Friday, January 25, 2013

Birds in the Winter: Bluebirds and Other Winged Creatures

January in the mountains of Virginia is bitterly cold. We had our typical Janaury thaw last week, and now the temperature is in the teens or below.

Yesterday, while walking along the old historic gravel road, I saw flocks of male bluebirds: their feathers were all puffed up to keep them warm. They were very active and seemed unafraid as I approached their little groups. They seem very happy and it appears that they know something....spring is inevitable. They were flitting about, viewing different bluebird houses along the road, seeking out real estate for lady friends.

I came across another little bird in my walk. I couldn't get a good picture of the little fellow, but he had the reddest streak across the top of his head.....I looked him up, and I believe he may be a Ruby Crowned Kinglet. I'm sad that I couldn't get a better photograph of him......today, I'm teaching a watercolor class at the Round Hill Arts Center - more snow is expected this afternoon - and, I plan to spend the late afternoon and the early evening painting and working on a composition of Florence.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Italy - Arcadia, Maine - Rehoboth Beach, DE - Learn How To Paint Outdoors Step by Step by Step

"Minor Adjustments" Cinque Terre

2013 WATERCOLOR WORKSHOPS

Acadia, Maine:

August 12 - 16, 2013
Acadia Center Workshop, www.acadiaworkshopcenter.com
Bernard, Maine - contact: Gail Ribas
207-460-4119
Learn how to paint outdoors and enjoy painting scenes in and around Acadia National Park: the boats, the rocky coast, the mountains, the dramatic lighthouses
and the brilliant light. Students will enjoy daily demonstrations on site and an extra large classroom in the afternoons, as well as an on site art supply store.

Milan and Lake Garda, Italy:

September 28 - October 5, 2013
"Il Chiostro", www.ilchiostro.com
Contact: Linda or Michael
1-800-990-3506
Register today for this once in a lifetime experience and learn how to paint the drama of the Italian landscape outdoors. Capture the light, the medieval villages and buildings, the dramatic gardens and the reflections of the Alps along Lake Garda, Italy's largest lake. Students will stay in a restored convent and enjoy organic Italian cuisine prepared by our own personal chef. This is an unbelievable experience for the epicurian adventurer who wants to experience everything: paint , learn, shop, tour, and taste Italian cuisine created just for our group. Register by February 28 for lower price.

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

Saturday, May 4, 2013 - 10 am until 4 pm
Rehoboth Art League, www.rehobothartleague.org
Contact: Kim Klabe, Rehoboth Art League
educator@rehobothartleague.org
302-227-8408
FAX: 302-227-4121
Learn how to paint the beaches and the early spring gardens. This one day Watercolor Bootcamp provides a good introduction to beginning painters and intermediates who want a refresher course in watercolor painting.

Friday, January 18, 2013

Painting Snow, and Painting "en plein aire" in Italy

Milan & Lake Garda, Italy
Plein Aire Workshop
All Levels & All Media Welcome
September 28 - October 5, 2013

Il Chiostro
23 W. 73rd Street, #306
New York, NY 10023

1-800-990-3506 (speak with Michael or Linda)

Come and join me this summer and learn how to paint outdoors. I'll be providing step by step lessons on how to capture the feeling...the essence....the very breath of the day. The deadline for early registrations for both of these plein aire workshops is coming up soon, in late February. Meanwhile, it's winter here in the mountains, and I've been painting snow...the painting here is called "Winter's Bounty."

Bernard, Maine
"How to Get THERE from Here!"
Beginner & Intermediate - All Media Welcome
August 12 - 16, 2013

Acadia Workshop Center
7 Bernard Road
Bernard, Maine 04612

Contact: Gail Ribas, Director
207-460-4119

Monday, January 14, 2013

Learn How To Paint On Site at Lake Garda, Italy

The restored convent in Lake Garda, Italy...our home away from home.

Come with me to Lake Garda, Italy, during fall of 2013, and learn how to paint outdoors. I'll gently guide you step by step on a wonderful journey of joy.

What makes this trip to Italy so special? It’s the staff…..and the magical location….and the students who choose to go….the food that is specially prepared just for our group by our private chef……and the painting experiences on site in locations selected just for us. Let’s face it – everything about this painting trip to Lake Garda is MAGNIFICENT!

If you want a once in a lifetime experience…this is it. If you strive for the most perfect photographs ever….this is it. If you need to experience peace and serenity and a restorative time…this is it. If you want to paint dramatic light, historic villages, the majesty of the Alps reflected in the lake, olive and lemon groves, mountain, water, light…this is it.

Please join me on a magical, mystical tour of northern Italy and the Lake Garda area. We’ll begin in historic Milan, and then our tour guides will take us on to Lake Garda, one of the most scenic and historic areas of Italy. We’re going in late September, when we will have more of the beauty to ourselves....because many of the tourists will have returned home. Students will stay in a converted convent, located close to the water’s edge, and convenient to the ferries that transport you from village to village. Come and join me. Here’s the information below – our deadline for registering is in late February, 2013. Please feel free to contact me in you have questions….