"Vents"

As sometimes happens when painting plein air, my recent Plein Air Workshop was visited by rain.  As a result, this work which began as a class demo was done while I was sheltered just inside a door to the back deck of the Media Barn at Taraden Bed & Breakfast.   The view was of  the next barn over and the massive vents lining the roof peak.

Selecting a good subject for a plein air painting involves seeing the big picture rather than the detail and simplifying from the overwhelming amount of subject matter.  In this case, my low – relative to the peak of the next barn – point of view, the swirling storm clouds in the sky and the interesting angles of the barn roof caught my attention.  The rain slick roof was reflective of  both the light and of the vents.

Although plein air paintings can be relatively accurate depictions of the artists surroundings,  it is generally my way to take liberties with color for most of my plein air paintings.  This one is no exception.  For the most part the scene in reality was a study in gray and green.  The sky, the vents themselves, and the sides of the white barn were all some shade of gray.  The barn trim and the one element of greenery – the tree at far left – were green.  Knowing that I would want to inject color, I took my cue from the vents, the tops of which were heavily weathered and corroded.  Thinking of corrosion as rust, I decided to include a heavy dose of orange  and related colors into the composition along with the local color greens.   With those two colors included, it was a conscious decision to create the painting based on a triad of secondaries — green, orange & violet – with the subtle violets infused into the grays.  The result is both harmonious and contrasting in a balanced way.

An interesting thing to note about the subject barn is that it was the studio for the noted abstract painter and one of the best known color field artists, Ken Noland – see his official website here, and his Wikipedia entry here.   The barn itself is very large and served Mr. Noland very well in the creation of the large works he was known for.

Contact me if you have an interest in this or any other paintings on the site. Email me at tc@tonyconner.com or by phone at 802-375-5548.

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Park McCullogh View

I have three Plein Air Painting workshops scheduled in the upcoming months – Saturday & Sunday, July 10 & 11, Saturday & Sunday, September 25 & 26, Saturday & Sunday, October 16 & 17 – all three meet from 10am to 4pm each day.

Plein Air painting developed in the late 18th century and was popularized by artists such as John Constable &  Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot in the early 19th century.  Most artists painting en plein air in that day were driven to depict nature in true fidelity and through observable fact. The plein air movement continued into the late 19th century and was carried on by the Impressionists of that time.

Enjoy the unique experience of painting “en plein air” and learn the skills and techniques needed to quickly capture light effects and to make plein air paintings successful. Each class begins with a short instructor demo focusing on the key skills of selecting and simplifying the subject, composing the painting, and mixing and applying the right colors. For the rest of the day, the class works on their own paintings with help and guidance from the instructor. Indoor studio space is available in case of bad weather.

Class meets on the grounds of the Taraden Bed & Breakfast,  and will paint in various locations in around the quintessential Vermont community of North Bennington. Class fee – $150 for each weekend long class.

2010 Class Schedule 2010 Class Registration Form Plein Air Painting Supplies & Equipment Plein Air Painting Tips

Suggested Materials

Contact me if you have an interest in this or any other paintings on the site. Email me at tc@tonyconner.com or by phone at 802-375-5548.

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"Beached"

In my post on May 6, I mentioned that my usual landscape subjects were not inspiring me and that the my usual solution to lack of inspiration is to work on something new.  At that time, I began working on a still life composed of wine bottles placed in front of my studio’s picture window.   At about the same time, I began teaching a new class at our local career development center.   In preparing for the class, “Creating Watercolor Paintings from Your Photos” , I was searching through my own stock of reference photos for something to use as an example. The photo below caught my eye.

The photo was taken at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, in Vergennes, VT some years ago.  The subject boat was up on blocks as a static display – its days on the water were probably over.   The simple shape of the boat and simplicity of the working rigging was appealing to me, although I wanted the boat to be in a different setting.  I don’t often paint from photos but prefer to use them as reference.   In this case, the essential shape and character of the boat were lifted from the photo and placed on a beach.

Many of my seascapes feature cerulean blue, especially mixed with cadmium red to create soft, strong, granular grays.   Cerulean appears in the sky, water, shadows and even on the red hull of the boat.  I have an affinity for the bright overcast that is often the condition at the coast.  I’ve included that sort of condition in this work and find that the cerulean/cad red combination can help create a convincing representation.

Painting a seascape themed work probably has to do with some anticipation.  I’ll be showing work at two outdoor art festivals this summer – Beverly Arts Festival in Beverly Massachusetts in June and the Manchester Arts Festival in Manchester by the Sea, Massachusetts.  Both are in the Cape Ann area – one of my favorite painting haunts.  I’ve planned for painting time around both festivals and am looking forward to painting along the coast again this summer.

