Competition + Camaraderie = Creativity!

The year 2015 has been a great year for me in several ways:  I've produced some of my best work and have participated in 3 plein air events, each one different in their own way:

 

Event #1 - April 2015:  The Outdoor Painters Society's juried membership show "Plein Air Southwest Salon" hosted by Southwest Gallery in Dallas. This annual event presents plein air paintings completed in the previous calendar year.  OPS members submit up to 3 entries to a jury panel.  On average, more than 300 paintings are submitted with the jury accepting around 200.  Accepted artists compete for $20,000 in cash and merchandise awards.  The juror this year was Phil Starke of Arizona - great talent and a good eye for excellence.  I had 4 paintings in the show - didn't win an award, but just being a part of the event was award enough for me.

 

Event #2 - June 2015:  Paint Historic Waxahachie - This tenth annual paint out event is open to any artist working in the plein air tradition.  I'm the organizer of this event so I "wear 2 hats"; I'm "event staff" AND a participant.   One of my paintings was awarded 2 place by this year's juror, Deborah Paris.

 

Event #3 - July 2015:  Plein Air Easton - this event is rated as the #1 plein air competition in the nation.  I was honored to be one of only 58 artists selected to participate in the 10 day paint out event.  I loaded up my little Kia SUV and drove 1400 miles to Easton, Maryland - on the eastern shore across the Chesapeake Bay from Washingto0n DC.  It took me 2 days - 22 hours - to get there. 

 

The result of the events:  Re-acquainted with artists I haven't seen in a while,  met and became friends with artists whose work I've followed and admired, and  - best of all - produced 20 new paintings.

 

Competing against the best painters in plein air events is exhausting, frustrating, exhilarating, .......and productive.  I probably do my best work in competition situations and get into a "creative zone".  What fuels my creativity is being surrounded by really talented professionals that are an inspiration to me.   Competition events aren't for everyone - and it's perfectly alright if an artist doesn't want to participate.  They travel their own creative path with other painters of like minds who simply enjoy painting outdoors.  Absolutely nothing wrong about that!

 

I'll have the month of August and 1st part of September to "re-group" before I leave for Kerrville, TX to teach a 3-day watercolor workshop, then participate in another paint out competition the 1st week in October, Kerrville Outdoor Painting Event.  I'm an alternate for En Plein Air Texas in San Angelo the last week of October - I don't want to wish ill on anyone, but I sure do hope there are cancellations so I can participate!  In the meanwhile, I'll share some of the paintings completed in the past couple of months....under the pressure of competition  All these paintings were completed in 2 to 4 hours, alla prima (all in one go) - no adjustments after leaving the painting location:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 These paintings and many others are in my Plein Air Gallery on my website - check them out!

www.tinabohlman.com

 

 

Waxahachie Historic Jail

I spent the last 6 weeks of 2014 completing commissions that were for giving at Christmas.  The most challenging of my commissions is The Old Jail in Waxahachie  -  a beautifully restored building that is now privately owned by a law firm.  The following images are brief documentations of 3 stages of completion.  

This is the final drawing of the building.  With watercolor, the artist does not have the luxury of being able to "wipe off" mistakes or paint over a passage to make any changes.  An experienced watercolorist can make minor changes but for the most part, once a stroke of paint is applied, it's difficult to change after it dries.  At the onset, the original drawing is critical and requires a lot of "adjustments" in the process - erasing & re-drawing.  I use tracing paper because it erases easily and if I decide to completely change the composition, I can trace parts of the drawing I want to keep onto a new sheet of paper. 

After I completed the drawing, I transferred it onto a sheet of  300 lb. Arches watercolor paper.  To make the transfer, I use a "wax-free" graphite paper - an artist's "carbon paper".  I place the graphite sheet between the watercolor paper and the drawing (on the tracing paper), then tape the tracing paper drawing in 2 or 3 places to keep it from "shifting" during the transfer process.  In the above photo, you can see my photo reference displayed on a 22" computer monitor.  I refer to the photo reference during the painting process mainly for accuracy of color and building details.

This photo shows the initial layer of color; I painted the sky first then base colors of the brick & roof. and established the shape of the trees, adding the top of the courthouse "peeking" through. (the courthouse is actually a block away). From this point on, through to completion, I work all areas of the painting independently.

