Cindy Briggs featured in PleinAir Today/Outdoor Painter

Excited to have a 3 part series of articles in PleinAir Today/Ourdoor Painter about the Business of Teaching Workshops Overseas.  The series includes planning, promoting, preparing and painting all included in our package to be released soon. Visit www.CindyBriggs.com so sign up for the early announcement.  Here is Theresa Goesling and I in Venice.

CLICK HERE to check out the PleinAir Today Article by Bob Bahr.  

The saga continues with a new author...

I hope you have been reading Jacqueline Newbold's recent blogposts about our painting trip to France and Portugal. It is my turn (Helen Brown) to blog for the High Desert Art League, so I thought I'd piggy back on some of Jacqueline's enthusiasm for travel and painting!  I do love traveling with my husband, but he doesn't paint. And as patient and supportive as he is, I hate to keep him waiting on trips while I sit and paint. So traveling with another painter as I did on this trip was a very fun change of pace and one I highly recommend!!
I worked mostly in my little accordian fold sketchbook (see photo), while Jacqueline was enjoying creating wonderful postcards to send home to friends and family.

First stop was southern France where my good friend Agnes has a vacation home in Basque country. She was a fantasic host to us!! If you are reading this, Agnes, merci encore une fois!!!!

Jacqueline and Agnes in front of the port at St. Jean de Luz. 

I tried to recreate these wonderful Basque homes without painting every window and door. The Basque words in the lower left were on a napkin that I kept and pasted into the book before painting. No idea what they mean but I wanted a sample of this mysterious language in my sketchbook.

After three days in Ciboure, the little town near St. Jean de Luz (which is near Biarritz), we were sorry to say goodbye to Agnes. Her knowledge and enthusiasm for the region made this portion of the trip a real highlight for Jacqueline and me. She was a generous and incredibly hospitable host! A great ambassador for the French people. And my very good friend!

For our last night she took us to a beachfront bar where we watched the sunset and ate tapas.

Next stop...the Dordogne.

Helen Brown

Mixing Fun with Fun!

Helen and I traveled to France, Spain and Portugal to paint and do a bike tour.  We took our watercolor art journals along with us and found fun places to relax and paint.  One of our first stops was Saint Jean-du-Luz, a cute fishing village in the southwestern part of France.  This area is known for it's Basque influence, sea food and beautiful sandy beaches.  We painted postcards to send home to family and friends.

Postcards from Saint Jean-du-Luz

Helen's postcard of boats in the port.

Breathing In Plein Air

3^rd Annual Plein Air Competition at Smith Rock State Park

Celebrating the creativity of the human spirit and the spectacular beauty of Central Oregon's Smith Rock, the third annual Smith Rock Plein AirPaint Out is set for June 20^th.  The public is invited to watch as artists from across the Pacific Northwest participate in a timed plein air painting competition followed by a juried exhibition at the Redmond MunicipalAirport/Roberts Field.

The High Desert Art League and Smith Rock State Park created this event to bring the experience of the park to new audiences. Smith Rock is a world famous rock-climbing site and is host to miles of hiking and mountain bike trails.  The stunning cliffs separate the meandering Crooked River from the distant Cascade Mountains skyline of snow capped peaks; a perfect setting for artists, photographers and nature lovers of all kinds.  

The competition is open to all artists working in 2-D media that can be created from start to finish in the park, in the allotted time. “It’s a great experience to watch an artist work from a blank canvas to a finished, framed work of art,” says High desert Art League President Vivian Olsen. “And quite a treat to be able to purchase the artwork you saw being created following the event” she added. A juried exhibition of work created during the event will be held at Redmond, Oregon's Roberts Field following the event, June 23rd through August 23^rd where the artwork will be available for purchase. 

 The event hours are 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Information, event schedule and artist registration can be found at www.smithrockpaintout.com. The event is free to the public with a State Park Pass or the $5 day use fee. Smith Rock State Park is located at 9241NE Crooked River Dr. near Terrebonne, Oregon. For more information please visit:
 www.smithrockpaintout.com, www.facebook.com/SmithRockPaintOut
 or www.oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=36

Plein Air Painting Competition Brings Cash to the Table

Awards Structure Announced for the Smith Rock Paint Out

The organizers behind the second annual Smith Rock PaintOut have announced a change to this year’s event that should get some artist’s attention. Cash usually does that.