"River Valley"

4″ x 11″

Private Collection

With out going into a lot of detail about why, part of my painting process often leaves me with odd shaped leftover pieces of paper.  Many of them are in this “panoramic” format where one dimension is more than twice as long as the other.   The shape is well suited for a panoramic view of a landscape scene.    The scene depicted in “River Valley” is not any where in particular, but rather it is a made up location designed mostly to allow the depiction of deep, lush wooded hillsides and a sparkling, reflective river flowing through.

The summer landscape can be difficult to paint since there is an overwhelming amount of green.   In this case, I decided to focus on the look of deep, cool shade and shadow areas on the hillsides by pushing the color toward blue.  The sense of summer green is there but is subordinate to the blues.   Surrounded by so much dark and low intensity color, the ribbon of sparkling river stands out as a visual pathway through the painting and into the distance.

Contact me if you have an interest in this or any other paintings on the site. Email me at tc@tonyconner.com or by phone at 802-375-5548.

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"Time Gone By"" Back to Basics"

The North Adams Artists Co-op gallery opens a new exhibit called “Back to Basics” next Thursday, May 27.  The Opening Reception is Thursday, May 27th, 2010 from 5 to 8pm and is open to the public. The exhibit runs May 27 – June 20, 2010.
The theme of the exhibit allows the artist to show work that may go in a few directions: simplification is obvious but the artist may also choose to go back to his/her beginnings, as an artist. We all have arrived at our current art/state through a series of progressive steps…so perhaps, the work for this exhibition re-examines where we came from, literally or figuratively.

Three of my works will be on view; “Time Gone By” shown above as well as “Common Old Man” and “Hoosick Falls”, below.

"Common Old Man"

"Hoosick Falls"

The NAACO Gallery is located at 33 Main Street, North Adams, Massachusetts, and is open Monday,  Thursday, Friday & Saturday from 11am – 6pm and Sunday from 12pm – 4pm.

Contact me if you have an interest in this or any other paintings on the site. Email me at tc@tonyconner.com or by phone at 802-375-5548.

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"Glass On Glass"

What, then, to do when the usual subjects are not inspiring me at the moment?  The solution generally is to do something different.  In this case placing a group of wine bottles in front of my studio’s picture window with the intention of painting some compositions.   This work “Glass on Glass” is the first painting completed.   Glass is difficult due to its combination of transparency and reflectivity.  In the case of this painting, I focused more on the transparency and worked on capturing the various value and color shapes created by the overlapping of the transparent bottles and the areas where the opaque labels blocked the transparency.  Shapes colors and values were all simplified and some realism was sacrificed  in favor of pattern and rhythm .

Another choice made in order to mix things up and get the creative and inspirational juices flowing was to work on a different surface.  In this case,  I painted on Arches 140lb hot press paper.  I generally use this paper for architectural illustration work as it has the advantage of being relatively correctable.   It’s press surface prevents the pigment from settling down into the paper fibers.  The effect is to enhance transparency – a perfect attribute for a subject such as glass.

This work will be framed and on display in my studio for Open Studio Weekend, May 29 & 30, 2010.

Below is a quick prep sketch done in a watercolor sketchbook and from a different point of view.

The bottle arrangement is still set up and another painting is underway – more to come.

Contact me if you have an interest in this or any other paintings on the site. Email me at tc@tonyconner.com or by phone at 802-375-5548.

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"Uphill Farm"

Most Vermont craftspeople work in studios located in or close to their residences. These are places of production and inspiration located in downtowns as well as at the ends of dirt roads. Wherever their locations, they are exciting places to visit because they reflect the dynamic yet organized process that is used to produce the finished work of art.

For the fifth year, I’ll be participating in the Vermont Craft Councils’ Open Studio Weekend.  My studio as well as 235 studios will be open from 10am – 5pm both Saturday and Sunday, May 29 & 30.  It’s an pleasure to welcome folks into the studio to talk about my work, material, process or any thing else that might come up.

Open Studio Weekend is a statewide celebration of the visual arts and the creative process. Bennington County, Vermont is home to many fine artists and artisans including the other members of The Artisans of Southern Vermont. The other twenty-nine members of the group will also have their studios open this weekend.  The fine work represented by this group includes other paintings, jewelery, pottery, furniture, sculpture, and more.

The studio itself is enormously informative because you can see at a glance how the artist works. You see the swatches that have not been chosen for the quilt or the work that is experimental or not serious enough for the gallery. Buying or ordering work during an Open Studio sale is a unique experience because you have the opportunity to speak to the artist directly.

Contact me if you have an interest in this or any other paintings on the site. Email me at tc@tonyconner.com or by phone at 802-375-5548.

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"Side Street"

12″ x 20″

This painting began as a demonstration painting created for the residents of Equinox Village in Manchester Vermont.   The scene is adapted from pencil sketches done on Cape Cod in the early 1990′s.    Though the sketches are older, the sense of place from that July morning has stayed with me.  Although the Cape is a popular vacation area in the summer, and has all the things that go with that, the backroads and village streets away from the tourist areas are as quaint as one would expect.  The original sketches were created on a July morning, with bright sun already raking the streets, creating dramatic shade and shadow in contrast to streets, yards, fences and homes washed in brilliant light.

