Adirondacks Plein Air

Morning in the St Regis, pastel on board, 14x11 --Sold

    From August 17th to the 22nd  I participated in the Adirondack Plein  Air Festival in Saranac Lake.  This being my second time in this event made it easier to decide what and where to paint. My friend Kim who takes oil classes with me, and who has a camper nearby joined me the first two days and showed me beautiful spots. Some of them will have to wait till next year if I get the chance.

  In plein air competitions I'm always competing with myself: always trying to produce better paintings, more interesting compositions, and most important of all, challenging myself when confronted with what could be a difficult scene to paint. I work hard and try to push myself to the limit. This time I did a total of 11 paintings, yet two of them are not good for viewers eyes...

My first painting was the one above. I was up very early because I wanted to paint the lifting fog, and this spot near Back Pond was perfect. Happily for me, it found a home in Tupper Lake! After lunch, I found a location on the other side of the road and had to try my hand at oils. the results was just an OK painting, but I enjoyed the place so much and even found some pitcher plants in the bog.   After dinner I went looking for structures or fields to paint. Found a location on Rt 86 that the year before had called my attention because of the goldenrod. This time the storm in the distance made the scene even more interesting and fortunately, only a few raindrops fell where I was.

 A Storm is Brewing, pastel on board 9x12"

Next day I was early at Lake Clear Outlet. The sky had beautiful colors, but I was not able to capture everything because the light changed too fast for me. I had to come the next day to finish it and as it always happens, the conditions were different and what I originally wanted was gone. Still I was able to do something with it.

Lake Clear Outlet, pastel on board 12x16"

In the afternoon I came back to this place I had looked in the morning. I put aside my fears about the possible difficulties (perspective) with the scene below and got to work.  Towards the end, I had to wait till some people showed near the restaurant so I could determine their height with respect to the building.  I had trouble painting them: they were looking like stick people. I couldn't let this last step destroy what it had taken so much care to create. After taking the time to think how other artists paint people (one stroke, a triangle, few key color, etc) I decided to start by placing a colorful shirt first, believe it or not, it worked, and the rest was easier. When I was cleaning up someone offered to buy it but because I thought it had potential for an award,  I declined. It ended up with receiving an honorable mention.

A Day at the Junction, pastel on board 11x14--Honorable Mention

In the evening, I went to this church near Paul Smith College, one of the many abandoned churches in the area.

St Gabriel's Church, pastel on board, 12x9"

Next day was "Paint the Town" day. This house called my attention last year so it was my first choice.

House on Church St, pastel on board, 12x12"

After lunch I went to Lake Flower looking for a scene to paint for the silent auction.  Realizing I did not have a stamped small pastel board I decided to try oils. It was very windy and to prevent my set up from being knocked over I worked from my car's hatch.

A Windy Day, oil on board, 5x7- SOLD

   

In the afternoon I went near Mt Pisgah. This site has a great view of the mountains and I wanted to paint it again this year. However, I think my tiredness shows in the small area I chose to paint. 

Field near Mt Pisgah, pastel on board, 8x8

    That evening I started framing and did not finish until 2:00 AM!
   
   Next day I was so tired that I had to skip the "Paint the Saranac River" in the morning. I gave myself the morning off and explored other locations. Nothing begged to be painted so I went back home and got ready to deliver the paintings for jurying.

  On Saturday was the Quick Draw event from noon till 2:00 PM.  I did not want to go far from City Hall where the exhibit was taking place, so I looked for a shady spot by the parking lot and worked from there.  Having had the time to look at it for some time now, I can see lots of things that need fixing. I think it was too complicated a scene to paint in just 2 hours but that's how you learn!

Behind the Storefronts, pastel on board, 12x12"

4th Canandaigua Plein Air

Painting a vineyard in Naples, NY

 On the second week of June I participated for the 4th time in the Finger Lakes Plein Air Competition and Festival. A week before the event I got a feeling of unease because of the caliber of the participants. Many artists who had participated in previous years were replaced by others whose names I often see in Plein Air Magazine, so there was a reason to feel apprehensive. Anyway all that disappeared the moment I arrived to Canandaigua and started to paint.

