A few of my paintings from the February workshop

 "Callejon Cruz del Pueblo"

12x9 in. oil on panel

from day 2 of workshop

I like this one a lot. I perched myself right at the very top of the steep callejon, with the rest of the group below me and it was so peaceful and calm - a great place to paint!

  "Umaran Corner"

9x12 ins.

"Magazine Seller"

12x9 in.

This one was a demo done inside the studio for the students when it turned a bit cooler on the 4th. day. I used a photo from Guanajuato and laid the color over a medium dark background. I explained what I was doing during the process and the students seemed to feel they got a lot out of it. I'm not at all used to talking while I paint so it was quite an experience for me. 

I've only included these 3 paintings as I couldn't bring any of the others I started any where near completion during the workshop - I'll maybe work on the others this week.

Photos from our 2013 San Miguel de Allende Workshop

Feb. 2013 San Miguel de Allende Workshop Students and Instructors

back row: Tom Lips,  Leslie Roundstream,  Gail Pendell,  Kathryn Boll,  Mary Li,  Lucie Michel,  Gary Heger,  Donna Dickson,  Tom Dickson,  Eadie Richards,  Ian Carter

     front sitting: Cynthia G. Smith,  Carol O'toole,  Elena Sacal

We had a great group and a wonderful week of painting. It's always nice to see impressive results and also gratifying to hear appreciation for the teachers efforts. I want to congratulate all of you for work well done. It would be a pleasure to paint with you again in the future.

We had quite a mix of media, techniques and even weather this year. It was warm the first 3 days but on the last two it turned quite abnormally chilly. Most opted to paint indoors at the gallery on Friday and Tom Lips was nice enough to offer the use of his beautiful home on Saturday. So, we ended up with some very nice interior compositions in addition to the street and landscapes done earlier in the week. 

Tom Lips and Mary Li tackling a very simple subject..... and tackled well it was, as it were, in their hands! Congrats - it was a tough one! Both paintings had a tremendous feeling of depth, good color and design. Obviously these two have got "the stuff".

Our first morning out, drawing lots of attention from tourists that can't be seen in this picture. The famous parroquia is just behind us but I think on this particular morning it was us getting most of the attention. How could we concentrate? - no problem for plein air painters - we ignored the crowd and had a great time learning about the principals of color.

Kathryn, Lucy and Carol in the studio building on that first cool day. They, Eadie and Gail picked the brightest location under the huge central skylight and painted with water media to their hearts content.

I'm giving some pointers to Tom Lips here, who soaks up information pertaining to oil painting like a sponge. He has made tremendous progress since we've known him and he claims our instruction has had a lot to do with it.

Leslie Roundstream with full plein air gear painting alongside some company in the form of an ancient Otomi Indian shrine in the middle of a field in San Miguel Viejo. Les got 2 terrific results that day in the space of about 3 hours!

from left: Kathryn, Ian and Carol, painting at Cruz del Pueblo

Gail with some new amigitos assisting her in the Jardin

Eadie painting at "the Cruz"

Gretchen and Cynthia higher up the "mountain" at Cruz del Pueblo. They were a little chilly in the shade that morning - their blood having been thinned by too much time on the tropical beach sands at Syulita.

Tom demonstrating oil technique back in the gallery with Gary and Mary.

Elena with her chosen terrace, mid-elevation at "the Cruz"

and Lucie a little further down-slope, at the end of another happy session of plein air painting.