"Zion Study" ©

Flying home from Washington, California looks so very brown and dry.   While in Washington I had the pleasure of attending a workshop at the Pacific Northwest Art School by Kathryn Stats.  I went to the workshop to learn Kathryn's thinking about color, which I did.  The biggest lesson for all of us attending was never, ever use brown in a landscape.  Kathryn exchanges lovely violets in place of the browns.  Over the 5 days we were together she imparted little gems here and there.  I picked up as many as I could.  One of her tips was "Brush Shaper" made by Mona Lisa, to give your splayed bristles new life.  A tip I learned from Jane Wallis was an ap for your ipad or smart phone called "Artrage".  This little ap allows you to upload a painting and digitally play with it  quickly to decide on a direction to take the painting without having to actually paint your ideas, until you are sure of your next move.  Artist Emiliya Lane was great surprise as our artistic lives have crossed paths over the years and I loved catching up with her and painting together.  If you need a painting teacher in Washington, check out Emiliya!  Another tip that I haven't tried yet is using Simple Green to clean your glass palette.  That one came from Delores Jordan, who was the workshop assistant.  Claire Hurey was also a class assistant and I appreciated all of her hard work, keeping thing moving and together everyday.

Oil on Panel,  9" X 12"