBV3dSASZxtuS8ByaAyauHGFQ3pXxScZQ8U-GchD5aaK5-_k8/s1600/IA.Dec.2010.Diner.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-9MRtiByps2kCgsMbzc9bqnZKS0yjlq_-nWAAvqL2S5D96VMTPi5ZswYKEV12WVRub2XCnBmhujGwM7kfY0Vi04IW_WqBV3dSASZxtuS8ByaAyauHGFQ3pXxScZQ8U-GchD5aaK5-_k8/s400/IA.Dec.2010.Diner.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />I use direct painting methods for most of my plein-air work, for portraits, and studio landscapes and cityscapes—any time reality rather than fantasy is the starting point.<br /><br />Rather than refining the design on the panel with a pencil first, as I would typically do with a <i>Dinotopia </i>painting, I dive right in and establish the lines of the composition with a bristle brush on an oil-primed panel or canvas.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ybbVnHTZhcZSyIiNZr-OrYHhMg71J5QbGLutI6xfUdPagCEF2OWxcNgRgksb4rcyCiBUX0z075AQ7aBpPCefxqqTh9K-2JUCEBxjO0034IUdnFNj_FqIgL6OoiII25mPjSMxNil6coql/s1600/Columbia+Diner.sm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ybbVnHTZhcZSyIiNZr-OrYHhMg71J5QbGLutI6xfUdPagCEF2OWxcNgRgksb4rcyCiBUX0z075AQ7aBpPCefxqqTh9K-2JUCEBxjO0034IUdnFNj_FqIgL6OoiII25mPjSMxNil6coql/s400/Columbia+Diner.sm.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />The step-by-step sequence in the magazine takes you through the whole process and the thinking behind it. Also included in the article is a picture of Jeanette that I drew in with a brush on a pre-textured board. <br /><br />Both paintings (discussed in other contexts) also appear in the new book: <i><a href="http://www.dinotopia.com/dinotopia-store.html">Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter. </a></i><br />Other articles in the magazine feature Howard Terpning and Rose Frantzen, and there’s a Call for Entries for “Flowers and Gardens.”  <br /><br />----------------<br /><a href="http://www.international-artist.com/iam/current.aspx">Look inside the current issue of International Artist.</a><br />Related GurneyJourney post: <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/search?q=90+degree+rule">The Ninety Degree Rule (“Jeanette Sketching”) </a>

Drawing with the Brush

The new December/ January issue of International Artist magazine includes a special feature that I wrote for them about “Drawing with the Br...

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Tiny Landscape Nuts and Bolts

This is an answer to the questions from Petr and Vicki from the previous post (by the way, I appreciate all the kind comments, and the haiku, Dan!)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBVs8mZwgBqBHyy1zus6MEOjSQhlJ3T1CZ1zMtOY43zZZRJg1etVqzStVPT46g95P6Sn9jw5t1bcKjOsF7y0Hwjnnf6LcOOWYjGbVFOFs18gdUTbvdBGHiWP39FMOxMJegLMCi5ftLqbxW/s1600/IMG_2350.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBVs8mZwgBqBHyy1zus6MEOjSQhlJ3T1CZ1zMtOY43zZZRJg1etVqzStVPT46g95P6Sn9jw5t1bcKjOsF7y0Hwjnnf6LcOOWYjGbVFOFs18gdUTbvdBGHiWP39FMOxMJegLMCi5ftLqbxW/s400/IMG_2350.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />Anyway, the tiny landscapes were done with a mixture of watercolor and water-soluble colored pencils. I usually start with a quick lay-in using a brown <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Caran-DAche-Supracolor-Set-Colors/dp/B0009I52O2/ref=sr_1_cc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1289248450&sr=1-1-catcorr">Caran-d'Ache pencil</a>. The watercolor is a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Schmincke-Watercolors-Metal-Half-Pans/dp/B000HBUQFQ">Schmincke half-pan set.</a><br /><br />Then I painted the sky with a flat watercolor travel brush. The brush is the gold metallic thing just to the right of the rows of paints. It divides into two pieces, with the handle acting as a cover and protector for the brush tip when stored. I also used a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Yasutomo-KWB09-Niji-Waterbrush-Small/dp/B000KNNKKE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1289248571&sr=1-1">Niji water brush</a> for softening some areas.<br /><br />Then I painted the other big shapes of the landscape with watercolor, and added detail and foliage texture with the colored pencil. The notes are written with the blue <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Waterman-Phileas-Fountain-Medium-Blue/dp/B000FNBVGY/ref=sr_1_cc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1289248763&sr=1-1-catcorr">Waterman Phileas fountain pen </a>(filled with brown ink) that's just visible above the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Moleskine-Watercolor-Notebook-Large/dp/8883705629/ref=pd_sim_dbs_k_1">Moleskine watercolor book.</a><br /><br />The rag is a scrap of cotton flannel, and the cup is a<a href="http://www.nalgene-outdoor.com/store/detail.aspx?ID=39"> Nalgene plastic jar</a>.<br /><br />Sorry, the <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-mac-ibox.html">Mac iBox </a>(upper right) is a prototype only, and is not for sale.<br />----------<br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/07/how-to-refill-fountain-pen.html">Previously on GJ: How to refill a fountain pen. </a>

Tiny Landscape Nuts and Bolts

This is an answer to the questions from Petr and Vicki from the previous post (by the way, I appreciate all the kind comments, and the haiku...

