Plein Air Workshop

 Hi Everyone,

Thanks for signing up for the workshop. Rational Painting and Plein air Painting are two sides of the same coin. The drawing and painting exercises that I will demonstrate in this class will teach you the fundamentals of 1. Finding and Observing a subject to paint 2. Drawing 3. Values and 4. Color.

We will break each of the 4 fundamentals down into easily understood chunks. When you understand the concepts, you will be able to paint.

This blog post will have all of the info for the class. I will update it with more info as I create it.

1. Welcome Video

2. Workshop Reading:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EY8Ly2e2lvh_-XUllHEwD_A5__Q3KHq7ahhanjdhTog/edit?usp=sharing

3. Supplies List:

(All Materials Available throughwww.jerrysartarama.com or Amazon.com )

Many of you have good supplies already. You do not need to go out and buy all new supplies. Just make sure that you have something similar to the items on the list. If you use more colors than what I have, bring them along.  If you use less, I will give you a squeeze of any colors that you are missing. If you have grayscale markers from my other classes, bring those as well, but they will not be required for this color class. 

The recommended palette for this class is a split primary palette with the secondary colors included. The primary colors are red, yellow, and blue. A split primary palette includes a “warm leaning” and “cool leaning” version of each primary color. This class is all about color, and we will get into detail about why I chose these colors on the first day.

Proportional divider:

Dianelhall Proportional Divider Color Finder Wheel for Artists Viewfinder Gray Scale Value Finder Artist Value Finder Pocket Drawing Tools Kit for Artists Supplies amazon.com

Concept markers (set of 12)

Cool grey range or

Cool warm range (currently 50

Concept Dual Tip Artist Markers And Sets jerrysartarama.com

Oil Paint Recommended Colors: 

Titanium White - Lukas 1862 brand - large 200 ml tube

Cadmium Yellow Light - Van Gogh brand - 40ml tube               (Primary color - cool yellow)

Cadmium Yellow Medium -  Van Gogh brand - 40 ml tube        (Primary color -warm yellow)

Permanent Orange - Lukas 1862 brand - 37 ml tube                   (secondary color)

Yellow Ochre - Lukas studio brand - 37 ml tube                         (earth color)

Vermilion (warm red) - Van Gogh Brand - 40 ml tube                (Primary Color - warm red)

Permanent Rose - Winton Brand - 37 ml tube                             (Primary Color - cool red)

Burnt Sienna - Lukas Studio Brand - 37 ml tube                         (earth color)

Dioxazine Purple - Winton Brand - 37 ml tube                           (secondary color)

Ultramarine Blue - Lukas 1862 Brand - 37 ml tube                    (Primary Color - warm blue)

Pthalo Blue - Lukas 1862 Brand - 37 ml tube                             (Primary Color - cool blue)

Pthalo Green - Lukas 1862 Brand - 37 ml tube                           (Secondary color)

Brushes:

If you already have brushes there is no need to purchase more. 

Double check to make sure you have some of range of sizes and that they are in good condition. I use synthetic brushes. The synthetics that I use are softer than hog brissle and stiffer than sable. Synthetic brushes also last longer than natural hog brissle

I normally use The Powercryl Synthetic Brush Set from Jerrysartarama.com (http://www.jerrysartarama.com/pro-stroke-powercryl-brush-sets)

These brushes come in a set of 5, all useful sizes, they are priced at $10-$20 for the set. I use flats and sometimes brights. 

Painting Supports or Canvases:

Please bring 3 painting panels, size 6x8", 8x10” or 9x12”

I use Centurion oil primed linen panels

http://www.jerrysartarama.com/centurion-deluxe-oil-primed-linen-panels,

Misc. supplies

Solvent (Gamsol or Art Treehouse biobased artist rinse and thinner)

Neo-Megilp painting medium (small bottle)

Container to hold Gamsol (You can get a brush bath from jerry’s or just use an old peanut butter jar)

A roll of paper towels (Viva Original works well)

Pencil with an eraser (A school #2 pencil is fine or an art pencil in HB will be great as well)

Liquitex SMALL painting knife #15

A marker sketch pad or regular sketch pad (or I’ll borrow you a couple sheets). 

