“Spring Light Meadow”

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From my studio in Mt. Shasta, winter is retreating and the spring air is melting the snow on our side of the mountain. The Grand View Ranch is awakening with artistic subjects galore. Water, from the snow melting, seems to be flowing from everywhere creating creeks and waterfalls in places where there weren’t any in the fall. The radiating and enveloping light now illuminates the landscape. The fresh clear atmosphere transforms our everyday world into a lively and beautiful place. I feel the omnipresent light saturating everything, bringing it all into unity. Now I understand the true meaning of “tonality.”

Light seems to be an entity apart from color and form; yet it is the creator of both. Light creates the color of an object because each object possesses qualities that absorb some rays and reflect others. The ratio of absorption and reflection determines the color of an object. In light, a complete spectrum of color is present. This means there is red, yellow, and blue color in every light source. This is what we see.

In a painting, we do not create light; we attempt to create the illusion or impression of light by using values and temperature. It is the contrast of values (the range of white to black) and the use of warm and cool colors (blue, violet, and green) that give an effect of light. As painters, we never use white for a highlight straight out of a tube because white is a cool color and needs to be tinted with a little red, yellow, and blue. White paint is used to lighten a value. If a highlight is a reflection of light from a light source, and light contains all spectrums of color, (red, yellow, and blue), it makes sense that a highlight would have all three colors present to make up the effect of light.

Try this on your next winter painting to highlight the snow; combine Titanium white with just a dash of Cadmium orange, Lemon yellow, and Cobalt blue. Use gray violet and gray blue shade in the shadows. I used this recipe when I created “Spring Light Meadow.”

I hope that we can build a community of artists that can share information with each other.If you know of any artists that might appreciate being included, let them know about this blog.

I hope to offer more painting tips as this conversation continues.

If you have questions that you would like me to answer, please don’t hesitate to email me anytime.

I welcome your feedback. Stefan_Baumann@yahoo.com

A Single Rose

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It’s snowing again. This morning in my studio, I was thinking about today’s painting, when the rose that I painted for Valentine’s Day caught my eye. In contrast to the stormy white landscape outside my studio, I marveled at the soft pinkish petals of the rose and the wonderful wilting green leaves, and I captured it again on canvas for you.

The most important time that you can spend on any painting is the first ten minutes; time not spent painting at all, but thinking. When you start a painting, it is important that you have a clear vision of the completed piece before you start. Having a strong mental picture of what you wish to see on canvas means that you think about the finished details of the painting, which includes visualizing how the piece is framed and how it will look hanging on the wall. Once you have a vivid mental picture of the completed painting, you will be able to capture the image more clearly.

It is important to work from life as I did with ‘A Single Rose”. If you want to practice your skills for location painting, this exercise is a great one to start with. Choose one object in your studio and place it in your still life stage where you can create a pleasing composition using light and shadow, contrast and color. Take 10 minutes to imagine the painting as a finished piece and then begin to paint. Once you have practiced your observation skills indoors, you will be more prepared to paint outdoors.

When you begin painting on location, carry your paints and canvases into the fields and woods. If you can, set up near a stream and see for yourself the kaleidoscope of color and light. Sit quietly for ten minutes before starting to paint. Study the scene as an artist would, noticing the value and the color, the details in the shadows, and the warm and cool colors that make up the light. Look at nature with a painter’s eye and not merely as a tourist. After sitting still, you are ready to begin painting. Once you have completed your painting, return to the studio with the completed piece for quiet study; and then, you will begin to understand the things you used to look at and did not see.

I hope that we can build a community of artists that can share information with each other.If you know of any artists that might appreciate being included, let them know about this blog.

I hope to offer more painting tips as this conversation continues.If you have questions that you would like me to answer, please don’t hesitate to email me anytime.
I welcome your feedback. Stefan_Baumann@yahoo.com

Road to the Foothills

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Shasta has many different sides to her beauty. To the south, thickly wooded forests and wonderful rivers flank her foothills. To the east, there is high mountain terrain. To the West, where we are, there are large meadows with willows, dogwood and oak trees that make the landscape interesting. To the north, an arid high desert where pinion and sagebrush find their home spreads over miles of land. This is where I painted “Road to the Foothills.”

While scouting for locations for my upcoming workshop this spring, I traveled off paved roads to discover hidden vistas. On the other side of Weed, this one special place called to me to paint it. I like to paint in the morning or in the late evening when the lighting is more dramatic. When I arrived at my location early this morning, I set up my easel, umbrella, palette, and everything else. I reached for my brushes and realized that I forgot them at home. I repacked everything, raced home and then drove back again. The light had moved to midday, but the vista still waited to be painted. Moral: always make sure that you check off your list of supplies and pack everything before you leave home.

