1st annual marietta plein air festival coming soon

a small painting from this past summer at marietta square....
can you guess what time it was when this was painted?

Announcement preview!!!........the 1st annual Marietta Plein Air Festival is to be held March31-April 1. It's sponsored by the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art, and it should be a great event. More details will be forthcoming, but for now, check out the museum's website for details....

back soon
John

January 2012

New years greetings, with best wishes to you for a happy and fulfilling new year.  

...been working on my art calendar a bit....here's a few forthcoming events 

January

-painting class at the bowen center in dawsonville, 'oil painting concepts',  ...starts January 25th ...(see previous post for details)

-one of several featured artists at a weeklong show at the new and well appointed gallery on Marietta Square, '2 Rules Fine Art'. I'll have about 6 paintings there, including the painting posted above. Dates 1/24-29...reception is 1/27, 6-9pm.....food and beverages and music....should be a grand time. Open to the public...see you there!....(come by and vote for the people's choice award! ...)

www.2rulesfineart.com

February

-I'll be doing a live demonstration at the fine gallery 'The Arthouse Atlanta,  Friday, 2/24, 5:30pm-8:00pm

Please come by and see this great gallery and say hello! 

TheArtHouseAtlanta.com

March

-New workshop!..(still life painting with oils!), March 8,9  at the ArtLoft studios in Dahlonega, GA....here's the website. 

http://www.artloft.net/workshops.html

 You can read about the workshop there...don't miss this opportunity for great tips on still life painting! And in the quaint and beautiful Georgia mountain town of Dahlonega. 

April and beyond

-Just got accepted into the 3rd annual Callaway gardens plein air festival april 16-21....25 nationally known artists....a premier event...

-Also just invited again to the wonderful Gadsden plein air festival....15 invited artists...a fantastic event, in it's 4th year! April 9th-13th

-Pending acceptance, the 8th annual plein air festival in San Luis Obispo, CA.....featuring a top field of nationally known artists as well....(will update you soon on that)

-2nd bienniel Cashier's plein air festival in July. If the innaugural event in 2010 is any clue, this event should be a smash hit...I'm honored to be invited back to this wonderful event high in the NC mountain paradise.

Back soon with another blog posting.....maybe something of general interest , rather than just self promotion stuff! 

Reminder: Painting Classes in January

...just a quick followup/reminder on my upcoming oil painting classes:

Art School in Sandy Springs. Monday mornings 9:30am-12:30pm (Jan 9 - Feb 13).
Oil Painting concepts with emphasis on landscapes from photos.  All levels.
Go to website , theartschoolinsandysprings.com, for details and registration, or contact me at johnbguernsey@bellsouth.net
(Note: Above class is full as of 1/1/12)


Bowen Art Center (Dawsonville, GA). Wednesday mornings 9:30am-12:30pm (Jan 25-Feb 29).  Oil Painting concepts. Emphasis on landscape.  Intermediate to Advanced. Contact the Bowen Art Center director, marciachelf@dawsonarts.org, or contact me at johnbguernsey@bellsouth.net.  Also see dawsonarts.org for other details.

additional oil painting class offering

Update....For folks who live in areas north of Atlanta and are interested in taking one of my painting classes, we're initiating a class with the Bowen Arts Center in Dawsonville, GA, starting Wednesday mornings, 1/25/2012.  This class, as of now, will be geared towards those artists with some experience, i.e. ..... intermediate to advanced. They'll be updating their website, (dawsonarts.org), with details very soon; and in the meantime you can inquire by contacting the director, Marcia Chelf, (marciachelf@dawsonarts.org).  Or, please feel free to contact me with any questions as well.  (johnbguernsey@bellsouth.net).  I'll keep you posted of further details.
Thanks!
John

Santa Barbara

Greetings again, friends and blog readers!

Here's a studio painting finished about a week ago.

I was in Santa Barbara, CA , just a few weeks ago, and was able to take several  good photo references; this painting based on a photo showing part of the large rose garden and grassy slope leading up to the Santa Barbara Mission, the so called 'queen' of the California Missions.  From the Mission's front steps there's a great view over the city and down to the harbor and channel islands beyond.  No city I can think of is as beautiful or impressive.  The combination of seashore and mountains, the abundance and variety of trees and flowers, the old Spanish architecture; it's just wonderful... particular for a landscape painter.

I did manage to get in a quick plein air painting attempt while there. Borrowing a rickety old easel and some other supplies, I drove out to a mountain view location and began to block in a scene of a late afternoon sun hitting the mountains over the city. However, very quickly, some heavy clouds rolled over the hills and completely obscurred the view, so I had to quit. While packing up, a man nearby asked me , "did you paint the rainbow in?" Sure enough, an unusually long rainbow had situated itself over the scene and I was able to snap a quick photo:

I hope to paint more scenes of Santa Barbara in the near future.

A reminder to any local painters interested in oil painting instruction; my class at Art School in Sandy Springs starts on 1/9/12. Also, I hope to bring you details shortly on a still life workshop in Dahlonega, GA, in the early spring, and a few other potential workshops still in the planning stage. 

As usual, I welcome any comments or questions you may have regarding my work, or my classes. 

Best wishes for a wonderful Christmas season!

"may your days be merry and bright......" !

John

plein air study/piedmont park

just a quick blog posting.....this time, another one of Piedmont Park in Atlanta...
back soon
john

Circus Tents

A painting of the Cirque du Soleil tents next to the Atlantic Station area of Atlanta.