 

Palette (I will use a paper palette pad)

In addition to these supplies, you will need an easel. 

*Optional* painting umbrella such as the Shade Buddy from Gorilla painter or the sport brella:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09WCSBJ7T/ref=dp_iou_view_item?ie=UTF8&th=1

Please bring a lunch or a snack to class each day. There is water at the farm and if you forget something, don’t be afraid to ask! 

The workshop will run no matter the weather, and we will paint outdoors “en plein air” if the weather cooperates. You will want to have a hat with a brim to keep the sun out of your eyes and depending on temperatures you may want to have a heavy jacket, gloves, and your warm/waterproof boots.

September Paintings

Tumbled Rocks Trail

I left home early, to get to Devil's Lake before the morning haze burnt off. I decided on a view from the Tumbled Rock's trail and was rewarded with an interesing grouping of rocks and boulders. One woman asked why I was painting at that time, while there was so much haze obscuring the bluffs on the other side of the Lake? I let her know that that quality of light and atmosphere was exactly what I was hoping to capture in my painting.

14x18" oil on panel $750

West Bluff Trail - Haloween Forest 

On a semi-overcast day, I painted a beautiful scene of the late Autumn Oak trees near the West Bluff trail at Devil's Lake. The painting was made on Halloween, and as I progressed with the artwork, the haze in the sky also progressed. However, I was able to capture the glowing leaves of the trees in a sweet spot between the sun and clouds. 

24x36" $1400

Cows in the Stream

I was driving home from Yoder Furniture, in Hillpoint, with a van full of frames. These cows were bathing in a picturesque stream on the side of HWY S. I had to stop and take note of them as they looked to be posing for me.

9x12" oil on panel $350

Curious Cows 

Cows are naturally curious and fun loving. These cows came close, to visit me while I was finishing a painting, in a cow pasture, in Lodi. I have known several personalities through the years and cows are some of the most interesting.

36x48" oil on canvas $2000

Little Cows

I needed a change of scenery, so Violet, Corbin, and I loaded in the car and took a drive. We headed to Spring Green, and went through Tower Rock on the way back home. These cows didn't stand still for long, but I was able to capture them before they grazed down the pasture.

9x12" oil on panel $400

Curious Cows at the fence

Any time I pull the car over, to shoot photos of cows, they come up to the fence, to see what I am doing. I made a note fo the atmospheric quality of light on this evening and enjoyed painting the warm tones of the cow who was peaking over the back of her friend.

18x24" pastel on colourfix $700

South Trail at Devil's Lake

There is a deer trail, that is unmarked at Devil's lake, that will take you to this overlook. This is a different view of the Lake than any that I have experienced before. 

18x24" pastel on colourfix $700

Sunset Cows

I have to be patient with cows. The largest cow in this composition was a part of the heard until she decided to come closer to take a look at what I was doing. As she moved closer, the light created a halo effect around her, and I was happy that I waited for the perfect moment to capture her.

18x24" pastel on colourfix $700

Early Autumn Farm and Vista

The soybean fields turned yellow in mid-September, and I saw that there was an exceptionally lovely field of them just beyond this farm on HWY 136. I set up my easel and painted quickly and expressively to capture the shadowed foreground to heighten the effect of light on the soybean field.

16x24" $700

Mirror Image

I don't know if this cow realized that he posed perfectly as he drank from the stream, but he did. And I was lucky to capture him when I had the chance, because these cows were extremely curious, and muddy as they crossed the stream to greet me and see what I was doing.

18x24" pastel on colourfix $700

Autumn Trees and Bluff

We had a week of rain and clouds in late September. Those conditions normally stop my from painting outdoors, but they do not stop me from taking my morning walks. On this morning, I thought that these trees and the bluff behind them looked so nice that I would paint them, even though there was a light rain. The umbrella went up over my easel and I captured the mood of the day.

9x12" oil on panel $160

Autumn Trees

This grouping of trees were some of the first to change color in mid-September. I was so inspired by them that I painted them in a light drizzle. As I worked, I was surprised how many people stopped to say that they admired this forest, and how they were exited for Autumn to come.