The Paint Out is a plein air painting competition open to all artists working in 2-D. At the end of the paint out, the artwork is submitted to the jury who judges the work and selects pieces to be exhibited in an exhibition at Redmond’s Roberts Fields/Redmond MunicipalAirport terminal.  Through partnerships and a grant secured by the High Desert Art League and Smith RockState Park, the event will now feature cash awards for the top three artists. The artist receiving Best of Show will receive $300; second place will garner $200; and third will be awarded $100. A Ranger’s Choice Award will be presented by Smith Rock State Park and Cascade A&E will award an A&E Choice Award, respectively each of these winners will receive a gift certificate from Sage Custom Framing & Gallery and Pacific Art and Framing.

The public is encouraged to visit for the day or even just an hour-or-two, to experience this unique opportunity. The Smith Rock Paint out is June 21^st, 2014 from 8:00am to 3:00pm at Smith Rock State Park in Terrebonne, Oregon.  Artists are encouraged to preregister online for this free event at www.smithrockpaintout.com.  The artwork selected by the jury will be on exhibit and for sale at Redmond, Oregon’s beautiful Roberts Field/Redmond Municipal Airport terminal. The show will run Tuesday, June 24 to Monday, August 17 2014. For more information on the event and Smith Rock State Park visit www.smithrockpaintout.com.

HDAL Plans for Second Annual Smith Rock Paint Out

Kim Smith's beautiful painting from the 2013 paint out.

The High Desert Art League has been working on the second annual Smith Rock Paint Out.  It is a free event open to the public on June 21, 2014.  Last year we had painters working in oil, watercolor, pastel and acrylic. Come join us!

For more information or to sign up to paint in the second annual event, check out the website.

Vivian Olsen Exhibits in May

Join Vivian Olsen on the First Friday Art Walk in downtown Bend. She will be showing her Artwork at Alleda Real Estate on Minnesota St. throughout the month May. You can also view her work at the Green Plow Coffeehouse in Redmond during May.

Plein Air Painting Event at Smith Rock State Park - Oregon

For more information and artist's registration 

please visit http://www.smithrockpaintout.com.

Wildlife Exhibit at the Sunriver Library

PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURES   

by artists Vivian Olsen and Joren Traveller

The artists - Joren and Vivian, Secretary and President of the High Desert Art League

Vivian hanging "Raven Outside the Box"
 one of her 12 paintings - Oils and Pastels

Helen Brown, HDAL Treasurer and Library art curator,
and Joren hang one of her many Sculptures,
both bronzes and ceramics

The exhibit will be on display from Jan. 25 to March 29, 2014

Breathing In Plein Air

Plein Air Competition at Smith Rock State Park

Terrebonne, Oregon (May 10, 2013) – The High Desert Art League and Smith Rock State Park have come together to create an event celebrating the creativity of the human spirit and the spectacular beauty of Central Oregon's Smith Rock! On June 22, 2013, the public and plein air artists of all kinds will come together to experience the amazing scenery, geography, and wildlife of Smith Rock State Park.

The Smith Rock Paint Out was created to bring the Smith Rock experience to new audiences. Known for its world-famous rock climbing, Smith Rock State Park is also host to many miles of hiking and mountain bike trails, the meandering Crooked River, and views of the volcanic peaks of Oregon’s Cascade Range, a perfect setting for artists, photographers and nature lovers of all kinds.

Organizers have a great deal planned. They have partnered with Arts Central and the Art Station to create an area of free family art activities. Several well known Central Oregon Artists will be on hand for artist demonstrations, including Helen Brown and Vivian Olsen. Also on the schedule is a Park Ranger presentation about the history, geology and wildlife of Smith Rock State Park.

The plein air competition is open to all artists working in 2-D media that can be created from start to finish in the park, in the allotted time. A juried exhibition of work created during the event will be held at Redmond, Oregon's Roberts Field following the event, June 25th through August 18th.

The event hours are 8:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Information, event schedule and artist registration can be found at www.smithrockpaintout.com.

