Call to Paint -- Thursday, 3 July 2014 -- 8 AM

Greetings to All,

I was glad to see that you had a good sized group of painters out on the Green last week. It looks like the forecast is about the same for this week, with some showers pretty likely for Thursday. Let's hope the showers wait until afternoon. Too early to have a sense of that now. I've posted our start time as 8 AM, just in case anyone wants to get an early start. Of course, we'll have to look outside on Thursday and see whether that makes sense.

The Thomas Griswold House will be our final Guilford venue before the Hyland House exhibit. The Griswold House property is very appealing visually, with its old trees, gardens, stone walls, and classic central stone chimney, so I hope we have a good morning to paint.

Please park along the stone wall by the road. And check the blog before you go, if the weather looks iffy or impossible.

/j

Realism By Design -- A workshop by John Salminen

Greetings to All,

Judy and I returned on Friday from our 5-day workshop with John Salminen, each with a full-sheet painting substantially completed. It was a wonderful workshop! Excellent instruction and guidance -- 18 extremely compatible participants -- great venue -- Landgrove Inn in Vermont, where we ate too much great food, talked a lot over good wine, slept like logs in the intense quiet, and worked as hard as we can remember.

On several days, we were in the studio for an hour or two before breakfast, then all day, except for meals, and then back there until 10 or 11 PM. Two days of drawing, then two and a half for painting.  John had a running demo of about an hour on each of four days and then about 1.5 hours for critique on Friday. We had plentiful other opportunities to observe and practice techniques that he uses in his work, and we came away with 18 exciting paintings. Both Judy and I would highly recommend this workshop. And we can't imagine a better place for a workshop than the Landgrove Inn.

I went off to this event thinking it would be nice to get off the "train" of intense activity at home. I came home intensely satisfied but needing to get off the train! And the schedule doesn't let up until August...

/j

Patty asked me to post this report from this morning - I stayed home to work on an unfinished Guilford painting for the upcoming Hyland House Art Show, so I'll still have time to get a couple of things framed. Please remember to bring your Guilford painting(s) to the Hyland House on Monday July 7 between 10 and 12 am.-Veronica

"Day started off w/ a few sprinkles but that did not stop Betsey, Joan McP or Patty.  Kaleigh, Kay & Terry joined us as the sun came out.  Rosemary and Anne took advantage of the day a little later.  Sandy dropped by to chat and we are all hoping she will paint w/ us next week at the Thomas Griswold House on Boston St.  A nice day was had by all."

Call to Paint - Thursday, 26 June 2014 -- 9 AM

Greetings to All,

This week's venue will be the Guilford Green. The long term forecast currently, just as it did last week, shows the best prospect for rain to be Wednesday. We all know how that went this week....

Since I will be away from Sunday through Friday, I'll not be around to watch the forecast and call any needed changes. If anyone wants to do that, you could communicate with the whole group by leaving comments on this blog post or get in touch with either Veronica or Sally, both of whom can post on the blog. Also if anyone wants to shoot some photos and get a list of who paints and provide a little sum-up, I'm guessing Sally or Veronica would be up for posting the recap, or if they are not available, you could send it to me, and I'll post after I return. Not that any of that is absolutely necessary...

Judy and I will be in the zone, ensconced in the studio with John Salminen, doing very precise and detailed drawings and painting by number...(wink), I mean, learning a lot of good stuff. We expect to come home with one (each) mostly complete full-sheet watercolor painting after five full days of work.

I hope you get a good day on Thursday.  See you on July 3.

/j

Try, Try Again

OK, we have July 24th at Florence Griswold, with the 25th as the rain date. We'll sneak up on that one from another angle this time. And in mid-summer, how could one of those days not be rain-free?...

/j

Rain Out

 

And a Beautiful Morning to You All!

 

There’s nothing so fulfilling as eating your words. I’m sorry, but when I posted yesterday, the forecast was saying we might have a few showers through the morning – a 40% chance of getting rained on. Now it’s raining pretty regularly, and the forecast says there’s a 100% chance of rain in the mid-morning, continuing at 30% until mid-afternoon. I’m just not seeing any way to paint at Flo Gris today.  If we can’t schedule it for another time, maybe we’ll have to wait for next year.  

