one fine day

The days following my Landscape Impressions workshop were spent with my two grandsons (ages 11 and 13) to make a busy, fun summer week. I have finally had some time to reflect on the workshop and on each student and what I hope I contributed to their art journey. This morning I received a very nice email.

'I loved the workshop.  I finally figured out what your paintings remind me of: haiku poetry.  They are a fleeting, perfect moment that was experienced held forever in mind's eye!!' 

What a nice thought. I will keep that in mind when I am in the middle of a painting challenge.

One of the most important things I took away from the workshop is the need to believe.  Believe in yourself; believe your work is evolving at exactly the right pace for you. Of course, it is difficult for your work to evolve if you don't paint. Paint every day.

Wishing each of you One Fine Day. (above, pastel, 7.5 x 7.5 inches)

two days of fun

Five artists joined me for my two-day plein air pastel workshop, Landscape Impressions 2013. We had gorgeous weather for what might become an annual event - it was fun to teach again. Click on the above image to see two students hard at work. Below is my demo from the first day, tweaked extensively that night back in the studio.

All Things Good and True  |  pastel  |  7 x 7.5 inches

summer morning plein air

Warming up for my Landscape Impressions workshop next week. The first step is an acrylic underpainting.

Pastel painting of our little pond...the IMPRESSION of our pond.

"Summer Morning," pastel, 7 x 7.5 inches

bye bye reference photos

My last post was about painting from memory. The painting above left is a memory painting; the one on the right was painted from a reference photo. Is one method of working more valid than the other? I'm excited about what happens to a scene that has been processed through my memory. This morning, I found an appropriate quote (funny how that happens).

"I never succeed in painting scenes, however beautiful, immediately upon returning from them. I must wait for time to draw a veil over the common details." 
-Thomas Cole

one happy week

This week I painted from memory. No reference photos, no plein air painting. It was freeing and exciting and was reminiscent of the year or so I spent on abstracted work. Very fun.  I focused on the nuance of a memory-scene and stopped before my usual addition of details. The photo above will give you an idea of the paintings (sorry about the reflections, especially on the center one).

I found a way to trick myself into stopping before the urge to add detail takes over: I selected four older paintings, and each day I took one of them out of its frame, repainted a scene from memory, stopped BEFORE I felt I was done and put it back in the frame. My thought was that I'd just look at them for a while then unframe them, paint a little more and photograph them. However, once one was framed and I went on to the next, I began to forget what I was going to "fix" and now I'm happy with them just the way they are. Certainly happier than I would be if I had overworked them.

Today's painting, "Bejeweled," was a different story. I painted it once yesterday, wiped it off. Painted it again this morning, began to photograph it, then fixed one little thing...then another...wiped the whole thing off and painted it again this afternoon. Now it is sitting in the frame while I think about it.  If it survives, I'll post it soon. I've had a happy painting week.

shades of summer

Good days in the studio! I think I have a "nuance" series going on here in pastel. Minimum detail - loving it.

play day

More playing in the studio. Another 7.5 x 7.5 pastel in cool colors on a warm day.  Soft focus, loose, interpretive with minimum detail.

Journey By Heart

To fill requests of the galleries who kindly represent me, the first half of the year has been spent painting more of the kind of work they have been selling for me.

But these days, I'm painting for myself in preparation for a two day workshop here in my Studio July 22 and 23. By the way...a recent cancellation has made room for one more student. If anyone is interested, just email me. We'll be painting in pastel, plein air I hope, depending upon the weather.

For the rest of the summer, I'll be painting the more impressionistic work I love - more fluidity, less detail. Several years ago, I loosened all the way up to abstracted landscapes and that was fun! For now, small pastel studies (and an occasional oil) so I am prepared to give students my best advice for lively work of their own.

Journey by Heart is from memory...no reference photo to tighten me up and nail me down to specifics.

long time passing

After early-morning watering of the flower gardens and blueberries, I closed the windows and doors against the heat and spent the rest of the day in the studio.

The colors of this painting kept me cool all day. There is a backstory here that I hope to share in a future post. An overgrown driveway not used for years and still lush from pre-summer rains; the tentative title of this one has been replaced with "Long Time Passing," pastel on Wallis paper, 20 x 16 inches.

forgotten

An early start in the studio this morning on a new pastel, tentatively titled "Forgotten." Shown here are the two steps of the under-painting in oil on Wallis sanded paper, Belgium Mist. The painting will be 20 x 16 inches.

a little help from my friends

I usually schedule work for galleries and shows using my computer database but when I have several galleries to rotate at once, it gets confusing. This time, I printed glossy color thumbnails of each painting to help me quickly see how a group going to a gallery will look.

