Watercolor demonstration- Smith Gilbert Gardens plein air workshop

Smith Gilbert Perennial Gardens
12 x 16
  Watercolor
by Pat Fiorello



We had another plein air workshop at the beautiful Smith Gilbert Gardens in Kennesaw, GA.
In this demo, I tried to capture the feeling of abundance of plants in a small section of their perennial gardens.

Here are some of my students having fun in the garden painting. It turned out to be a nice day- cooler than our last trip there in June

Flower Study #8- Roses & Lilacs

Roses & Lilacs
6 x 8
Oil Painting on Panel
by Pat Fiorello
$200

I wanted to do some further
 study on yellow roses and added the lilacs as a nice complementary color.

Flowers- Design and Inspiration

Summer Roses
Oil Painting by Pat Fiorello
6 x 8

If you have been following my blog for awhile, you know that I teach painting, but also am a perennial student.  Learning something new can really make you feel alive.   I think you are either expanding or contracting- and expansion, or growth of any kind, seems correlated to higher energy and enthusiasm 

(although no one said the process was always going to be easy) .

 In addition to continuing my growth in art, one of my commitments for this year was to take on what I call "Artistic Cross Training" . That is, learn about other related fields which could contribute to my artwork, but are not specifically art workshops- just for the fun of learning something new.

Today I continued with my program in floral design. I love to paint flowers and gardens, so it seems like a natural complement to deepen my understanding  of flowers and facility with arranging potential subjects.

I had the wonderful opportunity to study  at Halls School of Floral Design in Atlanta with John Grady Burns, who is a prominent designer and instructor. He is an author of 2 books on floral design and designs for major events, and has even been invited to create some arrangements for the White House and other dignitaries.

Here is John doing a demo of an elegant centerpiece that might be used at a wedding or other special event. After he did his demos (there were 4 over the course of the day), the participants got the same flowers and created their own version.

And here I am trying my hand at it.

Here I am with one of the other arrangements I did. 

It was a totally fun day and I came back energized and excited to paint some flowers tomorrow.

I think having greater intimacy with your paintings subjects can only help bring an authenticity to your work. How might you deepen your knowledge of your favorite painting subjects?

To learn more about Halls School of Design visit:  http://www.hallsatlanta.com/designschool.html

To learn more about John Grady Burns and his exquisite work see:  http://jgbflora.com/about.htm 

Stayed tuned, I'll post some of my new flower paintings soon.

Plein Air Workshop

  

Yesterday I taught a plein air workshop at the Smith Gilbert Gardens in Georgia. It got pretty hot, up into the 90's by the afternoon, but we were able to find some shade and had a fun day painting in this beautiful  spot.

I did a brief demo in watercolor of this area of sunlit lilies.

Started out capturing the yellow lilies and establishing the light areas

                                          Continued building in the darker foliage behind.

Here is another beautiful view of the garden with lots of contrasting yellow and purples ( and one of our artists Barbara on the right).

Everyone had a fun day and I am planning another for the fall ( September 19) when things cool off a bit.

Painting En Plein Air- Callaway Gardens

I spent the past couple of days at Callaway Gardens in Georgia, teaching a watercolor workshop. I've taught there for the past 6 or 7 years and typically go in April which is prime time for azaleas. Each year the flowers are different depending on the weather that season, but this year is particularly colorful and we may have caught things at their peak.

Most of the students were  pretty new to painting outdoors . We spent the morning working on painting an azalea bush as a mass rather than individual pieces and also working on how to mix a variety of natural greens ( as opposed to many of the green paints which straight from the tube look very unnatural).

Then in the afternoon we examined reflections of the flowers in the lake 

The highlight of the day for me was seeing my students amidst the flowers, immersed in painting on an absolutely beautiful day.

An Oasis in the City

Yesterday, I took an hour out of my day to visit the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. What always strikes me when I'm there is how wonderful it feels to be surrounded by nature - and then I look up and see the skyline right nearby- it's like an oasis of beauty and serenity right in the heart of the city.

I don't know where you live, but chances are there is someplace like this near you. If you haven't been there for awhile ( or maybe ever) now's a great time to go. Enjoy the aliveness and energy of all the new spring plants popping up and give yourself the wonderful calming benefits that nature can provide.

And who knows you might find some inspiration for your next painting, decorating project or even come up with a new solution to a problem that's been bothering you by having a change of scenery and new view on things.

Painting from Nature

Spring is upon us, ( I promise it's coming for those of you in the Northeast)  so it's an especially nice time of year to go outside and paint from nature.

Next weekend, I'll be taking a group of artists out to paint on location at Callaway Gardens in Georgia where I have been teaching for a number of years. If you've never been there, it's a wonderful huge garden and park that the Callaway family graciously created for families to enjoy leisure time together in nature. I took this from their website www.callawaygardens.com:   Open since 1952, Callaway Gardens is the centerpiece of 13,000 acres nestled in the southernmost foothills of the Appalachians.  Founder Cason Jewell Callaway longed for a place where man and nature could abide together for the good of both, and now more than half a century later, his retreat continues to offer solace, inspiration and discovery for all who come here.

 While it's a wonderful place year round, April is prime time at Callaway- it's azalea time!

Each year when I return, I get reunited with the feeling of peacefulness of being surrounded by nature. As soon as I drive in the gates, it's as if my body has had a huge sigh of relief. It's only about an hour and a half from Atlanta, but you feel a world away. Being outside painting on a beautiful day, in the midst of natural beauty is a really pleasurable experience.

 If it's been awhile since you've been outside to paint, it might be time to get that easel out and enjoy the springtime!

Keep posted. I'll share  updates from the workshop next weekend.