Plein Air Class at the Mobile Museum of Art 2012

      The past two weeks have been hectic indeed! I taught at the Mobile Museum of Art from 8-5 each day. I have to add the two hours to get there and back as well. Also some nights, I worked at Celebration Church getting ready for a fantastic Vacation Bible School!I fairly fell into bed each night from exhastion. Hence why the blog has been so neglected! The paintings are there, I just had no energy to post them!
     
          I have a new found respect for the teachers in our midst. No wonder they are giddy as teenagers the last week of school! I discovered that the first couple of days are relatively quiet as the children do not know each other. Wednesday they are starting to form groups, Thursday they are really talkative, and Friday they are starting to get on each others nerves! Even the siblings get into the act! I had three sets of siblings the last week and they did the same as the rest of the group! Funny to watch. I cannot imagine teaching all school year! Hats off to you my teacher friends!

       "The Bridge at the museum" is from the Plein Aire class. The students really enjoy the outside painting and this is the second year we have done this class. I am certain it will be repeated again.
The Bridge at the Museum watercolor on paper, 15 x 20.

     The other side of the lake, another of the paintings done during the Plein Air Class at the Museum was completed after we took a hike across the bridge to the opposite side. We were drivien crazy by the flies landing on us, flying around us, and finally landing in our paints! Very frustrating! Then there was the ducks and geese, giving us the evil eye for not bringing something to feed them. We were literally surrounded by the animals constantly. I have to commend the children for staying focused on the paintings!

    "The Other Side of the Lake" Plein Aire class, watercolor on paper

"The Geese at the Lake" was my first painting of the week for the plein air class. We all were adjusting to the heat, humidity, and bugs presented to us during our adventures in painting. I have to commend the kids for being real troopers when it came to the elements. The children were encouraged to paint their choice of scenery. I had representations of the lake, trees, the statue, and a small creek that runs alongside the gazebo. One of the kids even painted a walker on the path! I spent the class explaining techniques and tips while also painting my own piece.

"The Geese at the Lake" watercolor on paper 15 x 20

"Student Study" This day we  split our paper into quarters and used Oil Pastels that were water soluable. It was an interesting day as we had to walk outside the Museum to the balcony to paint! I really enjoyed this class and the kids seemed to enjoy it too!

"Student Study" watercolor on paper 7 1/2 x 10

Monet's Lilies

The children were very pleased with this project we did at the Museum. I painted an 18 x 24 while the kids painted 16 x 20's. The kids were very excited to show their parents all of their hard work for the week. We managed to complete 5 paintings that week, and I varnished them all in time to send them home on Friday. We all should be as loose and carefree as children. They like almost everything they create but much like their adult counterparts, they don't love them all. Some paintings and art projects are really just about learning, not necessarily complete projects we love. Have you created something you love today. This painting helps to catch me up some more! It is number 34! Monet's Lilies 18 x 24 acrylic on canvas panel.

Impressionist Boats

I enjoyed painting with the children at the Mobile Museum of Art. We had an entire week of impressionist painting, making a journal, drawing, and watercolor. I never cease to be amazed at the styles and handling of paint that children possess. I had a younger sibling in the class that did so well she showed up the older kids and surpassed quite a few of them! She jumped right in and followed directions to the letter, carefully studying every move I made. I wish adults would listen so well when I am teaching!

Impressionist Boats 16 x 20 Acrylic on canvas.

Mobile Museum of Art

I am very happy with this piece featuring my employer for the last 3 weeks! The museum is always a good painting to work on with the children in their watercolor class. These kid were ranging in age from 5 to 12 and they all enjoyed the 'plein aire'. Thaat is, if you remove the bugs, the heat, the lack of a bathroom facility outside, and I did not bring extra water for them to drink. We all sat on the driveway in front of the museum with some of the kids worrying that a car might come through the drive. I reassured them that we all were keeping a watchful eye for traffic. I also pointed out to them that the museum did not open until 10 am and we were out there at 8 am! All the 'bugs' aside, the paintings all turned out and everyone went home with a good learning experience. I always have an enjoyable time teaching at the Mobile Museum of Art and never fail to learn something about myself, a new technique, or happy giggling children in general.

A view from the Gazebo Thursday July 28

Finally, one that was actually completed on the proper day and posted to the blog. For those of you that are followers, I apologize for not being more prompt in posting. The paintings are being completed, just not the blogs that go with them!

This painting was done in the drawing class. We moved out to the gazebo in the rain and getting them out of the classroom. I love painting "en plein aire"! We laid down our pictures using a sketch and wash pencil and then wet them with our brushes to blend. The volunteer helpers have been the most fascinated with the watercolor pencils this week that I bought on sale at Michaels at 90 percent off! The children have used them as well, in watercolor class, drawing class, and in their journals.

I was quite pleased with this picture while I was doing it, and very happy with the results. One of the volunteers was enchanted with watching me work on it as were several of the children. They seemed as though they thought the picture from beneath my hand was almost magical in it's appearance on the paper. I am constantly explaining to them all that you have to keep drawing to get better at doing the best you possibly can. You can't just expect to pick up a pencil and have great art come from it! Art is a lot of work with only a few pieces completed that make you truly happy. I am delighted to encourage them all to be better at what they do, even if they don't think they are "good" at it! You only get "good" by practice, practice, practice and then practice some more!

Across the Bridge

This painting was much anticipated by the children as we went on a walk to get to this vantage point. Leaving 10 minutes into class, we hiked across the bridge to the opposite side of the lake. Our viewpoint now looked back toward the museum. We settled in under one of the covered picnic areas and got into the watercolor pencils and paints. The kids learned a lot this week about watercolor painting, "En Plein Aire", and drawing in general. By the end of the week, they all were mixing greens instead of simply using the Pthalo Green on their pallette. They were very focused on this day and we all had good work to show for our labors.

We were even visited by a gentleman that was bike riding and taking a break from the heat. He said I hope I am not disturbing you and I replied that we all knew that in painting in the fresh air could mean people would come talk to us while we were working. I really love this part of painting outside and this is the reason I paint at shows when we travel. I enjoy interaction with the public, and they get to see that I really do paint what is hanging on my walls at the many shows.

One Lake, many views

Our Municipal park at the Mobile Museum of art has many areas suitable for Plein Air painting. These views were taken from the balcony outside the main hall of the museum. Our class is from 8-10 and we walked around from the Education Department to the balcony on the outside of the building. Spliting our picture into quarters gave the children many chances at quick sketches and rapid paintings. I emphasize to them that these are not finished works of art, but a platform from which to build better paintings. Painting this week has been fun and interesting, seeing the world through their eyes and brushes. Thanks to my students, Raven , Jared, Mark, and Jamie for a great week!

The Painter Statue

This week finds me teaching at the Mobile Museum of Art. We are really all enjoying the art of painting "Plein Air". Plein Air is literally translated to mean in "Fresh Air" and we are soaking up loads of it. We painted in the Gazebo while overlooking the lake on the first day and the statue was our first subject. Each student has improved this week by leaps and bounds. They all seemed to have taken to this art form like the many ducks on the lake take to water. I am certain that we will be repeating this class next year. We should all take advantage of our local parks, grab our easels, paints and brushes and get out to work in the great outdoors. However, if it is summer in the south, you'd better add a hat, sun and bug screen, and water, lots of water!