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Water by Three Masters

Here is a section of water as painted by three different artists. Can you name them?<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh275MMmlGZhslq9N14uGcnQwX9mc8w2vSQ8OkB1cP8HyF1bxV-s93PWwi5VPka0rPzFlDgoL-owshchiQD3H-Em1eIjpfHU_CpOWxPnxPseY2mao2gcYQ2YmAwLAI4vKaNZyj_gUp3x6vy/s1600/Water_By_Three_Masters.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524219831173429122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh275MMmlGZhslq9N14uGcnQwX9mc8w2vSQ8OkB1cP8HyF1bxV-s93PWwi5VPka0rPzFlDgoL-owshchiQD3H-Em1eIjpfHU_CpOWxPnxPseY2mao2gcYQ2YmAwLAI4vKaNZyj_gUp3x6vy/s400/Water_By_Three_Masters.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 183px;" /></a>(Addendum: "Florante" guessed it: Joaquin Sorolla, Anders Zorn, and John Singer Sargent)<br /><br />The fact that many of you can identify them—even if you haven’t seen these specific paintings—is proof that we cannot escape our own handwriting. But it’s not just the “mark-making” at work here. Nor it it about style. It’s the <span style="font-style: italic;">seeing,</span> the understanding, that separates each of these artists.<br /><br />While each of these painters was a sensitive and close observer, each captured different qualities of water’s infinitely variable and elusive nature. The one on the left is interested in the upward-facing crescent shapes of the wavelets. The one in the middle features the soft transitions of the central ripples in contrast to the hard transitions and arabesques of the reflections. The one on the right is fascinated by the riot of color that shows up in illuminated shallow water, and the simultaneous transparency and reflectivity.<br /><br />Even if these artists were standing side by side earnestly trying to accurately capture the same exact view, you’d still be able to pick out each individual. That’s why I believe it’s mistaken to believe that the pursuit of realism necessarily leads to sameness. Those who describe realism as slavish imitation miss this point. One artist’s paintings can be true to nature but emphasize different aspects of visual truth compared to another artist. The way you paint is a record of how you see.<br />--------<br />Related GJ post: <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2010/01/reflections-of-masts-in-rippled-water.html">Reflections of Masts on Rippled Water.</a><br /><a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/08/color-in-mountain-streams.html">Color in Mountain Streams</a>

Water by Three Masters

Here is a section of water as painted by three different artists. Can you name them? (Addendum: "Florante" guessed it: Joaquin Sor...

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Step-by-Step in International Artist

The new October/ November issue of International Artist magazine has a four-page feature on the making of the painting “Old Conductor” for <span style="font-style: italic;">Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara.</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4vRgCsKnntbYhDMmc3aEbndsVRiUU-rZUuRVQ2eQDZRNTJK8u7RTizrtZEHoyR4uY4U21FrXWRKNgHxbw9_d6x7sCVh-iz1HoB9PwYlFQFnjgzs9l7lEwYls9MaE4h8LjmlFPZYufHDd/s1600/IA_Oct.Nov.2010.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5522013762650984402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU4vRgCsKnntbYhDMmc3aEbndsVRiUU-rZUuRVQ2eQDZRNTJK8u7RTizrtZEHoyR4uY4U21FrXWRKNgHxbw9_d6x7sCVh-iz1HoB9PwYlFQFnjgzs9l7lEwYls9MaE4h8LjmlFPZYufHDd/s400/IA_Oct.Nov.2010.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 336px;" /></a>The reproduction of the various steps are shown larger and in more detail than what appears in <span style="font-style: italic;">Imaginative Realism,</span> and I included some of the reference photos.<br /><br />This issue has other step-by-step demos, including an alla prima oil portrait by Tony Pro. “The Art of the Portrait,” a regular feature of the magazine by Gordon Whetmore, shares news about artists such as Jeremy Lipking, Michael Shane Neal, and Everett Raymond Kinstler.<br />------<br /><a href="http://www.international-artist.com/splash.aspx">International Artist magazine</a><br />Previously on GJ: <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/07/utopiales-poster-part-6-washin.html">the Washin Stage<br /></a>

Step-by-Step in International Artist

The new October/ November issue of International Artist magazine has a four-page feature on the making of the painting “Old Conductor” for D...

