Our View From Limoux

For ten lucky painters,"Our View from Limoux" was unforgettable.

Randy Blasquez’s first trip to France was filled with museums, Monet’s Gardens and art classes with one of her favorite teachers, Brigitte Curt.  

“I painted Monet’s gardens for a year after I returned home,” she confesses.  

On her second trip to France, last year, while in Burgundy taking art classes from another one of her favorite teachers, Ovanes Berberian, she determined that she would return the next year and teach a class of her own.  And she did!  The work resulting from that class in France will be on display in January in “Our View from The Limoux: Paint and Play in the South of France”   

Sacramento Temporary Contemporary

1616 Del Paso Boulevard

Uptown Sacramento, CA 95815

916-921-1224

Email: sactempcontemporary@gmail.com

Reception for "Our View From Limoux" - a group show featuring works by the artists inspired by the trip - will be Thursday evening, January 9th at THE TEMP.

6-9 pm

I wanted to announce this upcoming show so you could put it on your calendar. Look for the complete article and interview about last June's workshop in today's e-mail newsletter. 

2014 Workshop Dates Posted!

Oil on Linen   18x24"     $1695

"Last Light Over the River L 'Aude"

This painting will be available at a group show coming in January. I started this piece as a demo for my workshop "small to large" at Patris Studio earlier this year..and added a few final touches this week. I'll post all about this upcoming show in tomorrow's post. I hope you can join us for the reception on January 9th to see these works from our group workshop in the South of France last June!

Speaking of workshops, the schedule is posted below. Please sign up to receive my student email newsletter if you have not done so. I'll be sending out details for the workshops. Send me an email if you have any questions at all as well.

Studio Blasquez

Workshop Dates     2014

                                                                                                                                      

January 21^st and 28th             Studio Blasquez - Truckee         Introduction to Oil Painting 

February   4^th and 11^th           Studio Blasquez- Truckee       Oil Painting Basics - Beg & Intermed

February 22^nd and 23^rd           Patris Studio Sacramento         Brushwork and Color Wash Method

March 15^th and 16^th               School of Light & Color          Composition and Design Technique

April 25^th and 26^th                  Pacific Grove                          Plein Air Ocean Views –Color Wash 

May 31^st and June 1^st             Patris Studio Sacramento         Paint a Landscape from a Photograph

August 30 and 31^st                 Patris Studio Sacramento          Brushwork and Color Wash Method 

September  20 & 21st            Studio Blasquez - Truckee         Plein Air?  Brushwork and Color Wash 

October (3 day intensive)        School of Light & Color            Brushwork and Color Wash Method

 Have a Blessed Holiday Season and I'll look forward to working with you next year.

The Magic - A Quote From Richard Schmid

I love this quote from Alla Prima 2..
THE MAGIC
YOU
 You are the sum of your choices. Your job then is to make sure that your ideas about what to paint are not wholly based upon either the acceptable or the taboo, but arise instead from what honestly fascinates and stirs you. You may feel vulnerable, but I see no way around that. I assure your it is OK to feel vulnerable. It is, after all, the human condition. In any case, your thoughts (and mine) are just as valid as those of anyone else. Even though you share countless similarities with others, you are unique. No one has your mind or your feelings. They do not always notice what you notice, and do not have precisely the same sensitivities or fears. No one has the same idea of God as you. No one longs to embrace life or ponders death and beyond as you do. No one is human in the same exact way as you are.
Once you understand this, your task is to get in touch with yourself. Find out what moves you, what you believe in, and what you truly understand about life. Taken together, such insights may lead you to know who you are, and what this great experience of living means to you. Then put that in your paintings.
Somewhere within all of us there is a wordless center, a part of us that hopes to be immortal in some way, a part that has remained unchanged since we were children. It is the source of our strength and compassion. That faint confluence of the tangible and the spiritual is where Art comes from. It has no known limits, and once you tap into it you will realize what truly rich choices you have. May each painting you do from that sacred place include an expression of gratitude for the extraordinary privilege of being as artist.

I just love the way Richard speaks from his heart about the way we artists feel and how we learn to express ourselves. I feel this way with my painting and it feels good to know that I'm not alone. I appreciate his honesty. I haven't ordered the new Alla Prima Book yet, but I will. I have his original Alla Prima Book, and I think it is probably the best art book I own that talks about painting. Not just the technique of painting but about being a painter. To order his new book go to: http://www.richardschmid.com/

San Francisco Study
Oil on Canvas
12 x 12"

I painted this little study this week in the new studio. I have to say that it feels good to be in there. I am able to loose track of time, so that's a good sign. I took this photo while in the City a couple of weeks ago. I'm working on some ideas for larger pieces for my gallery in Carmel, Gallery Amsterdam. I'm going to do some florals as well. I'm looking forward to spending some time there next April, after attending the Plein Air Convention. To learn more about that go to:  http://www.pleinairconvention.com/

Ready To Paint!

