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!

Peaceful Afternoon, 6x6", sold

Peaceful Afternoon, pastel on paper by Adriana Meiss

  This painting of the Meadowbrook area by the university, is one of my three sold at the OAG annual spring show and sale this past weekend. I'm happy to say they were all bought by returned customers.

  Now, I'm in the process of cleaning my studio and sooner or later will have to make hard decisions about work that has been sitting around for too long. Sometimes cropping helps to salvage a painting but action is definitely needed because that pile of "not so good work" is a constant reminder of failures and it's best to start something new with a clear slate --- I might end up just hiding it...

 I'm hoping the weather improves enough so I  can open the studio windows to let some fresh air in and start new work.

Slope in Moonlight, 5x7

Slope in Moonlight, pastel on board by Adriana Meiss

This small pastel was done from an old photo reference and from recollection of colors during early evening. It was painted in November for the Plowshares show, and sadly, I have not painted in pastels since.

This winter has been too cold to paint comfortably in the studio- the electric heater I bought for that purpose did not help much this time. Also, for the first time in years, the cold really got to me and painting was the last thing in my mind. However, In February, after weeks of non relenting cold, a trip to visit family in Costa Rica, and lots of photo references from there, I decided it was time to paint. Since the kitchen is the warmest place in the house due to the wood burning stove being there, my only option was to paint there with oils. The ceiling fan that distributes heat to the rest of the house would have distributed pastel dust all over, so pastels in the kitchen were out of the question. Now I'm interested in seeing how two of the scenes I've painted in oils would turn out in pastel, where I feel I have more control. The last three days have been warm and I hope to be back in my studio soon!

I almost forgot to mention that the winter issue of  Life in the Finger Lakes Magazine has an interview with me done by Tina Manzer.  Here is the link if you want to read it (pg 72 and 70).

Gardens

Changing Colors, 7x5"pastel on board- SOLD

Daylilies, 7x5" pastel on board

  Two more recent garden minis.  Architecture plays an important role in my garden series. It's there to give a context, but it's never the main feature.

Garden by the Shed, 7x5" Sold

Garden by the Shed, pastel on board by Adriana Meiss

   This pastel was one of the four paintings sold at last weekend's Plowshares fair.  In fact, three of the paintings were bought by three different previous customers.  Still, doing the fair is a great opportunity for me to meet new people and to get them interested in classes and future workshops.
 
Last summer I lost a sale for not being able to accept credit card payments. This time around I was prepared for it and I'm glad I did!

Fall Crabapple, 7x5"

Fall Crabapple, 7x5" pastel on board by Adriana Meiss

   A few weeks ago a friend called and asked me if I was free to go with her to a nice place to collect nice dry flowers. She wouldn't tell where, but told me to bring my camera. It turned out the place was nearby: an abandoned golf course that I didn't even know existed. I came back home with lots of reference material to keep me busy in the winter months, but I had to paint this little crabapple tree right away, as I was afraid of forgetting how it looked in late afternoon light.

  For those of you in CNY, Plowshares Craftsfair and Peace Festival is this coming weekend at Nottingham HS. If I'm not mistaken, this will be my sixth year there! Stop by and chat with me!

Dried Sunflowers

Dried Sunflowers I, 6.5 x 6.5"

Dried Sunflowers II, 6.5 x 6.5"

  Well, I have been having so much fun rediscovering oils that I haven't had the time to finish the last pastel done en plein air. So this is what I consider a cheating post since these pastels were painted last year.

   I had bought the flowers with the intention of creating a large painting, but as often happens, other things got in the way. The poor things were languishing in the studio making me feel bad for having wasted money on them so, in the spur of the moment, they were painted one on top of the other, on  a leftover piece of Pastelmat mounted on foamcore.  I love the looseness in the second one and I wonder if that was the result of not taking too seriously what I was doing.