NACCO in North Adams

I have a gallery in North Adams.  I have been painting the local area.  I am really pleased with my street scenes.

Starting to prepare for my painting workshop in Orr's Island

Painting in Brooklin, ME this past Sept.  This was such a great spot to paint on location.  I love this little church on the far right with a neat little auto repair station with a tiny vista of the way to the ocean.  Sometimes it is nice not to paint that perfect view but to look for something different of unique.

Winter Session and Learning Skills to Create

  I can't believe that is it time to think about winter classes but it is.  Time goes by so fast!!  It has been a productive fall with great students and challenges.  I would love any feedback from students to let me know about their needs in my classes.  My Ryan Estate classes are for you my students. We can address the most important issues that you have in painting and drawing.   In my morning class I am thinking to change things up I will have students paint and finish two paintings in the semester.  I will discuss beginning and finishing a painting.  What the process looks like.  In the landscape class we will work on studies that will prepare us for the spring Plein Air experience.  And a new class I am running at the Emerson Umbrella is a portrait class in pastel.  It is not only the humans we love to render but our many pets.  I know there is interest out there doing animals and I hope this reaches the folks who requested a class on this.  In the meantime enjoy the beautiful Fall light that is just extraordinary this time of year.

More Pictures of painting at Codman's with my students

Codman Community Farm, Lincoln, MA

Beginning Painting Classes

Painting at the Worcester Art Museum on Mondays.
We are working on a complimentary Pallet which is important to know to create all your grays for using color.  Here is an example of a blue vs. orange pallet.  Always set up your pallet with some sense of organization to keep track of you color mixing.

Landscape Painting Class on Wed. Afternoon

What a beautiful painting day for my students on Wed.  We went to Codman Community Farm in Lincoln, MA.  Everyone painted for a good three hours.  Hope to get another great day next wed.

Suggested Painting w/Oils or Acrylic Supply List

 Pottle's Painting Supply Lists:

Acrylic Painting: 

Easel and dropcloth (for Lincoln Landscape class and Fruitlands classes only)
1.5" – 2” house painting brushes &/or sponge brushes, (the made in China brushes at the hardware store are fine),  pallet knife,  Acrylic matte & gloss mediums (Liquitex brand), rags or paper towels, 18"x24” paper pallet or a roll of Freezer Paper (purchase at a grocery store, not wax paper), plastic wrap, Muffin tray with zip lock bag to store paints, bucket for water, tuna cans for medium, a roll of pre-primed canvas, or you can size your own paper with gesso (do this way before class) or buy an 18”x24” canvas pad which is ready to go, 18”x24” drawing board, spray bottle, masking tape, newspaper, variety of brushes #10 & up (no small brushes), buy a round, flat & filbert for variety. Make sure they are acrylic brushes, synthetic brushes with long handles. Ivory soap, paper cups & plastic spoons. My favorite brand of paint: Golden or Windsor Newton. There are cheaper brands. The more expensive paints you get, the better colors, but you might be more frugal in use. If so, buy inexpensive paints, large tubes. 

Oil Panting: 

NO SOLVENTS IN MY CLASSES, IE.:  PAINT THINNER, TURPS. MINERAL SPIRITS- ODERLESS OR NON.  ONLY USE THE MEDIUM BELOW.  DO NOT OPEN ANY MEDIUM THAT IS NOT LABELED AS:  PROFESSIONAL GRADE WALNUT OIL

Easel and dropcloth, (only for Fruitlands Museum and Lincoln Classes), #10 size brushes & larger (filbert brushes are great but feel free to get some round and flat brushes), 1-3" house painting brushes, 18"X24" paper pallet or freezer paper, Murphy’s Oil soap, rags or paper towels, metal pallet knife, masking tape, metal paint cups, same painting surfaces as above, Artist’s professional grade Walnut Alkyd Medium and Walnut Oil. No premixed oil mediums NO SOLVENTS or citrus products to be used in class, Safflower Oil (from grocery store)  used for cleaning brushes in between colors, Water base oils are fine, (be sure to bring in appropriate mediums for the paint),  Two glass jars with metal tops for waste, (liquid waste goes home with you),  Regular oil paint brands: Gamblin, Grumbacher, Windsor Newton 


PAINT COLORS:   Cadmium Red Medium or Vermilion, (as a less expensive alternative), Cad. Yellow Medium, Ultramarine Blue, large tube of Titanium White. 

