GIVING YOURSELF THE GIFT OF A WORKSHOP

Several years ago I wrote an article in one of my newsletters about why one should sign up for a workshop.   Today, I am updating my thoughts and publishing them here, in my blog.  I still strongly believe that a signing up for a workshop is a special gift that you can give to yourself, and I am presenting six reasons for doing this:

When I ask other artists, or my students, if they are interested in taking a workshop, the most common response is, “Why do I need a workshop?  I’m already in a class!”  My answer is that classes and workshops are very different.  Classes make up a small component of your busy day.  I watch students run off to meetings and lunches and doctor appointments.  The magical calm of the class is evaporated even before he or she is out my door.  A workshop, on the other hand, offers a dedicated block of time for painting, away from the stresses of ordinary life.  The additional hours allotted to painting each day make it possible for you to nurture your own creative abilities in a way that is not feasible in class.  Workshops nudge you into “the zone” for artistic growth.

Workshops are comprised of small groups of like-minded students, where you will be painting, eating and living together during the week.  Workshops give you the opportunity to network with other artists. During this time, workshop artists will be learning from each other and supporting each other.  Often, long-lasting friendships are made based on these shared experiences.

As a workshop participant, you will be learning in a small, comfortable environment.  You will be challenged, excited and pushed out of your comfort zone.  Workshops help you grow as an artist.  Experienced painters may achieve new artistic “highs”, while beginner painters will find the workshop to be a nurturing place with plenty of individual attention.

Workshops offer a dedicated block of time for intense artistic study.  Workshops are able to stimulate your creativity in new and positive ways.  For artists who have “hit a wall”, their creative energies can be recharged.  Only through a daily influx of intensive painting can an artistic block be shattered and creative spirits renewed.

Often workshops are located in different locations, offering the students an opportunity to travel to new sites.  One of the workshops that I teach each summer is located in southern Vermont in the rustic Landgrove Inn.  Nestled in a small valley within the Green Mountain National Park, the Inn offers unsurpassed scenery and superb facilities in its InView Center for the Arts studio.  Workshop participants have an amazing opportunity to paint new sights and scenes.

Finally, artists will enjoy a feeling of accomplishment at the end of the workshop.  Each workshop is a prescribed period of time, during which there is a natural ebb and flow to the study of fine arts.  By the time the workshop has come to an end, participants will have mastered some new skills and completed tasks and paintings.  My summer Vermont workshop has a student art show on its final evening.  I love seeing the proud faces of artists holding up their paintings as I snap some photos…each one smiling and saying, “I did it!”

This will be my sixth year teaching a workshop at the Landgrove Inn in southern Vermont.  My workshop is watercolor with yoga, and it is designed for beginner and intermediate painters (Monday, July 25th, through Thursday, July 28th, 2016).  There are still some seats left if you ‘d like to join us.  For more information, call my studio at 973.403.9374, or log onto my website at www.margiesamuelswatercolor.com.

Fungus Among Us……When Mold Invades Your Palette

Some artists have had the experience of opening their watercolor palettes, anticipating a productive painting session ahead, only to find fuzzy grey mounds of mold growing on some of the pigments.  Several of my students approached me, palette in hand, asking for a remedy. And so this blog post was born…

The grey and white molds that you might see on the paint pigments are fungus spores.  Spores like these will grow and flourish provided these four conditions are met: darkness, warmth, moisture and a compatible substance to call home. If spores can find a closed palette, freshly misted with water, kept in a warm room, it is possible for growth. In this case, the spores are embedding in the gum arabic.  Gum arabic is the sap from the acacia tree; it is used as a natural binding agent for most professional grade watercolor paints, allowing all the parts of the paint (like pigment, water, and other additives) to combine easily.

Nowadays, most professional grade paint also includes an antifungal additive in the mixture; often this is enough to circumvent the mold problem.  However, some artists purposely try to interfere with the mold process by letting their paints dry well, leaving off the palette covers, or storing their palettes in a cool place, such as the refrigerator. Those who regularly follow these practices are often convinced that they are beating the mold problem.

Occasionally, molds will grow no matter what measures an artist tries.  What should be done then?  Some painters have said to mix the mold up with the paint and use it that way.  This is not a good choice, as molds can alter the colors, be transferred on your brushes and grow on your painting.  Once molds have sprouted on a painting, only a professional fine arts conservationist can alleviate the problem.