One thing I can say is that at least for me, this competition made me think differently how I approached my scenes. I wasn't interested in painting lake views, or saleable scenes.  I was looking for scenes that offered a good composition and would challenge me in conveying the atmosphere of the day. Then, I had also to take into account the safety of the spot I was going to paint from.

 My first scene had horses grazing on a pasture but I did not have the chance to paint them due to the imminent storm. I had barely time to rearrange my pastels and put my things in the car before the first big raindrops started to fall.

Just Before the Storm, 9x12 pastel on board

 The downpour did not last long and for my second painting I ended up at an intersection from which I could see another participant at work. Not wanting to intrude nor paint the same scene, I took the road to my right (Monks Rd) and almost right away I found a great view.

Hazy, Lazy Afternoon, 9x12" pastel on board-Honorable Mention -SOLD

The lake looked silvery in the distance and the background changed often due to the mist, but I had decided what was important in this scene from the first moment. At the end, I took liberty with the color of the sky. A good start for day 1! I hurried back to town for the artists reception but wished I could have stayed and paint another scene.

At the reception I met Colette, a pastelist from Rochester, and we decided to go painting a night scene. So we both went to the Wegmans parking lot ( a supermarket). I chose to paint the entrance while she painted the outdoor cafe. I painted till all I could see were values. Thunder and lightning nearby encourage me to pack at record speed.

Day 2

Thursday was supposed to be sunny, no rain. I had barns in mind!  There is an interesting red barn on Rt 21 that is not easy to paint from the main road. I found a partial view of it from a less trafficked road. 

- Red Barn from Hicks Rd. 10x8" pastel on board- SOLD

Feeling confident for having already two OK paintings and two that I could go back to their respective places to  finish them, I headed south on Rt 21 near the cemetery where there are three large barns by the road. I took the time to look around the structures and that paid off as I found what I considered just perfect and simple to paint.

A Sliver of Light, 10x8 pastel on board

Afterwards I headed to Grimes Creek in Naples, where I had read there is a waterfall. I went scouting first as there is a 1/4 mile walk to the falls from the parking lot. Midway to the falls I realized I was getting tired an hungry and that is not a good combination to start a challenging scene. So I went back to the car but took lots of reference photos. Since I did not want to leave Naples without a painting from there,  I found a place from which I could paint the same vineyard I painted the year before but looking at it from the north. My interest in the scene was the hazy blue of the middle ground in early afternoon.

Vineyard in Naples II 9x12" pastel on board

I had to hurry back to town and get ready for the Meet the Artist reception where the participants could exhibit three studio paintings and have the opportunity to meet and converse with patrons. After this event I went back to the Wegmans parking lot to finish my painting of the day before.

Evening Shoppers, 14x11" pastel on board

Day 3

I got up late and still very tired. When you are painting happily for hours and hours you don't realized how tired your feet can get! Since I had at least five decent pieces for the exhibit, I decided to take it easy and try painting with oils, and for that I went back to Monks Rd. to paint some barns.  My oil painting started well but I reached a point where I began to get frustrated. It was about 2:00 PM,  I had left my salad at my hostess' home and all I had in the car was water and a bag of popcorn...). Then a friend also participating in the event came to paint along that road. That kind of reanimated me for a while. We were withing shouting distance from each other and took breaks to see each other's progress.  

Unfinished barns 10x20 oil- A frame is what I used to carry the wet paint. 

After a while I just gave up on my oil-- I realized later on that I had not resolved how to deal with the trees on the left from the very beginning... Angry at myself (I don't know why?), I put my oil stuff away. I looked again around me and another scene begged me to paint it. It's funny how easily one forgets tiredness and hunger. Definitely pastels this time!

Canandaigua Blues, 12x12" pastel on board

I went back to my hostess to photograph and frame my work, but couldn't finish because I wanted to see Nancy Tankersley, the juror' demo. Even though I arrived late, I liked what I saw. Then it was  back home to fishing framing.

Day 4

After delivering my paintings for the exhibit I went scouting for a scene for the Quick Draw. The weather forecast predicted showers so I needed a roof. I went to the farmers market where two plant vendors allowed me to paint their booth.  I think I tried to bite more than I could chew with this one, but I had fun talking with the guys. I will correct and finish this one some day because I want to get comfortable painting cars and busy scenes.

