Plein Air Painting Demo at the Kerouac House.

Posted on by Thor

Plein Air painter Cory Wright offered a free painting demonstration at the Kerouac House, (1418 Clouser Ave, Orlando, FL 32804). The painting demonstration was one of many offered this week as part of the Winter Park Paint Out hosted by the Albin Polasek Museum. When I arrived, Museum Curator, Rachael Frisby was setting up an information table and setting out some lawn chairs.  A tall banner announced the Paint Out. It took the evening breeze like a sail held up by a mast. Once a table leg was planted on the base, it was secure.

A young couple arrived with a blanket which they spread on the lawn for a picnic. They ate chicken and sipped wine, while Cory got her easel and palette set up. I liked how she had a paper towel roll neatly hanging from her easel. She held a fist full of brushes, but told us that she tended to just use two on any given canvas. She pointed out that if you want To become a good painter, then the best thing to is draw all the time. She talked quite a bit about painting into the effect which means, having an understanding of the light direction and using that knowledge to inspire the direction the painting takes.

Cory described her process… “The beauty of plein air painting for me,
aside from the obvious delight of simply being outdoors observing
nature, is communicating the energy, immediacy, and sense of feeling
about a particular place through painting. I find I’m constantly on the
lookout for interesting patterns and contrasts in shapes, values and
color, be it a shadow cast on the sand or the reflection of a rock in
the water. Driven to make the most of sharing the beauty I experience
in my surroundings, I aim to snatch a moment of changing light and
reveal that fragment of time to others. In doing so regularly, my hope
is to become evermore skilled and masterful as an oil painter.”

As the sun set, and the golden light faded, Cory finished up her painting adding some dappled light she had observed earlier in the evening. She thanked the dozen or so patrons who had come out to watch her work and there was a moving round of applause.

Plein Air Paint demonstration Frank Ferrante

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On Saturday June 15th there was a free Plein Air Paint demonstration by Frank Ferrante at the Cottage, located on beautiful Lake Lily Park in Maitland. I walked all the way around the lake, figuring a plein air painting demonstration would be outside. “En Plein Air” after all is a French phrase meaning “in the open air”. I finally discovered a small sign that pointed to the cottage. Perhaps ten to fifteen artists had gathered to watch Frank work.

Frank is originally from New Jersey and three other artists were from the Garden State as well, myself included. He now lives in Port Orange, Florida. Frank studied painting with John Osborne at the Ridgewood Art Institute. He painted every Sunday with John Osborne outside for many years. The methods he learned were handed down through several generations of artists having begun with American Impressionist Frank Vincent Dumond who taught at the Art Student’s League in NYC. Dumond died in 1961, the year I was born.In 1966 Frank Ferrante was stationed at Paris Island and he joined the Beaufort Painting Association.

The demonstration focused on the formal elements of painting composition, color values, structure and form. Emphasis was placed on composition, capturing light and dark shapes, atmosphere and mood while using strong color harmony. Frank utilizes what he calls the prismatic palette which mimics the prismatic effects seen outside. The ROYGBIV colors of the rainbow were arranged across the top of the palette. Anything upright in a landscape would catch the sunlight to become orange. The sky is like a big blue lamp and water reflects the blue of the sky. Frank began with a very rough valve study in which he scumbled blue grey paints onto the canvas to find the darks of the scene. He was painting a path that lead back into a palm tree filled grove.

He then put up a canvas of the same scene that was much more developed. He talked about folding darks into lights and lights into darks. His brush strokes were X’s and he worked moist oils into moist. His brush gets plenty of abuse and it’s flat shape becomes warn into a point by the time he is done with it. Studies that he does on location are usually smaller and only one in thirty ever becomes a studio painting. He stressed that the darks in a painting are very important.  I discovered that I didn’t have my brushes in my bag to finish my sketch! I started putting in some darks using graphite. Then I took everything out of my bag and discovered one abandoned brush in the bottom of the bag. My sketch was saved. The demonstration was much shorter than I expected. After the demonstration, I joked with Frank that his demonstration was like one of those cooking shows in which the finished cake was already baked and under the counter. We both laughed.