Others have suggested washing your palette with an anti-mold liquid. White vinegar has been offered, though most would say that vinegar is more destructive than beneficial to the paint.  Another artist proposes to use a small dab of Pine-Sol on a paper towel to clean out his pan wells periodically, though the effect of Pine-Sol on paint pigments is not clear.  Finally, other painters have written about using either denatured alcohol or distilled water to clean the affected paint wells, neither of which are proven treatments.

Winsor & Newton suggests instead that the affected paint wells be cleaned out thoroughly and washed with a diluted solution of Dettol liquid.  Dettol is a topical antiseptic disinfectant that is gentle to your paint pigments. 

So, if the dreaded molds pop up on your palette, try the Dettol liquid.  I also welcome any other solutions that you have might have tried to either prevent or rid mold from occurring.

My Mentor’s Mentor

Not too long ago, my acupuncturist was heading to China where he would hear a lecture given by his “Grandmentor”.  I had never heard that term before, and when I asked, the explanation was that in the Chinese culture, there is a direct connection between your teacher and those that taught him or her.  

I thought about this mentoring connection recently when I went to see the Hans Hofmann show at the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Connecticut.  The Bruce Museum is a lovely gem, set near the water in what was once a private estate.  The museum exhibits an eclectic array of objects and artwork, ranging from animals and dinosaurs, to Indian artifacts, rocks and fine arts.  The show I went to see was “Walls of Color: the Murals of Hans Hofmann”, at the museum through September 6th, 2015.  Though the focus of this exhibit is the few tiled murals that Hofmann created, the show also includes some of his paintings and drawings.

Hofmann holds a unique position in the development of American abstract contemporary painting. A German artist born in 1880, Hofmann was painting in Europe at the time of the cubists, including Henri Matisse and Paul Cezanne.  In 1930 Hofmann travelled to the United States to teach at the University of California at Berkeley; he ended up migrating to New York City within a few years and continued to reside permanently on the East Coast where he would teach and show his work.

Most important, Hofmann taught many of the artists who were to become part of the Abstract Expressionist movement of the 1940s and 1950s, including Willem DeKooning, Larry Rivers, Wolf Kahn and Peter Grippe.  And Peter Grippe was my first art mentor. 

Peter Grippe (1912 – 2002) is known for his abstract sculptures, but he also produced ink drawings, watercolor paintings and etchings.  At Brandeis University in the 1970s, I took classes with him every year, studying basic and life drawing, etching and sculpture under his guidance.  By my senior year I was one of the TAs (teaching assistants) in his studio.  And though I consider myself to be a painter, I have to credit Peter Grippe as my first mentor with teaching me the foundations of the fine arts as well as a love of creativity. 

During those years Grippe talked frequently about Hans Hofmann, and even kept a beat up book of Hofmann’s drawings and etchings in the studio.  So, as I walked through the Hofmann show, I was very aware of the “Grandmentor” relationship.  But what did that mean to me?

I looked for the threads that tied generations of artists together.  Hofmann was noted for using geometric shapes, including squares and rectangles, in many of his abstract paintings.  These same shapes became three-dimensional in Grippe’s works.  Hofmann employed vibrant, deep colors in his artwork, not being timid about using a rich color palette.  This trait, too, is clearly seen in many of Grippe’s paintings.

But did the thread continue to me?  Grippe stressed the importance of using  clean compositions, where shapes are pared down and frivolities are left off.  He showed me about finding a focus (“Give me something to look at,” he would say) and enhancing that focus so that it can serve as a center of interest. Grippe always searched out the light in any piece, noting the cool shadows and glints of warmth. I look over my artwork and see that I have taken these lessons to heart.  My compositions tend to be simple without extra fuss: moreover, I usually employ a focus and a visual pathway for my viewers to follow.  I learned from Grippe to jump into my palette and not be afraid to use deep juicy colors, many of which I could almost trace with my finger right to Hofmann’s palette.  

I never met Hans Hofmann; in fact, he died in 1966, years before I went to Brandeis as a fine arts major.  Yet, Hofmann’s influence on Grippe and ultimately on me is clear.  The thread has lengthened from Hofmann as the teacher of American Abstract Expressionists, now to me, and I am fortunate to have him as my “Grandmentor”.

IMAGES (Above): 

'The Gate', 1959-1960, collection: Solomon R.  

'Incan-Mayan' by Peter Grippe, 1944.

'Berkshires Audobon Property' by Margie Samuels, 2013.

Why Go to a Small Museum?

So often we all go to visit the large city-based museums and  ignore the smaller museums that dot our own suburban towns.  These smaller museums are true gems not to be overlooked.   Recently I was at the Rose Art Museum on the campus of Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.  Though I am a graduate of Brandeis, it had been years since I stepped into the Rose, and I was pleasantly surprised at the art hanging on its walls as well as the sophisticated curating of its shows. 

