Using your Values to building a composition

I just finished teaching a workshop on painting landscapes and I thought I would share a few tips.

Original photo. This is a scene in France that I am working on.

I often like to make a black and white copy so that I can just focus on the values and not be distracted by the color.

I forgot to photograph Step 1 which was a  monochromatic value study. This is Step 2	.

Step 2: now that you have blocked in the large areas of light and dark, check to make sure you like the design of your composition. This is the time to make adjustments. You can know start to build on the information you have down.

Step 3

 Step 3: Working within in the pattern of your light and dark values, start to build the color.

Step 4

 Step 4: continue to build the color, still mindful of your values. You can now begin to add details

Step 5

Step 5: Adding more detail and adjust the colors. If you keep your colors in the correct value range, you will keep the compositional design.

Step 6

Now for the fun to start - laying in the details and rich color. At this point, you are free to paint. You have your foundation set, so have fun.

 I will post the finished painting ASAP

Cheers, Dawn

Impromptu Plein Air

This past weekend a few of us met up at the Green Market in Piedmont Park for a little plein air painting. October is such a fabulous time to be out and about in Atlanta, we decided to try something new and take advantage of the great weather.

Plein air is always a challenge, but it's a fun way to get out and paint with friends.

The Green Market at Piedmont.

My subject for  the day

Painting in progress. As I don't paint people often, I thought it would be interesting to see if I could capture a market scene.

I would like to make a few touch up on my painting. Work with the dappling light a little more. We'll see.

Until next time, Dawn

Atlanta Arts Fest this weekend in Piedmont Park

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Stop by and see my new paintings at The Atlanta Arts Festival in Piedmont Park  Booth # 144  (Close to the 14th ST Entrance) I have been very busy this Summer. Check out my latest at Piedmont Park this weekend Atlanta Arts Festival September 15 - 16 Sat 10-7 Sun 10-6 Piedmont Park, Midtown, Atlanta GA website -http://www.atlantaartsfestival.com/ Hope to see you there! Link to Map for directions   Besides the great art there will be cooking demos, crafts for the young, painting classes hosted by Canvas U and much more! Check out the full schedule http://www.AtlantaArtsFestival.com/schedule.php for all the details.   The park is so beautiful this time of year, so some out.  Along with the great art and entertainment, there is great people watching!!! I hope to see you out there. It's going to be a perfect weekend! Cheers, Dawn www.dawnart.com Dawn Art on Facebook http://dawnart.blogspot.com/   Upcoming Atlanta art showings Unsubscribe dawn165.dawndog1414@blogger.com from this list. Our mailing address is: Dawn Kinney Martin 180 B 11th St NE Atlanta, GA 30309 Add us to your address book Copyright (C) 2012 Dawn Kinney Martin All rights reserved. Forward this email to a friend Update your profile

Thank you Alexandria,VA!

What a wonderful art show this past weekend in Alexandria! This was my first time in the area, what a great town. Saturday started out at 3:30 in the morning for the set up and boy was it humid. It stayed hot and humid, but that didn't keep people from coming out. Sales were strong all day until the tornado warning around 3:30. A big thanks to the organizers and the police for coming around to warn us and get everyone off the streets. The tornado went around us but with the heavy winds and rains, the show was closed for the rest of the day. Sunday was absolutely perfect! Pleasantly warm, no wind or humidity. Oh, if all of my shows could be this nice. Here are a few of my paintings that have a new home in Virginia.

Golden Sky at Low Tide 36"x48" oil on canvas

Folgers in the Morning 40"x30" mixed media on canvas

Coffee Makes You Bloom 6"x32" mixed media on canvas

Bloom Where You're Planted 6"x32" mixed media on canvas

High Winds12"x24" palette knife, oil on canvas

It takes Two 12"x12" palette knife, oil on canvas

Tulips and Daisies 12"x12" palette knife, oil on canvas

An Afternoon of Wine Tasting 12"x16" palette knife, oil on canvas

Well, back to the studio!

