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OUR quarterly NEWSLETTER filled with INTERVIEWS & TIPS for your ENJOYMENT
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Summer 2016
Set includes 10 brushes (all Long Handles): Series 279 Masters Choice Flats, Sizes: 1-5, & 8 Ivory Long Flats, Sizes: 4, 6, 8 Ivory Round, Size: 2/0
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It’s TIME to SPRING into SUMMER
W
elcome to the new and improved quarterly newsletter! We’ve filled this full of information, tips and advice, so it’s time to grab a cup of tea and relax. A lot has been going on at Rosemary & Co over the last few months. We’ve celebrated being at the new workshop for one year, and Rosemary and I travelled to Cuba with 100 Plein Air artists. Over the next few months we’re looking forward to all of the upcoming events and getting out of the workshop. We’ve included where we will be towards the back of this issue, so if you’re close by, please come and say hello! As always, I’d like to thank everyone involved in this issue. Without all of your support, these newsletters wouldn’t be such fun to produce. I’d also like to invite the readers to get involved, and get in touch! We’re on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, so feel free to post a photo, we love seeing what you’re all up to. Summer is just round the corner, it’s time to go out and paint!
SIGN UP for a COPY of OUR NEWSLETTER Sign up for a free online copy of this newsletter at: www.rosemaryandco.com/newsletter Or if you would like a hard copy through the post please email your address to: enquiries@rosemaryandco.com
Do YOU run an ART group, ATELIER, or SCHOOL? If you’d like us to send enough copies of the newsletter for your students we are happy to do so. Get in touch! The same goes if you’d like us to visit.
WANT to get INVOLVED? If you’d like to be involved with the quarterly newsletter, we’d love to hear from you! We’re always looking for fun stories to feature, brushes to be reviewed, books to be read and so on. Get in touch and you could see your name amongst these pages.
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Rosemary & Co Artists’ Brushes, PO BOX 372, Keighley, West Yorkshire, England, BD20 6WZ. UK: 01535 632666 Int’l: +44 1535 632666
Symi Jackson, Sales & Marketing Director.
E & OE
W: www.rosemaryandco.com E: enquiries@rosemaryandco.com
{CONTENTS} 05
YOUR LETTERS
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FRIENDS in FOCUS
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BLOG, Blogging, BLOGGERS!
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ONES to WATCH on SOCIAL Media
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UPCOMING EVENTS this YEAR
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MASTER from the PAST
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New BOOKS on the SHELF
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You ASKED, we ANSWERED
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Featured MASTER ROGER Jones
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BRUSH reviews and ADVICE
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Featured GUEST TONY Merrick
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FACE to FACE by JULES LANG
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The fastest ART in the WORLD
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100 ARTISTS paint CUBA
COVER IMAGE Fleetwood Smack, FD27, Abersoch Harbour, 20 x 16 in Oil. Courtesy of Roger Jones. Read more about the meaning of this title on our blog. http://blog.rosemaryandco.com
YOUR LETTERS We LOVE to HEAR from YOU Good morning, Yes, the pest is alive and well(ish). I have survived an op on my right hand and feel less annoyed as a result, it did not impede my ability to lift a teacup or raise a libation. I admit I did practice using my left hand for these vital pastimes but in the end the practice was not needed. I even managed with true Brit grit determination to release the heavily guarded portal to the glass cage of Bacchus and release his life giving sustenance! I still have at least 12 visits a year to various hospital waiting rooms around the country, great source of fun, to check my ticker which now is down to 30% function. I have become a national guinea pig. True, but I am not looking for sympathy as the whole village knows and I get, as a perk, to walk to the head of the queue, the post office is great for that. I dropped something whilst in there the last time and a 98 year old lady bent down to pick it up, embarrassing or what? Enough of this idle chit chat, I will be visiting the UK next month, about the 10th, so will be sending a small order I am trying to piece together and will ask you to deliver it to me there. Kind regards, please send us some of your rain... Alfred Smith, Italy Thank you for getting in touch Alfred, your £20 gift voucher is in the post. If you would like to be picked out of the hat for next months gift voucher, please send us your letters.
