Like everyone here in the Northeast, I couldn't be happier to see the Spring colors. Whether it's trees, grass, hillside, or mountains, and oh yeah, the warm weather, there's nothing like it. Painting outside, or in plein air is the best way to learn how to paint the landscape. Standing out in a field with a tree right there in front of you is the best way to really absorb all the many different shapes, colors, and textures. An important aspect is many times painting in plein air is just gathering information on canvas to recreate the painting in studio, most times larger. But the best part of painting outdoors is there is always a lesson to be learned. For me, trying to get the values of all the different elements as close as possible is always a must and I can consider a painting a success when I rest my easel against my car and assess my work. Painting solitary trees is always a challenge as well and each walk out into the woods is a pure hit and miss education. My favorite book on painting trees is; Drawing and Painting Trees by Adrian Hill
I love this classic by noted British painter Adrian Hill. Hill presents many varieties of trees along with examples by Titian, Rubens, Constable, Turner, and other masters. There is plenty of methods and instruction for rendering trees correctly. If there is weak part of the book is that it doesn't offer a lot of painting tips, but still is a great instructional book. I own a very old hard copy but just bought the Dover art instruction paperback, which is great for using here at the school. Pick up your best art instruction for drawing trees for under $20 here at:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0486468453/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_image_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Nothing more inspiring for outdoor painting than a vist to the Georg Inness wing at the Montclair museum!
On view in the George Inness Gallery, a gift of Frank and Katherine Martucci, are selected works from the Montclair Art Museum's renowned collection of more than 20 paintings, 2 watercolors, and 1 etching by the artist George Inness. These are occasionally complemented by selected loans. Every important period of Inness's career is represented, from his earliest work of the 1840s to his profoundly original late work, which expresses the artist's belief in the total unity of material and spiritual existence with broadly brushed, indivisible natural elements. George Inness (1825-1894) is universally acclaimed as a grand master of late nineteenth-century painting, regarded by his contemporaries as America's foremost landscape artist. During his last years, Inness was inspired by the natural beauty of Montclair, where he resided from 1885 to 1894.
https://www.montclairartmuseum.org/exhibition/george-inness-works-collection
If you're not in the Montclair area, her's a link to a wonderful online presentation by Inness historian Adrienne Baxter Bell...
https://www.montclairartmuseum.org/george-inness-adrienne-baxter-bell
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Wolfgang Beltracchi and his wife Helene sold fake paintings for millions before some inauthentic white paint led to their capture
Read here...
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/apr/10/we-got-a-kick-out-of-it-art-forgers-reveal-secrets-of-paintings-that-fooled-experts
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Branch brook park Cherry blossoms are in full bloom. If you get a chance get over there before the peak is over. You can see them live here: http://ecpo2.packetalk.net:5350/IVC/views.htm#
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Louvre suspends sale of Chardin's record-breaking strawberries
The French museum is now seeking funds to buy the still-life painting, which was sold last week by Artcurial to a US dealer. Click here to read...
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2022/04/01/louvre-blocks-sale-of-chardins-record-breaking-strawberries
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