Plein Air Painter

                                                     

       How I love painting on site.

A Little Cabin, Merrie Woods

There's nothing like capturing that moment in time.

People walk by and inform the painter of information....the wind blows and and the weather sets the tone for atmosphere....birds and animals create peripheral sound...it all works to make a great painting.


These little cabins were painted at Camp Merrie Woods, near Cashiers, NC.  It was a wonderful location and the campers all added their editorials.  They were delightful.  Please check out my website at www.catherinehillis.com for more information about my future plein air painting competitions.  And, come on by and see me!

Cabin at Camp Merrie Woods

Artists, Grow a Thick Skin

August 1, 2014

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Mt. Ida, Watercolor, Ellicott City, MD

This summer has been full of plein air painting in contests for me.

I apply for plein air competitions across the country – some of which I am invited to and some which I am not.  It’s both costly and time consuming – I must mark time off of my calendar while I wait to hear from these organizations.  I cannot schedule classes or workshops during these times and, time is money to a working artist.

I also compete regularly in national watermedia competitions.  The paintings that I select to compete are held off the market for months and sometimes years while I’m waiting to hear whether the pieces are selected.  The fees are outrageous and the shipping and handling costs for paintings which get into these contests are getting higher all the time.  One can always hope for an award to cover costs...which happens sometimes.

If you’re an artist and you want to work as a professional, one of the first requirements is a very thick skin. One must also have a sense of adventure, along with patience, tenacity and tremendous desire to succeed, but a thick skin keeps one sane.  Talent is, of course, an unstated prerequisite here.  And always remember:  there are many, many talented artists in this world of ours. 

Judging is a subjective process and if your painting is a good one, believe in it and believe in yourself.  While one judge may not select me to compete in a plein air contest, the next one may select me and present me with an award.  If I don’t try, how will I know whether I’m ready for competition?  And, if I don’t try and permit myself a few failures, how will I improve?  The professional must place herself right in the midst of competition and into the market in order to grow and succeed.  Placing oneself in the middle of the “heat” is the only way to learn.

But, grow a thick skin and don’t seek applause from your fellow artists.   Validation must come from within.  You must know passionately that you are doing what you're created to do.

Captain's Hat, Watercolor, Cashiers, NC

                                          

WHY LEARN FROM EXPERIENCE?

