Well that's it for Snowcamp 1, next week, Snowcamp W. Above, are snow ghosts. I did a demo in the morning and these fierce spectres were watching meBelow is a shot of one of the fields below the inn, notice the guy painting in the lower left hand corner. Its big out there.
I talked about a number of ideas and methods this weekend. I taught how to paint the shadow side of something a different color than the light., using separate pigments. I taught about getting your color to vibrate and how to build up snow over a base of one color and layers of several others, and how to paint bare twigs against the sky. But most importantly I taught that you can paint outside in the cold and be comfortable and productive.
Here is one of those wraiths from the top of the page unmasked.
My hair used to look like that once. At this point we are painting on the back porch of the inn and out of the wind. It was a balmy 14 degrees. After the other day that seems like summer.
There is a pair of the official Snowcamp boots. This artist paints on copper, and it seemed to work real well. That's actually a traditional, if little used substrate. It is light, archival and very smooth. If you paint thinly it gives a nice surface.I have three days down time and then I do it again.
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Rest up my Friend, winter ain't even half way through.
Bravo!
Looks like everyone had a lot of fun..I am slightly envious :-)
However, "I talked about a number of ideas and methods this weekend. I taught how to paint the shadow side of something a different color than the light., using separate pigments. I taught about getting your color to vibrate and how to build up snow over a base of one color and layers of several others, and how to paint bare twigs against the sky."
I hope that some of these subjects will perhaps appear as a series of posts...
Once again wonderfully intriguing photos. That is a great vantage point you have of the mountains from that inn. The open fields they have there are obviously a big help.
While I can't say I'm enjoying similarly great views this morning in Baltimore, I am flying out to the Cascade Mountains in Washington State tomorrow, and that should be pretty cool. Too bad the Hudson River painters never did much in that neck of the woods. Would have been fun to see what they came up with.
Snow Camp 1 was awesome despite the snowballing catastrophic failures at the Inn. Great scenery, great painting & instruction, great camraderie!
Snow Camp W should be like a Caribbean Cruise with warmer temps and the inn's breakdowns all fixed!
With everything except eyes covered up and so many looking like suspects on the FBI watchlists, maybe we could say we're part of an Al-Paintah group? LOL!
Thanks so much, Stape, for a great opportunity!
Sharon Al-Q-Tip
I am bringing canvas board to snow camp W, something I don't typically paint on except when I'm out practicing traditional landscapes.
I've been collecting copper to try one of these days, for "fun". Do you know if it has to be primed? My impression was that it doesn't have to be primed.
OK and I think I have my gear in order.I won't ask about Inn details..I'll just chalk anything that happens up to the adventure.
As a snow camp participant, I can't add much to the reports posted by Stape, but I have nevertheless posted my own summary if anyone cares to visit my blog. Not on blogspot but at www.paintingsbyaline.com. Anyway, since Stape will never mention it, I must celebrate my own nonconformist boots --Baffin mushers. Not as impressive looking as the huge Trans-Alaska Cabelas numbers, but so much easier for clumping upstairs. Cheaper too. Amazon is the place to buy them, for those of you still looking for boots.
Thanks, Stape; I'm now ready for my neck tattoo! There's nothing like 14 hours a day with a bunch of other painters to warm things up, artwise. I hope you folks next weekend have as good a time as we did.
(P.S. Stape is a really good teacher)
I attended Stapleton's Snow Camp! I am proud of myself for painting in below zero weather for hours. The Cabela's Trans-Alaskan III Boots held up great! My feet were never cold. I had to wear both my down coats, three layers pants, two gloves, face mask, and wool cap, two polartec shirts, and two down jacket and trench coats! I also put a hand warmer inside each hand. It was almost relaxing painting snow in minus ten below zero. My copper panel worked out fine. Stapleton would not allow me to take a nap! Such a slave driver! I am glad he gave me a little push. I moved up from Maine from living in Florida all of my life. I learned a lot and I learned I can paint snow! Thank you Stapleton!
Snow Camp was great! I miss it already! Fortunately it is going to snow this week so I'll be back out there in my BIG BOOTS! Anyone going next week-those Cabela boots made all the difference! I expect to get a lot of use out of them. I loved the Inn, and the fireplace in my room was a bonus. Stape, thank you for everything. You are an excellent teacher and mentor and I hope you'll do this again next year!
I must say ,snow camp was great despite of the cold, I can't believe i did it! Stape you are an excellent artist demonstrator and teacher, one thing, yes do get the famous boots he recommended or something similar ,because the first day with just my big hiking boots waterproof and all, it did not cut it and I suffered. Excellent camaraderie between all the participant , I miss you all already. Nita
Bill:
I will rest in June.
................Stape
Syncom;
I will do that. I did write a post on twigs against the bare sky recently .
I will plan on doing the others.
...............Stape
Philip;
Have a good trip. Was Sidney Lawrence in that area, or just Alaska?
...................Stape
Plein air gal:
Thanks, I had a great time. Maybe I can get to one of the New Hampshire plein air vents this year.
..............Stape
Marian:
You could just bring the cardboard that comes with a freshly laundered shirt, painted white with scuff-cote.
Copper doesn't need to be primed. Gum wrappers are NOT made from copper.
.......Stape
Aline,
Muffin bashers? Check out Alines blog and see her paintings of Snowcamp!
....................Stape
Barbara:
Thanks for coming. You will never fear the cold again, I think.
................Stape
Susan Renee:
Thank you for coming. Those boots looked great on you.Everybody in Snowcamp W must be terrified!
..................Stape
Rae:
I hope I can do it again next year too. I had a great time, and I think everybody got something out of it.It was a Trans Alaska III boot fashion show.I want a fireplace in my room at home.
...............Stape
Nita:
Thank you.It is amazing how fast we all became a team wasn't it. Perhaps the survival element created that, but I felt it too. I already miss everybody!
...................Stape
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