Loveland Museum Gallery Adult Art Classes 2015

These are my Winter and Spring art classes for adults that I will be teaching for the Loveland Museum Gallery.  All supplies are included and no experience is necessary.  These small classes fill quickly.

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Watercolor Blooms

Thursday, January 15, 4 – 6 pm

Learn how to glaze with watercolors that will create colorful depth in a flower bloom painting. Instructor: Mary Giacomini 

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Neon Poppies

 

Botanical Watercolor Painting

Thursday,  January 22, 4 – 6 pm

Discover how to draw and paint what you see using a purple underpainting. 
 Instructor: Mary Giacomini

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Altitude

Paint the Rockies

Thursday, February 26, 4 – 6 pm

The Rocky Mountains will serve as our inspiration as we learn how to create distance in acrylic landscape paintings. Instructor: Mary Giacomini 

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Georgia’s Poppies

Thursday, March 12, 4 – 6 pm

Recreate one of Georgia O’Keeffe’s masterpieces with soft pastels.
  Instructor: Mary Giacomini

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For Vincent

 

Starry Night Impasto

Thursday, April 2, 4 – 6 pm

Create swirling skies of your own Starry Night using thick acrylic paint and a palette knife. Instructor: Mary Giacomini  

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Paint a Moose

Thursday, April 16, 4 – 6 pm

Learn a simplified technique to paint an acrylic moose and have fun with thick paint and palette knife swirls. Instructor: Mary Giacomini

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Winter/Spring 2015

Register by calling the Museum at (970) 962-2410
All classes suitable for any skill level and all materials are provided unless otherwise noted. Pre-registration is required at least one week prior to each class. Ages 16 and older.
Fee: $40 each ($32 for museum members)

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Bad Santa 2

I attend a weekly life drawing/painting group.  Besides challenging ourselves to paint from life in a few hours, we occasionally  have a 'theme' or costume for our models.  We have had a "Bad Santa" duo several times now.  This "Bad Santa" was painted late 2013 in oil.  This is all in good fun with a challenge to boot.  Contact me for current availability of this piece.  Prints can be ordered through Fine Art America.

You can see more of my artwork online:
Facebook page (open to the public)

fineartamerica.com    

(a variety of my work: prints and cards available) 
 artforconservation.com  
(limited edition canvas giclees) 

marygiacomini.com

MGiacominiart.blogspot.com

Plein Air Tuscany: traveling with oil paints overseas

 I had never flown overseas with oil paint so I had to do some research on how to go about the planning.  First of all you must know ahead of time what is allowed for airline travel.  Solvents and flammable materials are not allowed.   Look up the current regulations at a TSA website.  Experienced artists have found that including the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet-found online at various manufacturers websites) for each product and highlighting the flash point for each product can make travel easier for artists.  I put each color in a clear bag with it's MSDS sheet highlighted.

 I've always liked Gamblin paints but found that their MSDS sheets are the clearest for explaining their product's safety.  One thing I've been warned of is to not refer to your oil paints as "paint" but as "artists colors made with vegetable oil".    I used Gamblin's Quick Dry White which has a lower flash point than regular alkyds and would help my plein air paintings dry faster.

 Gamblin's Solvent Free Gel was the only 'medium' I found with flash point low enough to be allowed in cargo.  This product not only speeds drying time but can also be used as a brush cleaner.

 To save precious packing space I brought linen canvas sheets that I toned ahead of time.  I clipped that day's painting to foamcore.  I later mounted each of the plein air paintings to foamcore.

I packed my "M box" (11 x 14) in a makeshift bubble wrap sheet with bungee cords to keep the weight light and to protect my precious pochade box. I packed this in my carry on since I knew it would be impossible to replace once overseas.  I also packed my tripod, brushes, an apron, rags & a few paper towels in my checked baggage.

I brought a small portable clothesline  and used it inside to clip my wet oils to.  The day before we had to pack up, Mary Landis and I laid our almost dry oil paintings on a clothes drying rack in the sun to bake a bit more.   After I photographed each painting, I stacked the paintings in between wax paper with a foamcore  top and bottom clipped together.  Only one painting smudged slightly and was easy to fix.

We shipped our art supplies back to Colorado to make traveling a little easier.  If it had not been for a wonderful young woman we met at the post office in Murlo, this wouldn't have been possible.  Our Italian was pretty limited, but this woman helped fill out the forms required-in Italian.  The boxes we purchased at the Italian post office were quite flimsy but they managed to make it back with the outsides shredded-but everything inside intact.  What a relief to get my art supplies back!

You can see more of my artwork online:
Facebook page (open to the public)

fineartamerica.com    

(a variety of my work: prints and cards available) 
 artforconservation.com  
(limited edition canvas giclees) 

marygiacomini.com

MGiacominiart.blogspot.com

Plein air Tuscany: Lavendaria

"Lavendaria"

 On my last day of plein air painting in Tuscany I was in the quaint little town of Buonconvento, near Sienna.  One thing you see all the time is laundry hanging out to dry.  I personally would like to see more people not wasting electricity and loved the hanging laundry everywhere.  
I was just outside the walled city when I decided to paint a scene of clothes out to dry against the historic building.  A woman resident periodically watched me so I decided to include her in my painting. People watching is popular for Italians and tourists.

plein air painting Buonconvento

Since I was in public, I had quite a few people stop by to see what I was doing.  When they saw I was painting someone's laundry they got rather quiet.  This just made me smile even more.
My plein air Tuscany adventure is over- for now.  What a wonderful experience I had.


You can see more of my artwork online:
Facebook page (open to the public)

fineartamerica.com    

(a variety of my work: prints and cards available) 
 artforconservation.com  
(limited edition canvas giclees) 

marygiacomini.com

MGiacominiart.blogspot.com

Toscana: plein air

Toscana

 The next painting day I painted alla prima (one sitting) just down the road from the agriturisimo I was staying.  I had been drawn to a single tree on a hilltop and decided to paint it.  For some reason I felt inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe that day.  I simplified my oil painting into interesting shapes and came up with "Toscana", a 10" x 8" original oil.  I will paint this one larger but will keep the simplification of shapes.

"Toscana" on my M box on location

You can see more of my artwork online:
Facebook page (open to the public)

fineartamerica.com    

(a variety of my work: prints and cards available) 
 artforconservation.com  
(limited edition canvas giclees) 

marygiacomini.com

MGiacominiart.blogspot.com