Learning never exhausts the mind...

This quote by Leonardo da Vinci may seem contradictory to anyone who has endeavored to learn the skills necessary for representational painting. Whether a student or seasoned artist, the process of learning will test your patience to the point of insanity. Even Sargent had his difficulties, and issued forth a sort of battle cry of “demons, demons," with which he would dash at his canvas.

Copying Sargent's Oyster Gatherer's,  MFA Boston

Patience is a crucial element in learning to paint. One of the most encouraging things I learned was from Richard Schmid. His belief that painting is a craft which requires practice but above all patience, really set me free from negative thoughts. Much like learning to play the piano or becoming a champion athlete, it’s important not to blame ourselves when our skills don’t quite match our visions. Another mentor was John Terelak, the great Cape Ann painter and instructor. At that point in my journey, I felt my work was not good enough to share with the public and John instilled in me the need to believe in myself. He explained that learning is a life-long pursuit, our work is ever evolving and improving - your best effort is all that's required.

Richard Schmid, 1999

"I do not judge, I only chronicle." 

John Terelak 1998

I will never forget my first painting event, I was in way over my head but felt I should challenge myself. In spite of this, I must’ve looked the part because a fellow painter joined me at my chosen location. I was lucky that she quickly recognized that I had no idea what the hell I was doing. With some helpful tips I was able to make it through the day and although my painting was amateurish I was hooked on painting outdoors. 

After nearly 30 years at the easel, I continue to have moments of frustration and self doubt. It sometimes feels as if the more I know, the less I realize I know… if you know what I mean. These moments of fear and doubt can lead to a creative block. Sometimes we spend time gaining theoretical knowledge and not enough time actually painting. Nearly every artist I know has gone through it and the best way to overcome this is to just keep painting! When our skills become intuitive much like muscle memory, then our ideas and the execution of those ideas are synthesized.

Boy Swimming by Eli Cedrone, 2016

Developing patience requires having faith that eventually, you will get there. Seek out the support and exchange of ideas of fellow painters - especially those who are on the same creative path - and learn from their mistakes and successes. Celebrate small victories and breakthroughs when you’re learning the process, and allow those achievements to get you to the next level. 

Painting at Charles Hawthorne Barn, Provincetown 2014

Recently, I felt the the need to return to a more academic approach to painting by attending the Academy of Realist Art in Boston. The Academy teaches traditional techniques, modeled on 19th century French academies. The focus was on creating the color study which is a preliminary oil sketch that determines specific colors and establishes, in the most simplified manner, the value range that will best achieve a light effect and create volume. It gave me a greater understanding of how to simplify planes, properly compose values and create color harmony. The Academy proved to be a exactly where I needed to be in order to hone my draftsmanship and painting skills so don't feel that you've moved beyond a specific level - it's always good to revisit the fundamentals.

The Academy of Realist Art, Boston

"Cultivate an ever continuous power of observation… 

be always ready to make slight
notes of postures, groups and incidents."

In the studio with Dennis Sheehan, 2010

Paint from life as often as you can and carry a sketchbook with you at all times. Changing disciplines from portraiture to landscape, still life to painting the figure is also beneficial as each provides something different to consideration in terms of design, form, value and color. 

I visit museums often and carry a sketch book to "deconstruct" or make value studies of masterworks. So much can be learned from this practice. I also attend artist demonstrations and visit the studios of painters I admire whenever an invitation is extended.

As many of you know I love to travel. For me, there is no better way to arouse the senses than through visiting new places. Travel offers a diversity of landscapes, architecture and people. It’s always an awe-inspiring and enriching experience and a sure way to break free from old habits.

  "Above all things get abroad, see the sunlight and everything that is to be seen."

Lunchtime with Rob Liberace

Rob Liberace Workshop, 2014 

In the studio of Kelly Carmody, 2016

In regards to workshops, choose someone who embodies your values and approach to painting. Nearly 20 years ago I studied with a wonderful teacher who felt that taking workshops with seasoned (or celebrity artists as he called them) was like trying to pick up a "bag of tricks”. Although this is true to some degree, watching a master painter at work is a tremendously useful way to learn. Just be careful not to be so influenced as to believe that technique or mannerism is the path to good painting. Honesty is the true path - to yourself and your own expressive voice.

Visit my website to register for my upcoming workshop in California this July and the Bermuda Retreat!

All quotes by John Singer Sargent

Diary of vagabond artist...

"There are three kinds of people: those who see, those that see what you show them and those who do not see" - Leonardo Da Vinci

The adventure begins with an artist residency in Palm Beach. I left behind mountains of snow in Boston so palm trees and sandy beaches were a welcome site. Dropping my bags, I head out to explore and do a few small oil sketches. The sun is low in the sky and as the clouds start to roll in, it makes for a moodier  scene than I'd originally intended. I pack it in and head to the huge Art & Antique Show at the Palm Beach Convention Center. (more on that in my next blog)

The following day, sunlight greets me, and I head to Delray where I enter the world of COLOR – orange brick walls, purple cast shadows. I set up quickly and knock out my second oil sketch of a brightly colored, surf shop. There is no better way to arouse the senses than through travel. It offers an increasingly vast series of landscapes; lively cafes, a stretch of beach, stunning sunsets, gardens and architecture. It’s always an awe-inspiring and enriching experience.

