In the Studio Today...Christin Coy Workshop & Mill Valley Coffee Shop

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

I started 2 paintings in one day, today! Wow...! You know you have a deadline when you start 2 good sized, detailed paintings in a day. The paintings I started today are local shops in Marin County; The red awning of the Specialty Coffee shop in downtown Mill Valley, and the Gospel Flat Farmstand as you enter Bolinas, California. I now have a total of 6 paintings for the Mill Valley show, and I have about 5 more to go. I chose some large canvases, so the paintings should fill in the Depot Cafe walls with some good negative space around them. If I have 10 new paintings, I will be delighted. If I can finish 12, that will be even better... but quality versus quantity, always. Spoken in the voice of Ellen Degeneres, as Dory in "Finding Nemo"..."Just keep painting, just keep painting, just keep painting, painting, painting...". By the way, if you've read this far, this marks my 202nd post on my blog! I reached 200 posts with out even realizing it!

"Ride to the Coffee Shop", 16" x 20", o/c.
Work in Progress... (Will detail 4 bikes in scene when complete).

Actually, the real reason for the 2 paintings in one day... I had a workshop this evening with artist, Christin Coy. It was a great session. Richard Lindenberg, who used to work for Sennelier Professional Oil Paints, was on hand to give a color mixing lesson. It was fantastic. I haven't mixed colors in a color wheel format in many years, but it was a great reminder, and I learned about "Chinese Orange", a color specifically commissioned by Cézanne. It's sort of a burnt umber, rust orange red color, but has a great transparency to it so it can be used to varnish, or when mixed with white, it is more opaque.Christin taught me to pre-stain my canvas with an acrylic color and water, to give it a warm undertone and get away from starting with the blank white of the canvas. The color I used was a warm sienna red color, which was perfect for the reds in the awning of the coffee shop.

In the Studio Today... MALT's Annual Show!

I have been attending the MALT show for more than five years now, and anticipate it every year. As a plein air landscape artist in Marin County, this is the most coveted place to exhibit one's work. To be accepted to MALT for their annual show is an honor, when there are hundreds of landscape painters that would like to hang their work on the walls of Druid's Hall in Nicasio. For me, it is a goal to be included in this group some day, but for now, I enjoy visiting the show each year when I can, and talking to the artists, who often are there to share and discuss their paintings.

The drive to Nicasio alone will have you feeling at peace with our natural surroundings, and then to enter the show is just magical. The walls in this small space are packed like a patchwork quilt; every painting packed into the Hall contributes something unique and special about Marin county farms and land that has been preserved by Marin Agricultural Land Trust. It is a joy and treat for me to be there each year, if not as an exhibiting painter, at least as one in spirit! Please go and support MALT on May 16th(my Birthday!)from 2-5pm, or on May 17th, from 10 -4pm. They offer books, greeting cards and other items that are fairly priced and make great gifts, as well as prints and paintings. Visit the MALT website for more information, and some great audio interviews with participating artists.

You may also want to take a look at the MALT website and a new MALT Blog that is written about Ranches and Rolling Hills, and full of information and inspiration about art and farming, by Elisabeth Ptak.

Finally, you may also want to visit the blogs of 2 MALT artists I have had the pleasure of venturing out to farms with through the "Art on the Farm" group trips:

• Christin Coy's Blog
• Richard Lindenberg's Blog

Enjoy!