and the Mundane

Through July 1, 2012

Marcia Burtt Studio presents paintings inspired by great vistas, scale and atmosphere, invoking the awe and sense of the sublime that draw us to nature.

Close-up studies of our everyday pleasures present a contrast to the monumental. Inspired by the mundane, the artists discover bright colors and sensitive line in what can no longer be called the ordinary.

Featuring paintings by gallery artists Susan Petty, Marilee Krause, Robert Abbott, Erling Sjovold, Michael Ferguson, Patricia Doyle, Anne Ward, Ian Roberts, Ann Lofquist and Marcia Burtt.

Marcia Burtt Studio
517 Laguna, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
805 962-5588
www.artlacuna.com

HOURS 1-5 Thursday through Sunday

Paint More Freely

June 1, 2, and 3, 2012

Hours: 8:00 a.m. to sunset with a two- or three-hour lunch break
Place: Goleta Beach Park
Demo and technical support will be in acrylic, but all mediums are welcome.

During this 3-day workshop we’ll experience the month’s dramatic tides which will be at their highest point as the sun sets. We’ll see the moon rise on Sunday evening, June 3.

Long days on the beach will provide unparalleled chances to apply techniques for painting with more abandon. Our focus will be on painting wave formations, beach, and sky.

A supply list will be given with registration, but part of the learning experience will be to work with very large canvases as well as previously-used canvases you are willing to paint over. Do not gesso them!

Fees: $300 SBAA members
$350 for all other artists

Send checks to:
Bob Rowley
398 Arboleda Rd.
Santa Barbara, CA 93110
Note: Please respond quickly. There is a 10 student minimum and a 15 student maximum.
Email Bob Rowley bkrowley@cox.net for any questions.

Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art, Malibu

May 19 – August 4, 2012

ARTISTS’ RECEPTION
Saturday, May 19; 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine has created a video on the Oak group: http://sbseasons.com/blog/video-the-oak-group-painters-for-preservation/

They are also featured in the special tenth anniversary spring issue.

Bright Morning

acrylic
18×10

Last Light

acrylic
13.5×26 inches

Sunday Morning

acrylic
10×18 inches

The Joy of Acrylic

Easton Studio & School, Maryland

September 28 – October 1, 2012
9:00 am – 4:00 pm   $520

Take acrylics into the open air!

All levels.  The acrylic medium can provide a new dimension in creative expression, allowing flexibility and the chance to make immediate revisions. California artist Marcia Burtt will share her passion for the medium and valuable tips that can make painting in acrylic easy.  During this 4-day workshop Marcia will offer demonstrations and individual critiques, helping you improve your skills and find your individual voice.  Please bring a couple of simple photographs to work from in case of rain.

About Easton Studio

Click here for enrollment information

The Symbiosis of Landscape Painting and Environmental Awareness

Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, March 8 – May 6, 2012

March 8 – May 6, 2012

4800 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, California 90027

Phone: (323) 644-6269
FAX: (323) 644-6271
Email: cadmag@sbcglobal.net
Website: www.lamag.org
Hours: Thursday – Sunday, 12-5pm

Saving Paradise: The Symbiosis of Landscape Painting and Environmental Awareness is a group exhibition from the California Art Club juried by Jean Stern, Director of The Irvine Museum. From 1927 to 1942 the California Art Club was headquartered in the famed Hollyhock House at Barnsdall Park. Paying homage to those active years in the organization’s history during which it sponsored a multitude of art and cultural events, the Club and the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery will host a number of educational programs during the two-month exhibition, including artist’s talks and demonstrations.

SPECIAL EVENTS

THURSDAY MARCH 15, 7:00 PM:
Lecture: Nature’s Masterpiece: California’s Channel Islands and Marine Sanctuary
Lecture with David C. Gallup, California Art Club Vice President and Signature Artist Member

CONVERSATIONS WITH THE ARTISTS

FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 7:00 PM:
 California Art Club Artists
 Peter Adams, President and Signature Artist Member
 David Gallup, Vice President and Signature Artist Member 
Lynn Gertenbach, Signature Artist Member
 Eric Merrell, Artist Member of the California Art Club
 Michael Obermeyer, Signature Artist Member

quarter scale version of "Fog, Sun, and Tides" painted on location

"Fog, Sun, and Tides" quintych, two panels 48"x78", three panels 78"x48"

IN THE LAST two or three years I have painted some very large-scale works for hospital settings. The tallest was 8 feet tall; the widest was 11 feet wide.

These very large paintings are too big to take on location, and they are too large to paint without a plan, even though ordinarily that is exactly how I proceed. (I think of it as the “fool around until satisfied” approach.)

The method I’ve developed to create these very large paintings is to create a maquette exactly half the height and half the width of the final work, which gives an area 25% of the final size. Late Summer, the Pond originated as such a maquette. Even at 1/4 size it was difficult to take on location, but I carried it, two easels, and all my other equipment every day through weeds up and down the embankment of my neighbor’s pond. It would have been ideal to leave it set up but cows came to the pond to drink and after one near disaster I lugged everything away each evening.

"Morning on the Pond", 60x120"

The shape of this canvas was a challenge. It is twice as wide as it is high, and ordinarily I prefer a canvas closer to a square. It’s particularly difficult to compose a painting with a strong horizontal element – in this case the waterline – on a very wide canvas since the horizon line exaggerates the extreme horizontality of the canvas.

After painting a large part of this maquette on location, I worked from it and photographs to create the full-scale work, adjusting the composition based on difficulties I had encountered creating the maquette.

"End of Summer, the Pond", 30x60"

It took a number of months of small adjustments and rethinking parts of the canvas to finally feel satisfied with End of Summer, the Pond. Compare the print of the larger work and see how I subtly shifted the composition and other elements, solving compositional problems somewhat differently in each painting.

– Marcia Burtt

“Fog, Sun, and Tides”, quintych, 2011, 2 48×78 in., 3 78×48 in., commissioned by Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.

"Fog, Sun, and Tides" in progress, 48x78 in.

ready to be painted on, 2 48x78 in., 3 78x48 in.

quarter scale study in progress

studies in progress

"Fog, Sun and Tides", study, installation view