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Welcome Back - The Bahamas Edition
Our week long workshop in the Bahamas, sponsored by Dillman’s Creative Foundation was exactly as you could imagine… turquoise waves lapping up to white sandy beaches, only thirty feet away from our colorful bungalows.
Soft breezy sunrises colored everything red orange. Dramatic weather gave us all the opportunity to dress either in summer beach wear or goofy rain gear for those afternoon quick showers. We painted around the resort and morning demos were held outside in the lively restaurant/bar area. The hospitality and hotel staff were over the top, accommodating every painter’s whim… and some of us have whims!
On my day off I swan in the gorgeous, clear ocean. The very next day, in the same spot, I witnessed a school of lazy sharks. The swimming pool was my choice for the remainder of the trip!
Of course the Painting of the Month Club were treated to a Bahamas Landscape. Other small studies that I had fun with were Junkanoo figures, loosely interpreted by me of the annual Bahamian festival in late December.
I love this place and we immediately scheduled a return workshop in 2013. Have we convinced you? Join us!
Workshops in the Spotlight!
Sedona, Arizona - Amazing location to paint! Omaha, Nebraska Bend, Oregon Great Trips! - International Workshops - Please join us!
Paint with Bob in San Miguel De Allende!
We will be housed in a beautiful hotel with heated pool and tropical shrubbery, close to the art institute and a few blocks from the cathedral and town square. Breakfasts will be in the hotel and dinners at various restaurants. We’re on our own for lunches San Miguel is lots of fun because of gallery openings, cultural events, concerts, plays, and some outstanding restaurants. The weather is perfect.
Villa Fattoria Bacio, in the heart of the Tuscan countryside. Between Sienna, Florence and San Gimignano sits the beautiful Villa Fattoria Bacio. The villa is the perfect blend of old world ‘rustica’ and catered comfort, surrounded on all sides by spectacular views of the meandering hills of Tuscany.
Seven nights lodging at the villa, nightly genuine Tuscan meals and fine wine are included. The five day workshop will take place Monday through Friday. We did this trip to Tuscany in 2009 - went to Florence for a few days before the workshop started - I highly recommend going to Florence at least once! Click HERE to view our Italy Trip photo album on Facebook. Contact Sedona Art Center (888) 954-4442 or (928) 282-3809 www.sedonaartscenter.com
Studio Mentor Workshop at Bob’s Studio
Click here for details (2011 Studio Mentor Workshop PDF) This Month’s Online Special!
•Goof-Proof Color Wheel Product Review
Joe’s Prime Really Good Canvas Panels
This is what I use on location while traveling - unbeatable for plein aire! It is a rigid canvas covered board, perfect for a stiff support while painting with an easel. They are cheap, don’t warp and they sell at canvas prices. The Canvas Boards are pre-primed, but I gesso them again to add texture and ensure my DNA is all over it. I capture ownership instantly. •Acid free painting surface We Want to Hear From You!
Keep those Studio Tips and your questions coming! If we use yours in an ArtsyFartsy Newsletter, we will send you a Burridge Permission Mug.
Judi from New Mexico asks: I bought some mats, boards and sleeves from Documounts. How long after finishing work should I wait before it's safe to put them in the mat and sleeves? Dear Judi, For information about Documounts, where we buy custom mats, foam core backboards and clear, self-sealing plastic bags go to www.documounts.com. Wonderful company to do business with! I have purchased my mat kits from Documounts.com for years. Thanks Judi, For your question about drying time for finishes, you get a Permission Mug! Bob’s Studio Tip for Loosening Up!
I do not use plastic palettes or mixing trays that harbor small dollops of separate colors, snuggled in the little cul-de-sacs. Those trays tend to tighten me up. I prefer either wide mouth jars of paint or scoops of paint ladled right on the table top.
My mixing is quick, loose, juicy and gives me the freedom of mixing the color I want BEFORE applying it to my canvas or paper. This helps keep my colors clear and bright, avoiding scrumbling on the surface and making mud.
I use big buckets for water - at least 2 gallon size and they surround me and my painting tables. I have buckets spread out all over the studio. Again, if I used small cups of water, I’d either spill them or inadvertently drink them! (Hint - all studio drinking best done through a sippy straw, for obvious reasons!) I have more tips for loosening up! Check out my Loosen Up Studio Workbook for more techniques to help you stay loose, relaxed and creative!
Click here for product information. Another Tip - How to Pack your Paints when Flying
Number One advice - Use your common sense. No paint in your carry-on. The below is for packing your painting supplies in checked luggage.
All my acrylic paints are well displayed in well marked plastic Ziploc bags. My business card is included in each bag and my workshop logo stuck on the outside.
It’s overkill, but I also write on the outside of the plastic bag “watercolor artist supplies.” Never say “Paint” - never! To the TSA, “paint” translates to explosives and this is no time to educate them. Hint: While going thru airport security, don’t talk! Too many times I’ve seen painters nervously yakking to security, only to be pulled out of line and scanned or frisked.
Also, inside your suitcase, you might want to place a MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) which explains the paint ingredients. You can download MSDS from the paint manufacturer’s website. Security personnel are now hip to seeing and understanding these sheets. Any liquids like gels or gesso are packed in pint sized wide mouth jars, lids on tightly and taped, placed individually in Ziploc bags and well marked - write “water-based.”
