Summer Plein Air Painting

 

This summer I have braving the heat and the bugs to get out and do more plein air painting here in central Louisiana.  This porch painting of Arna Bontemps house was done on a morning in June 2021 in Alexandria, Louisiana on a plein air outing with a couple of artist friends.

I recently returned from a trip to Maine where I visited Monhegan Island off the coast.  What a wonderful experience this was!  I had first heard of the island by watching a video on YouTube about the artist colony that was started there many decades ago, and specifically about the women artists there.

Monhegan was a fabulous experience, and I am anxious to return to paint more.  We just had one day there, and the ferry back to Booth Bay left at 2:30, so painting time was short.  I got one view of Manana island peeking behind edge of Monhegan.  I look forward to finishing it here at home in the studio.

 My plein air spot was up on a rocky area just behind the Monhegan school house.  A screechy pheasant hung out behind me on a rock. 

Painting in Oil but Loving Watercolors

Hwy 107  Oil on canvas 20" by 20"

I was fortunate enough to receive an honorable mention at a local art show for the oil painting above, for which I was given a gift certificate to Dick Blick art supplies.

Though I've been painting in oil lately - I am compelled to use my gift certificate to purchase Daniel Smith watercolors.  I've been enjoying painting smalls and little experiments in watercolor immensely since the workshop I did with Randy Meador last Fall.

Starlight Baptist Church- oil on canvas 12" by 12"

This smaller oil painting is of a curve that I pass daily on my way to work in a small town rural community in Louisiana.  I enjoyed experimenting with layering this layers of oil paint diluted with Gamsol and linseed oil to get the shadows and shading in the trees.

Starlight Baptist Church curve is a recognizable place for those travelling down Hickory Hill road in Avoyelles Parish (aka the AP or simply the Parish).

I am especially fond of our Louisiana state highway signs.  I like the boot shape of the state and the colors that get reflected in the white of the state shape.  My favorite is to find an old sign that resides under a tree and has mildew on the white area bring a fun array of colors to the sign.

Vick Lane Turn Sign - oil on canvas 24" by 24"

Road signs damaged by farm equipment or other traffic are also attractive as a painting subject.  This turn sign painting at right is from an unpaved lane in Vick, LA where school buses and farm equipment pass often.

I enjoyed the challenge of showing the bends and tears in this sign.

Though road signs are a favorite feature of my road scape paintings, I'm also attracted to painting water towers in landscapes as well.

Watercolor Workshop with Randy Meador

I recently went to a watercolor workshop in Saint Jo, Texas.  Though I usually paint with acrylic paints, I was persuaded to attend this workshop because it boasted to be beneficial to painters of all media and highly entertaining as well. 

So off I went in late October to North Texas-

Watercolorist, Randy Meador, taught this non-traditional watercolor workshop for 22 attendees at Donna Howell-Sickles church studio in Saint Jo.  
He's a consummate cowboy artist as you can see by his Western attire.

But his pioneering attitude towards his art is authentic and endearing.  Though he asserts he taught himself watercolor through books, he practiced and practiced until he was able to reproduce and achieve his desired effect.

His easy demeanor, affable nature and his natural "I know I'm easy on the eyes" charm, make this workshop a winner no matter what kind of artist you are!

Randy Meador

In medicine we have PEARLS - the nuggets of "can't forget wisdom"

 

Here's Randy's watercolor pearls:

• let the pigments float and "do their thing" in the water - this gives a distinctly non-painterly technique.  (We are water coloring - NOT painting.)
• NO WHITE paint!  
• * if you need a white area - don't watercolor on it and let the paper show through OR watch Randy take out his enormous Bowie knife and scrape off a highlight on an earring or an eye!
• start with your lightest areas or "rooms" on your painting or sketch
• creating these "rooms" on my sketch was quite helpful to give an area to let the watercolor happen
• mix "buckets" of paint on your pallet before beginning your work - these buckets are within your pallet and should have perhaps two colors - that you are allowing to blend at their free will
• use a mop approach with a large soft brush
• work top down and do not go back into your watercolor area with your brush/mop
• leaving one layer of watercolor allows the luminosity of the pigments to shine
• he makes his pictures pop with a contrasting intense background of ivory black and prussian blue - warning: this inky background requires a lot of pigment! (Read lots of $)
• "watercoloring" is accomplished when we walk away, fold our arms and let our paint dry before returning to the paint - so Randy likes to have several paintings going at once.
• don't be afraid to RUIN your painting!  That's right - mess it up, ruin it - right at the start.  This takes the pressure off of trying to perfect something - because you CAN'T CONTROL WATERCOLOR - this isn't painting.  Let it go, let it be watercolor.

