Painting at the county fair

Tomorrow I'll be demonstrating painting and soft block printing at the Napa County Fair, here in Calistoga, from noon to 4:00. I'm looking forward to it! It'll be hot, but I'll be inside, in the Butler Pavilion (where the art is – and where it's cool).

Here's a link to the Weekly Calistogan's article about the fair and Sunday's parade. And here's a link to the Calistoga Tribune's front page, with photos of the fair and parade.

(I've cross-posted this on my art blog, at karenlynningalls.blogspot.com.)

Mixed Media Painting workshop – more paintings

I Can Do It! and Me for President © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Here are a few more mixed media pieces I've been working on this week. I'll be teaching the techniques I used to create them in this Saturday's workshop.

Sleeping Beauty © 2010 Karen Lynn Ingalls

The photographic images I've used as collage elements came from my friend Denise's old parenting magazines.

Mixed media painting workshop

Sweet Old Love Song, © 2009 Karen Lynn Ingalls

Expanding beyond your normal boundaries is a good thing for creativity. For me, mixed media is a wonderful way to push creative boundaries, and explore all kinds of things that are different from the painting I ordinarily do. That's why I'm particularly looking forward to my Mixed Media Painting workshop next week.

In it, we'll combine painting with collage, and use both in combination with fabrics to create different kinds of mixed media paintings. I found a treasure trove of exotic fabrics — velvets, embroidered pieces, gauzy fabric, even a tiny bit of mirror cloth — that call for an approach I hadn't originally intended to cover in this workshop. But, with these fabrics, how can I resist?

So at this point the workshop will cover three different approaches to mixed media painting and collage. I'm pretty excited! I get to play with these fabrics before anyone else does! If you're coming and would like to bring your own materials, add a hot glue gun, with glue, and a third surface to paint on (you may want to bring more than three, especially if they're small), to the materials list you can find at the Calistoga Art Center's website.

The workshop is Saturday, June 26th, from 10:00 to 5:00, at the Calistoga Art Center. For more information, click on the "Art Workshops" tab above.

Our plein air paintout at Judy's place

Donna and Lynn paint the view

Here are a few photos from last Wednesday's plein air paintout at Judy's place – our latest class field trip. The weather was beautiful, the views were amazing, and we had great food, too. I'm looking forward to seeing how the paintings get finished in the studio....

Zoe sleeping in the shade by the fountain

The view - with Paoletti Winery closest, Barbara Nechis's studio in the middle ground (looking tiny and surrounded by trees), and Clos Pegase Winery further back on the right

Jim paints the view

Jaime and Dan (who's away from his easel) paint the fountain

Thanks to Judy for inviting us to paint her beautiful view and gardens, and for being such a gracious and welcoming hostess!

Classes begin again on June 16th and June 18th

Acrylic Painting classes begin again on Wednesday, June 16th, from 1:00 to 4:00, for an eight-week session on Wednesdays, and on Friday, June 18th, from 1:00 to 4:00, for eight weeks of classes on Fridays. Look for us at the Calistoga Art Center, upstairs in the Masonic Building.

Questions? You can click on the Art Classes page here on this blog (see the tab above?), and read more, or go to the Calistoga Art Center's website. You can register online there, and download a materials list — or I'll see you on the first day of class. There's a minimum of ten students per class. Give me a call if you need to know anything else.

Spring 2010 Student Show pics!

Left to right: paintings by Cindi Buell, Randa Durell (two), and Judy Revelle

Left to right: paintings by Dan Dinneane, Cindi Buell, Randa Durell (two), and Judy Revelle

Left to right, top: paintings by Emma Klement, Donna Hodges, and Brigitta Weiderhold

Left to right, bottom: paintings by Emma Klement, Diane Kuykendall, and Patsy Hahn (two)

Left to right, top: paintings by Brigitta Wiederhold and Pat Branstetter

Left to right, bottom: paintings by Pat Branstetter and Jennifer Deutsch

Top: paintings by Jamie Zukowski; bottom: paintings by Christina Amore

Left to right: paintings by Judy Revelle, Yvonne Henry, and Sally Briggs

Left and top: paintings by Patricia Campbell; bottom and right: paintings by Corliss Schloemp

Left to right: paintings by Kari Martin, Dan Dinneane, and Kari Martin

Left to right: paintings by Bret Lang, Nanci Smith, Jennifer Deutsch, and Cindi Buell

Paintings by Jay Hodges (from acrylic and plein air painting classes)

Left to right: paintings by Bret Lang and Jay Hodges

Left to right: paintings by Diane Kuykendall, Donna Hodges, Sally Briggs, and Bret Lang

Left to right: paintings by Brigitta Weiderhold (top and bottom), Donna Hodges (top and bottom), and Diane Kuykendall (top and bottom), from plein air and acrylic painting classes

Here are the photos of this spring's painting classes student show!

Angus Wilson's painting process – and a demo

Still from video – painter Angus Wilson talks about his painting process

Angus Wilson, whose colorful abstracted still life paintings can be seen at www.anguspaintings.com, will give a painting demonstration this weekend, Saturday, May 15th, from 2:00 to 5:00 at Galllery i Fine Art, 685 Cannery Row in Monterey, California. If you want to go, the gallery asks that you R.S.V.P. at (831) 375-1617.

Angus Wilson arranges the still life setup for a photo shoot

You can watch a three minute video interviewing Wilson, "The Painting Process – Angus Wilson," at www.galleryifineart.com/events.asp. In it, he talks about how he doesn't see himself as a still life painter. For him, "it's all about color and form and shape – and the fact that I'm painting flowers and fruit and tables – it's just an incidental detail."

In preparation for painting, Wilson arranges and rearranges the objects in various arrangements, photographing them from different angles. Then he chooses the photos he likes the best. He says he can usually create two or three paintings from each photo shoot. He's often scouting flea markets looking for interesting bowls and jugs and other objects he can use in his paintings.

Angus Wilson with a painting in progress

Here, you see a painting in progress, with a reference photo posted on the right, and his color plan beneath it. He has already decided on the colors he wants to use, and knows where he wants to take the painting before he begins it. At this point, he has drawn in his composition, and is blocking in the big shapes.

Closeup of Angus Wilson's painting in progress

At that point, he just paints - and concentrates on enjoying the painting. He's already made his big decisions beforehand. Enjoy the video!

Painting self portraits

Em (behind easel) and Judy (in front) paint, while Betty packs up to go.

Here are photos of some of the folks in the Wednesday class – most painting self portraits, all but one of them for the first time.

Cindi paints her first self portrait.

Dan, Jamie, and Diane paint, with collage pieces by high school students on the wall behind them.

Diane, an experienced painter, paints her second self portrait.

Trish works on a painting of a rose.

Em paints her first self portrait.

They did a great job! (Thanks to Dan for lending me his phone for the photos!)