"Cherry Blossom Festival at Sunset" (oil on linen; 12" x 12") sold

"Cherry Blossom Festival at Sunset"
sold

"Waterlily Pond" (oil, 8" x 8")
sold

In the morning of the last day of Dreama Tolle Perry's workshop, we did a wild thing. Each student was given a reference photo, in my case, a pink waterlily; some students, including myself, had to paint their pictures upside down.  We were given about five minutes to get the painting started.  After that, we did the unimaginable thing.  We moved to our neighbor's easel and were given three minutes to work on her painting!  After five "musical chair" effects, we returned to our own easel to face the music.  Dreama told us to finish the painting with three additional strokes.  Yes, three strokes!  (I added a few more strokes after lunch.)

The point of the exercise was, I believe, non-attachment.  We get so hung upon the product that we sometimes forget to enjoy the act of painting or live in the moment. By being forced to go around working on other students' paintings in such a limited time, we had to toss our attachment. Strangely enough, I felt like living truly in the present. I also tried to do my best, to leave each painting a little better before moving onto the next.  I was sincere.

When I turned "my" painting right side up, I saw a beautiful work of art.  It was a gift from the workshop participants.  Look at how nice these "collaboration paintings" are!

"Collaboration paintings"

After lunch, we had to face music one more time by working on our own paintings.  To be honest with you, I was freaking out quite a bit.  Here is why.  I don't want to paint like Dreama.  I am no body's copycat.  At the same time, there are many things I admire in her work.  How do I incorporate what I learned from her into my own work without losing my artistic integrity?

I chose a reference photo I took at the Tidal Basin last week.  This is the kind of stuff I paint all the time.  But as you can see in the finished painting, it was done differently.  I started with a dark/mid-tone underpanting, which seemed to suggest a sunset scene. So I followed my gut instinct by changing the time of the day from early afternoon to dusk, which meant that the cherry blossoms could not be as light as in the photo. The painting became quite moody and more interesting.  If I had been left to my own devices, I would have added three hundred more strokes for the dainty cherry flowers. No, I did not succumb to the temptation.  Dreama loved my colors.  I was pleased like a little girl at her praise!

Reference photo for "Cherry Blossom Festival at Sunset"

I am going to end my "Dreama experience" with what she said at the very beginning of the workshop.  She encouraged us to be true to our heart.  She pleaded us to be not our own harshest critic, but one's own best friend.  Each name tag she had made for us came with an uplifting message.  Mine read: "My paintings are extraordinarily great!" I was meant to become an artist.  Don't ever forget why I am doing this. Style will come with doing lots of paintings.  But what guides my life is the JOY of creating art.

"French Village" (oil on linen; 12" x 12") sold

"French Village"
sold

French village demo I

French village demo II

French village demo III

French village demo IV

French village demo V

Dreama's finished demo painting

On the second day of Dreama Tolle Perry's workshop, we painted a charming French village scene.  Architecture and landscape are two of my favorite subjects, so I was very happy with Dreama's choice.  My burning question was how she would approach architectural rendering.  As you can see in the first demo photo, she did some line drawing before starting the underpainting.  What a relief!

The third demo photo shows her dark/mid-tone underpainting.  Shockingly dark again! What about the pink sky?  We were in the throes of a French Revolution here!  In the fourth demo photo, you can see squiggly marks Dreama made with a color shaper (it's a rubber-tipped tool with which one can scrape out paints off canvas).  She used it to draw and add her signature.

The primary objective of the second day was bold brushstrokes for which she is famous.  She used ONE brush for the entire painting--Winsor & Newton Monarch flat brush (#14), plus a small palette knife.  With judicious and practiced use of these limited tools, she created her trademark strokes.  How about that!

Her bottom line?  Put down a stroke and leave it alone unless it really needs to be modified.  Please don't "lick" the canvas by going back and forth with your brush.  Don't make strokes in the same direction in a given section.  Don't paint from the same puddle of colors for the entire sky, or wall, or whatever.  Variety is the spice of life! Instead of making hundreds of strokes for leaves and flowers (I am guilty!), make a few suggestive strokes. Be a minimalist.

Yes, Dreama dropped some random colors here and there, especially along the edges, but in general, her choice of colors was based on knowledge.  Most importantly, what made her art so colorful was her beautiful grays as much as her bright colors.

One more thing.  Dreama is not a die-hard, plein-air painter; she is a good photographer.  You have to start with good reference photos.  It is hard to paint a sun-drenched scene with a picture taken on a cloudy day.  I will conclude my "Dreama experience" tomorrow.  Please feel free to leave comments!

"Sunflower and Tulips" (oil on linen; 12" x 12") sold

sold

Floral still life demo I

Floral still life demo II

Floral still life demo III

Floral still life demo IV

Dreama's finished demo painting

Floral still life student show

Last three days I attended Dreama Tolle Perry's workshop in Springfield, VA.  Wow. That sums up my experience.  I signed up for her workshop last May and have been impatiently waiting for it.  I ordered the paints and brushes she recommended, which have since become part of my "arsenal."  I bought her book and poured over it, trying to figure out how she did it.  In the end, I had to wait to see her in action to learn her methods.

I am overwhelmed and overstimulated with the stuff I've learned for the past three days. Here are some of the things I remember.  What attracts me and many others to Dreama's art is, I believe, her joie de vivre, "happy" colors, and bold brushstrokes. Her joy of life that one senses in her website/blog is her true self.  She is not bubbly all the time.  She is actually a quite reserved and sincere person.  It's just that she appreciates life and is eager to share her joy with others.

