Sandy Ackerman

Taking this class was a wonderful experience. I learned a lot, grew as a painter, and met great people. I was really intimidated going into the week and my first goal was just not to embarrass myself. I wanted to create something that looked more professional than what I had been painting on my own. I knew I needed to correct my colors, which were too strong and unatural. Painting on location changed the way I look at painting. No more painting from photos!
I kept a journal and I am using my journal entries for this blog.

First day of painting! Rain-Rainbow-Pigs!

Nora gave a color mixting demonstration. She made green by starting with Mars black and adding yellow. Eureka! I had always taken a brighter green and tried to tone it down. Also, mixing colors you will need before beginning to paint, instead of mixing what I need as I go. On Nora's advice, using this new (to me) approach, I tried to paint a "grey" painting.

Oil on canvas 16x20

The result really isn't grey-in fact it's rather sunny, but my colors are much improved. I quit before I could mess it up. I think I caught the land contours and the sunny day, but now I think it looks unfinished-like a sketch.

Day Two on Carroll Road

Oil on canvas 16x 20

I started this painting in the morning with long shadows. I came back in the afternoon with the sun directly overhead to finish it. Then I worked on the foreground at home, working from the photo. I am not sure where the mountain in the background came from......it may have to go.

I was practicing using violet in the shadows and even though I was quite frustrated with this one

(I think I said I hated it), I learned a lot trying to make it come together. *Update! I did make some changes-removed too tall background and lighted road in foreground.

Lighthouse, beach, more rain!

Oil on canvas 16x20

I didn't take a photo of this scene and I wish I had. I had forgotten to put my memory chip back in the camera. I painted the water first and then the sky. As a result, the top and bottom looked like two paintings. I added some highlights on the water under the bright spot in the sky and put some of the yellow from the water into the sky. I thonk it all worked out.

* Lesson learned from the last two paintings-I have to paint the whole painting at once!!

Chateau Chantal-Two Day Painting

Oil on canvas 18x24

My goal for this painting was to lay out the entire painting before getting too involved in any one area. When I started painting, I forgot all about that and just painted top to bottom. As a result, I ended up scraping off and repainting sections on the second day. Nora was very helpful with the foreground colors. She told me how to make the value light without my usual over intense colors. I think I caught the overcast day. I was quite surprised, just now, when I posted the photo next to the painting. I never looked at the photo and it cuts off the right side of the valley, but they are very similar. Overall, this is my favorite.

I only finished four paintings, but I learned so much from Nora and from everyone else. Looking at how others interpreted thse scenes during critiques was very enlightening. I discovered that I really like painting in a group! I can't wait for the next opportunity.

Have a great summer everyone. My email address is Sandysackerman@gmail.com