Rosemary & Co
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{FRIENDS in FOCUS} We talk to The SALMAGUNDI CLUB
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first stumbled upon the SC last January, two suitcases full of brushes in tow, and snow up to my knees. I was immediately made to feel so welcome; the Salmagundi Club is somewhere I will always make time to visit when I’m in New York. Back in 1871, a group of art students and friends gathered in the studio of sculptor Jonathan Scott Hartley to form a sketch class. Each week a subject was selected for the following meeting and the sketches would then be critiqued by the group. 06
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The atmosphere was rather casual, some would say bohemian, where boxing matches would sometimes be staged as a diversion before a repast was shared by the members. Today, the Salmagundi Club is more than just a venue for their members to exhibit work. The Salmagundi is also a centre where artists can regularly interact in communal artistic activity. These activities include sketch classes, building camaraderie, club pride and club spirit in the process. Today the Salmagundi is experiencing a renaissance, remaining a vital force in
the growing resurgence of representational art, as can be witnessed in the growth of its membership and the quality of work that hangs in its galleries. As the Club approaches the centennial of its life at 47 Fifth Avenue in 2017 and its 150th anniversary in 2021, it will continue to strive to maintain the highest standards while providing a safe haven for its members to exhibit, create and exchange ideas. We are extremely grateful for the Salmagundi Club making us so welcome when we visit. Please visit their website at: www.salmagundi.org
{BLOG, Blogging, BLOGGERS!} WHY are we TALKING about BLOGGING?
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ou might be thinking, ‘What is a blog?’, ‘Why do I need to blog?’, ‘Who reads a blog?’ and so on. I’ve asked myself the same question a million times over, but the truth is it’s all about reinforcing your brand, and giving people who are interested more information.
you’ve just entered, or an upcoming exhibition? We’ve just launched a new blog at Rosemary & Co and I’d like to invite you to take a look. Our blog includes frequently asked questions, upcoming events, product reviews and extended information from the newsletters. If you’ve got something you’d like us to share on our blog, get in touch.
Blogging is an important platform at your finger tips to reach people across the globe. It’s a way to inform people of your news, tips, advice and any useful information you think others would benefit from. What about a competition
My top tips for your blog would be to make it simple, memorable, and inviting. Give people a reason to be interested in you, and your art. Please visit our blog at: http://blog.rosemaryandco.com Rosemary & Co
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{Our FEATURED MASTER} We TALK to Painter ROGER JONES Roger formerly directed wildlife films as a Senior Producer for the renowned BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol, England for series such as The Natural World and Wildlife on One.
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ecently while completing a series of oil paintings, I received the surprise and welcome gift of a watercolour painting brush from Rosemary. I work in oils and watercolour (something I can recommend for several creative reasons), and as I was intending to move on to new watercolour work, I felt inspired by the gift to give the brush a whirl along with a few other Rosemary brushes I use. Fig 1. Roger Jones oil painting on location in North Wales. Fig 2. Resultant oil sketch, almost complete. 08
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In my approach to and use of watercolours and oils, I find that despite their obvious simple differences there are similarities they share. Such as, how atmospheric and moody effects make for an effective (and saleable) painting; how an understanding of tonal values is so crucial and particularly, in the discipline and techniques (what I call ‘trade secrets’ and ‘good habits’) of how their paints are applied. Both media are to be enjoyed because they are different challenges and can be met by skills, techniques, good habits and disciplines common to both. Try painting the same subject in both and you’ll discover the differences and the delights. Your work will have broader appeal too.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Atmosphere-into the Light. In either medium I need very few brushes. Fig 4. The brushes I use. From the left: RJB SP 12; a large Squirrel mop; a very worn synthetic/hair mixture to mix paint on the palette. I always use tube paints, mostly Windsor and Newton. Bad as this brush looks it does the job and I’ve had it so long the name has worn away. Why damage your expensive Kolinsky sables by scrubbing away at paint? Next a Series 88, size 10 (excellent for line and wash/wash and line work). Series 22, size 8 (the gift). Series 22, size 4 (not here) is also useful. And that’s it, 6 at the most. (The sketch behind the brushes was done with the 22, size 8 alone and a limited palette of: Indigo/Raw Sienna/ Light Red. So what might be some of these good habits? It’s important as to exactly how these few brushes are used. If ‘every picture tells a story’, it is the many different marks you make which become the ‘words’ in your painting ‘vocabulary’. The more marks/words the more ‘articulate’ you become. With practice and experimenting ‘fluency’, your individual ‘style’ of expression should emerge.