Her "happy" colors come from her love of colors.  You might think that she slaps random bright colors on canvas.  I was really surprised to see how she started her painting.  In the middle of the four edges of Ampersand Gessoboard (her support of choice; I instead used linen mounted on Baltic birch panel), she made a mark, then without any drawing, she started painting the dark and mid-tone underpainting.

The shockingly dark underpainting gave her painting the foundation, gravitas, so to speak.  In this stage, she used ONLY transparent colors.  No white or opaque colors were allowed.  While the underpainting was still wet (Dreama is an alla-prima painter, who finishes her painting in one session with many breaks), she introduced opaque paints and white.  Form and light were carved out with opaque colors.

The students painted from the same reference photo, I might add fearlessly, following the teacher's step-by-step instructions.  Despite the shock we were in, we did a fabulous job, as you can see in the bottom picture.  Tomorrow I will continue my experience during the workshop with Dreama.

"Sacred Ground, Chichester Cathedral" (oil on linen; 8" x 10")

click here to buy

Chichester, West Sussex is an old Roman town.  We went to see the city and its cathedral on a cold and gray day last Month. I go wild with Gothic cathedrals, but couldn't take a really good picture.  Dang!  The painting shows the side view of the front portal.  On Palm Sunday, we went back for the Matins service.  We sat in the choir area and heard the choir sing right next to us.  It didn't seem appropriate to take pictures inside, so I can't show you the elegant interior of Chichester Cathedral.  Sorry.

A distant view of the Chichester Cathedral tower

The corridor looking out to the cathedral cloister

Chichester city walls originated in the Roman days and circles the old town.

The market cross is from 1500; it is smack in the middle of the old town.

By the way, in case you are new to my blog, here is the scoop.  Every month I challenge myself to do a series of paintings, then give away a print of the collage created with these paintings at the end of the month.  The April Challenge is "I Love England."  "Chichester Cathedral" is the third in the series.  From now on, I am going to widen the circle for my monthly drawing to all my Facebook fans.  I post a painting or two everyday.  It is the best place to get the most up-to-date information about my artwork.  Please "like" my page!  Click here to visit my Facebook page.  Thanks!

"Cherry Blossom Tunnel" (oil; 10" x 8") sold; "Spring Orchard" (oil, 10" x 8") sold

"Cherry Blossom Tunnel" (oil, 10" x 8")
sold

"Spring Orchard" (oil, 10" x 8")
sold

"Apple Tree Blooming" (oil, 12" x 12"), sold

I have a thing for flowering trees.  Cherry blossoms passed the peak where I live. Apple, crab apple, and pear trees are blooming now.  Double cherries will open soon too.  It's time to be joyous!

Mini cherry blossom festival in my garden, a week ago

Cherry Blossom Festival at the Tidal Basin,  a week ago

Crab apple flowers in my backyard

"Spring Woods" (oil; 10" x 8") sold; "Spring Woodland" (oil; 14" x 11")

"Spring Woods" (oil, 10" x 8")
sold

"Spring Woodland" (oil, 14" x 11")
click here to buy

When trees start budding, they turn yellow green.  Leaves are not yet big, so they don't cast heavy shade.  Walk in the early spring woods.  It's airy and bright; it's an enchanting place!  Both paintings are based on a real place--the Virginia native plant trail in the Green Spring Gardens Park in Alexandria, VA.  I haunt the park in early spring, which has always been my favorite time of the year.

Did you notice a red bridge up a small stream in the first painting?  Many flowers populate the second painting, In the distance, one can see the pink redbud in bloom. In the middle ground, the dainty white bells of the common silverbell arc gracefully above the carpet of yellow woodland poppies.  I think I captured in both paintings the light-filled atmosphere of springtime in the woods.

"Old English Church" (oil on linen: 8" x 10") sold

sold

St. Mary the Virgin, the 12-century parish church, is located at the end of Church Lane in Sidlesham, West Sussex.  We attended the Good Friday service at the church, which was conducted by the parish priest and our host, a retired Lutheran pastor.  It was full moon that night (for some reason, the service took place on Wednesday).  About the only light on the dark lane was the moonlight, which cast long shadows as we walked back home.  We were all silent and reverent.  It was one of the highlights of our trip.

Church Gate Cottage used to be haunted!

Do you believe in ghost stories?  If so, you are in for a treat.  Church Gate Cottage, right by the church yard, used to be haunted.  We had dinner with its current owners one night.  When I learned that they had horses, I managed an invitation for horse riding for my daughter.  Alas, it had been raining for several days; the fields were soggy with lots of puddles.  It was also cold and windy.  Riding was out of the question.  After a short visit to the cottage on the following morning, we went back to Chimes Cottage for elevenses.  That is when I heard a ghost story from Jane, the mother.

There used to be ghosts in Church Gate Cottage.  An Anglican priest who lived there in the 17th century died before his time.  He had a wife and two little children.  Jane's four-year-old daughter could see the ghost kids.  Jane could only hear them laughing. Her husband saw the priest ghost.  Jane was too scared to look up in one of the ghost incidents, but could feel the sudden drop in temperature in the room and hear the sounds.  She contacted an exorcism expert of the Church of England, who treated her with ill-disguised contempt!

Jane called up some spiritual experts, who came to the house to talk to the priest ghost.  He assured them that he would never harm the living children.  What about adults!  The experts firmly demanded that he and his ghost family should move on. And they did.  I don't think Jane was pulling my leg.  After all, she is a no-nonsense special education teacher.  What did I tell you?  Church Lane in Sidlesham is enchanted!