My Kind of Critics!

My approving critics ( I didn't get their names)

      What a beautiful day to be out painting!  Today I painted with some new friends, also Art League members, at a site called "Wide Water" just below the Old Anglers Inn in Potomac, Maryland.  I wish I had taken more photos of all the action during the morning... kayakers practicing their rollovers, hikers, guys on some sort of surfboard looking thing that they poled along, and exuberant Labs going for a swim.  Exuberant Lab #2 did a real number on painting friend Bobbi Pratte.  She got soaked but fortunately her painting survived uscathed:)  As I was finishing for the day I turned and found I had a few onlookers.  They graciously gave me the thumbs up!  I really like talking with people when I paint and I love getting the immediate feedback.  These truly are the critics I enjoy! 

"Wide Water" 12x16 oil on panel (raw state)

   

      This is "Wide Water" in its raw state.  I need to finish the left side of the painting and get a little more push pull going on with the light and dark.  My sky got a little muddy and could use some brightening. That's because my brush wasn't clean enough when I wanted to lighten the sky where the sun was brightest. This painting is very similar to the one I did in August at River Bend which is on the Virginia side of the Potomac.  The difference, besides the fall colors, is the water was very much higher and faster today than in August and provided more movement.

     Behind me were Bobbi Pratte and Susan Johnson and as I look at this photo I wonder if I didn't miss an opportunity here.  Perhaps I should have painted them painting.  Look at that dappled light and the strong light on the river and the deep shade under the tree!  Well, there is always the studio.  I may play with this one.http://www.jeanschwartzpaintings.com/
 

Bobbi Pratte (left) and Susan Johnson painting, my easel in the center



Finished! "5th and Waverly"

"5th and Waverly", 20x16 oil on panel

     I took "5th and Waverly" out of the closet today and decided I liked it as is and consider it finished.  In case you are a new reader you may not understand my reference to the closet, (see my earlier "Closet Finished" post). When I think a painting is complete I put it away in a closet near the studio for awhile.  This accomplishes two things...I get to see it again with fresh eyes, therefore, being more objective about it AND if it is out of sight I will not pick at it. I am fully capable of ruining a painting by not knowing when to stop.

     My vantage point for the painting is from under the Washington Square Arch looking up 5th Avenue.  Waverly Place runs along the north side of the Park.  What struck me that morning was the peacefulness of the scene.  It was more like Main St. than one of the busiest avenues in NYC.  Down here in the Village (Greenwich Village) the trees were more dominant than the buildings and people were out doing the quiet morning things people do everywhere.  Walking the dog, riding bikes, jogging etc.  Just another American town.


Morning, Washington Square Park

       I like the pairing of these two paintings inspired by the same morning.  Here you can just make out a side of the Arch behind the trees.  I had walked down this path to the arch and then stood below it and looked uptown.  Waverly Place was just outside the park on the other side of the foreground shrubs.  The light really was that golden!
      I plan to save these two and enter the both of them in a national show later this year.  For now they will be on view only on my website. At least they will be in a couple of days:)
http://www.jeanschwartzpaintings.com/

In the Spirit of the Season

Evening Descends on Black Pond, 24x48 oil on canvas

      The Black Pond along the Potomac River has been a favorite destination of mine for years.  I used to ride my mare Lucy here on a regular basis and I have taken numerous hikes here with my granddaughter Sian. It is a special place.  I have painted it a number of times and this particular painting was done in the studio last fall and is based on the small plein air painting also on this page.  I had a number of referance photos to help me enlarge the image to this elongated, horizontal format.

     Since being at the pond late enough for the sun to be setting to this degree would mean hiking back in the dark, I relied on what I know about the sky and the reflections in the pond at other times of the day.  Even in the smaller painting, which was actually painted during the afternoon hours,I adjusted the colors and light to this time of evening knowing I wanted it to be a study for the larger piece.

    I hope to exhibit this large painting at the Art League Gallery sometime this year.  The little one has already found a happy home!

The Black Pond, 14x11 oil on panel

Painting at the Alexandria, West End Art and Wine Festival

Festival Tents, 9x12 oil on panel (in it's raw state)

    Today I spent the afternoon at the first ever Alexandria, West End Art and Wine Festival.  My verdict.... they have a winner!  Of course the weather this weekend helped.  I don't think I could have imagined a more beautiful and comfortable October day.  The light has taken on that golden quality which makes everything look better.  I had a wealth of subjects to choose from but decided on this since I had the Art League tent to work from.

     Lots of visitors stopped by and I enjoyed talking with them.  Quite a few were from out of town.  I learned the proper way to pronounce Oregon.  I think it is something like Orr-Gun:) Next year I will sign up for a tent.

    This little, 9x12 painting is not quite finished but I took some photos so I can fine tune it in the studio.  I might like to add that man who just sat down on the curb.  After my birthday extravaganza last night I was pretty worn out by the time I finished three + hours on the painting and decided to call it a day.  I took some time to explore the fair and there was so much to see, eat and purchase.  I took lots of photos!