Fig 4
Fig 5. Limited palette, one brush painting: Below Pienza, Tuscany. It’s possible to coax all sorts of marks out of each brush depending on how you handle it and crucially how you load it; plus understanding the consistency of paint needed, thick, thin or thinner. Oils too. Also do not over mix paints. Allow those lovely colours, 1, 2, 3, even 4, to mingle in the brush, on the paper, from sopping wet to dry. Resulting in - what I call ‘prismatic’ rainbow effects. ‘Mingle not mix’ is my mantra. This only works of course if you are disciplined enough not to go over the same brush stroke twice. ‘One stroke and move on’ the mantra here. Continued overleaf.
Fig 5 Rosemary & Co
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Fig 6
Fig 7
‘‘LET the BRUSH, paints, PAPER & water WORK their MAGIC.’’
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ver mixing paints with repetitive brush strokes is for decorators not we painters. Mingling is so useful where observed un-interesting surfaces can be given more life and interest, e.g. vegetation. The resulting variegation does the job. Fig 6. Old Barn and Tractor. fig 7. The Beach at Beer. You don’t have to re-create what you see, just re-design. Experiment with limited palettes to hone your skills at mixing and mingling. See what alternative lookalike colours you can discover. The results will be more compelling than reality, the ‘art of the possible’. One of the challenges of painting is to explore how to interpret a subject in differing ways, and working in two mediums helps. There are fundamental good habits, disciplines, techniques and your own trade secrets to discover to yours and others delight. 10
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Please visit Roger’s site: www.roger-jones.co.uk For more information about Roger Jones brush sets please visit our site and search for Roger Jones.
The ROGER JONES Brush Set A WATERCOLOURISTS Dream This beautiful size 12 Kolinsky Sable brush with a ‘magic tip’ was designed by Roger and is used for all his watercolours. The extra tip allows exact detail whilst the typical belly of Kolinsky Sable hair enables fluid carrying capacity like no other and is complimented by adding a size 8 & 4 to make a set. Roger’s brush set consists of the Size 12SP, Size 8 & 4 Pure Kolinsky Sable Set.
Roger can be found at: www.roger-jones.co.uk
Sizes 8 & 4 of Roger’s set are our Series 33 Kolinsky Sable
FULL SET AVAILABLE FOR
£76 $90
HOW DO YOU CHOOSE YOUR MEDIA? Oils and watercolours for me, have equal preference. I think its important to work across more than one medium as they pose different, but enjoyable challenges. And your work will have broader appeal, (and sales you hope). Despite obvious differences I find they do have similarities, particularly in their handling. WHICH ONE TO USE? Depends on my personal mood as much as the subject, so I keep both sets of kit in the back of the car, plus important sketch books.
HOW MANY BRUSHES DO YOU USE? The fewer the better, in either medium, as this obliges you to discover the wide range of useful marks you can make. ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’ remember! WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO A YOUNGER SELF OR ANY OTHER ASPIRANT? Be wary of the distraction of fads and fashions; work dressed in the ‘Emperor’s new clothes’. Be true to yourself, and honest in your work.
FAVOURITE COLOURS? In oils-cobalt violet, naples yellow, flesh tint, buff titanium, NOT just for their actual colour but for how they can be combined, even mixed, with other colours. Watercolourslots. About seventeen at the last count! But I usually use fewer.
Have one man shows, then find a gallery who is REALLY interested in you, your work, and offers encouraging feedback.
DO YOU RUN WORKSHOPS AND DEMOS? I offer demos and workshops to art societies countrywide and each July and August contribute to the Marlborough College Summer School, this year three courses; one watercolour, two in oils. I have an inclusive view of tutoring and being self taught and will show/tell all I know; no secrets. I prefer working 1:1 or 1:2, and provide all the best materials, including lunch!
And lastly, listen to your partner as he or she represent the critical viewing public, if they say WOW! to a painting, great. If they say crushingly, WHY?- you are in trouble!
Use the best materials you can afford, as painting is just like cooking.
Images courtesy of Roger Jones. To read more of this interview please visit our blog at: http://blog.rosemaryandco.com Rosemary & Co
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{BRUSH reviews, and ADVICE} The RIGGER/LINER brush By Kate Steenhauer
Award winning artist, Kate Steenhauer discussses the importance of lines.
