Gail G. Slockett Aspiring Artist

" Study from the Dock ", Oil on Panel, 9"x 12" This was our last week on the boat.  Time to winterize and haul out for the winter.  I hate this time of year, not because of all the work that has to be done, (and there is a lot), but because it is the end of the sailing season.  We did get in two final glorious days of sailing though, and I got a chance to do one more painting from the dock.  I tried this same view last year.  Maybe if I keep doing it over and over again I might get it right one day.  I am still struggling with boats.  The bright blue in the sky is Williamsburg King's Blue.  I bought it for a workshop with Howard Rose and I am determined to use it.  Might need to tone it down just a bit next time.  The sun was so bright and just an hour into the session it was right in my eyes. I couldn't really see my colors until I packed it in and brought it inside.  It is a little intense.

"Carnations", 6"x 8", Oil on Panel I was reorganizing my studio storage closet and came upon a few paintings I had stashed away thinking they were worth revisiting someday.  I really liked this one but I had never actually finished it.  I painted it about a year ago when I had just an hour left in class and didn't want to overwork the painting I had just finished.  So I grabbed some leftover flowers and quickly did a palette knife painting.  I never thought much about it until I came upon it again this week.  It looked to me like I just needed to establish the shadows and define the stems and leaves a little more. I have to try this again soon.  I think the fact that I really didn't care about making a great painting helped me make a pretty good one! P.S. I just sold the painting "Clementines" that I posted here two weeks ago.

The Annual Bergen County Art in the Park was held yesterday in Van Saun Park, Paramus, NJ.  The event is free and open to any Bergen County, NJ artist.  Although there is no jury to enter, the works are juried and monetary prizes are awarded. Generally there are around 100 artists.  It was a good day but much colder than I expected.  Still lots of people came out and many were buying.  I sold three paintings!  I really enjoyed talking to other artists and potential collectors. Congratulations to all the winners!

"Clementines", 6"x 8", Oil on Cradled Panel Yesterday was my first class after being away sailing on and off for the last 5 months.  I am very rusty, so I set up a very simple composition.  I really enjoyed being back and I think the painting was successful. I take classes every Wednesday at the Ridgewood Art Institute in Ridgewood, NJ.  It is affectionately called 'The Barn', since it is actually in an old barn.  There are so many amazingly talented teachers and students there.  I highly recommend the school if you live in the area.  Check it out here . My teacher, Patty Nebbeling, is without a doubt once of their best artists and teachers.  Check her out here .  Our class is a particularly wonderful group.  I love coming back after such a long absence and witness how much they have all grown as artists.  They are all so inspiring!

Labor Day weekend I had an opportunity to do some cloud studies from the back of the boat.  I was inspired by Mary Gilkerson and her 31 day cloud study project.   It was a very busy weekend on Battle Creek in the Patuxent River, MD.  We had anchored out right in the middle of the creek so we could catch some breeze.  It was brutally hot and we have no air conditioning when anchored out.  The residents there were, for the most part, very considerate and slowed down while passing us.  But there were three groups of water skiers and tubers that buzzed us all day Saturday. To be fair we were right in the middle of the creek.  So it was a challenge just standing upright yet alone painting!

After my workshop with Patti I stayed on at the Greenville Arms for the next workshop.  Howard Rose is an extraordinary landscape and still life artist.  I particularly like his seascapes and beach and dune paintings.  He lives and works in Long Island, NY, and about six of his students from his regular classes came to the workshop.  One in particular, Joan Stevens, is quite talented and assisted him when necessary.  It was a pretty large class, so it was nice having an assistant making the rounds as well.  Howard went above and beyond the regular class time of 9-4.  He would begin critiques of everyone's work at 4:30.  We barely got done in time for dinner!  He did a presentation after dinner every night.  The first night he highlighted all the various things we need to ask ourselves when critiquing or troubleshooting our work.  The second night's presentation was about all of his favorite contemporary artists. The third night he...

I just came back from a three-day workshop with Patti Mollica.  She is primarily an acrylic painter and has published quite a few books and you tube videos on both color theory and her technique of painting fast, loose, and bold.  You can check her out at www.pattimollica.com 3 tone value study Patti has a unique way of teaching how to loosen up in both style and color.  She began by having us break down complicated compositions into large defined value shapes using only white, black, and a middle grey.  3 tone value study Then she showed us how to match those values with color, encouraging us to use a variety of colors within each value range.  The idea was to apply color directly onto the value studies.  Patti works in acrylics, and her method works better in that medium.  I worked in oils, so my value studies were not dry enough to apply color on top.  I used my studies as references instead of under paintings. ...