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A wonderful experience
presented itself to me this past week. I had the opportunity to adjudicate,
along with two other distinguished artists, a grade school poster
contest for the 7th annual Grays Harbor (Washington) Shorebird Festival.
(Read all about it by clicking here).
The Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, north of Olympia,
was the setting for the judging to take place. And, a beautiful and
serene setting it is. The location was once a large farm. Located
just off the I-5 freeway, acess is easy and the entry fee more than reasonable.
I was greeted by soft green Spring growth on cottonwood trees, from which
wafted a delightful, clean fragrance. The seasonable rains had filled
fields with shimmering puddles. Daffodils gone "natural" polka-dotted
the fields. Around the bend in the road is the Visitors/ Conference
Center, surrounded by a pond with "bloomed-out" cattails. Trails
lead to visual banquets throughout the Refuge.
Before (and during) my work for the day, I
saw red-winged blackbirds, tree swallows, grebes and Canadian geese, courting,
nesting, and feeding in the Marsh areas surrounding the building.
The banks of the marsh has been planted with native shrubs and trees which,
as they mature, will be a marvelous addition to the scenery; already a
delight for landscape and wildlife artists from all over. As for myself,
I will return again, planning on spending the day, with paints, easel,
and camera.
Next Issue: Kites In Flight |
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A Career In Oils
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I have always considered
myself a traditionalist. ( In personal matters as well as in the area of
art.) Therefore, it seemed natural for me to want to paint in the
classic medium of the old masters that I admired, oil painting. I
went to the public libraries and local museums and absorbed everything
I could find on oil painting and the masters. The styles. The
techniques. I discovered "how-to" books by well known American
artists, and learned from them what a "medium" was, what brushes they used
to get the end result that I so openly admired. I read about the
style and genre that I wanted to emulate.
The Olympia Art League, in the early 1970's,
sponsored twice yearly art shows in a regional mall near my home.
On one occasion, I lingered to speak with one of the members, and was invited
to attend the next meeting of the group. I joined The Olympia Art
League in
"it seemed natural for me to
want to paint in the classic medium of the old masters that I admired,
oil painting"
1972. The league met once a month and had a program after the
business meeting. I was intrigued by the diversity of talent within
the membership and the visiting demonstrators.
It was through the Olympia Art League, that
I found out about a workshop being held by William F Reese, an oil painting
instructor under the auspices of the University of Washington Extension
Services. This was my first ":formal" art education. Mr. Reese
demonstrated a painting the first day, then sent us home to do a
painting to bring back the following week. The next session was a
morning critique, followed by an afternoon demo and we were instructed
to paint another piece for the following week. This was an excellent
experience for me, as I learned so very much from the critiques and doing
the bulk of the work at home by myself, relying on notes taken in class.
I took lessons from Bill Reese from 1972 through 1975. At the same
time, there were opportunities to branch out and take classes with other
artists using various techniques. Betty Mears taught the use of imagination
by splashing loose areas of wet paint on the canvas, then "seeing"
images emerge from the colors and |
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designs, then fill them in with detail.
I also enrolled in an adult education night class at the high school across
the street from my home. Again, it was a classic method of oil painting.
Throughout the rest of the 70's, I spent a
lot of time learning my craft. The 1980's saw me narrowing my focus
on seascapes. I sought out teachers who could assit me in learning
the difficult task of capturing moving water on canvas. Finally came
the point where I wanted to break away from learned techniques, and do
my own style. I didn't want to be a perennial student, nor did I
want to have my work compared to my teacher's style. So I went to
the final teacher, the ocean itself.
"So I went to the final teacher,
the ocean itself."
I began to "practice" painting waves.
I strove for realism. Partly because of my being a traditionalist,
and partly because there were so many wonderful details in water.
There are foam patterns as delicate as lace, rocks with trickles of
runoff, trees towering at the tops of rugged cliffs, all of which make
a classic seascape. I tried for four years, to acheive this end.
Finally, The scales tipped! The water
was WET! The waves MOVED! The rocks were ROUGH! And I
began to sell my creations. I participated in mall shows, local bazaars
and outdoor art and craft fairs. Galleries began to recognize my work.
Things that had to do with the seaside experience were added. Lighthouses
from five different states. Kite flying scenes. Shorebirds
of many kinds, (but most especially those goofy, intelligent, intriguing
seagulls). I was asked to paint commissioned pieces. Magazines
did articles, and newspaper and television picked up on my career.
I continue to paint with oil today.
I am thrilled by the brilliance and luninous glow achieved by the use of
oil paints. I have added landscapes and portraits, florals and wildlife
to my reportoire. It has been an extremely rewardeing career these
past 30 years. I am eager to see what the next 30 years will bring.
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