The best art not only challenges the maker, but also the viewer. Often artists fall short when conveying their message, not because they lack talent, but because there was never a message to communicate in the first place. Before you start a painting, you want to ask yourself two questions:

“Is it worth doing?” Mediocrity is seldom rewarded because many can obtain it. Set out to push yourself beyond what you think that you can do and strive for something great. We remember those artists who set the standard of excellence high for other artists to reach for.

“What do you want to say?” Remember, as human beings, we are alike in many ways. In order for us to communicate, we must have something that unifies our understanding. When we enjoy a sunset or a flower, it is not the object that makes us look. It is the emotional response that we have to it that makes us say, “Wow, look at that.” When you paint, tune in to your emotional self, and say through your art to the viewer, “Look at this.”

I hope that we can build a community of artists that can share information with each other.If you know of any artists that might appreciate being included, let them know about this blog.

I hope to offer more painting tips as this conversation continues.If you have questions that you would like me to answer, please don’t hesitate to email me anytime.

I welcome your feedback. Stefan_Baumann@yahoo.com

"Shasta Barn Opus 2"

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Since moving to Mt Shasta, I have been in love with all of the history that surrounds this magnificent peak. It is located near several old logging towns, and it is the main route for the Southern Pacific Railroad. It also boasts that it has the best trout fishing in the country. The land is rich and fertile, and the people that live here are friendly and welcoming.

Shasta Barn Opus 2 is the second barn a series of six paintings that depict the many unique barns near Mt Shasta. It is exciting for collectors to collect a series, but it can be challenging for the artist to paint one. In my title, I use the reference “Opus” as homage to my love of music. The word Opus is used to number works in a musical score; I use it to number the works in a series of paintings. You might want to paint a series of paintings to challenge yourself.

There is no magic in creating a painting. What magic other artists have in their work is something they create within their work. Your challenge is to discover what you need to do in your own paintings. Painting is a process of lessons learned. Learning to paint happens step by step, painting by painting, by slowly avoiding the mistakes you made in your last painting, and repeating your triumphs on your next painting. With time, you will start to develop a consistent pattern. This becomes your style, and that, is your magic.

If you try to learn to paint by using a method, using proven strokes, and color recipes that generate a consistent outcome, you will find that you can repeat that method, and your paintings will look the same every time. And, that my friend, would lack magic and would be boring.

I hope that we can build a community of artists that can share information with each other.If you know of any artists that might appreciate being included, let them know about this blog.

I hope to offer more painting tips as this conversation continues.

If you have questions that you would like me to answer, please don’t hesitate to email me anytime.I welcome your feedback. Stefan_Baumann@yahoo.com

Valentine’s Flowers

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After returning home from teaching my classes in San Jose, I did what most American men did on Valentine’s Day. I quickly stopped by Wal-Mart to pick up some red roses before venturing home. I guess I’m a romantic. Walking by all those beautiful, colorful flowers inspired me. I said out loud in the over-lit aisles of Wal-Mart, “That’s what I’m going to paint for my Blog tomorrow.” I quickly picked out the most beautiful rose and some carnations, and headed to the cashier as fast as I could. This painting, “Valentine Flowers” is dedicated to all the women who did not get any flowers on Valentine’s Day.

Today I had in interesting day at my easel. I usually paint with a spotlight. Today I painted my subject under natural light. What a difference. If you are having issues with your colors when painting a still life, turn off your spotlight, put the subject in direct sun light, and see if that helps. When painting from life, everything that you need to know is right in front of you. All you have to do is correctly identify a color that you see in a subject, mix that color and then put it on the canvas. See it- Mix it- Stick it. That is it.

In making art (whether music, writing or painting), you are declaring what is important. You show the world what it takes for granted as you expose the viewer to a new way of seeing. For example, Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers,” some people love them and some people don’t. Some people don’t have any opinions either way. However, you have to agree, once you have seen Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers,” you will never look at a sunflower the same way again. You possess this power as an artist as you share your view of the world with others.

I hope that we can build a community of artists that can share information with each other.If you know of any artists that might appreciate being included, let them know about this blog.I hope to offer more painting tips as this conversation continues.

