"Walking In July" and "Summer Splendor"

       
    

Walking In July - SOLD

 I am always on the look-out for little out of the way places that  pique my interest and which really grab my attention. I found this  little spot in a small local park and I really liked the way the path  just disappeared into the woods.  I didn't even bother grabbing  my easel.  Just sat on the ground to paint. Walking In July" was  done yesterday after I got out of work. That's one of the  benefits of working summer school - half days!

"Summer Splendor" was done this morning after I dropped my daughter off at work.  I hated to make that trip without making it productive by doing a painting.  Now I need a decent map to find out where else I can go that's near her job.  I really like this particular location - lots of nice scenery.  And everything is so lush from all of the rain we've had.  I plan to head back there soon.  Both paintings are 6"x 9", unframed.

Summer Splendor - AVAILABLE

                                      

Both paintings were on the same piece of paper.  I cut them apart after they were done.

            

Summer Marsh

Summer Marsh - 9"x 12"  SOLD

Been a very rainy summer.  I have a week and a half off between the end of the school year and when summer school begins. I try to paint and focus on art things, but getting out to paint was beginning to look doubtful due to the weather.  I finally got out on Friday and did this one between rain storms.  I hope I can do more over the rest of the summer, weather permitting, of course!    SOLD
9"x12"

Shady Grove

Shady Grove - 9x12   Available

I don't always finish the paintings I start.  There's lots of reasons why; other things have to get done first, I lose interest, I never really liked the subject, there are problems with it I can't resolve right then...  I never toss them out, though. I just set them aside in the hope that I will finish them someday.

This is a painting like that.  I started out going gang-busters on it, but became distracted.  I was working in a small town and had lots of people stopping by to talk.  I really like to talk about my work, but it's hard to paint and talk at the same time.  Eventually I just quit.  I had enough of it done to show people what plein air was all about and that was enough.  I set it aside and rediscovered it several years later (yesterday).  I realized it had a lot of potential and decided it was time to finish it up.

Can be seen at the Pat Rini Rohrer Gallery in Canandaigua.

Values in Painting

Finger Lakes Farm  - 12x18  pastel  SOLD

Yesterday I presented a workshop for the Genesee Valley Plein Air Painters, a very dedicated bunch of painters who have a love of painting outdoors like I do.  The theme of the workshop was how to use value to improve one's paintings.  Value is the range of dark (black) to light (white) and everything in between.

I am very in-tune to value in my own work and feel that once the correct values are established, the rest of the painting comes together more easily.

For this demonstration, I had to work inside from a photo due to the possibility of rain.  I worked over an old unsuccessful painting which had virtually no value range.  It's no wonder it was unsuccessful.

I drew in the basic shapes with a pencil.  Then using 5 values, blocked in the painting with pastel - black for the trees, dark gray for the grassy fields and barns, medium gray for the driveway, lighter gray for the sky and white for the roof of the barn and silos.  That's it.

Next was color.  I went right over the value sketch with color in the same values as in the value layer.  I used a variety of colors in each value.  This can be done only because each of those colors are of the same value as the grays, black and white which I initially used.  If I put down a color which was not in the correct value, it was was glaringly obvious, making it easy to correct at that point.

I gave everyone a value-finder which I made to help them to see value without the distraction of color.  Then they were given the chance to do value sketches and at least one finished painting before ending the workshop with a critique and ice-cold drinks provided by GVPAP.  I really enjoyed myself and was very pleased by the results of the workshop.  Everyone's paintings had a beautiful range of value that seemed to show a better understanding of how of value can make for a better painting.    SOLD

Finger Lakes Plein Air Festival

I was recently a participant in the Finger Lakes Plein Air Festival, held in Canandaigua, NY. In spite of the challenge of terrible weather, it was an amazing event and I would happily do it again.

I had to work on Wednesday and didn't expect to make it to the artist's reception at the Pat Rini-Rohrer gallery that evening because it was my daughter's birthday. But despite that and other crazy stuff going on at home, I made the mad dash to Canandaigua in time to have my paper stamped and to pick up the info packet and goody bag. I also got my key to the college dorms at Finger Lakes Community College, took a look at the suite (very nice), met my roommates (also very nice), and headed back home to pack.

