Youth Art Month-Linda Lane Sunset

Linda Lane Sunset

6" x 8"

oil

This is another one of the small oil paintings, part of my homework from the Plein Aire Painting Workshop in Calvert. We get to see some really nice sunsets beyond the oak tree and across the open field across the street.

I did this one last week and, already, the new leaves are covering a lot of my view.

As I painted, I used V....Vaughan's limited palette of primary colors, plus white. Which is what you really need to make all the other colors. And I kept in mind what I watched her do as she painted those early morning sunrises in Calvert.

If you are familiar with Harry Ahysen's work, her colors remind me so much of what he used. In his workshops, we asked him what colors he used to get those magnificent pinks and purples. He laughed and said, "Oh, you mean Pepto Bismol Pink and that new Spanish color, Jello!" See, that stuck with me through all these years. I can't remember what he said about purple, though. I think that was stuck in the sentence somewhere.

Ahysen's paintings just glowed, too. I think it was his use of mediums. He mixed 3 mediums together, Grumbacher Medium #3 (or was it #2!), Copal, and something else that I never can remember until I see it in a catalogue. He also used some Liquin.

So far, I've just been using low odor turpentine, as V.... directed when we were outside painting. And I have been using some of the Max II paints, with Bob Ross Titanium White and Cad Yellow Light. I need to use my Liquin before it dries up, like a lot of other things that I have!

We found that the Max II paints dry out a lot faster, especially outside, making them hard to handle at times. I had to use a lot of turnpentine to make them move on the canvas. Otherwise, it was like trying to paint with sticky chewing gum!

The idea of the Max II paints was to keep the odor down since they clean with water instead of turpentine. But, they can be used with any medium or thinner, just like regular oil paints. So, we end up with some fumes anyway.

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I've learned that the circus will be in town on the day of the Sketch Crawl, Saturday April 11. Ringling Brothers will have a one ring circus show with animals and perfomers at Reed Arena, ending on the 11th. They will be here several days before that.

This might be a possibility of a place to draw, at least for a little while, during the Crawl.

Of course, you have to buy a ticket to get into the circus, but there might be an opportunity to just watch from outside and do some sketching of people and any circus performers who happen by. Just a thought.

Let me know if you want to join us for the Sketch Crawl. And if you have some ideas about getting more people involved and where we might work. We're going to start here in downtown Bryan. A group can also start at Mud Creek Pottery in Calvert.

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One more thing about Sketch Crawl. If you would like an official Sketch Crawl t-shirt, they are available on the Sketch Crawl website. http://www.sketchcrawl.com They are not required, but I thought it was a neat idea. There is time to order one if you want one for the event.

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Go over to the Art Center in College Station to see the Art Show of work by area Art Teachers. Look at my sidebar for more information. You can also attend the reception at the Art Center to honor the teachers. Check the Arts Council of Brazos Valley calendar for more information.

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Plan to go downtown Bryan Friday evening for First Friday. Lots of art, music, food, entertainment, and activities are being planned for all to enjoy. Check out the Downtown Bryan Association website and The Frame Gallery website for more information.

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Thanks for reading and sharing!

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