Our grandsons, ages 13 and 11, stayed with us last week and helped me in the studio one afternoon. We hung the pieces for an upcoming show on one wall for a preview. The cool blues and purples of the pieces should be a welcome sight for the August show if today's temperature of 84 degrees continues.

We also rotated work at one of my galleries and I was happy to have the boys with me to carry paintings. Of course, this is the one time I got a parking place right in front of the gallery instead of the usual two-block hike up and down a hill!

When we reorganized my inventory, I identified several paintings for rework. For these paintings, one boy measured the window and the frame and the other one wrote the information in a spiral notebook. We wrote a big R for "rework" on low-tack tape to label the edge of the frame that shows in my storage area.

Now, the boys are gone and I'm ready to get back to work in the studio. I hope to get some early morning plein air work done this week and will begin to take reference photos of the gardens and surrounding landscape for my July workshop here in case it rains.

PSBC Collection

One of the highlights of my summer will be the installation of six of my paintings (four pastels and two oils) at the Puget Sound Blood Center Lab in Renton, Washington. I am honored to be in their Collection of original works. Many thanks to Cole Gallery.

revisiting sunfall

A couple weeks ago, I helped install "Sunfall" at the Puget Sound Blood Center Lab in Renton, Washington. This week I started a similar version but larger this time, at 20 x 16 inches. This first step is the line drawing in charcoal on Belgium Mist Wallis sanded paper for "Sunfall II."

Next, a thin oil-wash foundation.

 The finished painting, "Sunfall II."  A more colorful version with bolder marks.

a long time coming

I was selected for this book so long ago that I forgot about it until today when I received notice that it can be pre-ordered at Amazon or Barnes & Noble now. I don't see myself on the cover but I'm happy to have my work included inside.

100 Artists of the Northwest. The works of 100 contemporary artists interpret and provide a fresh look at the artistic vibrancy of the Northwest region of the United States. The states of Oregon and Washington are rich with artists, having become vital art scenes in the past several decades. Using sculpture, glass, oil, clay, wood, and other contemporary mediums, as well as paint, these 21st century artists combine, redesign, and transform their materials into pieces of works that change the way we perceive both the regions of the Northwest and the world. With a guide to galleries, sculpture parks, museums, and schools, this book is a wonderful resource for lovers of all art mediums.

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Schiffer Publishing, Ltd. (December 28, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764343122
• ISBN-13: 978-0764343124

Can you spell Albuquerque?

I'm not a fan of traveling...a day spent at home in my studio is the norm for me but it is my favorite place to be. When I received notice last year that I had earned acceptance into the Master Circle of International Association of Pastel Socities (IAPS) I was honored, but my second thought was uh-oh because I knew the IAPS-MC medals were presented at the Convention that takes place every other year in Albuquerque, NM. So, like it or not, it looked like I'd be traveling.

I'm back now and this truly impressive medal is with me in the Studio. I'm so glad I went and of course, I'm so glad to be back. The Convention is a big party with all the rock-stars of the pastel world there. I had the opportunity to meet artists I'd previously known only via the internet and also to reconnect with old friends. It was extra special to have served as one of the three Jurors of Selection for the 22nd Juried Exhibition. The art in that show, as well as the work in the Second Master Circle Exhibition, was outstanding.

Old Town is charming, colorful, and funky. We took a walking tour that was fun and educational and we enjoyed the morning warmth but avoided the afternoon heat. Lunch at La Crepe Michel (twice!) was a highlight as was the twisted lemon ice cream cone from a nearby shop. I'm looking for a window or door to paint Virgin Mary Blue, preferably West-facing to ward off evil. And, if not for this honor, I might have gone my whole life without knowing how to spell Albuquerque!

IAPS is made up of pastel societies from around the world. Find a pastel society near you.

the same but different

In the summer of 2010, as an experiment, I painted the same scene twice. The first painting, "Summer Sojourn," went to a gallery and on to a new home. It is also published on page 211 of my Art Answers: Pastel book.

Today, I brought the second version out of storage. "Summer Sojourn II" was an experiment in process vs product and has some exciting foundation work showing through the pastel. Click on the title above, then click on the image and see the upper right corner.

