Category: Uncategorized (Page 2 of 11)

It’s officially the off-season for plein air painting and I have been bouncing between some minor creative projects. I’m going to share the one I’ve spent the most time on lately.

Columbus has several shelters for people who are homeless and one of them takes in families with children. I can’t even imagine how scary and confusing it must be for those kids. They don’t understand the adult situations that left them without a place to call home.

In a conversation with their volunteer coordinator I found out that the children’s group activities were curtailed by the virus and they needed little projects that the kids could take back to their family’s room and do individually. I told her I’d see what I could come up with.

So I was off to the dollar store that afternoon. I selected some basic supplies that could be packaged in zip-lock bags and easily turned into a fun activity. I found packs with a dozen die-cut felt Christmas trees and others with die-cut foam angels. My blank canvases! Then I loaded up on bling. Shiny pipe cleaners, sequins, etc. Dollar Tree happened to have more craft supplies than usual and the deals were much better than the craft stores.

My mom contributed more bling from her stash of craft supplies and I had some flat wooden ornament shapes left from an earlier project. Each kit needed a sample picture and instructions. Once I had those ready I set up an assembly line on my table and bagged the kits.

The directions provide a literacy element but there’s room for creativity. The main goal is provide a little enjoyment and distraction for kids who are in a very tough spot.

I also did some kits with cans of clay and some with USA puzzles. I’m planning some winter crafts for January and some that can be used at any time of the year. I hope they bring a little cheer to some kiddos who need it right now.

This is the perfect volunteer job for me. It combines my teaching skills and artsy/craftsy bent with a bit of technology. It doesn’t seem like work. With other creative activities limited due to COVID, this will fill a gap for me and provide a bright spot in a child’s stay at the shelter.

Summer is over and fall is getting colder. The facts are the facts. Most of us don’t go out to paint when the temperature is below 50^o. For some of us there is a narrow band of comfort between 60^o and 75^o. (You know who you are!)

I have cold weather gear. I walk my dog every day all winter. I just don’t paint outside in that kind of weather. I’ve tried , but it never ends well.

One April I entered the Dublin Area Art League plein air competition. The day’s high was 48^o. The sun was shining when I left my house but that was the last I saw of it all day. It’s one thing to be cold and moving , but standing in one place on cold ground is not fun. Frozen feet, frozen brain, lousy painting. That was the worst piece I ever turned in for a competition. The only consolation was a hot cup of soup afterwards.

My friend Marianne is an intrepid plein air painter. She paints in the snow and I asked if I could go with her some time. We decided the temperature needed to be in the 30’s so the paint didn’t gum up. Ideally it would be a day with a little sun. Do you know how many days we have like that in Ohio??? Not many. So one day when we had a light coating of snow, we decided to drive about 40 miles north in hopes of enchanted rural scenes. Alas, the farther we went, the less snow there was. Also alas, my easel had a wonky leg. We found a nice little scene, but it was hard to paint while holding up my easel, keeping blowing snow out of my eyes, and trying to ignore the cold. Not good.

This spring and summer getting outside to paint and socialize made all the other 2020 craziness bearable. I met friends at least once a week. We’d paint for a few hours and then lunch. Once the mornings got cooler in the fall, we flipped the process with lunch first and then painting. That lasted a few weeks.

Now the fall color is waning. The coming weeks will get colder and grayer. Even when you get a warm day, scenes will be bleak. How are we going to cope? With the pandemic we’ll each have to toil away in isolation, touching base mostly online. We may come out of our dens for a walk in the brisk air when we can.

I know I still need to give the brushes a workout or regress in my skills over winter. Here are the options as I see them:

1. Use some plein air paintings as studies for studio paintings. Maybe. Not really excited by that idea.
2. Paint from photos. I have scads of photos that could be sources for paintings. I need to get better at cropping and editing for better composition. I can see that happening after I spend a copious amount of time choosing a photo.
3. Set up still life arrangements to paint from life indoors. Nope. Not happening. Not a fan of still life.
4. Study. Copy paintings by the master’s just for practice. Sean Wang taught a class where he had us do that – quick small studies and then one or two larger ones. I might play with that a bit. Couldn’t hurt
5. Take an online class. The right kind of class could strengthen skills and be inspiring. I need one with some accountability, not a DIY tutorial.
6. Switch to another medium; maybe do some watercolor paintings or colored pencil.
7. Go abstract. Take a scene and boil it down to basics. Then switch up the colors or placement of elements. Might be fun.
8. Make greeting cards. Geometrics, prints, watercolors, colored pencil, and mixed media all make nice cards. I’m never sure if this is legit creative work or just a cop-out thing to do instead of “real painting.”
9. Try to paint portraits. I’ve dabbled with this a bit. The results look human at least, but not necessarily like the person I’m trying to paint.
10. Curl up with a blanket and You Tube painting videos. I might accidentally learn something, but chances are better if I’m actually doing something. Not a good option, but very tempting.

The bottom line is to just move some paint around with a goal in mind. No matter what I choose to do this winter, it will never take the place of fresh air, friends and lunch in the park.

I’m glad the Ohio Plein Air Competition was in Columbus this year because I wanted a chance to hang out with the experienced painters who do it every year. They produce amazing paintings over the course of two and a half days. I had no illusions about my skill level compared to the pros, but I was up for the challenge.

The rules stated that the painting must be completed during the time of the competition – September 24 – 27 and be painted at least 95% en plein air (no studio work or painting from photos). Painters were given a list of potential painting locations but all of Franklin County was within the boundaries.

I begin scouting locations. I had to check a county map because I live very close to the Licking County line. I’ve painted so much at Inniswood Metro Garden and Franklin Park Conservatory and it would have made loads of sense to go back to familiar scenes but I wanted to do a more ambitious subject and stick close to home. I knew lots of people would choose German Village, but Reynoldsburg has some spots that are very charming as well.

Thursday, September 24 from 4-6pm was the initial sign-in at the Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD) to get your canvas, boards or paper stamped on the back. That assures that the painting was produced during the competition time frame. I showed up with plenty of boards in case I got ambitious or decided to start over on one.

That afternoon I made it back to Reynoldsburg and set up around five. The house that I wanted to paint caught the western sun so its stone turned a golden color. I knew it had to be a late afternoon painting, but there was no way I could get it done in one short evening.

On Friday morning I had my eye on a spot within walking distance. The zinnias had been calling me for the last month, but the best composition would be the convergence of roof angles for three houses. I had a great spot in the shade and good morning light. A few neighbors stopped to talk and one took my picture.

That afternoon I went back to finish the stone house. There’s a lot of traffic on Lancaster Avenue, but not too many pedestrians. I was able to work without much interruption. The trickiest part was getting the right amount of detail.

On Saturday the Columbus Dispatch Metro Section had a nice feature article about the OPAS painters who went out Thursday night to paint a nocturne on the streets of German Village. They are much more intrepid than I am. I’m a morning person so that wasn’t an option I had really considered. As it turned out I don’t remember any of the nocturnes being entered in the competition

By Saturday morning I saw where I needed to refine the neighborhood picture so I headed up the street for an hour or so. My neighbor, Allen, held off cutting stone pavers for his patio until I was finished. I found out that he is also a painter and didn’t want me to have to worry about dust on my painting. .

Then I headed back to Lancaster Avenue to catch the morning sun on a house facing east. It was another beautiful morning and a most encouraging young mother pushing a stroller complimented my work as she passed several times. I loved the tree and the wrap-around porch but it was hard to get the grays right without looking kind of dreary.

By Saturday afternoon I was all painted out. I thought about doing one more but I just didn’t have the energy so I picnicked with painting friends and got everything ready for the grand finale on Sunday.

Sunday morning was just as beautiful as each day of the competition had been. About 40 painters chose their best work to frame and be judged. While the judging was taking place, those who wanted to, could enter the “Quick Draw.” They had two hours to go out and paint another painting and return with it framed. They returned with some amazing urban scenes. I went up to the cathedral for Mass instead.

The public was invited to a wet paint sale from noon till two. Awards were announced at one o-clock. . Usually judging is done by a painter who conducts a workshop the next week, but that didn’t work with the pandemic. This year the judges were all affiliated with local galleries. They had a tough job. There were so many beautiful paintings with top talent from the local area and the state.

As you may notice I wasn’t in the winners’ circle. Oh well, more reason to keep painting and improving my skills for next year.