August 4th, 2010 | 
Author:
Jim Markle
What a great 4 day workshop we just completed with Jim Markle as the instructor! If you don’t know Jim you should if you have any interest in pastel painting. He has won many awards and taught all over the country, and world, for the last 16 years. I (as well as the rest of the class) was so impressed with his expertise as well as teaching style.
emphasizing form and hue
He begins with the basics emphasizing form and hue and goes from there. Each day we went outside to paint plein air at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens. They have over 200 acres of natural landscape beauty, and wonderful flower gardens. The weather, although a little hot the first 2 days, held out and only rained one afternoon. Read the rest of this post entry »
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Finished results created by Gretchen Jackson
What a great workshop we had with Sue Moran. The results from all the techniques we experimented with were amazing. This is one workshop that I was most certainly glad I had an opportunity to participate in!
The first day we began by taking a look at a huge pile of beautiful samples Sue brought to share with us. The colors and designs seemed endless. I was just wondering how in the world I would be able to achieve this.
“various techniques to achieve intricate designs” Read the rest of this post entry »
"Construction of 48th Lowres" Mark Mehaffey
“Art is a communication – a dialogue between artist and viewer. It is my hope to open and maintain that dialog. And I hope the viewer will be as involved as I am”. These words from Mark Mehaffey resonate with me as I view his paintings.
His use of color, line and shadowing make his pieces come alive. There is sophistication to his work that encourages you to look deeper into the pieces. The longer I view his work the more I see, hear, and feel.
“It is through clallenge growth occurs”
Mark has been painting for over 40 years but he states that the content and technical abilities are constantly evolving. As he puts it “This state of change is something all artists embrace. It is through challenge that growth occurs. To be timid, safe, complacent, or overly satisfied does not push the boundaries of creativity”. One of the many benefits to taking a class from Mark is that as an instructor he helps students to learn, push the boundaries, and grow. Read the rest of this post entry »
"The La Face Road at Twlight" Jim Markle
I had the opportunity to attend the GLPS annual conference over the weekend. I must admit with my all my art exposure I have an appreciation for pastel painting but really new pretty little about it. This conference helped to change that.
There were many sessions that you could choose to attend. The first one I signed up for was “Painting Sand, Water and Grasses” with Brenda Mattson. Now mind you I have never painted with pastels but I thought, “What the heck, I will give it a try”. Brenda was wonderful at instructing the class. She worked with everyone and gave great direction. I learned a lot and was not too intimidated even with some of the students being professionals!
The second session I sat in on was, “Critiques of Artist Work”. This group was lead by Janet Kohler and Sharon Will. Both of them are professional pastel artists from Michigan. They viewed slides of paintings and original work of students and professionals. I found their comments and ideas very informative.
“The Ins and Outs of Plein Air Painting” with Jim Markle
Jim Markle, who directed “The Ins and Outs of Plein Air Painting”, is well respected by his peers. His class was full and all of the instructors from the other sessions I attended sat in on his presentation. He gave suggestions on what to bring and do when you are plein air painting. He showed many wonderful slides of his work from around the world. Just beautiful work!
Those of you who are textile fanatics, (you know who you are), will agree that there is nothing like the rush of walking into a fabric store and seeing all the beautiful fabrics staring back at you. This is especially true when I visit my favorite fabric shop, Fabric Gallery. Wonderful Little Textile Treasure
This wonderful little textile treasure is in Williamston Michigan. Do not let the small facade fool you. Great things do come in small packages. This little prize is full of fantastic fabrics and trims. Read the rest of this post entry »
