Plein Air Workshop

I certainly have been behind on these blogs, but between other distractions (see my blog on this) and getting ready for the workshop, I've been OBE (overcome by events.)
Friday was a full day...Packing the car, picking up 3 other friends, driving about 2 hours and finally arriving at Dorothy Fagan's studio in Mathews County. There were 13 participants in the workshop and if we agreed on only one thing, it was the fact that Dorothy's studio was something we all envied. It was a large addition on the back of her home, glass on 3 sides and attached to her large deck also at the rear of her home. Plenty of trees and even a pond filled her many views.
We watched Dorothy demonstrate her work and then broke for lunch to allow ourselves to absorb many of the things we had discussed. After lunch, we headed out to the countryside where we painted for about 2 hours. It was pretty cold with the wind not helping the chill. Thankfully, the sun remained with us. Late afternoon, we packed up and headed back to Dorothy's studio to show our work and discuss what we had created. By that early evening we were headed home tired and full of "stuff" that we had learned that day.
As this was my first workshop, I had no preconceived ideas about how it should have been conducted. Dorothy was enthusiatic and happy to share her techniques, processes and thoughts on just about everything she was asked. The levels of the students varied from beginner to those who had been painting or doing art for years. I think that this was perhaps the most difficult challenge not only for Dorothy, but for the beginners as well. I surely admire their ability to go for it and attend a workshop early on in their pursuit of painting and wish that I had done something like this years ago.
I learned some important things that were rather technical and probably not very interesting to the group. I had also only painted plein air with my pastels, so lugging my oils along was surely a new challenge. Plein air painting requires that you prepare carefully before going out in the field. Underpainting a canvas, mounting pastel board or paper, selecting a core group of colors, packing it all up for transport and figuring a way to tote a wet canvas home, all go into the prep. Not having the stuff from your studio immediately on hand makes it difficult. I found myself reaching for items that I didn't have. Obviously, the more one does this, the better and smarter it all becomes.
Landscapes have their particular nuances and no matter where I have been or how I have chosen to work; ie: from a photo I have taken, from actually being on site or from memory alone, it still remains the same. Choosing the correct spot, doing a thumbnail, catching the light and getting the values right,is still a constant key in whether a work is sucessful or not.
The day was fun. I wish that it had lasted at least another 2 days. I felt rushed and wanted to ask so many things. Maybe next time.

Check out Dorothy's stuff at http://www.dorothyfagan.com/