Upcoming "Impressionism" Workshop by Bernie ~ May 18, 2013.

"Spend the Day with Claude Monet" Workshop

Presented by the

Council for the Arts

Instructor: Bernie Rosage Jr. of Onslow Art Expressions

Workshop Department: Studio

Date: Saturday, May 18, 2013 ~ 10am until 3pm

Media: Acrylic or Oil Paints

Level: Beginner and Intermediate

Workshop Fee: $15 per student… The CFTA is helping fund this special workshop.

Class Size: Limited to 10 adults

Location: Jean Wenner Studio, Council for the Arts, 826 New Bridge Street, Jacksonville, NC 28540.

Materials: Bring a packed lunch… we’ll have lunch in the studio. Bring materials listed below for whatever medium you plan to use (Easels will be provided).

Oil Painters List: Assorted Bristle style brushes, odorless mineral spirits, container for oms, mixing palette, rags or paper towels, two 11x14” canvases, and paints - Titanium White, Cadmium Red (or Vermillion), Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Yellow, Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue, Sap Green, and Dioxazine Purple.

Acrylics Painters List: Assorted Bristle style brushes, water container, mixing palette, paper towels, two 11x14” canvases, and paints - Titanium White, Cadmium Red (or Vermillion), Alizarin Crimson, Cadmium Yellow, Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue, Sap Green (or Hooker’s Green), and Dioxazine Purple.

Workshop Details: This one day workshop will introduce the students to the "Father of Impressionism," Claude Monet. Artist/instructor, Bernie Rosage Jr., will dress in circa 1880 attire and give an interactive living history program as he portrays a middle aged Claude Monet. He will share art history from the Impressionist Art Movement and talk about Claude Monet's contributions and unique painting style. This workshop is more than a living history program, the main focus is painting in the style of Impressionism. Bernie (aka Monet) will teach students the impressionistic style as they paint a finished painting in the style made famous by Monet. The workshop is designed for beginning and intermediate artists using the mediums of oils and/or acrylics. Bernie’s step-by-step approach and individual attention makes this workshop perfect for beginning artists but challenging enough for intermediates. This unique workshop allows the students to witness art history through one of the art world's most important figures plus paint in the style of one of the world's most influential art movements... Impressionism!

Workshop... HUGE success!

 

"Van Gogh" Workshop for Kids... January 22, 2013. A huge success... nobody ate paint or cut their ear off... and everyone created a "Starry Night" Masterpiece!

What a JOY it was teaching these young artists today at the "Van Gogh" Workshop. They were superb artists and students! Thank you kids for a GREAT day! A special thanks to the parents for allowing their children to go on this "Van Gogh" adventure with me!

In Art,
Bernie

FOR IMMEDIATE NEWS RELEASE: "Taking the Intimidation Out of Plein Air Painting" Workshop by Bernie Rosage

“Taking the Intimidation Out of Plein Air Painting”

Workshop with Bernie Rosage Jr.

May 19, 2012

Bernie Rosage Jr.

Title: Taking the Intimidation out of Plein Air Painting
Instructor: Bernie Rosage Jr.
Workshop Department: Plein Air
Sponsor: The Council for the Arts, 826 New Bridge St. (across the street from the Jacksonville City Hall)
Date: Saturday, May 19, 2012 ~ 10am - 5pm
Media: Oil, Acrylics
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Workshop Fee: $15 (Subsidized with a grant from the Council for the Arts)
Class Size: Limited to 8 artists
Location: Jean Wenner Studio at the Council for the Arts and at Wilson Bay Park near the Council.

Concept:
 Have you felt a little overwhelmed by the thought of trying to paint en plein air? Bernie shows you how fun the process can be as he breaks it down into a series of manageable steps. Learn what to expect in the field, what to pack, how to work with a limited palette, how to choose your subject matter wisely, simplify it and develop a dynamic design, plus more!

Experience:
This workshop is designed for all levels of artists who have little or no experience in plein air painting. As the founder of the Onslow Outdoor Painters Society (OOPS!), Bernie is constantly approached by artists who express an interest in plein air painting but are crippled by the intimidation of it. The goal of this workshop is dispel that fear and unveil the joys and benefits of painting in the open air on location. All artists, especially experienced studio artists, will benefit from the plein air experience.