The challenge for this painting was two-fold: first, painting for an audience presents its own challenges in trying to balance speech – explaining techniques, color choices and thinking – while maintaining a focus on the work in progress; Second, balancing the many shade and shadow areas with the sun-struck portions of the painting.   Speaking while painting I managed.  More difficult was getting the shade and shadow areas just dark enough to convey the point without creating the sense of a “black-hole”.  The bottom half of the painting – edge of a building to the left, its small side yard, the large expanse of street, a white picket fence line, and the yard with tree to the right, are all shadow.  Since the main focus of the painting is the white cottage home in the upper center-right, the value difference between this large area and the brightly lit street that leads to the house needed to be minimized.   Low intensity color in the mid-value range accomplish the sense of shadow without creating too much contrast.  Detail is also kept to a minimum in this area – in fact there is not much detail in any area of the painting – only the illusion of it.

My audience commented on the choice of color for the secondary house, the red-orange one, in the upper left.  True, it was somewhat of a dangerous or – can I say it – daring choice.   Yet it was a conscious to add that color in that location in order to help draw the eye into the background  where the focal point is placed.  The painting is dominated by cool color – green, mostly, with cool blues and violets as well.  The introduction of the warmer hues provides movement, contrast and relief from the overall cool dominance.  Red, as the complement of green, adds a glow that helps convey the sense of bright sunlight ” bounced” from lit surfaces into the shady areas.   By the way, this red color is a low intensity red that looks brighter because of its placement in an environment that is saturated in its complement. The color itself is a hue called “Quinacridone Burnt Scarlet” produced by Daniel Smith Artists Materials.  It is a deep, cool, gray red,  and is a favorite color of mine. It mixes quite well with a range of blues to produce transparent grays and gray-violets.

In addition to the red house, a number of warm areas were introduced into the painting to support the sense of bounced light and to keep the eye moving through the painting.  The extreme foreground fence post had a good bit of warm grey-orange on the foreground face.  From there, one can find touches of warmth in all of the fence lines as well as in the doorway of the focal point house, in the tree trunks and in the cast shadows.

I have made several paintings out of these sketches, all very similar in composition.  Below is another version done some years ago.

"Cottage"

11″ x 15″

Private collection

This version takes a similar perspective of looking up the street toward a house catching the raking light of a summer day.   Notice the differences in the two paintings in terms of color choices, point of view &  value range

Contact me if you have an interest in this or any other paintings on the site. Email me at tc@tonyconner.com or by phone at 802-375-5548.

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The Better Bennington Corp’s annual downtown art event will take place on Friday, March19th and Saturday, March 20th, in the 210 South Street Building <link to Google map> in downtown Bennington.  One hundred works of art by local and regional artists will be exhibited and offered for sale for  $100.00 each.

The first One Hundred for $100 event was a blockbuster success, with enthusiastic crowds and a number of artists work selling out.  A special feature this year will be an exclusive preview of the exhibit from 5:00 – 6:00 p.m., with champagne, special hors d’oeuvres, and smooth jazz by  Blueprint. Tickets for the preview event are $15/person.  At 6:00 p.m., the doors will open to the public and the artwork will be available for sale.   The proceeds of the event benefit the non-profit Better Bennington Corporation as well as the artists,  who receive 80% the purchase price for their artwork.

Three of my small works -”Barn Snowscape”, pictured above, “Woods Edge – Afternoon” & “Snow Cover Landscape”, both pictured below – are included in the exhibit.

After 6pm Friday the 19th, admission is free.  For more information please call the Better Bennington Corporation at 802-442-5758 or visit www.betterbennington.com.

"Snow Cover Landscape"

"Woods Edge Afternoon"

Contact me if you have an interest in this or any other paintings on the site. Email me at tc@tonyconner.com or by phone at 802-375-5548.

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"Desert Hills"

Watercolor- Beyond the Basics, Tuesdays, March 16– April 6, 6:00 – 8:30pm.

A follow-on to the Basic Watercolor class, this popular class will continue to help unravel the mysterious ways of the watercolor medium.  With a focus on the fundamentals, participants learn the basic skills needed to successfully paint with watercolor.  The class is designed for the rank beginner, for those who struggle to make their watercolors look “right”, and for those who might be picking up the watercolor brush after a long time away.  At whatever skill level, the class is sure to be educational and fun.

This class is held at the Southwest Vermont Career Development Center, 321 Park Street, Bennington VT 05201

Class fee $85. Sets of Basic watercolor materials are available if needed for an additional and optional fee of $60.00

CDC Winter/Spring Class Registration Form
CDC Winter/Spring Class Schedule