Day 13 :: SHADE TREES :: September Daily Painting Challenge

SHADE TREES
original pastel, 6x6"
©2016 Kim Morin Weineck
$50

It was bound to happen eventually. Today's acrylic took all my energy, and I love it. It feels like I'm illustrating a book about a farm in Vermont that I love. The pastel needs another 30 minutes but today I'm gassed.

This morning I enjoyed painting at a local cafe. Painting en plein air is fun but tiring. Adjusting to school has been tiring, too. September is a month of transition. Add soccer on top of it all, and I am impressed with myself for making my way down here tonight and working on these two pieces. 

SHADE TREES
original acrylic, 18x18"
©2016 Kim Morin Weineck

Again, "nothing feels as good as doing the work." Tonight as I headed down the stairs to my basement art studio I knew I'd feel as good going back up the stairs as after a tough workout. This month is about my own self-direct art workout, and it does feel good. 

The plein air painting from this morning came out nice, too. (You can see it on my Instagram account @kimweineck.) I enjoyed speaking with the most wonderful people who came specifically to support me and with others who stopped by to get coffee and noticed I was there working. The town we live in is full of wonderful folks, and I'm so happy we landed here. 

One more word to a friend who I know reads my blog posts: Thank you so much for bringing my dad to Cilla's Coffeehouse to see my work. It was such a treat to have him tell me he saw (and liked!!) my paintings hanging there. I really appreciate it. xxoo 

This farm is the same one as my painting from yesterday, in case you were wondering. Magical place, I tell you....

PRICING NOTE:  I am taking risks with this challenge. The work created is about learning and  my pieces are experiments and priced accordingly. Each piece is A BARGAIN at only $50 ($10 shipping if you're not local) rather than $125 for my usual gallery-worthy work. Only my pastels will be available at this time. Email kimweineck@gmail.com to purchase. Of course, thank you! 

Thank you for reading (and supporting!) ~ kmw

Day 9 :: BLUE DOOR :: #30in30 Painting a Day Challenge

BLUE DOOR
by Kim Morin Weineck
original pastel, 6x6"

                                                                             

$125 + $8 shipping

Sometimes there is so much of visual interest in a place that it's easy to become overwhelmed at the options presented. This spot with its forested lot, dappled light, adirondack chair, adorable garden shed, vibrant roses, blooming window box, swaying ornamental grasses, and good company was overwhelming to say the least. It was also 100 degrees.

Here is the pastel I created en plein air. It was a true study in editing and in making greens interesting. When I had looked at my previous postings I thought it was time for some architecture. Blue is my favorite color. My friends' home has it everywhere. I was in heaven for so many reasons!

Thanks for reading! -kmw

An artists' photo essay

Here's a photo essay of things that caught my eye during my painting workshop.
Enjoy the trip! Click on any photo to see it larger. Thanks!

©2013 Kim Morin Weineck
Plein air small pastel study
(This post has more about this piece.)

©2013 Kim Morin Weineck
Apples are starting to ripen with the livestock barn
from Sweet Georgia P's at Amee Farm in the distance

©2013 Kim Morin Weineck
"Paint me! Paint me!" 

©2013 Kim Morin Weineck
The photo doesn't do the day justice -
but when I paint it I can show you then ;)

©2013 Kim Morin Weineck
I think the clouds above look a little bit like a heart.
Do you see it? 

©2013 Kim Morin Weineck
This photo was taken in the river.
It was cool but refreshing water.
Wouldn't recommend bringing your easel in.

©2013 Kim Morin Weineck
The side of Vermont's Original General Store
(delicious maple candies, sandwiches, and more)

©2013 Kim Morin Weineck
My art supplies and paintings and everything.
Something about this photo makes me so happy! 

©2013 Kim Morin Weineck
Stealing a quiet moment for coffee during my workshop.
Can you find me in this photo? 

©2013 Kim Morin Weineck
See the rainbow?
It ends at Sweet Georgia P's fields! 

©2013 Kim Morin Weineck
Yeah. This place is inspiring. 

©2013 Kim Morin Weineck
Time for critique!
Who doesn't like critique on the deck of the Amee Farm Lodge?

©2013 Kim Morin Weineck
Three of my pastel paintings - all are 5x7" studies
L to R: SPECKLED PATH, BARN AT SUNSET, SUMMER MORNING, VT

©2013 Kim Morin Weineck
Three more of my pastel paintings - again all are 5x7" studies
CLOUD PEAK, MOONRISE (sold), PATH BY THE RIVER

©2013 Kim Morin Weineck
Thanks to Rebecca Skinner for the photo

And thanks for reading! -kmw

VT plein air

My August workshop in VT was a productive time. With so many things I could post, I figured I'd start with a painting. A friend and photographer, Rebecca Skinner, took these photos of me starting my piece. 

©2013 Kim Morin Weineck 
photo by Rebecca Skinner

©2013 Kim Morin Weineck 
photo by Rebecca Skinner

©2013 Kim Morin Weineck
photo by Rebecca Skinner

This day was oddly overcast and posed a challenge (in a good way) to capture the light effects on the landscape. Most of my VT work was small on-location studies which I can work into larger studio paintings in the future.

©2013 Kim Morin Weineck
SUMMER MORNING, VT
original pastel, 7x5"

When I returned to my room at the Amee Farm Lodge I snapped this photo of the painting. Loved the greens. There's something about the Vermont air that makes me want to make art! 