Waiting 9x12 pastel on board

In the afternoon was the award reception. I was stunned to hear my name associated with an honorable mention for Hazy, Lazy Afternoon! Nancy said she had to decide between  that one and the side wall  (I think she referred to my white barn...) but she chose this one because it reflected the atmosphere of the day very well.  Next day, I sold two paintings! 

My thanks to the organizers of the event and to the patrons for this great opportunity!

Alfalfa and Corn, 11x14"

Alfalfa and Corn, pastel on paper by Adriana Meiss

Last Tuesday afternoon I went painting with my friend Marybeth to Otisco.  This is one of my favorite areas to paint and photograph. The variety of crops and the hilliness of the terrain add so much color and interest to the landscape that everywhere one looks there is a nice scene ready to be painted.

We found a field on Bailey Rd. and after being granted permission to park in the property by the owner's son, who was about to start mowing the alfalfa field nearby, we wasted no time exploring and setting up. We knew we had two hours at most before the daylight faded. This view attracted me right away because of the good feeling of distance and because it offered the opportunity to deal with orange foliage.  I have always found oranges to be very difficult as those colors can overwhelm a painting if used in large areas.

I used a black sheet of Richeson Premium Pastel Paper because it was the only surface I had in the size I wanted, and was surprised by how much I enjoyed working on it. The surface feels more like fibers rather than grit, but it's definitely coarse as you might be able to appreciate below.

Using Richeson pastel paper.

Seneca Plain Air Painting Festival, Geneva, NY

Five O'clock Cows, 8x10" pastel on board, 2nd Place Award

I'm very happy to say that I came back home with two awards from this event!
I was very lucky in so many ways. A woman I had met at a workshop I taught last June offered to host me and that made the experience even better. Thank you Bernadette!
Just to warn you, the images were not taken under the best conditions which is something I will need to address fnext time.

DAY 1:
Knowing that one should always be ready to paint a good scene no matter what time of day it is, I had my boards stamped the day before, during the orientation.
The first morning of the event I set up my alarm for 6:00 AM. I wanted to go to the farmers market but decided instead to capture the sunrise from behind the place where I was staying . I knew I would struggle with the bottom part of this painting because of the moving cars, so I ended up not framing it.

Geneva Sunrise, 9x12" pastel on board

Just when I was about to put my things away I saw a delivery truck that would have blocked my way had I decided to drive somewhere. "Should I paint it?" I thought. I have never painted trucks before and normally is something that does not appeal to me. But what's the point of painting if one doesn't find some sort of challenge in it?  I waited to see for any indication that it was going to stay for a while and seeing a man pulling forward several boxes from the back, I started planning my strategy. First, was finding the right placement for the truck, making sure I did not have any important lines escaping at the corners. Then I had to establish the truck's boundaries in case it would leave. I took several photos just in case. Fortunately for me the truck stayed half an hour or so and afterwards I felt more relaxed to deal with the background.

Delivery Truck, 10x8, pastel on board

 After lunch I took Rt.14 S in search of farmland or a lake view to paint. I found my scene on Reed Rd. under a nice shade and enough space to park by the roadside.

A Bend on Reed Rd, 9x12", pastel on board

 Afterwards, I continued scouting the area and a few minutes later found my next scene at a Menonite Farm. What attracted me first to this scene was a tree in the very distance and the yellow light. The cows could be a problem, but again, I had to try. First, I asked for permission to park in the driveway and getting it I proceeded to paint. Towards the end, the setting sun was casting beautiful orange light on the cows. I stopped painting to take photos, but in my head I remembered instructors saying that the important thing when capturing animals while painting outdoors is their gesture, so I gave it a try thinking that back at home I could fix anything I did not like. That is the painting on top. Before leaving I thanked the young woman for letting me paint there, she asked me to show her my painting. We had a short conversation in which she told me she painted on saw blades. I also ended buying fresh eggs!

