Register: Send the class fee via Zelle or send a check to:

We will do plein air paintings from 9 am to 4 pm each day.

There are numerous places to stay you can check on line for hotels and B & Bs, some of the high end places are Borrego Valley Inn, The Palms at Indian Head, Borrego Springs Resort and Casa Del Zorro.

March is very popular time to visit Borrego Springs as desert flowers attracts many visitors. I would recommend reserving a place ASAP.

During this workshop I will concentrate on three main elements in plein air painting:

1. COMPOSITION: Strong composition contains a sound perspective, balance and harmony. Perspective provides sense of depth and movement. Balance is achieved by proper positioning of the foreground, mid ground, background and the essential elements (Center of interest) within these spaces. A harmonious composition is the result of successful integration of the perspective and balance in which there is visual flow a feast for the eyes.

We will make several small, quick pencil, charcoal studies of our subject on a sketch pad before proceeding on canvas and choose the most successful one to be put on our canvas.

2. VALUE: We will also do a value study of our subject using a single dark color wash to get familiar with the light and dark areas and the mid tones in our painting. Correct value will result in spatial depth and the light source which is essential in painting. Looking at the subject while squinting the eye will eliminate details, simplify the masses, therefore making it easy to see the value scale of the scene before us.

3. COLOR: I have found that in many years of teaching, color mixing is very challenging especially for the beginner. It takes years to learn how to mix colors quickly and accurately. To simplify this process I will employ only four colors, 1. White, 2. Blue, 3. Yellow, 4. Red , We will mix rest of the colors using only these primary colors and white. This method, known as the limited palette, will give us the color harmony which is difficult to achieve when there are too many colors on our palette.

Using color temperature, warmth and coolness of colors, color intensity, lightness or darkness of colors and the complimentary colors, we will bring about atmosphere, depth and visual excitement into our paintings.

I recommend using small canvasses to do these studies in the field, unless you are advanced you should not be painting any larger than 8″x 10″.

PLEIN AIR PAINTING SUPPLIES

EASEL: EasyL, Open Box M brands are good ones.

www.artworkessentials.com
www.openboxm.com

BRUSHES: Good quality hog bristle #1 ,#2, #4, #6, #8 Flats, Filberts and Brights and #2 rounds and rigger. Winsor & Newton, Isabey, Utrecht are good brands

BRUSH WASHER: 8 ounce size

PALETTE KNIFE:Various sizes and shapes 1 1/4″ – 4 ” long

CANVAS BOARDS: 6″X8″ AND 8″X10″ linen or cotton canvas mounted on 1/8″ boards, Fredrix and Utrecht carries

DRY BOX: to carry and store wet paintings. RayMar and EasyL makes them.

SKETCH BOOK: 6″ x 8″ one is sufficient. 6B Pencil, eraser

THINNER: Odorless or Gamsol

Titanium White

Mars Black

Cadmium Yellow light

Cadmium Yellow Medium

Yellow Ocre

Cadmium Red Light

Alizarin Crimson

Cobalt Blue

Ultramarine Blue

UMBRELLA: EasyL has a good one, bring small stretch cords to fasten.

MISCELLANEOUS: Viva paper towels, plastic bags for trash, an empty 16 oz. jar to put dirty turpentine in. sun screen, hat, dark shirt or apron to work in, water, snack.

RECOMMENDED READING: Carlson’s Guide to Landscape Painting by John F. Carlson,

Composition of Outdoor Painting by Edgar Payne

Art Spirit by Robert Henri

Hawthorne on Painting by Charles Hawthorne

Fill your Oil Paintings with Light and Color by Kevin Macpherson