September Road Trip to Ogunquit, Maine

        One of the greatest blessings of retirement is the gift of time!  In September, Gary and I took a trip to New England via Tennessee.  Our first stop was the "Grand Ole Opry".   After a very entertaining evening we drove to Pigeon Forge, TN at the foot of the Smokey Mountains.  We experienced the beauty of  Smokey Mountain National Park near Gatlinburg and enjoyed some more county music entertainment in the evenings.
         We drove though the Applachians enroute to Maine.  In September, the color was starting to turn and the vistas were breathtaking.  We arrived in Ogunquit, Maine and stayed in a cute cottage within walking distance of the village.  We enjoyed fresh lobster each evening and great day trips to several of the lighthouses in Southern Maine.  My favorite was the Nubble Lighthouse, in York.  We had a beautiful sunny day and I got to sit right in front of this historical site and paint!  Gary visited with all the people from the busses who stopped by.  We joked about the fact that we were both doing one of our favorite things, me painting and Gary visiting.

As an artist, it doesn't get much better than this!

The Marginal Way is a 1.2 mile walk right along the ocean
 from Ogunquit to Perkin's Cove

      Enroute to the Portland Headlight, we drove through Kennebunkport and got to see the Bush Compound right on the ocean (along with several large bus loads of tourists).  We hiked the Marginal Way from Ogunquit to Perkin's Cove.  It is a paved walkway right along the ocean.  I couldn't resist stopping to paint the view back to Ogunquit.
     We spent 5 days in Maine and Gary and I agreed that it was a successful trip.  We were amazed at how similar coastal Maine was to Door County ( minus the ocean and the lobster).  The villages dotting the coastline were charming and very "touristy"  just like Door County.  Here are the paintings I completed during our stay in Ogunquit. 

"Nubble Lighthouse, Live!"   11x14

"Marginal Way, Ogunquit, Maine"    11x14

"View of the Surf, from Perkin's Cove"   8x10

Plaza Morn

      Its been a while since I have posted on Judie Stang's World.  I have been painting this spring and I will post a few of my spring favorites soon.  Yesterday, I went down to the Country Club Plaza early, before in got too hot.  I set up my easel along Brush Creek.  I painted until it got too hot (about 10:00).
     Next week, the Plaza will be full of tourists visiting Kansas City for the World Series.  Yesterday, the Plaza was very "sleepy" with only a few lawn mowers and an occasional jogger passing by.

Dog in the Fog

"Dog in the Fog"  6x8  oil

        I did a painting of a foggy day on the beach last year when we were visiting South Padre Island.  I sold it from my website so, I decided to try my luck again this year!  I caught this couple walking their fluffy white puppy coming out of the mist.  I usually don't put the center of interest in the center of my canvas, but this little guy just had to be in the middle of the painting.  There is enough variation in the background with the buildings and the surf to offset the puppy in the middle!

"Three Fishermen"

"Three Fishermen"  6x8  Oil

     Our daily walks along the beach provide a multitude of "story lines" that entertain us as we walk.  We very seldom see a heron along the surf.  The gulf is loaded with pelicans and sea gulls,  but a heron caught our eye as we walked.  Luckily, I had my phone with me so I could catch this sight.  As we came closer to the heron a few fishermen came into the view of my lens.  When I looked at the photo later, I loved the way all 3 were poised for their "catch of the day"!  I had to try to capture it on a little 6x8 canvas.  What a blessing!"

Path to the Beach

   
     Our almost daily walks on the beach on South Padre Island are entered via this path from our condo.  It is a very rustic path with vegetation on both sides of the winding wooden planks.  I loved the simple colors  changed only by the values caused by shadows and texture.  The path opens to a world of beauty and strength that the pounding surf provides.  This plein air painting was done with the 3 color pallette that James Richards taught in Door County.  The predominately cool color scheme is accented only by the yellow blossoms along the path and the red shirt of the  walker.

Nothing Lasts Forever, and update

"Nothing Lasts Forever"

       Earlier this year I posted a painting of an old barn that I painted in Door County last May.  I mentioned that the owner stopped by while I was painting, and said I may be the last person to paint this old barn because they were waiting for better weather to replace the roof with a new metal roof!  With that in mind, I asked all my readers to suggest a title for the old barn.  I got several suggestions, but my friend Sue, from Las Vegas, suggested the title, "Nothing Lasts Forever".
I told her I thought she "nailed it".

      This fall, while we were driving on Hwy 57 near Jacksonport,  we saw the "new" barn. It is obviously an improvement from a functional standpoint, but for an artist, it lost its unique appeal as an interesting subject.  I doubt that it will be an favorite subject for the Plein air painters in Door County!

Maybe this will "last forever" with new sides and a metal roof!

     It is always a little scary to sign up to do a Fall art show in Door County.  I have done shows in all types of weather from 30 degrees to 80+.  This year luck was on my side for the "Town Line Art  show at Fine Line Design Gallery.  The weather was in the high 70's and it brought many visitors for the 3-day Columbus Day weekend.  The next weekend was Fall Fest in Sister Bay.  Temperature was in the 40's and there were 40 mph winds for the vendors to deal with.  I decided not to do that show and, for once, made the right decision!  What s difference a week makes!

Town Line Art Fair

                        

James Richards Workshop

James with his value study and completed demonstration.

 We just returned from our annual October trip to Door County.  One of my" highlights" of the trip was taking a workshop from James Richards, a very talented plein air artist.  I have been watching James  paint around Door County for 5 years during the Plein Air Festival each July.  He has been a consistent winner each year and he has a very approachable manner.  When I learned that he would be teaching a workshop at the Peninsula Art School while we were there in October,  I enrolled in his class.  I discovered he is just as good of a teacher as he is an artist.  His demonstrations were very informative and his individual critiques were invaluable!                                                                                                                                                                                      
                                                                         

         

Painting at Kangaroo Lake near the causeway.

    The weather was perfect and unseasonably warm. The fall color in Door County were beautiful.   The class was comprised of serious artists and one member was another well-known plein art festival participant, Tom Nachreiner.  Tom  has won several awards at the festival and yet he was a student in James' class.   It proves, no matter how accomplished an artist is, there is always room to learn new approaches to painting.   James works with a limited pallette and Tom was getting ready to teach a workshop and he wanted to learn from James how he teaches with a limited pallette.  

Here are some of the highlights, I took from the workshop.

1.  Values do all the work and color gets all the glory.
2.  Build values from greyed tones for the 4 planes, sky, ground, diagonal planes and vertical planes.
3.  Add color to the greys, warms and cools.  Build up to brilliancy!
4.  Leave things feeling unfinished.  Degas said, "if you say too much, you bore people."

Here are some of the paintings I completed at the workshop.  My approach was less controlled and more fluent.  I enjoyed working with a limited pallette, using softer edges.
Check out James website:  www.jrichardsstudio.com
   

8x10  Shoreline at Coyotte Roadhouse painted from the causeway

Small Birch painting
Sold at the art show! (Still wet)

The Causeway over Kangaroo Lake  11x14