12x9" oil on panel $230

Early Autumn on Schneider Road

I was strolling my daughter down Schneider Road, and noticed that the late afternoon sunlight was creating an atmospheric effect. the early Autumn foliage was just starting to turn, which added to my interest in painting it. I took Violet home, traded the stroller for my easel, and walked back down to paint.

8x10" oil on panel $150

September Sunflowers

We had beautiful perennial flowers here on the farm all summer, but I was ready when this field of sunflowers bloomed on HWY 23. They are near the Raup farm stand and I enjoyed capturing the personality of each bobbing sunflower on a sunny morning.

18x24" pastel on colourfix $700

Sunflower Field and Barn

This is an interesting barn that I captured on a trip up north with my cousins in September. We always take a trip to a new lake house on Memorial Day weekend, and this field of sunflowers had me turning the car around for a double take.

18x24" pastel on colourfix $700

 Curious Cows 

Cows are naturally curious and fun loving. These cows came close, to visit me while I was finishing a painting, in a cow pasture, in Lodi. I have known several personalities through the years and cows are some of the most interesting.

36x48" oil on canvas $2000

Cows in the Stream

I was driving home from Yoder Furniture, in Hillpoint, with a van full of frames. These cows were bathing in a picturesque stream on the side of HWY S. I had to stop and take note of them as they looked to be posing for me.

9x12" oil on panel $300

Little Cows

I needed a change of scenery, so Violet, Corbin, and I loaded in the car and took a drive. We headed to Spring Green, and went through Tower Rock on the way back home. These cows didn't stand still for long, but I was able to capture them before they grazed down the pasture.

9x12" oil on panel $400

West Bluff Trail - Haloween Forest 

On a semi-overcast day, I painted a beautiful scene of the late Autumn Oak trees near the West Bluff trail at Devil's Lake. The painting was made on Halloween, and as I progressed with the artwork, the haze in the sky also progressed. However, I was able to capture the glowing leaves of the trees in a sweet spot between the sun and clouds. 

24x36" $1400

Early Autumn on Schneider Road

I was strolling my daughter down Schneider Road, and noticed that the late afternoon sunlight was creating a atmospheric effect. the early Autumn foliage was just starting to turn, which added to my interest in painting it. I took Violet home, traded the stroller for my easel, and walked back down to paint.

8x10" oil on panel $150

Early Autumn Farm and Vista

The soybean fields turned yellow in mid-September, and I saw that there was an exceptionally lovely field of them just beyond this farm on HWY 136. I set up my easel and painted quickly and expressively to capture the shadowed foreground to heighten the effect of light on the soybean field.

16x24" $500

Tumbled Rocks Trail

I left home early, to get to Devil's Lake before the morning haze burnt off. I decided on a view from the Tumbled Rock's trail and was rewarded with an interesing grouping of rocks and boulders. One woman asked why I was painting at that time, while there was so much haze obscuring the bluffs on the other side of the Lake? I let her know that that quality of light and atmosphere was exactly what I was hoping to capture in my painting.

14x18" oil on panel $750

Autumn Trees

This grouping of trees were some of the first to change color in mid-September. I was so inspired by them that I painted them in a light drizzle. As I worked, I was surprised how many people stopped to say that they admired this forest, and how they were exited for Autumn to come.

12x9" oil on panel $190

Autumn Trees and Bluff

We had a week of rain and clouds in late September. Those conditions normally stop my from painting outdoors, but they do not stop me from taking my morning walks. On this morning, I thought that these trees and the bluff behind them looked so nice that I would paint them, even though there was a light rain. The umbrella went up over my easel and I captured the mood of the day.

9x12" oil on panel $190

South Trail at Devil's Lake

There is a deer trail, that is unmarked at Devil's lake, that will take you to this overlook. This is a different view of the Lake than any that I have experienced before. 

18x24" pastel on colourfix $700

September Sunflowers

We had beautiful perennial flowers here on the farm all summer, but I was ready when this field of sunflowers bloomed on HWY 23. They are near the Raup farm stand and I enjoyed capturing the personality of each bobbing sunflower on a sunny morning.