The Rose Art Museum, founded in 1961, is now under the very capable direction of Christopher Bedford.  Bedford came aboard a few years ago, following an unfortunate decision made by then Brandeis President Jehuda Reinharz to sell the art in the Rose Museum (worth about $350 million then) to alleviate the university’s financial troubles.  A lawsuit was file by the Rose Art Museum and its supporters to save the museum.  

Reinharz ended up leaving, with Fred Lawrence replacing him; Lawrence settled the lawsuit and dismissed the plan to sell the art.  Bedford was hired to reinvigorate the museum…and reinvigorate he has done. Bedford was crucial in bringing in the unusual Chris Burden outdoor sculpture that now sits outside of the museum’s main entrance. The sculpture creates a statement and a noticeable entryway to the museum, giving the opportunity for visitors to both walk around and through the work. 

But it was what inside the museum that captivated me.  The main show I saw was about Helen Frankenthaler’s legacy, and it included pieces that she did as well as artwork by other artists who mentored her or were inspired by her.  I was particularly pleased to see the various mediums presented that Frankenthaler dabbled in, including her ungessoed oil paintings and some very large abstract watercolors.  Katy Siegal curated this show with thoughtful linkages between the pieces. 

The Helen Frankenthaler art show is now over and, in fact, the Rose is closed for the summer before it opens with new shows in the fall, including one I am particularly looking forward to on the Pop Art of the 1960s.  When curated well, these smaller museums have a voice in our art scene, and we, as artists, should all be listening.

Introducing My YouTube Channel

I am thrilled to be launching a YouTube Channel devoted to the artist who is relatively new to watercolor painting.  I have been an art instructor for many years, and I am producing short, informative videos aimed at answering some of the most common questions that I hear from my students. Hopefully these videos will be used to ease the concerns that painters often experience when they are learning this new art form.

The first of the videos presented here is entitled, “It’s So Easy Painting Greens: Mixing Greens for Watercolor Landscapes.”  In under three minutes, I discuss the way to mix some different greens (both cool and warm), as well as where in your painting you might use these colors. 

The second video, “Will My Painting Ever Be Done?” will be launched next month and will look at the issue of how does an artist know when their painting is complete. Beginner artists often overpaint their works, meaning they go on and on well beyond the point of completion.  This short video will provide viewers some tools for determining for themselves when their painting is finished.

I welcome your comments on my videos.  If you have enjoyed my brief teaching moments, why not sign up for a workshop?  In the summers, I teach at the InView Center for the Arts in Landgrove, Vermont.  In July, I am offering two workshops:

Find Your Creative Soul in Vermont……Watercolor with Yoga (Monday, July 20th through Thursday, July 23rd, 2015), This workshop is aimed at advanced beginner and intermediate painters. Each morning there will be watercolor instruction in the studio followed by plein air painting outside.  The sites are inspiring and the instruction is focused on challenging your skill level.  Before breakfast there will be optional yoga and meditation aimed at enhancing your creativity.  Click here for more information as well as registration forms.

Watercolor in a Weekend (Saturday, July 25th through Sunday, July 26th, 2015) is designed for the artist who is new to watercolor painting, or for the artist who wants a solid review of the foundation of watercolor painting.  In two days, you will get an overview to this type of painting.  Each day you will complete one small piece using the skills that you just learned.  Click here for more information as well as registration forms.

In addition, you can contact the InView Center on the Arts at www.landgroveinn.com.  Log onto the Art Workshops.  Or you can call the Landgrove Inn directly at 800-669-8466.  See you in Vermont!

What the Heck is Yupo?

The tools that watercolor artists use are simple and straightforward; in addition to our paints, there are only brushes, water and paper.  So when a new product was introduced about a dozen years ago to the watercolor community, there was both interest and trepidation.  What is yupo and how would a watercolor artist use it?

During the late 1990s, yupo was created by two Japanese firms looking for an alternative surface to the traditional fiber-based papers.  The name “yupo” refers to its creation: YU is for the Misubishi Petrochemical Company, known as Misubishi Yuko in Japan; P is for paper, and O is for the Oji Paper Company.  The product was not available or manufactured in the United States until the early 2000s.

