You Might As Well!

30 SECONDS IN THE STUDIO

You Might As Well!

(A message to my workshop students from a few weeks ago on Monhegan Island.)

|Good luck painting tomorrow and remember to sling some paint and have fun. A reminder from Charles Movalli for you. “No pattern, no painting” I pretty much live by these words!

I’ll leave you with some Robert Henri. If you don’t know the tiny little book, ‘The Art Spirit’, I highly recommend that you get yourself a copy and spend time with it. It’s one of the best publications about painting ever. It was said that listening to Robert Henri talk for 5 minutes would change your life. Can you imagine that!?

Henri stated: 

“Cherish you own emotions and never undervalue them.”

“The object isn’t to make art, it’s to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable”

“Paint what you feel . Paint what you see. Paint what is real to you”

Henri is really talking here about subjective truth. Subjective truth is a philosophical concept attributed to the philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. Subjective truth is how you as an individual sees or experiences the world. No one else can see or experience the world as you do. Not in a million years. Not ever. 

Be yourself out there when you paint! Have confidence in being you. Nobody else can be like you, so you might as well do it :)|

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I try to keep students fired-up in workshops. From our initial meet and greet just prior to the start of the workshop, through morning lectures and demos, one-on-one time and even with the nightly email that I send out to prepare them for the day ahead. The above wording is an excerpt from an email I sent Wednesday evening prior to them going off on Thursday for a full day of painting on their own and then back to the Monhegan House for an afternoon critique under the shade trees. Pam and I encourage them to paint at any location on the island that speaks to them and we ask them to incorporate the principles we’ve been teaching in the workshop as they work. A big part of a plein air workshop is, of course, to teach them how to approach outdoor painting and to help improve technical skills, but I’d be cheating them if I didn’t include the importance of being themselves in the process. We all see and perceive the world around us differently, and so we might as well embrace our individuality and let it flourish onto the canvas. Ultimately, it’s up to the individual artist to give themselves permission to let themselves be in the moment and since nobody else can be like you, you might as well do it!

You Never Know!

Last October I received an email from the Gloucester Museum of Fine Arts inviting me to participate in their plein air painting competition in June of 2025. To be clear, this museum is in Gloucester Virginia and not Gloucester Massachusetts. I didn’t know that this other Gloucester even existed and so I was intrigued. I spoke with a few different artists who had previously participated in this event. Each artist I contacted spoke very highly of the event, the organizers and about how great the subject matter is to paint in the area. I emailed the organizers and happily accepted the invitation to join them for their 9th annual event.

Three days later I went into cardiac arrest playing golf. Having survived that event, as I was slowly recovering at home and building back strength from the initial trauma and then triple bypass surgery, I wondered if I would still be able to participate in this event or if I’d be pushing myself. I figured that I would be a little more than 7 months into a recovery that takes a good full year to do. As each month went by I was starting to think that I was feeling pretty darn good for someone in my position. I saw the Gloucester event as one of my goals to get back into the game and so I started making plans for my trip south.

It’s important to have goals. I started out in recovery with very small goals like getting myself dressed and showered daily and then to eventually be able to get through a day without constant napping :) Walking and exercising became a daily habit again and then driving myself to the studio to paint for a couple of hours etc.

Fast forward to mid June and I felt ready to drive myself to Virginia and to for the Gloucester plein air event. I have to admit that as ready as I was, there was some trepidation and doubt too. I had not been painting outside on a regular basis yet and certainly not for several days in a row, for most of each day, and with the added pressure of having to turn in 5 competition pieces at the end of the week. There was also the requirement to attend other side events during the week to meet potential collectors and to hang out with other artists. I just knew I had to pace myself and that I wasn’t going to have limitless energy. I also wondered how the Virginia heat would affect me. My true goal was to go to the event and prove to myself that I could do it. My main objective was to be able to say that I did it, that I had participated and turned in finished work. Beyond that I had no expectations.