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rawing is at the root of Steenhauer’s work. Her style is quick with successive markmaking and intense and loosely-drawn lines amalgamating on the surface of each body of her work. As the fine detail aims to create character, gesture and movement, the overall design aims to evoke a harmonious atmosphere. 12
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Kate has won several awards including a Royal Scottish Academy Award and exhibits regularly at the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh, the Mall Galleries and Royal College of Art in London. Her work is in private collections as well as purchased by the Maritime Museum of Aberdeen and Angus Council in Scotland.
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am an award-winning artist living and working in Scotland. I am dedicated to building a record of life behind Scottish industries and landscapes using printmaking and oil painting. In my oil painting I have used Rosemary’s paint brushes, in particular the Shiraz rigger brushes, for the last 5 years. My oil painting technique applied to very rough surfaces puts significant demands on these brushes. The layers of paint are built up through various types of markmaking where the density and movement of lines give a sense of form. In my figures I strive for fluidity. The people are drawn loosely, aiming to capture the essence of their activity, emphasising movement in dissonance to the heavy machinery or rigid structures in my paintings of Scottish industries and landscapes.
Rosemary’s riggers lend themselves greatly to this way of painting. The brushes withstand rough textured surfaces, maintaining their shape and spring, allowing for control and accuracy. They have a great filling capacity to aid my expression, giving a long-lasting, rewarding flow on the rugged wooden panels. The various sizes of the brushes allow a great flexibility in paint application enabling me to work in various scales of panels, giving me a brush stroke ranging from an extremely fine line to a more spontaneous broad mark. The quality of the rigger brushes is very high making its use an enjoyable experience. Images courtesy of Kate Steenhauer. See more of Kate’s work at: www.katesteenhauer.com For more information visit our website and search for riggers. We hand make rigger brushes for oils, Acrylics and watercolours. Rosemary & Co
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{BRUSH reviews, and ADVICE} When DAGGERS are DRAWN
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s with many of our brushes at Rosemary & Co, we rely on the world’s top artists to tell us what they need and work hard to make the specific brush for them. At the beginning of 2015, Australian artist, Liz Steel contacted us and asked if we could make a brush shorter than the sword liner (a dagger brush), but in the larger sizes, and suitable for travelling. Liz describes why she uses a dagger, ‘‘Mainly to get more expressive strokes – thin strokes like a rigger, big wider strokes like a flat and lots of other expressive calligraphic marks.
A lot of artists use a dagger with precision, however I have not tried to master it in this way as my natural flow is to work fast and loose. I allow my dagger to twist and do crazy things on me and as a result sometimes get a few strange marks. There is no doubt that using a dagger has taught me a lot about being deliberate with my brushstrokes and this has paid off when I use a round brush’’. Liz is part of an extensive network of urban sketchers, and the need for the dagger brush in larger sizes became more apparent when we were contacted by several other top artists desperate to try this new innovation. For more information please visit our website and search for Red Sable Blend Dagger, Series 772.
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‘‘There is no doubt that using a dagger has taught me a lot about being deliberate with my brushstrokes...’’ - Liz Steel
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t was only last week that a friend of Liz’s, Suhita Shirodkar wrote to me, ‘‘While I love having an assortment of brushes to play with, I find that I tend to gravitate towards a brush or two that I use almost exclusively when I paint. Right now the brush that works magically across all my work, from smaller urban sketches created on location to larger studio figure studies is the Rosemary Series 772.
transition between thick and thin strokes itself holds so many varied and subtle stroke widths you can produce”. The smaller 1/4” size is also available as a travel/reversible brush. Images courtesy of Liz Steel www.lizsteel.com/swords-and-daggers sketchaway.wordpress.com
I love the versatility of this brush: just a twist of the hand, and I can fine-line and draw with it, and then I can move back to the wide, flat side for bold, painterly brushstrokes: it is a lot like using a sword brush, but with much more control. And unlike a regular flat brush (which can also give you thick and thin strokes), the angled dagger shape of the brush means that the Rosemary & Co
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{Our FEATURED GUEST} From CASTLEFORD to CARCASONNE By Tony Merrick, ROI
Tony Merrick was born in Castleford, West Yorkshire, England in 1948, the birthplace of sculptor and artist Henry Moore.
