VFAA Artist’s Forum

By Linda Onderko
Collage is one of my favorite art mediums so when I saw the plea in the Commerce Township Library newsletter, I responded immediately.

They wanted a collage made from the items taken out of the books donated for the used book sales over the years. I was given a box of stuff – everyday, special, ordinary, touching, worthless, priceless, stuff. The kind of stuff you or I would slip between the pages of a book for a variety of reasons, sometimes just to get rid of it.

Many were actual bookmarks intentionally used, other things serving as such, while other items seemed to be filed away to be protected and saved. It was like an archeological dig. Or opening a time capsule. Some items had dates on them confirming their half-century status.

They came from so many varieties of places but they all ended up there, in that box, ready for their next incarnation. And that common destiny amuses me and invokes questions of randomness and fate in that “who’da thunk?”way….who’da thunk that all these disparate items would end up here in this artistic union?

And maybe it’s not the end, either. Who knows what these will evolve into over time???? I ended up making two 24 x 36 collages and still had stuff left over. The Library has already started a new collection box! I presented the collages at their annual meeting the other evening and read the poem that I was compelled to write after completing this project.

They were all pleased. Yay! I believe strongly in public art and am glad to participate in its presence in the world and encourage you to look for your own opportunity, too. The rewards feed the soul, if not the body. And there’s that fun thing, too. Also good for the soul. And you never know when your volunteer efforts may net you a paying gig!! Another good thing.

By Tamera Menard Scannell

In part 2 of Tamera’s article, she talks about her color palette, clothing and gear and some hazards that can accompany plein air painting.

Laying the palette colors out…

Generally for winter I use Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna, Ultramarine Blue, Cobalt Blue, Viridian, Yellow Ochre, Naples Yellow, Cadmium Yellow, Alizarin Crimson, Dioxide Purple and White. I leave out the Cadmium Yellow Light and Cadmium Red until spring is closer. I try to keep a simple palette and have learned to mix any colors I need, or that I see in nature. A disposable palette works great on top of my Soltek palette. For brushes I use mostly blunts and flats with a few small rounds for tree branches or details. I have a small portable turp can for odorless mineral spirits and a baby food jar with walnut oil for a medium. All of these materials fit into a back pack with a few rags for clean up.

The night before I also get out my clothes…

For winter this means heavy wool socks, Sorel boots, foot and hand warmers, thermal underwear, under armor shirts, wool sweater, flannel lined blue jeans, carhart overalls and a warm jacket with a hood. I also use a nose face cover, a fur hat, scarf, sun glasses, and of course my own patented painting glove. I also prep and tint my gessoed masonite 11 x 14 boards and put them in the Ray-mar carry case. Once geared up I am in trouble if I have to use the bathroom!

Beware of the dangers associated with Plein Air Painting!

First of all you are outside so obviously you need to consider the elements, and the creatures you will and do encounter! Heat stroke and frost bite are serious concerns but beware of stranger danger! If you are painting alone somewhere, make sure you are in a safe place or have a cell phone! Just as important… make sure you get permission before you take a group of people on someone else’s land. We have had close calls with angry property owners at a sunflower field and a cider mill when a few of our members wandered too far over the line… so make sure you are allowed! Also if painting near a road, be far enough off the road so that if onlookers accidentally rear end each other, they don’t end up running off the road into you! True story, this has happened! Also be aware that some Plein Air Painting groups hike far distances in order to obtain a great view, so have light weight, portable gear and good shoes. Remember anything could happen! We have been painting when all of a sudden a thunder storm blew in, or a snowstorm dumped inches of snow on our easels in a matter of minutes!

Besides mace and bug spray, some painters always have sunflower seeds in their pack for the occasional chickadee hand feeding in the park! The dangers and risks are minimal compared to the experience and the wonderful paintings!

Tamera Menard Scannell is part of the Michigan Plein Air Painters, who meet every Saturday at the Kensington Metropark Nature Center at 8 a.m., rain or shine!

By Tamera Menard Scannell

What is Plein Air Painting? Everyone asks me, what do you mean you were painting outside last weekend, were you painting the trim on your house? No. “Plein Air” painting means open air, or painting outside. During some seasons it is a true pleasure with the smell of blooming flowers and baby groundhogs frolicking at your feet, or with the smell of fall and all of creation’s colors emerging like a burst of excitement! Watching leaves dance in the wind and critters flying around you, actually connecting to nature itself at its core. That is the true meaning of Plein Air painting, making a connection to nature, living breathing and recording your connection. In the winter the blue shadows and crisp orange oak leaves flatter an otherwise gray scene, but the bitter frigid cold can wear on you. 13 degrees is tolerable in sunshine but in a windy overcast spot, you better be dressed well and planning to do a very fast painting! Then there is summer at her worst in the sticky months of 90 degrees with the humidity and pesky bugs dancing on your sweaty brow!

