Artist Joe Paquet not only presented the opening address at the convention, which challenged us as artists to find our own voice in the art world, but he stopped to offer advice to me (and others) while we were out painting on Sunday along the wharf. Just another reason I love this convention experience!

Me and my friend Cynthia Morris during one of the breaks at the main stage.

People often ask me the reasons I do things as an artist. This convention, because it is new and ground breaking in the world of plein air painting, is one of the things that people are curious about. Critics say “how can it be plein air if you are inside watching people paint all the time?” Well, for one thing, we are not inside all the time. We spent two days outside painting and you could either set up and paint alongside your favorite artists or you could wander around (like I do) and watch and photograph and more importantly, learn from these professionals. They are all more than willing to answer questions or help out if you need help, and I experienced that multiple times during my two conventions. The egos (if there are any) are checked at the door and there is no way to really tell (unless you know) who is an artist who gets thousands for their paintings or an artist who is just starting out. You can literally stand in the hallway and chat about art and painting with the artists on the faculty as well as those convention attendees from all over the world. It is the common thread of passion that holds this group together and makes it the fabulous experience it is for everyone.

Another aspect that some people miss about plein air painting is that the demos inside help the convention attendees to “get inside the head” of the artist as they share their processes and painting habits with the crowd. Many plein air artists use their paintings done on location as “notes” or “sketches” to use in the studio for a larger painting as reference, much like a student uses notes in class to write a paper later. This indoor time is an invaluable part of the convention and combined with the outdoor time, makes this an excellent learning and sharing environment for everyone there.

Now for more photos! I LOVE seeing old friends and past workshop instructors at this event. Below are just some of the artists that I made sure to chat with while there.

It is always fun to see some of my previous workshop instructors at the convention, especially those like Scott who have made such a big impact on my painting journey thus far!

I love talking with Camille Przewodek at this event. She always has words of wisdom for me and I enjoy her positive attitude and advice toward my growth as an artist.

Paul Kratter is one of the artists I contacted early on in my quest to paint again as an adult. He has been an inspiration for years now for me and it is a highlight of my trip to see him at this event!

The days painting outside were just spectacular at this convention! The weather was perfect both days and everyone was excited to get out and paint! Below are some of my photos that I took that will tell you more about how 750 people can paint together on location and what a thrill it is to experience this as an aritst!

I really enjoyed watching artist and friend, Gene Costanza, paint along the beach on Saturday. He is one of my favorite artists and to be able to watch him paint was one of the highlights of my trip!

John Crump masterfully painting the water at the wharf paint out. I love watching this guy paint!

Artist John Cosby painting along the wharf the last paint out day. He also explained what he was doing and answered questions as he painted.

One of my favorite artists at the convention, Paul Kratter. I have followed Paul’s work for years and he has been one of those people who inspires me in so many ways. Plus, he is just a nice guy all around too!

Ned Mueller stopped to help a convention attendee put people in her landscape. Again, the impromptu teaching that went on here is one of the coolest things you will ever see and experience.

Kathleen Dunphy painted on the beach and spent the entire time instructing those who stopped to watch by explaining her process and what she was thinking as she was painting. This is one of the things I love about this convention – not only do you get the “planned” instruction on stage and in the demos, but the impromptu instruction by the faculty and other artists there is invaluable and priceless.

Scott Christensen painted along the road next to the beach in his “back of the car setup” as I like to call it. It was really cool to watch this painting develop during the afternoon on the beach.

Artists everywhere you look along the beach painting!

Lori Putnam and two other convention artists paint alongside each other at the beach.

Bryan Mark Taylor beginning his first painting of the day along the path on the first paint out day.

Ken Auster painting along the path at the beach.

Shelby Keefe painting along the wharf.

And, just so you don’t think I spent ALL my time talking and taking photos at the convention, I am including a couple of my plein air sketches done in sunny California! I learned a lot by painting in their beautiful light and as many of you know, I love the struggle of painting water and learn more about it each time I do it!

Marina painting of mine painted the last day of the convention when the group painted together there.

Detail shot of one of my wharf area paintings completed the day the group painted there together.

One of my plein air paintings that I did at the wharf the day we were all out painting together there.

And last, but not least, a few photos of the gorgeous scenery we experienced along the way during the convention. If you have not visited this area, put it on your list of to-dos for the future! You won’t be sorry!