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he son of a coalminer, Merrick won a scholarship to the local grammar school before going on to study Fine Art at Hull College of Art where he gained a First Class Honours, Dip AD. He then went on to Chelsea School of Art gaining a Higher Diploma in Art in 1974. At that time, he was producing large abstract works, up to 12 ft in dimensions and exhibited with the Young Contemporaries, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester; The Whitechapel Art Gallery, London; Surrey University and the Museum of Modern Art, Oxford. His recent work however, could be described as loose figurative. Tony spent 7 years at Fray’s College of Adult Education, Uxbridge before 16
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setting up on his own to teach privately. He now runs successful classes at New Denham Community Centre, Oxford Road, Uxbridge, teaching pastel, oils and watercolour. I am currently working on, amongst other things, a series of “paintings about painting” - studio studies, tubes of colours, easels, brushes, jars and the usual detritus that accumulates during the process of making pictures. I would describe myself as a studio painter, rather than a plein air painter. My working process is, I suppose, contemplative, nudging shapes and fugitive colour around until they have a sense of rightness - “dancing in the dark” is the closest way of describing it.
‘‘My weakness has always been to prefer the large intention of an unskillful artist to the trivial intention of an accomplished one: in other words, I am more interested in the high ideas of a feeble executant than in the high execution of a feeble thinker.’’ - Thomas Hardy Having said that, when painting landscapes; I always draw directly from nature, with charcoal, pen and ink or by making small oil sketches. I paint in France and Italy but am especially drawn to the Yorkshire landscape, Swaledale and Wharfedale in particular. It is where I walked and fished as a youngster, so I know the land. Thomas Hardy was a countryman with mud on his boots, hence his poetry reads as honest and true, with a sense of place, that’s what I aim for too. Quiet colours in minor keys (when the whole world is shouting, try a whisper) and
an awareness of the quality of the marks, are vitally important to me. So Rosemary and Co’s brushes are ideal. They retain their spring, are really well made and I use their Ivory range of filberts as a matter of course. The 24” handle brushes are great for larger works, and the Egbert range gives wonderfully lively and varied marks.
Images courtesy of Tony Merrick. To find out information on Tony’s classes and his work please visit his website: www.tonymerrick.com Rosemary & Co
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{FACE to FACE} POSE, composition, TONE and COLOUR By Michael Jules Lang
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paint portraits and find the practice endlessly fascinating. I paint other genres but always come back to portraits. What is it about portraits? I have often wondered. There are some particular characteristics about portraits. The sitter only sees him or herself live when looking in a mirror, so that seeing their portrait for the first time as a non-mirror image can induce a slightly uncanny feeling. Also the sitter is so used to their facial features that seeing them in paint may make them consider them afresh. The artist may focus on a feature that they think is key to the sitter’s physiognomy or character, but which the sitter may or may not have noticed. A loose painting may leave a lot to the imagination of the viewer (but nevertheless reach the essence of the sitter), which may initially appear strange to the viewer. A portrait usually shows the head much larger than in a photograph. 18
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After some preliminary thinking in terms of the pose, composition, tonal and colour thumbnails etc., I prefer to paint somewhat loosely in a spontaneous and expressive way. In spite of having rather a large number of brushes of all sorts in my studio, in practice for canvases up to 20 x 16 inch (50 x 40 cm) I use just two large size 12 Classic short flat brushes and nothing else. I really like their firmness and durability. I find that I can make all the marks that I want using the flat of the brush, a portion of the flat (by twisting the brush a little), the edge or the corner. For large canvases I use larger brushes. Just two brushes saves time too in not having to swap between lots of brushes, as well as giving the bonus of reducing brush washing time! Images courtesy of Michael Jules Lang. See more of Michael’s work at: www.michaeljuleslang.com
{ARTISTS around the WORLD} ONES to WATCH on SOCIAL MEDIA
Timothy Rees
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n 2009 Tim Rees picked up his first set of oil paints and never looked back. Currently living in Arizona, Rees teaches at the Scottsdale Artists’ School, where he has developed and initiated an academic-based traditional training program. TimothyERees
Jenny Oldknow
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Thorgrimur Einarsson
nspired by her love of all kinds of animals, the countryside and nature, Jenny’s expressive ink drawings and paintings show her love of animals, the British countryside, the natural world and poetry.
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horgrimur was born in Reykjavik, in 1980. Primarily in oils, he emphasises ‘’accurate’’ drawing, values and colour, yet aspires to capture his subject as honestly as possible whilst articulating its emotional impact.