18x24" pastel on colourfix $700

Sunflower Field and Barn

This is an interesting barn that I captured on a trip up north with my cousins in September. We always take a trip to a new lake house on Memorial Day weekend, and this field of sunflowers had me turning the car around for a double take.

18x24" pastel on colourfix $700

Mirror Image

I don't know if this cow realized that he posed perfectly as he drank from the stream, but he did. And I was lucky to capture him when I had the chance, because these cows were extremely curious, and muddy as they crossed the stream to greet me and see what I was doing.

18x24" pastel on colourfix $700

Sunset Cows

I have to be patient with cows. The largest cow in this composition was a part of the heard until she decided to come closer to take a look at what I was doing. As she moved closer, the light created a halo effect around her, and I was happy that I waited for the perfect moment to capture her.

18x24" pastel on colourfix $700

Curious Cows at the fence

Any time I pull the car over, to shoot photos of cows, they come up to the fence, to see what I am doing. I made a note fo the atmospheric quality of light on this evening and enjoyed painting the warm tones of the cow who was peaking over the back of her friend.

18x24" pastel on colourfix $700

Save the Date for the Fall Art Tour - Paintings from August 2023

The 30th Annual Fall Art Tour is just around the corner, and we are excited to announce that it will be held on October 20, 21, and 22. As the longest-running studio tour in Wisconsin, the Fall Art Tour has become a popular event due to its longevity and the quality of artists. This year, we have 48 unique artists' studios open to the public. When you visit the tour you get to see the places where the artists create their work, and the artists also demonstrate their techniques throughout the day. The tour is free and it is a great opportunity for people of all ages to learn more about their favorite artists. I usually have a couple of school buses full of students pull up on Friday, and all weekend the Chicken Coop Studio is full of great conversations. 

As a committee member involved in planning the tour, I can attest to the effort that goes into jurying artists. The process starts every year in November, and we carefully select new artists to fill any open spots. After the jurying process, the new artists submit images of their artwork to be included on our website fallarttour.com as well as our print brochure.

Please save the dates and mark your calendar for October 20-22 and make sure to visit my Chicken Coop Studio at 

S3749 Schneider Rd. in Rock Springs, WI 53961. 

I hope to see you on the tour!

fallarttour.com

Sunflowers and Farmall

My mom gave me a call and let me know that she found a field of sunflowers that would make for a great painting. I went out the next day, and found this field of sunflowers. When I knocked on the door, the couple were delighted to have me on their farm to paint and showed me around their beautiful perennial flower garden. They even moved the red Farmall tractor near the sunflowers so that I could include it in the painting as well. It is nice to know that there are such good people around.

14x18" oil on canvas $8750

Autumn Farm with Sumac

This was painted on a lovely Autumn day, late in the afternoon. The intense sun illuminated the Barn and trees which were at the height of the color change while Long shadows obscured the foreground Sumac and grasses. The owner of the farm, which is on HWY G attended the School at the Art Institute of Chicago. He is a great painter, and I felt at home creating near his home.

18x24" oil on canvas $500

The Neighbors Sheep

I have great Neighbors, and their kids show sheep at the county and state fairs. We went to see them showing the sheep this year, and they did very well for themselves. On some mornings they will be out on the lawn sheering the sheep, and on other days the sheep are in the barn, where the cows used to be. My daughter, Violet, is also getting to see the sheep each day, and I think she enjoys them.

12x16" oil on panel $380

Golf Course Road Farm

I love these Charolais cows that graze on a farm near Golf Course Road. On this day, there was a long shadow being cast over them, some of them were in shadow and some were lit up by full sun. It is nice to have such lovely conditions to paint from when working on my favorite 
18x24" oil on canvas $700

Farm in the Bluffs Late Evening

As day becomes night the late evening light illuminates the foreground treetops and white buildings of the dairy farm. The atmospheric bluffs in the background take on more of the sky color as they recede to the distance. This is the first piece in a series of two paintings created at the end of the day.

14x18" oil on canvas $700

Farm in the Bluffs - Golden Hour

This is the second in a series of paintings created at the end of the day. The intense sun illuminates the bluffs in the background while the dairy farm and foreground trees are overtaken by shadow. The sky takes on the poetic colors of late evening. As I finished this painting, the calls of the coyotes let me know it was time to head home.

