More on Natural Divider Diptychs

A Walk in Springtime 12x24 oil/panel

Path to the Sea 12x24, oil/panel

A few weeks ago, I wrote about what I call "natural divider diptychs."  I've been playing more with the concept lately.  Just as a reminder, a natural divider diptych is a wide painting that is divided in half by a natural object, such as a tree, with each half  working as a complete painting as well as contributing to the unified whole.

Traditional diptychs are indeed two separate paintings, often hung together on a wall.  I've always felt that treating a beautifully panoramic landscape this way weakens it.  However, by using a natural divider, one that is right there in the landscape, the integrity of the scene is maintained.  Furthermore, the divider creates a certain amount of necessary tension and adds interest; nor is it any longer just wasted wall space.

Or, at least, this is how I feel about it.

In the first painting, "A Walk in Springtime," the figure on the left is taking a walk, and the right half tells us the walk is by the sea.  She is following the water's edge through the woods.  Light spilling in from the right over the water also illuminates the left and the figure, unifying the two halves.  Without the central tree, the painting would still work, but the addition adds a dark, mysterious quality to the piece.  If you block off one half of the painting or the other, you will see that each half is composed to function as its own painting.

In the second painting, "Path to the Sea," the figure on the left is seated, gazing out toward the right half.  Again, light spills in from the right, illuminating the left panel.  Color and subject serve to unify both halves - the pink tones of the apple trees and the bright spring greens.  Also, as with the first painting, I feel that the central tree adds a note of  mystery and drama.

Enough about the diptych concept.  What about the rule of not placing a dominant feature in the center of a painting?  I'm breaking that rule.  In both cases, the tree - which isn't necessarily the center of interest, but it is a point of interest - is centrally placed.  But, I think it works.

I'd love to hear your thoughts!  Meanwhile, I shall continue to explore this idea.

Question for Workshop Teachers and Students

Road to the Beach 9x12 oil
(This may be the last apple tree I paint en plein air this year;
the blossoms are falling fast!)

I have a question for you all.  Recently, during the usual seasonal spate of workshop inquiries, I have had a couple of people ask "Do you do your own work during the workshop?"  I have heard a few students remark - complain, actually - about instructors supposedly ignoring them and working on their own paintings to sell.  (To clarify, they aren't complaining about me, but about others.)

What is your take on this?

Here's mine.  First of all, when I teach a workshop, I fully understand that the students are paying for my time.  I give them 100% of my attention during the workshop.  

However, and this is especially true in my Sedona and Campobello Island workshops where I allow only four students and each session is only four hours long, I do not "hover over" students as they paint.  I find hovering to be counter-productive to their efforts.  Micro-managing each brush stroke will cause students to freeze and thus fail.  So, as they paint, I may continue to work on my demo.  But I do check in with each student frequently.  Plus, because I'm more or less right beside them, I am always available for guidance and tell them so.  

I try to keep the demo period to an hour.  Any longer than that, and students start to get itchy.  The painting may still be unfinished at the end of that hour, but I want to make sure they get to paint, too, so we have something to critique.  Still, there are times when one may wish to watch the painting fully develop.  So, if I do continue to work on it, I tell them they can continue to watch, and I will happily narrate and answer questions.  (Just to elaborate on the workshop session, we start off in the studio with critiques of the previous day's work and a lecture on fundamentals, then head to the field for a demonstration, which leaves students about two hours to paint.)  In the end, this demo may or may not be something I would sell when it is finished.

I am interested to hear your experiences with instructors and your thoughts on this.

Online Painting Workshops, Critiques and More

Front Yard Apple Trees 11x14, oil

I came back from Pemaquid to find our apple trees in full bloom.  Over the next few days, I hope to be painting them.  Here's one from yesterday afternoon.

I like this spot.  I may try to paint one of my "natural divider" diptychs here.

As much as I try to keep my blog more about painting technique and the plein air painting life, I do sometimes need to take a break and advertise my workshops.  So, if you'll bear with me for a moment, here goes:

Once again, I am teaching an online plein air painting class through Artists Network University.  If  you are new to plein air painting or just want to knock the rust off, this is for you.  The four-week class consists of reading material (including a digital copy of Bob Rohm's book, The Painterly Approach) instructional videos and a weekly assignment that I critique.  We have a lot of fun every time we have this class!  Class starts June 11.  For details on the Artists Network University course, click here.