@jenoldknow
thorgrimur.art
KEEP in TOUCH by FOLLOWING us ON... FACEBOOK: Rosemary & Co Artists Brushes
TWITTER: Rosemary&Co @rosemaryandco
INSTAGRAM: Rosemary Brushes
LINKEDIN: Rosemary & Co Artists Brushes
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UPCOMING EVENTS this YEAR See you there
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APRIL 14TH - 17TH 18th Annual Art of the Portrait Conference Hyatt Regency Reston, 1800 Presidents St, Reston, VA, 20190, USA For more information visit: www.portraitsociety.org
MAY 14TH - 15TH Art Waves Festival 2016 The Spa Bridlington, South Marine Drive, Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, LL30 1TE, UK For more information visit: www.thespabridlington.com
APRIL 15TH - 19TH 5th Plein Air Convention and Expo El Conquistador Resort, 10555 North LaCanada, Oro Valley, AZ, 85737, USA For more information visit: www.pleinairconvention.com
JUNE 9TH - 12TH Patchings Art Festival 2016 Patchings Art Centre, Oxton Road, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG14 6NU, UK For more information visit: www.patchingsartcentre.co.uk
MAY 6TH - 15TH Forgotten Coast En Plein Air, America’s Great Paint-Out Capturing Florida’s coast from alligator point to Mexico beach. For more information visit: www.pleinairfl.com
JULY 14TH - 17TH Art in Action 2016 Waterperry House, Waterperry, Near Wheatley, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX33 1LG, UK For more information visit: www.artinaction.org.uk
MAY 12TH - 15TH Oil Painters of America’s Twenty-fifth Annual National Exhibition Southwest Gallery, 4500 Sigma Road, Dallas, 75244, USA For more information visit: www.oilpaintersofamerica.com
AUGUST 12TH - 13TH North Wales Artfest Festival Information Point, Craig-y-Don Community Centre, Queens Road, Llandudno, Wales, LL30 1TE, UK For more information search on Facebook: North Wales ArtFest
Rosemary & Co
{MASTER from the PAST} NORMAN ROCKWELL (1894-1978) By Linda Dobkin
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Norman Rockwell was one of the greatest Twentieth Century American oil painters and illustrators. Being an illustrator, he wasn't considered a serious artist among his peers and the art world.
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is art portrayed American history and culture. His paintings were rich in texture and evoked emotions. In 1943, he painted four paintings, inspired by a speech given by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. These paintings displayed four basic human rights. They were known as the four fears.
IMAGES ABOVE: 1. Freedom of Fear. This painting shows two children being safely tucked into bed by their parents.
On December 4, 2013, Sotheby's sold three of Rockwell's paintings, “Saving Grace” for $46 million, “The Gossips” for $8.45 million, and “Walking to Church” for $3.2 million. Saving Grace was the highest paid price for a painting at an American art auction.
3 . Freedom From Want. This painting displays a family enjoying a festive meal together.
“The view of life I communicate in my pictures excludes the sordid and ugly. I paint life as I would like it to be.”
2. Freedom of Worship. This depicts people from all walks of life praying together.
4. F reedom of Speech. This exhibits a young man speaking his opinion even though he was the minority.
Images courtesy of www.art.co.uk Rosemary & Co
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{The fastest ART in the WORLD} An ART MISSION to the ISS
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aintings by well-known American artists Richard Schmid and Nancy Guzik were successfully delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) on Dec 9th 2015 by the Cygnus spacecraft. As part of a joint science/art mission which included a science experiment from students at Valley Christian High School in San Jose, CA, Richard and Nancy’s art is now orbiting the planet every 93 minutes! An earlier attempt to send their art (and that of Richard’s granddaughter, Samantha) to the ISS failed when the Falcon 9 supply rocket carrying the artwork exploded shortly before 22
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achieving orbit. Undaunted, Richard and Nancy made a new set of paintings for this successful second attempt. Richard expressed his thanks for this achievement to James Nadir, a Silicon Valley engineer who retired from Intel and now mentors students in the Valley Christian High School ISS program. An artist himself, Jim had invited Richard, Nancy and Samantha to create art to accompany his students’ science experiment on its voyage to the ISS. Breathing a sigh of relief at this successful second attempt, Jim remarked, “So it’s now OK to say Richard Schmid and Nancy Guzik have the fastest art in the world!”