Thursday it rained all day. It was unbelievable. The one thing that I can't deal with as a pastel artist is rain. It will totally ruin a pastel. So I packed up the car and waited for the rain to stop. But it didn't stop. More craziness at home thanks to one of my kids, make me unsure if I should even think of leaving home, but for the sake of my sanity, I finally left for Canandaigua late in the afternoon.

Once I got to the college, I unloaded my gear in the rain, then went to see a demonstration presented by our judge, David Lussier, at the Inn on the Lake. Very nice demo, complete with hors d'oeuvre and wine. Met up with some old friends and had a very nice time. Back to the dorm and to bed.

We were allowed to submit up to three paintings for judging, so I woke up early, as I always do and headed out into a damp, dank morning to paint. I needed to do 3 paintings today to make up for Thursday's wash-out. I noticed a very nice scene as I was putting my stuff in the car, and since it was threatening to rain, I set up my easel in the parking lot of FLCC and painted this.  One down two to go.

Thendara

I headed down the east side of the lake, aware that it could pour again at any minute. I found this little park off East Lake Road called Deep Run. Two other artists were set up there, but I set up, too. I got about half way done when it began to sprinkle. I ran to the car, grabbed a plastic drop-cloth and some clamps and clipped it to my umbrella. I sat under my make-shift tent working as the rain continued until the umbrella took a dive.  I figured I'd done as much as I could in the conditions. Two paintings done.  

Not good weather for pastels!

I put a lot of miles on the car looking for a spot that was sheltered and still had a good scene.  I should have just done a car painting like a lot of my fellow artists did.

High Tor - West River Access

I drove on to the southern end of Canandaigua Lake to an area called High Tor, a beautiful flat marshy area.  I parked in the access for the West River which runs through High Tor. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes where everywhere, so I took refuge in the car. I was glad I did because it began to rain - again! The scene shows a distant hill shrouded in mist and clouds with the foreground being the duckweed-covered inlet surrounded by trees. I like the hill, but it's hard to visually understand that you're seeing algae not grass, so I may change it so that it looks more like there is some water showing through. Three paintings done.

Ready for the show

Later, I met some friends for dinner and had a really nice time, headed off to the dorm to frame the work from the day then crashed for the night.  Up early again on Saturday to drop off paintings at the carriage barn at Sonnenberg Gardens, then into the city to stake out a rain-sheltered place to paint from for the “quick-draw” competition. The quick-draw had to be done within a specific 2 hour time period and within a certain distance from Main St. The painting was just so-so and I hope to do some adjusting to it later.

Skies clearing -finally!

The painting I did of the scene

I went back to the dorm afterward and caught a nap. Afterward, I headed out to paint again. The rain had finally stopped and I found shelter (just in case it rained again) in Kershaw Park at the northern end of the lake. I listened to some awesome music being played at a party in another section of the park while I painted. It was great.

I got cleaned up and headed to Sonnenberg Gardens for the Preview Party and Sale. Holy cow! I have never experienced anything like it in my life. The art was fabulous, as was the food, flowers, wine, music and everything else about the party. It was completely catered by a local restaurant called Nolan's and was free to the artists and a guest. I have never been treated like royalty, but I think this is what it must feel like. Awards were handed out and we all had a wonderful time.

Sold

Sunday, the last day of the weekend dawned with clear sunny skies, so I headed out to Rt. 12 to paint the incredible overlook there.  

Afterward, I got back to the dorm, packed up and went to Sonnenberg again for the exhibit and sale which was open to the public. Once again, everything about it was top-notch. It was one last chance to talk to fellow artists and share this incredible experience. I went home tired, but very glad I was fortunate enough to be a part of the Finger Lakes Plein Air Festival.

Clara's Lilacs

Last fall I sold several paintings depicting local scenes of Rochester to a lovely lady I have never had the opport-unity to meet.  She is not from Rochester, but her husband is.  She buys the paintings as gifts for him so that he can have a little bit of Rochester with him, even though he doesn't live here anymore.

She asked me if I have ever painted the lilacs.  Rochester is well know for it's lilacs, but I never had.  Well, this year is different.  The lilacs this year were spectacular!  I HAD to paint them.  So, I picked a big bouquet of them and went to town.  It was wonderful fun and here's the painting.

