Dueling Paintbrushes at Journaling Retreat ~ Day One

Today breaks clear, brilliant blue and sunny warm at our first full day of the Women's Journaling Alpine Retreat. After we've welcomed the day with yoga on the sparkling lake's edge, we breakfast and then, settle out between the two closest cabins with a view peering into the shadowed, cool forest.

We've designed this "Dueling Brushes" demonstration to show how differently both Jean and I approach a journal page and how differently we paint. Jean takes her thirty-five minute time frame first. With this result! And then I take mine. As I've mentioned I'm struggling with this new journal size (it's smaller) and the quality of paper (some of the pages are just writing paper). So my attempt to solve the paper challenge is to glue a small piece of watercolor paper into the page where I want to

watercolor. I like the results . . . and I'm pleased with the traveling off the watercolor paper in small overlappings onto the writing paper.

I'm actually pretty pleased with the full spread visual. I like how the colors happen to balance themselves out between the pigments I chose for the landscape and the delicate hues of the pods in this
handmade black paper. Still I feel astonished that those holes I've had to cut for the paper clay insert add harmony to this unpredicted page so much further back from when the holes originated.

It's that magical serendipity of the journal that continues to surprise and please and enamor me. I'm still in love with this process. Ever new . . .

Introduction to Plein Air Painting ~ A New Duo

One of the heavenly benefits to renting a studio space upstairs at the Ashland Art Center is - that you get to know your peer artists and they furnish a wealth of wisdom and talent.

One such artist is my studio neighbor, Silvia Trujillo. She's kind, sincere, warm and, as our Art Center Executive Director says, "the artists artist"! Silvia Trujillo is a well known artist and art instructor from the Sacramento region of California. She has won numerous awards for her paintings. “To constantly produce paintings that are original and unique” is one of her foremost goals. With Silvia just to my right, day in and day out, a gentle friendship has grown. and she's a devout instructor of, well, pick a media . . . oil, acrylics and even watercolor. Her life totally is painting and graciously, in forming this new duo, she has given me the "watercolor" arena.

She'd suggested we do a class together . . . and we'd tossed around painting on location. We considered a beach venue, too far to drive and consider lodging too. We considered a vineyard venue, THAT we will do for the fall workshop. Well, finally we decided and will be meeting at the lovely Lithia Springs Resort (http://www.ashlandinn.com/hotel-ashland-oregon.php) offering the "Silvia Trujillo and Elaine Frenett Plein Air Painting Workshop"!

We'll offer a two day series, August 14th & 15th, meeting from 8:30am to 12:30pm both days. With a lovely pond, charming sheds, lush flowers, a fountain and mountain backdrops, we'll find a variety of images from which to paint. A couple of years ago I did a sketch in my journal there, isn't it just the cutest building? And here's a plein air piece Silvia did on location there too. There will be a "Sharing or Critique" time when we break for lunch. On the preceding Thursday we will have an optional "Introduction" Hour, 6:30-7:30pm at the Ashland Art Center (http://www.ashlandartcenter.org/pages/main.html), where we'll discuss materials, composition, color and light. Both Silvia (who will work exclusively with Oil and Acrylic students) and I (who will focus on watercolor) will limit the class to 7 students each.

I'm excited about this new adventure with a new artist friend. Isn't being an artist just the best? Well, perhaps being an enlightened Buddhist monk exceeds that, but I'm closer to being an artist. So, I'll stick with what I'm doing better and strive for the other. Thanks for joining me along this happy life's trek!