Art Design and Dine at the Nagel

As a fairly new artist I am discovering that if you want to create you also need to sell your creations.  That means the business side of being an artist requires attention also   The show at the Y will be down next week.  Barbara Wolf will be the featured artist for September so stop by and see her sculptures. 

 Perky Poppies 5x7

   

The Cheyenne Artists Guild has the Thirteen Panels for Thirteen Members show opening September 5th at 7 PM at the member meeting.  My panel will be a poppy retrospective.  Come by and see!   http://www.cheyenneartistsguild.org/ 

Fraternal Twins  Pastel 9x12

The other show in September is called Pastel Visions and Gail Watford and I will show our work at the Nagel Warren Mansion with the opening reception on September 8th during Art Design and Dine.  See the web site for all the locations.   http://www.artdesigndine.com/  You don't want to miss that reception as Jim offers the best Earl Grey tea and other scrumptious delights.  

Prairie to Peaks

Petunias

One jam-packed summer and it isn't over yet.  Just a week ago the Prairie to Peaks Plein Air event hosted by Deselm's Fine Art ended. 


In addition to painting in the event we hosted plein air artists Kathy Steckel   http://www.kathysteckel.com/   and Pam Archer from Crawford, Colorado . 


Sterling Hoffmann  http://sterlinghoffmann.com/from Sonoma County California also stayed with us, and he was the judge.  Hosting gives a little icing to the cake as the artists are willing to help me with my learning.  


Kathy spent time at the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens and gave me  a lesson.  She broke down the process to finding a composition with just shapes (did we hear that from Teri last week) and then choose the proper values and keep it loose.  I finished Petunias in about an hour.  
  

Kathy painted the Paul Smith Children's Village when she was here in 2009.  We loved her painting and bought it for the CBG.  The painting is in the office.  She was amazed at how the garden had changed in just two short years.  

Just Shapes

It has been a whirlwind two weeks with the Prairie to Peaks Plein air, the National Show at the guild and hosting several artists.  Teri Grotmaker http://terigortmaker.com/ was here to teach  a workshop on Plein Air 101.  After the past two years of study it finally sunk in with her workshop... Just look for the shapes, choose the proper values. have fun with the colors and wa-la a beautiful painting.

These flowers seemed sparse but the light behind caught Teri's eye and she started a value sketch laying in just the interesting shapes.

After choosing her palette, she carefully selects the correct values and begins  laying in layers of pastel.  Teri helped me really focus on simplifying the process with shape.  The value sketch is the road map that will save me getting lost in a painting.  

Between the Reservoirs

I think you know how I am not feeling Plein Air and I are working out all that well.  I have trouble seeing the shapes, the values and capturing the color in the magnificent outdoors.  Last weekend we hiked at Curt Gowdy State Park, west of Cheyenne.   

http://www.wyomingtourism.org/overview/Curt-Gowdy-State-Park/2843

Our destination was the Hidden Falls, about a three mile hike from the trail head and back, through open fields, aspen forests, pine beetle ravaged trees, pastures, over bridges and finally into the little area with a deep pool of water as it pours off a 15 foot water fall.  We visited with numerous hikers along the path as it is a fairly easy hike and the jewel of the falls at the end is worth it.

Between the Reservoirs  Pastel 9x12

While I took lots of reference photos my favorite area was on the way out of the park driving from Granite to Crystal reservoir.  The South Leg of Crow Creek created a lovely marshy area with fluffy grass.  this is what I painted when I returned.