If that's not enough, I have even more videos and material at my Plein Air Essentials self-study workshops.  Although you won't get the benefit of personal critiques, you can read the material and watch the videos as many times as you wish.  For details on the Plein Air Painting "Plein Air Essentials" self-study workshops, click here.

Are you a past student looking for feedback?  Many times, students will ask if they can e-mail an image of a piece they couldn't quite complete in the workshop but finished afterward.  I'm always happy to do this as a favor, since I consider it a natural extension of the workshop week.    But sometimes, students would like an ongoing critique relationship.  I'm happy to announce that, for my students only, I will critique two paintings for $50. Each critique will consist of at least 100 words of text plus Photoshopped versions of your images to illustrate my critique.  For details on receiving a personal critique, click here.

Finally, as a reminder, I am once again teaching my summer workshops on Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada.  If you've not been to the island before, you're in for a treat!  It's a quiet, amazingly scenic location far removed from the madding crowd.  On what would be a busy summer weekend elsewhere along the coast, you'll find only a handful of people on the beaches or trails.  Despite that, we do have all the necessities including motels, B&Bs and cottages for rent; a good grocery store and restaurants offering local seafood; plus wi-fi.  If that's not enough, there's even more five minutes away in Lubec, Maine.  By the way, one thing students really like about these workshops is that we work only in the mornings.  Afternoons are free for you to paint more on your own or to explore the area.  This half-day concept has proved very popular, since students often come with friends or family and can do some sightseeing.  For details on the Campobello Island plein air painting workshops, please click here.

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.

Post-Pemaquid - and Paintings at Friar's Bay Studio Gallery

My Demo at Pemaquid Point
(photo by Caren-Marie Michel)

I'm now back from my trip to Pemaquid Point with the Pastel Painters of Maine.  Sunday morning, after saying good bye to the 30+ members who attended, I drove up the road a few miles to New Harbor, where I'd had dinner the night before.  My plan was to paint some of the boats there, but it was quite windy.  I decided to just take some photos and to then head over to Rockland.

Rockland is home to the Farnsworth Museum, which has ongoing exhibitions of work by N.C. Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth and Jamie Wyeth.  I stop in every couple of years to see what's new.  Currently, they have a new exhibit, "Her Room," which shows Andrew's painting of that name plus a large number of preparatory sketches he made for the piece.  There are also exhibits on a variety of themes with work by some of my other favorite landscape painters including Andrew Winter, Neil Welliver, Rockwell Kent and John Twachtman.  But what always captures my heart are Andrew Wyeth's watercolors.  Done from life and  much looser than his tempera work, they are full of brooding mystery and energy.

I want to mention that I am now posting gallery pieces on  the Friar's Bay Studio Gallery blog.  These are not demos and sketches but finished pieces.  If you'd like to follow the posts, you can do so by going to friarsbaygallery.blogspot.com and entering your e-mail address in the box in the right-hand column.

Road Trip: Mount Desert Island and Pemaquid Point – Day 3

View from the Light of the Pemaquid Lighthouse

Our second day at the Pastel Painters of Maine retreat (my third day), started off with a sunrise walk around Pemaquid Point.  Sunrise here is early – 4:57 a.m – and things were pretty quiet.  Around 7:30, I headed out to breakfast with a few folks at the adjacent restaurant (Seagull Gift Shop and Oceanfront Restaurant).  But as I went out, I met three painters coming in.  They'd already been out and painted before breakfast.  These are dedicated painters!

Pemaquid Point View 12x18 pastel

I was scheduled to do the traditional Saturday morning demonstration, so after breakfast I had a chance to scope out a few possible locations I'd identified on Friday.  The shadows had moved just as I had expected, so I settled on a spot and at 9, gathered the troops.  I don't think I've ever had so many painters in the field watching me paint.  I believe all 31 of them looked on from a variety of perches including picnic tables, folding chairs and stools.  The demo went well, and after the others departed for their own choice locations,  I was able to spend the rest of the morning on it.