I started to unframe this painting to post it on my Studio Sale blog for the month of June but halfway through I thought, why not just sell it framed? Image size 9x8, frame size 15x13, Nielsen German Silver metal frame with white archival mat and glass. For purchase information, click on the Studio Sales link in the sidebar.

backstory on my book

Yesterday, I received the first copies of my book! It was a unique project with my part completed in record time.

One morning in mid August of last year, I made a new folder for my computer desktop labeled "My Book." I had been thinking for some time about self-publishing a book of my work with a few step-by-step demonstrations. In the folder, I filed links, ideas, and images of my work. Within 30 minutes, I received an email from Quantum Publishers in the UK asking if I would be interested in authoring a pastel book for them! I just sat in awe, looking at that email. I wasn't familiar with Quantum and I still don't know why they contacted ME. But, I was happy that they did.

It sounded like an interesting project: Quantum has published pastel books in the past and they wanted someone to compile text and images from existing books into a new book for their series called Art Answers. I needed to come up with 200 questions about pastel in 30 days. I could do that!

Very quickly, I learned that not only did I have to submit the questions BUT ALSO THE ANSWERS in that short time period. Quantum air-mailed the existing books to me and I began to work on this huge puzzle: first, start with one of my questions, then read through four existing books and answer the question by combining existing text and images for artists in both the UK and the US. I also wrote new text illustrated with my images for many of the questions.

I love this little book! From the four existing books, I had the opportunity to include previously published images of artists whom I admire - Sally Strand, Kitty Wallis, Doug Dawson, Jackie Simmonds, Carole Katchen and others.

I was also able to give a shout-out to Artist's Air and Paula Ann Ford on page 45 for the question, "Are there health concerns when using pastel?" and to introduce Terry Ludwig Pastels to UK artists.

While typing this post, I have gone through the book page by page. I must point out that this is a book of information, not a book of beautifully reproduced images. The color of my paintings in this book motivates me to return to the "My Book" folder to self-publish a book!

Many thanks to the folks at Quantum and Barrons for this opportunity. Purchase Information.

young at heart completed

May 10th, I posted "Young at Heart" in progress and after 12 days of painting and pondering, I'm calling it done. 24 x 24 inches, oil on wood panel.

packing puzzle

I LOVE my good old Airfloat shipping boxes and this morning I am using them once again to ship a couple paintings to the IAPS show. Over the years, the various sizes of art I've shipped has resulted in foam pieces of all shapes and sizes.  I have often thought about the person who has to redo this packaging puzzle to send my work back to me at the end of the show. To make their job easier, I take a photo of how I put the foam and art puzzle together and tape the photo to the inside of the box for their reference.

dawning

Dawning •

oil

6x8 inches

purchase information

don't rush to detail

When I teach, I encourage my students to make thumbnails but I usually forget to make them for myself. My workshop with Lorenzo Chavez last week was a thumbnail reminder to block in composition shapes with several values. Before going back to my 24 x 24 inch oil in progress, I revisited the composition and values as shown above in my sketchbook.

Back at the easel, I mixed a thin oil wash of Alizarin Crimson and Ultramarine Blue and brushed it over all but the lightest areas in my painting. Note the mixture is warmer (more red than blue) in the right front and cooler (more blue than red) as the scene moves into the background.

I have a tendency to rush toward the detail in a painting before I should. This painting is better already. Thank you, Lorenzo, for making me paint right over my precious details while at the workshop.

thank you!

Yesterday I received a very special honor: Life Membership in Women Painters of Washington.  Thank you WPW!

This distinction is given in recognition of outstanding service to the organization. My 15 years working with the members of WPW has been rewarding to me in so many ways; I encourage women painters in the state of Washington to apply for membership.

update

I had hoped to post the finished oil version of "Young at Heart" by now but the past week has flown by.

I rarely take workshops but I spent three days last week in one instructed by Lorenzo Chavez and I'm glad I did. He is a kind and thoughtful instructor. His enthusiasm for thumbnails has reminded me how important they are. He clearly communicated how to simplify our compositions and how to block in different planes (sky, uprights, ground) with the correct value (especially useful when working plein air).

Saturday, while I was judging the Miniature Category for the Edmonds Arts Festival, my painting, "Arboretum Winter Color" was receiving a Juror's Award from Mr. Chavez at the Northwest Pastel Society's 27th International Open Show at American Art Company, Tacoma, WA.

