Painting "En Plein Air"

 Classes at the Vero Beach Museum of Art

Just finished up two separate 5-week courses at the Museum, and it's time for a little break.  They were both fun and rewarding for me, and I hope very informative to my students. A lot of artsy learning was crammed into those 3-hour classes each week. One was "Photorealism" in multi-medias, and the other was Plein Air (painting outdoors). 

The Hearst Corporation funded supplies for the classes, which made it so nice for the students. We ordered sketching kits, technical tools, drawing & painting paper and Derwent pastel pencils, all of which they got to keep. We also provided stools and easels.  Most of the students continued using the pastels for all five weeks, although they were invited to use their medium of choice.  I demonstrated a different medium each week: pastel pencils, watercolor, acrylic, oil paints, and pastel sticks, which covered whatever medium was in their comfort zone. All but one had never painted out of doors, and luckily the weather was perfect. Except for the last day on the boardwalk near the Museum when the skies opened up for just five minutes. I throw a tarp over my setup and the rest ran for cover under a lovely pavilion. The view was spectacular as you can see below.

Judy Burgarella painting at a Boardwalk over the Indian River Lagoon

Artists set up  within view of my composition and watched as they painted along with me. It's a great way to learn, as they see the instructor (me!) make mistakes and correct them, have happy accidents, make best use of the weather, changing light, inconvenience, etc. But they also witness the joy I project in my painting process ... especially the joy of painting out of doors. We saw many birds, porpoises rolling in the water, fish jumping and fishermen fishing as the beautiful puffy clouds rolled by. There were tall mangroves to the left of me shading where they all sat and sketched with their pastel pencils.  We painted at five different locations, all very interesting, natural and beautiful.

I had hoped to finish at least one painting to bring to last class, but alas, life got in the way and I was too busy painting for several shows. It's a rich life here in Indian River county if you're in the arts! So many artsy things going on, and I try my best to do them all!

As for the Photorealism class, that one I also demonstrated different mediums each week, to cover the variety of mediums of my students. And I also did not finish one painting. However, I brought a couple of my finished realistic paintings for them to examine each week. This class's supplies were also funded by the Hearst Corporation, and subject matter was mostly also of nature. 

Some Recent New Paintings

"EMERGENCE"

T\he painting below was exhibited in the Patten Gallery of the Vero Beach Museum of Art. The show was at the invitation of the Museum to members of the Cultural Council of Indian River County. The theme was "Abstract," and boy did everyone bring their "A" Game!  It was a beautiful and exciting array of abstract work. Mine, of course, had to have a face in it. Just can't stop myself. Abstract was a stretch for me, but I ended up having such fun with it. Can't wait to do it again. There is even a secret message within the abstract background. Can you see it?

"Emergence" 24"x18" Acrylic by Judy Burgarella

"STILL LIFE WITH GREEN ONIONS"

This sweet little pastel piece I had actually started years ago, but I recently came upon it in my flat file just waiting to be finished. I was probably having trouble with it at the time, but it is amazing how much better you get with each passing year. I had no trouble finishing it, other than dozing off and smudging it with my arm while painting too late into the night. Happened twice. Had to repair it twice. I finally went to bed and finished with fresh eyes the next morning. 

"Still Life with Green Onions" Pastel 14"x17" by Judy Burgarella

STILL LIFE WITH ORANGES

An oldie but a goodie. This poor pastel has been schlepped around to so many shows, and I wonder why it hasn't sold yet. So I reframed it and cut a nice fillet (small silver bar against the mat) for it, and I think it looks so much better. It actually was my first attempt at pastel many years ago. I have used this painting so many times as a staging piece, which my daughter Robin Burgarella offers as a service to her real estate clients. Another outlet for my creative side, like playing with doll houses it is. Redesigning rooms, adding lamps, runners, flowers, rugs, curtains, etc., which we shop for at our own storage unit. The "Befores" and "Afters" are amazing, and the houses tend to sell fast because of our "beautification" skills. It's an honor working with my daughter, and now with my daughter's daughter! At 11 years old, Salem is better at the computer work than I am, and is gaining on me with her staging skills! 

"Still Life with Oranges" Pastel, 22"x26" by Judy Burgarella

Well, that's all for today. I hope you enjoyed or were inspired by my postings, and maybe enough that you'll pick up the brush yourself!