View of  Painters from the Light of the Lighthouse

Done with the demo, I took a break.  I'd been painting in the shade and, believe it or not, I was actually chilled.  (Meanwhile, a few miles inland, temps were reaching 90.)  I moved into the sun and toured the lighthouse.  I got some great shots from the light – 30 steps up a spiral staircase plus seven steps up a ladder – of the painters.  Then I ate a quick lunch and checked e-mail.  We have no cell reception here, but we do have a great wi-fi connection.

Pemaquid Rocks Study 9x12, pastel

I was also scheduled to host the 4 p.m. group critique, but I wanted to get one more  painting in plus a much-needed shower.   I set up in the shade of the “fuel house” with a view of Pemaquid's spectacularly linear rocks reaching out into the water.  This was a quick, intuitive sketch for  me.  I used a black Conte stick to draw with first, and then laid pastel loosely over these gestural lines.

By 4, I was ready for the troops.  Paintings were laid out, and for an hour, we had a great discussion on the paintings – what worked, what didn't.  I was pleased with the overall high quality of the work.  Although this is a pastel group, several of the members also work in oil, watercolor and other media, so there were a few examples of these as well, which gave us an opportunity to expand our discussion.

Dinner followed quickly after.  This time, we headed five miles up to New Harbor and to Shaw's.  Shaw's reminds me of Thurston's in Bernard, only this place is bigger and with more going on.  It's also  where you take the Hardy Boat cruise to Monhegan.  New Harbor is a very scenic bay inlet with very  paintable buildings and boats.  Since I forgot my camera – how could I possibly do that? – I will have to go back in the morning to take some reference photos and perhaps to even paint a bit.

Weather for the proposed Monhegan trip tomorrow looks iffy.  NOAA is calling for seas of 4-7 feet and has already issused a small craft advisory.  Unfortunately, I need to be home sooner than later, so I'm not going to Monhegan, anyway.  But, I do plan to paint in the morning.  Many in the group are spending another night.  Even if we couldn't paint tomorrow, I would go away satisified.  We've had two very beautiful painting days!

Road Trip: Mount Desert Island and Pemaquid Point – Days 1, 2

Pemaquid Point Light

Each year, the Pastel Painters of Maine gathers at famously scenic Pemaquid Point to paint.  This year, I realized I had some room in my schedule, so I decided I'd go.  I was delighted when they asked if I would also present the traditional Saturday morning demonstration and do an afternoon critique for them.  So, yesterday, with Trina's blessing, I packed up the car and headed down the coast.

The Margaret Todd 9x12 oil

I wanted to spend a day on Mount Desert Island, so I made sure to arrange a night at a friend's house.  (I stayed with Gail Ribas, director of Acadia Workshop Center; she and her husband have become good friends of ours over the years.)  I arrived in the fog, but by the time I got to Bar Harbor, the fog had started to “scale,” as the locals put it.  I wanted to paint boats on my visit to MDI, so I was happy to find the schooner Margaret Todd at dock and not scheduled to leave until afternoon.  The fog made for a particularly mysterious scene.

Thurston's 9x12 oil

After a little lunch, I wandered on down to Northeast Harbor, which usually has some good boats.  But,  it is still early in the season, and the sailboats aren't really out at their moorings yet.  I prefer to paint working boats, anyway, so I drove to Bernard, near Thurston's Lobster Pound, where I can almost always find a hard-working boat.  I found this scallop dragger sitting at dock.

By the end of the day, I was beat, but the weather had turned out fine, so I took a nice hike at Ship Harbor before heading to Gail's.

This morning, I headed out at the crack of dawn for Pemaquid.  Hot weather was forecast, and I was shocked when I got all the way to Waldoboro, where you turn off the main highway to follow the peninsula to Pemaquid,  and the car thermometer already read 81 degrees – and it was only 9 a.m.!  But it was breezy and cool at the lighthouse.  I unpacked my gear and headed down to meet the other painters.

By the way, I painted in oil all day at MDI, and I decided to use up my paint and paint in oil my first day at Pemaquid.  (I'll return to pastel tomorrow for the demonstration and for the rest of the weekend.)

Pemaquid Fuel Oil House 9x12, oil

After my first painting, which was of the “fuel oil” building, I checked into my room at Hotel Pemaquid.  This is a beautifully-kept historic hotel with a carriage house.  The carriage house is functioning as our studio, should the weather turn.  From my second floor room, I have a good view of the ocean.  I could probably even see Monhegan Island, if the air weren't so thick out over the water.

