2013 Workshop Schedule

Summer schedule July 14 one day August 11 one day, in time for the Fair! September, Weekend, 13,14,15

First plein air of 2010

After last night's big storm, I didn't think we'd be able to get outside and draw today. Linda, Sharon and I headed out to San Juan County Park, and found beautiful light. The yellow lichen grows on the offshore rocks. Small prismacolor drawing.

The Evolution of a Painting, 3 Times at the Lighthouse

3 different end of summer days out at Cattle Point lighthouse, the very southern most tip of San Juan Island. Since you are standing on a cliff looking up at the lighthouse, there is no room to get back from this angle. Here are three different version, a small 8" x 10",the last one posted was the first one painted. Liking the composition potential, I thought I'd try it again as a bigger format, the second one. 12" x 16" is the second version. The final, a 24" x 24" was started out on location with a sienna underpainting. Though the lighthouse seem deceptively simple, I found it to be complex, especially with the changing light. It is not often possible to paint out there due to too much wind. I felt lucky to get in 3 sessions before the weather turns.

Return of the Bonaparte Gulls

Set up out on the shore today, with boat traffic, sailing club, and the annual return of the Boneparte Gulls. A perfect summer day. Here's 16 x 20 plein air oil on canvas, and a second photo of the location. I have been inspired by German Expressionist Gabriele Munter lately.I worked on this over 2 different days.
Sold, thanks Peggy!

Plein Air Paint Out, San Juan Island

Today's paint out event was held at Dodie Gann's beautiful farm. From 1pm to 3pm artists set up with easels, canvases, and paints to create a painting in 2 hours time. Immediately after, the paintings were brought to the podium and auctioned off, as a benefit to San Juan Preservation Trust. I managed to take a few shots of my painting in progress, the initial sketch, my ORANGE underpainting, the final version, and a close up of the paint strokes, my impasto paint. Finally, a photograph of several neighboring artists in the thick of it. Claudia Mills is the new owner of this plein air oil,"the Farm over the Hill"

San Juan Shoreline

Finally a beautiful day to set up outside. This is a 12" x 16" plein air painting, painted on location along the shoreline of San Juan Island. The oil paint is thickly applied, impasto, with a palette knife. I like the speed of using a knife, you can concentrate on the nuances of color, without the extra step of loading up the brush. It's a good way to get away from bogging down in too many details.
July 19 and 20, I will be teaching a 2 day workshop, painting on location here in the San Juans.
I will be demonstarting in oils, but all mediums welcome.
For Painters:
What do you need for the workshop?

sketchbook and pencil
Easel, french easel or table top. I have a few extra easels, let me know....
Brushes, 1", 1/2" and 1/4 filberts are great, bristle,(bring what you have and we'll look at them)
Palette, I like the stay-wet palette with the bright blue lid and paper palette inside.
Odorless mineral spirits, small bottle.
For medium, I like liquin or galkyd by Gamblin, + the little cups to pour them into.
Rags, old towels cut up are my favorite, paper towels too weak
Atleast,2 medium sized canvases these are all good sizes: 9 x 12,11 x 14,12x 16, 14 x 18, Or, other surfaces good, ask if you have a question about what to paint on....
Gloves, & Apron.
Water bottle, hat, lunch

Paints: Basically a warm and cool of each primary color, + a few extras.
Cad. red light
aliz. crimson
Cad. yellow medium
Cad. orange,
Sap green
Ultramarine blue
earth colors like raw sienna good.
White.

In the nice but not necessary catagory are Quinadrodone magenta, cad yellow light

The cost of the workshop is $175,
Limit the size of the group to 15. Artists of any level may join.
We will be setting up on 2 different locations, one aquatic, the other terrestial.

Please call with any questions, my toll free number is 1 866 374 4272
locally at 378 2638, or email: funkon@rockisland.com
I hope you can join us!!

Abstract Series No. 27

9" x 9" mixed media on paper.

Portrait of a Beautiful Woman

Today's daily painting was painted directly from life, with a standing model. She was wearing an antique kimono, in reds and corals. This 9" x 12" canvas was from an hour + pose. I hope to continue next week with more visual information. I tried to concentrate on the forms of the face and leave the rest of the painting loosely painted. Hopefully we will have an additional hour with our beautiful model next week.
What would an artist do with another sitting? With more time you can check proportions, add stronger values,make sure edges are how you want them. Edges help to define her character, (soft edges on the form and hard edges for cast shadows.) I need to check the size of the back of her head....I have a tendency to not give the back of the head enough space, so I'll take a look at that, it feels a little short.I will even out the eyes and check the vanishing point between her horizontal eye-line and the horizontal line of her mouth.
There is a point in portrait painting when all the shapes are correct and the whole thing "locks in". I'm not quite there yet. After that you can feel freer about applying more paint and worrying about color shifts, texture, paint strokes, and painting across the form.