Collage, Plein Air Paintings Around Town

My work is scattered around town, and beyond, this month.

I was the juror of the "Own An Original" show at the Littleton Museum, 6028 South Gallup Street, Littleton, Colorado, 303-795-3950. The show will be on display through January 13. A large number of very talented, if conservative, artists applied for the desirable honor of a one person show at the Museum. The top prize went to Rogers Naylor.

Three of my Plein Air paintings are on display in this exhibit.

Aum Gallery and Framing, 2227 East Colfax, 303-394-3362, is displaying its 2012 Miniature Show through December 29, 2012, 303-394-3362. Three of my small collages are included in this Lilliputian exhibit. The collage pictured above is one of the three.

The Art Students League of Denver has an incredibly amusing show titled,"The Joy Of Toys". A small watercolor of our dog, Elgee, using one of his favorite toys as a pillow, is at the ASLD, 200 Grant Street, 303-778-6990, through January 23.

If you plan on a trip to the mountains, until about December 28, my Plein Air Vail Valley Workshop students from this past summer have some beautiful paintings remaining in The Mile Radio Station lobby,  Main Street in Minturn, 970-827-9400.

And of course, many more works of art are available in my studio, which is open by appointment.

Provence - Sign Up Tomorrow

A number of artists have expressed an interest in my workshop in Provence, October 2 - 12, 2013. 

The cost includes the workshop, accommodations, food and wine, admission fees - most everything except airfare. You will be picked up and returned to the airport in Nice.

I can promise a spectacular time. I have been in constant consultation with Paula Sullivan, from the Abbondanza Toscana, who will insure that our time along the Cote d'Azur is spent touring and painting instead of worrying about accommodations, admission fees, wonderful food, transportation to our sites, etc. Paula has all of that under control. And some of our options for locations are so exciting, I can hardly wait to set up my easel.

Paula has found a fabulous house in Draguignan (12 bedrooms, a garden, and a walk to town) which we hope to call home for 10 days next October. A necessary deposit for this house is our reason for offering an early booking reward - a discount of 50 Euros, plus an hour's consultation with me, by Skype or in person, (a $95 value).

The deadline for this reward is November 12, a few days away. Please, if you have any questions, email me. But don't miss this opportunity.

My Fall Classes at ASLD

Fall is here, and I look forward to seeing many familiar, and many new faces in my Art Students League of Denver  classes, which begin next week, right after Labor Day. For your convenience, I have listed the course descriptions below, with a link here to the ASLD website.

Just put my name in the search box for classes, and both classes below will appear.

Expect individual challenges in "Paint Your Vision", where I hope to encourage you to improve on your strengths and clarify your vision.

And come to enjoy and expand the colors you see and use in "Color Through The Back Door". You won't see the same way after this class. I have expanded the duration of this class from 8 weeks to 12, because there seemed to be so much I wasn't able to cover last year. But to make it more affordable, the class is divided into two 6 week parts.

  

 Painting Your Vision: Watercolor, Oil, and Acrylic Painters 

This class challenges adventurous, independent painters, giving you the opportunity to set and achieve your personal artistic goals. With technical assistance in your medium of choice, focus on improving your skills and meeting your individual goals in a friendly, supportive group. 

Mondays & Wednesdays, 9 am–12:30 pm | 

Sept 5, 2012–May 29, 2013 | Monthly ongoing 

$126 per month, $146 for non-members

Color Through the Back Door | Part 1: Working with Paper | Fall 2012

Dates: Sept 6–Oct 11, 2012

Times: Thursdays, 9 am–12 pm

Ability: Intermediate–Advanced Cost: $189 for 6 weeks, $219 for non-members Registration Deadline: 08/31/12 Materials: $10 materials fee | Part 2: Working with Paint | Fall 2012 Dates: Oct 18–Nov 29, 2012 (no class 11/22) Cost: $189 for 6 weeks, $219 for non-members Registration Deadline: 10/12/12 This two part workshop uses color theories from  multiple sources, primarily Josef Albers' "The  Interaction of Color". It emphasizes seeing and  expanding the range of what is seen, hence  developing mastery over color, and its use in painting. Students will come to  understand the relationships between colors  and discover color's expressive possibilities.  a series of structured exercises, students will learn how to brighten, dull, lighten or darken  colors by changing adjacent areas. Using a playful  approach to this complex subject,this class will give  students a greater command of their medium. Building on the experience of Part 1: Working with  Paper, in Part 2, students will explore color through  a series of structured exercises and mixing and  matching experiments in their paint medium of choice.

New Plein Air Paintings

Xcel Energy power station at 13th and Decatur Streets, Denver.  I've finally painted something which has intrigued me for years. This looks like something one would find on a space station. Mars, perhaps?

Tree Skeleton in the Betty Ford Alpine Garden, Vail, CO

Atop Vail Mountain

Along the Eagle River, Minturn, CO

Several of this summer's plein air  paintings. Each one is acrylic on canvas, and either 16" x 12" or 12" x 16". Paintings from Vail and Minturn were completed during my recent Plein Air workshop in the Vail Valley.