Cheers,

Dawn

A week of painting in Provincetown, MA

What a wonderful week of painting and cycling in Provincetown, MA,  I had the opportunity to meet and paint with a great group of artists! Not only were they a joy to be around, I learned a lot from watching them paint and deal with the difficulties of plein air painting. I look forward to it again next year. Below are photos of our group on location and some of my works.

Day 2 painting in the Dunes. 9x12

Second painting on day 2 in the dunes. 12x16

Day 3  setting up in the Moors

Day 4 Mary G and Kate.  Kate's work was a true inspiration to me. Her use of color and expression - I learned a lot just seeing her work.

Setting up in the dunes overlooking the cottages and sea.

Saying good by! What a great experience.

These great cottages!

9x12 on this one I was trying to capture the atmosphere and light of ocean and sky

These last two paintings I did in CT after the Mystic show. I was out at Eastern Point ( I think ) in Groton, CT

Still trying to capture that sense of distance you get on the coast. As I am drawn to intense color , I find it a real challenge to push back my subject.

9x12 totally cool house just off the coast in Groton CT. It's like a water "tree house"!

Mount Gretna is this weekend

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Mount Grenta Art Festival is this Weekend Stop by and see my new works. I'll be in the same  Booth -  R108 I've been very busy this Spring and summer lots of new paintings, big and small. There is a sailing series inspired by my new saling lessons and my time spent at the coast  and a new  plein air works  from my time in Cape Cod. Mount Gretna Outdoor Festival I'll be in the same booth as the previous years R108. It's a nice corner booth on the footpath at Princeton and Pennsylvania Ave. Admission $8 August 18 - 19 Sat 10 - 6 Sun 10-5 Mount Gretna Fine Art Fair Mount Gretna, PA Website:http://www.mtgretnaarts.com/ Google Map Directions Come out and see the great art, entertainment,  adn don't forget abot the great people watching!!! I hope to see you out there and don't forget to bring lots of water. Cheers, Dawn www.dawnart.com Dawn Art on Facebook http://dawnart.blogspot.com/   Keeping you up to date about art festivals, gallery activity and the studio Unsubscribe dawn165.dawndog1414@blogger.com from this list. Our mailing address is: Dawn Art 180 B 11th St NE Atlanta, GA 30309 Add us to your address book Copyright (C) 2012 Dawn Art All rights reserved. Forward this email to a friend Update your profile

Summer Sailing Series

More Summer painting.  As I get ready to head up to New England, I am excited about my new sailing painting. It will be interesting to see the response they get. 

This one is untitled so far, but that is way too much wind for my limited sailing experience!

12x24 oil on canvas

This is a little more my speed.

Study for Catching the Wind 12x 24 oil on canvas

Catching the Wind 24x60 oil on canvas

Waiting to Sail 24x24 acrylic on canvas

Golden Sky 36x48 oil on canvas

Happy sailing!

Dawn

Summer Flower Series

Summer is a great time for me in the studio. I take a little time away from teaching and try to work on new ideas. This if from my flower series. Check out the last painting. This is the first of my new mixed media pieces.

Summer Heat  12x12 oil on canvas

lilies and daisies  12x12 oil on canvax

waterlilies  12x24 acrylic on canvas

sunshine 12x12 oil on canvas

Folgers in the morning  24x30  mixed media on canvas

This is the beginning of my new mixed media series, Coffee and Flowers. I'm having a lot of fun with these.