Notice I write “Vacation” on some bags? It’s why I travel abroad, isn’t it? Isn’t it? Ask Kate about Art Marketing
Jan from Bowie Texas asks: What ideas you do you have for contacting galleries out of town or state besides internet and by phone? Dear Jan, Thanks for your email! We also will do an occasional art festival - to sell work and meet new gallery contacts. After we identify a gallery or galleries, I contact them by phone or email. Set up an appointment if the gallery is not too far away; send a disk and written info (or email jpegs and word docs) for images and info. Hope this helps! Remember - one of my favorite sayings is “Exposure Equals Success.” Meaning the more you get involved, show your work, talk to people, work on your website, network with artists, join art organizations and visit galleries and museums, the more successful you will become!
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The Color Wheel - Again
Same Subject, Different Color Combinations
During the Bahamas Workshop, I warmed up one morning painting the obligatory, red striped light house. Each painting was similar in subject, but different color combinations from my color wheel. Just keeping it challenging for me! The first step was to paint my subject loose and wet -- going back to each one, I reestablish the shapes, correct colors and I simplify the focal point. The next series of photos are a step-by-step of my Blue Dominant Overall sketch. This exercise kept me in tune with the color combination, my vertical composition and overall goal of painting an impressionistic, individualistic take on a famous landmark.
Recommended Book
The drip paintings of Jackson Pollock trailblazing the Abstract Expressionist movement appear to be the polar opposite of Thomas Hart Benton’s highly figurative Americana. Yet the two men had a close and highly charged relationship. As a student under Benton’s mentorship, Pollock’s early art was influenced directly by Benton’s swirling and highly stylized techniques. In fact, Pollock moved in with the Bentons, fell in love with Benton’s wife and… need I say more? This is a true, epic story and reveals a strong debt to Benton’s teachings. From the salons of Gertrude Stein’s Paris to the American West, author Henry Adams reveals a detailed portrait of the intense and personal relationship between these two men. I am grateful for having read this book. It explains everything pertaining to how and why Pollock started his breakthrough drip paintings. It is truly a revelation in the history of painting. Tom and Jack: The Intertwined Lives of Thomas Hart Benton and Jackson Pollock by Henry Adams DVD Review
I will never forget the day I saw this film. I had been working in my studio for an intense period of time - almost nonstop for weeks. I was physically and emotionally drained. Kate sensed I needed a break and pulled me out of the studio to a matinee. It was midweek and we were the only ones in the movie theater. I found myself actually sobbing during the painting scenes. I was completely absorbed in the film, the story and the actor Ed Harris who did an amazing performance. He WAS Jackson Pollock. Ed Harris was nominated for an Academy Award - Marcia Gay Harden, who played Lee Krasner, won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Read Tom and Jack and watch this film. You won’t be disappointed in this total artistic experience. I have a renewed respect for Pollock, the painter. POLLOCK
I remember being particularly influenced by the scenes with Pollock and his pet crow. I was just starting my own series of bird paintings and had my own murder of crows just outside my studio... demanding a daily ration of peanuts!
An Exaltation of Larks by James Lipton Assignment - Speaking of Jackson Pollock...
I am taking the opportunity to talk about the composition “Meandering.” Meandering, for me, is a great way to start the day in my studio. Especially if I have no idea what to paint first. The act of painting (`a la Jackson Pollock) will automatically get your creative juices boiling. Choose only 3 or 4 colors. Start on a huge paper or canvas. I found a 10 yard roll of watercolor paper and using extra long brushes I splattered and dripped meandering strokes.
The experience was invigorating. Even though I had no theme in mind, my goal was to have the experience of painting larger and looser. Afterwards I placed mats all around and discovered new and exciting compositions, designs and beautiful color combinations. Try it! Music to Paint By - with a Bahama Feeling, of course!
Best of Arrow (The King of Soca)
Junk A Blue at The Johnny Canoe - Ronnie Butler
Family - Ziggy Marley Inspiration - Starting My Day in the Studio
I’m often asked, “How do I start?” The very first thing I do after walking to my Studio is to prepare the place to be productive. Anything that does not serve me for “the day’s painting assignments” is put away out of sight. I prefer a clean, uncluttered studio when I create. The tables are covered with polyethylene and taped down. Next, Sirius Radio or Pandora sets the atmosphere. And furthermore, I have an old habit left over from the 60s… I light incense. Again, it sets the tone, calms me and helps me focus on the task at hand.
Always with me is my sketchbook with notes and any painting assignments that Kate and I have determined from our earlier morning meeting. And some mornings I play my electric drum set I have in the corner. I play for an hour - it’s my stretching exercise. Now I’m ready to paint. It’s 8:30am… like a real job!
Usually, every morning I start with small 6x9 inch warmup paint sketching consisting of a series. The Painting of the Month Club starts with this excersise. After an hour or so, I’m ready to get into my major purpose of the day - the body of work I’ve been painting for awhile, such as my exhibit series, a museum show or the Sausalito Art Festival. By this time I’m usually in the groove, which will last all day, uninterrupted. Before painting, I journal. This becomes my “job description” and includes my daily four Cs. What’s the CONCEPT? The big idea. What’s the COLOR COMBINATION? I place on the table only those tubes of predetermined colors, plus black and white. What’s the COMPOSITION? I have twelve to choose from. And the last C is a no-brainer - COMMITMENT to the concept. I’m a painter and I’m committed to the task at hand.
Some of my studio tables hold pre-gessoed and precut paper taped down. Others tables have a stack of small canvases; and on the wall hangs larger canvases. The stage is set for my typical studio day. Once all this is in place, I paint all day without stopping the flow of “creative automatism.” Once I start painting, I am all about production and flow. I can trace all that back to my earlier life to product design and manufacturing… and that’s how I start!
 Copyright ©2011 Robert Burridge. All rights reserved.
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