The Old Jail - 12 x 12 Watercolor

The above photo is the completed painting.  By comparing it to the previous image, you can see that I deepened values as much as 50 to 75% more in areas to offset the light values in the trees, building, and shadows.  The only area remaining untouched from the very beginning is the sky.   Throughout the painting, laying in  washes of stronger values suggesting a light source of sunshine in a bright blue Texas sky.

I delivered the painting to my client a few days before Christmas...and she said it was perfect...especially with the little "surprise" of the courthouse peeking through the trees.  I love my job! 

Awesome October:

October has always been a busy month for me and 2014 was no exception.  October 1st through 4th, I participated in the Kerrville (TX) Outdoor Painting Event.  I truly enjoy participating in KOPE; the scenery in and around Kerrville is magnificent.  Another reason I enjoy it is because I have a cousin living only 10 miles from the event and I get to spend time with her & her husband too.  The show is always a good one for me as far as sales and this year I not only sold well, but I won an honorable mention as well.

"Cialis"  8 x 10 Watercolor

 

This painting is a result of driving through an old junk yard looking for something "interesting".  Off the main trail through the yard I spied these 2 old tubs; the light was just right.  It won the "Best Junk" award! Even though it's a good painting, I think the title "Cialis" helped with the judge's decision :-)

 

 

The last week of October I was 1 of only 33 juried artists to participate in En Plein Air Texas in San Angelo, Texas.  What a wonderful 1st year event!  The organizers provided the artists with host families (saved $$ for lodging), and a catered lunch every day!  Every evening, there was a "gathering" with food & drink.  My host family, Tommy and Janet Lay were absolutely wonderful! During the day for a week, we painted on 2 private ranches and throughout historic downtown San Angelo. The event's "Gala" on Friday night was attended by more than 200 collectors

 and they were very generous with their pocketbooks.  The juror of awards, Steve Doherty, Editor of Plein Air Magazine, awarded my painting "Low Water Crossing" with 3rd place honors!

Low Water Crossing - Dove Creek - SOLD

14 x 11 Oil

 

Below are  2 more paintings completed on location in October:

 

"Conchita's Mexican Grill"  (downtown Kerrville, TX)

12x12 Watercolor - SOLD

"Yellow Truck" (alley in downtown San Angelo, TX)

8 x 10 Watercolor - gift to my hosts, Tommy & Janet Lay

 







The Rio Grande River - My View

This past Spring I visited Big Bend National Park with the sole intent to create as many "color studies" as I could.  In the 5 days there, I spent almost as much time driving (it's a really BIG park!) as I did painting.  One never knows what kind of weather conditions will be encountered but out of all the trips I've made to this magnificent remote corner of West Texas, the weather while I was there was perfect; clear skies, no wind, 80 degrees.....a plein air painter can't ask for much more than that!

This location is along the Rio Grande north of Terlingua, Texas at a tourist attraction known as the Contrabando Move Set. This is looking easterly with the sun about 10 o'clock high which created a "back lit" view of the cliffs across the river on the Mexico side. 

I want to share the "before & after" of this painting. I rarely make any adjustments until I can get it back into the studio....and upon review back in the studio, I seldom make any changes; the purpose for working on location is to record accurate color, values and capture the "atmosphere". So, having said all that, the first image ("Before") is without any adjustments in color, value or composition changes.  Very often, when looking "into the sun" for 2 hours, it literally makes you unable to "see".

"BEFORE"

 

"AFTER"



"Up River View - The Rio Grande"

9x12 Oil on Paper





In the studio I could see where adjustments were needed in value as well as intensity of color.  The cliffs in the "before" image were too strong in color as well as value so I "grayed" the color to soften them.  Changing the cliffs made it necessary to rework the foreground a little by muting the colors to a darker value and raising the value in the mid-distance so the willows appear to be in full sun.  I also changed the tree color in right foreground to be less "orange" and set them more in shadow.  I'm still not sure I'm finished with this one, but it's getting there.  I'll set it aside for a few days then look at it again with "fresh eyes".  I think this painting could be my reference for a larger studio piece....we'll see!

