Elizabeth Mowry Workshop - "What if...?" (changing the palette)

                                                                                            Pastel 9x12"

If you know of Elizabeth's work, you know that she can get extremely creative with her palette and create a beautiful painting.  She often will create a series by starting with a natural depiction of a landscape and then asking herself "What if....?"  Elizabeth encouraged us to take one of our own landscapes and ask "What if...?" by changing our own palettes.   Rather than creating one resolved painting with a different palette, I decided to do lots of different studies.   Color is an aspect of painting that is always challenging for me, so I wanted to just loosen up, try lots of things, and see what would happen.  Here is what happened:

                                                                                                 Pastel 9x12 total

I had tons of fun doing this exercise, and I think it is one I will continue, even for other subject matter.  The study in the upper right is unfinished in this photo.  I finished it on the last day of class (yesterday), but haven't photographed it yet.  I am still on the road, and since it is rainy out, I do not want to take a pastel painting out the car today to get another photograph.

I do plan to try to sum up the workshop in another post, probably when I'm back home.  I'll have plenty of time while I am traveling to think of how to convey this experience in writing. 

Hope you are well, Watchers!

Elizabeth Mowry Workshop, Day 2

                                                           Work in Progress, Pastel 9x12"

Where, you might ask, is the post for Elizabeth Mowry Workshop, Day 1?  Well....I didn't really have time to write a post yesterday and can hardly believe I am posting tonight. 

But here I am, taking a wonderful pastel workshop in Woodstock, NY from Elizabeth Mowry.   Most of you Watchers probably know I don't usually paint in pastels (I used to).   I cannot tell you how lucky I am to be in this workshop with Elizabeth, even though I am a little out of my element (medium) here.

When I was using pastels about 6 years ago, I would read Elizabeth's books (and gaze at the photos) constantly.  I thought I had missed out on ever taking a class from her, because I had read in the Pastel Journal that she was retired from teaching.  I was hugely disappointed, and quite grateful for her books.  I never dreamed Elizabeth would return to teach in Woodstock, a place convenient for me to attend and also special, because she used to teach here and live in the area.

After two days of painting with Elizabeth Mowry and learning from her, I know I will never be able to express in words how wonderful an artist, teacher, and person she is.  I will not even try tonight....hopefully I will find a way to verbalize it after the workshop is over.

Three days left.....I am so lucky.   There are no words.....   Demos every day....  I am so grateful..... an opportunity of a lifetime....  to watch one of my heroes paint!

I believe the painting above is not finished yet.  Friday is designated as the "finish the paintings we started" day.   I'm not too worried about it, whatever I end up with, this has been an incredible experience already.  I challenged myself to do tree studies so far, since I find trees oh so difficult and Elizabeth Mowry is a master at painting trees.  So....why not go for the experience that may give me the most learning, even though I did bring other reference photos with landscape elements that would be easier for me to paint well.  I'm apparently not here to paint well.  I am here to learn well.

Today's painting thus far is way too unfinished to post here....hopefully by the end of the workshop it will be ready for viewing.

I am looking forward to using my paints to try out some of the things I am learning and see how well they transfer from pastel world!  Today, we liquified the pastel block-in with water, which made the initial stage of the painting briefly act like paint, which I loved.

Goodnight, Watchers.