 

Maybe this is a studio day.  Let’s call it that.

 

/j

 

Flo Gris

The weather Gods are upset with us again, for some reason. I'm going to hope that things don't go as badly as it looks at this moment. In any case, we're going to Flo Gris, rain or shine or whatever else they cast at us. I plan to be there around 9. I'm bringing a little lunch, just in case it's not rainy at noon.

I hope we get lucky.

/j

Master List of Directions

When you visit the blog, if you look over on the right side, you will see a heading called pages. You can click on the links, a) home page (where you will find all the blog posts), and b) Directions to Venues. If you ever need directions, you can just go to the blog and search for directions. They're listed in alpha order, so just scroll down. As we visit new venues, I will add those directions.

/j

Directions for Florence Griswold Museum

FLORENCE GRISWOLD MUSEUM, 96 Lyme Street, Old Lyme

Heading north/east on I-95, (from Guilford go 18.7 miles) take Exit 70 (US-1 N - CT 156 W). Turn left onto CT 156 W/ US-1 N -- Shore Road. Go 0.2 mi. Take the first right onto US-1 N -- Halls Road.  Go 0.7 mi. Turn left onto US-1 N - Lyme Street. The Museum will be on your left.

Please park in the furthest lot so as to leave preferred parking for regular museum visitors.

Call to Paint -- Thursday, 19 June 2014 -- 9 AM

This Thursday, we will take a break from our Guilford venues to paint at Florence Griswold Museum. I try to schedule this outing to coincide with the mountain laurel bloom, in case anyone wants to try it as a subject.

This has become our signature outing, it seems, and we always can depend on having a good turnout and a great time, even if we don't get perfect weather. But this week, I think the weather gods are with us. If Thursday should start to deteriorate, however, we still can go on Wednesday instead. Be sure to check the blog on Wednesday morning if in doubt, but I will send any late notices to regular painters by direct email.

Let's plan to have lunch together after we paint and do our wrap-up. Remember to bring a chair.

Before leaving, I plan to make a whirlwind browse of the current exhibits inside. If you're a museum member (or not -- you can buy a day pass) and you want to join me, I'll welcome the company. I also want to take a few minutes to check out the American Waters exhibit at LAA, next door.

Directions are posted separately. If you don't get them in your blog feed, check on the blog. Please park in the lot furthest away from the museum. You can drop your stuff on your way in.

I hope to see you there.

/j

2014 Calendar of Events

Greetings to All,

Nothing is ever very firm in this business, but for your planning purposes, here are my thoughts on CTSA scheduling for the core season from June through September. I've tried to balance between Guilford, East of Guilford, and West of Guilford, alternating so that people on one end or the other don't end up doing the long drive week after week. All the paint-outs are on Thursday mornings, except for the September 13th festival and the possible Wednesday rain date for next week at Flo Gris. You will see that we have a couple of unscheduled dates, which we can use for either make-ups for rain-outs or new suggestions from you.

Over the summer months, if you want to start before 9 to beat the heat and take advantage of the better light, you are likely to find me there any time after 8, although if you care about having company, you could check with me before you go.And don't worry, I'll still be posting the call to paint each week.In nice weather, let's plan to lunch together (byo) after we do our recap.

I'll have a plan for after September also, but let's go with this for now. And again, if you have a suggestion for a place where you would like to paint, or if you would like to have the group paint at your home, please let me know, along with a date or two that would be good for you, and I'll work on it. Thanks to Elena and Anne, who are already on the schedule, and to Tina, who is working on an idea for us.

