Five Ways I was Enriched by the Plein Air Convention #PACE16

'Cliff Study'         5x7      plein air pastel       ©Karen Margulis

Five seems like a good number. It was the 5th Annual Plein Air Convention. It had been 5 years since I had attended the last convention. So I happily accepted Marsha Hamby Savage's challenge to list 5 things I took away from this year's convention. Except five is not nearly enough! I had to narrow it down for the challenge. I decided that I would go through my notes and pull out five quotes that touched me in some way....they were 'Bright Spots'.  These are things that I heard during the many demos and presentations that made me pause. There is so much more but this is a start! Enjoy my take-aways along with my photos and bonus quotes.

"Out of Sight is Out of Mind"   Eric Rhoads

1.    "People don't always READ"  Eric Rhoads. 

During the second day of art marketing bootcamp Eric cautioned us not to post unfinished or paintings- in- progress on social media because people don't always read the commentary and may assume that your unfinished work is actually your finished/best work!

"To be loose you have to understand design, sculpture and calligraphy" Jove Wang

2.  "Even = Boring"  Jove Wang

Even though Jove's amazing demo was done with a translator this gem was spoken loud and clear. Jove emphasized the importance of design in a painting as well as the calligraphy of brushstrokes. Jove's demo was a visual treat with much yet to absorb.

"Allow Yourself Freedom to Fail"   Matt Smith

3.  "Override what you see to create the ILLUSION"  Matt Smith
There were many pearls of wisdom in Matt's demo but this one spoke to me. It reinforces how important it is to master the basics so that we can create a believable landscape.

 "If you are painting but not pushing yourself you are just performing" Bryan Mark Taylor

4. "Performance is not Practice"  Bryan Mark Taylor

Bryan Mark Taylor's presentation was truly an AHA moment for me and I am currently 'geeking out' on anything I can read about the topic of practice. I am still digesting this and figuring out how to make  changes in my routine. Life Changing!

"Too many stories in a painting is too much"  George Strickland

5. "Don't put a James Michener novel in an 8x10" George Strickland

I loved George's demo and was happy that he had helped me out in the field and gave me some great tips. His quote says it all about simplification and the importance of knowing what compels you to paint a scene.

Tomorrow I will share five things I learned from an art road trip!