Well that's all for now>

Cheer,

Dawn

Art opening this Saturday night

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Join me this Saturday at Jack Art Gallery Opening!   Join me at the Jack Art Gallery this Saturday June 23 6 - 9 659 Auburn Ave Atlanta GA 30312 Studio Plex Building website http://www.jackartgallery.com  Hope to see you there! It's going to be a blast. The Gallery is at the front entrance to the left Link to Map for directions and Street view Cheers, Dawn www.dawnart.com Dawn Art on Facebook http://dawnart.blogspot.com/   Upcoming Atlanta art showings Unsubscribe dawn165.dawndog1414@blogger.com from this list. Our mailing address is: Dawn Kinney Martin 180 B 11th St NE Atlanta, GA 30309 Add us to your address book Copyright (C) 2012 Dawn Kinney Martin All rights reserved. Forward this email to a friend Update your profile

Opening Reception June 6th 5 - 8 PM

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. MOMENTUM 2012 It's that time again. The 8th Annual Fine Art Show at the Binders Limelight Gallery. Opening night June 6, 5pm- 8pm. While your eyes enjoy the great art, give your taste buds a treat with wine and beer from our local talent. Free tastings from Georgia's own Tiger Mountain Winery and Jailhouse Brewery. All this while listening to the fabulous jazz pianist Misha Stefanuk. It's going to be a great time. Please come out and join us. Directions in Google Maps Updates about painting classes Unsubscribe dawn165.dawndog1414@blogger.com from this list. Our mailing address is: Dawn Art 180 B 11th St NE Atlanta, GA 30309 Add us to your address book Copyright (C) 2012 Dawn Art All rights reserved. Forward this email to a friend Update your profile

Commission Finished Just in Time

 Just in the nick of time. This commission is for an  anniversary and I had to deliver it today to make the deadline. Good thing I finished last night! I am happy to say the client loved the painting - see below...

The finished painting 20"x20" Tierra. The happy couple had their engagement party here. What a thoughtful gift. I hope she will love it!

The photo I worked from

People are often amazed at how I can get a painting you may want to look at out of such bad photos! I just image what the scene would look like at a time with interesting light and try to capture that moment. For this one, I was thinking about what it would be like to walk up to this cozy place just as the sun was setting. I am with good friends and were are going to have a great evening.
I also try to add color and texture to the surface of the building to give the viewer something interesting to look at. ( when I've finished my great dinner )
That is the fun of these paintings. 

Now on to Indianapolis for another art show. Hope it goes as well as last weekend.

Cheers,

Dawn

Great Sales in Tupelo Miss

What a great weekend in Tupelo, Miss. Not only did I get to visit with Elvis, I sold 2 great pieces.

48"x48" Sunday Afternoon at Grandma's.  This is actually my wagon posing for me in the front yard

30" x 40"  Siesta Time. This painting was from Rob and my trip to Italy. Very fond memories with this one

Elvis's birth place. This is a really neat park, so if you find yourself in the area, check it out.

Inside the house

Well that's all for now.

Cheers!

Dawn

Dogwood interview on CBS

The Dogwood festival was this past weekend. This is always a great home show for me. 

People always come out in droves looking for unique finds. My art was lucky enough to receive a little media attention. Check out my interview on CBS.

http://www.cbsatlanta.com/video?clipId=7002871&autostart=true

Hope to see you out there. 

Cheers,

Dawn

Around Town @ The Atlanta Dogwood Festival

My few seconds of Fame at the Dogwood Festival

Article by Rob Levins for the Midtown Patch


LIGHTS, CAMERA AND ACTION...... it’s the 76th Annual Atlanta Dogwood Festival in Piedmont Park. So far I rank it the most exciting Dogwood Festival in years... it's EXPLOSIVELY fun!

Well it's finally the weekend and your wondering what to do. Well for starters, hop on your bike, cruise down in your car, or if your like myself take a leisurely stroll down to Piedmont Park for the arts and entertainment event of the season. Because I was blown away yesterday by the impact this years Festival has to offer, I plan to return again today to be able to take in the many things I just couldn't get to because there was so much to see and do.

To make things easy for you, here is a snapshot of the hundreds of things you will encounter on your stroll through the park. So put on your comfortable walking shoes and let's have some FUN!

Festival Dates and Times:

• Saturday: 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.
• Sunday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. 