14x18" oil on canvas $700

Grandma's Phlox and Hydrangeas #2

6x8" oil on canvas.

Grandma's Hydrangeas and Phlox

As we step into the month of August, our farm is now blooming with perennial flowers. From the hydrangeas to the vibrant purple phlox, our farm is a canvas of colors and scents. The hydrangeas are a reminder of Grandma and I painted them placed on a table next to some oranges in a copper vase. The phlox had just started to bloom which added a pop of violet color to the canvas.

9x12" oil on canvas $250

July 6th Haybales
After my Sister's birthday party, I walked across the hayfield and found this atmospheric summer scene. The long grasses swayed in the breeze combined with the smell of fresh cut hay and tumbling clouds overhead. The second crop of hay has been baled and will soon be taken from the field. 
12x16" oil on canvas $550

August Lemonade #2

The sky is reflected like a mirror in the pitcher and glass of lemonade, and are represented by the purple and blue tones. The contrast of dark and light, violet against yellow and green can only be experienced in August.

12x9" oil on canvas $350

August Lemonade 

The yellow lemonade combined with the violet phlox creates a ready-made complementary color contrast. I love painting the summer sunlight that is captured in the pitcher and glass of lemonade as much as I enjoyed exploring the bits of reflected light that bounce around this still-life composition.

18x14" oil on canvas $750

August Sunflowers

The sunflowers are backlit as they bob their heads in the breeze. Their yellow petals are contrasted against an atmospheric blue bluff. The late afternoon sky is becoming yellow and green as the sun lowers to the horizon. 

10x12" oil on panel $350

August Sunflowers #2

6x8" oil on panel 

Terrytown Barns with Bales and Tractor

The August morning light illuminates the old farm on the corner of Terrytown and Cornfield Road. The bales in the foreground will soon be moved to the other side of the barn and the old tractor sits idle next to the milkhouse.

14x18" oil on canvas $550

 

Paintings from July 2023

Corbin, Violet, and I have had a lovely July on the farm. The midsummer month of July always passes by like a sun-soaked dream when I look back on it. Its a month of hazy sunlight when the corn tassels and the chicory lines the roads. 

I got some good painting done in July 2023. I mostly worked close to home as our daughter is little and I want to spend as much time being close to her as I can. The still life paintings that are shown here were painted in my Grandmas flower garden. Grandma has been gone for a while now, but every year I get to see her perennial flowers and paint them. 

We took a trip to Chicago this month, and saw the van Gogh show at the art institute. It was a great memory for all of us. Violet cried when we were in the gallery, and we were asked by a guard to take her outside. A couple approached us while I was changing her on a bench in the museum, who had the same thing happen to them while they were at the Louvre. Their son cried when he saw the Mona Lisa, and they were asked to leave as well. He is 21 now. The time goes quickly, and we are trying our best to recognize the small moments while they last.

Finally, I painted a barn as it was being taken down this month as well. It was a great barn, one that I first painted 8 years ago. It had a special shed built onto the side of the barn, so that the horses would have room to stand when they pulled the haywagons into the barn. I will make a youtube video about this painting session soon, and post it here on the blog.

I hope you had a good July.

Thank you for reading,

Kyle Martin.

Kick-Baler

We never used kick-balers to make hay when I was young, but I always enjoyed seeing them at work. When we made hay, one person would drive the tractor, scooping up the cut and raked hay into the baler, and then one person would stand on the wagon and stack the small bales. With a kick-baler, you need a wagon that is like a cage that catches the bales after they are thrown high into the air. A dusty trail always follows the bales through their flight path. 

My Dad never wanted to have a kick baler, because he thought you couldn't get as many bales onto a load, and also some of the bales are broken when you get back to unload them. This may be true, but seeing one of these ejection baler operations in person can create an unforgettable memory.

18x24" oil on panel $1100

Door County Hollyhocks 16x20"

This is a painting of the beautiful hollyhocks in Fish Creek. The hollyhocks are across the street from By the Bay Motel, near the beach. I stayed at By the Bay during my first painting trip to Door County in 2011. On that trip, I met the staff of the Peninsula School of Art, and participated in a painting event called the Dockside Quickpaint. The staff invited me to teach workshops there, which I started the next summer. I remember looking at these hollyhocks on that first trip, and they are a nice remembrance of when my life as a painter was just getting started.