Other colors you might consider: Alizarin Crimson or Rose madder or Quinacridone Magenta, Cad. Yellow Light Cad. or Lemon Yellow Cad., Yellow Ochre, Cerulean Blue or Maganese or Cobalt Blue

Week of painting with friends

Every year I head up to Maine for at least a week of painting. Every part of Maine is so unique in its rock formations, colors and populations. I love early spring and fall for the best light. What a beautiful fall. Always so full of surprises. There were days were the fog was thick and then the next not a cloud in the sky. I love the moodiness of the weather. It makes you paint fast and just go for the feeling. I will put up a few paintings I did up there soon. Every year I discover something new. I love a challenge. This year I realized how important it is to pay attention to what is going to change first and get that idea onto the canvas. This is unlike being in the studio where you want to paint everything to create the balance. Doing one of two components first can create an imbalance but that can be interesting in itself. There is also no time to over think and calculate each painterly move. I let intuition in and go with my gut and let things happen. Plein air is so extraordinarily different than all forms of painting because you are letting those accidents happen continually. Can't help this because if you wait too long the subject will be so different you might as well start another canvas. Breath, respond and let it happen. So with this there is success and failure. Both are pretty exciting. The place I stay at has so much subject matter. I could paint there for a month easy. But I wanted to experience other locations. We went to Sandy Beach in Stonington, where the rocks are purplely white and ocre and there are wonderful islands with such personality to paint. My only regret is never enough time.....

A week of painting in Brooklin and Stonington Maine

Classes This Fall

Don't forget to sign up for my classes this fall. I am all over. The Ryan Estate Classes are filling. Hope to see you all soon.

Painting in Duxbury, MA

Beautiful location, great light...not enough time...but we wet a brush. All I can think about is George Nick's Yellow house...it is so rich and full of energy and light.

Duxbury, MA

My friend Linda and I went to Duxbury to see the George Nicks show at the Art Complex. What a great show. It was his work and his students. So many good names: Janet Manafo, Paul RaHilly...And on and on... this is the Best show I have seen in years. The paint quality was enough to make me cry. This is my second viewing of the show...wish I could go back again. My only regret in life is that I never studied with George...his work is so exceptional!!!!! I wonder if I could ever get into his league. Some great views of Duxbury where we went to paint before going to see the show. A field trip is always a good time to stop and paint.

Paintings from Swans Island

I did a lot of paintings of Swans Island for 12 years. A friend and student of mine used to invite me up every summer. We would go out and paint...I love some of the old buildings there. Lots of character. I've come a long ways painting buildings. This painting will be in the WGBH auction this year.

WhatKnot Gift Shop on Swan's Island

Almost Fall

Sad to see the summer slip away. September is a great time to paint. The light becomes warm and rich and the shadows long. I look forward to a lot of time outside where the air gets crisp. I want to return to the Worcester Train Station which is an incredible location and quite the historic building as well as North Adams.

Demonstration in oil pastel

This is the still life set up for my oil pastel demo. Keep looking through until you get to the completed artwork.

Demonstration in creating with oil pastel

I do my oil pastels on BFK Rives paper, a printmaking paper that is just so sensual of a surface to work on. I start by laying in a pencil drawing, making sure my proportions are somewhat correct. As I always so, if you drawing is incorrect, when you get into color, now its in full correct and incorrect.

