Arizona plein air painting workshop by Becky Joy

Lake Rocks 9x12 oil 

The Source  9x12 oil

OK, I don't know what the deal is with blogger. I posted these yesterday and it wasn't here today. I swear I did, I really did. Anyway, I painted both of these after two futile, unproductive days of wipe outs. I guess the old addage, " we have bad days to appreciate the good ones" applies here.  Some days do you all feel like you just don't know how to paint and need to start over? That was me two days ago. This business can certainly have it's ups and downs.

I've been busy now painting one of the closets after sheetrocking and texturing. And, I still haven't been fired! 

Today I should get some painting done this afternoon.

I also wanted to let you know that I have booked a time for a 3 day plein air workshop in Prescott, AZ at my friend Marla's ranch for July, 11, 12, 13 from 9 am to 4 pm for $150.

I will do a quick demo each day concentrating on different subject matters.

In the workshop, I will discuss composition, the basics of plein air painting, where to start, decisions to make and the steps to get to the final results. I'll talk about color, values and brushwork. We will use both the brush and the palette knife. I will go from student to student helping with each of their individual needs. At the end of the workshop we will have a critique for those that wish to participate.

I encourage each student to paint on a smaller size canvas, 11x14 the largest. The more you paint, the more you learn. So, if you are able to do 2 or 3 small ones in one day, you will learn more than painting 1 large painting.

For my list of supplies go to: http://www.beckyjoy.com/The only color that I would encourage you to add to your basic palette would be dioxazene purple.

Deadline for signup is July 5. You can mail me a check or go to my website

Talk to you all later,

Becky Joy

http://beckyjoy.com

beckyjoy@beckyjoy.com
http://paintingworkshopsonline.com

Arizona cave creek jewel oil landscape by BECKY JOY

Jewel of the Creek 6"x6" oil 

Well, back to painting in the studio today. I started this painting a couple of months ago using an 8x10 plein air that I had painted on Cave Creek. I liked the colors in the painting, but felt that the composition was all over the place. In this painting I simplified the composition.

When I first started painting this one, it was a frustrating day. It just seemed liked nothing was going right. One of those bad painting day. After wiping the painting off two or three times, I took a paper towel to it and wiped off where I wanted the light. Those shapes gave me the lights for the composition. So, it was back to this and pick it up today.

I just got my Alyson Stanfield book, "I'd Rather Be in the Studio". I have her previous book and really liked it. This is the updated version. I spent some time last night reading it. This version has updated information on social media and the internet. Fist step, I need to get more organized. When I came home from this trip, I felt a little parlyzed with so many things to get done. I think its list time. I did finish my online traffic school and passed the test. Thank goodness that is over. I hate having things like that hanging over me.

I still have openings in my workshop in Pasadena, 3 days of plein air for $150.

Talk to y'all later.

Becky Joy

http://beckyjoy.com/

beckyjoy@beckyjoy.com

plein air painting trip to Texas by Becky Joy

Today's 9x12 of a farm in the Hill Country, bugs and all

I also painted another yesterday and one this afternoon, all 9x12. By this afternoon I was painting crooked posts on the house. Maybe it was the crooked fence.

Then it was Lily, the four year old's turn to paint. Now, I have to admit, she got a little more help. It was more of a lesson in patience for me! Lily is in training as shoe-holic. She picked out her favorite purple shoes to paint.

9x12 yesterday's farm ptg.

The crooked house 9x12

Lillian's purple shoes 6x6 ready for Randy's next 6" Squared show.

I'll be out around Fredericksburg tomorrow. The last day of painting before I leave. Saturday is the zoo!

Becky Joy

http://beckyjoy.com/

beckyjoy@beckyjoy.com

Becky Joy oak trees plein air oil painting

Oaks 5x7 oil plein air

I painted this in my son's neighborhood this morning while visiting him and his family in Austin, TX.

It's kind of nice painting something besides desert. The weather should be good again tomorrow so that I can get out. My son is making a map for me with some suggestions. So we'll see where I go, I don't know yet.

I spent the afternoon helping my grandaughter paint her second oil painting today. Last year when I visited she painted her first. It was a struggle. She's 6 now. First, I let her pick out a toy that she wanted to paint. We sat Belle down on the patio table so that she was backlit. My grandaughter had her first lesson in squinting. The painting turned out much better proportions than the drawing did. She was amazed at the shapes that she saw when she squinted and the colors looked right then too. Tomorrow I will be painting with the four year old, that should be interesting.

Belle by Lauren

Becky Joy

http://www.beckyjoy.com/

beckyjoy@beckyjoy.com

new oil landscapes by BECKY JOY

I didn't post much this last week, but honest I was busy. There are several shows with deadlines in Jan. I had to finish some pieces to submit to the shows.  I don't want to post those that I submitted. Some of the shows require that the pieces have never been shown anywhere. Now I don't know if that means my website, the internet or FB, but I'll play it safe, just in case someone is out there checking on  postings.

I've been working really hard lately and have been taking an online workshop from Camille Przewodek. The prerequisite to taking the online workshop is that you had to be in a previous color bootcamp workshop. Anyway, I did that last spring. Each week, I would go out and do at least two plein airs, then email the starts to the paintings, the end results and a photo of the site. Camille said she was trying to get me to a new level. I really felt good about the workshop. Not everything was successful, but then I tried things that I had trouble with and knew I would learn from.  I felt like I really learned a lot, but need to take a break and get back to business for a while. I am definitely going to take another workshop from her. Her approach to painting really resonated with me.

This painting is an 18x24 studio painting that I worked on yesterday and today. I was happy with the results. I'll live with it for a while and see what I think.

This was my last plein air that I painted in the workshop. After talking to Camille, I lightened the hill in the background and grayed the greens of the background trees and simplified. I have a tendency to start picking at the colors in the background, breaking up the large shapes. Overall, I was pleased with this one. The other two are in the garbage. I wasn't excited about what I was painting and it showed. She told me to stick to painting what I was "jazzed" about. I know that, what was I thinking? Or was I?

Just a couple of more days with big paintings, then I'll paint some small ones.

Talk to you all later.

Becky Joy

beckyjoy@beckyjoy.com
www.beckyjoy.com
www.beckyjoy.com/blog