Judy Burgarella

Blogger

MIA Too long!

Where to start?  Just remembering why I hadn't posted in some time ... husband's multiple hospitalizations, my hospitalization, also my eye surgery which greatly impacted my eyesight, and lots of other of "life's interruptions."  Oh, and I am now serving as President of the Sebastian River Art Club which keeps me incredibly busy as I work to improve upon what past presidents and members have created.

 So now I'll post a few things, what I remember I've done since then, starting with most recent.

Below is a show I just installed Thursday.  All portraits, and several of the following portraits are in that show.  One down, one to go.  Have to get ready for the Emerson Center show to be installed November 1st, entitled "Florida - Paradise through the Eyes of an Artist"

"Madonna" Oil w/24K Gold Leafing  11"x14" w/5" ornate gold frame

 This one came so easy, and the gold leafing went surprisingly smoothly.  This one got me in the zone right away.  Divine intervention??

"Mildred" Oil

 This is my mother circa 1942?  Lovely rendition of her with all that hair.  We all (5 kids, mom & dad) had various shades of red hair, which came with freckles.  Wish I could have known her at that age.

"Girl in Victorian Dress" Acrylic, Adaptation of Da Vinci.

 Created for my portrait class in the Vero Beach Museum of Art.

"Girl with a Pearl Earring" Acrylic, Adaptation of Vermeer's

 Created for my portrait class in the Vero Beach Museum of Art.

"Monet"  Acrylic

 Created for my portrait class in the Vero Beach Museum of Art

"Wash Day" Wine Bar with Glasses, Acrylic

Antique ironing board, fun to do, and I made 6 glasses to match that had clotheslines painted on them.   It is supposed to serve as a wine bar.

"Red Sculpture at the Museum"  Acrylic

Created at the request of the Vero Beach Museum of Art for a special Faculty showing.

"Two White Pelicans" Acrylic. Available on metal or as print.

 Acrylic painting from a very lucky photo I took in Sebastian on a dock at the Indian River Lagoon.

"Sand Hill Crane"  Acrylic

 Created as an Art Party subject.

"Red Rose in Triangle Substrate" Acrylic

 Created for a special Faculty showing for the Vero Beach Museum of Art.  The Lily below too.

"Lily"  Acrylic

Pewter Ornament "Millenial Salute to our Protective Services"

Just threw this one in.  Created before I started to paint.  Part of a series of pewter ornaments I designed to be sold each Christmas as a fundraiser for the Chamber of Commerce Scholarship Committee, of which I was a member with my home business Document Magic Secretarial Service.

"David Leffel on my Palette" Oil on wood palette

 One of my favorite portraitists, and also a fantastic still life painter,.  He's a bit older now, but I liked this portrait of him I copied from his many self-portraits.

"After the bath" Oil 

 This is a nice little nude I wanted for myself, saw it in a magazine and painted it.  That's the wonderful part of being a representational artist, you can have it for yourself, almost as good if you're good enough. 

"Windy Day at the Marina" Oil

 Painted "en plein air" at the Vero Beach Yacht Club for the Cultural Council.

"At Rest"  Oil

Painted "en plein air" at the Vero Beach Yacht Club for the Cultural Council.


Well, that's all for now folks, getting late and it's been a long day.  I hope I did not repeat myself with any of these postings--did not check earlier ones.  Oh, and here's a little song I wrote for all you artists out there--sing it to the tune of "My Favorite Things":

Brush, paint and canvas, the odor of oil,
Scumbling and glazing as we artists toil
Painting on canvas a great work of art,
All of this beauty must come from the heart.

They'll be pretty, they'll be stunning, and surprising too;
When artists are working they get in the zone,
Their favorite thing, to do.

Portraits and landscapes and seascapes and abstract,
Sales and commissions and gallery contracts.
These are the things that an artist must do,
else he will starve and his family too!

He must paint, and, he must learn, and, he must suffer too;
He'd better be ready to get his hard knocks
And come up with something new.

Paint on his fingernails, paint on his clothes,
Paint on his loafers and paint on his nose,
Art books and ribbons and easels and lights,
painting most days and then into most nights.

There'll be art shows, and receptions, competitions too;
So painters must paint and create something nice,
or if they can't they'll be through.