16x20" oil on canvas $600

Atmospheric Morning in the Baraboo Bluffs

In July, the chicory and Queen Anne's Lace line the curvy road which recedes into the atmospheric Baraboo Bluffs. The old foursquare farmhouse is shaded by the tall trees that stand proud in full bloom.

9x12" oil on canvas $175

Nick and Julia's House

14x18" oil on panel 

Lemonade and Hydrangeas 
With the arrival of our Baby this summer, I have been happy to do more painting around the farm, so that I'm never too far away. This was painted just steps from my door, in my Grandma's flower garden. The hydrangeas act as a backdrop to the lemonade that is spread across the table. I used my enamel pitcher this time around, and was able to capture the glow of light coming through the lemon that is on the rim of the glass.
16x20" oil on canvas $900

Lemonade Still Life with Phlox 

This is a Still Life that I painted over a series of mornings in July. The pitcher is my Mother's. I borrow it every summer for a painting or two. It is taller than any of my pitchers, and the lines are very elegant. There is a crack in the pitcher, but I don't paint that. On this morning, I painted the still life in my Grandma's perennial flower garden. The purple flowers created a foil for the yellow lemonade, which glowed in the summer sun. 

18x24" oil on canvas $1200

Lions at the Art Institute 

We took our 7-week-old Daughter to Chicago for our first family trip out of the state. We may have waited until she was a bit older, but there was a special van Gogh show that is only on view for the summer, we could not miss that. There were many paintings by van Gogh, Signac, Seurat, and Cross in the show, which focused on paintings that these friends made in the suburbs of Paris. I had seen many of these paintings and drawings on my trips to Amsterdam and Paris, but it was the first time several of them were on exhibition in the United States.

In one drawing, Vincent van Gogh wrote the colors that he observed on the subject, and I got a photo of my Daughter next to van Gogh's handwriting of her name, Violet. This was a special trip because it was our first opportunity to go somewhere to experience culture as a family. Violet will have many such opportunities. I made this painting on that trip.

12x16" oil on panel $550

Ben Logan's Seldom-Seen Farm 

This is the farm that Ben Logan reminisces about in his book, The Land Remembers. My Cousin and I went out there 15 years ago when Ben was still alive, and I painted a smaller painting for him that was used as promotional material to advertise a day of celebration of his life and work. The painting was gifted to Ben Logan, and it was one of his only possessions that he had with him, in his nursing home room, when he passed away. 

That painting has disappeared, and my Cousin and I were talking about it at a family picnic earlier in the summer. I decided to go back and make this painting of the farm to surprise him. Time really does fly by, all that happened so long ago and I really wish I could see that painting again as a remembrance of the day spent with my cousin James Schneider.

12x16' oil on canvas.

Skeleton Barn 

I painted two versions of this skeleton barn, which is on HWY CH, in July. This was the first version, and it was painted under a thick atmosphere that was influenced by the Canadian wildfires. The background is obscured by the smoky sky, and that creates a nice contrast for the bare structure of the barn.

14x18" oil on canvas $450

Skeleton Barn

I took my chance to create one last painting of this old barn while it was being taken down. I have painted this barn a few times through the years, and now it is gone. There are countless barns and old sheds that have been taken down in my area of Wisconsin. As my painting teacher once said, we are painting a passing landscape. If you look through the retired dairy barn, you can see a working dairy farm in the background that is still in use. 

30x40" oil on canvas $1200

Vernon County View

I found this valley, which is outside of Hillsboro, five years ago. I have returned every summer to paint, and have gotten to know several people who live there. I made friends with a young man named Ira in the valley, and like me, he lives on the family farm. Ira let me go up into his hayfield, which is high above the road and gives a bird's eye view of the farm and valley. I set up my large format easel and created this painting over a series of three mornings, starting at 7:30 each day. I had a consistent amount of haze and atmosphere for each painting session and was happy to capture the morning light falling over the valley.

36"x48" oil on canvas $1400