Wilmington: The other end of I-40

Five years ago, we packed up our Plymouth Voyager and set off on a great adventure. We were moving from Southern California to Asheville, North Carolina. As we got on interstate 40, in Barstow, CA, there was a sign that read "2,554 mi to Wilmington, NC."

Well, to celebrate 5 years in Asheville, and a couple of other big milestones we took a family vacation to Cape Fear - to the other end of "the forty".

A good time was had by all. We visited the USS North Carolina, went to the Aquarium, the Cotton Exchange, and treated ourselves to leisurely afternoons at the beach.

From my sketchbook - a drawing of the fisherman's wharf at Carolina Beach.

We stayed on the north end of Pleasure Island, (Carolina Beach). You can expect to see some paintings of boats, harbors and the island in the near future.

Paint-out at Pinchot Forest

The paint-out at Pinchot Forest was a fabulous success! Thanks to Wesley Greene, the event coordinating team, the 12 artists from the Western North Carolina Plein Air Painters group, and all the folks who dropped by the event!

I set up my easel under a large shade tree with a southern view of the Meadow and Mills Gap. Here are four pictures of the painting in progress. (12 x 24, acrylic on canvas.)

Scott Boyle gives an impromptu demonstration. It's always inspiring to see another artist at work.

Two of my paintings on display in the gallery:

Paint-out at Pinchot Forest - Saturday, July 17, 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Paint-out at Pinchot Forest, Saturday, July 17, 11:00 A.M. – 3:00 P.M.

I will be painting on location at Pinchot Forest along with a number of other artists from the Western North Carolina Plein Air Painters group in conjunction with an exclusive event.

There will also be four finished landscape paintings from the property on display in the sales office.

Pinchot Forest is a gated development in South Asheville that has enjoys a number of amazing views. The grounds consist of nearly 70 acres, situated on the southern spur of Busbee Mountain.

You are invited to drop by, see some paintings in progress, explore Pinchot Forest and witness the breathtaking views!

At this time, roads and improvements have been put in, but no structures have been built yet (meaning unrestricted access to views!)

Pinchot Forest is located at Mills Gap and Pinners Cove, about a mile from Hendersonville Road.

Directions:

From Hendersonville Road, Turn onto Mills Gap

Go one mile and turn left at Pinners Cove

Entrance to Pinchot Forest is on your left

http://pinchotforest.com

Did I mention the views?

Hope to see you there!

Brennen McElhaney

P.S. Praying for good weather (no rain).

Advice for artists

For some time, I've been collecting words of advice for artists. Actually, truth be told, this is advice for me. This is a list work in progress, but here's what I have so far:

Sketch every day

Paint every day

Trust your eyes

Look at masters' works

Look at contemporary masters' works

Keep work on public display

Have the mind of a student (be open)

Have the heart of a teacher (be generous)

Be confident

Be committed to your work

Ask yourself, "What is important?"

Experiment

Streamline your studio

Work in good light

Work from life

Be humble

Be passionate

Sleep well, Eat well, Exercise regularly

Make goals

Penguins from the Falklands

I've been doing a lot of artwork for various travel destinations. Recently, I was assigned to do some illustrations for the Falkland Islands featuring, among other things, drawings of king penguins, rendered as though they were from a naturalist's sketchbook.

Penguins are wonderfully quirky, beautifully colored, chaps that are always dressed up for the occasion. Very fun to draw. Also, it's a bonus for me to learn about the geography, history, and culture of various locations.

South Asheville Vista - New Painting

Recently finished painting from Pinchot Forest: "South Asheville Vista." Acrylic on gessoed paper, 8.5 x 13 inches.

Santa Barbara Courthouse Double-Take

When I saw it I did a double take.

On the web I had found a painting of the Santa Barbara Courthouse that looked very much like one I had done. But it wasn't mine.

The similarities are remarkable. The compositions of each painting are almost identical -images have not been cropped. (The image on the right is mine, the one on the left was painted by Santa Barbara artist Dorothy Nalls.)

As it turns out, Dorothy, my artist counterpart, and I have never met face to face. However our canvases show that we've crossed paths more than once in our searches for subjects to paint.

Dorothy Nalls is a plein air painter, specializing in Santa Barbara landscapes and seascapes.

Visit her on-line portfolio at http://www.dorothynalls.com/

Brookwood Snow

It snowed in Asheville. Again.

Near our house there's a large parcel of land which used to be the Brookwood Golf Course. It was purchased by developers and graded in preparation for building condos or something probably less attractive than the golf course. But apparently they ran out of money, because the project has been at a stand-still for a year or so.

Snow has a wonderful effect of covering everything and restoring the "natural" appearance of the landscape. The marks made on the earth by construction equipment and earth movers are hidden by the white blanket.

Brookwood Snow - South Asheville / Arden

Acrylic on Canvas

16 x 20 inches

(Location near the intersection of Mills Gap and Weston Road.)

I am looking forward to Spring and warmer weather.

I've recently joined the Western North Carolina Plein Air Painters group. - An informal club of Asheville area landscape painters who get together from time to time to paint on location. I'm especially looking forward to painting with Richard Oversmith and Stuart Roper.

(click for larger image)

This image shows the development of the painting. I started with a warm undertone - something close to the color of raw linen. Then I "pushed" the color palette toward the blue tones. The final image on the right shows a more balanced warm / cool spectrum of colors.

Winter Views - Pinchot Forest, S. Asheville

I was born and raised in Santa Barbara, CA. I never heard of the term "winter views" until my wife and I started looking to relocate to Asheville in 2005.

In the Blue Ridge Mountains, each season has its delight. Spring brings waves of new growth and wild flowers. Summer has its long warm lazy evenings with fireflies and cicadas. Fall has the brilliant color of the changing foliage. And in Winter, after the leaves have fallen, opens up the long vistas that were previously obscured by the vegetation.

From Pinchot Forest, there are many handsome views (in all seasons) but this one is one of my favorites, since the road winding down the mountain creates a clearing in trees.

Winter Views - 14 x 18 inches, Acrylic on Canvas

Sketchbook - Week 1, 2010

Here are a few pages from my pocket sketchbook, from the first week in 2010. One of my resolutions is to draw in my sketchbook daily. I'll post collections of recent drawings from time to time. It looks like I only have one more blank page. Time to get a new Moleskine sketchbook!

Tom Sgouros - Painter's "Scales"

One of my professors at RISD was Tom Sgouros. I remember him with a great deal of respect. He valued hard work and expected no less from his students. One of the things that I recall, was his analogy of painters to musicians, and the need for both to practice their art diligently. One of the exercises that he undertook personally, was to do a daily painting of a bicycle horn. He would paint the same subject over and over, looking for new things, trying to resolve the composition in a slightly different way. He referred to this as doing his "scales." Like a professional musician who spends time every day to exercise his craft, Sgouros' daily color sketch of the bike horn did a few things. 1.) It loosened up his "art muscles" 2.) It disciplined him to paint daily. 3.) It forced him to find new solutions for an old problem 4 .) it reminded him that he hadn't yet arrived; he still had room to grow and things to learn.

It's been almost two decades since I was in art school, but Tom Sgouros' "Scales" lesson is one that sticks with me.