Bell House 9x12, oil (painted with a knife)

I worked through lunch and did a second painting.  This was of the brick bell house.  (You can tell I am fascinated by these little structures; they could almost be hermit homes.)  Afterward, at the afternoon critique session, I caught up with my friends Caren-Marie Michel and Nita Leger Casey.  We all had dinner at the little restaurant next door.  This is a really great group – serious painters who know how to have fun.  I'm looking forward to tomorrow!

Hotel Pemaquid

Diptychs and Natural Dividers

A Walk in Springtime 12x24 oil/panel

On my recent hikes, I've been taking my camera and composing scenes with it.  My Canon Powershot SD780 IS can shoot wide-angle, 4000x2248 photos, which is a little wider than a 12x24 panel.  Since a 1:2 format is a natural for the landscape, this wide-angle framing helps me plot out ideas for compositions.

I know that this sounds obvious, but it wasn't until recently that I began to walk with just the camera and no painting gear, and with the specific goal in mind of composing paintings on the LCD screen.  Thinking hard about composition - and not about color - makes a difference.

One idea I'm playing with is the diptych.  With the camera, I try to find a natural divider to split the composition.  Most diptychs I've seen are two paintings in the same frame with a piece of moulding for a divider.  Or, they may be framed separately with wall space as a divider.  Eitiher way, in my mind, the two halves never read properly as a unit.  The wood moulding or the wall space seems to affect the aesthetics negatively.  (As a reminder, in a diptych, each of the two paintings should be well-composed, but they should also make a good composition together.)   I find that by keeping the diptych all on one panel and by using a natural divider - a fence post, a tree or some other prominent feature in the landscape - both halves are unified and my aesthetic demands, satisfied.

To show you how this works, at the top of the post is a piece I created based on a photo I took on a walk last week down by Cranberry Point.  Below are the two halves.

For those of you interested, I used an unusual (for me) palette:  Burnt Umber, Thio Violet, Phthalo Green, Cerulean Blue, and three new colors from Gamblin, Green Gold, Cadmium Chartreuse and Nickel Titanate Yellow.

This weekend, I will traveling down to Pemaquid Point to join about 30 members of Pastel Painters of Maine for a few days of painting.  I'll also be presenting a plein air pastel demonstration to the group on Saturday.  I believe I have Internet access at the hotel, so stay tuned!

Painting as Journey, Not as Journey's End

Monet - 1864

As artists, we need to look deep into our souls to see what it is about painting that thrills us.  Some of us yearn to create a work that is as finished as our craftsmanship will allow.  If we love detail, we may delight in putting in every last leaf.  If we love color, we may delight in getting that final glaze just right.  If we love brush work, we may delight in adding that final, well-placed stroke of bravura.

As craftsmen, whether or not we delight in these small tasks, they are necessary pains of our trade.  The point is to arrive at a superlative degree of finish that satisifies.

Yet what if this kind of finish work - exacting craftsmanship - doesn't thrill you?  Imagine, if you will, a furniture maker who is content with just roughing in the "idea" of a chair and not bothering with the sanding and varnishing.  But if you consider yourself more an artist and not so much a craftsman, does it matter?  As an artist, can  you stop short and call it done?

Monet - 1903

I include two images with this post, both paintings by Monet.  The first was done in 1864; the second, in 1903.  For each of these, what were Monet's goals with respect to painting as a craft and painting as an art?

Although I always try to hit a high degree of craftsmanship, I have to confess that, for me, I enjoy the process more than the finish.  I am quite delighted with, say, observing a tree closely, noting the wonderful shifts between warm and cool colors in its bark, and then mixing and placing spots of color accurately.  This kind of active observation gives me endless pleasure.  So much so that I often feel that bringing the painting to a high level of finish would be anticlimactic.

Still, if I didn't come up with a finished product, I'd have nothing to sell and would be forced down a different path for income.  So, as part of my vision when I start a painting, I try to keep this finish in mind as I work.  (Monet may no longer have cared about "finish" by 1903.)  My method must be working, because I'm still making a living at it.