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ommenting on the mission, Jim said, “What is important is not only that their art is orbiting our planet, but they also have dedicated it to the bright young people who get themselves involved in the arts and sciences. There is a real world out there waiting, filled with beauty and wonder, which can only be experienced by being part of it”. James’s son Andy, whose experiment was aboard the ill-fated Falcon 9, said, “We knew there was risk whenever you put something on top of 500 tons of explosive force. The real value, however, was the learning, the teamwork, and the engineering, and that was not lost”. To hear the high school students talking about their lost ISS experiments visit: www.abc7news.com and search ISS. The Valley Christian High School ISS program, which is open to all schools, currently has students from around the world including Finland to Indonesia, participating to fly their experiments on the ISS.
Above left to right: 1. Richard and Nancy’s artwork, along with the student’s experiments, arriving at the ISS. (The Cygnus spacecraft is about to be pulled in by the robotic arm, now in orbit). 2. ‘‘Star Gazer’’, watercolor by Nancy Guzik. Painting being placed in the young scientist’s experiment; the artwork is protected in glassine envelopes sealed with waterproof tape. 3. ‘‘Santa Maria II” watercolor by Richard Schmid. 4. Nancy painting in her studio.
Although Richard’s granddaughter was unable to join in this second attempt, on December 6 the experiments and the new artworks by Nancy and Richard were successfully launched aboard an Atlas V rocket carrying Orbital Science’s Cygnus spacecraft. The Cygnus spacecraft rendezvoused with the ISS on December 9, and was pulled in by the robotic arm. The experiments, along with the art, are now orbiting Earth every 93 minutes. This art/science wonder is expected to circle the earth 330 times at a speed of 17,500 mph, at an altitude of 221 miles, for a total distance traveled of 9 million miles. If the mission is extended, it could cover as many as 25 million miles.
Above, Richard painting in his studio Images thanks: to Daniel J. Keys, Richard Schmid and Nancy Guzik. Special credit to Valley Christian High School, San Jose, CA. www.vcs.net (For more info about the program, contact Werner Vavken at wvavken@vcs.net). Rosemary & Co
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100 PLEIN air ARTISTS paint CUBA By Symi Jackson
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The timing couldn’t have been more perfect, mainly being for us to visit this jewel of a country before it changes. We were all going to a place of the unknown. The old cars, the unkept buildings, the rural working countryside.
clocks had stopped; it was like walking back in time to the 1950’s. The buildings were often crumbled, with patchpaint work and construction of sorts occurring everywhere you looked. Yet, amongst the dilapidation of the city, there was much beauty and a very clear dignity amongst the Cuban people. The city provided a plethora of painting opportunities; stunning architecture, revolutionary propaganda, the typical hustle and bustle of city life and live music on every street corner.
The only rule for the week was ‘no drama’. We were all to expect the unexpected, and say goodbye to the Western certainties. Wandering around the streets of Old Havana, it felt as though the
The agenda for the week was to paint, paint, paint. We spent much of our time in Old Havana, and Central Havana, though every day was an adventure with us heading out into the
n February 2016, 100 Plein Air painters packed their brushes, paints and easels and travelled to Cuba for the trip of a lifetime. This was to be the largest group of artists to visit this country as a group in history.
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countryside and visiting the sugar plantations and local fishing villages too. The most refreshing feeling for the artists was to paint without the pressure. Each artist was there for their own reasons; whether that be to relax with friends, for future reference pieces, or to soak up the culture, sights and Cuban people. Rosemary and I spent much of our time going down the back streets of Old Havana and finding local artists, the regular Cuban people who were going about their day to day lives, and portraying that through their art. At the beginning of the trip, our leader, Eric Rhoads asked the group to consider gifting any of their old brushes, half used tubes of paint, and panels for us to hand over to the locals.