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Philip de László Paints Venice

<iframe src="http://videos.artistdaily.com/embed/iframe/panel/cid/G318VY3Q1PVYVKLY" frameborder="0" height="389" scrolling="no" width="420"></iframe><br /><a href="http://www.delaszloarchivetrust.com/">Philip Alexius de László</a> (1869<span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:'Calibri','sans-serif';font-size:11pt;color:black;" >–</span>1937) was a dashing portrait painter of a hundred years ago, a contemporary of Sargent. In this video, narrated by his son, we can watch him paint a plein-air study of the bronze horses in Venice, while fending off the friendly ribbing of his wife. Clicking the "play" link takes you to American Artist Daily.<br />-------<br />Via Allison Malafronte of <a href="http://www.artistdaily.com/blogs/pleinair/archive/2009/11/05/en-plein-air-one-of-the-first-filmed-plein-air-artists.aspx">American Artist Daily.</a><br /><a href="http://www.delaszloarchivetrust.com/">Gallery of works at the de Laszlo Archive Trust</a><br /><a href="http://jssgallery.org/other_artists/philip_alexius_de_laszlo/Philip_Alexius_de_Laszlo.htm">More about de Laszlo at JSS Gallery.org<br /></a>

Philip de László Paints Venice

Philip Alexius de László (1869 – 1937) was a dashing portrait painter of a hundred years ago, a contemporary of Sargent. In this video, na...