We've had unseasonably warm weather here in Washington state. Spring is bustin' out all over so weed-eating is back on my agenda.

And, last but not least, my 5x7 inch pastel color study "Young at Heart" is in its last days of auction at Daily Paintworks.

coming along

"Young at Heart," 24 x 24 inch oil is coming along. I'll pause again for a few days to reflect on this.

lavender comes next

Ahhh...that helped move me forward. I enclosed the pastel color study in a poly sleeve (whichever poly this is, it doesn't create static) and kept it beside me as I added lavender oil paint.

pause for a color study

Young at Heart •

5x7 inches

pastel

In my post of April 26th, I showed you the foundation for a 24 x 24 inch oil - "Young at Heart." After being stuck there for a couple days, looking at it and trying to get a clear vision for the finished painting, I resorted to my usual method of working and made a small color study of the scene.

This one is in pastel, 5x7 inches and will be available on Daily Paintworks beginning May 3rd. I delayed the start of the auction for a few days so I could paint the oil with the pastel color study beside me for reference of color, value, and most of all, a reminder to keep my paint strokes fresh and loose.

it's studio sale time

Suddenly it is the end of the month and time for another painting from my studio for the Studio Sale link.

About 10 years ago, I co-authored a book on watercolor pencil for Walter Foster Artist's Library Series. These are great little books to introduce the novice to a new medium.

This month's Studio Sale offering is "Full Bloom #2," watercolor pencil, 11.25x9 inches. For purchase information go to the Studio Sales link in the sidebar.

line drawing and first strokes

 Tentatively titled "Young at Heart," this is the first oil (24x24 inches) from the Pt. Defiance Park reference photos. Above: the charcoal line drawing on white gessoed wood panel. Below: the first strokes for value and mass.

spring photo shoot

I went on a spring photo shoot yesterday at Point Defiance Park, Tacoma, WA. Lots of fresh yellow greens, end-of-winter hazy lavenders and lush green-gold moss! Above is one of the horizontal frame reference photos. I want to paint this scene in a square format so I distorted, then cropped, the photo in my computer to make it square. Next, I changed the mode to gray scale to better see the values for my foundation painting.  Yeah spring!

spring!

 

• Spring!

pastel

7x5 inches

new transfer method

In an effort to cut down on the amount of paper in my life, today I'm using this method for transferring a reference photo image to my painting surface.

I drew an X on a clear poly envelope and slipped my iPad inside. Using a charcoal stick, I transferred the scene to a gessoed painting surface. Yay! One piece of paper and printer ink saved because I didn't print the reference photo.

done with winter

I am done with winter. It is time to move away from the wintery Nisqually Wildlife Refuge reference photos and on to spring.

For this last oil painting of the Nisqually series, I applied a tonal foundation, then I referred to my color notes on my pastel painting, "Spring Light, Winter Shade." To see the foundation and first step of color of this painting, click here.

"From Now Until Then," 24x24 inches, oil on wood panel.

changes to reverie

A lot has happened to the painting in my March 25th post. I answered some of the questions posted there and then asked and answered more. I also changed the name from the working title, Reverie, to "Until We Meet Again." 24x24 inches, oil on panel.

a new book about pastels

Finally! Here is the news I've alluded to a couple times on my blog since last August.

Art Answers: Pastels Drawing will be published in the UK and in the US in June. This is a book I compiled of 200 questions and answers. It features images of my pastel paintings, step by step demos and text. I have also included other pastel artists' work and words. What started out as a minor project turned into a major undertaking that I am proud of. I've seen the proof but look forward to holding the finished book in my hands.

Also, my July 2013 pastel workshop, Landscape Impressions, is full with a waiting list. Thanks to all who responded. I hope to have this new book available at the workshop as well as online. I'll keep you posted!

march moment

This is a demo from a private class today, another scene from my Nisqually Wildlife Refuge reference photos. Working with 3 values and keeping it simple with a black acrylic underpainting.
"March Moment•," 8x6 inches, pastel on Wallis paper mounted on 4 ply archival matboard. You can look at it with the magnifier tool here http://www.dailypaintworks.com/Artists/barbara-benedetti-newton-2335 

trilogy posted to studio sales

It's the first of a new month (almost) and time for another Studio Sale posting.

This month, watercolor painting, Trilogy• is looking for a loving home. Select the Studio Sales link in the sidebar to the right or, click on the title of the drawing.