My Exquisitely Ecstatic Esalen Workshop

Here is one of the demos from my Esalen workshop

'Love Yurts'.............oil on canvas panel................7x9 inches

Greetings Bloggophiles,

It’s been a busy summer to say the least, and hot on the heels of my fantastic high-desert experience of my Sedona workshop came the misty, ocean world of my Esalen workshop in Big Sur, California. If Sedona had the mystical discipline energy of Mars, with it’s desert red rock and powerful dry heat, then Esalen had the mystical emotional energy of Venus, with it’s lush green vegetation, vast blue Pacific Ocean horizon, and cliff side hot tubs. We felt thoroughly pampered with all the amenities one could possibly want near at hand. The large, spacious cafeteria provided a wide choice of meals using vegetables grown organically on the property.

The gardens not only provided fresh sustenance, but held a potpourri of visual stimuli in their gorgeous array of blooming flowers! Massage therapists were professional, caring and readily at hand to thwart any stress related muscular knots created by a long day painting. A small, circular meditation room overlooked a waterfall cascading down into the ocean, we meditated there until I was up to my eyeballs in inner peace. And the highlight, aside from the delightful company of my terrific students, had to be the hot tubs of natural sulphuric mineral spring water. The hot tubs are located right along the cliff’s face, the crashing waves hypnotically breaking over the stony beach below, and at night there exist no glare from the city lights to chase away the constellations above, and the not-so-rare shooting star can be seen burning out across the sky. In the mornings a white mist rolls in off the ocean, blanketing the gardens and edifices in a undulating fog, pulling nearby objects into sharp silhouette against the pale background scenery. Cinematic, painterly, the ghost of Sam Hyde Harris is doubtlessly haunting this small piece of paradise, trying to get his phantom painting just right. Below are some pics of this truly awesome workshop at Esalen. Enjoy!

Conducting demo on the lovely Esalen grounds









Attempting to capture the ethereal early morning ocean mist

Another demo from the workshop

'Path to Yurt'.............oil on canvas panel...............7x9 inches

View of the garden

Taking a breather to answer some questions







Giving Sharon some pointers on values








So much for the candid shot ;-) Love Julie's cute little side glance

~ Here are a few pics of Esalen and it's many splendors! ~

The cliff side hot springs

The lush gardens of delight (these were poppies on steroids!!)








More flora on steroids.....

Couldn't resist.......









Early morning meditation in circular meditation room








The 'Big House' where Ben and I were lulled to sleep every night by the soothing sounds of the ocean waves

That's me, contemplating whether to return to Esalen next year...








......hell yeah I'm coming back!









My awesome students!
From left to right top row:
Mary, Usana, Julie, Jan, Jodie, Catherine, Min and Naomi
From left to right bottom row:
Sharon, Jennifer and hubby Ben
(Paul not pictured)

To view additional Esalen pics click here!

Hope you enjoyed my post and thanks for stopping by!
Before I sign off, here is a quick recap of my 2011 upcoming plein air painting workshops:

Plein Air Painting in Maui
DATE: February 15 - 17, 2011 (3 days)
LOCATION: Maui, HI
TUITION: $350.
(limited to 12 students)
For more info and registration click here

Small and Simple: Fundamentals of Plein Air Painting
DATE: March 21 - 25, 2011
LOCATION: Scottsdale, AZ
TUITION: $585.

(limited to 12 students)
For more info and registration click here

Plein Air Painting in Sedona
DATE: May 16 - 20, 2011
LOCATION: Sedona, AZ
TUITION: $600.
(limited to 12 students)
For more info and registration click here

Plein Air Painting in Big Sur: Esalen Retreat
DATE: June 5 - 10, 2011 (NOTE: August 2011 workshop dates TBD)
LOCATION: Big Sur, CA
TUITION: (TBD)
(limited to 12 students)
More info coming soon!

~

Hope the rest of your summer is resplendent and enticing!
Until next post, Happy Blogging!

