The lost month-June-Putnum

Mary Pyche with Lori Putnum in Canandaigua, NY

The reason June was 'lost' was not that I wasn't painting, it's because I wasn't posting.  The marketing aspect of art is a challenge for me.  I try to be disciplined, but sometimes I lapse.  In order to post regularly, I like to have something to show, like a finished painting.  I have a lot of unfinished paintings in the works right now.  The one I just posted, needs a tiny tweak, so I'll post that one again, maybe today--The Swan Family. 
I also have not been on my computer much lately and now I can't remember half my passwords.  I guess that can be a good thing, as we are supposed to change them periodically.
So related to this photo above, I was very fortunate to be able to attend a workshop with Lori Putnum.  My Italy trip friend, Sandi, and I signed on early (back in January I think) for Lori's Canandaigua NY workshop.  The town was very nice and quaint and there are many good places to paint.  It is the location of an annual Plein Air Paint Out event.  Sandi and I arrived the day before and were able to see the show attached to the Paint Out and enjoy the refreshments under the big tent at the Sonnenberg Gardens Mansion.  We also had fair weather.  The first day was perfect, the second and third day were overcast and a few sprinkles.  Luckily, the hostess' front porch was large enough to keep us covered during demos, critiques and talks.  Lori, featured in numerous issues of American Art Collector Magazine, and most recently, Plein Air Magazine, is recognized as one of the finest American Impressionists of our time. She has been chosen as an Artist Faculty member for the Annual Plein Air Convention, hosted by Plein Air Magazine, for the past two years. was an excellent teacher and did pay good attention to all attendees.  What were the take-aways?  For me, I enjoyed using a primary palette again and enjoyed her color selection of Napththol Red (M.Graham & Co.).  I used the new Gamblin solvent-free gel medium and LOVE IT.  Mostly it was her way of explaining using the medium value to guage all my color choices against.  I like it because it is logical and organized.
I will post some progression pictures of her first demo in tomorrow's blog.