2 X 20 show at St. Vincent College

I've been invited  to display two paintings in this show:  http://gallery.stvincent.edu/

Thank you to gallery director Br. Nathan Cochran for inviting me to be a part of this!

ACOPOL competition news

-My painting was one of fifty selected as finalists for the ACOPAL competition: http://acopal.org/index.php?option=com_datsogallery&func=detail&catid=2&id=140&Itemid=58  This is a great honor & I feel like I am in really good company!  Don't forget to vote if you like the painting (you don't have to be signed in). Thanks!

Touchstone paintings

Here are some of the paintings I did during my class at Touchstone Center for Crafts last weekend - We went to Ohiopyle State Park on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning:

These were done on the grounds at Touchstone:

For these last two we went into the woods to practice simplifying a more complex subject by establishing the basic values, shapes, and colors of the scene as quickly as possible - it was a great time.

Bargue Drawings

Last week, I started introducing my drawing I & II students to drawing Bargue plates :
 http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Bargue-Jean-L%C3%83%C2%A9-G%C3%83%C2%A9r%C3%83%C2%B4me-Ackerman/dp/2867702038/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315515998&sr=8-1

   Doing these studies takes great concentration and they can be very rewarding.  I've noticed an increase in the intensity level/ attention to detail with my classes already.  We're still working "from the flat" : doing sight size drawings from a flat copy.  This is a fantastic way to hone your observational skills and it is really fun (for me at least!)  Doing these drawings forces you to constantly check your work and more importantly, take your time.  Once a few drawings have been done, the eye takes over more and more and your mistakes start to appear more clearly, as do the correct placements of points, lines, and angles, which is the primary purpose of the course.  The next phase of the course involves copying master drawings and eventually academies ('...a finished drawing after a carefully posed nude studio model; strictly speaking, the model should be male, but drawings of female nudes are now often referred to as academies. - from the 'Glossary of Technical Terms', p.328 - see the edition linked above.)
   My goal is to eventually have the students drawing from the cast using the same principles applied to the flats before we get to the model.  I've included some of my drawings from the Bargue plates and I will, in the near future be including a few pictures of the process as I like to use as well as some "in progress" photos. Until next time...

   

Landscape painting class @ Touchstone

 

Just posting a reminder that my plein air landscape painting class at Touchstone Center for Crafts is coming up in October!  Here is a link with more information: http://www.touchstonecrafts.org/Default.aspx?pageId=464806&eventId=255962&EventViewMode=EventDetails
Tell your friends!

Paintings etc...

Roses

Some paintings for my next show

You may have seen a couple of these before.  These will be included in my upcoming show at the Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts in New Castle, PA along with roughly 30 other pieces (all landscapes), which were done either plein air or from plein air studies.  The show runs from August 2nd to September 24th , 2011. The opening is on August 7th from 2 -4 pm in the Blair Walkway Gallery.