Choosing a Photograph & Avoiding the Pitfalls....

Snow Patterns  9x12"
Oil on Linen
Available   $725

Selecting a photograph as a reference tool for a painting can make or break a painting. Consider these ideas –

•   Look for what excites you - but do not choose a photograph without using your artistic experience.

•   There should be a foreground, middle ground and a background.

•   What is your CONCEPT? MOOD?

•   Look for large value SHAPES that can be easily constructed into a simple statement.

But you must know that photographs will LIE!

•  The darks will be darker.

•  The lights will be washed out to white.

•  The scale or proportions will be distorted.

•  Color will not be natural.

•  Nature will repeat shapes and create lines that lead you out of the painting.

•  Photos lack the human poetic story telling aspect.

Hints to Keep in Mind -

•   Remember the goal is DO NOT COPY the scene.

•   Create a strong DESIGN.

•   Squint and compare everything, but don’t rely on the photograph and use your memory and be creative.

•   Eliminate detail!

•   Link shapes together to create a musical flow – interesting patterns of dark and light.

•   Loose edges by bringing values close together to combine smaller shapes into larger shapes.

•   Push values lighter or darker to strengthen your design.

•   Use the process of ELIMINATION – when in doubt, leave it out.

The “Creative” Process

•   Create designed shapes using a pictorial language to substitute the objects in landscapes. Bushes, trees, mountains, etc. will be represented into new shapes that easily identify the real objects but their lines will be melodic and graceful as well as their shapes being interesting.

•   Experienced artists are not concerned about making things look real, but are more interested in making things look beautiful.

•   Think in the abstract. An abstract shape will not be equal to another shape in any way. Your shapes should have melodic lines, make this a priority!

•   Group the details together and round them up in mass value plans.

•  If a scene is particularly complex, don’t even begin until you have a plan about how to simplify.

•  Squint and Simplify – and Compare Everything!

•  Values are relative, use them to create contrast.

•  Choose what will be the star player – make everything else subordinate no matter how compelling it is.

The Impressionist's by Karen B Owen

Rouge un Parapluies

by Randy Blasquez   Sold 

Karen B. Owens is the author of a new book, "The Impressionists'" Corner at Cafe' Guerbois. She contacted me about a year ago and asked if she could use my painting, "Rouge un Parapluies" for her cover. A bonus, the book is about the Impressionist Movement and its founders, one of my favorite subjects. This book covers more about the artists personal history and the often overlooked friendships and resolutions of the men as they met each night at Cafe' Guerbois. She says that the definitive foundations of Impressionism were formed at this Cafe'. The camaraderie formed at the Cafte' Guerbois was a strong shield against their being the brunt of criticisms by the Salon, critic's, and the French are-viewing public.  (taken from the book)

This book can now be purchased through Amazon.com by clicking HERE

About the Author

Jean-Louis-Ernest Meissonier (1815-1891), French painter extraordinaire, once commented, "If I had not been a painter, I should have liked to be an historian. I don't think any other subject could be so interesting as history." Substituting professor for painter summarizes my sentiments as well. My interest in history and biography began several decades ago and the last several years have been consolidating my researching and reading - culminating into these recent works: Franz Joseph and Empress Elizabeth: The Last Great Monarchs of Austria-Hungary (McFarland Publishing), They Changed The World, and In Pursuit of Dreams: Extraordinary Women of Achievement. Prior to writing these books, as a professor of developmental psychology and visiting lecturer in England, my published works have included authoring college textbooks, The World of the Child (Macmillan) and Child and Adolescent Development (Wadsworth). My research interests in self-esteem and children's learning styles have resulted in two works, Raising Your Child's Inner Self-Esteem (Plenum) and Critical Thinking (Kendall/Hunt). Interest in children and parenting lead me to create a research-based website on helping parents tackle today's parenting issues: Theeducatedparent.net. My most current writing adventure is on the fascinating lives of the core Impressionists - Manet, Monet, Degas, Cezanne, and Renoir: The Impressionists' Corner at Café Guerbois.

"Frosty Morning on Donner Pass Road"
Oil on Linen    20 x 20 x 1.5"
$1400  Studio Blasquez
Available through artist at ranblaz@hotmail.com

Studio Blasquez

I have lived in Truckee now for about six months. It is very exciting to me that just driving around town has been inspiring. I used to think that I'd have nothing to paint here! Crazy huh? It turns out that I am loving the beauty in this area of the mountains. Every day when I drive into town to my little studio I see something new. It usually has to do with the light here and how it hits the mountain view at different times of the day, and even more inspiring to me lately is the light effect on the roads. I think I'm going to be painting more of these local road scenes. 

I'm a little sad to see the snow gone now as I have just begun to enjoy painting it, but the summer time here is equally beautiful. So I'm sure I will continue to enjoy the scenery. It feels like one long adventure to me and I'm loving it.

