The day started with a beautiful sunrise that caused long but fleeting shadows around the grounds of the hotel--El Monte Sagrado--where we painted in the morning.
While the workshop officially started at 9:00, my body was still on Eastern time. So, by 7:30, I was out around the peaceful waterfalls of what they call the Sacred Circle, easel set up and painting. It was a day of learning and some frustration. My first attempt after 2 hours was abandoned. The composition was too complex---a bridge over a small pond with Irises and rock wall. There were stairs in the back--well--way too much! At 9:00 in the morning, when Kevin called us together, I pulled the canvas off the easel and into the wet box. It won't be seen again--it will be sacrificed to the paintings gods! Hmmm---keep things simple seems to be ringing in my head!
Kevin set the goals for the day--paint the shadow family first--leaving the light family as white canvas. No value darker than your darkest dark in the shadow family and only one darkest dark area. The darkest dark and should be a connected shape in the painting. The same is true for your lightest light--no value lighter and only once in the painting. Never let the shadow family of values cross into the light family. Oh--and while you are concentrating on all of that--we had to pick a piece of paper out of Kevin's hat. We weren't allowed to look at it until we had chosen our subject to paint. The paper had 1 word on it--an adjective or feeling that you needed to have your painting convey.
Kevin encouraged us to sketch a black and white (dark and light families) to simplify the composition into shadow and light family. I did this rather successfully. Well--ok--Kevin used the sketch as an example to the others during the critique. It was a good abstract drawing of dark and light shadows. Of course, one area I have always struggled with is transferring that to canvas. After a discussion about this with Kevin, the learning was to find the darkest dark in the scene I was painting. Then fill in the dark/shadow areas with other values and colors that were not as dark as the darkest dark. Stay in the shadow area. It can be what I call a medium valued shadow family and worked up in value from there--but never darker than the darkest dark!
So far, 3 learnings for the day and it wasn't even noon yet! As mentioned Kevin used the sketch in the critique. He pointed out that only the darkest dark was in the one shape and that the dark or shadow family had a wide range and high key (in the painting I was doing) Here's the picture of the Black and White sketch, and then the shadow family values on the canvas painted in:
Even though the painting was high key--very bright--this was ok because the light family was even higher key and never crossed to the shadow family. Here's the finished study and it's accompanying black and white pic. You can see the similarity to the black and white sketch.
The afternoon session was at one of the founder's of the Taos Society of Painters studio/home/museum--the Couse Studio. After a tour of the house/studio by his granddaughter, we were "set free" to paint. Well--free in the sense to paint within the parameters set by Kevin for the afternoon. The word I had to paint in the morning was "joy". This afternoon the word was "excited". It was hard to paint excitedly when you are hot and tired...but never the less--off I went to find something to paint. OH--a few more parameters. First the subject/composition of the painting had to be 1/3 shadow and 2/3 light family. The shadow family can only be 2 values and the darkest dark had to be a value of 8 on a scale of 10 and purple.
The light family can be any color.
I choose my subject and started with a sketch. In the end, Kevin was quite pleased with the painting and it showed progress in what he was trying to teach us. The composition, when I first discussed it with Kevin, was, in his opinion, uninteresting. Through the use of shadow, light and color, Kevin expressed that I was able to keep the viewer interested. He described the painting--finally using my word that I was to express--"excited." I pulled the word from my pocket and proudly displayed it. He smiled and shared my success! The shadow shape was strong and attractive. The use of shadow family in the clouds pulls it together. The choice of color was very good.
Here's the black and white and color pictures of the study.
Everyone knows the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction when someone you admire and respect smiles and gives you compliments on your work. Kevin seemed genuinely proud of me when I successfully met his challenge. So, when he told me, "You had a good day today." I think you could have seen my smile all the way back to Ohio!
The day was so hot--something I can't tolerate very well--and the upcoming migraines were proof of that. I soldiered on--The hard work was rewarded with unexpected compliments and a sense of Kevin's pride and excitement for the progress I've made. I'm sure tomorrow will be just as challenging--weather wise and in what Kevin will instruct us to paint.
Arroyo Seco is the destination. It will begin with a demo by Kevin. More then!
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