Feeling is the Point

Capture The Feeling
In both of the watercolors here you see the background is an important player in the "atmosphere" or mood of the piece.  Feeling is a big part of any successful picture.  Getting the background right and utilizing the wet into wet techniques accurately are the real challenge in the opportunity presented by this challenge.  Master this technique and you will go a long way to achieving your choice and any variety of moods in future work.  This could work with stormy days, moonlit nights etc.
In the "Olympic Seashore Fantasy" I used the masking fluid to mask off parts of the driftwood drawing, but what is unique here is that I left bits of the lines in the wood exposed when applying the mask so the background wash colorized ( naturally uneven, good!) the lines in a random way that is harder to achieve painting detail with a brush in the classic way.

Above: "Olympic Seashore Fantasy"- 14" X 20" Watercolor on Arches Watercolor paper.  
In the background of the top piece I was going for a cooler feel, as in the great northwest, and in the bottom piece a more tropical warm look in the mist using more pink mixed with yellow to make a warm orange. 


Above: "Florida Riverbank Fantasy"- 14" X 20" Watercolor on Arches Watercolor paper.  
Remember with reflections, the cosmic principle applies, "as above so below"! Let the watercolor do the heavy lifting using the "wicking" techniques I rail on about salt and scraping effects.

Homework:  George Inness was the master of oil paintings with great atmospheric effect.  Explore in Google his work for ideas, then try something like it in watercolor, acrylic or oils!

Taking a Watercolor theme to acrylic.
Demo : Color over Water" 18" X 36"  Acrylic on canvas 

In my Fleet Landing acrylic class I was trying to help the class tap into their inner poet, going with the flow, while exploring painting technique at the same time. In my example I was also showing how to do the roses using a saran wrap technique to create texture.  The green part was using a watercolor wash technique while the right side I added heavier paint to create texture as a base for transparent washes.  Editing with opaque compliments did the rest, trying to keep the color strong and saturated. I like the colors to be fresh bright and luminous. It was based on the watercolor below.

A class demo at Reddi Arts "Pine Island Revisited",  14"X 20" Watercolor on paper.

This piece was a bit different for me.  Normally I would start the sky wash, then while the paper is wet, work in the trees and reflections slowly.  In this one, I did the sky and water first, blew dry the paper (thoroughly), then drew on the tree design in pencil and masked the background negative space around the trees.  This process will cause the color to lift a bit (a lot) so you can put the sky color on richly.  In the upper right you can see I left the sky open (during the masking procedure) to add a bit of purple to the sky there.  The idea here is to work loosely inside the tree design to let the color intermix freely in a fractal way.  I added salt after the color was applied in trees and water reflections. 
It takes a long time for the salt to dry so take your time before removing salt from the surface so as not to spread color around the paper.  When I was certain everything was dry I removed the masking fluid to see what I had.   I had to add color that was lost in the sky as a glaze wash where needed.  Finally I added touch ups and tree details such as branches.  I like the sculptural feeling, the calligraphy the negative space masking creates.  I would say this was a successful piece! 

I love watching my kids in oil painting class work .  This one in particular is very talented.  I like the way she just goes at it directly and with out too much timidity.  She doubts herself from time to time, but in a healthy self analyzing corrective way.  Here she is at 8 working on her cat painting.

A Tale of Two Paintings, wet into wet and glaze over dry masked design!
It's been awhile since I have posted on this blog.  I had gotten distracted by the winds of a changing economic downturn and my many new responsibilities.  This particular post is still related to classes that I teach but soon I will start introducing other material on fine art in general and concepts I am exploring to date.
This image below, is one I did in a class recently for watercolor.  I particularly liked the poetic quality it has.  I was trying to demonstrate two different ways to produce this soft image, one using wet into wet watercolor technique (left) and the other using masking fluid first for the tree shapes then glazing wet into wet washes right over that (after the initial color had dried of course, a bit different approach)!