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Quick Draw

Frank Costantino, one of the organizers of the North Bennington Plein Air Competition, explained the rules for the Quick-Draw event to approximately 40 participating artists.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvynXOOukympzOeBASn0LZJoQ3LoT7jl2b0DrtTWC9gS4-6A2SqjdN7H3PhhMZsmDFUhymwSkkpEBxNW3sCikvCnCV-NcctRf55ZWoI3iKxplt7u69VhWouDu2KWnW7zI7uI6CpRufdU6Q/s1600/Costantino_QuickDraw.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515996317139099874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvynXOOukympzOeBASn0LZJoQ3LoT7jl2b0DrtTWC9gS4-6A2SqjdN7H3PhhMZsmDFUhymwSkkpEBxNW3sCikvCnCV-NcctRf55ZWoI3iKxplt7u69VhWouDu2KWnW7zI7uI6CpRufdU6Q/s400/Costantino_QuickDraw.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 237px;" /></a>Paint anywhere in the grounds of the historic Park-McCullough House, start when you hear the bell at 1:30, and stop two hours later.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV4NmX44YLwizKvD4Kb0g4CAymXQeWyAhnXgs9NxnOE9THH-B4IXBqFwQT0hc73-vHdNeSqdeIOM5VZ3hTRwTXtIaYe3sQ3LU33O8XlpTqP4Fz2NNFwc46P80IQg-al5sHhcuKKae51K24/s1600/Painting.BuickPickup.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515996807436133714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV4NmX44YLwizKvD4Kb0g4CAymXQeWyAhnXgs9NxnOE9THH-B4IXBqFwQT0hc73-vHdNeSqdeIOM5VZ3hTRwTXtIaYe3sQ3LU33O8XlpTqP4Fz2NNFwc46P80IQg-al5sHhcuKKae51K24/s400/Painting.BuickPickup.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 396px; height: 335px;" /></a>I was attracted to a 1938 Dodge Pickup. Besides being a gorgeous old truck, I liked the chiaroscuro: light-on-dark on the front end, and dark-on-light on the rear end to the right. I also wanted to feature the reflection of the illuminated grass on the shadow side of the vehicle.<br /><br />In preparation for the bell, I premixed batches of color with the palette knife to save time later (that was legal).<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLxpPtXABgjJ5bPU7V24OYI9DAgE1B-wVwNbtOguU-YVpjpKGADXc8JfD5_84K5dFVf5WxYVTL96Fu0WOHReNRWnsF4Q_kDM6Y_6RykTZPvHCihRmdabA2N0b1LA2x7VUKfxN2Y_Zu9NHA/s1600/1938_Buick_Pickup.1.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515996297408362962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLxpPtXABgjJ5bPU7V24OYI9DAgE1B-wVwNbtOguU-YVpjpKGADXc8JfD5_84K5dFVf5WxYVTL96Fu0WOHReNRWnsF4Q_kDM6Y_6RykTZPvHCihRmdabA2N0b1LA2x7VUKfxN2Y_Zu9NHA/s400/1938_Buick_Pickup.1.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 294px;" /></a>One half hour into the painting, I drew in the big shapes with a bristle brush and blocked in the grass and background.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGt5jXFRH3lO68kh5CKSgohkpBGe4fkIoQrlURMozYVFrJnJXKdqvTD_c-icelK2DAV4odFigxTecIcZaKDIqhyphenhyphendyF7qwPnK5r3txcgjWgZu7m1Q6EbmMFp0ntOhqh13OXh0FyXiLdsDgE/s1600/1938_Buick_Pickup.2.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515996303164925394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGt5jXFRH3lO68kh5CKSgohkpBGe4fkIoQrlURMozYVFrJnJXKdqvTD_c-icelK2DAV4odFigxTecIcZaKDIqhyphenhyphendyF7qwPnK5r3txcgjWgZu7m1Q6EbmMFp0ntOhqh13OXh0FyXiLdsDgE/s400/1938_Buick_Pickup.2.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 294px;" /></a>Halfway through, I knocked in the basic shadow color of the truck and the building. I was really sweating it at this point, thinking “I’ll never finish!”