Instructor Bio:
Bernie Rosage Jr. is an award winning painter and an enthusiastic instructor. He is a member of the Onslow Art Society, Blue Ridge Art Clan, Southern Plein Air Painters Guild, "Plein Eire" Painters of Ireland, and founder of the Onslow Outdoor Painters Society (OOPS!). One of his favorite ways to paint is on location en plein aire... the French term literally translates in open air. Bernie’s paintings are a wonderful culmination of sensitivity and skill and are collected throughout the United States, Ireland, Australia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Visit his website at www.bernierosage.com

To Register:
Please call the Council for the Arts at (910) 455- 9840 -or-
Email: jaxarts@jaxarts.com 

Click HERE for materials list...

From the field to the studio...




"Standing Artist"
circa 1845-47
John Kensett

My love of history and art mesh as one when it comes to plein air painting, especially early American plein air painting history as exercised through the Hudson River School. The Hudson River School wasn't a school but an art movement during the mid-19th century embodied by a group of landscape painters whose aesthetic vision was influenced by romanticism. The paintings for which the movement is named depict the Hudson River Valley and the surrounding area, including the Catskill, Adirondack, and the White Mountains; eventually works by the second generation of artists associated with the school expanded to include other locales. Hudson River School paintings reflect three themes of America in the 19th century: discovery, exploration, and settlement. The paintings also depict the American landscape as a pastoral setting, where human beings and nature coexist peacefully. Hudson River School landscapes are characterized by their realistic, detailed, and sometimes idealized portrayal of nature. 

Thomas Cole's Sketch Box
circa 1840


The artist Thomas Cole is generally acknowledged as the founder of the Hudson River School. Cole took a steamship up the Hudson in the autumn of 1825, the same year the Erie Canal opened, stopping first at West Point, then at Catskill landing where he ventured west high up into the eastern Catskill Mountains of New York State to paint the first landscapes of the area. The first review of his work appeared in the New York Evening Post on November 22, 1825

Cole's close friend, Asher Durand, became a prominent figure in the school as well. With the advent of photography, the need for realistic renderings gave way to the sublime as landscapes took on a more spiritual feel. There was no need to capture what a scene looked like, photography could do that, more emphasis was put on the mood, light, and feeling the artist gained from the scene and being in nature. This was the goal of the second generation Hudson River School painters (my favorites) like Frederic Church, John Kensett, and Sanford Gifford.


John F. Kensett
in his studio, 1864.

In gathering the visual data for their paintings, these artists would travel to rather extraordinary and extreme environments, the likes of which would not permit the act of painting in some cases. During these expeditions, plein air sketches and memories would be recorded and the paintings would be rendered later, upon the artists' safe return home. They would do their finished works in the studio from their sketches.


I recently returned from my own painting expedition in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina in September. I was accompanied on this journey with two of my artist friends, Mitchell Morton and Stephen Greer. The three of us and several other plein air artists had the pleasure of studying at the Florence Thomas Art School under the master artist, Tony Griffin.  

Artist Tony Griffin giving plein air
demo at the Florence Thomas Art School.

A blog post a mile long could be wrote about Tony concerning his art training, his artwork, and his workshop but I'll save that for another day. Of all the gems I brought home from his workshop the greatest was this... to capture the essence of the scene! With Tony's guidance I learned to simplify... before his workshop, I was putting too much emphasis on getting a finished painting. Tony taught me that plein air painting is a a gathering of color notes, a simplified composition, and a spiritual experience. I can still hear him saying... "Observe, Mix, and Apply" while I work at my easel. Thanks Tony! 



Bernie plein air painting along the New River.



Taking what I have learned from Tony Griffin and the Hudson River painters I now use my plein air pieces as studies for studio works. I am not so concerned about getting a finished painting in the field anymore. Below is one of the plein air paintings I did during the workshop. The scene is set along the New River in one of Tony's hidden spots.



Plein air oil sketch by Bernie Rosage Jr.
Along the New River, Glendale Springs, NC.
September 2010.

Below is the finished studio piece worked from the above sketch with the exercise of a little artistic license.

"Blue Ridge Afternnon"... 11x14" acrylic on canvas by Bernie Rosage Jr., 2010.





Thanks for dropping by... would love to hear your comments.

Bernie

Sources:
1) The Painted Sketch: American Impressions from Nature 1830-1880
2) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_River_School