Pastel Demonstrations - Sunset Marsh

Sunset Marsh - studio piece   Sold

Sunset I - a demonstration

Sunset II - a demonstration

Over the past couple of weeks, I've done two demonstrations.  The first was for the Batavia Society of Artists and the second was for the Penfield Art Association.  

In both demos, I used the same reference material.  The references I used were photos, sketches, on-site observation and an actual painting of an area that's fairly close to where I live.  I visit and photograph the scene often, in a variety of weather conditions.  I really like the scene, but it's along a roadway and isn't the kind of spot where I would just set up and paint on site.

Anyway, I was pretty interested to see all three paintings right next to each other for comparison. I think both are decent, especially in light of how quickly I painted the demo pieces (about one hour each), plus the fact that I was talking and explaining what I was doing at the same time. I may try to refine them and come up with a more complete painting, but maybe not.  I really like the looseness of each one of the demos compared with the studio painting although I see some things that would improve both of them.  We'll see.

Camp

"Camp" - 12"x 16"  pastel

Well, spring break is here and it's been snowing all day.  Pretty typical weather for Rochester, however.  The weather this week promises to be cold and windy.  Not so great for working en plein air, but perfect for studio work, which is how this painting was completed.  I am trying to think ahead to warmer days and anticipating getting away to someplace like this.

Honeoye Lake Heat

"Honeoye Lake Heat" - 12"x 18"  pastel

One super hot day this summer, I found this beautiful little park at the northern end of Honeoye Lake in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate NY.  There is an absolutely spectacular view straight down the lake.  When I painted this in August, I knew I wanted to enhance the intensity of the color in the sky.  It was a hot, humid day with loads of haze and some of the color was lost. Today was the day to take care of that issue!  Punched up the color and now it's finished.

Last of the Snow

Last of the Snow - 12 x 16    SOLD

After I finished posted the demonstration from the other day, I knew I would need to correct the color in the final image of the painting.  The camera had not done a good job of getting those colors right.  The colors were WAY too cool!  So here is the color corrected version.  

Can be viewed at the Pat Rini Rohrer Gallery in Canandaigua, NY.


12"x18"

Pastel Demonstration

I was very inspired by Wednesday’s demo by Liz Haywood Sullivan.  So much so, that I immediately went to work painting.  I had wanted to paint all week anyway, but finding time is always a problem in my world.  Finding inspiration is not. Luckily, my granddaughter spent some time at the babysitter’s and with her grandfather, allowing me some uninterrupted time to complete this painting and to photograph it as I went.

First, I decided to reuse a piece of Wallis paper which I had painted on a few years ago, with less than mediocre results. 

I brushed it off, leaving a ghost image on it.

Using a sketch done from a photo I took last spring, I blocked in the basic shapes.

I laid down the darkest and lightest areas first.

Then, using alcohol and a brush, I liquefied the pastel in those areas, making large areas of solid color.

From there, I began to actually paint, putting down many light layers of pastel.

And after some tweaking, the finished product. 

"The Last of the Snow" 

12" x 18"

It felt wonderful to get something accomplished and I have to admit, I think it came out pretty well.

Liz Haywood-Sullivan Demo

I was fortunate enough to go to a pastel demonstration by Liz Haywood-Sullivan last night.  This free event was sponsored by the Rochester Art Club and was a great opportunity to see how Liz creates her beautiful pastel paintings from start to finish.  She generously shared her painting technique with us, explaining every aspect the process as she went.  Despite stopping to explain what she was (Photo credit: Suzi Zefting Kuhn)                   doing and why, as                                                                                    she continued to paint, Liz was still able to finish her painting in just about 2 hours.  The finished product was stunning and it was very for exciting to see the image emerging as she completed each step.  It was a wonderful experience.

I want to thank Rochester Art Club for opening this to the public and to Suzi Zefting-Kuhn for posting the notice about it on Facebook which is where I read about it.  By the way, Liz has written a book about pastel painting which will published by NorthLight in the very near future.  Look for it!

Millennium Marsh

On Wednesday, February 13^th, I did a pastel demonstration for the Suburban Rochester Art Group. I do enjoy doing demos, even if it's still a bit unnerving for me to stand up in front of a group and discuss what I do. I guess my love of pastels and painting en plein air helps me to over-come my fear. I usually get a lot of great feedback and I'm always happy to be able to share my knowledge with anyone who will listen.

