Will you be careful?
I know that you’re only running an errand here at the corner and that you’re not dressed for a long journey. Your kiss is light Your look calm And tranquil are your hand and foot But behind this corner another part of the world, after this moment a sea of time. Will you be careful? "Afscheid (Farewell)," Adriaan Morriën Translated from the Dutch by AD Capili Earlier this summer, my friend Shiho Nakaza and I went on a little art adventure that included a week in Amsterdam. We participated in sketchwalks (during a record-breaking heatwave in July) as part of the 10th Urban Sketchers Symposium. During one of the walks, a few us stumbled upon this idyllic corner of the city. Entranced, I found some shade and set to work. I was pressed for time and after a while, was not quite hitting the mark, so I decided to leave it a bit unfinished and work on it more later. I didn't pick it up again until I returned home. Some of my fresher marks inevitably disappeared, but in the end, I think it conveys more of what first drew me in. In my all-too-brief time in Amsterdam, many points of interest were lost on me as I rushed, like many a tourist, from here to there, oblivious to the history beneath my feet. I found out later that the official name of the little park that overlooks this scene is the J.W. van Overloopplantsoen. "A green bank of the Plantage Muidergracht, sandwiched between Hortus and the former Zeeman Laboratory of the UvA, named after the Dutch Nobel Prize winner Pieter Zeeman who reportedly received Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein here. Heroic ground.... JW van Overloop himself was slightly less illustrious. He was a local resident who fed the pigeons every day in this park. He called those pigeons 'my sisters', according to writer Adriaan Morriën who also lived there." ( source: idovergagen.nl ) I’ve since read that the poem above is inscribed on a monument at this little park, but I don't recall seeing it there. At the time, I didn’t know anything about this place, or about some of the darker passages of history that took place nearby. I just sat there with J.W.'s sisters, sipped my coffee and tried to soak in as much as I could before I had to move on. #uskamsterdam2019 #usk #watercolor #travelsketch #sketchwalk #sketchtopainting #pleinair #pleinairtostudio #paintoutdoors #pleinairmag #outdoorpainter #urbannature #amsterdamoost #plantage #plantagemuidergracht #canalsofamsterdam #grachten #jwvanoverlooplantsoen #weesperbuurt #plantagepark #einsteinwashere #meanderingamsterdam #lostinamsterdam #foundinamsterdam #iamsterdam #adriaanmorriën #afscheid
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Last Sunday was one of those picture postcard perfect days we are cursed with here in San Diego. It was a great day to catch up with the San Diego Urban Sketchers and try my hand at capturing Little Italy and its iconic sign. If you've never been, it's a bustling place with very little parking, lots of tourists, and the constant excitement of airplanes on their steep approach to nearby San Diego International Airport. To give you some idea of the number of landings, check out this crazy video: io9.gizmodo.com/5965233/five-hours-of-planes-landing-at-san-diego-international-airport-in-less-than-thirty-seconds I lucked out and got a prime parking space, then parked myself between an electrical box and some big terracotta planters. After I penciled things in and laid down a few light washes, I decided to adjust my own angle of approach. Since I'd gotten a late morning start, I decided to finish my sketch in the afternoon when I'd have some bigger shadow shapes to play with. I then met up with the rest of the group, and after a life-affirming bagel and coffee, returned to the scene of the sign. Sargent supposedly said, "An artist painting a picture should have at his side a man with a club to hit him over the head when the picture is finished." I probably could have used a good 'club man' when I got back to my little sketch, but in the end, it was still a pleasant little picture, which is all I really set out to make. Done, I popped back into the café to re-charge before heading back home. At this point I was seeing paintings everywhere, so I decided to get one more in just for fun, Only this time, I tried a different approach: no pencil---just squint at the values and 'ready, set, paint!' WATERWISE SUCCULENT CELEBRATION PLEIN AIR EVENT & SHOW: DEADLINE EXTENSION AND DATE CHANGES5/24/2014 UPDATED 6/11: This post was updated to reflect changes in the timeline of this event. Deadlines have been changed to allow more artists to submit artwork. The show opening has been pushed to June 21 to coincide with the artists' reception, and painting days have been extended through June 14 so that more artists may participate. The deadline for submissions has been extended to June 15. Artists: Please download REVISED prospectus, attached at the bottom of this post. From the flyer: "In conjunction with the 2nd Annual Succulent Celebration artists are invited to paint at WaterWise Botanicals and submit their best work for acceptance into a juried show to be held at ArtBeat on Main Street Gallery in Vista." WaterWise Botanicals is a 20+ acre nursery/grower with display gardens on Old Highway 395 in Escondido (See map below). As part of this year's Succulent Celebration, they have teamed up with ArtBeat Gallery in Vista to hold a plein air event and show. First prize is $200 and it is FREE to participate, and FREE to enter up to two submissions to the juried show which runs June June 21 -- July 6. Artists are encouraged to paint any time from 8am -- 5pm during The Succulent Celebration, which is Friday, June 6th -- Saturday, June 7th. Also, to encourage more artists to submit entries to the juried show, they are allowing artists to paint on-site any time from now through June 14th during business hours Monday - Saturday 8:00 am – 5:00 pm (CLOSED Sundays). I'll be painting there during both days of the Succulent Celebration. Hope to see you there! For more information, please email [email protected]. ArtBeat On Main Street Gallery 330 Main Street, Vista, CA 92084 (760) 295-3118 [email protected] WaterWise Botanicals 32183 Old Highway 395, Escondido 92026 (760) 728-264 (map below)
Spring has sprung here in San Diego and that means more sunshine and outdoor events. I thought I'd highlight a few that feature art or plein air painting, including some upcoming events in which I'll be participating.
This post is not a how-to but a reflection on what it's like to be new at painting outdoors, as well as a shameless promotion of my upcoming plein air class. But first: I have a confession to make. It's been a few months since I've painted outdoors. I really have no excuse. Living in San Diego, I certainly can't blame the weather, especially after having watched from afar artist Marc Hanson paint four plein air paintings a day for a month in frozen Colorado. |
AuthorI have a passion for plein air painting. I try to capture and share the moments of beauty I find. You can see some of my work online at: Archives
September 2019
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