My Sedulous Sedona Workshop.....

'Cathedral Rock'.........oil on canvas panel..........8x10 inches

My recent workshop in Sedona, AZ was just like my own personal bloggopia, filled with magic, wonder, and a whole lot of mystical vortexes. Sedona’s beauty is eternal, it never changes, but it changes you. From the undulating rock plateau below the red Cathedral Rock of Crescent Moon Park to the April blizzard in the mountain ghost town of Jerome, Sedona had surprises and challenges for the painter at every turn. This workshop was one of the most exciting, challenging and rewarding workshops I've taught so far. My wonderful students were a complete joy to be around. They were a delight to teach and the camaraderie amongst everyone was incredible. The Sedona Arts Center staff was extremely accommodating, friendly and professional! I look forward to my return in 2011!
Here are a few pictures from my Sedona workshop. Enjoy!


Monday afternoon demo at Schnebly Hill Vista.











Finishing up my value thumbnail comp.









Here is a sample of the small thumbnail sized (5x7) value/color comp exercises I had my students complete throughout the workshop.



Demo at Slide Rock State Park on Tuesday morning.









adding finishing touches.........










This 8x10 demo of Slide Rock State Park was extremely challenging! Had to deal with inconsistent weather conditions throughout the whole demo......sunny to cloudy, cloudy to sunny. Oy!!





Carol Marine and I chit chatted while taking a brief break. I was soooooo thrilled and honored to have Carol attend my workshop. She is truly one of the best painters out there! And an awesome person to boot!






Mid week we ventured out to Jerome, a very eccentric and mysterious ghost town/artist's colony. Pictured here is James Coulter getting some color mixing tips from me as Carol looks on.
By the way, James generously donated one of his fabulous plein air 'Coulter System' pochade boxes (shown in pic). They are extremely easy to set up, light and ridiculously affordable!



Jeff diligently painting away, completely unperturbed by the blistering cold winds of the raging blizzard that sprung upon us out of nowhere!!




While in Jerome, we took refuge from the freakish weather to warm up with soothing libations and hearty food!

Thursday's afternoon demo was held in the quaint and historical Tlaquepaque Village (it was very cold and just about to drizzle!)







Assisting student Debbie Eggleston with her painting.









Sherwin Abesamis was feeling very zen-like and decided to paint sitting on the ground in a cross-legged position.






June Safford painting at Red Rock State Park.








Cindy Munns painting Cathedral Rock.









Ben held up his dapper straw hat while I pulled out the name of the lucky student that won one of my demo paintings.
.....and the winner is...... Becky Joy!









And finally, a gorgeous pic of the gang.
What a terrific group!

Hope you enjoyed the post and thanks for dropping in.
Until next time, Happy Painting!

Sizzling and Sedulous Springtime

One of my solo show paintings currently on display at Segil Fine Art Source

'Olvera St.'..............oil on canvas panel................ 9x12 inches

February saw the opening of my awesome solo show at the Segil Fine Art Source in Old Town Monrovia! I had so much fun, and it was great to see so many wonderful friends come out and support me. My other half Ben was zipping through the crowd in true Gemini fashion, making sure anyone who wanted to buy a piece didn't get lost in the shuffle, which was a true blessing, as it gave me a chance to chat and socialize to my heart's content! I haven't had a solo show in a while, so it was truly gratifying to do one again and I had as much fun as my very first time showing solo. The exhibition's still up until the 20th of March so make sure you get down there and take a look.
View online gallery here.

Here are some pics from the solo show opening. Enjoy!

L'Artiste on opening night

Gallery owners Bill and Laura Segil posing with Jennifer

Ben rubbing his 'full of hors d'oeuvres' Buddha Belly

Randy Higbee and wife Cynthia posing with Jennifer









Jennifer and the very talented Aaron Westerberg









Commingling guests......









Beautiful guitar music wafted through the gallery......











More commingling...