<br /><br />I tried to look for similar planes, muttering to myself such things as “upfacing planes in the shadow of the truck.” The goal is to hit all of those similar tones at the same time when I had that color on the brush, rather than wasting time going back with the same thought.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmqvdWmW4mjdhWCHklem9uiN0sLxeAk5096cUHBh6b3E8l0B9s4iumszyh7JIcXdai0dazNWiSZF89Rhes5sD4c8djl3VTKc8rrSixzJmq0NmlHJ3ojelS9CI63J-ok4HfAOTDIM2Qthyphenhyphen/s1600/1938_Buick_Pickup.3.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515996308807668370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrmqvdWmW4mjdhWCHklem9uiN0sLxeAk5096cUHBh6b3E8l0B9s4iumszyh7JIcXdai0dazNWiSZF89Rhes5sD4c8djl3VTKc8rrSixzJmq0NmlHJ3ojelS9CI63J-ok4HfAOTDIM2Qthyphenhyphen/s400/1938_Buick_Pickup.3.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 302px;" /></a>Only a half hour left, I softened some edges, such as along the hood and the top of the cab.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8EeOE6NYsFL5UsDBLtGuJdPUFkxUe0x3tZgDCqN_oeK_-wbkFKwKRqBYpiGCKizE27sxOUI8c5pwOH6oWaHXNK1gtB_NNmq7bCjnhMnyUhT2jAKCWUXQGZyUH05oGTwjFQJwhFv4Q9i_m/s1600/1938_Buick_Pickup.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515996311486843458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8EeOE6NYsFL5UsDBLtGuJdPUFkxUe0x3tZgDCqN_oeK_-wbkFKwKRqBYpiGCKizE27sxOUI8c5pwOH6oWaHXNK1gtB_NNmq7bCjnhMnyUhT2jAKCWUXQGZyUH05oGTwjFQJwhFv4Q9i_m/s400/1938_Buick_Pickup.sm.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 323px;" /></a>Here is how it looked as the bell rang, with final details: highlights, headlights and hubcaps. Two hours went by in a flash; it’s hard to believe that’s the same amount of time as watching a movie.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cu6cRCMwe3GsHoK7Tw-nHR8l71JQDqM5Dg4RSTCp-5FOEgCFZyV87BB3k_EQBxphm7og0Zgf5woWokeKrFOcVhqPGXt3Cxr6JjRXZCQos0nirLD7pamjZgDbK8MkUWfHO0vYUoHJIAX1/s1600/Vcevy+Strekalovsky.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515996815473974098" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cu6cRCMwe3GsHoK7Tw-nHR8l71JQDqM5Dg4RSTCp-5FOEgCFZyV87BB3k_EQBxphm7og0Zgf5woWokeKrFOcVhqPGXt3Cxr6JjRXZCQos0nirLD7pamjZgDbK8MkUWfHO0vYUoHJIAX1/s400/Vcevy+Strekalovsky.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a>Breathing a sigh of relief, we all put our results on easels. Here is Vcevy Strekalovsky, who did a gorgeous painting of the house. I was really inspired by everyone else’s work, and would love to come back again and paint the gardens or the carriage house.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pleinair-northbennington.com/quick-draw-information/">North Bennington Plein Air Competition Quick Draw</a><br /><a href="http://www.fmcostantino.com/">Frank Costantino</a><br /><a href="http://www.southstreetgallery.com/Vcevy%20Strekalovsky.html">Vcevy Strekalovsky</a><br />More about the<a href="http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1938-dodge-rc-pickup.htm"> 1938 Dodge </a><br /><a href="http://www.parkmccullough.org/">Park McCullough House and Estate</a><br /><a href="http://marybyrom.blogspot.com/2010/09/quick-draw.html">Many more pictures of the Quick Draw at Mary Byrom's blog</a>

Quick Draw

Frank Costantino, one of the organizers of the North Bennington Plein Air Competition, explained the rules for the Quick-Draw event to appro...