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t was extremely humbling to see just how much the group of artists we travelled with were willing to give. And, it very quickly became clear when meeting the Cuban artists that they had extremely limited materials, and the dire condition of what they did have. Throughout the week, Rosemary and I took the art supplies we collected each morning and handed them around the local artists. We stumbled across a local art market which was filled from floor to ceiling with canvases. We visited the market almost every day and off-loaded our bags of art supplies on to the working artists. We spent hours talking with the locals about what they were creating, and encouraging them to continue making such beautiful pieces. It was such an eye opening experience for us to see the
brushes they were using, and the poor condition they were in. As brush makers, Rosemary and I were bewildered to see what they were able to create with quite frankly, brushes you or I would have thrown away many years ago. We both left each artist knowing just how much these donations will have changed their lives, and enriched their artwork. As a company, we donated $5,000 worth of brushes throughout the week and made sure they all were given brush cleaner to try and encourage the longevity of the tools. On reflection, we have decided to create our own ‘Art materials bank’ whereby people can send us their un-wanted art supplies. These will be distributed to those artists who don’t have what so many of us take for granted, both in the UK, and overseas.*
There’s so many amusing memories that I’ll cherish from Cuba. I would advise anyone ever wanting to visit this beautiful island to travel with the same mantra I did, expect the unexpected, but don’t expect anything at the same time. It seemed to work for me, and allowed me to enjoy the trip so much more. The group of artists we went with captured the Cuba of early 2016 through their watercolours, oils, acrylics and pastels, yet on paper and canvas, Cuba looks to be a place frozen in time. I’d urge you to go there, and both Rosemary and I have the Plein Air Magazine to be thankful for our opportunity to visit. You can read the full story on our blog. *To donate your un-wanted supplies, please contact us directly. Photos courtesy of Turner Vinson. Rosemary & Co
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{New BOOKS on the SHELF} WHAT to READ this SUMMER
PETER KEEGAN The Alla Prima Portrait www.peterkeegan.co.uk
VLADIMIR VOLEGOV Master of Light http://shop.volegov.com
JEAN HAINES Paint Yourself Calm www.jeanhaines.com
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ladimir Volegov is an award winning figurative artist from Russia who has travelled throughout Europe painting portraits on the streets of many major cities.
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Vladimir’s first art book is packed with 500 beautifully printed paintings allowing the reader to get a real insight into his work.
Haines paints in a way that helps her relax, de-stress and bring joy into her life. This book gives a platform to help others gain the inner sense of calm that comes from using colour and painting techniques.
eter Keegan is an award-winning artist living and working in Buckinghamshire, UK, specialising in portraiture. Keegan recently wrote ‘‘The Alla Prima Portrait’’. The book is filled with stepby-step guides on painting a portrait, from start to finish. It’s a joy to read and I would recommend anyone buying this book.
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his beautiful new publication came about by how Jean’s courses, and way of painting affects artists studying wth her.
{You ASKED, we ANSWERED} WHICH ARE THE BEST BRUSHES FOR OIL PAINTING? There’s lots of different Oil Brushes we could recommend, so it’s easier to put them into categories. Our most popular synthetic options are Ivories, Evergreen and Eclipse ranges. The Ivories are a good all-rounder, they wear down well, keep their shape and they’re easy to clean. The Evergreen’s are fairly new, a little softer than the Ivories and are great for blending. The Eclipse (synthetic mongoose) are softer than the others, and are particularly popular for Portrait artists. In the natural hair brushes you’d be best off trying the Masters Choice (a badger blend) first, they are beautiful for blending and Alla Prima work. The Ultimates are a new bristle, and have been twice interlocked which makes them splay much less. The Classics are 90% bristle, 10% synthetic which helps them hold their shape, and finally the Chunking Bristle range which are a standard bristle brush. Others to consider; the Ebony range are really popular, a great Sable imitation with a much lower price tag, however the Red Sable are a favourite amongst many for the controlled stroke, but beautiful texture to allow layers.
HOW DO I KNOW THE SIZES OF YOUR BRUSHES? We have two options; we ship out mail order catalogues worldwide, free of charge. In there, all of the brushes have been photographed actual size. Or you could look at the brush charts on the website, all of the brushes are measured in mm which is really useful. WHERE DO YOU DELIVER TO? We deliver to almost every country in the world and usually have multiple options for shipping. Delivery charges do vary depending on where you are from, but for example the postage in the UK is free over £30, and £1 under. For Europe, we charge €5.50. For the USA we have two delivery options, UPS is $11 for 7-10 days or DHL is $16.20 for 2-4 working days. Please view our shipping & delivery information page for further details: blog.rosemaryandco.com/delivery-returns Any questions please feel free to contact us at: enquiries@rosemaryandco.com Rosemary & Co
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It’s ALWAYS SUMMER Somewhere
Escape from it all with our travel brushes, for the artist on the go. Image courtesy of Sandra Strohschein. Visit our site to see Sandra’s watercolour set: www.rosemaryandco.com