Basically, yupo is a completely recyclable, waterproof synthetic paper, made from extruded polypropylene pellets.  No part of it is taken from any tree product. Just like traditional paper, yupo is created in different weights or thicknesses.  Then it is spun onto large spools in long lengths and cut into widths from 16 inches to 66 inches.  Though yupo has many other applications, artists typically use yupo in weights comparable to 62 to 144 pounds.

So why use yupo?  The synthetic paper is extremely smooth with no man-made irregularities. Every sheet will be identical.  The yupo paper is very durable, waterproof and stain resistant; it will not tear or buckle.  Yupo has a very long shelf life.  Additionally, painting on yupo can give added texture to your work, and if you don’t like what you painted, simply wipe it clean with a moistened cloth.

However, there are some complications with painting on yupo.  Both dirt and oils can hinder the paper’s performance, including the natural oils from your own hands.  Therefore, I have started each yupo painting by wiping down the surface with a cotton ball saturated in rubbing alcohol.  I wear gloves while painting, and my non-painting hand is resting on a paper towel while I am working.

The watercolor paint remains on the surface on the yupo paper, without ever absorbing deeper like it does on traditional paper; because of this, the colors on yupo seem brighter.  Additionally, the only way for the paint to dry is by evaporation. During the drying process, I’ve watched other textures appear in the paint, especially if I am painting with extra wet pigments. 

Yupo is a surface to embrace, using it for those paintings that would best adapt to its particular traits.  Detailed paintings with layered washes may best remain on traditional fiber-based papers. However, a looser composition with intensive colors and textures would present well on yupo paper.  Yupo is definitely worth a try and who knows? Perhaps you’ll embrace it for some of your own paintings.  

Photo A shows the textures that I can easily achieve on yupo:

Photo B is a painting of the Point Lomos Lighthouse in San Diego on traditional paper:

Photo C shows the same subject on yupo:

Henri Matisse----The Cut Outs Museum of Modern Art, New York

Henri Matisse was an artist who was born in 1869 and painted in France until his death in 1954. Matisse was a sculptor, a printmaker and a draftsman, but he was known for his paintings. These oil paintings exhibited Matisse’s striking sense of color and his ability to create interesting and fluid shapes. In addition to a wide body of paintings, Matisse also created a specialized form of collage which he coined “cut outs”.  Matisse said he was “sculpting with a scissors” when he produced each cut out, showing the artist’s approach to this particular art form.

The cut out began with small pencil drawings that Matisse would do when deciding on various composition possibilities.  Then, using large sheets of pre-painted paper that his students would prepare, Matisse would attack these colored papers with his scissors.  The cut shapes would be pinned to the walls of Matisse’s studio or dining room, and the artist would move the pieces around until he was satisfied with their position.  Finally, the finished product would reveal itself and Matisse allowed the cut pieces to be glued down.  All of the cut away paper was saved.  In some cut outs, such as in Composition, Violet and Blue, the artist used the saved pieces as negative images of some of the shapes. Others cut off pieces emerged in later works as small squares of color.  Nothing was wasted.

Some of his cut outs are small, while others are very large, almost mural like in proportion. Matisse used simple images in repeating patterns and colors in a decorative manner.  In The Parakeet and the Mermaid, a larger mural, the shapes are boiled down to their simplest forms, yet these are intriguing and beguiling without being juvenile.  The huge size of the piece with its multiple-fingered seaweed makes us feel as though we, too, are below the waters.  

When Matisse painted Dance in 1909, it didn’t seem possible to break the human form down to anything more basic.  In this painting five naked people are holding hands and dancing with wild abandon to music we can’t hear.  The background is plain so that the human forms stand out against it.  Yet, in his two Blue Nudes, Matisse showed us that the figure may be even further simplified. Without seeing the details of each of these persons, we know what she is doing and feeling.  The most incredible figure cut outs are in The Swimming Pool, a large mural designed to put us, the viewers, right into the pool with everyone else.  The cut outs are all blue geometric shapes, forming parts of figures in action with water splashes. 

Some cut outs are diving, some are  sculling underwater while others are lolling in the pool. This piece has action and emotion…..and it is all done with simple pieces of blue paper on a white background.

Matisse was a diverse artist but in his later years when he could no longer paint the way he wanted, he turned to these cut outs to express himself.  I learned from this show, however, that Matisse actually made cut outs throughout his life, using this technique whenever he had a composition problem to solve.  It may help us to employ this same technique when we need to resolve composition conflicts in our own works.

In person, these cut outs have a vibrancy and illumination that cannot be translated into reproductions or fully appreciated in books.  I urge you to visit the show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.  

Henri Matisse---The Cut Outs will be available for viewing through February 8, 2015.