Painting In Big Bend National Park

A couple of weeks ago, I spent 5 absolutely awesome days with 30 other artists in Big Bend National Park.  This is the 4th time in as many years that I've been there, and every time I discover new places to paint.  My favorite hang out is anywhere along the Rio Grande River or in the Ghost Town of Terlingua just outside the park.

Along the Rio Grande River - Day 1

Above & below:  Day 2 - the painting & my value sketch

 

Above & Below:  Day 3 - On the Rio Grande River

 

 Day 5 - Ghost Town Terlingua - Old wagon on edge of town with Chisos mountain range in background

 

During the 5 days of painting I completed 6 paintings. The weather was perfect for painting:  cool and clear mornings, followed by warm afternoons.  I'd begin the day layered with 2 shirts & a jacket.  By noon I was painting in just a t-shirt.  There was a lot more water in the river this year than in years past and the color was spectacular ranging from bright white sparkle as it flowed over rocky shallow areas to deep waters of blue, yellow & green.   The 4 paintings pictured here as well as 2 other studies will be used as source for larger studio paintings.  Keep an eye on my website; new paintings will be posted as they're completed.  www.tinabohlman.com



During the week of March 22 thru 29, I'll be painting in a local paint out competition in Terrell, TX - and on April 5, I'll participate in a Quick Draw competition with Outdoor Painters Society. Check back soon for more new plein air paintings!

Tools Of The Trade

The weather the past couple of days has made it impossible to paint on location - actually, I haven't left my house in 3 days! I used the 1st day cleaning my studio - the 2nd day was spent re-organizing & sorting out plein air paintings to use as source for larger work.  Sometimes I forget that I have plenty of subject matter right here in the studio. If you follow my work, you know that I don't do many still life paintings.  This one started out as a quick sketch just to "warm up"....and it started to develop so well that I decided to put a little more effort into it. 

 

"Tools Of The Trade"

11/14 Watercolor

Initially, I started with the cup, then I decided to put brushes into it - then I thought it needed a tube of paint.  After all that, I decided to put the cup in a window with just a hint of trees in the distance.

The cup, by the way is my favorite; an Artists Of Texas mug.  Anyway, many of my studio works begin with just an idea - nothing special in mind; just "doodling".  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  This time I think it did.....what do you think? 



FAST WATER - Oil on Paper

Fast Water - 9x12 Oil 

 Last week I traveled to Estes Park, Colorado to attend the Women Artists Of The West exhibit in the Cultural Arts Gallery - (Very proud to have 3 paintings accepted into the show).  The itinerary for exhibiting artists was a full one, but I was able to "escape" up into Rocky Mountain National Park for about 4 hours.  On my last trip to RMNP about 5 years ago, I remembered a pull-off on Bear Lake Road where I could have easy access to the Big Thompson River.  This is a painting I've been thinking about for 5 years. The river was running a lot faster than I remember it before - a lot of snow melt still making it's way downstream. Above is the finished plein air painting after several changes.  Below are a couple of photos of the work "in process".

On the banks of the Thompson River  (Photo taken before changes)

 It didn't take me long to decide that the colors in the background were too "high key".  I scraped the greenish yellow off and applied muted greens - the photograph doesn't show much color in the water; a lot of brown and green rocks just below the surface- so I added more under-tones.

Detail of Boulders before changes

 I carry a can of Krylon Quick Dry for oil paintings, an acrylic spray finish - a quick coat allows me to paint a new layer or apply a glaze within minutes.  I didn't like the shape or design of the big boulders - they seemed to distract from the water.  After breaking up the big rocks into different shapes and "pushing" them more into the background, it was time to add the "fast water" and try to capture the power of this magnificent river.

Detail of Boulders after changes

Detail of Water

In order to keep the white "foam" from mixing with color already there, I applied another coat of Quick Dry.  This stuff really works great - in about 5 minutes, I was able to paint in the white water and apply soft glazes in the foreground to give the illusion of the water running by in a blur.  Painting moving water is a challenge to say the least.

  I wanted to show and discuss the changes I made after the first layers of color.  I made decisions that would result in a good composition and "tell the story"...FAST WATER!