I hope you have enjoyed my review of the Second Annual Plein Air Convention! I would be happy to answer any questions you have about this event if you are considering attending in the future. At this time of this blog post, next year’s details have not been announced but should be soon!

My first painting upon my arrival in Monterey, CA

I was blessed again to be able to attend the 2nd Annual Plein Air Convention, which was held this year in beautiful Monterey, California. I arrived a couple of days before the convention began so I could paint some on my own and just enjoy the sunshine after a long winter back home. I have many aritst friends ask about the convention and in order to give them a sense of what goes on at one of these, I am going to do a few blog posts with photos and some brief descriptions about the fun and information you can have when you are at one of these great events! Because there was so much going on and so many fine artists in attendance and on stage sharing their knowledge with the attendees, it would be difficult to cover it all. But I hope you get a sense of what a valuable experience this event is from my posts and photos here.

The convention is a combination of indoor demos and lectures by artists from all over the country and world. We also were treated once again to a Marketing Boot Camp presented by Eric Rhoads and other professionals out there who gave us advice and information about the business side of art. This began at 6:30 am each morning! Of course, coffee and breakfast was available to keep us nourished and awake at this early hour!

Artists and marketing specialists, Ed Terpening and Leslie Saeta join Eric Rhoads in presenting valuable business information to the attendees during the Boot Camp presentation one morning

Much of the indoor time at the convention was spent watching fabulous demos by a wide variety of artists. The staff did a great job of mixing artists who were part of the faculty at the last convention with some new artists that had not been a part of the instruction before. Some artists painted on stage alone, while others were paired with another artist and you could watch and listen to both at the same time. Super LARGE screens were used to show the artists working up close and personal, but the room is set up to give good views from anywhere you sit. I will share some of my favorite shots from these demos below.

Artist Scott Christensen talking about his painting process and some painting words of wisdom before he begins his demo.

Scott Christensen during his demo onstage of an enlarged scene from a previously completed plein air sketch.

Artists Lori Putnam and CW Mundy doing a demo together on stage.

A little “comic relief” during the demo when Lori helped clean up a little paint mishap on CW’s head!

Lori Putnam working on her on stage demo from a plein air sketch completed the day before on the Pacific Coast.

Peggi Kroll-Roberts did some sketches while talking about her process from a live model on stage.

Crowd favorite, Ken Auster, completed the largest demo of the convention. He went from this blank canvas…

…to this beautiful painting in a little less than an hour and fifteen minutes!

Another shot of Ken’s painting on display in the Expo area. Each demo was placed after the artist completed them on stage in the Expo area so you could see them up close and personal.

Artists Jill Carver and Ray Roberts on stage together.

Jill Carver’s almost completed demo along with her palette. It is always interesting to me to see an artist’s palette along with a painting.

Artists Dawn Whitelaw and Skip Whitcomb paint on stage together.

Artist Brian Blood with his finished demo and reference.

Another favorite duo from last year’s convention, Camille Przewodek and Ned Mueller, demo together on stage this year.

New Zealand artist, John Crump, was a joy to watch demo his fabulous ocean side scene on the Expo stage.

These are just a few of the wonderful demos presented at the convention. Other artists that painted on stage included Michael Godfrey, Kathryn Stats, Gil Delinger, Don Demers, and Morgan Samuel Price. There was also an additional stage set up in the Expo area where demos were going on at the same time as the ones on the large stage. This made it difficult sometimes to choose which you wanted to watch, but gave convention attendees the choice to watch someone that may match their particular interests more closely. Some of these artists that I watched on this stage included Kathleen Dunphy, John Crump, and Shelby Keefe.

More convention reviews and photos to come tomorrow!

One of my paintings from the workshop and the reference.

If someone would have told me a couple of years ago that I would get to study with both Quang Ho and Scott Christensen in one year, I would have told them they were crazy! However, I was fortunate to take a workshop with Quang in Nashville this past fall. Organized by my mentor, the fabulous Lori Putnam, it was an experience I will never forget for several reasons. First and foremost, Quang Ho is a Master. He is not only a Master painter, but in my opinion (and I am VERY picky about teaching because of my teaching background), he is a Master teacher. He is not only encouraging to everyone, no matter what their current level of painting is, but he is so sharing and giving of what he has learned and is learning about art and painting and even life in general. His excitement during the entire workshop was so endearing and you really just wanted to put him in your pocket and take him home with you by the end of the workshop (someone said this and I just had to repeat it)! Lots of teachers are nice, so the word nice is such a cliche word for me to use to describe him, but he is just so darn NICE! There. I said it anyway. He is nice and puts you at ease when talking, visiting, and painting with him.

