Hey... made it outside!

'Mid November' - oil on board - 11x14 - © Marc R. Hanson '09

Well the light isn't what you'd call dramatic now. But it's pretty warm so I am glad to have made it out of the studio today for a little while. This one was a study in "Geeez... there really isn't much of difference out there between my feet and that barn two miles away!!!"

1st Annual Christmas Show - Arts In General, Marine on St Croix, MN

"Sunday Morning Frost" - oil, 16x20, © Marc R. Hanson '09
This is a new painting painted in the studio. We don't have snow yet. Four artists from the area will be showing in a nearby gallery in December so I am trying to put together a few new pieces for that. This is one.

On Thursday, December 10th, 2009 Tom Maakestad of 'Arts in General' in Marine on St Croix, MN will be hosting an Opening Reception from 5-8pm for his First Annual Christmas Show. The weekend exhibit of his work, Anna Maakestad's, Kami Polzin's and my work will be on display December 11 & 12- 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm in his studio above the Marine General Store.

Tom is a painter, Anna is a potter, Kami and I are both painters. This should be a great exhibit to view, please join us on Thursday night.

OPA Eastern Regional Exhibit

'Tilley Foster Farm' oil on linen, 20x24 © Marc R. Hanson '09
I'm happy to announce that this painting 'Tilley Foster Farm' has been accepted into the OPA Eastern Regional Exhibition at Corse Galllery in Jacksonville, FL. The show opens November 20th and runs through December 23rd, 2009.

I'm also proud to announce that I am now showing in two new galleries. They are-

Beardsley Fine Art in Wilton, CT

...and...

M Gallery of Fine Art in Sarasota, FL.
I'll be showing as the 'Artist of the Month' here in January and will be teaching a 5 day workshop January 4-8, 2010.
Hope to see you there.

Sky and more sky.

One of these was painted in the studio last week during a rain day, the other outside yesterday immersed in another rain day followed by some finish on it today.

Even simply starting the larger paintings outside is so much better than not being outside at all to paint them. The piece 'Hovering' is one of those exceptions. A quick pull over along the highway to capture on pixels a fleeting few moments that are then recalled in the studio is necessary too. Truthfully, I have more fun being frustrated on site than making an acceptable painting inside from any sort of reference. Good thing it's my world or someone would tell me that I'm not allowed to have fun doing this and make me come back inside!!!



'Impending Change' oil, 14x18 © Marc R. Hanson '09
This was painted about 75% on site yesterday before the rain was so bad that I was afraid that it would ruin the board this is on, not to mention that my paintbox was acting as a water reservoir. I'm getting more and more interested in how brushstrokes can be used to depict the 'point' that you want to make. I don't mean a similar brush movement all throughout, ie, little swirling strokes no matter if you're painting grass or hard metal, but strokes that indicate movement up, down, sideways, diagonally, and strokes that indicate texture. Anyway, I was thinking of the 25kt winds that were gusting while painting this one.


'Hovering' oil, 11x14 © Marc R. Hanson '09
Like I said, I saw this on my way to teach a workshop a week and a half ago in Zumbrota, MN. As you drive south of where I live now towards Rochester, the landscape flattens out into rolling hills that don't seem like hills. It opens up the sky view, you can see huge distances, like being in the prairie regions of the country. There wasn't a cloud near me except for this one very large 'blimp-like' cloud that was blocking out the rising sun. I'm probably going to explore this more and end up doing a very large painting based on it. Don't know if the color will be the same, this was an idea study of that concept.
(And yes, the telephone poles in windy country do bend eventually as are the trees shaped into 'wind vanes' by prevailing winds. Plus the poles warp... the less interesting explanation.)

New Paintings

I see it's been awhile since I posted. I taught a two day workshop a week and a half ago in Zumbrota, MN to a group of eager students. We had good weather, good subjects but frankly, not enough time. Before that and following the week, I have been working on a 24x36 painting on location. I finally had to finish it in the studio yesterday because the season has progressed and what I was painting is now a thing of the past. I think that I spent 5 days, about 3 to 4 hrs or more at a shot on location, and one day in the studio, about 5 hours. So I guess this was painted about 80% on location with just the finishing touches done yesterday.

This is the largest on location painting that I've done. At first I thought it would be a one shot painting...duh...not so. And in fact what I really value about working this way, I have discovered, is that returning for multiple visits gives me time inbetween to consider what I've done, critique the progress and adjust along the way. I have completely found that to be an advantage and the process has drawn me in and taken hold. My only regret is that winter is close, not because I don't look forward to painting large winter paintings on location, but because it is nice to be comfortable while dealing with what is a pretty difficult thing to do anyway.

The Beauport and large palette are GREAT! I love that easel.



'Autumn Fields'- oil, 24x36 © Marc R. Hanson '09

I've included a couple of photos of my start. I meant to film the progress but I was consumed by it and completely forgot to follow through on that.