Oil pastel Demonstration

This is an example of a finished oil pastel. The colors are richer and brighter than the dry pastel. I did not use my usual acrylic matt medium on this work of art. I found the really soft Senelier pastels to lift right off of my BFK Rives printmaking paper. Every time I use this paper it always reaffirms why I love this paper so much. The pastel is ready for a matt and a frame.

More on being an artist

This is an excellent interview and it really describes what I am talking about. Process is quite the whole soul experience. I am not putting down anyone that would like to be creative. We need more of that in our society. But being so committed to that search of idea and description takes a lot of time and focus. http://paintingperceptions.com/interiors/interview-with-alex-kanevsky?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PaintingPerceptions+%28Painting+Perceptions%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

Making the commitment to be an artist

So many people say and want to be an artist. These days it seems everyone is an artist. We all have a creative side that should be nurtured and taken care of. It is important to tap into your creative self. In this it will be a better world and/or art appreciators. We all need that self expression. It is also great to learn art skills. But to make the commitment to become a professional artist is a big step. Since age 5 I am been looking at famous artists work and realizing that is all I ever wanted. The commitment of working on drawings and painting for months/years, trying to find the best ways to express ones ideas and feelings without being contrived is a life long challenge. This can't be done in just a few years. It is a huge commitment and passion. Finding the images you want and also getting the creative flow happening takes hours and hours of working through the layers to access that deep information in ones soul. It is so close to meditation and other spiritual practices. I leave and go into an altered state to access this information. I know that I am doing something new and exciting is happening at different levels of conscious. Artists need years of experience to access this deep level of consciousness. It takes cultivating. I am not saying that someone with passion can not find this aspect of themselves at some point in their lives. There are also many reasons and levels of making art. Just purely making images does not make you an artist. Creating is not always fun, joyful and an activity just to be admired. It is hard work, focus, exhausting and frustrating at times. But if I succeed at finding that visual statement that says more than surface ideas...the satisfaction is beyond words. I always worry that I will not find that depth again.

Demonstrations and Art Updates

Students, friends and interested parties, be sure to look at my most recent demonstration on dry pastel.  Also I you would like to see other demonstrations please go to "older blogs" and you will find a variety of painting demonstrations.  I am doing this to help educate my students and also to display to others, my creative process.  I will do more if folks would like me to  but I would like to get some feedback to urge me on.  You can also subscribe to my blog and this will keep you updated.

I am always in the art world in my mind if not in the studio creating.  It is all I think about.  Color, pattern design, many ideas and approaches.  I could easily spend most days working on projects in the studio.  It is such a drive, not one that I work at but one that exists for me everyday.  I dream about paint and art materials and subject matter.

My latest project is, I am painting 36X36 heads of people who have influence my life in a big way.  I really want to get up and personal.  Some of the people are difficult to paint because of all the feelings that arise by looking into their eyes.  I am hoping eventually to put these works up in a large group on a large wall to be seen as a grid of heads.  I draw and paint in grids and I can see the work in a grid.  Some people ask where ideas come from.  They seem to just arrive, perhaps through other influences but I never seem to have a shortage.

I hope you will enjoy my blog.  Please feel free to comment.

A Demonstration of dry hard pastel on paper.

This is a photo of the still life that I am creating a pastel of.  I only work from life not from the photo.  Photos tend to be limited in color and it is hard to perceive the edges of the forms unless working from life.  After doing numerous sketches and studies and also rearranging the still life to get a successful composition, I am ready to start the drawing.

Continuation of dry hard pastel

Beginning the value drawing working from the still life.  I have a strong light on the objects.  Then the first layer of color, brights and darks.

Working on a dry pastel demo

Dark and medium values,  brights and mixing on the surface of the gray Canson paper.

The fifth Step in a demo of dry hard pastel

Applying the lights, brights, high lights and other information.

The Finished Pastel

Demonstration of working with hard dry pastel

This is about three days of work on a still life set up that I have in my studio. It takes me a fews days to set up the subject. Then I do thumb nail sketches to figure out the best composition.