Amelia Island part 2 and fall paintings

This is SanJon Gallery in Fernandina Beach on Amelia Island, Fl.

Here is the shot of Sandy Hinton and me in front of some of her wonderful works in her gallery I talked about last week. Sandy paints in acrylic and watercolor. She had a painting in the Tennessee Watercolor Society exhibit this year. I put links to her work and the gallery in last time. I hope to show a few tropical paintings in her gallery during October. Amelia will be a great place for the workshop. Lots of interesting things to paint!

I don't know why I couldn't load my photos last week, but I think the computer is trying to tell me something. I think I have every photo on it that I have ever shot with a digital. HMMM- time for a cleaning?

This week in the studio I have been working on fall landscapes. Never too early to get ready for fall shows! My concern has always been how to keep fall landscapes from looking like "Kmart", excuse me, but the contrast of reds, oranges, and yellows, with greens and browns can be too much. I credit Diane Johnson with getting me in the North Carolina mountains one fall to paint foliage. Her advice was to mix a complement with the colors. Since the sap is going away, so is the color, so you need to dull it. Only where the sun hits directly on upturned leaves would there be a brighter hue. I try to keep that in mind when painting fall scenes.

Get out and enjoy the summer while you can!

Durinda

Around Amelia

We have just returned from a long weekend on Amelia Island, Fl. Our visit had a dual purpose: I wanted to check out spots to paint in October when I teach a painting workshop, and Bill wanted a little R & R which included good seafood. So, we managed to do both.

Sandy Hinton, artist and owner of SanJon Gallery in Fernandina, is formerly from North Georgia. She was a founding member of In Town Gallery, the artist co-op in Chattanooga, a past president of Tennessee Watercolor Society, and a signature member of National Watercolor Society. Sandy's gallery is in the historic section of town in a house built in the 1800's. Sandy was very helpful in giving me ideas of places to paint and Bill places to eat. You can see her work on her website: www.sandrabaker-hinton.com and check out the gallery: www.ameliasanjongallery.com. Sandy does a lot of work with the endangered sea turtles, helping the babies to get to the water and keeping an eye on the nests. Seems everything likes turtle eggs!

Fernandina has 50 blocks of old Victorian era houses and commercial buildings. I was able to paint a row of houses on Friday morning by standing on the sidewalk across the street, under a tree. It is nice when a town has wide sidewalks and some shade! I tried to download my photos for you, but I think my camera was set on large file and they were too large to use. I will have to work on that! My new Nikon D80 is great, I love the clarity and playing with my zoom lens, but the manual is like a textbook and I haven't gotten very far!

Another wonderful feature of the area is the marshlands. I love them! I can't wait to see them in October when they will be golden. We saw pink spoonbills on Saturday. From the road they looked as bright as flamingos. Beautiful! It was also pretty amazing that the island had a sunrise view on the Atlantic side and a sunset view over the Amelia River. So much to paint and so little time! It will be hard to decide what to paint in October!

The regular classes at Happy Painters start soon. I am excited to see what everyone has been working on this summer.

Off to paint now!
Durinda

New Gallery Space Idea in Chattanooga

A new idea in creating gallery space has opened in Chattanooga. Charline West, wife of artist Terry A. West, has partnered with Eastgate Town Center to show and sell artwork within the corporate space. Eastgate was the original mall of the area and now houses several large companies and medical offices. Charline met one of the owners and director, Hoss Baghay, who expressed interest in placing art within the space after he commissioned paintings from Terry for his home. Charline, the business mind of the partnership, saw the opportunity to showcase professional work. She has invited artists of varying styles and mediums to be part of the new Spence Gallery.

Artists include Sandy Bose, oils; Judith Briton, pastels; Helen Burton, watercolors; Durinda Cheek, oils; Jere Chumley, acrylics; Valerie Fleming, photography; Carolyn Kaufman, mixed-media; Will Rhodarmer, acrylics; Sandy Washburn, acrylics; and Terry Wes, watercolors and acrylics. I am honored to be a part of this fine group of artists from all around the region!

The best part is the artwork is available to the public seven days a week, plenty of free parking, good lighting, and plenty of space to view the work. Every tag shows the contact person on site available for sales. Charline has thoughts of placing a million dollars worth of original art! For those who don't want to go into a "gallery" setting, for those who want to see a variety of work under one roof, and for those who work the same time that other galleries are open, this space will be ideal for shopping for art! Isn't it wonderful when the corporate world wants to support the arts!

Back to painting!
Durinda

Floral Painting Workshop Coming July 31 & Aug 1!