Living in the moment The Now and Zen way

When I was sailing on the Now and Zen with Ralph, he got a call from a nervous client who was scheduled for the following day .  The weather for Friday was scheduled to have a 40% chance of rain, and the client was wondering if he could get a refund.  Ralph reminded him that the refund was transferrable but non refundable because he had made the trip to Fernandina on his account, and he was not in control of the weather. There was no tension in the conversation, the client was of course wanting an "ideal" circumstance for his charter.  We all want ideal weather when we are sailing through life, but we are not in control of the weather.  As I talked with Ralph later about this, he related how so often the weatherman predicts rain, only to have fair to wonderful conditions for sailing.  As it turns out a little inclement weather in the case of sailing is "exactly" what you want.  If it is too calm you have no wind and have to motor, which is a little less exciting than the quiet excitement you get when under sail.
The following day, Friday, I called Ralph from my studio to talk about our next trip on Monday,  and noticed to him that , hey! the weather was actually nice for sailing after all on Friday, it never rained at all!  He laughed on the phone and said "you just can't trust the weatherman!"  So if the client had cancelled he would have missed a perfect sailing trip.  Some times you just have to let go and find the Zen in the moment you are given, relax and enjoy the ride.
www.nowandsailingzencharters.com

On the Now and Zen near Sisters Creek on the way to Fernandina

Thursday relaxing on the trampoline coming into  Fernandina

Fernandina the thursday before the predicted weather ( a painting to be?)

A Little Pine Island Now and Zen

A favorite trip Ralph Hubbard and I like to make on his catamaran the "Now and Zen" is a trip he makes occasionally up the intracoastal waterway from St. Augustine to Fernandina, Fl.  On the way we spend the night around Pine Island near Guana Reserve. We wake at 5am, have some breakfast and position our boat as the sun comes up for the best painting. After a successful painting meditation, we continue sailing up the waterway, enjoying the jungle-like quality of the river.  I always feel like I am in the Amazon adventuring in the unknown, because it always feels like the first time.  I never tire of the journey because the light is always different and there are a multitude of compositions available to the eye, but each for only a moment.  We pass by them soon, so one is encouraged to remain attentive and mindful of each passing moment as if the Now and Zen boat itself were a sort of time machine, leaving the past behind and constantly moving into the future, while forever remaining in the moment.  It becomes a renewing metaphor for me.  Just as I think I have seen all the tree compositions I can,  I will see one more exciting new composition just ahead, and I am mindful and attentive once again.  Here are some "Zen moments" from the trip...
(Look for paintings from this trip to come into being in the future as we plan to develop a Now and Zen  watercolor and oil show next year.  I will post progress of this on the www.gordonmeggison.com website and Facebook as I go).
 ( NowandZenSailing Charters.com )

Pine Island sunrise

beginning is exciting and challenging, sky and water first

struggling to get the light right against the bugs and changing conditions

I had to relent and use Off before the gnats carried me off.

"A Zen Sunrise at Pine Island" after a few studio touchups

A little Morning Zen does it.

I was on the NOW and Zen charter boat while photographing and painting this scene.  Our project together is to capture the zen magic of the scenes we have seen together while sailing around north Florida waterways.
I have used this painting many times in my lessons in both watercolor and oils.  It makes a great reference for use of color without getting too distracted by the details.  Details are not what makes a great painting, it's feelings you get from the painting that remind you of an event or theme in an intimate way.  I see a lot of colors in my reference photo I use for this , that my students often do not see.  This is because with experience I have come to realize that photos are not by themselves a true depiction of any reality.  You have to enhance and bring back to life what the camera can't see.  The human eye and brain form a complex relationship of focus and selectivity.  You have to add that back in a painting.
To do this I concentrated on the value scales of colors warms of the sun, and cools in purples,  greens and blues, then contrasted them against each other to recreate the enchantment that I felt at the moment the sun was peaking over the trees flooding atmospherically the dark trees with golden glow.
Below you can see both attempts to capture the scene in oil and then watercolor

Morning Zen Oil 16" X 20"

the watercolor Zen Sunrise 

SPRING Class Schedules
with Gordon Meggison 

A plein aire watercolor  of the Jacksonville Arboretum pond

WATERCOLOR Classes at Gordon's  BARN STUDIO
(at 3920 Sierra Madre Dr S, Jacksonville Fl 32217) 

Spring is here!  Great for exploring Florida outdoors. We will start with some
outdoor plein air exercises in Gordon's personal garden ( a touch of Monet!)

when the weather is good (Easels provided)  Gordon will guide you through

simple step by step techniques and interesting themes designed to help you

simplify complex subjects so you can produce colorful vibrant watercolors.

Classes Starting Tuesdays April 23 - May 28 10 am - 2 pm at the Studio

New Students $ 200. previous students $180.!  Limit 6 students.

