Whenever I paint outside, I think about the difficulties the early Impressionists must have faced when first taking their painting outside. Imagine dealing with the heavy equipment, canvases and paints that don't come in tubes. Yikes!! Before all the special equipment designed specifically for plein air painting, it must have been incredibly challenging. In addition to the equipment issues, those early plein air painters were also going against the established norms by venturing out of the studio to paint landscapes.

      I try to keep all that in mind when I am struggling to set up my easel with my Thursday plein air group. The Old Mill in San Marino is a lovely Spanish building that has survived the many earthquakes in Southern California because of it's five foot thick walls. A grist mill, it was first built that way to with-stand the vibration of the grinding wheel.

      The Old Mill is my first painting using the new palette (see Painting with a New Palette). The colors are stronger, brighter and more intense. I have eliminated all browns which keeps the dark colors much more lively. I am only mixing colors with white when all else fails. This keeps the intensity of the colors and makes the light passages stand out even more. Adding white dilutes color. My future blogs will show my continuing experiment with color.
 
     I believe that as an artist the true test is not how "good" you are but about the continuing struggle to be better.

Finished Painting

      Thank you everyone for making this a great experience and an extra thanks goes to Lynn Gertenbach for generously sharing her talent.

The mastery of Rembrandt is apparent in all his works, but the exhibit Drawings by Rembrandt and his Pupils at the Getty Museum, is an insiders look into how he thinks. It is only there until the end of February so if you haven't gone, you must.















Drawings by Rembrandt


In this exhibit the master shows his pupils how to draw. Rembrandt is known for his portraits using dramatic lighting (see above Rembrandt painting); a face appears from the dark depths of the canvas but in his sketches, he uses the opposite effect. I was struck by how little Rembrandt used shadow to convey the form. His drawings are a study in restraint with the light area dominating. It is not so much what he draws but what he leaves out. His line is expressive, varied, and kept to a minimum. The shadows are rendered only where needed, with little excess and no confusion.

Look at the sketches of the old man. Both leave his forehead light with only a thin line to separate it from the paper. The beard is defined, not by shadow but by subtle lines. The darkest area is where the neck meets the head, but it is restrained and minimal. With only a few lines, Rembrandt captures the expression of the old man.

The angel is another amazing drawing. The movement is achieved with line alone and the skill of the perspective is effortless. In the wash drawing of the woman, note the successful drapery. It is rendered with just a few key strokes.

I can only marvel at the amazing skill and talent. Practice is the only way to achieve this freedom of application. In my Tuesday sketching class, I will attempt to apply the lessons of Rembrandt.

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"The way to succeed is by increasing your failure rate." Karl Dempwolf

      Despite the odds and Peyton Manning, the New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl. Usually all my blog posts are art-related but the Saints' win over the favored Indianapolis Colts is noteworthy for several reasons.

      The smart money was on the Colts. The key factor the smart money didn't take into account was the determination of the Saints. In mid-season, when the Saints were losing, I predicted a win by the Saints in the Super Bowl. I told a fellow sports fan that I thought the Saints were the real deal; they had a tough defense, their offense could run and pass and their ability to force turnovers was high. But ultimately what kept the Saints in the game was the willingness of the coach and the team to take a chance, to risk it all with determination and guts. If they had not tried the onside kick at the start of the second half, the outcome of the game may have been very different. The team knew it was risking great field position for the Colts, but I believe that even if the onside kick hadn't worked in the Saints' favor, they would not have given up and would have tried something else. The point is, they took a chance, they tried, and it worked.

      So how does this relate to art and you? I am encouraging all the artists out there to take a chance and try something different. Whether it is risking rejection by entering that national contest, painting something completely out of your comfort zone or trying to paint outside on location. You must accept the possibility of failure in order to have the option of success.

      As a contemporary California Impressionist, David's work is simple, expressive and full of energy. He paints with an abandon that is inspiring. Often on location paintingplein air, David conducts workshops in Yosemite and teaches. The SFVAC wants to thank David for a wonderful demo.