Randy's watercolor pallette

Randy's unique approach to watercolor is... 

 

Brave and forthright but mysterious at the same time.  

No two sketches, paintings or watercolors are identical - each has their own energy because he is free to let the watercolor do the work.  No painting here.  This is about a controlled relinquishment of design and painting, which is probably the toughest part of this workshop for many.

The impish grin

 

His work has a compelling vibrancy and light that is unmistakably his own.  Look at his work and you will see it.  Clearly after listening to him, I saw that this was achieved with much study, practice and hard work on his part.  (Afterall, that is usually how one attains greatness.)  

 

But I'm always in search of some shortcuts to fabulousness - so I went to this workshop.

 

It was a success for me - because I had no bad habits to lose (in watercolor).  No techniques or skills to depart from.  I felt free to try his suggested technique and be ok - if I did nothing more than make a mess on some fairly costly watercolor paper (which I did).  And now I will practice mixing colors, and making washes and reserving highlights at home in my Camp Effie Art Studio.

 

Best of all - I left with that "I must go home and make this happen" feeling.

 

 

1- Beginning - Randy does light room first

2 - Next - he adds a darker room

3 - Inky contrast added to make it pop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other fabulous bonuses:

Seeing Donna Howell-Sickles, her gallery, her studio again!  She is such a pulled together lady and an incredible artist - visiting her studio is an inspiring privilege.

Donna and me

Wine at Arche Vineyard

New friends

Low carb cheeseboard at Arche Vineyard

Longhorn in progress

Workshop participants hard at work

Watercolor Workshop at Davis & Blevins Gallery with Randy Meador

I recently went to a watercolor workshop in Saint Jo, Texas.  Though I usually paint with acrylic paints, I was persuaded to attend this workshop because it boasted to be beneficial to painters of all media and highly entertaining as well. 

So off I went in late October to North Texas-

Watercolorist, Randy Meador, taught this non-traditional watercolor workshop for 22 attendees at Donna Howell-Sickles church studio in Saint Jo.  
He's a consummate cowboy artist as you can see by his Western attire.

But his pioneering attitude towards his art is authentic and endearing.  Though he asserts he taught himself watercolor through books, he practiced and practiced until he was able to reproduce and achieve his desired effect.

His easy demeanor, affable nature and his natural "I know I'm easy on the eyes" charm, make this workshop a winner no matter what kind of artist you are!

Randy Meador

In medicine we have PEARLS - the nuggets of "can't forget wisdom"

 

Here's Randy's watercolor pearls:

• let the pigments float and "do their thing" in the water - this gives a distinctly non-painterly technique.
• NO WHITE paint!  
• * if you need a white area - don't watercolor on it and let the paper show through OR watch Randy take out his enormous Bowie knife and scrape off a highlight on an earring or an eye!
• start with your lightest areas or "rooms" on your painting or sketch
• creating these "rooms" on my sketch was quite helpful to give an area to let the watercolor happen (stand with folded arms)
• mix "buckets" of paint on your pallet before beginning your work - these buckets are within your pallet and should have perhaps two colors - that you are allowing to blend at their free will
• use a mop approach with a large soft brush
• work top down and do not go back into your watercolor area with your brush/mop
• leaving one layer of watercolor allows the luminosity of the pigments to shine
• he makes his pictures pop with a contrasting intense background of ivory black and Prussian blue - warning: this inky background requires a lot of pigment!
• "watercoloring" is accomplished when we walk away, fold our arms and let our paint dry before returning to the paint - so Randy likes to have several paintings going at once.
• don't be afraid to RUIN your painting!  That's right - mess it up, ruin it - right at the start.  This takes the pressure off of trying to perfect something - because you CAN'T CONTROL WATERCOLOR - this isn't painting.  Let it go, let it be watercolor.

Randy's watercolor pallette

Randy's unique approach to watercolor is... 

 

Brave and forthright but mysterious at the same time.  

No two sketches, paintings or watercolors are identical - each has their own energy because he is free to let the watercolor do the work.  No painting here.  This is about a controlled relinquishment of design and painting, which is probably the toughest part of this workshop for many.

The impish grin

 

His work has a compelling vibrancy and light that is unmistakably his own.  Look at his work and you will see it.  Clearly after listening to him, I saw that this was achieved with much study, practice and hard work on his part.  (Afterall, that is usually how one attains greatness.)  

 

But I'm always in search of some shortcuts to fabulousness - so I went to this workshop.