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Powers Market

The North Bennington Plein Air Competition began with a motif tour for the artists. We rode around town on a wagon pulled by draft horses.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_rwpZYS2omptigbwZBs-g5F28gA9DBCNzDYgUQOK3CBLW-UhDPD7ugycLP7OH-jdbV-do2lYGy17ZU0f2jDGWK9zng39hIKGfxrGKM-BIEp7wPYtkn5a0TiCMyXvm_5biL2l0O5vi4dX3/s1600/American_Cream.sm.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515553575361502658" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_rwpZYS2omptigbwZBs-g5F28gA9DBCNzDYgUQOK3CBLW-UhDPD7ugycLP7OH-jdbV-do2lYGy17ZU0f2jDGWK9zng39hIKGfxrGKM-BIEp7wPYtkn5a0TiCMyXvm_5biL2l0O5vi4dX3/s400/American_Cream.sm.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a>The horses were a rare breed called American Cream, with amber eyes and pink skin.<br /><br />About two dozen invited artists fanned out through the small town of North Bennington, Vermont. They set up on grassy hillsides, beside ponds, and in back streets.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsAz3WgruIqZTPwZSetrbTkYXYcxgYG66Mr0k0F59Q7v4oethQV_Eza3KvPMBRUbyZH4ZYuGUiQjhp1O2YygSaw_2PPfj1jg8wtxQ3afK-HO-LY-K7xxr58wvCrSZoeb4oCxzDl02ADgJH/s1600/Painting_Powers_Market.sm.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515553584841955522" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsAz3WgruIqZTPwZSetrbTkYXYcxgYG66Mr0k0F59Q7v4oethQV_Eza3KvPMBRUbyZH4ZYuGUiQjhp1O2YygSaw_2PPfj1jg8wtxQ3afK-HO-LY-K7xxr58wvCrSZoeb4oCxzDl02ADgJH/s400/Painting_Powers_Market.sm.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 355px; height: 400px;" /></a>Jeanette and I looked across to Powers Market, a Greek Revival building that served coffee and sandwiches, and conveniently had wi-fi and a bathroom.<br /><br />My foot is on the C-stand<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span> to keep the white umbrella from blowing over (because I forgot the weight bags to hold it down). I'm using the umbrella not for rain but to cut glare and to diffuse light into the work surface.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBjqBS6blJe4h8LuG1BgHwnA19vhAsp0nKdO3ooCo5tlJqgCaNBv2o7P1NlMvFNyT6F4LZYBOzYVChSya34xBbkuno-BHZGLs0k2L6Dyg-d3IU2h6Su0u5pPd6houv9dhCxPZIKLUFPuT/s1600/Powers_Market.steps.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515553596450536258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBjqBS6blJe4h8LuG1BgHwnA19vhAsp0nKdO3ooCo5tlJqgCaNBv2o7P1NlMvFNyT6F4LZYBOzYVChSya34xBbkuno-BHZGLs0k2L6Dyg-d3IU2h6Su0u5pPd6houv9dhCxPZIKLUFPuT/s400/Powers_Market.steps.sm.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 317px;" /></a>I laid in the painting with a bristle filbert using burnt sienna oil paint. It was forecast to be cloudy, and I expected to be working with a lot of gray tonalities, so I wanted those warm colors to peek through in a few places in the finished painting. After stage 2, I drove into Bennington to buy the tube of white, which was missing from my kit yesterday.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifWhNsiVw9rxXbEwn9SHkYE4dEnEGL_QeXmJTRonchLU3bseRpMBfvaWKQ5obOEql_VY_iwll7QLCActN2YSWFqvZnXs9QlMna6PqYp-O6YnrAZ9DOQxyC56qQzWfJuSLcxAfo_WDVoQ55/s1600/Powers_Market.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515553589548473650" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifWhNsiVw9rxXbEwn9SHkYE4dEnEGL_QeXmJTRonchLU3bseRpMBfvaWKQ5obOEql_VY_iwll7QLCActN2YSWFqvZnXs9QlMna6PqYp-O6YnrAZ9DOQxyC56qQzWfJuSLcxAfo_WDVoQ55/s400/Powers_Market.sm.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 316px;" /></a>That building in the back is a lawn mower repair shop, and the wood structure is leaning wildly, a fun contrast with the straight regularity of the market.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBrJzM8998ZRtj7fsH80xkmr6spsCczQSDdMfT0hC-MwqfSh0djzXR3dGmNaOelljDuZ3tiRNGzPbsXus631PfBqoWW-wCgCezQj0asKarE5ohEL7hfxPOY6Ie4auudt0oGHtXHXyDhY2N/s1600/Ron_Nadeau.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515553580233554674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBrJzM8998ZRtj7fsH80xkmr6spsCczQSDdMfT0hC-MwqfSh0djzXR3dGmNaOelljDuZ3tiRNGzPbsXus631PfBqoWW-wCgCezQj0asKarE5ohEL7hfxPOY6Ie4auudt0oGHtXHXyDhY2N/s400/Ron_Nadeau.JPG" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 297px;" /></a>The owner of the lawn mower shop, Ron Nadeau, came over to tell us the history of his building, which used to be a blacksmith shop. He described what the town was like in his father's day, when there were working factories here that made hand mirrors, shoes, and rocking chairs.<br /><br />EVENTS TODAY!<br />Come today (Saturday) to the Park McCullough House in North Bennington, Vermont, for the <a href="http://www.pleinair-northbennington.com/quick-draw-information/">Quick-Draw event </a>between 1:30 and 3:30. Anyone can join, and there are over $500 in prizes. Also, there will be an exhibition of works tonight and tomorrow at the <a href="http://www.taraden.com/">Taraden Guest House.</a><br />------------<br /><a href="http://www.pleinair-northbennington.com/">North Bennington Plein Air Competition</a><br /><a href="http://www.pleinair-northbennington.com/quick-draw-information/">Quick-Draw Event</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Cream_Draft">Wikipedia on American Cream Draft</a><br /><a href="http://www.taraden.com/">Taraden Guest House</a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-Stand">C-Stand on Wikipedia</a><br />Previously: <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2007/10/white-umbrellas.html">White Umbrella</a>, <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/03/traffic-cones.html">Traffic Cones</a>