The studio is looking good. I have a couple more trips to make down
the hill in order to finish, but for now at least I am able to paint! Hmmm, where do I start?

Anne's Cups

Anne's cups one and two. These were the commission pieces I delivered yesterday. My friend Anne liked my little cropped cups from the 30 in 30 paintings I did last year. We talked about it and she told me she had a few sets of cups that were from her grandmother and also she collected some antique cups that she loved. So I brought them over and set them up on my table for about three weeks. When the light was especially beautiful, I snapped photographs. These are larger, sixteen by sixteen inches.
I just wanted to keep my word and post them for you!

Another Update and Some Commission Pieces

I've been working on two commission pieces for a lovely family who have been collecting my artwork for a number of years. This is the last of my painting to be done before the big move next Tuesday. In between painting, I've been going through my "art rooms" here at the house and deciding what is going with me and what is not.
I went out to the garage today and sanded down some old canvases that weren't going anywhere! Then I painted over them with white oil paint and turpentine. Now they are like new canvases ready to re-paint. I've had my Son, Joe here helping out and he sanded and painted all my student easels. He is doing the same with my stretching and framing table. All this is going to the new studio next week.
So life is exciting right? Right, well maybe not today. At least I'm getting to the fun part soon, the part about moving into the new studio. It is ready to go, just waiting on the track lighting is all. I will still have lots to do for the studio once I get in there, but I'll tackle that one day at a time as well.
So for now I have a couple of new photos for you, and I'll also post the new painting commission pieces for you when done, hope fully in a day or two!

Studio Blasquez Update

Just have to share with you some photos my husband has just sent me from Truckee. The owner has started the tenant improvements to our specifications. They have taken out a couple of dividing walls, put in lighting and are going to put in a new floor and paint.  I had them build some movable walls that I will use to control the space for classes, teaching and shows. They will be perfect for hanging more artwork as well. I'm thrilled with what I see so far!
I'm looking at moving in the first week in November if all goes well.....

SOME NEWS FOR YOU...

"French Laundry Chef"
Redo, Oil on Linen, 12x9"
Available $895

If you are a regular follower of this blog, you may have been wondering about me lately. I kind of dissapeared a few weeks ago. 

Well, I'm here to explain. Some big things have happened in my life, rather unexpectedly. So here goes:

I'm getting ready to move to Truckee, California in a couple of weeks! The best part of this is that I'll be doing what I've dreamed of doing for years, that is, I'll be opening my own studio/gallery.

I hadn't planned to make such a move, at least not so soon. My husband has retired over the summer a couple of years ahead of our plans. So, it's time to go!

I was digging in my heals at first because I am so linked in to my location here in the Sacramento area. But now that I have made the committment to move, all kinds of good things have happened and I'll for sure continue to teach, paint and travel!

I'm very excited about the Studio and Gallery. This will be my hub for showing my works of art and teaching. I'm also excited about my plans to teach periodic workshops throughout the year.

 

So give me some time to work out the small stuff, and look for upcoming news as things begin to happen. 

Please be sure to sign up under the "sign up for e-mail" link on this page and I'll add you to my newsletter e-mail list also, this way I can keep you up to date with news via my newsletter also.

Class Demonstration

Today I'm changing strategy a bit.

I started this piece last week in my oil painting class as a demonstration to show my students how I wanted them to start a painting. 

I used a transparent oxide red for the toning of the canvas, after I used my view catcher to find a composition that i really liked. I always stress the importance to taking time to look through the view catcher while moving around the subject and zooming in and out. Look for the best shapes and patterns while trying at the same time to stay out of the details, (the pear, the flower, etc.).

After the toning of the canvas, I used my brush to locate the subject while looking through the view catcher. First I find where the highest point is located and mark it with a touch of paint on the canvas. Then look again, and find where the lowest point of your subject is within the view catcher, and mark that on the canvas. The way this works is to first find the location using the outside border of the view catcher as a measuring point. Then as you turn to the canvas, you use the outside border of the canvas in the same way. 

From this point, go ahead and find the right and left margins of your subject. This way you know your design will fit inside the canvas. 

Try to leave your spaces (the distance of an object to another object or the canvas border), different lengths rather than equal. This will make things more interesting and help to keep your painting from being too centered. 