I envision singing this song around a table with a glass of wine with a bunch of artist friends.  Just may do it at "Girls Night Out" tomorrow night at the Tiki Bar.
I also wrote a Halloween song to this tune years ago when my kids were little. They are in the 40's now, so I've been a frustrated songwriter for a long time.

It's really really late now. G'nite!

Judy Burgarella
Blogger

Changing My Focus!

But first, a farewell to a dear friend . . . Henry Pitt

This blog is dedicated to Henry Pitt, a friend, mentor, a fine artist, and a giant to all of us in the Sebastian River Art Club, who passed away earlier this month.  Henry, at age 87 and with only one eye, was an inspiration to all who knew him.  Each week he would come in with a new painting, one more stunning than the other.  Most with wildlife or domestic animals in them, many from Montana where he once was owner of a large ranch.  Henry had a quick wit and a charming smile, and enjoyed some notoriety and fame over the years for his paintings and also for his efforts on behalf of the arts.  He was quick to offer advice and critique when asked, and all of it was good.  My husband Bob and I  enjoyed listening to his stories of Montana and various adventures and foibles during his long life.  His legacy will live on in the countless paintings he's left behind, and the memories that will stay with all of us.  
God speed, Henry . . . and keep the palette filled for us as we join you in painting heaven some day.

Henry Pitt - 1927-2014

"Ram" Oil Painting by Henry Pitt

Changing My Focus ~

Henry's passing reminds us all that life has an "Expiration Date."  And to that end in evaluating my art life I had concluded that some of my energies need to be taken in a new direction.  Up until now I have devoted much of my free time to volunteering in the Arts community, and I can now look back with a sense of satisfaction at my small contributions towards the growth of the Arts in Indian River County.  Working hard with the Artists Guild Gallery and other galleries in the Arts District, the Vero Beach Art Club and Sebastian River Art Club, the Cultural Council, and many charitable organizations.  My service included serving on boards and committees, organizing and helping with art shows and fund-raisers, helping build and market the Arts District, running the many local arts blogs, and marketing-marketing-marketing.  But now, as time is creeping up on me and family is wanting more of my time, I am wishing well to those who will step in to fill whatever small void I leave as I slow my volunteer hours down and relinquish my positions of responsibility.

Time also to concentrate on painting and marketing for myself, and getting all those paintings out from the corners and closets of our house and out into plain view.  But first I want to enjoy once more the experiences of painting out-of-doors, "en plein air."  On April 16-17-18 I was one of about 40 artists to paint "Main Street Fort Pierce," which also included a day at Adams Ranch.  Adams Ranch is the 15th largest cattle ranch in the U.S.A., and is breathtakingly beautiful, with its tree houses, meandering streams, hammocks, grazing cattle and horses, and just stunning landscape.  Below is the painting I did on my day at Adams Ranch, along with a portrait of Bud Adams which was included in "Au Naturale," a 2007 Calendar Project for Heathcote Gardens.

"Adams Ranch" oil by Judy Burgarella (Available)

"Bud Adams" oil painting, for "Au Naturale" 2007 Calendar by Judy Burgarella

Two other paintings that I completed during the three-day event are pictured below.  It was great painting with buddies Dawn Mill and Christine Thomas, who worked with me on a year-and-a-half mural painting project for Vero Beach (www.verobeachmural.blogspot.com).  Main Street Fort Pierce treated us wonderfully, feeding us and accommodating us in whatever way they could.  A portion of the proceeds from the sales of paintings went to help with the Backus House.

"Pure Florida" Chochki in oil by Judy Burgarella (sold)

"View from the Manatee Center" oil by Judy Burgarella (available)

So my next plein air event was at the Vero Beach Yacht Club, for the Cultural Council on Tuesday April 22nd.  This all-day event was also a wonderful experience, in that I met some interesting people and completed 2 paintings which sold!  It was a lovely, calm day, in a lovely place with beautiful views.  I was "in the zone" all day, with endorphins in high gear and freckles flaring.  Such fun, and plein air is my roots and my beginnings, so I feel as if I'm home again.  Now to find places to paint in the summer heat ... that will be a curious endeavor!

"At Rest" 8"x10" Oil by Judy Burgarella (sold)

"Morning Mist" 11"x14" Oil by Judy Burgarella (sold)

 So stay tuned for more news of how I plan to "reinvent" myself.  I'm still thinking . . .