/j


June 19 (or 18 for rain date)                    Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme
June 26  (I will be away)                          Guilford Green
July 3                                                      Thomas Griswold House, Guilford
July 4-6                                                   Last chance to frame up your work for Hyland House
July 7, 10-Noon                                      Receiving for Hyland House Exhibit, Guilford
July 10  (invitation by Elena)                    Edgerton Park, New Haven
July 12 (6-8 PM)                                    Hyland House Opening Reception, Guilford
July 17                                                    Essex Steam Railroad
July 24                                                    Clinton Town Hall
July 31  (invitation from Anne C.)             Anne's home in Branford
August 4, 10-Noon                                 Hyland House take-down
August 7                                                 Brewer's Marina, Branford
August 14                                               Mercy Center, Madison
August 21                                               Open to suggestions
August 28                                               Lenny's Restaurant or Indian Neck Garage, Branford
September 4                                           Clinton Town Beach
September 11 (I may not be there)          Chaffinch Island, Guilford (if you don't want to do Riverside)
September 13 (Saturday) *                      Down by the Riverside Festival, New London
September 18                                          Birbarie Marine, Branford
September 25                                         Open to suggestions

                                                

Henry Whitfield Museum -- 12 June 2014

Greetings to All,

On a breezy morning with rain threatening, I arrived around 8:45. Soon Kay and Terry showed up, and Betsey, Patty (after several weeks' absence and adventure, Judy, and Tina. So we had at least seven. Three more would drift in through the morning -- Silvia, Veronica, and Hans -- for a total of 10 for the day. It was difficult to think about how to set up so that we could reflect the milestone anniversary by including the exuberant decorations without having the decorations take over the painting as they have taken over the house.

Betsey and I set up in the open on the front lawn, where the house would be in our faces but from a distance, and Patty set up in the parking lot, where she could focus on just house and no decorations. Being out in the open made us vulnerable if the rain should come earlier than expected. The rest of the group chose either the left side tree canopy or the right side. Silvia joined Betsey and me on the lawn. Veronica joined the group under the right side tree.

Just before 11, as Betsey and I were bemoaning our failures of the morning, the sky began to spritz on our still damp paintings. But we had done as much as we could/should do anyway, We packed up, along with Silvia, who had joined us in the open, and Patty. They decided they had had enough. I went back to wrap up with the painters who were under the trees. When I left, the rain had stopped. Veronica was shooting reference photos, and Hans was sitting in the open to paint. He is so good at sending me images of his finished paintings.He now has three nice frame-able paintings for our Hyland House exhibit!

Next week, Flo Gris. We have permission for Thursday, but our rain date is Wednesday. So if the forecast is bad for Thursday, and Wednesday looks better, we will go on Wednesday.

/j

Henry Whitfield Museum

Directions to Henry Whitfield Museum

HENRY WHITFIELD STATE MUSEUM -  248 Old Whitfield Street, Guilford, CT

From  I-95 take exit 58 (Route 77). Turn south onto Route 77  (Church Street) and continue for approximately 0.8 mile to the center of Guilford. Turn right (west) onto Broad Street, and then take a quick left (south) onto Whitfield Street, driving along the west side of the Guilford Town Green.

At the southwest corner of the green, continue straight on Whitfield Street. After 0.3 mile, bear left onto Old Whitfield Street. Turn left onto Stonehouse Lane. The museum is on the left.

Call to Paint -- Thursday, 12 June 2014 -- 9 AM

Greetings to All,

I apologize for posting so late again, but I was hoping to get some clarification of the forecast. I'm looking at today's weather and hoping we can get similar conditions for Thursday morning. So far, it looks like it will be in the mid-60's, with 30% chance of rain and a modest breeze.

We will be at the Henry Whitfield Museum in Guilford. The house has been "dressed" to celebrate Guilford's 175th Anniversary. Since the museum will be open when we are there, they ask that we park in the staff parking area, which I assume is a bit further away from the house. But the up-side is that bathrooms will be available, and the lawn maintenance people will not be there.

I'll provide directions in a separate post, so if you need them and do not get them in the email, check the blog. And if you care about having company and if the weather looks less than inviting, be sure to check the blog before you go.

I hope to see you there.

