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The Painter
A painting newsletter from Christopher Leeper
J a n - F e b 2 0 1 5
The Painter
J a n u a r y - F e b r u a r y 2 0 1 5
Happy New Year
Workshops
Seems like a long time since I did my last newsletter. It has been. My schedule has made it really hard
to create it on a monthly basis. I will keep trying.
Lately, teaching has dominated my schedule with
a steady stream of classes between the studio and
Youngstown State University.
I have a few spring workshops coming. I hope you
can join me for one of those.
Happy painting!
Chris
March 10-13, Watercolor Workshop
Piqua, OH
Contact: Jordan Knepper
jordan@piquaartscouncil.org
April 18-19, Watercolor Workshop
MVWS, Youngstown, OH
Contact: elizbeth ford
ford-elizabeth@sbcglobal.net
May 2-3, Watercolor Workshop
Amherst, OH
Contact: Janine Beleski
jab44089@gmail.com
May 14-16, Watercolor Workshop
Southeastern Indiana Art Guild
Aurora, IN
Contact: Joan Abdon
joanabdon@yahoo.com
September 19-20, Watercolor Workshop
Decorative Arts Center of Ohio
Lancaster, OH
Contact: Trisha Clifford-Sprouse
clifford@decartsohio.org
Exhibitions
January 26-March 2, 2015
Medina County Highland Library
4160 Ridge Rd, Medina, OH
May 2015
Charlotte Fine Arts Gallery
Charlotte, NC
www.charlottefineart.com
Work featured in Plein Air Magazine
November 2015
Artworks Around Town
Wheeling, WV
I was happy to see my painting Along the Edges
featured in an article on flowers as painting
subjects in the March/April issue of PleinAir
Magazine.
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Weekly Classes in the Studio
Watercolor
Thursday: 10 am - 1 pm:
(fee - $35 per student/per class) Max of 5 students
This will be an ongoing class.
OIL
Tuesday: 10 am - 1 pm: (fee - $35 per student/per class) Max of 5 students
This will be an ongoing class.
These two classes are on a first-come basis. Please contact me ahead to reserve your spot in class.
These classes are usually full but sometimes there are openings. Classes must be confirmed
by an email or a phone call.
Private classes (any medium)
- Tuesday - 1:30 - 3:30 pm
- Thursday - 1:30 - 3:30 pm
Evening classes can be scheduled 6:30-8:30 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
My family schedule will determine availability.
Fee: 2 hour class: $50
These can be scheduled individually. They are not ongoing. Whatever fits a students schedule and
budget.
To schedule, contact me at:
leepart@zoominternet.net
or
330-793-5470
A nighttime shot of my messy studio after a long day of classes.
3
New Work
Yesterday’s Return
Because I spend so much time teaching, lately, my paintings have been done in a series of short sessions.
This makes it really hard to create momentum with an individual painting.
This painting began on a Saturday night in the house and not in the studio. My sons had their friend over
and my wife was away. As the boys tore the house apart, I kept an eye on them and did my block-in.
I didn’t get a chance to work on it again until the following Friday. During this session, I firmly established
the light and shadow effect. I painted it bit by bit over the next week. Usually a session would last about an hour
or so between or after classes. I had a clear sense of what I wanted to capture and even though things moved
slowly, I was able to complete it without too many changes.
The subject is Volant, PA. It is an area not too far from where I grew up. I worked from a photo I had taken
during a holiday drive to PA to visit family.
Yesterday’s Return
oil on linen on board,18x24
4
New Work
Frozen Sunrise
Block-in (As I look at this on the page,
I’m not sure why I had such a change of
heart from this initial version.)
This painting was the complete opposite of Yesterday’s Return.
I was doubting the concept almost from the start. My photo reference was a daytime (cloudy day) shot of the farm. I wanted to create
a painting of contrast that played a warm sky off of the cool snow.
