| Taking A Break © Marian Fortunati 6"x6" Oil on board |
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Over the weekend I took a break from my usual activities revolving around family and painting for shows or with friends.
Several artists including Dan McCaw, Matt Carrillo and Tom Balderas collaborated with Randy Higbee (The King of Frames) to engage outstanding artists together for the first annual three-day gala event which included workshops, lectures, demonstrations and a fabulous art exhibition and sale. (The Fine Art Collaborative)
I went because I saw that Frank Gardner, who is one of my favorite artists and teachers and also a friend, was doing a 2-day demo and workshop on creating 6"x6" paintings using reference photos. I was fortunate enough to travel down to San Miguel de Allende and paint with Frank two separate years but haven't been able to go in several years and although I get to communicate with him on Facebook and on his blog and email, I REALLY wanted to see him and paint with him again. Frank is an excellent teacher and I have learned a lot from him and enjoy his company. Additionally he made quite a hit with all of his small work in Randy Higbee's semi-annual 6x6 show.
Another painter that I knew, Diana Stewart, was also going down, so we stayed down there together. We all had a terrific time. The entire "gala event" was fun. I loved looking through all of the paintings in the exhibit. There is nothing quite like being able to see terrific art up close and at your leisure without sharing the space with other admirers.
Frank did a demo the first day and demonstrated and talked us through one method of creating small figurative work using a grid. I enjoyed listening to his thinking processes as he deliberately thought about shapes, color, focal point while planning and executing his painting. When it was our turn, we could use our own reference photos or any of the many that he had brought with him. The painting above was one of his that I chose to do on the second day. I had done two using my own photos on the first day. During the two days I painted three from my own references and two from Frank's. It was a perfect situation acoustically so we could listen to Frank as he advised us as well as listening to him while he spoke to other artists. We learned from one another's lessons that way. I so wish I could learn to analyze my own work as clearly and thoroughly as Frank could do ours and his.
On Saturday night there was an artist's reception and gala as well as a lecture by John Asaro, whose work I have long admired. I found the lecture fascinating and enjoyed meeting artists with whom I wasn't familiar as well as saying hello to those I already know.
One of the "bonus extras" of the weekend was getting to meet IN PERSON two wonderful artists that I have "known" virtually for several years. Dana Cooper and Dori Dewberry were both in Frank's class. I have admired both of their work for a long time and it was almost like meeting celebrities when I got to chat with them during the weekend class. What fun!! (When I searched for their links, I just noticed that they have already posted their take on the weekend... guess I'm a slacker...LOL)