Powers Market

The North Bennington Plein Air Competition began with a motif tour for the artists. We rode around town on a wagon pulled by draft horses. T...

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Leyendecker’s Method

In December of 1950, Saturday Evening Post cover artist J.C. Leyendecker outlined his basic method in a letter to a student.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7rUg42KxY1ymTWm8fAP8m-p9H2-gQbqTi8CU_A8TGAFoNSskfLabJ3qxMzWlHgfYb2d1v9E_GxCREu65LjlygjaPG0F9sY1K1bA2Pdm3D5fWDps43x9IaDX5yoFbJZmIaafCya3YpTyjq/s1600/387809259_4185d8af9e_o+copy.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514873952909084242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7rUg42KxY1ymTWm8fAP8m-p9H2-gQbqTi8CU_A8TGAFoNSskfLabJ3qxMzWlHgfYb2d1v9E_GxCREu65LjlygjaPG0F9sY1K1bA2Pdm3D5fWDps43x9IaDX5yoFbJZmIaafCya3YpTyjq/s400/387809259_4185d8af9e_o+copy.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" /></a>“My first step is to fill a sketch pad with a number of small rough sketches about two by three inches, keeping them on one sheet so you can compare them at a glance.<br /><br />“Select the one that seems to tell the story most clearly and has an interesting design. Enlarge this by square to the size of the magazine cover, adding more detail and color as needed.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmoAa7wXvJfhuQ_u2Fb1IxeBphClQuwpfDvf99YIEuJUNTpczDgZUy6QHc4IsV4gU3IRO10TzNiENi-22IiqopqoqqHft-5bDLAOAdEHx0zB4PsExumXlzXyScAgiMPG9RuqUUkJhyphenhyphen11_S/s1600/387808410_5a2521691d_o+copy.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514873949977429922" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmoAa7wXvJfhuQ_u2Fb1IxeBphClQuwpfDvf99YIEuJUNTpczDgZUy6QHc4IsV4gU3IRO10TzNiENi-22IiqopqoqqHft-5bDLAOAdEHx0zB4PsExumXlzXyScAgiMPG9RuqUUkJhyphenhyphen11_S/s400/387808410_5a2521691d_o+copy.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 400px;" /></a>“You are now ready for the model. First make a number of pencil or charcoal studies. Select the most promising and on a sketch canvas do these in full color, oil or water with plenty of detail. Keep an open mind and be alert to capture any movement or pose that may improve your original idea.<br /><br />“You may now dismiss your model, but be sure you have all the material needed with separate studies of parts to choose from, for you are now on your own and must work entirely from your studies.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTHK9VlvKeY-HLcrYsJGSxQTkj5EseZpdto7B8d6vfPTOd-W5x40KsnfkbrGw1D7X39WTis_rHSGbzns6uaklcv63BMNUD-jpZ8lldVFA323F203uyKEFsc-Xd54P6FZG46aFRl5750qO6/s1600/387810249_ac9a4e05ed_o+copy.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514873959248525858" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTHK9VlvKeY-HLcrYsJGSxQTkj5EseZpdto7B8d6vfPTOd-W5x40KsnfkbrGw1D7X39WTis_rHSGbzns6uaklcv63BMNUD-jpZ8lldVFA323F203uyKEFsc-Xd54P6FZG46aFRl5750qO6/s400/387810249_ac9a4e05ed_o+copy.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a>“This canvas will somewhat resemble a picture puzzle, and it is up to you to assemble it and fit it into your design at the same time simplify wherever possible by eliminating all unessentials. All this is done on tracing paper and retraced on the final canvas.<br /><br />“Your finished painting may be any size to suit you, but is usually about twice the size of the reproduction.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOX53HbODElrmoF134YkWXRa0z8DPyQol4W6KgiDbnvrWXlxjcqZORkqsrTFawdDl2L_YN32wyuyIfas4-V-l5ifnqJ_HBnkRyBVdqUWkBvCl2G8mKg1OyqCKk0AZ9Tr3RuQUWqqmKpJN/s1600/Leyendecker.sm.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514873970723993954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiOX53HbODElrmoF134YkWXRa0z8DPyQol4W6KgiDbnvrWXlxjcqZORkqsrTFawdDl2L_YN32wyuyIfas4-V-l5ifnqJ_HBnkRyBVdqUWkBvCl2G8mKg1OyqCKk0AZ9Tr3RuQUWqqmKpJN/s400/Leyendecker.sm.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 363px; height: 400px;" /></a>“As a rule, I start work with a round or flat sable using a thin wash, with turps as a medium. Keep shadows very transparent, and as the work progresses, apply the paint more thickly on lighted areas, adding some poppy oil or linseed oil if necessary, and using a larger flat bristle brush for the heavier paint, but still keeping the shadows thin and vibrant.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDMZJoTYbroetlr7dKank2Wm_45lye-F_uA_2HeQtu6oKPLZYKZMBdI9_SOm6BS0qxKfJsTZDVk_gU1uqyI8EmYtKfur7qVbbQqqyTOgoYQduqJBLxZmQ5q-L98l1SHe2QfdfGKjG5M8fV/s1600/Leyendecker.sm2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5514874578503300962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDMZJoTYbroetlr7dKank2Wm_45lye-F_uA_2HeQtu6oKPLZYKZMBdI9_SOm6BS0qxKfJsTZDVk_gU1uqyI8EmYtKfur7qVbbQqqyTOgoYQduqJBLxZmQ5q-L98l1SHe2QfdfGKjG5M8fV/s400/Leyendecker.sm2.jpg" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" /></a>“When the work is dry, apply a quick drying retouching varnish either with a brush or an atomizer.<br /><br />“Sometimes because of prohibitive model rates or other reasons, one is forced to use photography, but try and avoid it if possible.<br />-------<br />Thanks, Keita!<br />Lots more <a href="http://www.linesandcolors.com/index.php?s=leyendecker&submit=Search">Leyendecker Lore at Lines and Colors</a><br /><a href="http://www.bpib.com/illustrat/leyendec.htm">Bio and more samples at BPIP</a><br /><a href="http://www.hagginmuseum.org/leyendecker/">Many originals on display at the Haggin Museum in Stockton, California</a>

Leyendecker’s Method

In December of 1950, Saturday Evening Post cover artist J.C. Leyendecker outlined his basic method in a letter to a student. “My first step ...

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Chunky Handling

“Chunky” or planar handling was especially popular with the classic illustrators when portraying men. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDVdg6wEmhhszeJ-BFR6LRcyXBxjI92zH1LS4c8b7RlodmBuLmaVSHGcIgs8DGjUNt6P1XZnbfjxtNk_bTJV3d1QO21fldFAtQ1i1c1x83bNMx6EttNxf8gFnD83QcQrPOg23fWRO74sF/s1600/Lovell_1942.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510616907709270722" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDVdg6wEmhhszeJ-BFR6LRcyXBxjI92zH1LS4c8b7RlodmBuLmaVSHGcIgs8DGjUNt6P1XZnbfjxtNk_bTJV3d1QO21fldFAtQ1i1c1x83bNMx6EttNxf8gFnD83QcQrPOg23fWRO74sF/s400/Lovell_1942.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 344px; height: 400px;" /></a>Note the squarish planes around the cheekbone and the forehead in this detail by Tom Lovell. The treatment gives the feeling of a roughly carved wood sculpture.<br /><br />Also, note the alternation of edges: HARD-SOFT-HARD-SOFT as you go around the outside of the head.

Chunky Handling

“Chunky” or planar handling was especially popular with the classic illustrators when portraying men. Note the squarish planes around the ch...

