Today in Hope Valley!

Worried a bit that I have been to lazy I drove up to Hope Valley to do a Plein-air. I had the 3 dogs with me and it was a beautiful Sunday Morning. The Fall color has arrived!!  That surprized me, and it was so warm looking and beautiful with photographers all around.  The dogs and I hiked out away from the paths and people, and set up looking across the valley to the west.  I took my time with this one, but feel it sure could be better! I used 300lb. waterdolor paper with Golden pastel ground on it, the drew with the purple 244 nupastel, then used achohol to wash it down. When dry I went right on with the dry pastels, trying to catch the light on the Mt. and the trees.  One and 1/2 hours, it was fun and now I have a lot of othere ideas to try!  My Lorenzo Chavez Workshop is coming , the 5th thru the 9th, right after my Open Studio with Alpine County----boy, I hope I am ready!

 This one was done earlier this year in the spring, of the valley floor.

recent plein-air, scossa cow camp-hwy 4

This is my most recent plein-air, done in the am on Hwy 4 out of Markleeville. This is by Sliver Mt, which is so beautiful and huge, over 10,000 ft. This camp has been in the Scossa family over 100 years, and is where they turn out cattle each spring.  Cattle in the back country is a good thing, as they eat the grasses and bushes that fuel fires when its hot. They do no damage to the foliage as they have no top teeth, and cannot destroy grass roots. They use their tongues to grab and pull vegetation into their mouths and leave the roots safely in tack.  Horses, on the other hand, are a bit rougher! They must be moved often in order to keep the grasses growing, and not destroy a green area.  I love cattle in the mountains. They bell several in order to keep track of the heard, and the sound of the bells echoing in the crisp air is beautiful to me. I also love gathering the cattle in the fall,  cow camp is fun. Doing this as a plein-air was fun, but I think I tried to "Get" to much into the painting. Not enough editing! Oil Painter, Ray Freeman was with me, and the colors he mixed in Oil where just beautiful. His editing was better, and I learned a lot from  him.  Check out his web-site!

One more week, and my plein-air workshop begins in Hope valley.  Its with wonderful artist, Lorenzo Chavez.  Imagine!  I practised all summer, and worry I may have practised the wrong habits! But at least I can handle my full french easal better, and have my pastles a bit more organized.
       The very weekend before the workshop, Oct 3-4th, I am partisipating in The Alpine County Open Studio Tour!!  Can you believe that?  First time, and not sure why----They've had it for seven years now,   I guess it will be fun. I have had cards made of my better paintings, and some are as digital files to be made into giclays!  Aren't I getting smart?  I can't believe this.  It should be a fun experiance, right?  I will meet people, and talk about art (what I know at this point!) and the fun of plein-air.  Wish all my aquanitences from WC could come!!  I have meet 2 in person, and will meet another at the workshop!  Its all so cool.  So, next week, I will be cleaning my garage studio, and fixing a mount to hang my framed paintings, and baking cookies!  Friends and family will fill the whole area, and it should be fun. 

Its important to READ--and have down time.

  "Art is a collaboration between the heart and mind in an effort to expose a piece of the artist's soul" This was written by  artist--Dan McCaw, who is an oil painter, and a very good artist.     Words to ponder

What is Art?  This has been on my mind lately.  Folks, and well known artists, too, seem to paint photos almost exactly as the photo "is"   So what makes that art?  People advise,, "Paint what you know"  I believe this is good advise--and I find  it probably works.  Then the art is your own personal view of subjects that may have been painted  many times---but yours is yours.

To me, what makes it art is  IF IT MAKES A PERSONAL CONNECTION WITH THE VIEWER!   No matter what the subject matter, if the viewer feels something when they see the artwork--then it has made it as art.    Using the elements, and principals of art  we can make this happen.   So this is why I read and search for clues  from wonderful artists before me   and try to keep learning.

   
Good Reading:
         Edgar Alwin Payne's   wonderful book on art and composition.  Deru's Fine art in L.A.Ca.
John Carlson's Landscape painting.
Any thing on Hawthorne, Hensche, Caroline Jasper, Ben Konis,  Ramon Kelley, Doug Dawson, Greg Biolchini, and Greg Albert.  All wonderful artists.

   

Well, in about 2 days, I had gotten this far....

Well, this isn't working quite like I had hoped!! I will have to find out how to get my posts to be in a different order! First time blogger here, Sorry!! Here is my dog painting, I will finish the splash. I think I have it figured out, but don't have it here yet. Doing the dog was so much fun! His name is Patches, he is a border collie mix, and loves water. He was black and white, but mostly white which gave some wonderful shadows to capture. I think the watercolor underneath really helped me. Hope you like it!

As I continued......

After it dried, I began with the pastel. It was a bright sunny morning, and I wanted my painting to say that. At this point, I wasn't sure how to create the waves that show a fish had just jumped. Laid down color, but all needs adjusting, no pastel yet on the dog. I tried to number the pictures by steps taken, but am not getting them on my blog very well! Sorry!

Fun in Hope Valley

While Plein-air Painting with a friend in Hope Valley, I had the change to photograph a Dog that was having so much fun playing in the water he made me laugh! He actually was looking for fish! They would slap the water, or jump, and he would get so excited! I got some good pictures, and did a compelte drawing to the size I wanted to paint. Then I began with a watercolor underpainting on Uart Paper, which I love!

Planning is so important

Today I will post a pastel I finnished a week or so ago. Planning is so important! I did do a most complelte drawing, a notan of sorts----but did not figure out how I was to put the cattle in the background in such a way as to suggest haze and dust from a hot summer day----and so I muddleded thru that part and the finnish was not what I wanted. I feel I must face my failures and understand them so as not to repeat! Wet Canvas is such a great web-site to learn from, and we all love it, but there is no better lesson than trying to put what you learn into action. For me, back to the drawing board!

I would also like to show you a small plein-air---plen-air is just the most fun! We learn to see, and try to paint the light of the day. This is my first with water in a river, plein-air. Just looking at a small portion, I could do this each day of the week!

I would also like to begin with a Pastel compelted recently, getting ready for a huge step-forward I am trying to make by attenting a workshop in October. Its with famed pastelist, Lorenzo Chavez whose work is beautiful and inspires us all. So , Its still up coming, and I practise plein-air as much as possible in order to learn when I attend. Also, I can show you my area of the world! This is on a grey toned Canson MiTienes paper.

Amazing! Today I began a blog! Really a first for someone as old fashion as me. I want to blog about my Art Discoveries and challenges, and hopefully, triumphs. I am Ida M. Glazier, and althought not from any formal art background, have been around and intersted all my life. Its as if it was always waiting for me, for the right time. Hopefully-this is now. I have studied watercolor painting with a wonderful Japanese lady, an award winning artist who choose for some reason to live in our area of Nevada and give lessons close enough that I may attend---so In 2001 I began my journey. Thankfully I chose a wonderful teacher who brought so much to the table!!! Not just a "craft fun day", but a down to earth learn art the correct way. Boy, I had a lot to learn and loved every minute of it. Now, I am into pastels---and still learning" what makes it art?" Time went by, and in 2004 I got really lucky and won a local art show with this entry, in watercolor. It won "Best of show", and I was so surprized! It was an experiment in both technique and using a limited 3-color palette, no one was more surprized than I. Now, its 2009-----and so many more experiments to try! Plein-air has caught my attention---in Pastel. What fun! But what a lot to learn. With this blog, I will take you thru all my struggles and dream, and show you a little part of my world.