2012 New Harmony: First Brush of Spring!!! (I got an award!!!)

Wow...I am soooo far behind on my own blog. Over the next week or so I will attempt to catch up!

In Mid-April for the 7th year I attended the Indiana Plein Air Painters Association's Spring event titled First Brush of Spring held in New Harmony Indiana. This year was an AMAZING experience!!!  As is our habit we arrived the Friday before to spend some family time with my husbands family who live in the area. We found my mother-in-law, who I love, doing quite poorly and I wondered if I would be able to participate in the event at all. It was a "one day at a time" proposition but as it turned out I was able to participate! I am thanking God for her recovery!

Almost a year ago I had signed up to take a four day workshop that I has wanted to take for years with master artist C.w.Mundy!! In my opinion you can learn painting via workshops with renowned artists who are graciously willing to share what they know. C.w. is an impressionist which probably fits my style more that anything else and so I was excited to learn from him.

C.w. Mundy

On the first day of the workshop we were indoors for a full, and I mean FULL, day of lecture where he walked us through his "7 Foundational Truths of Painting"...Drawing, Squinting, Design, Value, Color, Edges, and Paint Manipulation. I had light bulbs going off everywhere!

Day two-four we set up in the most beautiful place!! New Harmony has a peony farm...acres of peonies! With the early spring for the fist time when I was there they were blooming!!! Magic! C.w. did a small demo in the morning and then in the afternoon we painted. The assignment was to take a 20x16 surface and divide it into 4 8x10 sections. Then we had 15 minutes to do a value study in one of the sections of the same view that C.w. had just demoed. Then he critiqued each and every one of ours (I think over 20 of us). Then we did a second and again critique. In the morning we did two more so that we had four value studies one one surface.

Four 8x10 value studies by Wendie Thompson

We broke for lunch and when we came back we were to do a 16x20 painting of the same scene...we had one hour...timed...not kidding!! Then critiqued again each and every one! These were very valuable lessens for me!!

Beyond the Peonies 20x16 by Wendie Thompson

The forth day was Thursday which is when the competition began so I got up very early and got my canvases stamped and got out to the peony field and started painting. I had about an hour and a half before class began to paint.

Miss Jane's Peonies 12x9 by Wendie Thompson

When class began C.w did another demo. Because it was also a competition day we had the option to paint or listen/watch...he did not comment on our work this day at all! I watched and listened to him in his process as he thought through everything before he applied paint to his panel...amazing!

I was sitting with a bed of Iris' between him and I which were somewhat distracting in their sheer beauty...so at lunch I painted them:

From Glory to Glory 10x20 by Wendie Thompson

After lunch C.w. talked to us about  his personal story (He is a deeply Christian man who seeks the Lord's will in everything he does.) and then the business of art. I gained many helpful insights and was greatly encouraged in both my art and in my personal walk with God!

BONUS!!! I won an Artists Merit award for Miss Jane's Peonies!!!

Sorry this was so long but that's my story and I'm sticking to it. I'm sure it will take me most of the year to fully integrate everything I learned...let the journey begin!!!