When I've chosen the spot, set up painting gear, and settled down to really look at what I am about to paint, I almost always think " it doesn't get any finer than this."

Plein Air

Plen Air painting simply means painting outdoors, and is a direct exchange between artist and environment. Painting from life is more difficult than painting from photographs because life changes, flowers wilt, a cloudy day suddenly becomes sunny. It is an experience of uncontrolled weather, changing light with limited personal convenience and supplies. Painting as fast as possible, is probably not really fast enough. But chasing the lignt turns each painting into an adventure, hopefully capturing what is most important. So the challenge in painting from life becomes one of expressing the energy that comes with change, as well as from what the eyes can see.

Watercolor

I choose watercolor as a paint medium, because watercolor has an intertwining bond with the paper; the paint having staining, transparent or opaque properties with intention of its own. In the best watercolor execution, these subtleties of pigment relationship and paint/paper relationship are respected. It becomes not so much a process of controlling the paint, as having a conversation with it. Oil and acrylic require the artist to paint on top of canvas or board; watercolor allows the paper to inform the pigment so the artist integrates the unique qualities of both.

I began as a sculptor. I studied fine arts, sculpture at U.C. Santa Barbara [B.A]. and U.C. Berkeley [M.A.] I exhibited sculpture in the Stanford Art Gallery, the Berkeley Gallery, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art before pursuing a career as a creative professional. I have provided illustration, animation, graphic and information design, for both print and web, to Bay Area publishers and businesses – large and small – adding 2 more A.S. degrees in Multimedia, from College of Marin.

As a commercial illustrator, my profit margins have often been determined by speed. Now, if I paint fast, it is because the light is changing or I'm hungry and cold. I have spent many good years rendering in detail; now I want my paintings to look like they have been painted, not rendered – so the brush strokes and the effects of the paint take joy. In illustration, the work is about telling a story, selling a product, or reaching an objective. Now, the paint and the color face off with a land of great beauty.

I have been painting since 2003 and now paint mostly full time. My favorite watercolor painters are John Singer Sargeant, Charles Reid, and flower painter Paul Reilly. Although I have numerous collectors, Calistoga Art in the Park is my first watercolor exhibit.

Contact info:

Email: Marilyn
Phone: 510-232-5311

For more than two years I have had the fortune of studying plein air painting with Deirdre Shibano in Calistoga through the Calistoga Art Center, and Albany Adult School in the Bay Area. After flower painting for a number of years it has been a great joy to get outside and paint in the elements.

All of my paintings are watercolor over graphite on Arches cold press or rough watercolor paper, and are either of landscapes, flowers or still lifes. They are done either plein air or from life. Quality seconds, watercolor sketches and smaller paintings may be offered as well.

CALISTOGA ART IN THE PARK
Saturday, June 20
11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Historic Pioneer Park
Cedar St. off Lincoln Avenue
Calistoga, CA 94515
More Information
707 942-2278
info@calistogaartcenter.org
www.calistogaartcenter.org

At times, some bit of ground, light, water or beauty calls and demands to be painted. I like selecting landscapes that are not too complex to begin with, so I don't have to artificially simplify them. This allows me to explore all the natural intimacies of a location with freedom.

With these landscapes, the subject matter seems less important to me than the energy of the day; a certain temperature, texture or rhythm — a kind of natural energy to convey in color and paint.

Occasionally these sketches become the studies of larger paintings, but I consider them often the best and most real of my painting.

Even a bouquet of flowers has a kind of vibration or unique quality; each flower a personality. I seem to capture the spirit of a flower best, not by rendering its likeness, but by observing and interpreting its nature.

The practice of painting a still life is an opportunity to study a number of arranged objects in a controlled setting. It provides me the best opportunity for problem solving and examination. Some of the fun comes from having the control over the setting and some comes from trying not to make it look still.