To sign up for this season: email- gordonmeggison@att.net, or gordonmeggison@gmail.com,   or call (904) 739-0251

To see Gordon's work see www.gordonmeggison.com under the Fine Art tab.

for materials list info see http://www.gordonmeggison.blogspot.com

OTHER CLASSES AND WORKSHOPS with Gordon Meggison are featured below:

JCA
Jewish Community Alliance ( www.jcajax.org )
Thelma Nied, Cultural Arts Director Jewish Community Alliance
8505 San Jose Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32217
Phone 904 730 2100, x 227, Fax 904 730 2444

WATERCOLOR Class 

$102. for members, $153 for non members

For beginner to intermediate watercolor enthusiasts. Basic color theory, color washes, composition will be taught while exploring simple but exciting themes.
Session 1
6 sessions each -

Times:
Monday mornings 10 am - 12 pm, 
April 15, 22, 29, May 6, 13, 20  
Wednesday evenings 7pm - 9 pm

April 17, 24, May 1, 8, (no class May 15) 22, 29

8 week SUMMER  Watercolor Classes
$136. for members, $204 for non members

Wednesday 7-9pm
June 5, 12, 19, 26, July 3,10,17, 24.

OIL Class
Learning to paint in oils using simple techniques and materials to achieve beautiful results fast! Gordon employs a simple easy to follow step by step process to use the fundamentals of sketch to color mixing to finished oil painting.

Session 1 6 sessions each

$102. for members, $153 for non members

Monday evenings 7pm- 9 pm 

April 15, 22, 29, May 6, 13, 20

 Wednesday mornings 10 am-12 pm
April 17, 24, May 1, 8, (no class May 15) 22, 29

8 week SUMMER  OIL Classes
$136. for members, $204 for non members

Mondays 7-9pm
June 3, 10, 17, 24, July 1, 8, 15, 22.

REDDI ARTS WATERCOLOR WORKSHOP 1 day only     Saturday May 11 , 9:45 am- 5 pm  $100.

One Day Watercolor Fast Track BRUSH UP!

A chance to get personal help to achieve control of your watercolor medium for beautiful luminous results.

Minimum 5,  Limited to 12 persons, basic watercolor supplies needed. (see list)

Contact Eric Adams (904) 398-3161 ex 319 eric@reddiarts.com , www.ReddiArts.com
http://www.reddiarts.com/ClassesandWorkshops.com 

  

ABSTRACT Watercolor Workshop contact Jennie szaltis  http://facebook.com/jennie.szaltis
Trends 3919 Hendricks Ave, Jacksonville, Florida 32207 next Door to Millwork Design Studio

EVENT:  1 day   WORKSHOP  May 18th - Sat.  10:00am - 4:00pm.   $75.00 minimum 6 students

Watercolor Supply List

Watercolor Supply List

Instructor: Gordon Meggison

Paper:  140lb Cold Pressed Arches Watercolor Paper Block suggested size 10”x 14”

Paint - BEST: Winsor & Newton PRO grade NOT  COTMAN ( it has fillers) 

Cadmium Red, Alizarin crimson or Genuine Rose, Cerulean Blue, Cobalt Blue , 

Indigo, Horizon Blue, Olive Green, Sap Green, Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna, 

Cadmium Orange , Cadmium Yellow, Bismuth Yellow, 

Pallet pan - Medium size folding plastic palette large or medium size is best not small

Brushes - #12 Sable, (Simmons will work-not too expensive) 1" Nylon Synthetic or Hake Brush ( a Japanese Brush for washes)

Windsor Newton Masking Fluid

Low adhesion masking tape painters style 1" or drafting tape

#2 pencil 

kneaded eraser

Small Kosher Salt in a small shaker

Flat 3” X 5” kitchen sponge (not the kind with coarse scrub texture on backside)

Plastic wide base water cup 

Plastic saran Wrap (Optional)

Paper Towels

Scrapers- this can be a variety  of objects, I can go over them in class, clay tools, palette knives, burnishers etc all make different marks into wet washes

A successful show at the "Parade of Homes" in the Yacht Harbor Village 2013

Gordon Meggison was invited by Amy Steedley of ADS Designs and Alissa Bennett  Design Studio A to show his signature driftwood paintings throughout the "Parade of Homes" in the St George house  by Keystone Homes Mar 16th - 24th in Palm Coast at the Yacht Harbor Village.  It is a 4000 sq ft home with a marina nearby, on the intercoastal waterway.  The dining room was a perfect venue for the triptych of Talbot beach.  Other works were featured throughout the house.  One painting in the guest bedroom "Worn by Wind and Sea" sold, two others are in negotiation.  To see more driftwood works go to Gordon's web site www.gordonmeggison.com

"Worn by Wind and Sea"  SOLD 

The Dining Room triptych

this hung in the master bedroom with the two below