Leaving the camera at home

This summer I decided to leave my camera behind while on painting excursions, leaving only sketching as an option for recording the experiences. I did this for a week on Monhegan Island, a week in Stonington, Maine, and several day trips. Some sketches were more detailed, but here's an example of thumbnails I did on location in Stonington. Doing sketches really makes one look carefully at the landscape. While only recording the essentials, and doing some serious simplifying, one can set up the structure of a painting, while totally absorb the experience of the place.... color, atmosphere, light, temperature. The painting above the thumbnails was done later, in the studio, directly from the sketch on the right.

Art and Fear

"Truth and reality in art do not arise until you no longer understand what you are doing and are capable of, but nevertheless sense a power that grows in proportion to your resistence."

I love this quote by Henri Matisse. The resistance or the fear seems to almost always be there no matter how much I paint. My best work always happens when, for some strange reason, on a given day, I go forth with abandon—fearless and clueless.

This painting is from one of those glorious days.  From the Salt Pond. Pastel.  5.5 X 5.5"

Getting back to it.

Yike, it's hard to believe it's been since June since I've posted. This fabulously beautiful summer went by so fast and now I've got a fire in the fireplace tonight. I spent one wonderful week on Monhegan with painter friends, then another great week in Stonington, for Stonington Painter's Workshop. Both weeks were heavenly and painterly. Much of the remaining summer painting time was spent fulfilling orders for little 6 X 6 paintings which have become very popular for wedding gifts and experimenting with new techniques and approaches that I learned at the Painting Workshop. I will do upcoming posts about that and Monhegan.  For now here are a couple of the 6 x6" works that were commissioned for young Mainers leaving home...special places for them to remember.

The value of waiting....

This is a piece that I started many months ago. It wasn't going well...the colors were more blues and violets and it just wasn't working. The painting didn't speak to me. Then a few weeks ago I decided to just attack it in a whole new way, simply responding to the marks that were there with new marks, shapes and a whole new pallette—no real intention. There is a lot of paint on that canvas now, but it takes me to an imaginary place that I would love.
Fern Wood.  Oil on canvas.  20 X 16"

Alla Prima oil painting

On May 15 I held an all day workshop in alla prima oil painting. Alla prima is a style of painting where, instead of building colors up with layers or glazing over an underpainting, the painting is completed while the paint is still wet—wet on wet. Strictly defined, an alla prima painting would be started and finished in one painting session, but the term is also more loosely applied to any painting done in a direct, expressive style, with minimal preparation. This is the method I use in my daily paintings on masonite panels, so I had loads of these little panels on hand for people to try.


We had six participants, about half had never painted in oil before. We had a great time and all went home happy with successful paintings.  I'm posting two here by Terri Sanzenbacher. They are so alive with color and energy and I thank Terri for sharing them for this post. They are both 6" X 6".

The next workshop is Saturday, June 19. Email me for details:
lrpackard at yahoo dot com.

Pastel Class

Our pastel class is taking a break for the summer, but the work from these classes is on display for the entire summer at the Hammond Street Senior Center in Bangor. We had a wonderfully attended and fun opening reception on May 13.  Class member Sue Roberts has posted photos from the event on her blog: www.suzanne-roberts.blogspot.com   Check out her blog AND the class show. The show will also be open during the Downtown Bangor Art Walk on June 18 and many of the artists will be on hand.


During the break the class continues to get together and paint on Thursdays at different Maine locations. Sue also has photos of them painting in downtown Bangor last Thursday:  www.suzanne-roberts.blogspot.com

On teaching....

I've really been neglecting my blog, working diligently in my studio. One thing that I've not mentioned on this blog is my classes. For nearly two years I've been teaching pastel painting at the Senior Center in Bangor. This class has become the highlight of my week, with 10+ of the most vibrant, energetic and creative "seniors" I've ever known. They defy the age that gains them membership to the Center. The class has evolved into more than pastel painting (that just happens to be the medium we use). It is about color, composition, mood, light, and creative growth. And the growth part is the most exciting as each individual is finding his and her voice in this incredibly supportive group.

In the last class of the winter session, we did a class project. Each person was given a printed segment of a larger photo to paint. The segments were divided in such a way that it was nearly impossible to identify what the subject was. It was a fundamental drawing exercise in the art of seeing. So often when we draw a subject that we know, we editorialize and draw it the way we know it to be rather than exactly what we are seeing. This focus was to draw/paint exactly what each person saw on his printed segment: exact colors, shapes and lines. At the end of the session, I fitted the segments together like a puzzle to show the completed painting.

Here is the illustration of the reference photo, and the resulting composite. We were all giddy with delight when we saw how perfectly everything fit together! With no frame of reference but what was in front of them, they rendered what they saw to near perfection!

This pastel class will be exhibiting work at the Hammond Street Senior Center  in Bangor during the month of May. A wine and cheese reception will be held on Thursday May 13 from 2-4. The class project featured above will be on display during that time.