Getting ready for an outdoor show

The first outdoor show of my season is this weekend, in Breckenridge, Colorado. I bought my own tent this year, after borrowing one from a friend the last two years. I did some research and ended up buying a Caravan tent. It is similar in style and just as easy to use as the EZup tents, but heavier and more substantial. If I did lots of shows I would probably have a Light Dome or something of that type, but they are much more expensive. For less than $400, the Caravan tent should be a good fit for my needs. I plan on two shows this year. The second one will be in Evergreen in August.

This painting will be available at the Breckenridge show. I painted it last summer at a local pond, and as I was painting, fishermen were pulling out fish after fish. I titled it "Good Fishing". It is one of my few plein air paintings. I need to paint outside more, but find it a bit frustrating as the light changes so often. People keep telling me it will improve my painting skills, but I don't see any improvement yet. I should do it more....I need the practice. I throw away or wipe off about three of every four I do. When I get one that works, it feels good, but mostly it is just plein frustrating!

More Colorado

This 6x8 oil painting is called "Heading Home" because it is from a photo I took last September as I headed back to Summit County from Westcliffe, Colorado. The road follows the Arkansas river a good part of the way, and in places, has cut canyons that you drive through. It was about 5pm as I came out of a canyon into the sunshine and I had to stop and take photos because the light was so nice. I do this drive every year, and I always look forward to it because the leaves are peaking at the end of September.

Beaver Pond near Lake Dillon

Those Beavers are busy guys! I rember once camping near a stream, and when we went back three years later the stream had been eaten up by a large series of ponds. The beavers had been hard at work all that time.
This painting was a challenge to myself to use many shades of greens, which can be difficult! The photo is a little cooler than the actual painting. It may be one that people consider boring and never buy, but I liked the way it came out. Sometimes the ones you like best, no one else seems to like enough to buy! And one that you weren't as happy with is the first one to go the week you take it to the gallery. It is strange how that works, and I have given up trying to predict what will sell and what won't.

My favorite color

This is the painting I like best from the ones I did last week in my sister's studio in Arizona. It is called "Autumn on the Blue" and it is from a photo I took of the Blue River in Summit County, Colorado. Of course, tomorrow my favorite could be a different one, but it will probably have fall color in it! Indian Yellow is one of my most used colors of paint. Adding white to any color cools it and makes it chalky. Adding Indian Yellow warms it right up again but as it is transparent, it doesn't change values or opacity. I can't paint Colorado landscapes with aspen and cottonwoods in the fall without Indian Yellow! It gives a much nicer color than mixing any of the oranges or reds that I have tried to mix with Cad Yellow.

My palette is pretty limited, intentionally. Perhaps it is time I started trying a few other colors as well. I usually have a warm and a cool of each primary, plus white and Burnt Umber (and Indian Yellow!) My sister swears by Permanent Rose, so I guess I should give it a try one day.

Every time I attend a workshop, I always make sure I have all the colors on the materials list, but I find I still continue to use the ones I am used to. Mixing is easier when you know what you are going to get! Then again, visit Karin Jurick's blog and watch the video of her laying out her palette. It takes about 5 or 6 minutes and she uses about 50 different colors. Ahh, to paint like Karin Jurick!! Do you think if I buy all the colors she uses I will paint like her? I wish it were that easy.....

Getting ready for a show

It isn't a big show I am getting ready for. I am featured artist in February at Arts Alive, the Co-op gallery in which I hang in Breckenridge. It has been a very good gallery for me and I had great sales this summer. I am very active in the Summit County Arts Council, which is the non-profit organization that runs the gallery. We feature a different gallery artist each month, and February will be my month. I am treating it as if I had a one person show opening in a big, fancy gallery. It will be good practice if nothing else, and perhaps it will also generate some sales. I have put together about 100 invitations for the reception on February 13, so I hope to have a good turnout.

I have been spending a lot of time painting. This little one above is a 6x8 called "Golden Pond". I was pleased with the way it came out and will probably use it as a study for a larger piece. I have several larger pieces for this show. My biggest piece in the gallery to date has been 11x14, so the other artists will be surprised to see larger work from me. I started out painting small and am comfortable with it. Because the gallery is in a resort area, many of our clients are from out of town, and they prefer small pieces for ease of travel. Also, we sell mostly less expensive (under $300) work in the gallery, and it makes sense to paint to the price range that sells.

After I get all the work hung next week, I will post a photo of the display.