The demo I did was based on some photos I took this summer of Montezuma Wildlife Refuge's Millennium Marsh. The view overlooks the marsh and the day I was there it was hot and sunny. A beautiful day, with just enough haze to make things interesting. The demo went very quickly – about an hour of painting time. When I was done, the painting was pretty loose, but I was able to convey that value is more important than anything else in a painting.  It is painted on a piece of Wallis paper which I had done a painting on once before.  The original painting had been unsuccessful so I had wiped it out and I reused it here.   Once I got it home and in better light, I decide to work on it a bit more.  The pictures are of the piece after the demo and then after some refinement.   I like seeing them side by side. 

9"x12"                                                        

Goldenrod and Loosestrife

 Got an early start one day in September.  The morning had started out clear, but clouds gradually made their way in.  Actually, I had spied this scene a year or so ago and had planned to paint it, as the beautiful colors were hard to resist.  However the morning I was planning to go there, a friend contacted me to say the town had mowed all of the beautiful flowers down!  Argh!  Nevertheless, I remembered the scene and timed things just right this year.  Got a keeper out of it!

9"x12" currently unmatted and unframed

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ColetteSavage

https://www.etsy.com/listing/112633995/original-pastel-landscape-painting    

Fields of Green

 Sometimes I just can't get out to paint due to a lack of time.  So this time instead of just ruminating about it, I looked over a bunch of photos I'd taking during my daily travels to find some inspiration.  I did this little one based on several of those photos.  You can see the unfinished edges on this one.  Ordinarily, these are covered by the mat.  Just something a bit different.  SOLD

5"x7" currently unframed and unmatted

for more information about this painting, please click on

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ColetteSavage 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/112550073/original-pastel-landscape-painting

September Stroll

A beautiful day in September with soft sunlight, and the colors of the foliage just starting to show change.  I was standing in a low spot looking up the grassy hill at the distant trees.  Nothing super exciting, just relaxing and calm.

6"x9" currently unframed.  SOLD

Artist Row

It's that time of year again, time for Artist Row at the Public Market here in Rochester!  I haven't participated recently as family obligations have taken a priority, but this year I will be sharing booth space with several other artists from the Suburban Rochester Art Group.  I will have my pastels hung there.  I hope you'll come down to the market and see us this Sunday, Sept. 16th.

Fall Colors

 This pastel painting was done in Mendon Ponds Park on an unusually warm day in late October.  The sunshine through the atmosphere made the distant hills a beautiful blue color and gave a warm cast to everything.  It softened the edges on the hazy shadows that crossed the path where I stood.  I occasionally had horse-back riders pass by me, as this is one of several riding trails through the park.  

unframed size - 6"x9"

https://www.etsy.com/listing/107667895/original-pastel-landscape-painting-fall

Painting Show

Now through the end of August, you can see 27 of my paintings at the Parma Town Library in the Village of Hilton, NY.  

Included are original pastels in a variety of sizes done over the last few years, as well as several oils and this lone watercolor, entitled "Juliette's Daffodil".

The library is located at 7 West Ave. in the village of Hilton, New York, 14468, phone (585)392-8350.  The show is open to the public and the last day to view them there is August 31st.  The library's hours are Mon. 10:00-9:00, Tues. 10:00-9:00, Wed. 10:00-9:00, Thurs. 10:00-9:00, Fri. 10:00-6:00, Sat. 10:00-4:00, closed Sunday.

The response from those who have seen the show have been extremely positive and I am very grateful for everyone's comments.  I hope that if you are in the area, you will stop in to see the show!

By the way, you can find more info and even "like" the event on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/events/449557241732093/

Karen's Koi Pond

This pastel was done last fall at the home of my friend and fellow artist, Karen Arieno.  She and her husband have this picturesque pond behind their house which is now the home of several koi fish.  Karen pointed them out to me swimming past as I was finishing up.  

The painting itself took longer than I expected that day and I wasn't really satisfied with it when I got home.  It sat untouched for several months until I felt ready to tackle it.  All of those reflections were very intimidating and some corrections had to be make.  It was definitely one of the more challenging paintings I have done. 

Completed size is 12"x18"

https://www.etsy.com/listing/107296372/landscape-painting-autumn-reflections-in