Daily Painting Practice - Back from Snow camp with Stapelton Kearns

Day 22- give or take

I may have missed posting the last few days of the 30 day challenge, but I have been painting.. ... with Stapelton Kearns in New Hampshire, at his "Snow Camp - outdoor painting workshop"

view from my room at the inn

view from my room

I'll be posting more pictures, review and detail about what I learned there in future posts. Because I  learned so much, it will take more than one post to cover it.

First, let me say that it was sooooo worth it. Stapelton Kearns is a great teacher. I highly recommend you go to his blog - (If you combine reading it and James Gurney's blog, you will have the best art school on the web!) 

If you have ever read Stape's blog you can guess that he is every bit the character you think he is. The camp was enjoyable, educational and I should mention, you eat well too!

  But most importantly you get what you sign up for, one on one education from a master painter. You are immersed in art talk the entire time with your fellow students, and Stape generously fills you with suggestions of who to study, why they matter and who the best rock and roll guitar player is to listen to and why.  

 Maybe the best part, you come away with a historical connection to the finest American outdoor painters.... and you eat well too.

Stapelton Kearns - Doesn't he look good in that hat?

The mornings were filled by demonstration and art talk. The afternoons were filled with our attempts to apply what we learned.

Stapelton Kearns snow camp demo

Stapelton Kearns - snow camp demo

Stapelton Kearns - Snow camp demo 1st morning blocked in

The second morning he continued working on this canvas, demonstrating how he develops  paintings further in the studio. I may have more pictures on another post.

snow box

Here's the reason they call it "Snow Camp". Snow filling the paint box and palette. 

Stapelton Kearns teaching  at Snow camp - 18 degrees and snowing - there used to be mountains in the background.

The boots he recommended we all buy were 100% worth the cost. My feet were as warm as the ginger and carrot soup we had for lunch. I never felt cold even after standing outside for 4 hours.

Painting  from the porch

 The second day we took shelter under the porch roof. The fog hid the mountains but there was still plenty of subject matter.

My afternoon  snow painting - Not a bad beginning

Here's how far I got.  I captured the feeling, blocked in the masses of color and now it's ready to develop into something. We stayed outside until dark each day and did not pack it in until the light quit on us.