I had a blurry cell phone pic of a sunset sky that I took while I was
shoveling the driveway. I used that as my sky reference.
I combined the references and did a simple block-in. The next
day I felt the silo was too dominant. I painted it out and changed
the angle of the barn. As the painting proceeded off and on for the
next week, I changed the sky; added and subtracted trees, cows and
fences.
The final painting is a sunrise and not a sunset. I kind of like the
overall cool and muted color scheme. However, with any painting
that goes through so many changes I feel a bit ambivalent about its
success or failure.
End of Season
oil on linen on board
24x30
5
Frozen Sunrise
oil on board, 16x20
New Work
Leaving Town
As I write these synopsis of each painting, I
sometimes get a sense of trends and themes in my
thinking. This painting is another low-key evening/
morning scene.
I started with a nighttime reference shot in Canfield. I liked the shapes, overall design and reflections. What I didn’t like was the township municipal
parking lot. I knew right away that I would change
the background and eliminate the business on the far
left.
I began using acrylics. When I saw the rather melancholy block-in, I got excited. It made me think of
Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska album. That album is
a poignant and stark reflection of mid western small
town America. I’m not a big Springsteen fan but I
love that album.
I switched over to oils and continued to build the
shapes and forms. After a couple sessions in oil I really had my doubts. The painting felt flat and lifeless.
The old house in the background seemed to create
tension with the brick building on the left middle
ground.
My first big change was to kill the house. I had
been driving the evening before and noticed a lit billboard. I liked the idea of a light rectangle to play off
of the brick building. I painted it in and then quit for
the night. The next day I looked at it and it seemed
obvious the billboard was too light and distracting.
Above is the early stage after the acrylic and first oil
block-in and the reference photo.
I painted it out and replaced it with a simple brick structure. The next and biggest change was the re-paint
of the sky. It takes up almost 50% of the painting and it needed more presence. Probably influenced by a lovely
sunset during the week, I added color and contrast. Suddenly, everything fell into place. The influence of the sky
allowed my to bring more color and warmth to the middle and foreground.
The fog was an accident of working color into the background. I liked the soft/hard contrast and decided to
go in that direction.
Final details like the poles and wires were done after the painting was sufficiently dry using masking tape. The
last detail was a cell phone tower. It just seemed appropriate for the scene. They are everywhere.
The title was a feeling of being on the edge of a small town and heading into the rural countryside. This is exactly what the route depicted does as it leaves the village of Canfield. I was also reminded of another Springsteen
title, Darkness on the Edge of Town.
6
Leaving Town,
acrylic/oil on linen, 24x36
7
New Work
Morning Blush
This farm is about a
half-mile from my house.
As I was driving home after
dropping my son off at
school, I saw this great light
effect. I hurriedly grabbed
my cell phone and shot a
blurry photo.
I started the painting as a
class demo and completed it
after several short sessions.
After staring at it for
a week, I decided that it
needed a bit more light
on the left. I also felt the
brushwork in the background was too fussy.
I’m satisfied with the
final painting.
Field Pattern, Oil on linen on board, 18x24
Morning Blush
oil on linen on board, 12x24
8
New Work
Sunset Moonrise
As is the theme of my
latest paintings, I went
through a big change with
this painting. I had the
idea of a moonrise at
sunset. My photo was
from the early afternoon
so I had to create the
effect.
My initial effort was
way off. I got excited with
the moon and dark sky.
After I painted it, I witnessed a moonrise/sunset
and observed that if the sun is still far enough above the horizon to create color on the trees then the sky around
the moon would be much lighter. I also geeked out on the tree detail-way too much.
The painting was an oil on board which is a slick surface to work on. Once the surface gets wet, subsequent
brushwork can be difficult. For this reason, I had to work in several short sessions which fit my schedule perfectly.
The band of light across the hill was the key element to pull things together. I also deleted many trees. They
seemed unnecessary.
