Hurricane Irene Power Outage

I will do a post as soon as the power returns.  My internet access is too sloww to download images
with a cell phone hot spot.  I will demonstrare a plein Air painting from Stowe Vermont
Please check back.
thank you

     Main St.  Stowe Vermont

Materials

Hi,  In my studio painting waiting for Hurricane Irene.  Here in Scituate, a nautical village the surge on the coast will be damaging. I hope not. I remember  the last one, Bob. I just finished building my house in scituate that year. Sometime during or after a major storm my wife and I  go down to the shoreline to see the power of the ocean.  Boulders the size of a small car are washed up on the street. Its truly amazing to see the power of nature.

I want to share just a brief note on my materials that  work for me.  For my easel, I have been using the Julien French Easel.  Its ok,  I've gone through so many. I keep saying that I am getting the Gloucester
easel.  My North shore artist friends keep telling me how great it is. They are probably right.


http://www.takeiteasel.com/testimonials.html

I use a Richeson French Easel Companion Box that can be purchased at most online art dealers.  I glued a piece of 1/4 inch glass directly in the middle for my palette. This allows for easy scraping of dry paint and cleanup.

I use a variety of oil paints that I like.  Windsor & Newton, Gamblin and Rembrandt. 

For my brushes I like to use mostly natural bristle filberts to do most of the painting and some round natural golden sable brushes of various sizes.  For detail work such as rigging on boats, thin branches on trees, etc. I go through them very quickly,  but cleaning them after each use with saddle soap will prolong their life.

 

For my surfaces I like to use stretched canvas,  cotton or linen,  prepared Masonite panels and mounted canvas on 1/8 inch birch, that I like to apply 3 coats  with alkyd oil base white then I will add an earth tone to them, a light oil wash of burnt sienna, yellow ochre with a small squeeze of titanium white. I will apply the night before a field trip. they dry in a couple of hours.

My reason for this is that a toned down surface allows me to see the true values and the color in nature and also prevents blindness when you have to work in sunlight. I try not to but sometime it unavoidable  in sunny windy conditions. 

on another post I will try to do a demonstration for you or include a recent trip in the field. I am of to do a pleinAir event in Watch Hill Rhode Island  at the Ocean House with several other "fellow"  ASMA colleagues on Sept 4.

It should be a lot of fun. 

   Trouant's Island, South Shore of Boston                                                         8x15  oil on panel

Until Then,  Happy Painting

my vegetable garden

Back At Studio....Bummer

Well,  I am back at my studio easel for a while. I am trying to plan a Bar Harbor painting trip with some painter friends of mine.  The smell of Fall is in the air and its almost back at school time.  The vegetable garden is close to its last legs and getting over whelmed with weeds.

I woul like to start one of my commissions before I venture out to pleinAir for a while, just to get some income.
My show was a great time.  Well attended. plenty of past collectors as well as new ones.  The paintings weren't flying off the wall as past years but I had,  and still going on,  some respectable sales.

I am hoping to get to Santa Fe before year's end to do some south western paintings for one of my galleries there, Gerald Peters Galleries.

On Nantucket

Here I am on the day of my solo show at Quidley.  Its been a wonderful week weather wise.  Ive been doing some pleinAir pieces.  Nothing better to be outside painting.  This year though, with all the rain we've had, there  are so many mosquitos and green heads.  The repelant doesn't  do much for green heads.
Had to do ocean scenes, less bugs.  I've had some pre sales and a couple of commissions this week.
Very encouraging.  Did my last sunset painting yesterday at twilight for the show.  I am hoping for a good turnout.
I haven't been blogging here on Island because there hasn't been internet service. It comes and goes.
I will keep you posted on the outcome of my show.  Happy painting

    Polpis at sunset  pleinAir                                                                                                                               Oil on board     10x18                         

PAINTING DEMONSTRATION

At the Salmagundi Club, 47 Fifth Avenue  New York, NY

Tuesday October 11 at 7:30 pm

http://www.salmagundi.org/

       painting at the New York Yacht Club,  Newport RI   -   Harbour Court Mansion 

Materials

I will talk about materials on my next post.  Happy painting.

Solo show

Hi,  I am on my last painting before my solo show opening August 19  at Quidley Gallery, Nantucket, MA.  I depart for Nantucket on the 13th  and plein air for the week to add some small pieces to the exhibition.  I will try to do one good painting a day, normally I would do 2 but  considering the economic landscape,  I am trying to limit the paintings that I produce. I may have enough paintings in the show.

Brant Point Light  8x15 field study

I would like to concentrate on doing some mountain subject matter or perhaps go out to Santa Fe  in September and paint for the Gerald Peters Gallery.  Big Sky Country.  It's a gorgeous day today.  I would love to go out and paint, but I am finishing up a small commission.  Perhaps i'll go out for the late afternoon light.

private lesson

I did a private lesson today at world's end in Hingham MA.  It was a glorious day. It was very enjoyable and less demanding compared to having 10 or more students.  I started with a demonstration that lasted 1.5 hours and then my student looked for a spot to paint and I instructed  her to a finished painting with frame on hand to frame the finished piece.

Back  i n studio tomorrow to work on my last 2 paintings for my upcoming solo show at Quidley and Co. Gallery, nantucket,  opening friday august 19.  There is nothing better than painting from life. Let me know how I can help. I welcome your questions on anything.  Art related, gallery representation, recipes for any goumet entre and wine.  I love to cook.  Art, wine and dine.

still new at this

As I write more blogs,  I will share more info on painting techniques  and materials.  Stay tuned mio amici
d'arte

painting on Bumpkin Island

New England Pleinair painters were invited to to paint  2 of the Boston Harbor Islands, Bumpkin and Grape Islands.  I chose to paint Bumpkin Island which is completely covered with sumac and short scrub brush. The only place to paint is the coast line.  In the Early 1900's the Island was used by native Americans for farming.  It's a national park managed by the Massachusetts Department of conservation and recreation.

the weather forecast was hot, in the nineties.  The water taxi arrived on Island around 9:30.  I normally enjoy the early light but today we were getting a late start.  My good friend Stapleton kearns and I along with Bill Hanson, found a wonderful shady area on the eastern side of the Island with an offshore breeze that kept the temperature at a tolerable level.  The low tide revealed some large glacial rocks with plenty of texture and color.  I love painting rocks.  They are very difficult to paint.  My good friend Julien Beard, when he owned a gallery once said to me,  "Sergio,  don't paint rocks until you are until you know how to paint rocks"  If they are not painted  correctly,  it will ruin the painting. It's so easy to make them look like potatoes. One needs to observe them with a sharp eye and concentration and not rush them. Once they are painted accurately,  the painting will emerge with life and give the artist much self satisfaction.


I was satisfied with the finished product.  I used a 10x18  mounted canvas on birch panel that I have made for me by New Traditions art panels in Utah. They come primed and are very light for travel.
The paintings were to be auctioned off later that evening for the South Shore Art Center in Cohasset MA.  All in All it was a fun time and allowed me to paint with my good friend Stape.  Painting is a solitary profession.  and we are alone most of the time and any opportunity to meet a good friend to paint with we welcome with enthusiasm.  My good friend and one of the best maritime painters in this century, Yves Parent,  passed away a few weeks ago,  Everytime I look at his work on my wall, I still can't believe it. I will think of him always as I paint the shoreline.  He will be missed....

                                           World's End in Winter  24x36


 to be continued