If you have questions that you would like me to answer, please don’t hesitate to email me anytime.I welcome your feedback. Stefan_Baumann@yahoo.com

Mt. Shasta Barn Opus 1

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I spent another day on Old Stage Road in Mt Shasta and again I am inspired by the old barns that surround us. This barn is just yards from the one that I painted yesterday. It is also about the same time of day. I have included a step by step on this one on my blog for artists to see how it was painted.

The question that students ask the most in my classes is “How do I paint that?” The individual recipe of any artist belongs to that artist alone. Though you may find it interesting to know exactly how I painted this painting, you will not be able to create art in the same way. However, over time, you will develop your own way of seeing and painting, and this is what makes creating art so rewarding.

It does help to see other artist’s different approaches and to explore different ways of thinking and painting by viewing other artist’s methods. It is a great way to grow as an artist because it may help you think differently. Try not to look for a “how-to” formula when you start a painting. The joy of creating art is discovering your own way of expressing what you see. So, jump right in and you will find that you have the answers to your own questions as you go along. You will come to understand that every artist has struggled with the same question, “how do I paint that?” You are not alone!

First, I lay in the overall concept of my painting using a big brush. At this moment, I try to visualize the finished painting. Many great paintings are lost because the artist has no vision before he starts.

I begin by sketching the easy shapes and I make every stroke correct. I make corrections as I go instead of waiting until the end to get it right. I start with the chosen center of interest and work out from there.

Next, I lay in the sky and I don’t make it complicated. I use plenty of paint and apply the strokes in different patterns. Then I “chunk” in the values with no more than 4 to 5 value planes.

The completed painting should have soft and hard edges, good values, and a strong focal point. I use the knife to scratch in many of the sticks and branches. Many artists also scratch in their name when they finish so that they can indicate to other artists that they completed the painting on location.

It is interesting that creating art is such a solitary process. Most artists throughout the world spend endless hours in their studios creating art alone. It is only in the moments we are truly working on our own art that we experience the fundamental connection that we share with all makers of art, and it helps to know that there are other artists out there doing the same thing I am doing.

I hope that we can build a community of artists that can share information with each other.If you know of any artists that might appreciate being included, let them know about this blog.I hope to offer more painting tips as this conversation continues.

If you have questions that you would like me to answer, please don’t hesitate to email me anytime.I welcome your feedback. Stefan_Baumann@yahoo.com

Old Stage Road

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Just about two-miles from The Grand View Ranch is the small town of Weed. It is drastically different from her sister city Mt Shasta, in that it is an old wood-milling town. The history of the area is rich and diverse, and the landscape is dotted with old little farms. This barn is off Old Stage Road and is just about a mile’s drive from us. For the past few months I have been captivated with the landscape and been itching for the snow to melt and let me paint some of the wonderful scenery. Many of the locals are curious to see a painter in the field and stop to chat with me. Although I hear there are many artists in the area, I have not met many painting on location.

Every day you go out to paint, challenge yourself to produce something different, and remember that the art is in the practice not the final result. When a performer practices his craft, he makes many mistakes and the public generally does not see these mishaps. Great artists have piles of paintings that did not work. Mozart and Beethoven both composed some really bad music. Every one knows of Barry Bond’s home run records, but check out how many times he struck out. Don’t worry, you will be known for the homeruns that you produce. The strikeouts will find their way into a garage sale or two.

When painting on location work with careful brushstrokes from the start. Begin by choosing the central point of interest for the painting. In this painting, I chose the barn. Carefully sketch the focal point. Take your time. If you get this accurate, you can leave the rest of the painting to chance. Begin by painting this center of interest first, and then move on to the sky. When painting the sky, apply the color with short vertical strokes and cross strokes, and avoid using horizontal strokes. Then apply tone for the trees and foreground, and use as many different strokes as you can. Notice that the sharp edges and strong colors are on the barn (the focal point), and the rest of the painting is what I would call a “strong brush” painting.

I hope that we can build a community of artists that can share information with each other.

If you know of any artists that might appreciate being included, let them know about this blog.
I hope to offer more painting tips as this conversation continues.If you have questions that you would like me to answer, please don’t hesitate to email me anytime.

I welcome your feedback. Stefan_Baumann@yahoo.com

"Shasta Sunset Opus 2"

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It is hard to imagine that we live so close to Mt Shasta. The summit is only 10 miles from my studio window (as the crow flies). I marvel moment-by-moment at the spectacular beauty that surrounds us here at The Grand View Ranch. The view of the mountain changes every second. At times, I wonder if I paint the light on the mountain at this very moment as I see it, would anyone believe it could look that amazing.