But let me talk about the workshop. One of the other reasons I really enjoyed this workshop was because it had some of my favorite painters in the workshop along with me! Some of my friends and teachers that I have had for workshops before were learning to stretch themselves and try new things in Quang’s workshop. A little intimidating at first, maybe, but so fun to see so many good painters and paint along with them.

Quang’s focus on this workshop was plein air painting, and the weather was just perfect for us in the Nashville area. We painted at some great locations around Nashville and really enjoyed true fall weather in the South. Quang spent time doing demos to illustrate ways that we as artists need to learn to say “what if?” What if I try this, or what if I try that? As artists, Quang encouraged us to have “no fear, no ego” when it comes to painting. I need to paint that on my forehead or at least on my painting palette so I can see it when I get stuck on something or am afraid of “messing up” a painting. It was freeing to have him encourage us to try things and I really came out of that workshop with a new outlook on things. I have included some of my favorite pictures from the workshop along with this post for your viewing pleasure.

Love seeing other artists’ palettes!

If you are not familiar with him, I would encourage you to get his “Nuts and Bolts” DVD. It is well worth it and he talks about some approaches to paintings that are an invaluable part of my painting process today. As I have said before about other teachers, if you ever get the chance to study with him, take it! You won’t be sorry!

I always get a photo with my teacher! Just for memories!

I was fortunate to attend the 2012 American Impressionist Show and Symposium in Indianapolis, IN this year in November. I traveled there with my good friends and fellow artists, Tiffany Foss and Dot Courson. We had such a fabulous time looking at the wonderful entries that were accepted into the show and meeting many artists there. It is an amazing art community “out there” and as I always say when I return from an event like this, meeting other artists, no matter if they are “famous” or not, is always one of the highlights of my trips.

Artists Zhiwei Tu (second from left), Kevin Macpherson (third from left) and Calvin Liang (right)

Artist Howard Friedland with his award winning painting, one of my favorites in the show

Artist Jim Richards with his award winning painting

The show was judged by the one an only, Kevin Macpherson. He is not only a great and inspiring artist, but a FUNNY guy! I loved meeting him and watching him paint and listening to him banter with CW Mundy during the symposium. It really makes these guys seem so “normal” – well, as normal as we artists are anyway! They symposium was a 3 day mix of lectures, demos, and discussions about the things we impressionist artists love most. As you can see from the photos I included here, I was sitting so close to these things I could reach out and touch the artists (I refrained, however)! It was a well designed and perfectly planned event by show chair, Dawn Whitelaw and symposium chair, Paula Fritzbe. Both Dawn and Paula had help from lots of artists and it was truly a memorable event for me.

Master artist Quang Ho doing one of his three demo paintings at the Symposium

Artists CW Mundy, Carolyn Anderson, Clayton Beck, Kevin Macpherson, and Kenn Backhaus and the panel discussion, which was not only informative but entertaining as well!

Some of my favorite parts of the week were hanging with other artist friends and getting to know some better (Anne and Jim); Watching demos on stage of some of my favorite artists (Quang Ho, Kevin Macpherson, and Calvin Liang); Meeting some of the award winning artists and talking art with them at the show; and just being there among all the talent. It was great to attend such an inspiring show, but to have the symposium to participate in made it even more special. If you ever have a chance to participate in something like this, do your best to get there! You won’t be sorry!

Master artist Calvin Liang and his demo of a sailboat, which was fabulous!

A special moment of the symposium – Duo demo by CW Mundy and Kevin Macpherson along with an impromptu reading of some inspiring art quotes by artist Carolyn Anderson

I was so excited to return to Big Cedar Lodge this year with my painting buddy, Cynthia Morris, from Arkansas. My family has vacationed there over the years and it is such a fabulous place to visit and also to paint, now that I am a plein air artist! This was their third year to host the paint out, and there were over 100 artists participating! I was happy to have been juried into the group of “guest artists” there. The talent was unbeliveable, among the guest artists and the participating artists also! The event was top notch – we were treated very well and everything was so organized and well thought out. My friend, Jeanie Morris (not related to Cynthia, but good friends also!) started the paint out there because she is an artist also and loves art and promoting art. I have “known” her for awhile online, but finally got to meet her in person, which was great also! All of my blog readers know by now that one of the reasons I travel and paint and go to art events is to meet new people. It really is one of the best parts of this whole art journey I am on. My life has been enriched and blessed by the people I have met and will continue to meet and for that I am thankful.