After a couple of false starts with painting, I was able to find my groove. The result? I was awarded one of the highest honors for an artist for the week by being recognized by my peers with the ‘Artists Choice’ award. I was also awarded ‘Best in Show’ by awards judge Bob Upton for my painting “Fish Shack at Perrin Creek” 12x16” (pictured above) Wow. To say that I was blown away is to put it mildly. I sold most of my competition paintings at the gala opening and was overjoyed by the success of the show for all the participating artists. Sales were great. The Gloucester Virginia community really supports the arts in a big way.

I loved the similarities between both Gloucester’s if-you-will. Just like its Massachusetts counterpart, Gloucester Virginia is surrounded by water with tidal rivers and ocean. Instead of lobster boats and other northeast fishing vessels, there is the oyster fishermen with their dead rise boats and the crab fishermen etc. There were marina’s galore to go exploring in, public and private residences filled with varying subject matter, like creeks, marshes, farm equipment and barns, outbuildings, animals and what-have-you. They have some wonderful historic buildings too. 

I’m a big fan of this event and because I won a top prize, I’m automatically invited back next year. The organizers of this event, Suzanne, Margaret and Pam who volunteer their time, do an exceptional job and seem to have cracked the code to creating a wonderful experience both for the artists and for their community. 

In September of this year, I’ll be participating in the Litchfield Plein Air event in Connecticut and then the Cape Ann Plein Air event in October. I’m not expecting the same great results but as the old saying goes. “You never know unless you try”.

Warm regards,

David & Pam

Coming Up Green

A plein air painter living in New England, looks forward to the change of seasons. It’s been a rainy winter here with not much snow, and so I’m ready for spring to arrive. Spring means ‘green’ and it appears that 2024 is really coming up green for us.

As we turn the corner into March, I have more golf commissions I am now working on. I love painting the variety of greens that defines a good golf hole. I’m back to producing more large paintings of the No. 2 course at Pinehurst Resort and I think it’s a most unique and special place. The golfing legend, Jack Nicklaus, was quoted as saying about Pinehurst, “If I had one golf course, from a design standpoint, one that I really love, it would probably be Pinehurst. There’s a tree-lined golf course where trees are not a part of the strategy.” Herein lies part of the magic and sense of place of Pinehurst. The trees may not be a part of strategy for the golfer, but they are an integral part of the beauty and elegance in the design of this Donald Ross masterpiece. The pines showcase each hole and are breathtaking to see and to paint.

 In late April, Pam and I will host an online weekend workshop ‘Painting Greens’. This abundant color found in nature confuses a lot of painters, but this workshop will concentrate on how to approach mixing a variety of greens in a simple and sensible way. This workshop has changed a lot of my students approach to landscape painting and the improvement and harmony in their greens is instantly noticeable. If you can’t attend this online workshop but want to better understand this subject, ‘Painting Greens’ is also a self-paced mini workshop on my website. The instructor-led version is sure to get all your questions answered and give you feedback on your efforts as you go. The timing of this workshop will have you fully prepared for painting spring and summer greens before they pop.

Speaking of a variety of greens, in September we are traveling to Ireland. Come take advantage of painting for a full week in this amazing location with daily painting demonstrations and instruction! We will all stay in the tiny, enchanting and picturesque village of Ballyvaughan where time slows down and everything feels just right…like putting on a pair of cozy slippers. Ballyvaughan overlooks Galway Bay and we’ll be taking you to some amazing places to paint nearby. It’s known as being one of the most fascinating places in Ireland and Europe. 

 I read that in the realm of poetry, green often serves as a powerful source of inspiration, evoking emotions, imagery, and symbolism. The color green, with its association with nature, growth, and vitality, has captivated the minds of poets for centuries. The same can be said about landscape painters. Since it’s my sincere intention to be a poet with a paintbrush, and with everything starting to come up green, I’m ready to be inspired! 

 Warm Regards, 

David & Pam