Dharma Bums, On The Road Again...

The phrase "Dharma Bum" was coined by the Beat* writer, Jack Kerouac. Dharma is one of the most important words in the Hindu and Buddhist religions. Narrowly defined it means "your spiritual duty," or "your place in the universe." A Dharma Bum is a wanderer and a truth seeker, and in the case of Kerouac’s novel these divine vagabonds were bohemians, writers and artists who shunned the confines of society. This blog is about the sacred joys of painting and travel. 

A restless spirit, I've always found it difficult to work in a cubicle from 9-5. One of my most memorable jobs was with the DPW in the summer of '72. My days were spent riding around town in the back of a dump truck with 5 other teenagers, picking up trash in the local parks. Today most people would consider this court mandated, community service but for me it represented freedom.

Love Street Surf Shop by Eli Cedrone ©

Kerouac’s notion of the Dharma Bum could easily describe today’s generation of artists who travel the country participating in Plein Air events and teaching workshops. To outsiders this lifestyle may be viewed as eccentric but these painters are highly trained, well-organized professional artists. For many, this way of life can be creatively and financially rewarding.

St. Edwards, Palm Beach

So I’m boarding my Jet Blue flight for Palm Beach (with excruciating delay given the advanced age of most of the passengers). I’ll be gone for nearly a month; painting and teaching with a residency thrown in the middle so I can catch my breath. If like me, you've had days where you’re feeling old and travel seems best suited for the obscenely young, you’ll understand the need for the residency.

Painting on Worth Avenue, Palm Beach

My wall at the Plein Air Festival, Tequesta

First stop Tequesta, for the 4th Annual Plein Air Festival at the Lighthouse Art Center. This is my second invitation to the event so I see a lot of familiar faces - and some very talented painters. I’m in good company. The camaraderie amongst artists is historic and important for a number of reasons; a sharing of ideas, a competitive spirit and a chance to get out of the studio. These events also offer opportunities to get your work in front of new collectors and publishers. I sold a bunch of paintings and was awarded First Place by juror George Van Hook in the Quick Draw (artists must complete a painting on location in 2 hours.) A pretty blissful way way to end the week.

First Prize in the Quick Draw

My winning painting "Harborside" by Eli Cedrone

I was fortunate to have a week-long residency in Palm Beach and I had some time to do a little painting on my own. I love using small 6x8 panels for quick, field studies.

Painting at the Society of the 4 Arts, Palm Beach

Color study "Bougainvillea" by Eli Cedrone

Following my residency, I taught a 2-day workshop at the Lighthouse Art Center. The focus was on the fundamentals of figure drawing. We started with a lot of quick, gesture studies and I introduced a technique to simplify the figure in order to integrate them into landscape paintings. It was an amazing group of painters, many of whom had studied with me last year. Check out my website for workshops there in 2018.

The gang at the Lighthouse Art Center workshop

I’m traveling across Alligator Alley which coming from Boston, is a disturbing name for a highway. I have visions of being devoured by one of these prehistoric creatures. I’m also a bit unnerved by the fact that there are 20 people enrolled in my workshop at the Bonita Springs Center for the Arts, but that’s okay… I’ve totally got this.

I thought it would be brilliant to present a workshop on the techniques and methods of a variety of painters throughout history. In theory "Lesson’s from the Masters" was a great idea but it required a lot of “moving parts” in order to set up each day. The staff at the art center was heroic in this regard. I swear there are tiny elves on the payroll; each morning everything was in order... model stands, lighting, even hot coffee and pastries!

My demo at left, is a copy of a painting by Anders Zorn. The palette is limited to 3 greyscale values. I begin with the mid range value, eventually adding darks and lastly, the lights. The focus of this lesson is to paint correct value relationships and seeing in terms of "pixels" in order to render the fall of light and modeling of form.

The wonderful students at Art Center Bonita Springs

For me, the sacred joys of travel and painting are an act of self-actualization. Becoming your true potential is pretty rare in society. I guess that’s why there’s always this feeling that the daily grind police will catch up with me, and I’ll have to get a "real" job. But for now, I feel the pull of the north wind so I’m heading to Portugal to teach a week-long workshop in Casais and Sintra. Want to follow along? Just subscribe to my Art & Soul blog!