Art Market- a total of 260 artists who are both local and from throughout the country have converged to Midtown to bring you an exciting variety of jewelry, sculpture, mixed media, paintings, photography and fiber art. What's exciting this year is that there are many NEW and creative works of art that will catch your attention and hopefully catch you to buy before somebody else does. Here are several "key" artists I caught up with to give us a little background on their incredible talent.

Booth 116- OBAMETALSMITH / goldsmith-silversmith- Artist, Obayana B Ajanaku

• Obayana (Oh-bey-yana) was born in Texas and transplanted to Decatur, Ga. A skilled gold and silversmith for 37 years, Obayana has trained with talented instructors from Mexico, Russia and Japan. His most popular jewelry style is his U hoop stirrup earrings that are reflective of the metal designs incorporated onto horse stirrups he saw in Texas while visiting rodeos with his grandfather. His creations are a must see if your looking for great jewelry.

Booth 120- DAWNART / expressionist oil painter-Dawn Kinney Martin

• Dawn is a 13-year resident of Atlanta and creates bold and colorful artwork in her Midtown studio home. The impact of COLOR is her trademark. Her passion to explore the depth and drama of color brings excitement to those viewing her art. She is also available for creating custom works of art for your home. So, if COLOR is your passion, Dawn is the person to see. 

Here is a link to read the full article by Rob Levins 

http://midtown.patch.com/blog_posts/around-town-the-atlanta-dogwood-festival

Hope to see you out there.

Cheers!

Dawn

Dogwood Festival April 20 - 22

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Dawn Art White Hot Lilies 40"x30" Oil on canvas Dawn Art @ The Atlanta Dogwood Festival The Dogwood Festival is Celebrating 76 years, and there are so many cool things going on this weekend to celebrate: great art, music, and kiddie stuff.  But I'm really looking forward to the great concert Saturday night - Roberta Flack at 7:30l! WooHoo - what fun. I have been painting all winter and have lots of new work. There is nothing like painting colorful still lifes  to get you through the cooler months, but I'm also having a lot of fun painting new local scenes as well. So come by and check it out. I'm in  Booth #120 (same as last year, near the 14th Street entrance) Dates and Times April 20-22 Friday 12 - 7 Saturday 10 - 7 Sunday 10 - 6 Booth #120 - Close to the 14th Street entrance Atlanta, GA more info...   The Atlanta Dogwood  Festival website -http://www.dogwood.org/ Hope to see you there! Zocalo 9"x12" oil and acrylic on canvas Upcoming Atlanta art showings Unsubscribe dawn165.dawndog1414@blogger.com from this list. Our mailing address is: Dawn Kinney Martin 180 B 11th St NE Atlanta, GA 30309 Add us to your address book Copyright (C) 2012 Dawn Kinney Martin All rights reserved. Forward this email to a friend Update your profile

The Process of teaching : Palette Knife Workshop - Landscapes

This is a little bit about my approach to teaching a one day workshop.

 I had a wonderful group show up for a 5 hour workshop today at Spruill. I know that it's a lot of information in a short amount of time. We covered some of the various techniques of the palette knife, along with a little color theory, and composition. 

Okay, maybe I should call it palette knife boot camp. 

I just like the idea of learning new techniques while working on a painting. 

Somethings will work, some not, ahh, that's better than just writing your abc over and over, right?

The first thing I do is work through the painting Alla Prima, which just means I do the painting in one sitting. I work wet paint into wet paint instead of working in stages and allowing paint to dry.

Once I have completed the painting once, I will break it down into stages.  By bringing in several different canvases showing the building process, I hope this will give the class a visual aid as I am lecturing and demonstrating in class.

Now I am ready to teach class.  I start with a talk about composition, value scale, tricks for landscape painting, and just how to prepare the canvas.  Now the class is ready to create their masterpieces.   Well, I  always throw in a little color theory through the class, but just in small doses. Let the paintings begin!

I have my sample steps up. I hope that these will help show where I am going.  Also, it  is always helpful to see how just messy a palette knife painting can be while you are working on it.

This is one of the paintings I worked on in the workshop today.