Minturn Magic

Lynn Feiger painting on her studio deck

Tim Alcock painting wildflowers

Nancy Ricca with her brand new pochade box

Elke painting atop Vail Mountain

Nancy, Tim and Suzanne painting along the Eagle River

Suzanne through a window screen

Suzanne's first experiments with gouache, en plain air

L to R: Nancy Ricca, Sandra, Tim Alcock, Elke McGuire, Suzanne Mills Kramer, and Lynn Feiger

In front of Lynn and Woody's home

Tim's foot and easel in the Betty Ford Alpine Garden

Last weekend, Art d'Elke and Lynn Feiger hosted my Plein Air painting workshop in Minturn, Colorado. We were blessed with mostly beautiful weather, spectacular scenery, more delicious food than most of us needed, and an unusually intense  camaraderie. All of the orange and pink clothing we are wearing in the photos above was pure coincidence, but possibly symbolic of the group spirit. Well, to be scrupulously honest, Tim did run to get a orange jacket from his car when the camera appeared.

We began our immersive experience with a cocktail party and a lecture about the challenges of Plein Air, and the many ways to create space on a two-dimensional surface.

Vail Mountain's challenge proved to be too many tourists. So many people interrupted me with requests to take their group photos that I questioned whether I might look like an"official employee" of Vail. Still, with such a breathtaking view, it was hard to complain.

Painting in the Betty Ford Alpine Garden, unfortunately cut a bit short by a sprinkle of rain, we were accompanied by a live, in person, NY Philharmonic Orchestra. They were rehearsing for a performance at the Vail Music Festival that evening, and played the entire morning just about 75 feet from our painting location.

And I was even lucky enough to come away with a few paintings of my own. I'll show them in one of my next posts.

Vail Art On The Rockies

I have been invited to be a featured artist  in the Art On The Rockies Event in Edwards, Colorado this weekend. If you need something fun to do, or will be traveling in the mountains this weekend, this is the place to be. I'll have more than 30 pieces on exhibit, and would love to visit with you.

The Show is on the grounds of Colorado Mountain College, 150 Miller Ranch Road, Edwards, Colorado. Take exit 163 off of I-70. Saturday, July 14, 10 to 6. Sunday, July 15, 10 to 4.

Art on the Rockies 2012 features 120 international artists  Live Music all weekend featuring Unconventional Science Free   ...   Free   ...   Free   ...   Free Children's Art Discovery Tent - Gallery Tent - Food Tent Wine Brunch each Day 10am- 2pm Wine Tasting ... Micro-Brews Crazy Mtn. Brewery Learn More...

Sandra Kaplan Vail Valley Arts League is bringing this dynamic Denver Artist to the Gallery Tent at Art on the Rockies : She will exhibit new work, demonstrate and engage the viewers. Learn More...

Vail Valley Plein Air Workshop July 25 to 29

"Near Minturn" 40" X 30" acrylic by Sandra Kaplan

There's still time to sign up for my Vail Valley Plein Air Workshop, July 25th to the 29th, 2012. A few spots remain open.

Here are some highlights:

• Wednesday, July 25: afternoon arrival, check-in at your accommodations, at 4:00pm meet at a beautiful, art filled Minturn home along the river for a cocktail reception.
  
• Thursday, July 26, 8:30am: Continental breakfast on a private patio, depart for a day of painting at the top of Vail Mountain accessed via gondola, with box lunch in the field.
  
• Friday, July 27, 8:30am: Continental breakfast on a private patio, depart for a day of painting at the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens in Vail, with box lunch in the gardens, Sandra Kaplan escorts a Vail Village gallery walk.
  
• Saturday, July 28, 8:30am: Continental breakfast on a Minturn patio, stroll down the Minturn main street to the Farmers Market for painting or picture taking, return to the patio for box lunch, spend the afternoon painting, enjoy a group critique, dinner is at 8:00pm at Dish Restaurant in Edwards.
  
• Sunday, July 29, 10:00am: Sunday Brunch on Lynn’s patio, final critique and wrap-up with Sandra, afternoon departure by 1:00pm 
  
  
  A special feature: Post-Workshop Exhibition
  
  
  
  
  You are invited to enter your workshop paintings in an exhibition curated by
  Sandra Kaplan, hosted by the Mile radio station in their lobby at 421 Main Street, Minturn.
  The exhibition opens on Labor Day, Sep 3,
  and the artists’ reception takes place from 10:00am–5:00pm., to coincide with the times of
  the Minturn farmer’s market. The Mile will broadcast live and, if you like, you can be interviewed on-air. The exhibition continues through the end of September and your paintings can be for sale.
  
  
  

  Fee $749
  
  
  Includes one-on-one instruction and daily critique from artist/teacher Sandra Kaplan at scenic locations in the Vail Valley, most meals, admission fees and tickets.
  
  
  To sign up:
  denise@deniserobert.com
  sandrakaplanart@gmail.com