Wild Wonder Nature Journaling Conference 2024

 I want to thank all the teachers and organizers at the Wild Wonder Journaling Conference 2024. It was truly amazing! I learned something new that I can apply to nature journaling in all the sessions I was able to attend. And for the sessions I missed I can view the recordings at my leisure. Nature journaling is an important part of my life because it helps me disconnect from our digital world and reconnect with the natural world. I find myself slowing down, observing more, being present and taking time to appreciate and be thankful for the simple things in life. Here are a few photos from some of the interactive work I did in the sessions.

How to paint flowers quickly in watercolor 

How to quickly paint birds in the field

Using watercolor pencils

Finding math in nature

More watercolor pencils 

Observing the sky on a daily basis

Learning from the Masters 1

There is so much to be learned from the masters.  Rodin when sketching his models his eyes never left the model.  He understood human anatomy and he wanted each and every line to flow from his eyes to his hands to the paper.  Sargent when painting watercolors was most interested in how light played off of objects and forms.

Munsell color theory workshop

I recently completed Graydon Parrish's workshop on color theory using the Munsell notation.  Before taking this workshop mixing colors was random, inconsistent, and often ended with unintentional results.  Now I feel more confident in mixing any color I need in terms of hue, value, and chroma.  Below is a color chart we created as we learned how to match and mix colors, organize palettes, and create shading series.  Thanks Graydon and BACAA for an awesome workshop!

Capturing the Beauty and Power of Yosemite

Robert Hagan, an Australian artist, nicely demonstrates his thought process (with a little bit of history) to take the overwhelming beauty of Yosemite and communicate the impact of this famous national park in a moving plein air painting.  Check out the video in this episode of Splash of Color.

Figure painting workshop

I just completed an amazing 10 day figure painting workshop at BACAA with master painter Juliette Aristides.  This was a rare opportunity for me to take time off from work to participate in this workshop.  It was so much fun to work side by side with fellow artists and learn from Juliette how to paint the figure as the great masters have for centuries.

We jumped right into things on day 1 starting with value paintings based on copies of famous paintings by masters such as John Singer Sargent.  We focused on big connected shapes with only four values.  The rest of week 1 included value paintings of the model, gesture sketches ranging from 2 to 10 minute poses, measured sketches, and a small value study using a very limited palette.  At the end of week 1 we enjoyed a field trip to the Legion of Honor to practice our drawing of master paintings.  We discussed not only technique but also what makes a good composition and even a bit about the philosophy of art.

Week 2 we launched into a complete study of the figure painting process starting with a drawing and then an underpainting using the “wipe-out” method to render the values.  After the underpainting dried we introduced what I found the most difficult task of rendering the figure in color while observing warm and cool temperatures and values to gradually turn forms into a believable work of art.  A combination of demos and painting for the remaining two days helped us gain a better understanding and appreciation of this complex task.  As time ran out, we all did our best to wrap up our paintings but what was most valuable (and important) was the wealth of knowledge Juliette Aristides imparted on us and simply having a lot of fun with fellow artists.

Below are pictures of different stages of my figure painting including some of the sketches and studies we did along with a certificate as proof I completed the workshop.

Learning to oil paint still lifes

I just finished a great 5 session course at the Bay Area Classical Artist Atelier with Mark Nardini.  I had never attempted oil painting and so it was a lot of fun to try out a new medium to play with.  I have been dabbling with watercolors for a few years and oil painting forces you to think and plan your composition quite differently. Here is a photo of the progress I made in my first attempt at oils.