COLOR HUNGRY

This past Saturday I gave a 7 hour workshop on the graphic language of painting at Mother Brook Arts in Dedham, MA.  I was honored to have 6 talented artists  in the class.  We explored shape, line and color through exercises and viewing many artists' work.  One thing I have learned is that artists are hungry to play with color.  So this October I will teach another workshop there just exploring color expressively.  The class will be held on Saturday, October 17, 2015, from 10 AM to 5 PM.  Stay tuned as I still have to write up the class description for this session
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Another thing I have learned and I share with all my students is the first rule of working with color.  Please get the paint out of the tube or jar and put it on paper.  What color is it really?  So today while waiting for gesso to dry I am doing just that.  I just received some new colors in acrylic from Matisse and Soho brands (Jerry's Artarama) along with some core colors from Cheap Joe's American Journey acrylics.  I can't wait to play with these new colors.  And my library of color references grows as every time I get a new tube of paint (what can be more exciting?)  - a dab is put on paper first and labeled: brand & color name.  So what color is it really in your paint tubes?  Have fun exploring!

EXPRESSIVE PAINTING WORKSHOP

I just sent out an email to prospective students for an upcoming painting workshop I will be giving Saturday, July 18th, at Mother Brook Arts in Dedham, MA.  For this workshop we have extended the hours to give students more time to paint.  Having uninterrupted time to paint is sacred time for any artist.

With the email I included some images of how my work has transition over the years with the house or building as a subject.  Here are the three examples

2007

2013

2014

If interested,  the workshop will be from 10 AM until 5 PM with an hour break for lunch. 

Here is a description of the class:

Saturday, July 18, 2015 - 10:00am to 5:00pm

Explore exciting ways to create paintings that are uniquely yours. In this  workshop we will experiment with new ways to work with the graphic language, along with discovering the benefits of working outside your comfort zone. Through painting exercises, demos and looking at master artists’ oeuvre, you will learn new techniques to continue your art practice outside the classroom. Martha creates a supportive art-filled environment to assist each student in deepening his or her expressive voice. Watermedia. All levels.

We have a lot of fun here and the exchange of ideas is truly inspiring.  I hope you can join us!

To register click here

@ THE GARDEN

These are the 4 paintings I did at the Maine Botanical Gardens in Boothbay Harbor in May (seems so long ago).   A must place to visit!  All are small: 10 x 10 or 12 x 12 inches oil on panel.  The first 2 were painted on Friday, May 19th,  where I was hidden away in a little nook of the pathway.  (please see yesterday's blog)

These 2 below were painted on Saturday.  It was a much cooler day and down by the pond was a sweet spot.  

Then I moved into the woods for this one!

All of these will soon be on my website under Wild Beauty.  And these along with other paintings will be on exhibit in Gloucester, MA for my solo show at Gallery 53 (formerly Rocky Neck Gallery)  from August 12 - Sept 1, 2015.  More details on that show to come.  

PAINTING MAINE

At the end of May I went up to Boothbay Harbor, Maine, for a few days to paint at the Botanical Gardens there.  It is the weekend the gardens invite artists (free admission) to come paint on their grounds.  This place is exceptional and a must see as the gardens, pathways and views are quite spectacular.

Plus having a beautiful place to paint on two gorgeous Maine days was a real treat.  The first day I found a little nook to hide away from the growing crowds visiting and paint the woods where bright colors were just emerging after a cold spring (and endless winter).

So I love painting outdoors on fair weather days and especially love painting Maine whether here (now a new favorite spot), Pemaquid or Stonington.  I continue to abstract the natural world as I see it.

The first day out though proved quite a challenge.  My jar of medium would not open, I forgot bug spray along with other essentials and setting up took longer than I planned.  But it was a good warm up for the 2nd day outing where I had the chance to paint with artist Linda Packard (there giving a sold-out 2 day workshop) and her sweet assistant Chelsea.

Chelsea makes oversized paint clothes look hip!

I will post some paintings tomorrow from my 2 days there.  Do add this garden to your list of must visit!