 

It was a success for me - because I had no bad habits to lose (in watercolor).  No techniques or skills to depart from.  I felt free to try his suggested technique and be ok - if I did nothing more than make a mess on some fairly costly watercolor paper (which I did).  And now I will practice mixing colors, and making washes and reserving highlights at home in my Camp Effie Art Studio.

 

Best of all - I left with that "I must go home and make this happen" feeling.

 

 

1- Beginning - Randy does light room first

2 - Next - he adds a darker room

3 - Inky contrast added to make it pop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other fabulous bonuses:

Seeing Donna Howell-Sickles, her gallery, her studio again!  She is such a pulled together lady and an incredible artist - visiting her studio is an inspiring privilege.

Donna and me

Wine at Arche Vineyard

New friends

Low carb cheeseboard at Arche Vineyard

Longhorn in progress

Workshop participants hard at work

Camp Effie Art Studio

Young Nutmeg

https://www.facebook.com/campeffieartstudio/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

Everything Bagel on red - acrylic

 

Goat selfies

Okay, let's get it out in the open - I love goats.  

They are expressive, intelligent pets and provide us hours of entertainment with their antics.

We take lots of pictures of our goats - as many of you may take pictures of your dog, cat or grandchild.

My goats got a selfie stick!!!!

Goat selfies happened!

Yellow goat - acrylic

Whitey goat on blue - acylic

And I started painting goat selfies recently and it turned into an obsession with those goofy faces, innocent smiles and horizontal eyes. 

Follow me and my goats on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/buffchic/ 

 

Buttercup

I love pictures of goats and enjoy hearing about goats who are loved and pampered.  Please feel free to share your goat pictures.

Whitey Goat reaching for a tree - acrylic

Doctor Shopping

 

I was recently shopping in a local jewelry store doing a quick preview of the merchandise to help select an appropriate birthday gift for my husband to give me.  (I do this because I am just give, give, give and I always put his concerns first and I would hate for him to make a bad birthday gift choice - like the time he gave me a book on the architecture of Buffalo.  That will NOT be happening again!)

Selfie of me and Dave when we got engaged.

The saleslady and owner both knew me well.  This is where we had my engagement ring custom designed and again the place where many birthday, anniversary and, of course, Bastille Day gifts come from.

 

  

Then it happened--

a doctor in scrubs walked through the door and the owner of the store flew to him like a moth to a flame.  

The saleswoman who had been showing me diamond studs was so taken by the blinding light of this doc's scrubs that she could barely look at me or complete a sentence in response to a question.  Then I had to wait to see the earrings I was interested until after my doctor friend finished with them.

 

 Hmmmm.  So I went over to a fine art gallery in town where I was really enjoying looking at some paintings.  The lively gallery assistant was showing me lots of beautiful abstracts and describing the techniques the artists used.  They were pulling pieces out of the back to show me and even offered to come to my home to do a trial installation of any art piece I desired.

A favorite Marc Chagall knock off.

when it happened -- AGAIN!

a doctor in scrubs walked through the door.  And I got handed off to another person who had been shuffling through items in the back of the gallery.

What's up with this!?  

Moral of the story:  Next time I decide to go shopping, I will wear green scrubs and tuck a pager onto my waistband for better service.

Cats recreate Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel

Add caption

My cats reenact the Sistine Chapel pose

The real deal - God and man.

My cats live a full life.

Here they have chosen to recreate the
work of Michaelangelo as they reenact
the famous tableau from the Sistine
Chapel of God touching man.

Little Boy is God and man is played by his little brother Joker.

Yes, I do have better things to be doing than likening my cats to great
Renaissance painters.  HINT:  See the
Atlas of Anatomy lurking in the background.  Yes, I should be studying that instead.

I did find this interesting article about one man's theory that Michaelangelo really is portraying God has a human brain.


Medical students take note, here is a chance to combine your humanities with your science training.

As an English major with a Master of Arts who went into the sciences and is now a physician assistant student, I live for these moments where art and medicine collide.

Ah well, back to work on anatomy.  Here are the boys in their usual roles--themselves!

The boys as themselves in the Buffalo sunshine.

Living Buffchic Style

What is Living Buffchic Style?

It's about living flamboyantly on as few dollars as possible, in Buffalo (aka BFLO or Buff), NY and other points around the globe.

Enjoying a SoCal lifestyle while in Western NY and Louisiana. 

About...

eating well,
traveling easy, design, running, moving and dressing well
with about being a slave or victim to fashion.

On camels in Giza, Egypt.

Sunflowers in Louisiana

The Getty Center

The Getty at sunset