DAY 2
I wanted to paint vineyards on the west side of the lake. I found a nice lake view from Travis Rd. Bernadette, my hostess, who had come along to paint, spotted a scarecrow. We asked for permission to paint under the shade of trees, which not only was granted but we were also allowed to park on the owner's driveway (Thank you Peggy L!).
There was early morning haze which I new would dissipate soon, so I worked on it first. Midway I realized I had not recorded the foreground colors of the vines, a mistake that got me into a little trouble later on. By the time I was almost finished the bright yellows I had on the foreground vines did not seem to agree with the haze of the middle ground so I had to replace the yellows with more subdued greens.  The wind blew my painting away while I was putting things back in the van, but I repaired the damage right away. Lesson learned.

On Duty, 11x14" pastel on board

  Because it was getting much windier, I felt I had to be careful with my next location. I went along Rt 14 and on Hansen Point Rd I found a house with a barn on top of a hill. There was no sheltered place to paint from so I parked by the side of the road and opened the hatch hoping it would offer some protection from the sun and wind. I had my umbrella with me but it would have been blown away. So I applied on a lot of sunblock and started to paint. The point I'm trying to make is that no matter what your plans are, when you see your "scene" you just figure how to make it happen.
I liked the hilliness of the terrain, the textures, and the soy field at the bottom, but it was the barn that I liked the most, which somehow looked so lonely withstanding the wind. There was a house in between the barn and the white (blue here) shed, but it had to go.

Farm on a Hill, 12x9", pastel on board  

Right after, I headed to the yacht club but nothing inspired me there, besides, I was afraid of the possibility of tree branches falling on me while painting, as I had seen several on the road. I continued along East Lake Rd and saw gorgeous scenery. At this time, the late sun was casting orange tones on the opposite side of the lake and the dark blue clouds made a nice contrast with the yellow fields, but there weren't that many places to paint by the roadside. Turning back I spotted a farm with a shed and some horses. I decided to try my hand at painting with oils. It went bad from the get go so it will have to be finished in my class. I wish I had painted a pastel instead!

DAY 3: Paintout

The rain woke me up. I wondered if the paintout at  Pulteney Park would be cancelled because of it, but on approaching the park I noticed several tents for registration and for anyone who needed to paint under one. I went around looking for a subject to paint from places were my pastels wouldn't get wet, but I had to settle on painting under a tent. The view I chose was somewhat complicated, but interesting so I mapped things down before starting.  Because there were buildings in the background, it was important to get the perspective right, as well as the placement of the fountain. After that, it was a matter of getting the right temperature and depth. All I can say is that I'm very happy the judges liked it. I think this was the first time they had three awards for this event. 

Pulteney Park Fountain, 9x12", pastel on board, 2nd Place Paintout

On Saturday afternoon there was the gala and auction where the winners were announced. It was also a chance to talk with fellow artists. I was really surprised at my getting another award for Five O'clock Cows (top). which also sold!

Reworking: The Moose River in Winter, 5x7-Sold

The Moose River in Winter, pastel on board by Adriana Meiss

   In this post I'm sharing something I have learned from other artists: if you have work you believe it's good but has not sold in a while, you should look at it again and figure out what it needs.

    The original below, which I had posted before, was painted two years ago. I loved the painting and I thought it was going to sell, but it came back home show after show.

Before

   It was time to analyze what it needed. The composition was fine, the palette was appropriate; how could I improve it?  I thought or the WOW factor I have read in art magazines and while I don't agree every painting should have it, I thought that something to call attention was needed on this piece. Adding brighter colors to the distant trees to give the impression of glaring sunshine did the trick. I added yellow highlights to the focal area trees and to their reflections in the water, and with very little a cold winter scene became more appealing.

Mandana Farmland, 13x13"

Mandana Farmland, pastel on paper by Adriana Meiss

On my way home after the Finger Lakes Lavender Fest, I slowed my car down and took photos of this field. I have actually seen it many times before and have taken shots of it, but somehow after this time I really felt the need to paint it right away.  I decided to be more creative with colors though and I'm happy with the results. I hope you like it too!

Fading Light, 9x12"

Fading Light, 9x12" pastel on Ampersand Pastelbord, by A. Meiss

          
    It's been very busy around here but not because I'm painting. It seems that preparing for the show took so much energy away from me that I have not touched a dusty pastel since. I've started to feel the need to paint on a regular basis once again and to encourage myself a little bit, I went to get some beautiful flowers to start a few small sketches.... at least that's the plan for today...