But in the meantime, I'll be playing with my adorable 2-year-old granddaughter, Salem, who is also an artist--who even has business cards to prove it! 

Alas, this little cherub has taken my affections from the brush and the canvas and onto herself. 
I am a very lucky grandma.

Judy Burgarella
Blogger 

Plein Air Painting Paradise!

Be sure to view my new time-lapse video "Oil Painting of Bob Barbour by Judy Burgarella" at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcLf7ACVaJk&feature=youtu.be


Note: - The below painting was finished a week after the plein air session.  "Tiki Bar" was purchased off the easel while I painted it on Day 2.  Below is the finished painting.

"Tiki Bar" oil, painted on-site

APRIL 17-18-19, 2013 - PLEIN AIR PAINTING
IN FORT PIERCE, FLORIDA

TO BENEFIT THE A.E. BACKUS HOUSE

DAY 1

After coming off four days of plein air painting, I am artistically renewed.  Nothing feels more like being an artist than painting a beautiful scene outdoors--in the fresh air with the sun at your back--with other artists.  And to top the days off partying with so many interesting and talented people is the ultimate experience for any artist. 

It was especially enhanced by being with my Vero Beach Mural buddies, Dawn Mill and Christine Thomas (www.verobeachmural.blogspot.com), and Sue Dinenno who moderated the mural's video.  We chatted, joked and ate together for three days, in between zoning out on our painting sessions.   Although there were many frustrated sighs and grunts with the struggle of wind, bugs, tired feet and backs and sunburn, which is also part of the "plein air" experience, we persevered and got some good work done.   In spite of all the challenges, much of the work we saw on display at the end of the day was stunning, and drove us to reach for new plein air heights.

Although I myself had cut my artistic teeth doing plein air painting, having founded and run the "Shoreline Plein Air Painters" in Connecticut from 2000 to 2005 and run their shows, excursions, etc., I found this event to have been run beautifully, and mostly by volunteers.  It went somewhat like this:

• 30 painters were "invited" to participate in the "Downtown Fort Pierce Plein air Paintout" at the A.E. Backus House in Fort Pierce, Florida, and sent the required paperwork in.  There was no charge for the event.
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner were provided.
• Artists were required to frame their finished paintings on-site, and bring them to the Backus House for display and sale when each was completed.
• Commission was 60/40
• Day 1 finished with a dinner party for the artists, Day 2 finished up with an opening reception for the public, and day 3 finished up also with a reception for the public, at the end of which we all took our unsold paintings home.

As for day 4, that was a completely unrelated plein air session which was at the Sebastian River Art Club, which I shall cover later.

Day 1 - After driving to White City Park, at the suggestion of Laurie McNamara who is a very renowned plein air painter and head of the Plein Air Painters of the Treasure Coast, Christine and I decided it was not the place for us--too dark and shady.  So we turned around and drove to Fort Pierce Inlet Park, where perhaps we could hook up with Dawn Mill and Sue Dinenno.  We scouted out several places, then ended up at the inlet shore with Sue and Dawn.  It was a lovely, warm soft-winded day, and I thoroughly enjoyed walking around scouting for the best view there.  On my way I came across this big fellow, who didn't seem too startled to see me, although when I bent down to take a closer look after snapping this picture, he retreated into his shell.  Just another thing to enhance the experience.

Gopher turtle munching on grass at Ft. Pierce Inleet Park

After strolling around the beaches and sand dunes for about half an hour, I settled on this delightful little tropical view, and began to set up my gear.  In setting up my easel I discovered that a vital piece of it was missing, so I was without an easel--and in plein air I need an easel as I stand and move around quite a bit while painting.  Well, I was anxious to start painting, so when I spotted a grill near the site I decided to use it as my easel, which worked out quite nicely for a while, sans the grease and soot. 

After painting a couple of hours the sun began to shine on my newfound "easel," and I had to find another spot.  On a whim, I took the half-finished painting and hung it on the palm tree that I had painted in the picture, wedging the space between the canvas and stretcher bars atop one of the dead fronds on the trunk.  Worked wonderfully: nice shade, stable stand, perfectly perpendicular to my point of view.  By 2:30 I was finished, and moseyed over to the pavillion Dawn and Christine had been painting in.  Sue Dinenno had left by then, being stricken with the remnants of a very bad virus which kept her from the evening parties each night.