/j

Display Racks Available

Greetings to All,

A CTSA member is moving and needs to sell an assortment of display racks and equipment. Please let me know if you are interested  in purchasing this kind of gear, and I will put you in touch.

/j

Guilford Railroad Station AND Docks

Greetings to All,

See what happens when things get loose?!  You leave just that little opening for everyone to start thinking about where they might like to paint, and everyone is off in different directions! ...  OK, I guess that's not all bad. What you get is artists inspired enough to go out and paint, wherever and whatever they want, regardless of whether anyone else is there to keep them company. Inspiration is good. It surely looks like the artwork did not suffer!

Anyway, I never made it back to paint. I returned from Massachusetts just in time to catch the artists in the final stages -- Hans still working at the station, and Jay, Bev, and Betsey just wrapping things up at the docks and preparing to check out the lunch fare at Guilford Mooring, I think it was. Judy had to leave earlier. What a beautiful day to paint! Soooo much better than trying to make do with another rainy day. I'm sorry if the change of day left some of you out of the mix.

By the way, you may have been wondering why we're missing Sally on these not-too-hot spring days... Two weeks ago, she took a spill while riding her bike and broke both bones in her left arm near the wrist. Ouch! Her arm is in a cast and she is advised to keep the arm elevated -- can't drive -- can't even paint at home or do anything that requires more than one hand (think about that...) And that good hand and arm are getting way too much use! I know you will join me in wishing her a speedy recovery and perhaps in thinking about ways we might keep her in the loop and supported during what I believe is to be at least a 12-week recuperation period. And that's only if they decide, after a couple of weeks, that the bones are healing properly and that she will not require surgery. ...   Sally, I know you will be with us in spirit, and we'll be missing you.

Next week -- Whitfield Museum -- in full dress for Guilford's 375th Anniversary celebrations. Our paintings will be historic! I'll post directions later.

/j

Guilford Train Station -- and Guilford Docks -- Again

Directions to Guilford Railroad Station

GUILFORD TRAIN STATION

From  I-95 take exit 58 (Route 77). Turn south onto Route 77  (Church Street) and continue for approximately 0.8 mile to the center of Guilford. Turn right (west) onto Broad Street, and then take a quick left (south) onto Whitfield Street, driving along the west side of the Guilford Town Green.

At the southwest corner of the green, continue straight on Whitfield Street. After 0.3 mile, bear slightly right on New Whitfield. Cross over the train tracks, take your first left (east) (Pages Lane). Go to the stop sign, and turn left again. The train station is straight ahead.

Weather Wins Again

Greetings to All,

I've just shipped out a postponement notice to all of our regular painters. With the forecast 90% chance of rain through the morning tomorrow, painting at Hyland House was pretty much out of the question. I had said if it was raining, we would paint instead at the Gulford Railroad Station. However, since the Friday forecast looks quite good, and since some of you have said you would like to paint at the Railroad Station when it is not raining, I've scheduled us for the Railroad Station on Friday morning. I expect to arrive late, as I will be driving from Massachusetts.

I will post the directions to the station separately on the blog for anyone who needs them. If you don't receive them in your email, just check the blog before you go.

I hope to see you there.

/j

Call to Paint -- Thursday, 5 June 2014

Greetings to All,

Our destination this week is Hyland House, but we'll have to watch the forecast and likely also the sky on Thursday morning. We might get lucky. If it's still raining, we will go to the Guilford Railroad Station instead. The station platform makes a fairly interesting place to paint, and there are some signature structures there that likely go back far enough to make them suitable material for our exhibit.

Some of you have been having issues with the blog email feed. I searched online to see if there were issues with this that they had addressed before. The only thing I could find is a possible problem when text is pasted in from Word. I had pasted in directions, so maybe that is what flipped it out for some of you. So I'm going to post the directions separately. If you need directions and do not receive them in your email, first try looking in your spam box. If it's not there, check the blog directly.

I'll post again if we change the venue to the railroad station, and I'll send an email to all of you on my regular painters roster. But if you have not painted with us regularly, please check the blog before you go out.

I hope to see you somewhere on Thursday.

/j