When I retire from being a professional painter, I joke with my peers, I'll travel with just a single painting panel.  With it, I'll "capture the moment" in paint and then, after I've enjoyed the piece a day or two, scrape it clean.  I'll use this same panel over and over, enjoying the process without having as my goal a finished, material work.  And it sure would save on closet space.

By the way, my Campobello workshops are filling fast for the summer!  If you want a week of beautiful beaches, lighthouses, boats and other maritime scenery - not to mention lobster - please visit www.PaintCampobello.com.

Return to Campobello Island - and the Traveling Palette

"Lake Shadows" 9x12 oil/panel - $150 unframed + $12 shipping

We've been back on Campobello Island for about a week now, and things are quiet.  It's always quiet in May, but I enjoy that because it's my time to clean the dust out of the studio, take stock of my painting supplies, get the gallery set up and even paint a little.  I haven't gotten to the painting yet, but as soon as this patch of rain moves offshore, I'll be out there.  For the time being, I thought I'd post the above painting that I did just before leaving last fall.  I'll start posting this season's work soon.

We're also working on the house over in Lubec.  This is our Artist Retreat Studios and Gallery project.  As I may have mentioned elsewhere, our idea is to make the house into an apartment and studio suitable for an artist who may want to come up for a week, a month or longer, to use as a base camp for explorations.  We've just about got the apartment done, and now we're working on the rest of it.  If you're interested, drop us a line or follow the link to the blog where we post updates:  http://artistretreatstudiosandgallery.blogspot.com

Although we're pretty busy right now, we're taking breaks, too.  Yesterday we went into the park (Roosevelt Campobello International Park) to see how the season is progressing.  Fiddleheads are still unrolling, and the grass is just about the greenest I've ever seen it.  By the way, in our yard, the apple trees are poised to bloom.  I'm excited to be painting those again soon.

(That's not a bear - that's Saba the dog!)

When people learn we go back and forth between Arizona and Campobello, they have one question:  Do I change my palette based on location?  No, I don't.  Certainly, seascapes and maritime paintings tend to use more blue and green; my paintings of the Southwest tend to have more reds and yellows.  But I don't change my palette.  For oil, I use the same six colors plus white (and a little Chromatic Black for muting mixtures).  For pastel, I use the same 120 colors.  This is because both palettes, oil and pastel, are based on the color wheel.  From this, I can mix just about anything I need.  The only time I change my palette is when I want to experiment with color.  Soon, I hope to play with some brand new colors I got from Gamblin.

For the record, here are my standard oil colors (Gamblin brand):

• Cadmium yellow light
• Cadmium yellow deep
• Cadmium red
• Permanent alizarin crimson
• Ultramarine blue
• Phthalo emerald
• Chromatic black
• Titanium-zinc white

For pastels, I use the full, 120-color set of Faber-Castell Polychromos pastels plus a selection of Mount Vision pastels that follow the same color wheel concept.  (See my book, Backpacker Painting: Outdoors with Oil and Pastel, which is available at Amazon, for details.)

May Newsletter from Michael Chesley Johnson

 "Mabel's Gate" 9x12 oil - $300 unframed, contact Michael
A view of Mabel Dodge Luhan's historic front gate in Taos, New Mexico

May Newsletter from Michael Chesley Johnson

May, 2013
Campobello Island, NB, Canada

 We logged another 3600 miles on our cross-country trip from Arizona to Campobello Island, New Brunswick.  Looking back, it seems like it was an easy trip.  Having stops along the way broke things up, and life slowed to a leisurely pace.  We spent a week in Santa Fe exploring galleries and taking photos of buildings in the historic parts of town; and then we had a week in Taos, where I led a painting retreat with five talented artists.  Next, I taught a workshop at the Art Barn in Valparaiso, Indiana -- this was my fourth time teaching there -- and followed that with a second workshop in nearby South Bend for the Northern Indiana Pastel Society.  I also had the pleasure of giving a lecture for the Society at the South Bend Museum of Art.  I was honored when the Museum made me their featured "First Friday" speaker.  I had over 50 in the audience!  Finally, we ended our travels with a visit to family in Vermont and then a day in historic Castine, Maine.  (By the way, you can always find details of my trips on my blog, plus tips and techniques for the outdoor painter.  Follow http://mchesleyjohnson.blogspot.com to stay current.)