Why Learn From Experience? There are all kinds of art teachers: some are hobbyists, some are full time teachers whose focus is on teaching, and not on producing. And then, there are active artists who give to their students some of their experience and hard earned knowledge. All have something to share. I belong to the latter category; I paint daily. I sell my work through galleries; I compete in national and plein air competitions and I teach classes. What this means for you, the student, is not only do you receive instruction in basic techniques and materials, but also I'm able to provide input on the latest trends and what's happening in galleries, the plein air world, and in the international watermedia world today. Nothing pleases me more than when a student reaches the level where she (or he) is able to begin painting the way they always hoped they could. I consider the ability to teach to be a gift, and this is a gift I try to make time for. My process is helped by many years of teaching and decades of experience working as a professional. My credentials include over 40 awards throughout the years, along with signature memberships earned from the Virginia Watercolor Society, Baltimore Watercolor Society, Missouri Watercolor Society, Western Colorado Watercolor Society, Pennsylvania Watercolor Society, the Southern Watercolor Society and Potomac Valley Watercolor Society. Adding to my credentials, during 2014 I've had paintings accepted in the Georgia National Watercolor Exhibition ( award), the Rockies West National Exhibit, the Mississippi National Exhibit (award), the 5th Annual Signature American Watercolor Exhibit in Fallbrook, CA, the Virginia Watercolor Annual Exhibition and the Missouri National Watercolor Exhibition. I'll be featured in the new Artistic Touch 6 collection of watercolor paintings and that book should be out in a few weeks. I hope to have a few books available for purchase. Among publications I've been featured in are: SPLASH 12, SPLASH 14, Artistic Touch 5, The Washington Post, Plein Air Magazine (twice so far), Elan' (four times), and American Artist Magazine. I'm honored and grateful to be able to present to you the best material and critiques that I can offer. CLASSES AT THE COOLEY GALLERY This June, I'll be teaching a "short course" at the Cooley Gallery on King Street in Leesburg, VA, June 2, 9, 16, 23, 2014 on Mondays from 1 pm until 4 pm. Register online. We'll be focusing on the fruits of summer: and those juicy green landscapes. Expect to receive a lot of personal attention in this class. If you seek classes this fall, try the Cooley Gallery for a six week class on Monday, 1 pm until 4, September 15 - October 20, 2014. SATURDAYS at ArtSpace in Herndon, VA. I'm offering another "Short Course" of four weeks of watercolor painting on July 26, August 2, 9 and 16, from 1:30 until 4:30 pm. We may fit some plein air into this course. Fall classes at ArtSpace in Herndon, VA . My new 8 week course of classes will begin on Saturday, September 27, 2014. Two classes each Saturday will be offered: the morning class is 10 am until 12:30 pm and the afternoon class is 1:30 until 4:30 pm. This longer session ends on November 22, 2014. N' Shows Have you been on the Western Loudoun Artists Studio Tour? This year, the tour features over 60 (yes, that's a lot) artists sharing their talent, their studios, their homes - with you..... You'll have access to wonderful art centers, little galleries and studios that are hidden jewels among the hills, mountains and fields of historic and beautiful western Loudoun County, VA. The tour is Saturday and Sunday, June 21 and 22, 2014. N' Stuff MAY I ASK YOU TO BE AN AMBASSADOR of our mutual medium: watercolor paint? Collectors and students are still confused about the durability of watercolor paints. Plein Air events only select 2-3 watercolor painters because of questions about the lightfastness of our work. Galleries dislike carrying watercolors, partly for this reason. I want to educate consumers about how quality and durability have evolved with time. Watercolor paints during the 19th century were known as "fugitive," but in the 21st century, reputable companies test paints for permanence. Here's a definition from Wikipedia: Watercolors, Paint Lightfastness. "Lightfastness is the ability of a pigment to retain its original color appearance under exposure to light. This is usually indicated as a numerical rating, from I (high lightfastness) to III or IV (low lightfastness), on the paint tube or in the paint technical information available from the manufacturer. Lightfastness is a crucial issue with watercolors, because the paint pigment is not surrounded by a protective dried binder (as in oil or acrylic paints) but is left exposed on the surface of the paper. In the 19th century, watercolors acquired a market reputation for relative impermanence that continues to suppress their price today, and painters who admire this medium will make choices to improve its market status: in fact, lightfast watercolor paints on archival papers are more durable than any oil painting on canvas. The most stable painting medium is pastel, but modern lightfast watercolors are now more stable than oil or acrylic mediums. Unfortunately, paint manufacturer lightfastness ratings are not always trustworthy. However, because they have been demonstrated to be impermanent in watercolors, certain pigments (paints) should never be used under any circumstances. These include: aureolin (PY40), alizarin crimson (PR83), genuine rose madder (NR9), genuine carmine (NR4), genuine vermilion (PR106), most naphthol reds and oranges, all dyes (including most "liquid watercolors" and marker pens), and paints premixed with a white pigment, including paints marketed under the names naples yellow, emerald green or antwerp blue. Most of these are colorants invented in the 19th century or before that have been superseded by far more durable modern alternatives, and these are usually sold as "hue" paints (e.g., "alizarin crimson hue" is a modern pigment that resembles alizarin crimson). Industry labeling practice is to include a lightfastness rating on the paint packaging, and painters should only use paints that have a lightfastness rating of I or II under the testing standards published the American Society of Testing and Materials (now ASTM International)." Happy painting, watercolor ambassadors! I'm planning to take a few workshops myself during the next few months so that I can keep bringing you more material. And, if you're on the road in my area, here's where you can find me. I always welcome questions from onlookers at my plein air events: May 27 - 31, 2014 Mountain Maryland Plein Air 2014 Thirty selected artists from across the country will paint in and around Cumberland,Maryland. July 13 - 19, 2014 Arts on the Green Cashiers, NC 25 selected professional plein air artists from around the country paint in the Village Green Park in the NC mountains. October 9 - November 1, 2014 Black Rock Arts Center A group exhibit of the Washington Society of Landscape Painters. September 18 - 21, 2014 Piedmont Plein Aire Paint Out 30 selected plein air artists paint the High Point, NC area. June - September, 2014 American Painting Fine Art A Group Exhibit by the Washington Society of Landscape Painters Exhibit Catherine Hillis, VWS, BWS, MoWS, WCWS, PWS, SW, PVW.

©2014 Catherine Hillis Studios | P. O. Box 41, Round Hill,VA 20142

Would you like to join me in a plein air sketch book and painting tour in Greece?  Would you like to enjoy a guided tour of Athens, Greece?  Would you like to spend several days painting the windmills and fishing villages in Mykonos?  How about sitting on a balcony ledge in Santorini at sunset, learning how to capture those glowing colors in watercolors?  Register by February 28, 2014 for the time of your painting life.

Join instructor Catherine Hillis for a
‘Plein Air’ Sketchbook Tour of Greece

October 10 - 20, 2014
For information, contact Catherine at info@catherinehillis.com or catherine.h.hillis@gmail.com.
See the artist's work at www.catherinehillis.com.
For registration and information, email VM TrAVeL ADVeNTUreS at travel@customwinetours.com

1-877-423-5007

www.customwinetours.com

Milan and Lake Garda, Italy and Inspiration in General

Inspiration.  Where does it come from?