Sometimes we wonder what is harder, frozen fingers or dripping sweat in the oil paint on your palette! Ultimately the hardest part of Plein Air painting for newcomers is the fast changing light conditions. Even the very best studio painters may crank out a stinker because they tried to “chase the light” as we call it. An overcast day is probably the best lighting condition for a new Plein Air painter to experience. The benefits of painting outdoors are numerous! Studio painting is a controlled atmosphere with controlled lighting, etc. Outdoor painting is stimulating and challenging! It is more than just painting; it is a well rounded experience with friends, nature, elements, and creating a painting to remember that experience.

The colors you see in nature cannot be duplicated with a camera! If you use a small gray index card with a hole punched in the middle, and look through it at various things you will be amazed! Trees are not always only green and the sky is certainly not only blue! Your eyes start to learn a new way of seeing and your paintings magically evolve! Plein Air Painting is a refreshing experience that is well worth every minute of effort! It may take some time for you to get the hang of it but I promise it is worth it! The memories are priceless!

The Michigan Plein Air Painters meet every Saturday at the Kensington Metropark Nature Center at 8 a.m., rain or shine!

By Sue Gollon, 2009 VFAA Executive Director

The Village Fine Arts Association wants to extend a hearty “Thank You!” to Saint George’s Café and a reminder to all Milford residents to remember and support your local merchants.

Saturday April 25th was the VFAA’s 17th annual Poetry Art Night (PAN) Coffee House event at the Milford Library. For the last several years, Zaydees Coffeehouse has supported PAN’s poetry, art and music with discounted coffee. This year, we received a call at 3:30 pm that Zaydees had lost power and was unable to supply the event, which was to open at 6:30 that night. EEK! Calls went out to national chain Starbucks and to Saint Georges Café, which was actually closed at the time. While Starbucks stores weren’t able to help, owner Christine St. George and her staff were available AND advised us not to worry. The VFAA PAN event was covered for coffee as needed at her cost, and delivery of full coffee service directly to the Library right before the event!

So, please Milfordites, remember to support those local merchants that are able and willing to support your local community groups in a pinch! Keep it local!

Sometimes it just takes a glance into your own yard to be inspired by art. Artists have a way of mixing visual ideas into new creations…and apparently, so does nature. Note the beautiful butterfly moth caught in the act on a petunia in Donna’s yard.

From Suzanne Haskew, a founding member of the VFAA,
There is so much stored in our brain, much more than we ever use.  Like favorite books we read and cant bear to discard, our memories sit upon the bookshelves of our mind gathering dust and taking up space, silently calling to be rediscovered.  Each one of these episodes help make us into the person we are today.  I propose that we take them out and review and renew.  In so doing, it helps us understand ourselves and eventually heals old wounds.  It allows us to visit the person we were as the person we are today.

Our brain is much like muscle.  It responds to exercise much the same way a muscle will react.  If the arteries pump blood into barely used veins and the blood gets a warm flowing path established, the brain can then expand.   Some of the lessons learned and long forgotten will help bring judgment to today’s decisions.  The most ideal time to begin is when you are ready for bed.  Just before you turn out the lights choose and arbitrary date and write it down on a piece of paper.

Evening #1
In my mind I have chosen the spring of 1956, lets make it April. It is a warm day and I am walking home from school. I am 16 and a junior in High School.  I am going steady.  My boy friend has a new 56 Chevy.  He is blond and has high cheek bones.  We like to dance and when we dance close I can smell the starch in his shirt.  He is on the high school newspaper staff and will be the editor next year. He cant drive me home today because he has a staff meeting.  I work hard to remember the house we lived in at the time.  I  try to envision myself on the front porch.  I open the door and enter.  I see the mirror on the wall.

Look at the carpet on the living room floor.  I see the stairs off to the right with the iron railing.  The more details I can remember the stronger the memory becomes.  I try to recall the color of the walls.  Are there any paintings on the walls?  Where are the lamps?  Is there a ceiling fixture? I see the couch against the windowed wall and the coffee table with the glass top.  I mentally measure the room and as I do I see the huge forced air register in the center of the floor.

As you work your way through your visionary trip you will most likely end up sleeping soundly right about now.  That is why it is important to write the date you decided to work with on a sheet of paper next to your bed.  The following night you will find you can very easily pick up where you left off. 

All it takes is a couple moments and you are back in the living room.  Sometimes the vision becomes so strong you can even smell the cigarettes from a full ash tray.

Evening #2
I am back in the living room.  I am wearing my spring coat.  I hang it in the coat closet and remember the tight packed closet.  I can smell my Mothers perfume on the fur collar of her coat.  I walk into the dining room and see the black telephone I take time to look at the photographs on the buffet.  I push back the curtains and study what I can see of the back yard through the window.

I suggest you try this.  Not only will you get a good nights rest but it will give you inspirations to create.