This next painting is the result of some hazy weather that kept me from working on the larger painting one morning. As I was heading to the location I saw this scene and desperately wanted to paint it. But it was in an area where there was no way I could safely get off of the road for more than a couple of minutes. There was no room to stand out of the way of traffic. The other thing was that the condition that was so attractive was about to dissolve as well. So the only thing left is to resort to the camera and memory. That's what I did.


'North End'- oil, 16x20 © Marc R. Hanson '09
This was painted with a limited palette of Cad Yellow Lemon, Prussian Blue and Alizarin Crimson. A perfect palette for this particular color scheme and mood.

Mid September Peas

"Mid September Peas" oil on linen/bd, 11x14, © Marc R. Hanson '09
I worked on a large piece this morning, a 24x36 and had an interruption that for some reason did a number on me for the rest of the day. I've discussed it on Facebook, am past that and want to move forward. Suffice it to say that I needed to get out, way out (that means north of Taylors Falls a few miles, where I would be left alone and I could paint. I did that and painted this scene of a tree line with a foreground of soybeans, sometimes called "peas" depending on where you live, just to release a little 'tension'. It did the trick followed by a good evening workout. Now I feel like I can breath.

This weekend I'll be in Zumbrota, MN teaching a workshop through Crossing at Carnegie. We have a full class, should have good weather and I'm looking forward to it all.

Thanks for looking in.

Working larger outside.

When painting this week, with a couple of exceptions, I've been working larger on site. This is a learning experience, one that is going to take some time to absorb and adjust to. I'm so used to containing all that I want to say in 154 sq inches or so that doubling or tripling that is a real challenge in simple things, like paint handling. It's a logistics vs time equation you have to become comfortable with. I'll be real honest, I'm also dealing with this... how do I get the same kind of look to the larger work that is a natural result in the smaller work that is painted on site? Or is it even necessary, is the result from working larger such a different animal that I shouldn't even worry about this? These are the questions that I'm facing from my personal point of view.

Even with those questions present, I am already 10 times more comfortable a week into this than I was with the first one, which wasn't even that large. None of these are 'BIG', 20x 24 the largest. But they're larger than what I have been doing so I'm giving myself a break on the struggles and just letting it work out as it does.

I'm comfortable enough now that the next one going with me is going to be a 24x30. I'll work at that size (weather and conditions permitting) for a while and then go up again in scale. They are beginning to look smaller already. I don't any longer feel like I'm staring into the face of the mainsail of 50 ft yacht!

I'm sure that some readers/artists of my blog are probably wondering what all of the whining is about. Many of you might already paint larger on site and don't see it as that big of a deal. I hope to get there soon....

Also, the Beauport easel is my new best friend. I love this thing. I'm sure that the Take-It-Easel would be even better, but I'm going to get my $99.00 out of this one before I worry about the $300.00's that the other one costs. I'm even painting the smaller size panels on it and find it so much more friendly in that use that if it weren't for it's size and the weight of the paintbox I'd take it every where I go to paint.

ALL of these were painted on location...

'September Pastures' oil 16x20 © Marc R. Hanson '09
Well... this was the first one last week. This isn't that big but I'll tell you that it was a good size to introduce myself to outside. I had enough issues with it, and it served it's purpose.


'Full Over Balsam Lake' oil 11x14 © Marc R. Hanson '09
Obviously not a big one. I am working on an 18x24 of this same scene. The full moon is gone, but the land hasn't moved. In this case I'll do as much work on the larger one on site as I can, as the conditions permit, and then use this study to finish it up. One of the things that I see in painters working large on location is that the work tends to be of lighting situations that are more stable, towards the middle of the day, using the longer light situation to paint with of course. I like the end of the day light, the last hour or so, and those situations that are fleeting and one of a kind. In those situations I still want and will use the smaller studies as reference, it's the only way to really grab those last minute spectacular events.


'The Island' oil 16x20 © Marc R. Hanson '09
I have to remind myself with the larger paintings to be careful not to just 'record'. I want and need to stay tuned into the emotional side of painting even on the larger scale. I know that the more experience I gain doing this, the more comfortable I'll become with it and the more attention I will pay to that. In the mean time, some of these are going to be simpler, more 'records' of the place than the kind of statement that I really want to be making. Time....


'Loosestrife Autumn' oil 8x16 © Marc R. Hanson '09
Kami and I went out to paint purple loosestrife which is in abundance this year. It's an artist's dream, but it's invasive and not a good thing to see in the environment. Well anyway, we had a ball with the light at the end of the day and the effect that it's warmth had on the greens that are changing towards fall's palette and on the loosestrife itself. YUMM....


'September Beans' oil 20x24 © Marc R. Hanson '09
Man did this morning feel like September! Everything in the landscape is warming, except the temperatures. I wanted the sky in this one. I haven't mentioned time required to paint these. This one took about 4 hours, the 16x20's about 3 hours.