For me, travel is one of the keys to inspiration, which then leads me to creative thinking, and ending, hopefully, with an excellent painting.

Scenes of Gargnano, Italy along Lake Garda

I love teaching workshops in locations foreign to me.  It's tremendous fun to see new sights and be inspired.  Some sights compel me to paint them immediately...perhaps because of the lighting or the smells or some sort of interaction I'm experiencing at the time.  Other sights want to be photographed... in many ways.  I can spend quite a large amount of time walking around a location, taking hundreds of different photos from different angles.  In fact, one of my favorite methods for taking pictures now is to hold my camera in front of me, constantly change my angles, and shoot away.  I can often be surprised by the beauty of these random photographs.

I was able to sneak in a tour of Berlin after the workshop this year, and I took many photos of the Reichhstaag, which is one of my favorite buildings in the world.

The very nature of the building and the many reflective surfaces lend itself to painting.....I love the natural abstraction of the angles.  Whenever discussing design in class, I advise students to "make it irregular, make it oblique and make it unpredictable."  This building exemplifies some of those major adages of good design.

 As enjoyable as it is to BE inspired, it's just as energizing to me to observe students in the midst of enjoying bursts of creativity.  I must say, my students who took the Il' Chiostro Watercolor Workshop with me during early October of 2013 made great strides forward in technique.  I like to think it was the teaching; I'm just as sure it was the inspiration of the location.  So, get thee to an inspiring location....and then, remember some design advice:  keep images irregular; use oblique lines whenever you can; and stray away from predictability in form and shape.

Happy Painting!  Catherine Hillis   www.catherinehillis.com

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City in the Morning (c) Catherine Hillis

Berkley Gallery to host Fine Art Professionals of Northern Virginia

The Berkley Gallery is pleased to announce the upcoming exhibition featuring the Fine Art Professionals of Northern Virginia. Twenty-six, nationally recognized professional artists will exhibit work in a multiplicity of styles, subject matter and medium. The exhibit will run from October 4th throught October 15th, with an opening night artists' reception on Friday, October 4th.

This passionate group of artists, working in oils, watercolors, acrylics and pastels and representing a variety of artistic styles including realism, impressionism and abstract expressionism, have set the stage for a thoroughly unique and stunning show.

Art has the ability to make us stop, to pause and look, to process colors, brushwork, subject matter and sometimes to find a connection, a meaning that touches us. Whether you prefer to contemplate a work in silence, studying the eye of the artist or discuss the process with the artist and others, you can do both at the opening of this show on Friday, October 4th from 6-9pm. The opening is in conjunction with First Friday in historic downtown Warrenton, where shops and restaurants are open late for those that want to enjoy the autumn evening in a relaxed and enjoyable setting.

The following artists will be featured in the show:
Robert Thoren, David Williams,Tricia Adams, Jill Banks, Simon Bland, Vicki Blum, Gwendolyn C. Bragg, Chica Brunsvold, Mary Champion, Tricia Cherrington-Ratliff, Donna Clark, Elaine Elinsky, Betty Ganley, Carolyn Grosse Gawarecki, Jean K. Gill, Linda Hendrickson, Catherine Hillis, Margaret Huddy, Dell Keathley, Susan La Mont, Christine Lashley, Jonathan Linton, Jill E. Poyerd, Libby Stevens, Dana Thompson and Daniel Wise.

For more information, please contact the Berkley Gallery at 540-341-7367.

 

 

 

 

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Bucks County, PA:  The Stone Garden, SOLD

The summer of  2013 was full of plein air painting for me.

This painting of a statuary shop was one of my favorites and was produced my first day in New Hope, PA.
I often find that my best work is done on the first day or two in a location because I'm so inspired by what I see and excited to express it.

I also enjoyed painting in the plein air competition in Cranford, New Jersey, which is a delightful and friendly town, full of Victorian houses.  I could honestly paint there for weeks and still not be finished.

I was  honored to win a Juror's Choice Award for my painting "Looking Down Frederick Street"  in one of my favorite places to paint:  Ellicott City, MD.  For that, I am grateful ... and always humble.

Plein air painting is a lovely way to get to know a town and it's people.  I always walk the town before I paint to try and absorb the attitude prevalent among the people.  I like to awaken my senses so that I can begin to really know what the town is like and how I can best explain the location I'm in at that time with paint.  I walk and listen...to the traffic and to the conversations.  I observe the architecture, the shadows and the light and I read about the history of each place so that I can begin to discern who built the town, how it grew and what it's like now.  So, if you like to paint outdoors,  take much time for observation....listening.....and sensing....before you begin.  Happy painting!

Ellicott City, MD:  Looking Down Frederick Street, SOLD