I remember Miss Gogolinsky, a woman that I met early in my painting quest. I admired her paintings and wanted to learn from her the secret of painting (at that time, she was 95 and this was 25 years ago). She had studied in Paris when women where first accepted into the academy and she knew many of the famous impressionist painters personally. She told me that the secret of painting is “Paint what you see.” I could not imagine that one statement has stuck with me for so long. I use it in every workshop and class. The answer to every question about painting the subject is right in front of you. Students just have to look at what they see and not make it up. It is very simple. Everything is right there; color, perspective, value, shape, form, etc. The whole method of direct painting is to depict faithfully what you see and not to demonstrate cleverness with a brush. The secret to great painting depends upon how critically you observe the subject and paint what you see.

In the past weeks, I have had many questions about supplies and painting outdoors. I recommend that you check out www.outdoorpainting.com. This is a great resource for outdoor painters with articles and tips on painting. I also recommend that you visit www.artworkessentials.com for outdoor painting easels. In all of my years, I have never worked with a more professional outfit for supplies. Let them know I sent you.

Remember, this is a forum for sharing information and inspiration. I hope that we can build a community of artists that can share information with each other. If you know of any artists that might appreciate being included, let them know about this blog.

I hope to offer more painting tips as this conversation continues.If you have questions that you would like me to answer, please don’t hesitate to email me anytime. I welcome your feedback. Stefan_Baumann@yahoo.com

"Store Bought Tulips"

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Yesterday I mentioned that I went into a flower shop and bought a Begonia to paint for you. What I had failed to mention is that I bought Tulips as well. Painting flowers takes everything that you have as an artist. Not only do you have to get the colors right but since flowers are living things, they change every minute. Painting flowers from life is great practice if you want to hone your outdoor painting skills. I feel that painting with red is one of the most difficult colors to get right. I recommend that if you want to paint flowers from life for the first time, stay away from flowers that are made up of pure primary colors (red, yellow and blue) and look for models of a softer hue.

When I paint, I mix most of my paint directly on the canvas instead of the palette. This is a great way to achieve a fresh looking color effects. If you mix on a palette, it is a good idea to mix with your brush and don't over mix your paint. Colors that are mixed too thoroughly lack the brilliance of paint that is just slightly mixed. Colors that are lightly mixed will appear broken within each stroke which adds more variety and interest.

Always keep your palette clean, and paint like you are a millionaire, with big squirts of colored paint. Rinse your brushes in clean turpentine between every stroke. For cleanups, use Awesome Cleaner. You can find it in the Dollar Store. It is the very best cleaner to clean your paint brushes and it works great to get dried paint out of your clothes and car upholstery.
I hope to offer more painting tips as this conversation continues.

If you have questions that you would like me to answer, please don’t hesitate to email me anytime. I welcome your feedback. Stefan_Baumann@yahoo.com

"Store Bought Begonia"

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After returning from my teaching obligations in San Francisco, Mt Shasta had embraced a heat wave (if 45 degrees is a heat wave). The snow is slowly melting back but Mt Shasta is bright and white with her new winter coat. I plan to paint some stunning sunsets the next few days. This morning when I was in town, I ventured into the flower shop and was dazzled by all of the colors after seeing so much white for the past month. Inspired, I grabbed a 99-cent Begonia and raced home to paint it for you.

Artists often find that the piece they imagined in their mind is one step removed from what they create. In fact, artists spend 2 percent of their time developing the design and concept of their work of art and the remaining 98 percent of the time working to hold onto what they imagined in the first place. The masterpiece in your head is always perfect. It always has great perspective, great color and composition. However, once you complete it, you may step back and decide that you are not satisfied with the end result. The truth is that no artist is ever satisfied with what they create. At the same time that an artist is working to complete their work, their knowledge of art grows; new insights, possibilities and ideas open up, and a new vision appears. I recommend at this point you move on and save the new idea for a new work.

The secret of learning to create art is not to focus on one perfect piece every year, but to create 360 masterworks a year, and then step back and ask your self, am I satisfied?

I hope to offer more painting tips as this conversation continues.

If you have questions that you would like me to answer, please don’t hesitate to email me anytime. I welcome your feedback. Stefan_Baumann@yahoo.com

"Hammond Ranch Oak In The Snow"

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It’s still snowing.

