Early Bird at Pioneer Art Fest

Early Light- 6" x 9"  Oil by Greg Newbold

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I did the Early Bird Paint Out at the Pioneer Art Festival as well. I couldn't get back to sleep Saturday morning after waking up at 4:45 a.m. so I decided I may as well get out and paint. I had not intended to go the early painting, but since I was awake anyway, I figured I might as well make good use of my time. I had done a little scouting trip at Wheeler Farm the week prior and had a couple of locations selected as possible motifs. I picked a little block house to paint since the value contrasts in the flat light of early morning would be the most visible.

I didn't know if I would get any direct light that early since the building had a heavy row of trees between it and the rising sun. It was a good thing I based my value pattern on the local values since the building never did get any direct sun before I had to turn my picture in at 8:00 a.m. The low light was a little bit of a challenge and I exaggerated the warmth of the palette for dramatic purposes, but I sort of like this little piece.

In progress- about 45 minutes into the painting

Shows and competitions like this one are a little strange because I normally never let anything out of the studio before I am satisfied. They never usually see the light of day before they reworked,  retouched and sealed. In this situation people see them before the paint is even dry which is a bit of a strange feeling, sort of like they are looking over your shoulder in the studio. In a way they are since people were stopping all morning long and having a look. I will definitely be adding a few details and a coat of varnish before I call this one done.

Pioneer Art Fest Paint Out

Old Moline - 12" x 12", Oil

I had a great time painting at the Pioneer Art Festival held at Wheeler Farm this past Saturday. I did both the Early Bird Paint Out and the regular Paint Out and I had a great time. The Early Bird  from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m.was more of a warm up, but I like how it turned out. I'll post that tomorrow. For the main paint out, I scouted a motif earlier in the week and estimated the light for the hours I would be painting. I picked an antique Minneapolis Moline tractor as my subject. As the perennial piece of machinery on any farm, I thought a tractor would be fun to paint. I got set up and my painting was underway by 8:15. It was funny seeing other artists get a little upset that I had a prime spot, but there was no lack of subject matter on the farm. I got a good block in going by about 10:00 a.m. After that I was humming along getting to the good details and thick paint.

About halfway through the painting- 2 hours in

At 12" square, it was the largest painting I have attempted outdoors, but I enjoyed it and gained confidence as I went along. One lady ducked under my view as she walked in front of me and I had to laugh. I was painting pretty fast (for me) but not quite fast enough to paint in a spectator. I got great comments from other artists about how this painting turned out and was feeling pretty good about my chances at a prize. Alas, the cash prize eluded me, but I got a great swirly purple art glass paperweight as an honorable mention prize. My boys promptly dubbed it "Koraeghoth, Maelstrom of Destiny" (whatever that means). I thought it was pretty funny and they were excited that I won a prize even if no money was involved. Considering the competition, I got over my disappointment. There were a lot of artists who have been at this outdoor painting thing a lot longer than I have been. 

Pioneer Art Festival

The Carriers- J.Kirk Richards

This Saturday July 23rd, 2011, I will be participating in the first ever Pioneer Art Festival. Activities will include a Plein Air paint out, exhibition and sale, actors in period costume, artists booths, stage presentations and more. I will be painting on location with the dozens of artists scattered around Wheeler Farm. We will be painting our hearts out for a chance at some pretty nice prizes and purchase awards. Some of the other artists include  J Kirk Richards, Joseph Brickey,  Anne Marie Oborn, Linda Curley Christensen,  John Hughes and more. My book The Touch of the Master's Hand will be given a staged reading complete with violin solo at 1:00 pm at the main pavilion followed by a book signing. If you are in the area, please drop by to see what I am painting and enjoy the free festivities.

Wheeler Farm is located at 6351 South 900 East in Salt Lake City
More information at the Pioneer Art Festival site here