Some tips on how to begin your own creative journey…
Get a change of scenery with a quick, overnight painting trip to a new destination.
Visit the studio of other artists and explore a new medium or technique.
Take a course or workshop close to home without the cost of flights and hotels.

Indulge in some armchair travel with one of these great books…

- Art + Travel Europe: Museyon Guides, Step into the Lives of Five Famous Painters

- The Last Nude: Ellis Avery, Art Deco painter Tamara de Lempicka

- Kiki’s Paris: Billy Kluver, Artists & Lovers 1900’s
- Strapless: Deborah Davis, John Singer Sargent's Madame X
- The Moon and Sixpence: W. Somerset Maugham, Paul Gauguin in Tahiti
- And last but not least…
- On the Road by Jack Kerouac

*Beat (Beatitude): a state of utmost bliss

Musings on a winter day…

“Even the strongest blizzard begins with a single snowflake.”

- Sara Raasch

And so it is with painting; the first stroke on a blank canvas is like that single snowflake. The tabula rasa... the promise it holds, is built on the premise that all knowledge comes from experience or perception.

Art is the external expression of the intuition. As artists we are constructing an imagined thing. Each stroke building upon the last until form and content are in correct relation to each other and the idea is clearly expressed. 

"Mere copying of nature is not an expression of emotion. 

Raw emotion, without rules of academic correctness to govern its output, 

just produces nonsense. Great art, can only come when creativity

is tempered by taste, when the design is conscious, and when the form 

is uniquely suited to the ideas presented.” 

Shakespeare said that art is a mirror held up to nature. Yet if the making of art was limited to just copying, then nature would surely eclipse any effort of the artist. The artist's interpretive vision would be lost in the cold reflection and recording of external facts. Reality is obtained not by copying but by interpreting. Even in painting the portrait, the artist must fix in his mind the quality, the character, the very soul of the person before him.

The transcending of art above nature is an age old discussion. Aristotle with his idealistic view, was likely the first to claim that true art is an improvement upon nature and that man must be depicted not as he is but as he ought to be. Realists believed that only common depictions of life offered an enlightened view of reality. But even this belief doesn't destroy the presence of artistic quality in their work. An internal vision along with the external, skill of execution is required for all true Art.

"Seek first for absolute truth of value and color, 

and paint this truth in the simplest and most direct way.”

The mechanics of picture-making, require a mastery of the basic principles. There are no great secrets, simply a commitment to careful observation and mindful, sincere rendering. Painting is a fusion of the external; skill of execution and the internal; vision or intuition. It requires an understanding of who we are and who we are becoming. An unfolding of the mind with each new experience.

Mysticism teaches that everything in the physical world has a parallel in the spiritual. Baltus said; "A spiritual stroke, correctly placed is beyond calculation.” This belief resonates with me; it suggests that something outside of our unique experience and knowledge is at work. That the hand of the artist is guided by the mind as well as the spirit. 

As with snowflakes; we all have our unique experiences. But maybe the accumulation of human experience is like a blizzard, resulting in what Jung called the collective unconscious. When a painting transcends or inspires, perhaps it has struck that universal chord.

Quotes: Carolus Duran

References: Orestes A. Brownson

Surviving the Bermuda Triangle & painting in paradise...

Day one at the Botanical Garden

"I dream my paintings and I paint my dreams." It would seem Van Gogh had Bermuda in mind when he uttered these words. I just returned from teaching a workshop on this magical island and each day was an inspiration. The weather was perfect for outdoor painting except for the occasional passing clouds. Given the large group, I chose locations both for scenic beauty and their central location on the island with room to spread out. 

The workshop began at the Botanical Gardens with a lecture and demo on painting the nude and the outdoor figure. I explained the benefits of using a limited palette to create realistic flesh tones. A more chromatic palette was discussed when painting the live model in the afternoon sun. 