Here's my block-in for Surf Shop.

Surf Shop, Delray Beach

Society of the 4 Arts, Palm Beach

It’s often said that technology is making the world smaller. Nowhere is this truer than in the community of artists. By simply reaching out through social media I have widened my circle to include; painters, sculptors, educators, students and patrons, many of whom have become friends. A huge thank you to my wonderful hosts… Peter & Manon Sander (http://www.manonsander.com) and Steve & Pati McGuire (http://www.patimaguire.com). Which leads me to the second half of my adventure...

Delray participants

It’s Thursday morning and I’m preparing to teach my first workshop at the Old School Center for the Arts in Delray Beach. We began with a series of gesture sketches and then move outdoors for the quick figure study in oil. The weather could not have been better for an outdoor session. I was excited to work with such a talented group of painters. Everyone did a great job and we covered an overwhelming amount of information in two short days. 

Our talented model, Randy Orwig

My second workshop was at the Lighthouse Center in Tequesta with another talented group of seasoned artists. The class was held in the gallery which as fate would have it, was hosting The Manoogian Collection. Considered to be one of the most significant private collections of 19th and 20th-century American paintings. Having these works on view during my workshop was an inspiring and invaluable tool for instruction.

Lighthouse Art Center participants

Manon's "surprisingly" good painting!

I was given permission to copy one of the paintings in the collection titled "Hush Do Not Disturb Them" by Hamilton Hamilton. The painting depicts a voyeuristic view of two children in the shade of a large boulder on a quiet beach. Copying a masterwork can be very instructive; Although my format was different, I was sensitive to the subtleties of temperature shifts from violet to yellow and the variety of beautiful tones of grey throughout the painting.

My copy of Hush, 10x12

One of the highlights of my time in Florida was my participation in the 2nd Annual Plein Funfest in Delray Beach. Fifty artists from around the country were juried in and competed for cash prizes on February 20th. We had 6 hours to paint and because it was overcast I chose a a cafe scene on a busy corner because of the tiny lights illuminating the figures inside. The paintings were on display that afternoon at the Old Square Center for the Arts. I was honored and pleased to have won an Award of Excellence. It was a picture perfect day in a picture perfect city!

My winning entry, The Fat Rooster, 11x14

If this is Tuesday it must be Miami… I had a few days off from teaching I so drove to Miami Beach to visit with friends from my Gloucester residency in 2015. We attended the Art Wynwood Exhibition which was a mind-blowing experience. I loved Wynwood Walls where the people watching was as fascinating as the graffiti-covered buildings.

Just down the road from where I was staying lives Dan Peterson, a renowned sculptor who just happened to be unveiling a new work that day. This large scale sculpture sits on his front lawn was created in collaboration with his wife Christina who is a talented painter.

"Conga" 2016 by Dan Peterson

Once again I hit the road and made the two hour trek across Alligator Alley to Naples to catch up with family and friends. I spent an afternoon with Nancy Smythe whom I'd met last November at the Bermuda Arts Festival. We had a great time visiting art festivals and galleries. Welcome to the world of the vagabond, I highly recommend it!

I'll be teaching a week-long workshop at the Bonita Springs Center for the Arts, March 19-25, 2017. I'll also be offering new workshops in Delray Beach and Jupiter next winter. Visit my website for more info at www.elicedrone.com. 

Nancy Smythe and I show off our new hats.

One's destination is never a place, but rather a new way of looking at things.

I’ve had a love affair with Bermuda for over 40 years and just returned from a week long art festival on island. A big part of Bermuda’s charm is its natural beauty and as an artist it represents a dramatic change of scenery from what I’m familiar with in Boston. Plein Air painting celebrates the making of art in the great outdoors. Visiting new places allows us to experience the world with a fresh eye and revitalizes our spirits. I’ve found that a radical change of scenery shakes up old ways of working and forces a reconsideration of seeing and interpreting the landscape.

"The purpose of the painter is simply to reproduce in other minds the impression which a scene has made upon him. A work of art does not appeal to the intellect. It does not appeal to the moral sense. Its aim is not to instruct, not to edify, but to awaken an emotion.” George Inness

Local and visiting festival artists

Painting in Somerset Bermuda

The ultimate moveable studio!