I have a confession. This road is in Lisbon, OH and I travel it very often visiting family. Recently, I observed
a similar light effect and the sun would be more to the right which would shift my shadow angles. It will be our
secret.
Sunset Moonrise
oil on board, 12x24
9
New Work
January Evening
Sometimes I just feel like doing a big
watercolor. You get to use big brushes
and big washes. It is plenty of fun.
The reference is a photo shot in
Columbiana County, OH. Of course,
I was attracted to the sky but I was also
taken with the reflected light on the
snow.
The procedure was very straight
forward. Large wet into wet washes
were used for the sky and field. Once
everything was dry the background was
painted. Finally the buildings, trees and
grasses were painted.
Shimmer and Shadow, Oil on linen on board, 18x24
This painting represents a first for a couple reasons. It is the first painting done from an image captured with
my cell phone. I got a Samsung Galaxy 5 which has a great camera. I’m amazed at the quality of the photos.
It also is the first painting done with new paint from Michael Harding and Old Holland. These are expensive
brands but the pigment load and working properties are great.
The subject is Mill Creek and fairly typical of the light and shadow that I enjoy painting.
10
January Evening
watercolor on Waterford, 260 lb.
cold-pressed paper, 26x40
Demos
Demo done for the Ohio Watercolor Society in
conjunction with the Watercolor Ohio 2014 Travel
Exhibition, Medina Library, Medina, OH.
watercolor on Arches, 300 lb. cold-pressed paper
Studio demo
watercolor on Arches, 140 lb. cold-pressed paper
11
New Work
Reviving Dead Watercolors
I’m not sure why I ended up doing these two paintings. The painting (below left) was a studio painting done
as my students worked. I wanted to replicate the energy and looseness of a small study while doing a full-sheet
painting. The results were OK but not great. After my class left, I evaluated the painting. It seemed so drab and
lifeless. I decided to try something different. I grabbed my acrylics and a 1 inch brush and worked over all the
forms with simple flat brushwork. As I painted, the color interactions became more and more interesting. The
final painting is a departure from my usual work but I was satisfied with the result.
A couple days later I tried the same technique on an old autumn watercolor. I added snow and rocks and the
light effect. It wasn’t as daring as the previous painting but was enjoyable to paint.
12
This is not the first time I have worked over
watercolors with acrylics. Here are some older
paintings using the same technique.
Tranquility
30x40, acrylic over watercolor
Songs from the Wood
30x40, acrylic over watercolor
Stream of Myth and Legend
30x40, acrylic over watercolor
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Workshops in my studio
Workshops for six people or less. Topics
can include oils, acrylics, watercolor or
drawing. They can be scheduled in 2 or 3
day sessions, 9-5 each day. Classes must be
scheduled well in advance.
These workshops include demos, handouts
and lots of one-on-one attention. I try to
provide plenty of information in a short
amount of time. I can shape the workshop
to the group’s needs. You can bring your
own reference or we can work together on
the same subject. The workshop can also
be focused to learn a specific technique or
concept. Weather-permitting, these sessions can include plein air painting.
There is a new Hampton Inn just five miles
from the studio and many nearby restaurants and shopping venues. Your workshop
can also be combined with a visit to the
Butler Institute of American Art,
Youngstown, Ohio and/or a visit to
beautiful Mill Creek Park.
“
I have taken many workshops over the years and you have been the
most helpful. I learned more in three days than I have in the past 20
years. Plus, it was so much fun!
”
Fees:
1-2 students: 2 day class: $400 per student / 3-day class: $600 per student
3 students
2-day class: $275 per student / 3-day class: $400 per student
4 students: 2-day class: $200 per student / 3-day class: $300 per student
5-6 students: 2-day class: $150 per student / 3-day class: $250 per student
Call or email me if you have any questions or to schedule a workshop
Christopher Leeper Studio
4411 Mellinger Road / Canfield, OH 44406
330-793-5470 leepart@zoominternet.net www.christopherleeper.com