Smith Rock Paint Out

The High Desert Art League and Smith Rock State Park have come together to create an event celebrating the creativity of the human spirit and the spectacular beauty of Central Oregon's Smith Rock! On June 22, 2013, come experience amazing scenery, geography, and wildlife of Smith Rock State Park. Join us for the Smith Rock paint Out and participate as an artist of simply see it through the artist’s eye as artists create works of beauty as you watch!

Known for it's world-famous rock climbing, Smith Rock State Park is also host to many miles of hiking and mountain bike trails, the meandering Crooked River and views of the volcanic peaks of Oregon’s Cascade Range. Come experience spectacular scenery, geography, and wildlife.  Bring a picnic and explore the park, enjoy free family art activities and artist demonstrations. Along your trip through the canyon, you might see golden eagles, prairie falcons, mule deer, river otter and beaver. A wonderful setting for artists, photographers and nature lovers of all kinds. 

Bring the family and get creative with the Art Station's free family art activities, watch artist demonstrations, listen to a Park Ranger talk on the history, geology and wildlife of the park. Watch and visit with artists as they create and see which works are awarded the Rangers Choice Awards and which move on to the juried exhibition at Redmond's Roberts Field following the event, June 25th through August 18th, 2013.

Artists working in 2-D media (that can be created from start to finish in the park in the allotted time) are invited to participate in this unique plein-air opportunity. The price is right (FREE) and it is a snap to register. Registration and participation information can be found on our website at http://www.smithrockpaintout.com/artist-registration-2/.

Teamwork and great partners make events like this work. We are grateful to have these great organizations and businesses come together making the Smith Rock Paint Out a wonderful cultural family event. Thank you to The Art Station and Arts Central, Roberts Field – Redmond Municipal Airport, Cascade A&E and Redmond Commission for Art in Public Places.

June 22, 2013 - Schedule:

8:00 am – 8:45 am: Registration
8:45 am  – 9:00 am: Welcome and Artist’s Orientation
9:00 am – 1:30 pm: Plein-Air Paint Out
9:00 am – 11:00 am: Family Art Activities
9:00 am – 11:00 am: Artist Demonstrations
11:00 am – Ranger Presentation
2:30 pm – Awards and Closing Remarks

Smith Rock State Park is located at 9241 NE Crooked River Dr. near Terrebonne, Oregon.

For more information:
http://www.smithrockpaintout.com/
https://www.facebook.com/SmithRockPaintOut
http://www.oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=36

Inside my Watercolor Journal

Painting of the Alta Vista Estancia

Fall is coming to Argentina and the colors of the poplar trees are starting to change.  We spent several nights at Alta Vista where we were warmly greeted by the hosts, Tamara and Frederico.  Alta Vista is a 60,000 hectare sheep ranch or estancia, which in Argentina means large farm or ranch.  It was built at the turn of the century and is located 20 miles west of Calafate in the Argentine Patagonia, and on the road to the Perito Moreno glacier.  Our rooms were delightfully decorated and this comfortable Patagonia estancia was a wonderful place for me to hang-out one morning painting the scene in front of me.

Jacqueline Newbold Teaching Watercolor Journaling on the Island of Syros, Greece

Jacqueline Newbold's Watercolor Journal and Supplies

I will be teaching Watercolor Journaling in Greece on the island of Syros. This class is offered through the American College of Healthcare Sciences, May 27 – June 2, 2011. 
A lot of people enjoy writing in journals, taking field notes, collecting memorabilia and souvenirs of their travels, and drawing little sketches of their journeys. I call this art journaling but I take it a step further and incorporate watercolor with my art journals.  Watercolor journaling is a wonderful way to slow down and savor the moment, recording your journey in a unique and memorable way. With your journal under your arm and a few painting supplies, you will be ready to capture memories of your Greek Island experiences. This dynamic class will motivate artists of all skill levels to record their journeys in a creative and unique way using watercolor and mixed media.  Students will explore ways to make their watercolor travel journal interesting and reflective of their experiences through painting the Greek landscape and the essence of the Greek lifestyle.  Some of the techniques I will be teaching include watercolor painting, drawing, color theory, incorporating mixed media and how to make quick-on the go-watercolor sketches. 
This class is still open for registration, so click here to sign up!  As always, I enjoy your comments.  Please let me know if you have any questions.