Upcoming Plein Air Events in Castine and Pemaquid Point, Maine

I wanted to stop by Castine on the way home because I've been juried into the first annual Castine Plein Air Festival and wanted to scope it out.  The Festival lasts only one day -- Saturday, July 27th -- but there'll be many good painters plus prizes and a sales event.  If you've not been to Castine, you're in for a treat.  It's off the beaten path, which means it is quiet and still unsullied by the modern world.  I love to paint architecture, and you can bet I'll be on the street painting some of the beautiful, old buildings.  (For details on the event, visit http://www.castinearts.org/)

Another event I'm participating in this summer is the Pastel Painters of Maine's annual retreat at Pemaquid Point.  This is in late May, and about 30 of us will be based at Hotel Pemaquid and painting at the lighthouse.  Also, I have been asked to give a demonstration to the group as well as do an evening critique of participants' work.  This will be exciting for me because I love that lighthouse and look forward to demonstrating for this group of serious painters!

Here Comes the Judge

In June, I'll be jurying in work and giving awards for the annual Great Lakes Pastel Society Members' Exhibit.  I'll be doing the same for the annual national show for Pastel Artists Canada in August.  Finally, in October, I'm serving as juror and judge for the Southern Appalachian Artist Guild National Show in Blue Ridge, Georgia.  All three organizations have wonderful artists among their membership, and it'll be exciting to see the work they send to the shows.

The Geometry of Nature: Two Visions, August 14-September 3, Lubec ME

Trina and I will have a two-person show in Lubec, Maine, August 14 – September 3, at Lubec Landmarks.  The show is called “The Geometry of Nature:  Two Visions.”  Trina will be showing some of her wonderful kaleidoscopic art; I will be showing new and smaller paintings of the area.  Work will be priced to sell!  If you're in the area, we hope you'll visit!

I'll be Featured in The Artist's Magazine

I am pleased to announce that I will be featured in The Artist's Magazine in the upcoming September issue.  This is a real coup for me.  Although I've written for TAM and Pastel Journal for over a decade, I've never had an article written about me. The article will show several new paintings plus at least one new demonstration.  Additionally, both magazines have articles authored by me "in the hopper" and should appear in the next few months.

Paintings for Sale - Online!

For those of you wondering where my online store has gone, have no fear.  Now that we're settled at the summer studio, I've restocked my Daily Paintworks store and have begun posting to the Friar's Bay Studio Gallery blog.  As before, the Daily Paintworks store offers affordable art -- demonstrations and sketches.  The Friar's Bay Studio Gallery blog offers finished gallery-quality pieces.  In both cases, the paintings will be unframed to save on shipping costs and to keep the price down.  I'll continue to post work to both locations over the summer.

Books Now Available at Amazon

I'm proud to announce that all of my books are now available at Amazon!  You can visit my Amazon author site here to buy the books:  http://www.amazon.com/author/johnson.

The books are:

• Backpacker Painting: Outdoors with Oil & Pastel ($45)
• Through a Painter's Brush: The American Southwest ($40)
• Through a Painter's Brush: A Year on Campobello Island ($40)
• Paint Sedona: A Plein Air Painter's Field Guide to Sedona, Arizona ($10)

Prices are the same as they have been through Lulu.com.  I don't make much money on these books; I wrote them for painting students and collectors so they can become more knowledgeable about the process of painting and also about the places I live in and travel to.  These books are eligible for free "super saver" shipping, and Amazon being what it is, you can order them at the same time you buy your health and personal care items (among other things.)

At this point, I only have the paperbacks.  (Kindle versions will be coming once I have time to work out formatting issues.)  In the meantime, you can still order digital versions (ePub, PDF) from my Lulu store.

Registration for Paint Campobello Is On!

My Paint Campobello plein air workshops are starting to fill!  Similar to Paint Sedona, Paint Campobello workshops are four half-days with time left to explore or paint, and it's been very popular with painters who bring along family or friends.  Campobello Island has some of the very best maritime scenery.  Think quiet beaches, bold cliffs, broad meadows, working harbors, lighthouses and, of course, lobster!  Workshops run from July into September.  For details, please visit my Paint Campobello plein air workshop site.  Also, don't forget that Friar's Bay Studio Gallery will be opening in July, but we're also happy to have visitors before then.  (PS We'll be open Memorial Day Weekend.)