Jennifer, Jason Situ and Gwen Ballantyne striking a pose

Click here to view more solo show pics on my facebook.

* S o m e G o o d N e w s ! *

SOLD

In other news, my painting 'Urban Passage' was awarded 'Best of Show' by the illustrious January 2010 Fine Art Studio Online competition judged by the honorable and talented Brian Blood. Fine Art Studio Online (FASO) is the web server for many of us in the arts community. Their professional templates are extremely user friendly and reasonably priced. If you don't have them yet be sure and sign up with them here, it's the only way to go in my opinion.

~ 2010 WORKSHOPS UPDATE! ~

'Plein Air Painting in Sedona' (April 18 - 23, 2010) (FULL)

If you'd like to join me for my upcoming five-day intensive painting workshop at the Sedona Art Center be sure to register soon. Spaces are filling up fast! For more info click here.


'Plein Air Painting in Big Sur' Esalen Retreat (May 30-June 5, 2010)
If you can't make it to Sedona, join me in Big Sur at the end of May for another five-day intensive workshop, this time held at the legendary Esalen Institute! The only workshop I teach that has qualified massage therapists standing by ready to help remove any art-related muscle tension! Not to mention natural hot springs filled hot tubs perched on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean! For more info click here.

That's all for now gentle readers. Thanks for joining me in these adventuresome blog anecdotes which leaves my assertions feeling fresh as a spring day after a cold, harsh winter. 'Till the next time I say, blog on!

February Fruition

Here is one of my paintings which will be exhibited at my upcoming solo show at Segil Fine Art

'Urban Passage'.............oil on panel................9x12 inches (SOLD)

January is a month traditionally filled with pain and grief, sorrow and regret. January 18th was lauded as the most depressing day of 2010 by a renowned economist who used various mathematical equations and statistical theories to prove his veracity. But he was probably living in the North, possibly Minnesota or Canada, which is a certain extra level of pitiful as snow turns to icy wet slush crusted by brown layers of dirt. Anyway, thank goodness I'm in California now! Although I did have to put on a sweater yesterday, it gets pretty cold here too!

And to help cheer everyone up I'm announcing my super cool solo show entitled “Venerable Visions” held at the illustrious Segil Fine Art located in beautiful Old Town Monrovia right next to the brand new library! Opening reception is Saturday, February 20th, from 5 to 7pm! The exhibition will be on display through March 20th, 2010. Everyone try and make it, especially if you're living in the North, it's certain to brighten up your day!
For more info visit gallery web site here.

"Venerable Visions" solo exhibition - February 20th, 2010

*** HOT OFF THE PRESS ! ***

~ Feature Article in American Art Collector ~

If you're one of those literary types be certain to pick up a February edition of American Art Collector! I'm proud to announce that I have another fine feature article written about me, so hurry on down to the newsstand, there are only so many copies and February's a short month!
To view article click here.

And if that's not enough to cheer you up, here's a list of my 2010 workshops to help with your New Year's Resolutions!

'Plein Air Painting in Sedona'

April 18 - April 23, 2010

Join me April 18th to 23rd for my five-day intensive plein air workshop at the illustrious Sedona Art Center. Enjoy painting the raw beauty of the Arizona desert filled with flowering cacti, red rock mountains, blue skies and free range artists. For more information click here.
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'Plein Air Painting in Big Sur/Esalen Retreat'
May 30 - June 5, 2010

Join me in this exciting and re-invigorating environment, one of the few workshops I teach which comes with organic food, misty ocean air, and natural hot springs overlooking the Pacific. This very special five-day intensive plein air workshop runs from the 30th of May to the 5th of June, and (at an additional cost) has professional Esalen trained massage therapists standing by to undo any muscular knots or damage caused by educational related stress trauma. If you're a type A painting personality like me, book your massage well in advance before the Spirit Weaving class does!
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May February and the rest of the year bring you boundless inspiration, jubilation and relaxation!