Anyway, back to the paint out!! It was a 3 day event, with 2.5 days of painting. The first day I was wearing a short sleeved shirt and it was sunny and 73 degrees outside. A front came through and it was below freezing the next two days!!! But fun anyway! We all stuck it out and painted our little hearts out! On Saturday evening, their beautiful convention center was turned into a huge art gallery, with all the artists displaying their week’s art for sale. Lots of visitors came and bought paintings and chatted with the artists too. It was fabulous! I sold the painting above to a collector from Springfield, Missouri and was excited about that too!

Me and John with my two new purchases!

Another big thing for me was meeting some artists who I have been wanting to meet. A special one is John Lasater. If you are not familiar with his work yet, you will be. He is a fabulous person and a really nice guy. Since I am a plein air event novice, I got up on Saturday morning to frame my paintings for the judging and the event that evening. Although I brought everything in my studio (haha!) from Memphis in the back of my car, I quickly realized I forgot to bring the point pusher tool to actually put my paintings in the frames I brought! The paintings had to be turned in for judging by noon, so I went in search of a friendly artist with the tool I needed! I found John in the convention center setting up for a demo he was doing that morning. He kindly loaned me his point pusher and I was able to frame my paintings. Also, I didn’t realize (still being a novice!) that I wasn’t supposed to sign my paintings submitted for judging. Again, John rescued me and let me use his paint and palette to paint over my signatures on my paintings. Then, during his demo, he was so giving and answered all the questions from the aritsts there, all while creating a beautiful painting of the grounds there out the picture window we were all sitting by. It was again very cold outside and it was so fun to sit there and watch him paint and answer all of our questions! I love his work, and ended up buying two of his paintings (see below) that evening that he painted that week. Check out his website John Porter Lasater when you get a chance! You will be hearing more about him in the future, I promise!

My painting table in the event on Saturday evening

I also met and bought a painting from artist Jason Sacran. I love his work also, and he, like John, is an awesome guy too! He is an ole Tennessee boy, and we enjoyed talking together about art and Tennessee. He has primarily been working in portraits, but has recently fell in love with plein air painting, so expect to see more of him in the future too. He won an award that evening too and again, what an accomplishment that is with over 100 artists there. I failed to get a photo with him but below is a photo of the beautiful painting I purchased from him. See his wonderful work here.

After the judging, I forgot that I had covered up all of my signatures of my paintings and had to sign the one I sold before the collector took it home. Again, being the event novice that I am, I didn’t have anything with me to sign it! My new hero, John, volunteered his stuff again for me to use, but my buddy Cynthia came up with this fork that you see me using to scratch my signature back into the wet paint! We artists can sure be creative when we need to be!

If you would like to read more about this exciting plein air event and the specific awards given out that night, please see this link

You can also see more of my paintings from there on my website, under “Landscapes.” Thanks for reading!

I was happy to participate in the College Park, Georgia First Annual Paint Out recently. College Park is part of the Atlanta metro area and has over 850 places listed on the National Historic Register. Talk about things to paint! Everywhere I looked I saw a painting! The organizers, especially artist Millie Gosch, were so fabulous and welcoming and all the artists were treated so well! I painted 3 paintings from 8:00 in the morning until 4:00 in the afternoon. They even had the girl scouts deliver our lunch out in the field to us!

The Annual Arts Festival was also going on and there were people everywhere! It was enjoyable for me to talk to people about painting and my art during the day. At the sale, I even sold two of my paintings! I have included my photos of me and the happy buyers below.

Also, my good friend and travel buddy, Cathleen Windham, won an Honorable Mention ribbon for one of her paintings too! It was a great trip and I look forward to this event again next year!

For my last installment of my workshop review, I want to share some of my paintings I did while there. These were all done plein air and as studies. One of the main things I took away from this workshop with Scott is that artists need to spend more time studying their subjects and painting as practice for study than most do. He said he often goes out into the field and paints some subjects multiple times with no particular goal in mind other than to learn. That resonates so much with me because I love learning and especially through observation. I plan to do more of this in the future at his encouragement.