The following day we painted the landscape at the famous, Horseshoe Bay Cove. The location offered stunning views of aquamarine sea, pink sandy beaches, rock formations and plenty of cover from the sun. We had a great lunch at Whaler Inn where everyone enjoyed a Rum Swizzle - Bermuda's national drink - which I'm sure improved our paintings immensely!

Lunch at the Cabana

The group shows off their awesome paintings!

On our last day, we were invited to paint on the grounds of the Salt Kettle House. This little inn has been in operation since 1970. Salt Kettle is so named after the salt trade that existed between Bermuda and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The salt was delivered by ship and unloaded in the bay at the back of the Guest House - the bay is in the shape of a kettle, thus the name.  Parts of the Guest House are nearly 300 years old. The owner John was very hospitable, serving a lovely, afternoon tea and cookies to the group.

Winslow Homer painted this view from Salt Kettle

Winslow Homer was familiar with this scene. He painted Prudens Bay in 1899. The location offers views of boats and old houses on one side and a lovely inlet on the other. 

Tea is served!

Eli recommends Fairmont napkins for painting!

This year we were joined by a lot of Bermudian artists. They were so welcoming, offering rides to visiting artists and extending an invitation for an impromptu, farewell cocktail party. It was great making new friends and reconnecting with old. I'm already planning the next workshop for 2017, I hope you'll join us in Bermuda!

Farewell cocktails overlooking Salt Kettle. Thanks Jennifer!

Some comments by participants…

It was a fabulous time enjoyed all of it ...loved meeting the local Bermudians. You are a very energetic teacher and I can't wait to finish the paintings I started in Bermuda - thank you -thank you! Mary M.

Thank you for the great course, I really enjoyed it and very much appreciated your patience and inspiration in getting a novice through that post "Amazing' state! I am now encouraged to put in more time to painting - hopefully I will be much improved when you next visit  - may you come again in the not too distant future! Christine D.

Rum Swizzle Recipe

This is from Bermuda's famed Swizzle Inn.  Ingredients: 4 oz. dark rum, 4 oz. Barbados rum or amber rum, 2 oz. triple sec, juice from 2 lemons, 5 oz. pineapple juice, 5 oz. orange juice, 2 oz. simple syrup, 4 dashes Angostura bitters, crushed ice. Add all the ingredients and shake vigorously in a container until a frothing head appears. Strain into cocktail glasses and let the fun begin. Avoid riding moped!

A Brush With Tuscany

Florence is timeless. The Italians have the perfect word to describe it... "insieme". Translated it means: ensemble, whole, all together. It's no wonder that Florence is the birthplace of the Renaissance. Dante Alighieri, the father of the modern, Italian language was born here.

Etched into the cathedrals and ancient alleys are the voices of the past and present. Florence offers a movable feast for the eyes and the tongue, with a gelateria on nearly every corner. The city is a mecca for students with hundreds of international universities. 

I made a pilgrimage of my own to the Florence Academy, which is located along the Arno River. Founded by artist Daniel Graves, the Academy teaches drawing, painting and sculpture modeled on 19th century, classical traditions. Yes, Florence is an "all together" kind of place and the reason why I chose to teach a painting workshop in nearby Fiesole this June. 

 

If Florence is the cultural heart of Tuscany, Fiesole is the soul. I chose this location as our base for its beauty and serenity. The first recorded mention of the town dates to 283 BC, when known as Faesulae, it was conquered by the Romans. Why it was built here, is a really great story. Legend has it that the Greek god, Atlas founded Fiesole as the most beautiful, earthly location. It's name means "stands alone". It was Atlas’ son Italus who gave his name to Italy.

Pensione Bencista is a 14th century villa, perched on the hillside of Fiesole, offering sweeping views of Florence. There is an austere, old fashioned charm to the place with its simple breakfast, spartan rooms and resident dogs. 

The Swiss, Symbolist painter Arnold Bocklin once lived here and guests are greeted by a large bust of the artist in the foyer. The Villa is the perfect place to enjoy "dolce far niente"... the sweetness of doing nothing. Sheer indulgent relaxation and blissful laziness would be lovely except there are paintings to be painted!