By the way, I am reserving one week for a "US-Only" workshop, which will be based in Lubec.  For those of you in the US without passports, you can rest assured that we will not leave the country!  Dates are September 10-13.  You can register through http://www.PaintCampobello.com.

I'm also teaching a four-day workshop in St Andrews, NB, September 5-8.  This is my 7th year teaching for Sunbury Shores Art and Nature Centre.  Over the years, I've taught there in mid-August, but some of the local students asked if I could switch the date to September, when the weather is cooler.  If you are one of those local students who asked, I am expecting you to sign up! You can find details on this and all the other workshops at the end of this letter.

Albert Handell Workshop - A Rare Opportunity with a Master Painter

I am hosting a studio/plein air painting workshop with master painter Albert Handell in Lubec August 26-30.  If you're not familiar with Mr Handell, he has been teaching for many years and is a much-sought-after instructor.  In 1987, the Pastel Society of America inducted him into its Hall of Fame, and in 2000, the Pastel Society of the West Coast honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Pastel.  He has won Master signature status from Oil Painters of America, Pastel Society of American and the American Impressionist Society.  You don't want to miss this rare opportunity to work with Mr Handell in Downeast Maine!  The workshop, which will be based in Lubec, Maine, will cost $675 and run from August 26-30.  For full details, please visit http://www.AlbertHandellWorkshop.com.  I am very excited to have him here.

So that's all for now!  Have a great summer!

Michael

Michael Chesley Johnson
www.MichaelChesleyJohnson.com
http://mchesleyjohnson.blogspot.com
www.PaintCampobello.com
www.PaintSedona.com
575-267-2450 / mcj.painter@gmail.com

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Prepare for Plein Air:  Not sure how to go about painting outside? 
Check out my online course! Great for beginners.  Visit www.PrepareForPleinAir.com

Remaining 2013 Workshops

July-September:   CAMPOBELLO ISLAND, New Brunswick - All media.  Michael's 7th summer!  $300/4 half-days.  See website www.PaintCampobello.com.
September 5-8: NEW BRUNSWICK, St Andrews.  All media.  Four-day.  Price: $295. Contact:  Sunbury Shores Arts & Nature Centre, info@sunburyshores.org, www.sunburyshores.org,  506-529-3386
September 10-13: MAINE, Lubec.  Price: $300.  See website www.PaintCampobello.com.
October 8-10:  PENNSYLVANIA, Millheim.  Price:  $300 (also 2-day option for $200).  Contact:  Green Drake Gallery, 814-349-2486. greendrakeart@gmail.com
October 12-13:  MARYLAND, Towson.  Price:  $150.  Contact: Diane Margiotta, 410-664-1004,  23artist@gmail.com
October 18-19:  GEORGIA, Blue Ridge.  Price: $160.  Contact:  Blue Ridge Mountain Arts Association, 706-632-2144, http://blueridgearts.net
October 21-23: FLORIDA, St Augustine.  Price: $350.  Contact: Lyn Asselta lynasselta@comcast.net
October 2013-April 2014:  ARIZONA, Sedona.  Paint Sedona resumes! For full details, see www.PaintSedona.com.

2014 Workshops

January-April 2014:  ARIZONA, Sedona.  Paint Sedona continues!  For full details, see www.PaintSedona.com.
April 21-27:  UTAH, Zion National Park. Painting Retreat.  FULL, waiting list only.  www.PleinAirZion.com.
September 29-October 2:  MAINE, Acadia National Park.  Price: TBA.  www.AcadiaWorkshopCenter.com
October 4-5:  NEW HAMPSHIRE, Monadnock Region.  Price: TBA.
October 13-15:  TEXAS, Amarillo.  Amarillo Art Institute.  Price: TBA.   www.AmarilloArtInstitute.org.

2015 Workshops

May:  NEW MEXICO, Santa Fe.  Painting Retreat.  www.PleinAirSantaFe.com
October 6-9:  MAINE, Acadia National Park.  Price: TBA.  www.AcadiaWorkshopCenter.com