Scene I picked to paint on Day #1 at the Ft. Pierce Inlet Park

Pictured are my improvised easels - grill and tree trunk!

"Fort Pierce Inlet View, Florida" unfinished oil painting

 This painting was pure delight to do, especially with having to improvise, which made me feel even more creative and resourceful.  Wish it were possible to bottle all those endorphins dancing around my psyche when I'm painting--curing aches and pains, depression and worry, fear and anxiety; and leaving happiness, peace, joy and a renewed love of nature in its wake.  Trouble is, at the end of many hours of standing, bending and squinting, I pack up and hobble back to my car like an old lady--tired, sore and spent.  But I leave with the wonderful memory of the day lingering in my mind long after it's over.

As I was wrapping up my painting session, this little cardinal was flitting all around me, and even at one time landing on a bright red car to peer at himself in the rear-view mirror.  It looked as if he was challenging the bird in the mirror to a dual of beaks!  I clicked off about a dozen or so shots of him, one better than the other, as if he knew he was posing for a painting!  He surely will end up on one of my canvases.

Friendly cardinal at Ft. Pierce Inlet Park

Christine had moved under the pavillion because of the no-see-ums, so I brought my packed-up gear there and just chatted and traded barbs with them, fed the squirrels, critiqued their work, stretched out on a bench, and just made a pest of myself to them both till it was time to go.  They had some nice little paintings to hang at the show that night.

We stopped at Art Mundo where Christine has a studio gallery, had a glass of wine and changed our clothes and cleaned ourselves up as best we could for the Opening Reception that night.  It drew a nice crowd, and we had fun and lively conversations with several of the artists, and basked in the loveliness of the newly-painted work on the racks.

DAY 2

Tiki Bar on the Indian River Lagoon, my subject on Day #2

 On day #2 we were confined to paint within several blocks in Downtown Ft. Pierce, and for about an hour Christine and I walked around trying to find just the right spot.  I mainly look for: 1-shade, 2-not interfering with traffic either walking or driving, 3-safety, 4-view.  Unfortunately Christine picked a view in the sun and got burned, and it was so close to people that the smoking bothered her. 

I positioned myself on one of the few small grassy areas, in partial shade, with a nice view as shown above.  It was complicated though with many angles and perspective problems, along with shifting sunlight and shadows.  However it was also a delight to paint, and I hadn't gone very far when the owner of the Tiki Bar came out and said she was going to buy it, finished sight unseen, price unknown, frame unknown.  I was delighted!  But now the pressure was on to produce a painting I'd be proud of.  Several of even the better painters refused to hang their finished work as they felt it below their normal quality. 

At mid-afternoon top plein air painter Charles Dickinson came by and set up his "Everything but the Kitchen Sink" gear and did a delightful painting of me.  It was such a sweet painting that I wanted it for myself and told him that I just may have to buy it.  (At $300 for a 5"x7" which I later found out, it was out of my budget--but surely worth it for this caliber of artist).

At the end of the day I notified the Backus House of the sale of the Tiki Bar painting, and they had already known about it.  I will finish the work at home within the next few days.

DAY 3

Day three found all of us very tired.  Getting home late each night after all day in the sun and wind and eye strain had taken its toll.  It seemed a simple solution to just paint on the Backus grounds, near the food, water and toilets.  This decision ended up being the best decision for Day 3, as an intense wind was our companion all day, and a great deluge topped our painting time off.  Those who chose to be near the water's edge were whipped, tired and discouraged with the surprising weather, and had their day's joy cut short.  We four, and a couple more, toughed it out on the lovely grounds of the Backus House, and I painted two delightful hibiscus paintings.  This cute little 5"x7" modeled for me right on my easel after plucking it off a nearby bush.  Wished I had a silver frame for it, but had a nice black one which looked ok.

