June 4 - Hanging Out In Coventry, CT

What a perfectly sparkling day we had in Coventry for last weeks Tuesday Plein Air group. As we rolled in to 1141 Main St., there were a few visitors that joined our group. Welcome to Sharon and Oren who visited and spent a few hours at their easels. It was a delight to meet you, and thanks to member Laura Kinlock for bringing them to our weekly gathering. Rounding out our weekly outing were Lynn, Paul, Kathy W., Adrianna, Georgiana, Betsy, Linda, Peg and me. 

The Coventry Art Guild happened to have a few members out and about as we painted. They invited TCAA to join their paint out that is running until July 31. The summer painting will culminate in a juried plein air show, their first, in August. For those interested, here is the link to find out more and to register if you would like to be informed of when they will be running a group paint out. Coventry Guild Plein Air summer paint out.  

As I searched for a subject to paint, I headed down to the pink house at 1129 Main St. I met Anna Maria Sideris-Quirk who owns the Allure Hair Studio. Her yard and salon offer a veritable treasure trove of subjects, from flowers to herbs to wooden benches and of course delightful architecture. We talked for several minutes and she said it would be fine for me to set up in front of her shop to paint. It is completely proper and expected to ask before setting up anywhere in someones yard or garden. I am so glad to have met her and learned of her salon and spa. Laura, Sharon and Oren joined me as we congregated on Anna's lovely space. A very interesting lady, if you are ever in Coventry, stop in at The Allure Hair Studio and visit for awhile.     

Oren, Laura and Sharon - our pastelists

                     

I was introduced to a few helpful tools by our pastelists. Laura showed me her set up, which was primarily products from Dakota Art. Her easel had a nice tray attached to the easel, and one thing I found interesting was how she attached protective paper onto the back of the easel. That allowed her to bring the paper over the work in progress to protect it from smudging. She also created a hard backer to place her pastel onto. It was created from plexiglass. The surface allows a much sharper line from the pastels. It is also easy to remove, along with the protective paper for transport. 

I also found her method of pastel storage helpful. When she chooses colors, she places them in a storage container filled with rice. The pastels stay securely in place, and she knows exactly what colors she is using. The rice also picks up the dust from the pastels, keeping them much cleaner. When she is ready to leave, she can cover the container with a lid, and take it with her, knowing what colors were used so she can add to her finished art later. 

Sharon showed me her easel, which was made from a camera tripod. I did not fully understand how she attached everything, but her set up saved her the expense of a special easel specifically for pastels. Her method of creating a pastel uses a thumb sketch of her subject done as a monochrome for developing the tones. Once that is done, she creates a scale on her chosen medium, such as pastel paper or pastel board, by placing lines and dots horizontally and vertically, possibly charcoal, but I did not see, just saw it in progress. From there she was able to fill in her main composition.

Oren's set up included an umbrella that she could attach to her easel. These are available at many art companies, either online or physically, such as Jerry's Artarama in West Hartford, Ct. 

Oren contemplating what to do next

Other mediums used by our group included acrylics by Paul, brush markers by Kathy, pen and ink by Lynn, and pencils by Linda. It was a wonderful mix of techniques, combined with a beautiful day. 

Our groups hard at work.

Linda and Peg

Lynn sketching with pen and ink

Paul and Betsy groove in the shade

                                                         Kathy's plein air

                                                          Paul's plein air

                                                                Lynn's plein air

                                                                  June's plein air

That's all she wrote. 

Our next meetup will be on June 11 at Valley Falls Park, 300 Valley Falls Rd., Vernon, CT. The weather may not cooperate so we may have to cancel. Rain in forecast for most of the morning. 

                        GALLERY