My VT painting workshop :: Aug 4th-7th, 2013

Paintings from a Vermont Farm                    
An artists’ workshop & retreat with Kim Morin Weineck

Good paintings often spring from the inspiration provided by a location.  Surrounded by mountains, fields, ripening crops, rivers, and farm life – your paintings of Amee Farm in Pittsfield, VT will be truly inspired! 

Photo courtesy Sweet Georgia P's at Amee Farm

Dates :  Sunday, August 4^th- Wednesday, August 7^th
Please arrive any time after 3:30pm on Sunday to settle into your room and get acquainted with the landscape. A welcome dinner will be provided with participant introductions at the gathering.

Schedule :  Each day begins with breakfast, followed by a painting lesson with handouts and a demonstration by the instructor. Locations for the day’s painting will be determined before breaking for lunch, which each participant is responsible for daily. On-location painting continues after the lunch break with individual instruction throughout the remainder of the day. All mediums and painting levels are welcome.

The group will convene for lively critiques of the day’s work before dinner.

Tuesday night is an extra-special Farm-to-Table dinner comprised of freshly harvested selections from Sweet Georgia P’s at Amee Farm: a perfect send-off meal together. What a treat this will be! We'll be painting from the landscape, creating still lifes of veggies and flowers from Sweet Georgia P's at Amee Farm, and then enjoying a fantastic gourmet meal that couldn't be fresher! This is the French idea of terroir at its best -- just for us!

If the weather cooperates, those interested can paint the sunrise and enjoy a brown bag picnic breakfast. Wednesday’s lesson and final painting session concludes with our last critique over a catered lunch. The workshop ends at 1:30pm on Wednesday, August 7^th. 

Photo by Katina Bentley

Lodging: Workshop participants are housed at the rustic luxury bed and breakfast, Amee Farm Lodge, just across from Sweet Georgia P’s at Amee Farm. The inn is reserved for the group solely, providing a wonderful opportunity to be immersed in the art experience alone and in collaboration with others.  Take a  look at their site for pictures of their rooms and be sure to check out their blog for some amazing photos of the landscape.

Photo courtesy of the Amee Farm Lodge website and blog

. 

*The inn offers many different rooms, some with private bath and some a semi-private bath (shared between two rooms). Rooms are granted on a first-come first-served basis. When you pay, you reserve your room choice, so reserve early!

Pricing:  $ 850 includes 3 night’s lodging and breakfast daily. A welcome dinner is provided on Sunday as well as a private Farm-to-table dinner event on Tuesday and lunch on departure day. Participants receive three days of in-depth art instruction with painting demonstrations.  Not a painter? You are welcome to join us, too. Retreat only, no instruction is $695.

To sign up or for more information, email kimweineck@gmail.com or call 508-596-0830. Thanks! 

The artist/instructor: Kim Morin Weineck is an accomplished artist who has been teaching all mediums of painting and drawing for more than a decade. Kim concentrates on the beauty of interpretive landscapes in her own work. She is a juried member of the Pastel Society of America (PSA), Signature Member of the Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod (PPSCC), among other art society memberships. Founder and Instructor of the Neponset Valley Artists (NVA), Kim holds a BFA in Fine Art, 2D from Massachusetts College of Art and Design where she graduated with distinction and found her artist-voice studying in Pont-Aven, Brittany, France. Kim has served as Gallery Director at Gallery9, Norwood, MA.

An academic approach

Recently I started studying painting from an academic standpoint more so than ever before. 

Such wealth of information is available by reading and by simply looking at great art.

Stapleton Kearns offers amazing information on his blog, and I have lifted this list of plein air painting issues he has noted are of consistent concern to his students. 

Stapleton Kearns
Lane's Island Surf, Vinalhaven

Yes, I have edited this list a bit, and added comments. Refer to his blog post here for the original, and to find a plethora of amazing information from this stellar painter. 

Plein Air Faults, originally by Stapleton Kearns, with my notes:

The painting is in all middle values with the contrasts so suppressed that the painting has no punch.

The values of the lights are confused with the values of the shadows. The lights are not consistently brighter than the shadows.

(Considerate planning and looking can fix this error. I often rely too much on instinct when painting but am now making an effort to plan more at the onset of a new work.)

No attention paid to color temperature. The picture is executed with no regard for which notes are hot and which are cool. This is particularly true with painters using three color palettes, which don't lend themselves to the expression of color temperature.

Drawing is haphazard or done without much care or delicacy.Often this happens to painters who value velocity or brushwork over drawing. Usually painters with studio backgrounds, or better still, atelier training seem to have a better grasp of drawing the landscape.This is a failure to look very closely at the landscape.

(Drawing is important, surely. I am not so disdaining of artists who 'value velocity or brushwork over drawing' but for me, that is up to the painter.)

Designs that are overly symmetrical or too"stock". 

An uncomfortable closeness to the nearest objects in the painting. 

(Sometimes this is truly effective in pushing the space in a work. My students hear about this all the time during my critiques of their work.)

A line which seizes the viewer in the foreground and directs them into a collision with the side of the frame rather than into and through the picture

An underpainting in a hideous and assertive color that poisons every note laid on top of it. This is usually explained as something a previous teacher ( who was REALLY good!) had insisted was the only way to do things.

(I may be an advocate of this 'hideous and assertive' underpainting color. I like it!)

Every color in the painting is as bright and saturated as it can possibly be painted. 

A cursory "that's good enough" effort without a real intent to create something special. The painting is banged out in a short period of time and without much reference to nature or an attempt to design or bring anything personal or original to the presentation.


It's a great list with tons of food for thought. 

When I'm at my sketchbook, I'll be considering all of it!