What a treat. The snow is still coming down and I’m amazed at how this ranch changes from moment to moment. Along with the beautiful scenery, there is a sense of calm when the snow falls. It is an experience that can truly change your life. This painting is a view from The Grand View Ranch. There are hundreds of views like this that surround us every day. The only trouble I have is choosing which one to paint!

This Blog is a conversation between us. The reason that I started one is I believe that artists need a place to be inspired and have questions about art answered.

This week I received some questions about painting snow. Painting snow is an exercise in painting light to dark values. To see values, students must practice squinting until it becomes second nature. Never doubt what you see when you squint at the subject. Choose to be bold rather than timid with values. Don’t hold back at the first stage of lying in your painting. Place in the values first before shapes. Work in simple value planes with no more than 4 to 5 value chunks. Dark values are important in a painting (even more than highlights) because they provide contrast and depth.

Highlights are rarely as bright as you think they are. It is better to leave them out than to over do them. If you are going to paint the highlight, only paint the highlight where you want the viewer to focus. Look for one highlight to dominate all others. If you paint highlights, especially on snow, don’t just use white alone. Look at what color the white really is remembering that in life, white has tints of red, yellow and blue combinations. Squint at the highlight, compare it to the main value, and then, check it against what is really white like your palette. Painting things too light or too dark happens when you don’t accept what you see when you squint. However, don’t squint at your painting as you are applying paint. Look normally when you are painting, and only squint at the subject.

I hope to offer more painting tips as this conversation continues.
If you have questions that you would like me to answer, please don’t hesitate to email me anytime.

I welcome your feedback. Stefan_Baumann@yahoo.com

"Lady Shasta in the Snow"

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It’s still snowing…..

I would like to introduce you to the lady of the ranch, our 8 month-old Border collie named Shasta. She is the reason we are here in the first place. Between storms today I let Shasta out to play. She loves spending hours neck high in the snow. (I don’t know what she is going to do in summer.) If you know anything about Border collies, you know they do not sit still. But for one moment today she sat mesmerized listening to a mouse under the snow while I sketched her. She sat still just long enough for me to capture her pose.

The hardest moment of a painting is the first brush stroke. This week I had a student who wanted to paint a view that meant a lot to her. I recommended that she use a large canvas. After she spent much time looking at the canvas and then at the photo of the view, I sensed that she was caught in “the hardest moment”. I took hold of her photo, put it down, and said to her “paint from your imagination, not from the photo.” “Leap and the parachute will open” I assured her. The first few brush strokes on a blank canvas are the most intimidating. It’s at this point painters have endless possibilities. The development of an imagined piece into an actual painting is a progression of decreasing possibilities. As each step is painted, the piece could not be other than it is, and then it is done. Her painting was magnificent.

Artists who are having problems getting into their art must take hold of the moment and leap. Just start, don’t think. Paint from your imagination. There is not much cost to begin this way; just an inexpensive piece of cloth or paper and a few pennies of paint or ink. Don’t wait till you find the time because you may not find time. You have to make time. Don’t worry about what people might think because people will always have their opinion. And remember, the things we regret the most are the chances we did not take.

Leap and the parachute will open.

Please let me know what you think Stefan_Baumann@yahoo.com

"Shasta Sunrise Opus 1"

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I have received many e-mails asking why I have not sent out an email in the last two days. I am an art teacher in the San Francisco Bay area and every week I travel 300 miles to teach on Wednesdays and Thursdays. My students are an inspiration to me, and although I have moved to Shasta, I still am dedicated to coaching them.

Since I came home, we have been buried in four feet of snow. This morning, just for a moment, the sky opened up and there was Shasta in her new winter coat. Spectacular! I quickly captured it just for you. As I laid the final stroke, the clouds reappeared and it started to snow again.

Painting has to do with overcoming obstacles. Painting constantly challenges us to set new heights and discover new ideas. It gives us a clear opportunity to strive for the best that we can do, and then continues to challenge us to do more. It is this drive that keeps us returning to the studio. Think about the times that you’ve learned a craft and once you achieved the skills of that craft you became bored. Painting is more than a craft because of the creative interaction that happens within the artist, the paint and the canvas. This is the lure that painting has had for humans over the centuries.

To the viewer, what matters is the end product. To you, what matters is the process; the experience of shaping your painting. The viewer does not concern himself with your techniques. He just wants to be inspired or moved by what you have created. If you are to move or inspire others, you must be moved and inspired yourself. The best way create a masterpiece is for you to care about the subject and paint from your heart.

Be moved and the viewer will be, too.

Please let me know what you think Stefan_Baumann@yahoo.com