The day before the workshop began, a few of us ventured off to find the Villa Palmerino, located just below the Bencista. As it turned out our timing was perfect. We were graciously treated to a tour by it’s current owner, Federico Parretti. The Villa has been in this family of artists for five generations.

It is here that John Singer Sargent painted the portrait of English poet, Violet Paget (Vernon Lee). Lee purchased the villa in 1889 where she regularly hosted such literati as Edith Wharton and Henry James, among others. When Paget died in 1935, artist Federigo Angeli, and his wife, painter and writer Carola Costa purchased the property. Their grandchildren, host and promote artistic events in the artistic community and at the Villa.

Our first afternoon began with a wonderful tour of the Etruscan ruins which date from the ancient roots of the region. Our tour guide was so amusing and informative. We joked that if not for the use of her hands she would've been rendered speechless! The view from the monastery of San Francesco on the crest of the hill is worth the trek. Although history surrounds you, Fiesole is not a preserved artifact of the past. It’s a modern Italian town with beautiful villas, delightful cafes and interesting shops.

Our workshop began on the terrace of the villa. We focused on making small, greyscale studies in an effort to understand the underlying composition. I stressed the need to avoid detail and line, instead massing in flat, abstract shapes of correct value. 

I showed how to mix clean color by painting a series of small studies. This practice helps to unify your paintings. Relating the major masses in terms of color and value  creates a forceful statement of color harmony, and helps to organize major planes of light. 

The ever changing light on the sweeping views below our villa, allowed for a variety of scenes. Here are things to keep in mind when painting atmospheric scenes:

1. Keep the value range limited to no more than 4 steps.

2. Since values are closer together, tonal value is less important than color. Consider the temperature of your light source, and push the opposite temperature in the shadows.

3. Make edges soft. Heavy, moisture-laden air, or veils of atmosphere, blurs the edges making everything appear soft, even in the focal point.

The next day we took the #7 bus down the hill into Florence for a morning of sketching at the Bargello Museum. This may not be the most famous museum, but it is one of my favorites. Less crowded than the Uffizi, the Bargello is one of the oldest buildings in Florence, dating back to 1255. Today, it houses hundreds of sculptures. Donatello's bronze David is physically delicate and remarkably effeminate. Visually, it is a stark contrast to Michelangelo’s heroic, marble of David.

There were two more days of painting on the Piazza Mino in Fiesole. We enjoyed long lunches at the great cafes. There is something to be said for those leisurely breaks that Europeans take at midday. I found that given the lateness of our evenings - it was imperative to nap after lunch. 

Joan, our tour organizer found some of the most enchanting places for dinner. I loved Le Cave di Maiano with it’s rustic menu, or Tullio a Montebeni with it’s tuscan steak and colorful proprietor. Both were tucked away in the surrounding forest, just minutes from our villa.

It’s midnight and a few of us have snuck outside to share a bottle of proseco on the terrace of the villa. Florence twinkles below like a blanket of earthly stars. Suddenly the chirping of a cell phone (who’s owner shall remain anonymous) breaks the quietude followed by a harsh admonishment from the proprietor Beatrice! In hushed tones we go back to our conversation, savoring every moment of our last night in paradise. 

A painting workshop is about finding enlightenment, learning new skills and making new friends. And although every adventure must come to an end, there’s always the next one to look forward to! 

Here’s what some participants had to say about "A Brush with Tuscany" Workshop:

Now that I'm back home, I just wanted to tell you I had the most wonderful time at your workshop. Not only are you full of knowledge with the unique ability to put it into words, full of talent and great ideas, but you are also a delight to be with! What a great trip! Sheila W.

Eli, a quick thank you for a great workshop week. Lots of fun and I learned a ton. Met some interesting people as well. Thanks for your patience and encouragement. Bob S.

I want to thank you all for joining us in Fiesole. You were a great group of people who got along so well, which doesn’t always happen!  Eli is the best teacher I’ve ever done a painting class with; I was stunned at her knowledge, clarity and teaching skills, all in that very casual, Eli-manner.  Joan Hill, Artful Journeys