    My kids gave me a recipe and the fixings for A.A.R.Peachy Sangria last night and I just whipped up a batch for Dick and me.  Oh, it is GOOD!  Also good is having clever kids:)  Thanks guys!

Thursday in Old Town Alexandria

The front, Union St. entrance to the Torpedo Factory

The rear, Potomac River dockside entrance

Dockside view with "The Godspeed" out of Jamestown

The main hall looking towards the Target Gallery

                                                                                                    


       

Opposite end of the main hall looking towards the Art League Gallery

      Today I thought I would do something a little different.  I needed to attend some Art League Board Committee meetings and I decided to give you a little tour.  I mention the Art League a lot and if you have been to my website then you know I exhibit there frequently.  This is an organization I am passionate about!  It is located at the end of King St. on Union St. in Old Town Alexandria Virginia.  It is in a World War II torpedo factory that has been converted to an art center.  The Factory is made up of three floors of art studios and galleries.  The largest space is inhabited by the Art League for it's gallery, school, administrative offices and store.  There are additional classrooms in two other buildings, the Duke Street Annex and the Madison Annex.  The Art League is a going concern!  With our mission "To Nurture the Artist" we also nurture the community.  Besides being a tourist attraction and a mecca for artists to study, exhibit and mingle the Art League has an active outreach program in the City of Alexandria.  One notable success is SOHO (a Space of Her Own) working with at risk, low income, 5th grade girls in a year of personal growth centered around art.  Oh... and did I mention the incredible travel workshops and the illustrious faculty?
                                                                                        
     Yes, I am enthusiastic about the Art League. I have made some good friends here and enjoy working with them to hang the monthly shows, paint plein air and now as a Board member to help steer the organization forward.  Read more at http://www.theartleague.org/


The Art League Staff at work at the front desk

The light filled main gallery looking towards the solo room

A front room of the gallery and the Bin Gallery is off to the right



Street life at the end of King St. near the Factory



A favorite stop across from the Factory

One of the popular, Old Town Trolleys stopping at Union and King for the Torpedo Factory

                                                                            


























 























Evening on the Pond

Evening on the Pond, 8x10 oil on linen panel

I had mentioned in an earlier post that I have been busy framing small works in preparation for the holiday season.  I have quite a few more than I thought and I have selected some of my favorites to frame.  You may remember this one as one of the studies for the large commissioned painting I did this summer titled "Erik's Pond".  There are two others besides this one from that series that will find their way into frames.  I will probably put this on exhibit in the Art League Bin Gallery next month.  It will be too large for the juried small works show that will also be held there the same month. 
       The weather has turned sunny and cool and just perfect for plein air painting and I plan to be out and about as much as possible in the next week.  This Sunday I will be painting at the Alexandria West End Art and Wine Festival and handing out brochures for the Art League. http://www.theartleague.org/  I hope that those of you reading this blog who live nearby will stop by and see me.
     That reminds me....I checked my stats for the first time and was surprised at how large a percentage of my readers are from the Netherlands!  I will be forever amazed at the range of communication via the internet.  So to all of you in the Netherlands thanks for checking in.  It would be great to hear from you!
     I still haven't updated my website:(   http://www.jeanschwartzpaintings.com/ and I hope at my next post I can say that I did.  Good night for now.

More Progress

5th and Waverly, 20x16 oil on panel (in progress)

      I made some more progress on the 5th Avenue painting today concentrating on putting in some of the traffic lights and indicating where the street signs and more cars will go.  I am still refining the buildings in the foreground but don't have far to go there.  I need to keep this fresh and not too detailed. I am at the fun part where I can feel the painting beginning to come alive.  I am surprised at how much pleasure I am getting out of painting a cityscape and I will plan some plein air outings downtown in Washington DC this fall. 
     I ordered more materials and frames today in preparation for some "small works".  As we enter the holiday season there are a number of Small Works shows at various galleries.  The Art League will be having theirs in November and the painting surface can be no larger than 8x10 inches.  The overall size, including frame, can be no larger than 10x12. I have a number of 8x10's already painted but they are already framed and don't meet the requirements so I will do more.
     Speaking of the Art League....I just came home from hanging the October All Media show (which is a beauty !) and the Altars and Reliqueries Show. Unfortunately the paintings I submitted for the all media show were not included this month.  Actually, there are no traditional landscapes at all in this show.  There are a few traditional drawings but the bulk of the exhibit is abstract and I would say our membership is very strong in that area. My work years ago was exclusively abstract and seeing a show such as this makes me wonder if I want to take a stab at it again.  However, as I drove home along the Potomac with a spectacular sunset overhead reflecting in the water and the various crews out for evening practice I decided no, I have found what I really want to paint. 
     Although not in the all media show I do, however, have my plein air painting, "Two Red Boats" on exhibit in the Art League's Bin gallery which is immediately adjacent to the main gallery.





Two Red Boats, 11x14 oil on panel
ON EXHIBIT, The Art League Bin Gallery