"Pink Hibiscus at the Backus House" 5"x7" oil painting, framed in black

 After bungying my easel to the paintbox and just painting a very small piece, I was good to go in any wind.  The pink hibiscus took only a couple of hours to paint, so I went a-lookin' for another.  This time I wanted red or yellow to go into a beautiful wide gold frame I had in the car.  So I took off for a stroll around the block and was delighted at the interesting-looking houses, gardens and fences in the neighborhood.  Looked as if the place was in the middle of a renaissance.  I talked with a fellow who said "sure" when I asked if I could take a picture of the yellow flowers on his tree, think it was a golden chain.  Walked a little further and found Ellen Fisher, renowned local painter, who was just laying in color on a delightful 10"x12" oil of an interesting cut of a white house (she told me later she had wiped it off, dissatisfied with its progress).  That is something I just can't do, as every "dog" painting I've done over the years seems to have some redeeming quality.  Time to stop that and just fess up that they are failures, doomed to lay on a shelf for another few years.  Seasoned, professional, successful artists have the courage and decisiveness to do that.

So on I strolled, still looking for that "perfect" flower.  Ran into dear friend Yana (Adrianna) Bitter who was trying to hold onto her hat and her easel in a fierce wind.  She had a lovely street scene in the final stages and was ready to call it a day after fighting the elements.  So I moved on to walk one more block . . . and there it was!  The perfect red hibiscus!  A fellow was mowing his lawn and I waited to get his attention.  When I asked if I could pick a red hibiscus for a painting he said sure, and I also asked for a stem with leaves, which I proceed to massacre the rest of the plant for, stripping a whole branch and peppering his new-mowed lawn with broken leaves and twigs, and coming away with a pitiful-looking branch with three tattered leaves on it.  Anyway, here's the painting which I created in the very back of the Backus to shield myself from the progressing violent wind (pictured below the hibiscus).  I did start it in the courtyard, but the wind was so bad I feared a branch would break off and knock me into the next world.

"Red Hibiscus" 5"x7" oil painting

"Red Hibiscus" oil painting created in back alley of the Backus House, away from the wind

 The last day, Day #3 (Friday April 19th), culminated in the final reception, which started out as a disaster with the wind and rain whipping the front courtyard like a wind-tunnel.  Too dangerous for the band and guests for part of the evening, and the public stayed away in droves, but began trickling in when the weather settled down, about 6:00. The hors d'eouvres as usual were spectacular, with everyone wanting the recipes.  Pam, who seemed to be the organizer of this event, couldn't be more helpful and friendly, along with all her volunteers.  Pam's mother was such a delight, and cooked many of the recipes we loved.  She generously gave me the recipe of the corn flake cookies, which I hope I can remember.

Had some wonderful conversations, lots of laughs, and traded painting stories, ideas and tips with many artists.  Great fun, and very rejuvinating in the life of an artist.  Everyone loved this venue, we were treated very special, and things ran as smoothly as possible.

DAY 4 - SEBASTIAN RIVER ART CLUB PLEIN AIR PAINTING
(www.sebastianriverartclub.blogspot.com)

Now onto day #4, which had nothing to do with the Backus.  As part of the County-wide "Celebrate the Arts" 10-day long event sponsored by the Cultural Council of Indian River County, we at the Sebastian River Art Club decided to make plein air a part of our agenda since it would be free and easy and we all love plein air painting.  Trouble was that nobody showed up to paint except for myself, Ann Emery and my friend Christine Thomas who had been painting with me for the last three days.  There may have been poor participation because of the threatening weather, however the rain and the sun stayed away from our already-burned bodies, and we had a wonderful painting session.  What a great day, and I have a little jewel of a painting almost finished.  Just needs a couple more hours and I'll have one more delightful day captured on canvas.  I'm hooked--plein air is my crack cocaine.  And how could you experience what I did in the picture below if you were just painting in your cluttered ol' studio???

Muscogee duck at the Sebastian River Art Club, Park grounds

Christine, Bob (my hubby) and I topped the day off with pizza and wine back at the house, and I don't know why I am now spending all this time typing when I should be sleeping.  I'm thinking that maybe it's because I am still so high on painting that this itch needs scratching.  Perhaps someone will read this and jump in and try painting and make their lives happier, or at least more bearable.

Anyhow, if you've read this long diatribe I hope it inspires you to pick up the brush, or take a painting class (www.artclasses-burgarella.blogspot.com), or buy an art book, or subscribe to an art magazine, or go to the library and get busy, or just click onto the next blog and you just may find another artist whose work inspires you.  Just don't sit there ... get busy and work at being happy.

CARP DIEM!

Judy Burgarella
Blogger