Be sure to come up for a fun evening on any Thursday through the Summer starting next week on  June 12th. I'll be out with my paints in the middle of it all, with some paintings and some jewelry hand made by my dear friend Dee Alyson. 

https://www.facebook.com/TruckeeThursdays

Summer Class Schedule at Studio Blasquez and Patris Studio Gallery

10382 Donner Pass Road, Unit 2

Truckee CA 96161

Summer Schedule of Classes with Randy Blasquez

AT STUDIO BLASQUEZ:

We will start at 10 am and end at 4:30 pm, with a short lunch break. I will be covering many of the basic foundations of painting, while working with each individual student on their own particular interest. I want to work with you on your problem areas, taking one at a time, and moving on from there. If you sign up for a class, from there we can talk about your personal goals. You will get plenty of personal instruction.

Location:  Studio Blasquez - 10382 Donner Pass Road Suite 2
Cost is $75

Paint Days are on Wednesday:
May 28
June 11
June 25
July 9
July 30
August 20

*Note. Please email me to sign up for this class. ranblaz@hotmail.com or call - 916-952-7914.
These dates may change due to sign up fluctuations. 

I will also be teaching at Patris Studio in Sacramento on select Tuesdays this Summer from 11:00 am till 3:00 pm. We will work on the basics, still life set ups or you may work from your own photograph.

Location: Patris Studio and Gallery - 3460 2nd Avenue, Sacramento
Cost: $40
Contact me at ranblaz@hotmail.com or 916-952-7914 to sign up for this class.

Paint Days are on Tuesday:
(the first date is posted, with more dates to come)

Tuesday June 17th - We will be studying the concept of division of space within the composition, values and brushwork with a fun exercise or two. 

It's All About Relationships....

"Last Ski Day at Squaw Valley"
Oil on Linen
10x10"

“When the student begins to see each color in true relationship to the rest, he becomes a painter… Everything begins and ends here”. 

                                                                                                                 Sergei Bongart

Do you know what Sergei was saying here?  I am certainly still learning but I do believe that we need to continually compare every shape, value and color relationship as we paint. 

The basic relationships that we are comparing to each other are value first, color, color temperature, edges and texture. The order after value are not so important in order of significance, it will depend on the order of thinking that the artist follows.

So, thinking, is the key word here. We must think through each step as we paint. One of the most important things we think about is relationships.

If painting were easy, everybody would do it. But it is not easy. It takes a lot of dedication, practice and study. We have to LEARN to THINK LIKE AN ARTIST as we paint. 

I like to start a painting using the rule of simplicity by squinting and sketching a notan or three in order to simplify the design. I will break the subject down into 3 to 5 shapes. This is where I will compare values. 

Which shape is darker? Which one is the lightest shape and which one is more of a middle value. At this point you will need to decide which value will be dominant. From here everything is compared to what it is next to, but also you must step back and compare the values as a whole. Or you can do this in your design while sketching out your notan.

Here are some examples of a notan design:

In this case I used a couple of gray value brush pens to quickly mass in the shapes. I was looking for the most pleasing design. Our eyes will see the design more accurately in a small sketch. This sketch must have a border in order to contain it - this is the first and most important element in design. The border must match exactly the proportions of your canvas.

I liked the third option best, it is middle value dominant, the light is secondary to the middle value and the dark is the smallest shape. This is the a very important element of design, and one we want to work out before we begin our painting.

Now you have the basic design for your painting. How great is that? If you keep this design as you work through the thinking process of comparing in a step by step manner, you can't go wrong.

Please let me know what you'd like to talk about next regarding the painting process and what area gives you the most trouble. I love talking about this stuff.

Workshop Day Two

I have to share some photos from yesterday's workshop. We had a wonderful day out at Lover's Point in Pacific Grove.

After the sun began to set we found the light to be amazing, and continued to paint.....

I haven't had a chance to take photos of the artwork yet. I've been here for three weeks already and this view never gets old. It changes so many times each day as well as throughout the day. The colors are very inspiring.  Going home on Friday.

Workshop Day One - Rain at Fisherman's Wharf

We had rain today for the first time all month. It also happened to be my first day teaching a workshop here in Monterey. It's okay, it was still beautiful, although a bit chilly and wet. We made arrangements to paint on the pier under a patio roof to stay dry.

I loved working with my students from the Sacramento area, I have missed them. Above I demonstrated how to paint a notan before starting the initial study. This gave us the opportunity to concentrate on the design element and at the same time observe what was in front of us.

The most important thing out there is to relax, use your view catcher and look for a way to simplify what is in front of you. It was a challenge because we had to stay under the patio to stay dry and so our options were limited. Everything around us was rather busy, complicated and overwhelming. So it was a good exercise in learning to make it into a simple design.

I painted a quick Notan study. We used a two value design concept to begin the study in paint and after that we added a third value. The important thing is to keep it simple and make the decision about the dominant value shape. Our choices are the dark, the middle, or the light value. Always in a good design, one of them will be dominant. It doesn't matter which one - you will have a middle keyed painting, a darker painting or a light key painting. 

Try to keep an attitude of exploration. Try things and don't worry about mistakes. It is all an experiment! Take your time and paint as many Notan studies as you need in order to find the best design for your painting. 