Josette Urso

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Josette Urso is a Brooklyn based artist who has been invited to come down for a residency at the Maitland Art Center.  Her residency runs from April 28 through June 2nd. This residency program has been resurrected after about a 30 year hiatus. lt was part of J. Andre Smith‘s vision to bring accomplished artists to Florida where they could recharge their creative batteries. Past artists of national prominence,  who were residents here included Milton Avery, Ralston Crawford, Doris Lee, Boris Margo and Teng Chiu.

Josette offered a presentation of her work in the Germaine Marvel Building on the Maitland Art Center Campus. I was one of the first people to arrive. I had been in contact with Josette because I hoped to sketch her at work and learn about her process. This talk was a perfect way to truly meet the artist. She talks with passion and excitement about her art which is accomplished and branches in multiple directions. What was most exciting was that her work has a sense of play as she experiments in various mediums.

Some of the earliest work was collage arranged in circles. Intricate images inhabited tiny squares within the over all design. They were like Madella’s or kaleidoscopes with vibrant color. She collects UPC codes and these linear patterns adorned one of the circular motifs. The image she was working on was huge and she ran out of UPC codes. Most people go to their neighbors perhaps for a cup of sugar but she turned to her neighbors for codes.

When she showed her Urban drawings, I was inspired. One sketch was of a Bushwick building rooftop with a flock of pigeons moving as a dark mass above the building. She thought the pigeons would always be there but the coup was closed down. The drawing was done with a child’s pen she had purchased in Taiwan. The ink is beginning to fade along with the inspiring memory of the flock. She would visit other artist’s studios and sketch the amazing views.

Her paintings border on the abstract yet are grounded in direct observation. She likes to get lost in the process moving around the page and is surprised when it all lines up. One action always leads to another. Her paintings pose questions not offering just answers. Different tools inspire different images. An ink sketch can’t be erased yet an oil painting can be kept in a constant state of flux. Here in Maitland she is working plein air getting her inspirations from the gardens around the museum. She admitted that the Florida sun had tapped her energy. Someone needs to bring this woman a big straw wide brimmed hat.

On Saturday, May 11, from 10 AM to 1 PM,the Art and History Museum will hold an official Plein Air Paint Day with Josette Urso. Painters from around Central Florida are encouraged to come and create alongside Urso. Guests will discover the tools and techniques Urso uses to create her widely-collected paintings, as they enjoy the beauty of the A&H’s Maitland Art Center campus. This program is FREE and the public is encouraged to attend.

Wekiva Paintout

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On March 5th, I went to the the 7th Annual Wekiva Paintout at Wekiva Landing (1014 Miami Springs Blvd. Longwood, Fl). The  paintout is a week long Plein Air painting event with artists from across the country participating. I’m not really a Plein Air painter, I was just there to draw. I walked the property searching for artists at work. I was tempted by a woman painting next to some bright green canoes but to stay in the shade, I would have to sketch her from a distance.

As artists finish their paintings, they hang them in a tent next to the docks. Larry Moore, one of my favorite local artists had one painting on display. One woman did small paintings of turtles on logs. She must go out in a canoe to get such intimate scenes.  Now that I think about it, turtles must make good models since they seldom move. I however was hunting for the elusive artist which also stays quit still when painting.

At the corner of the parking area where a stream runs into the Wekiva River, Charles Dickson was painting alongside Cynthia Edmonds. They have been painting in the Wekiva Paintout since its inception. They didn’t mind my sitting down to watch them work. Charles was working on a tiny little canvas observing the tree and river. Cynthia’s canvas was a bit larger with vibrant colors. They both lamented the fact that small paintings take just as much time as large paintings.

As the sun slipped towards the horizon, no-see-ums began coming out in small clouds and nipping at my arms. Darn bugs, this is one reason I’m seldom found painting outdoors in Florida. I lost my shade and was blinded by the white sketchbook page. Cynthia saw my situation and offered me her umbrella. We attached it to a green metal hand cart that Charles had used to move his paint supplies. It worked like a charm. It was fun working besides other artists, joking and telling stories. I should look into attending the paintout next year.