Get Out!

Out...side.

And that could mean outdoors - which we know soothes the soul.
Or outside your comfort zone, which does the opposite.

Both are worthwhile, and for me plein air painting encompasses both. Taking in spectacular views and breathing in the fresh air relaxes...and then trying to paint what I see before the light changes totally stresses me out!

Last year I had an awesome indoctrination into the world of plein air painting at Julian Merro-Smith's workshop in Provence. Apparently, it takes the promise of French wine and living in a converted 5thC Priory to entice me out of my comfort zone! (you can read about it here)

Within 36 hours of being home, and with the energy imbued on that trip, I joined a group of intrepid plein air painters at Olana (artist Frederic Church's home). I thought I was on a roll!

View from Olana, ©2013 Dorothy Lorenze

Not so much. But that's OK. I got a taste for outdoor painting. I got my feet wet. Literally. I will get back to it again someday (as it no longer terrifies me). Scoping outdoor sites for good painting compositions has added a new dimension to how I appreciate nature and that's a good thing.

In the comfort (zone) of my studio, I have occasionally accessed the spirit of plein air painting working from a photo. This is a painting of birches from a photo take in Kent. CT. Along with the Olana painting, it was sold at a "paintout" auction benefitting Kent Art Association. (It's very cool to stand in the back of the room and see hands going up for bids on your work!)

Bog Hollow Road Birches ©2013 Dorothy Lorenze

Hiking to the perfect spot with easel and other gear makes painting outdoors a tough sport. But, like all athletic challenges, when it finally goes well the rewards are all the better for having overcome trials and tribulations. Mother Nature can be a bitch.

Happy Earth Day! Be good to your Mother.

Thanks for stopping by to see my artwork and read my stories.

Rejection, by any other name, Still Stinks

Well, since none of us hesitate to post exciting news, I suppose it's only fair to come clean about negative events.

So here it is: I submitted paintings to two respected, national arts organizations - and got rejected by both. Needless to say, I was bummed.

I have been known to over-analyse and may have obsessed a bit with self-doubts and criticism: were they too small, too boring, too brown!? Wrong subject matter, bad photographs? Just plain bad?!!!!

But, life is short ...and busy ...and often crazy, so no time to wallow.
Facebook friends, and others closer by, cheered me. One pointed out that Courbet, Manet and Pisarro were famously rejected by the Paris Salon, creating the infamous Salon Des Refusés. Not that I'm comparing, but it did make me smile.

While it was majorly disappointing, it was not totally discouraging or debilitating. Attitude isn't quite everything. Sh*t happens. Work matters. So I paint nearly every day, working to refine skills. And on a good day, to define my vision. It's not easy, but that's the challenge.

It took a day or two to settle comfortably at the easel after being "rejected", but, I'm back to work on some pieces that present new challenges of their own. That's always rewarding - typically passing through frustrating along the way! It's just the way it works. The trick is sticking with it long enough to get to the other side. So "stay tuned" for some new paintings of interior spaces. And thanks to everyone who talked me off the ledge (so to speak ;)

Meanwhile, here's my personal Salon des Refusés.

Polished and Read ©2014 Dorothy Lorenze, 12x16"

Polished and Read is in the home of a dear collector in San Francisco.

Grey Roseville ©2014 Dorothy Lorenze

Roseville with Plums© 2013 Dorothy Lorenze, 9x12"

The Roseville paintings are currently available by email but will likely be going to Greene Gallery next month.

Thanks so much for stopping by to see my artwork. 

(Please feel free to forward this newsletter via the link at the top.)

Tim's Vermeer: about painting and so much more

Welcome to new subscribers! (and apologies for being absent)

It's been awhile since my last "weekly" post but I'm back with a quick tip: if you are interested in representational painting, go see the film Tim's Vermeer. That's it. You can take my word for it, or read on...

Directed by Teller (of Penn and Teller), this documentary features Tim Jenison's extreme effort to emulate Johannes Vermeer's painting technique. Tim is a "computer graphics guy," a graphic artist, inventor of digital amazingness, world-class seeker of information and all-around, over-the-top, curiosity-quencher, IMHO. See what you think. Watch the movie.

What started as an observation of Vermeer's ability to "paint light" became a five-year obsession to find a way to accurately recreate The Music Lesson (of the Royal Collection, UK)

The Music Lesson, Johannes Vermeer, circa 1662

How to do this? Well basically, Tim built a "camera obscura" and reflected the image with a tool he devised using an angled mirror. And a couple of other projects.

Let me just say that it took so long because, first, he built a room - with the same leaded windows, tiled floor, jug, mirror and matching, painted harpsichord!

So, he had to learn to grind lenses, make leaded glass, use a lathe, make oil paint... and then paint: faux wood, marble, fabric, everything!

That's what you do when you're a curious kind of guy,  more inventor than painter! And the result is an amazing version of Vermeer’s The Music Lesson as well as an experiment in optics and observation.

Seeing the lengths he went to, anyone who is interested in creative challenges, inventive spirit, dogged determination and stubborn stick-to-it-iveness, will enjoy Tim's Vermeer as well.

For painters a discussion on the ability (or lack thereof) to discern the fall-off of light as an object moves away from the light source provides additional interest. It's an important factor to keep in mind, even when you can't quite see it. (I could look for a link to the physics about this, but no one really wants to read that. Google it if you must.)

Although it's an enlightening film on many levels, sadly, Tim's Vermeer is in limited release. So you will have to look for it quickly (or maybe Netflix someday?) Hard to imagine that two hours of hand-mixing oil paint, recreating a 17th century music room, and painting the threads of a Persian carpet, is not considered riveting, blockbuster entertainment. No car chases, but there is a helicopter, if that helps.

And a final tip: if you haven't had enough of the camera obscura discussion, you can also read Philip Steadman's thorough and well-researched book, Vermeer's Camera: Uncovering the Truth behind the Masterpieces. It is probably the definitive source of information on the subject. Steadman joins the conversation in the film, as does David Hockney who has ruffled a few feathers with his own documentary on a similar subject, Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters.
Thanks for stopping by!

I hope you found this interesting and if you like, take a look at my Facebook page for other art talk and a few of my oil paintings. You can also "like" the FB page if you care to.