After this you are free to paint your color study with the value design already established, which will free you up to think through the process in a more creative way. Just be careful to stay within your value shapes with smaller variations of value, using color. Simple as that! But as they say, not easy. This exercise will teach you to see and "think" like an artist.

Rainy Day at the Wharf
Oil on Linen Panel,  6x8"

Last Night and This Morning

 Patris arrived yesterday evening to stay a couple of days. We had a great time last night just before sunset on Lover's Point, just had time for a quick study.

This morning was bright and sunny, a little breezy, but we went out again to catch some color. Tonight we head over to Sunset Drive to catch the sunset, although it will be cold. We decided last night to bring our cars over and park them to block some of the wind. We will see how it goes, but it was so beautiful last night we have to give it a try......

Fisherman's Wharf and Lover's Point

Light at the Wharf
Oil on Linen Panel   8x6"

The Point
Oil on Linen Panel  8x6"

The pink stuff is out in full bloom now. The weather today will be the high 60's which is the warmest since I arrived. My friend Patris from Patris Studio and Gallery will be here to paint with me tomorrow. And the students for the workshop next weekend will be arriving on Thursday. My friend Dee will be here this week also. I'm ready for it!
Have a wonderful Easter my friends....

Plein Air Convention Day Three

Carmel Beach Afternoon

Oil on Linen  8x10"

Buy it Here

I painted this piece yesterday afternoon when all the painters went out. I have to say that being out there with these big names is a little like going out on the golf course with Tiger Woods. Scary. But I made myself get out there. I had never been to the beach south of Carmel. Wow is it beautiful. After painting here I went on a little drive to the State Park area where I found a bunch more painters. I enjoyed watching a few of them for a while, including Kathleen Dunphy. I loved her little piece. It is amazing to see all these umbrellas out there where the artists were painting together. What a sight.

Day Two at the Convention

"Docked"
Oil on Linen Panel   8x6"
Available HERE for $95 for the rest of April

Yesterday I got to go out and paint a little while between conference presentations. I didn't get finished with this little piece so I finished it today.  One of the most enjoyable things about coming to this event is that I get to meet other artists out there while painting. I painted along side a lovely lady who is also a teacher, from Texas yesterday. Her name is Maren.  I hope to paint with her again soon.

This morning I got to see a double demonstration with Randy Sexton and Larry Moore. It was very intertaining! They painted a model on a motorcycle up on stage. I'll try to get some photos of their finished works and post them for you..

This is where I was out on the Wharf again yesterday. The group went out to Asilimar this evening to paint, but I decided to take a break and paint tomorrow. We are going to Carmel Beach.

Thanks for stopping by....

Plein Air Convention Week in Monterey

"At the Wharf"

Oil on Linen Panel  6x8"
This painting is available HERE for $95 for the remainder of April

I arrived in Pacific Grove a couple of days ago and unpacked my gear because I'm gonna stay awhile.
I'm here for the Plein Air Convention, but I'm staying to paint and teach a workshop. I found the cutest little cottage here in Pacific Grove. The weather is beautiful after driving down from Truckee in the falling snow. Then a night at my daughters house in Sacramento, and the drive to PG.

I was a little tired if you know what I mean. But I got up early and got some things unpacked, showered and went for a nice little walk to the beach. Only three little blocks to the Ocean, right at the Lovers Point Park. What a great location! I'm scoping out places to set up and paint. The parking situation looks pretty good for those students who are coming to paint with me. We might have to move our cars every couple of hours or park on a side street. But that's not so bad. I need to make sure there are restrooms nearby too.

At the convention I will be going out to paint in three or four locations. They are taking us to Carmel Beach, Point Lobos, Asilomar State Beach and Fisherman's Wharf.

Tomorrow is the first day of the Convention and I've had a couple of days to get settled in. Today I went out and painted with the Plein Air Painters of Monterey. They hosted a paint out at the Wharf.
Before I met them this morning, I stopped west of Lover's Point.

"West of Lovers Point"

Oil on Linen Panel   6x8"

This painting is available HERE for $95 in April

I had to get out there today and get my fingers dirty. I have not painted outdoors since last June in Southern France. As you may have guessed, I'm not really that much of a plein air painter. By that I mean I don't usually hold up out there for long before I start to loose energy and focus. So I paint in the studio for the most part. But that doesn't mean I don't believe plain air painting is essential. It is! 

I've been working very hard to get more healthy and take care of myself. So the rest is in God's hands. I do know this, if I can keep at it, I will. 

These two pieces are just to get me going and I'm hoping to get some more in this week out there, along with about 700 other painters that are here for the event. My plan is to paint small and keep it simple. My goal is to paint using the transparent color wash method to design in an abstract manner as I begin each painting. From there I want to lay in thick confident strokes of color using a large brush. I'm hoping to get more confident and more bold as I go. I feel better just getting started today. I  am pretty rusty so let's hope it gets better!

The week will be packed full, but I will try to keep you posted. But the weather looks good and I'm gonna get out there and paint!