   On opening night at the Edgewood, four paintings were sold, yeah! For the one above, which is in the exhibit,  I played with the original reference photo for  while, and ended up flipping it because it offered a better composition. I know it is very simple but I found it very challenging to paint, mostly because I wanted subdued colors in general, and had to fight the tendency to use brighter ones where they were not really needed. The scene is from the Otisco valley.
           

Art by the Lake -en plein air painting

Sheds, 12x9" pastel on Colourfix paper by Adriana Meiss

Yesterday was the Art by the Lake at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown. My friend Vicky and I participated as plein air painters. There were also fine art vendors under a huge tent and I was impressed by the quality of the work.  We had all day until 4:00pm to paint to our heart's content, but the heat and my heavy set up (why do I always carry more than I can handle?) were a factor in my not being able to produce more than two paintings.

Not being familiar with the area, it took me half an hour to find the best locations to paint. Also, because it was so hot, I wanted to paint under the shade of trees.  What to paint first? Here I had to estimate or foresee how the light/shadow patterns were going to change in the next two hours and decide whether I should wait till the afternoon when the light might be more interesting. At first sight, I was tempted to paint the lake but the water and the sky being of similar value meant problems so I decided instead on the sheds.

Path by the Lake, 9x12 pastel on Wallis paper by Adriana Meiss

At about 11:30 am I started my second one, Path by the Lake. At this time the shadow pattern changed considerably but only in the distant path so I was able to work without major problems.

After lunch I took a long break to see the American Impressionism exhibit and to talk with vendors and other plein air painters. Then at 3:00pm, the  lake looked just perfect for painting: deep blues an greens. Although the water wasn't smooth I swear I could see the pinks of the big clouds reflected on the water. I hurried across the expanse of lawn to get my gear but by the time I reach it any little energy I had in me had left me. It was time to call it the day.  The area is so beautiful that it's in my list of places to visit again and explore with more detail.

The View from the Green Bridge, Old Forge, 10x8"

View from the Green Bridge, pastel by Adriana Meiss

I was in Old Forge this past weekend to see the opening reception of the pastel exhibit at View Arts Center, and to take a portrait workshop with Alain Picard.

While there, some friends wanted to see how I painted on location and for that purpose we went to the Green Bridge, which offers nice views in both directions. The "demo" was very short, perhaps half an hour, and I pointed out the most important aspects of painting outdoors: 1. select the subject,  2. Make small sketches first to determine the right composition and what the focal area is going to be,   3. pay attention to color temperature and values,  4. block in the main masses, and finally 5. provide some detail. I like to work as fast as I can so that the changing light conditions do not tempt me to make too many adjustments to my painting. This is the original piece:

en plein air, View from the Green Bridge

In the studio I continued working on it and did some minimal changes to the composition.  What took me the longest was giving the idea of a swift current. I realize that the freshness the original had is gone, but I needed to bring it to a level  I felt comfortable with.
 
About the workshop, all I can say is that it was very informative to see the 2-hour demo Picard did the day before the workshop. I tried to approach the portrait as if it were a landscape, but one thing  is sure, you won't be seeing portraits in this blog anytime soon.

Flower Field, 13" x 19"

The weather has been rainy and cold, not conducive to painting outdoors... I have been busy doing some studio paintings for two upcoming shows, but deep in my heart, I cannot wait to be outdoors. I'm hoping for at least one glorious fall day while the leaves are still on the trees.

This painting was done on location, one evening in late August. My favorite part is the distant hill. I used a pale orange hard pastel, followed by pale blues and greens, and the mix set the tone for the rest of the painting. It was one of those experiments that turn out to work well. I finished the painting at home from memory, but all it needed was some adjustment in the color temperature of the shadow in the middle ground.

Contrary to what I would have done, one of my fellow painters suggested no to give much definition to the foreground sunflowers. I think the idea is to let the viewers look at the painting and spend some time figuring out what's in there. I'm still figuring out myself if that's the way I want it... I might even crop it.

Island Pines, 18"x24"

Good news, my piece Island Pines, which had been juried into the 5th National Northeast Pastel Competition, received an Ampersand Art Supply award! I was thrilled enough for just being accepted, so receiving an award is like the icing on the cake.

The exhibit will be open to the public from June 13th to July 12th at the Arts Center at Old Forge, NY.