I had a wonderful class today. Thank you for all the artists that came out and spent their Saturday with me. Keep up the good work.

Cheers,

Dawn

New painting demos from my winter classes

12x16 Demo for the palette knife workshop at Spruill in Feb (acrylics)

9x10 Demo for the palette knife class at SCAD Atlanta  this March  (oils)

Oil painting class at GA TECh 16 x 16 - brush and palette knife

Ocean and Sky class and Callanwolde 36 x 48 - okay - lot's of color theory thrown in there as well. (oils)

20x24 Ocean and Water one day workshop demo at Callanwolde. (acrylics)

12 x 16 Ocean and Sky demo one day workshop at Spruill. (oils)

New work coming out of the studio. I love this time of year. I have a little break from traveling and get to spend most of my time in the studio. Below are the pieces I am working on right now.

36 x 48 Golden Sky Over Low Tide

24 x 48 Red Trees by the River

40 x 30 White Lilys

Okay, this one might be more difficult to finish. My still life froze in the studio last night! Brrrr

36 x 48 Red Hot, White Lily and Blue Having a great time working on new pieces. This year I am working simplifying my subjects and letting the color tell the story. 2012, here I come. Cheers!! Dawn

Paintings from the Still Life Workshops last week

 I had 20 wonderful artist join me this past weekend for a palette knife work shop. I had a class  of 10 both days. Below are the demonstrations I completed in class to show the different steps of building a painting. The students were great and really got a lot of work done.

Thanks to all of you wonderful artist for coming out and spending the weekend with me. I hope to see you again!

Still Life #1 - This is my husbands favorite and he wants to hang it in the house. Very Cool

Still Life Demo #2 12 x 16

Still life #3 12 x 16 It is always interesting to see the variety of paintings you can get from one still life. The flowers are still fresh enough, so I started a 36 x 48 of the same still life. I'll post a photo soon. I Will be offering one more work shop on the Palette Knife Still Life Saturday, February 18, 10 - 3 pm Spruill Center for the Arts 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody More info Cheers! Dawn

Winter Painting Classes

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. Dawn Art Winter classes start up soon I hope everyone has  enjoyed the holiday season.  As much as I've loved  the time to catch up with friends and family,  I'm really looking forward to the start of new classes. I've included the workshops, day and evening classes I'll be teaching winter quarter. I would love for you to join me if you can. Happy Painting, Dawn Day Classes  Wednesdays, January 11 – February 1 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 4 weeks  Callanwolde Fine Arts Center Painting Impressionistic Landscapes 404.872.5338 980 Briarcliff Rd Atlanta GA more info Wednesdays, February 15 – March 7 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. 4 weeks Callanwolde Fine Arts Center Guided Painting Classes 404.872.5338 980 Briarcliff Rd Atlanta GA more info... Workshops Saturday, January 14  10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. 1 Day Callanwolde Fine Arts Center Palette knife workshop : Still life 404.872.5338 980 Briarcliff Rd Atlanta GA more info... Saturday, February 18  10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. 1 Day Spruill Center for the Arts Palette knife workshop : Still life 770.394.3447 x 0 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Rd Atlanta, GA 30338 more info... Evening Classes January 10 – March 6  Tues  6 – 9pm.   8 Weeks  SCAD Atlanta Painting Studio Classes 404.253.3299 more info Febuary 15 – 29   Wed  6 – 8pm.   3 Weeks GA Tech Special Options Palette Knife Painting 404.894.2805 Email:tasha.myers@stucen.gatech.edu Midtown Atlanta more info... Please contact me with any questions about classes, supplies, or just to chat at dawn@dawnart.com Hope to see you soon, Dawn Dawn Art's Facebook page Updates about painting classes Unsubscribe dawn165.dawndog1414@blogger.com from this list. Our mailing address is: Dawn Art 180 B 11th St NE Atlanta, GA 30309 Add us to your address book Copyright (C) 2011 Dawn Art All rights reserved. Forward this email to a friend Update your profile