Sue Flanagan’s Website

On Oct. 10th, I went to a plein air event with the Plein Air Painters of Chicago-SW. We had an opportunity to paint outdoors at Ida’s Nursery in Lemont. Here is a picture of the beautiful scenery at Ida’s.

As you can see, the morning was beautiful. Ida’s staff could not have been nicer or more helpful. They provided hot coffee and pastries in the morning and a hot lunch. There were two fires going to keep us warm. The staff helped to unload and set up our equipment. We were allowed to put up displays with our art work for sale. Here are more photos of artists and their set ups.

I was busy visiting with other artists and visitors to the nursery. I started a pastel painting  of potted plants. However, I wasn’t paying attention to the gradual change in weather. I have learned to anchor my easel but I had framed paintings displayed on a table next to me. A gust of wind sent them airborne. Broken glass and a ruined frame was the result. That was the end of my day. I cleaned up and went home. I’m still grateful to Ida’s for the opportunity. Next weekend, the PAPC-SW will be out to paint again. The forecast is for more wind. I will be more careful.

Until next time, happy painting.
Sue

I recently had a great opportunity to go to a plein air workshop that was sponsored by the Taos Art School. Paul Murray PSA was the instructor for this plein air pastel workshop. This part of the country is absolutely beautiful and so different from the Midwest of the United States. Here are some of the sites that I painted. Click on a picture to make it larger.

Taos is an amazing art community. I spent a whole day leisurely going through galleries. I saw an annual art show at the convention center. I saw a “Quick Draw” where a group of artists create art in a variety of media and the works are sold at auction afterward.Workshops are so much fun. I see new parts of the country and I meet other artists who are passionate about art. Here are some pictures of the group.

Here are some pictures of our first day at St. Francis church. Paul is giving me some pointers and he demonstrated.

At the end of the week, Paul critiqued our work. The last picture is of Paul and his paintings of the week.

To see some of the paintings I did in this workshop, go to my plein air gallery. To see Paul Murray’s work, go to www.murrayfineart.com.

Last month I was commissioned to do a pastel painting. It was to be a 16 x 20 in. field of flowers. The flowers were to be primarily yellow. Providentially, there was a nearby field of wild flowers in bloom at the time. So, I took pictures of the field and similar pictures at the Morton Arboretum. I have painted in both of these locations before. From these photos, I did a preliminary 11 x 14 in. color study since I knew that color was a very important element to the client. From the client’s feedback, I learned that she did not want cool colors of pink or purple and that I had too much green, especially cool greens. The client wanted a very warm painting.

I planned another larger quick sketch for myself using rye grass and Queen Ann’s Lace with yellow cone flowers and yellow showy Black Eyed Susans. I have photographed the process. I taped a white sanded paper on foam core. Here is the underpainting of pastel that was then painted with Gamsol odorless mineral spirits. Click on the image to enlargen.

I was pleased with the underpainting because it had the golden look that the client wanted. So, I wanted it to show through as I layered pastel on top of it. I then started working on background flowers that were in the distance and then those that would be underneath the main flowers.

I wanted the yellow cone flowers to the right to be the closest and the focal point. The color in these phots is more green which is a product of my limited photography skills and lack of consistency in photographing the steps.

At this point I had to look at the painting over several days. I decided that I had to add more white flowers (daisies) because the Queen Ann’s Lace was not enough to break up the mass of yellow. Here is the final picture of the painting.

There is always apprehension when a commission is completed. Is this what the client wanted? Did I understand her vision? This is what she wrote, “Words can not express my appreciation for the beautiful painting you created for me. You were able to conceptualize and create my vision and put it to canvas. The vibrant colors along with the beautiful creation of flowers is breathtaking. It will be a wonderful addition to our home. My sincere thanks. Carol”