Also, it was a joy to see the relationship between Scott and his sweet dog, Molly. I know this has nothing to do with art, but Molly went everywhere Scott did. As most of you pet lovers know, it is a special bond and it was so fun having Molly around everyday to welcome us and visit with us. She even helps Scott paint! (Just kidding!!!)

All in all, I guess you can tell I really enjoyed the workshop. It was a great place to paint, I met wonderful people, and got to paint with someone I and many others consider a modern day Master. It was truly an honor though to get to know ‘the man behind the paintings.’ A week I will cherish forever!

For today’s post, I want to talk about Scott’s teaching style and ability. Many of you know I have a teaching degree and taught for several years before I retired to raise my children. For that reason, I feel that I might be a little more “picky” than many about teaching and how someone’s message is delivered. One of the things I always worry about when I go to a workshop is class size. I know that sometimes, there are so many people in a workshop that the teacher can’t physically meet everyone’s needs. Going into this workshop, with 22 people signed up in the class, I have to admit I was a little concerned about the class size and Scott’s ability to “handle” us. Well, those fears were completely wiped out after the first couple of days with him. Let me say here, that man was everywhere! I started to think he had cloned himself somehow and I was sometimes looking at Scott #3 or something! Just check out the photos above and below:

Helping a student in the field…

Doing a demonstration in class about working from a previous study…

Doing a demo from the back of his car…

Talking about artist Carl Runguis work on a class field trip…

Also, I was ECSTATIC when Scott announced on the first day of class that his good friend and fellow artist, Gene Costanza, was going to be there during the workshop walking around and just generally helping him out. I not only knew Gene’s work, but have admired some of his paintings in person that he previously painted during the paint out in Apalachicola, Florida. I didn’t get a photo of Gene, but so enjoyed getting to know him better and to have him help me at my easel also. He is indeed a good painter and also a really great guy. They have a lot in common and I can see why they are such good friends. I told Scott that I feel like I got “two for one” on the workshop since Gene was there and was so helpful! This is the link to his website – take a look if you are not familiar with him.

I also really admired Scott’s calm, thoughtful, and introspective way of delivering his message to us. It was so unique and a real joy to watch as a teacher myself. Maybe because I am not calm (ever!), but he just has a way with words. He is very funny, but you usually had to listen very closely to hear his “jokes.” Some of his “Scottisms” (as I now like to call them to myself) were:

* make things interesting – watch the variety in your shapes, spacing, colors, edges
* don’t always try to make finished paintings – always spend time in the field and studio studying and practicing if you want to improve
* too much variety causes chaos and too much harmony causes boredom

There were many more, but these are a few that stick out in my mind. Nothing earth shattering there and probably not anything not said by someone before, but again, his method of delivery is very powerful and his passion for his art and for teaching it is really evident in all he does.

Look for more insight and review on this workshop again soon!

Scott helping me in the field by a stream – talking about values!

As most of you know by now if you have been following my art journey, I am a workshop junkie. I love learning anything really, and I especially love learning about art and painting. Plus, traveling to new places and meeting new people who love art as much as I do is also a huge reason for me to continue to take workshops. I have been fortunate to be able to study with some of the country’s best artists in the style of painting that I love most – impressionist or painterly type painters. I have always admired (okay, LOVED!) Scott’s work, but was a little apprehensive about trekking all the way to Idaho to study with him. It just seemed a little daunting and intimidating for some reason. Plus, I just didn’t think I was “ready,” whatever that means! However, since my husband LOVES to fly fish, I figured it would be a great trip for both of us, so after hearing Scott speak at the Plein Air Convention in Las Vegas earlier this year, I went out in the hallway and immediately signed up for his September workshop. It was truly a workshop that I will never regret taking.

First of all, the surroundings are amazing. Immediately off the plane in Jackson, Wyoming, I told my husband that I “recognized” some of the trees from Scott’s paintings. I’m sure he thought that was a little strange, but it wasn’t the last strange thing I said all week! Being surrounded by scenes like the one above and the ones below is inspiring indeed.

Also, walking into Scott’s studio for the first time was almost a spiritual experience. I am not kidding – to sit there everyday and be surrounded with his paintings, some of which I had admired online or from magazines for years, was just amazing! Everywhere I looked, it was a feast for the eyes! Below are just a few of the photos I took of my daily view.

Looking up...

Looking down...

Looking all around!

Since I took so many photos and have so much to share about this workshop, I will break up my review into a few separate blog posts. Look for more on this workshop to come!