Grand Prix show still on-

It was raining on our outdoor painting day, Tuesday, so we headed inside the Seine Net Loft and painted inside. The front part of this building has a museum display and the back part continues the display of paintings from the Grand Prix last Saturday. I had decided to not work in acrylics as I was also going to spend some time going through the receipt books, getting ready for writing the cheques for the artists. So, I picked this artful arrangement of a net with its floats and worked in pen and ink . Then I added colour with water-soluble wax crayons - Cretacolor- and then used water for  a simple little sketch.  I may do some other outdoor work with these materials - and I think I'll do some Life Drawing this way for a change of pace for awhile. Some of the others were much more ambitious and painted the scene out the window. I settled for a few photos and I may try a larger studio painting later, of that scene. In spite of the rainy day, a lot of people came through to see the paintings. With more artists painting this year, we were fortunate that this venue was finished and we are able to use it. There has been a lot of good response to the show - and to the Grand Prix event in general. Wow! this was the fifth year!

plein air painting

 Summer  weather is still with us and plein air painting continues - although I've already decided some were not up to snuff and I've painted over them!  This is one that needed a little fine-tuning as I didn't have time to complete it. I ended up taking  out a cart and adding the tractor to this view painted in Vancouver's Southlands. Summer greens are a challenge - and there is so much of it!  I think I prefer Spring and Fall for painting colours but you can't beat summer weather for actually being outdoors.  This past week, the group did not paint as we had a day tied up delivering paintings to Hollyburn Country Club where the paintings will be displayed for September and October.  We will continue to paint through September so we should be well-primed for the Grand Prix of Art which takes place September 20th. The difference between it and "regular" outdoor painting is that the artist doesn't totally pick the subject. With "regular" painting you choose where you will position yourself and what you will paint. When we are in a group, we are only in the same general area, not all focused on the same scene. With the Grand Prix, the artist pulls a location and has to be within thirty feet of the marked (by a tent) spot. Of course, there is still some choosing - which direction to look? -an all-over view - or a close-up of a detail? Then, even if two people painted exactly the same thing, the paintings would be different because each artist brings his or her own feelings to the scene. And that's just for starters- each one would see colours a little differently and  choose and mix them differently as well as using brushstrokes in an individual way. One artist might start on a white canvas while the other might prefer an under-painting -or "imprimatura" if you prefer that term. One might use glazes, another not.  Then- one might be painting in acrylics while the other might choose oil or watercolour- all with different results. When I look at the photo I often take - just in case I want to check up on something later in the studio (or substitute a tractor for a cart)- I am often surprised to see how ordinary - or even uninteresting- the photo is, compared to the life that the painting has. But then- isn't that some of the value of art? We help people see the beauty in what might otherwise seem to be an ordinary subject.

Grand Prix of Art

September the 21st was the Grand Prix of Art and it was pouring rain the night before and, although sunny in the morning, the hourly forecast looked grim with thundershowers predicted for 11 am - one hour into painting time. However,  that forecast was wrong and we had a wonderful "summer" day. Lovely fresh air, enough sun for nice shadows- a perfect day for a plein air competition. I had a 12 x 16 canvas and an 8 x 24  one. I drew location #1 which is out by Garry Point. After spending some time peering through my viewfinder to see which direction I'd look in and which shape I would use, I decided to go with the tall narrow canvas so I could have lots of sky. I painted the rocks and driftwood along the shore leading up to the fishermen's memorial. It is like a needle for mending nets.
It was a beautiful day with lots of people out walking. Many were interested in the Grand Prix and quite a few had been looking forward to it. I was set up ready for the whistle at 10 am and managed to complete it before the 1pm whistle. I had pre-wired it and did not frame it- just painted the edges - so it was ready to turn in for judging. Then we got lunch,had entertainment, and got all the results.  Stephen Chen had been at tent #1 with me and painted in the opposite direction- he was looking at the river mouth and I was looking towards Vancouver Island. His was the top award as picked by the judges. However, I was fortunate to sell my painting. It isn't the actual sale that matters as much as the fact that someone likes it enough to buy it. There was a great turn-out to see the paintings - and lots of people came out in the rain today to see and buy paintings too. The popularity of this event continues to grow. This was the fourth year. - and a really successful one.

September Art News

Digby wanted to be a colourful black cat, just like his sister Isabella in a previous post and on the August newsletter- so here he is. He is a very sweet little cat although a bit high-maintenance at times. He got scared by a dog the other week and went up a tree before realizing that he doesn't have the greatest balance as he has no proper tail. He  has condensed vertebrae and has no real neck either and is generally a bit boxy looking. So he had to be rescued.  A few nights later, he was keeping me company in my studio when he heard the new neighbour's dog bark. Digby growled to express his opinion of dogs in general.
Next major event is the Grand Prix of Art- billed as the top painting event  of the year in Richmond. It really is. As many as 100 artists will be out painting in a three-hour "race" at locations that have been drawn by lottery. I keep hoping I'll get Prickly Pear nursery and I carry kibbles in my pocket  to bribe the resident cats to pose - but no luck so far!  The public can walk around Steveston to see the artists in action and then view the finished paintings at the Bunkhouse in Britannia Shipyards afterward. The "race" day is September 21 and painting is from 10am to 1pm. The Gulf of Georgia Cannery whistle will be set to blow again at 1pm.( It blows every day at 12 noon. )There are prizes awarded by judges as well as a People's Choice award that won't be known until the exhibit finishes on the 29th. There is more information at www.grandprixofart.com

Grand Prix of Art

Last weekend's Grand Prix of Art was a great success with over 65 artists in the "race"- three hours to complete a painting once you get your luck-of-the-draw location.  We had good weather - although a little flat lighting- and lots of volunteers helping things run smoothly.  I'm not into marathon walking yet, since the hip replacement, so when I asked about parking, Mike Rossiter said he'd make me a sign. Sure enough, there it was at the parking lot- so I felt very privileged!  I ended up drawing a spot right at Britannia. Jenny Taylor, who had broken a bone in her foot, was in the same spot so we joked that only people with walking aids were allowed there.  We had fun as some things in our view were taken down and more pennants were added. It felt good to be out painting again - and then we had a great lunch provided by Bean And Beyond.

Art in public

Last night we did our Life Drawing with a draped model at the Art Centre- down in the foyer. This was for Cultural Days. We attracted a fair crowd of watchers and a couple who tried their hands at drawing with us. We had the light on the model but the lighting for we artists was not so good- so it was a bit of "drawing in the dark" - but an improvement over "painting in the rain" which was how we started out at the Grand Prix. Since then, I've noodled a bit on the plein air painting - changed the colour of the sky and added crows- just to have a bit of fun with it---- and because I felt the foreground needed something. So here is the result.

Grand Prix of Art- Steveston

The "sun dance" a volunteer said that she did for us, must have worked because we had a beautiful day for the first annual Grand Prix. For next year, I have ideas for improving the registration procedure - but, we did it and got everyone through on time! I had a bit of a time adjusting from my organizing part of the brain to the artistic section- and no time to go anywhere but stay at Britannia- but I did paint and had a bit of fun. I just painted two other artists in action. No masterpiece, but passersby enjoyed the concept. Everyone did a great job and the judges had difficulty choosing. All the results are on the website - www.grandprixofart.com ....so, here I am in a floppy Tilley hat, collapsed on the "stage" with my stuff all spread out. Not so sure if I'll post the resulting painting or not!