I will be leading a two-day workshop in painting flowers at the Happy Painters Studio on Lookout Mountain. This is a class that I have been thinking about since teaching the Sketching Callaway workshop in April. I envision lots of flowers on a center table with artists circled around it. We will begin with sketching individual flowers to explore the structures. Next, we will work with composition, different techniques, and color with setups. Each artist will complete a larger painting in the medium of his/her choice.

The workshop will be 10 am - 2 pm on Thursday, July 31 and Friday, August 1. Artists will need to bring their painting supplies, supports (paper or canvas), and a sketchbook with sketching pencils. Cost is $100. The class will be limited to six. You can bring a lunch or order from the Mountain Cafe. Email me to register: Durinda@Durinda.com.

Let's Paint!

Durinda

Lucky Cat is Ready for Art-a-ma-jig Auction!

This is my painting, "Lucky Cat" for the Arts and Education Council of Chattanooga's fundraiser. Lucky is based on my cat from Hawaii that Bill and I brought back from Maui. We had been in several shops there they had a cat like this. Finally, I asked what the cat meant. According to ancient legend, this cat stood in the doorway of the Gotoku-ji temple and raised her paw in the traditional Japanese beckoning gesture to a feudal lord who was passing by. The feudal lord followed the cat into the temple and instantly, a lightning bolt struck the place where the lord had been standing. Thus, the cat saved his life.
In business the cat is said to bring success. Her raised paw beckons in customers and welcomes personal happiness and harmony. I like her too, because she looks like a calico cat.

The oil painting is 10 x 8 with a gold edged floating frame. I did the reflection of the cat on the table by looking at a piece of plexiglass on the tabletop.

The theme for this year's Art-a-ma-jig is Fortune. Some of the artists that are invited to submit don't follow the themes, but I think it is fun to challenge yourself.

The auction will be Thursday, July 24, 6:00 - 8:30 pm at the Tanner Hill Gallery on South Broad Street, Chattanooga. For more information, go to www.artsedcouncil.org. Hope to see you there!
Sayonara!
Durinda

New Workshop! Architecture Drawing in the Landscape

I will be teaching a new workshop at Callaway Gardens, Pine Mountain, Georgia, September 20 & 21, 2008. "Architecture Drawing in the Landscape" is designed to teach you techniques for including three-dimensional objects in your drawings or paintings. Topics will include one and two-point perspective for drawing buildings, barns, houses, fences, etc and atmospheric perspective for creating depth. We will be drawing on-site using the structures in the Gardens. I will offer demonstrations as well as worksheets on the different techniques. No experience in drawing or painting is necessary.
Fee is $150 for the two days which includes admission into the Gardens and a discount at their resorts. I will offer all the supplies you need (yours to keep) for $25.00. If you would like to bring your watercolor or acrylic supplies, let me know. The class size is limited so everyone will get individual attention.
Registration: education@callawaygardens.org or call 706-663-5153.
If you have questions, contact me: Durinda@Durinda.com
Let's get outside and draw!
Durinda

Paintings from France

Here a few of the paintings from the Fountaine-Fourches workshop in France.

The first is a door on the barn/studio. I painted it one late afternoon when the sun was out. Then later I was able to "kick up" some values on the sunlit parts. It is oil on multi-media board that had been gessoed.

The center painting is part of the climbing rose over the pergola on the house. The window with the geraniums in the boxes is actually the room where I stayed. This was a morning painting. It is oil on Sourcetek panel.

The last painting is of a cottage in a village called Gravon. We set up to paint across the street from it. Ann, Sarah, and L.J. worked in watercolor while Anne painted in oil. Faye did a beautiful sketch of a door on another cottage and Kippy worked on the street scene in pastel. The lady of the house came out several times to see our progress. She was so nice. Kippy invited her to our final night reception and she came! I am very honored to say that all three were purchased that night. I will post a few others later to give you some idea of the picturesque landscape and architecture of the region.

One of the nicest things about staying in one place is the opportunity to work more on something when the conditions are right. Monet always worked on more than one painting at a time and would go back to work on them when the light and atmospheric conditions were the same. If the light and shadows change while you are working, stop! Sometimes you can "nail" the shadows first and get away with painting after the sun goes behind a cloud, but it is hard to remember all the colors you saw while it was shining. It is better to go back at the same time another day and finish it.

Another thing about staying in an area is you can locate the best time of day to paint. I like cast shadows when painting architecture, so I want the sun on it and behind me. One of our stops was the lovely town of Moret-sur-Loring, where Alfred Sisley painted. Our view of the river and mill was in shadow that afternoon. I had to move up the bank and to the left to see the light hitting the facade of a building across the bank and see the sunlight dancing on the water. (That will be another post!)

Hope you have a great National Holiday week and enjoy being with family and friends. I will celebrate my birthday with fireworks and a cookout. Sometimes, it pays to have a July 4 birthday!

Back to painting!

Durinda