Now what I do is to create a value study using my toned canvas as the middle value. I will wipe out the lights and darken the dark shapes. This is the point where the painting is now. 
Starting a painting this way has benefits. First of all, it helps to use the toned canvas a a value in order to measure your others values against. It's more difficult to see value correctly while staring at a white canvas. If you put a little color on there it will appear darker than it actually is. Secondly, it is a very right brained way of getting started. You will be more inclined to use the creative side of your brain, and therefore you will be more creative with your thinking, design and brush strokes. It is much better to keep yourself in the more abstract start and keep thinking about shapes and values rather than tea pots and flowers. When you think tea pots and flowers you are already on the left side trying to describe what a tea pot and a flower "looks like". You do not want this, because then you will start to describe what you "think" they look like rather than really observing what is in front of you. A valualble lesson if you can force yourself to work this way.

Next Tuesday I will continue on this study to show the class how to proceed from here, then I'll post it for you.

I'll continue to post my daily paintings as I can, but have decided to go ahead and get started on some pressing work (paintings) that I have lined up (gallery waiting and also a commission client). In order for me to keep from getting too anxious about it I'll have to make them a priority over the daily paintings for now. 

More later!

Still Life/City Life - 30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 14

"Times Three"
Oil on Linen Panel   8 x 6"

I painted this last night and decided to take the day off from painting today. I'm gonna spend some time with my daughter, sister and her family for our twin birthdays. 

I took this photo at the studio a few weeks ago. Didn't get the chance to paint it that day, but I really liked it and thought it would be a fun one. My friend Renee has these little bottles that hold three flowers. I liked the pink on pink with the contrast of greens.

Still Life/City Life - 30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 12

"Yellow"
Oil on Linen Panel   8 x 8"

Last year we while walking through the Chelsea district in NYC, we ended up waiting to cross this street and my eyes immediately grabbed onto this perfect setting of yellow's. I wanted to paint it today as a study for a larger piece. I learned a lot about what not to do the next time.

The woman is standing too low in the composition. The buildings in the back are too warm. I think I'll fade out a lot of the color other than the three points of interest on the woman, cab and traffic light.

Still Life/City Life - 30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 11

"Harmony"
Oil on Linen Panel    6 x 8"

I've been wanting to paint these flowers for a while, so this was a good time. I've gone back through some old photos that I've saved and what better time to try something than during the 30 in 30 challenge.

I find that painting small and every day has given me more freedom to experiment and to "let it go". 

It's easy to wipe a little one if it's not working and I don't have so much invested as I do when I've put many hours into a large painting. 

So thank you again Leslie Saeta for this challenge...

This painting will become available at a later date.

Still Life/City Life - 30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 10

NBC NYC
Oil on Panel   6 x 6"

We see this on TV all the time so it was fun to walk around this area and then go up to the top for the areal view. One of my favorite places to visit, the streets of New York City. Are we having fun yet?

Still Life/City Life - 30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 9

"NYC Window"
Oil on Linen Panel   8 x 6"

A photo from our trip last summer to New York City. I enjoyed taking photos of several of these window scenes. I always thought it would be fun to paint them. One of the things I love about New York is the beautiful display windows along the streets. The stores don't even have to be open because the lights stay on all night. You can see them from a distance and as I would walk up closer I could see how big they are...

This painting is available on the Daily Paintworks Website.
http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/randy-blasquez/new-york-city-window/167123

Still Life/City Life - 30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 8

"Pick Me"
Oil on Panel   6 x 6"

You know I love tea cups. Well, my friend Anne has asked me to paint her Mother's and Grandmother's cups for her kitchen. I brought her collection home and they have all been sitting on my kitchen table for days while the light comes and goes. I love the reflected light that comes through the windows at different times of the day. I just leave my camera handy so I could snap photos when I see something beautiful happening. Then I'll move the cups around, stack them in different ways, all the while I am looking for interesting shapes and values and beautiful colors.

This painting is available at the Daily Paintworks Website.

Still Life/City Life - 30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 7

"Light of the Bay"
Oil on Linen Panel   6 x 8"

Today's painting is from a photo of San Francisco in the evening. Again I love the lights that glow at this time of day/night with the blue hues contrasting with the warm light. One of my favorite cities, I'm feeling fortunate to live only a couple of hours away from there. I'm looking forward to painting with Ken Auster in the City next October for a three day workshop.

Still Life/City Life - 30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 5""

"Green Apple Set Up"  SOLD
Oil on Panel    6 x 6"

I set this up for my Oil Painting Class at Patris Studio in Sacramento last year. I loved the complementary colors and decided it would be a good exercise. The mirrored vase was my favorite part to paint.

This artwork is available for sale at the Daily Paintworks Website.

http://www.dailypaintworks.com/fineart/randy-blasquez/green-apple-setup/165504

Still Life/City Life - 30 Paintings in 30 Days - Day 4

"Let's Cross Over"
Oil on Panel   6 x 6"

It's that time of day that I love to walk in the city, and what's better than The City of Light? It's not dark and it's not daylight, it's that in between light that I love. Dark enough to see the lights come on with a special kind of glow.