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J. P. Wilson's Plein Air Oils

Michael Anderson of Yale's Peabody Museum is publishing a book online about the work of James Perry Wilson, who I believe to be one of the most resourceful landscape colorists of the 20th century.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioWDOtkN9ZvX_aHGjTvKucWUnIymaCkemUbeQXzwH9Ion-iX2h2fjsvVlrWD69_hldu7MHeBDjZYiZsMlFMuLc_2CR_V2B606W_CxaJ23hn4Hyj1NIVqPoosDchYDBPr6Av8TbBZVXGbJu/s1600/Perry-Wilson_James_phillips_hill.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502401033287307938" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioWDOtkN9ZvX_aHGjTvKucWUnIymaCkemUbeQXzwH9Ion-iX2h2fjsvVlrWD69_hldu7MHeBDjZYiZsMlFMuLc_2CR_V2B606W_CxaJ23hn4Hyj1NIVqPoosDchYDBPr6Av8TbBZVXGbJu/s400/Perry-Wilson_James_phillips_hill.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 291px;" /></a>Mr. Anderson writes:<br /><blockquote>"James Perry Wilson loved to paint. He loved to paint dioramas, architectural subjects, and more than anything else, he loved painting outdoors en plein air. <br /><br />"In sharp contrast to his diorama painting or architectural work however, Wilson painted other works in a single day on transportable 8"X10" mahogany panels or 12"X16" canvasboards. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrsUrEm-cU-8NftDK9BwAFtWP7xEA-APjp1RxKHOR4uG_eWGx38O4p31DsCMZA3FBRUTcDrRn66ZR6uDuoH_XSv2Gl3s99rVHB1neRXxU7KU9CuctJ7PSHfHddCfBDFM_wAx78LK888fIN/s1600/Perry-Wilson_James_gull_cove.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502401027433420162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrsUrEm-cU-8NftDK9BwAFtWP7xEA-APjp1RxKHOR4uG_eWGx38O4p31DsCMZA3FBRUTcDrRn66ZR6uDuoH_XSv2Gl3s99rVHB1neRXxU7KU9CuctJ7PSHfHddCfBDFM_wAx78LK888fIN/s400/Perry-Wilson_James_gull_cove.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 302px;" /></a>"These small works, done apparently for the sheer love and challenge of painting, reflect the same skill and intelligence seen in his diorama work with the addition of a working spontaneity. They guide us directly to the heart of James Perry Wilson and where his passion lay.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHCbxWeX_FWtdcLKxwctRv0XLgRd9QMASIh7xftam9nryso8R4tME7fXWuveCtbNy4-vGaEGCQoy9ynlu07IcYvNGP3sYDUwAX2Cuc7_Y7YF7UWUKVUfuFtQWwqDoN6uMSBQSGN0fCDLV/s1600/Perry+Wilson.Plein.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502399672833419090" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHCbxWeX_FWtdcLKxwctRv0XLgRd9QMASIh7xftam9nryso8R4tME7fXWuveCtbNy4-vGaEGCQoy9ynlu07IcYvNGP3sYDUwAX2Cuc7_Y7YF7UWUKVUfuFtQWwqDoN6uMSBQSGN0fCDLV/s400/Perry+Wilson.Plein.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" /></a>"There is a palpable quality of joy in Wilson’s paintings. He expresses his awe of nature through paint. This is a meticulously observed landscape that emanates his love of color in nature and his depiction of light and atmosphere."</blockquote><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHh5UD9AWU3vSEAWliLz3l-GuDUkWg9ErDTGrg5MMVvLzSALQqCFQIU4mh0mmoIYrnNjPSFcKG331iNjEobcvbAV3muHEoC174iPgCC0AKITELIrDJ9CL2UazBSh1ySam-WhMJsSFQv7l/s1600/Perry_Wilson24x30.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5502471245028502402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHh5UD9AWU3vSEAWliLz3l-GuDUkWg9ErDTGrg5MMVvLzSALQqCFQIU4mh0mmoIYrnNjPSFcKG331iNjEobcvbAV3muHEoC174iPgCC0AKITELIrDJ9CL2UazBSh1ySam-WhMJsSFQv7l/s400/Perry_Wilson24x30.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 318px;" /></a>For the full chapter, follow this link to <a href="http://www.peabody.yale.edu/james-perry-wilson/chapter4-en-plein-air-paintings.html">JPW's Plein-Air Painting.</a> I highly recommend this link, and be sure to scroll down a little past halfway to read JPW's notes on atmospheric colors. This is like a whole textbook on plein air practice by a painter who thought more probingly about light and color than almost anyone.<br />-------<br />Previous GJ posts about J.P. Wilson, <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/01/james-perry-wilsons-dioramas-part-1.html">Part 1</a> and <a href="http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/01/james-perry-wilsons-dioramas-part-2.html">Part 2</a>

J. P. Wilson's Plein Air Oils

Michael Anderson of Yale's Peabody Museum is publishing a book online about the work of James Perry Wilson, who I believe to be one of t...

Read more »