National Gallery with Bill Hanbury (CEO of Tourism) and wife Valerie

The gala reception was held at the Bermuda National Gallery. Each artist had the opportunity to enter up to 6 paintings for the final exhibition. I have no idea how the committee managed to hang so many paintings in such a short time but they did a fantastic job! I'm very pleased that several of my paintings sold and I'm looking forward to exhibiting some of my work later this year on island. To read more about the festival visit:

http://www.bermudapleinair.com/plein-air-festival/meet-our-2015-winners/

Castle Point 11x14 Oil on linen

Ely's Harbour, 9x12 Oil on linen

Stalking My Art Heroes

"I do not judge, I only chronicle. Every time I paint a portrait I lose a friend." J.S.S 

I recently visited the Metropolitan Museum to view the exhibit Sargent: Portraits of Artists and Friends. The exhibition brings together paintings that have seldom been shown together. This collection of diverse and often unfinished portraits allows for an in-depth exploration of Sargent’s extraordinary talent. Every painting was a revelation, each displaying the effortless, virtuosity for which Sargent is most notably recognized.

“La Duse" While in London in 1893 Sargent managed to persuade Eleonora Duse to pose for him, but for barely an hour. In that brief sitting he was able to capture the essence of her enigmatic personality.

“In art, all that is not indispensable is unnecessary” 

From Velasquez he had learnt to simplify. Sargent worked with an economy of effort in every way, the sharpest self-control, the fewest strokes possible to express the truth. 

“George Henschel" This portrait was painted in approximately five sittings during which Henschel was required to stand on a platform and sing for Sargent. When Henschel’s wife saw the portrait for the first time, she remarked, "How beautiful! It’s George having arrived in heaven."

I suspect from reading notes on Sargent’s technique that he began by laying in a middle flesh tone, light on one side and dark on the shadow side, carefully sweeping the flesh into the background while maintaining the accuracy of the drawing. Every head is painted as a sculptor models, alway with an eye for the great masses.

“Painting is an interpretation of tone through the medium of color drawn with the brush."

Sargent strove to achieve a balance of shape and color as he developed the image, ever mindful of the relationship of figure to background. Nowhere was this more apparent than in the way in which he painted a forehead, expertly expressing the receding planes of the head. I was in awe of the subtle drawing of the mouth and eyes, fusing tone into tone, until carefully applying highlights and accents. Above all maintaining the principle of oneness.

“The thicker you paint, the more color flows.”

Sargent’s interior scenes were rich with ambient light, beautiful form and incredibly well designed. From Duran he learned that “objects in nature relieve one against each other by the relative values of light and shade which accompany and are a part of each local color, an outline or contour is a pure convention.”

Sargent believed that a sketch must not be merely a pattern of pleasant shapes, pleasing to the eyes, or a mere fancy but that It must be a very possible thing, a definite arrangement. He drew with his brush as readily and as unconsciously as with a pencil. Carolus Duran (Sargent’s mentor) stressed how important it was “to capture the envelope of the figure” and the dynamic relationships between the model’s contours and it’s surroundings. 

Fortune favors the persistent...

Last weekend I taught a full day, landscape workshop in East Walpole with a group of very talented, extremely motivated and hard working, painters. It was a pretty rigorous program which began with making value studies in charcoal and oil. The idea was to work quickly and develop the underlying design on an abstract level. The second part of the day was devoted to color mixing, creating atmosphere and paint handling. Although we worked from photos, I think it’s important that students experience the spacial aspects of reality, so in the future they know how to integrate these effects when working from photos. I think everyone there would agree, there is great value in making value studies! 

My goal as an instructor is to give students a thorough understanding of the techniques of oil painting and how to interpret the landscape & figure while creating the illusion of reality and light. It’s important that what they learn dovetails with their own intrinsic, artistic identity and that they develop their own style with the goal being to transform any subject into a visual, poetic language. Below is a list of my workshop offerings this summer and 2016.

June 15, 2015  |  Painting the Figure - East Walpole, MA

10am-2pm  Fee: $75.

The focus will be on achieving accurate drawing and correct values; two of the most crucial aspects of representational painting. Other topics: gesture, form, varying edges expressively so that your painting has more vitality and understanding how to achieve pictorial unity. 

June 24, 2015  |  Painting the Landscape - Gloucester, MA

10am-2pm  Fee: $75.

There are no formulas to painting the landscape, we need to observe what happens in nature and respond with a knowledge of how to see color and value as a unit, and to transform paint into the language of light. 

June 27, 2015  |  Painting the Landscape - Marion, MA

10am-2pm  Fee: $75.

Learn to capture the scene before you with a simplified design and correct color relationships.

November 20-22, 2015  |  Bermuda Painters Retreat

Join me for a unique experience... from the breathtaking beaches of the South Shore to the winding alleyways of St. George’s - you'll learn the fundamentals of plein air painting while following in the footsteps of Winslow Homer and others. Contact the studio to register at: artfulhand@comcast.net

January, 2016 | Figure & Landscape - Laguna Beach, CA
Dates and location TBA

February 18-19, 2016  |  Painting the Figure - Jupiter, FL
Register here: http://www.lighthousearts.org/workshops.html

February, 2016  |  Painting the Figure - Naples, FL
Dates and location TBA