To continue on a little more on my process for a "Studio" painting: I will usually do some value studies in conte or paint to work my design out...maybe more than one or two if it is more of a complicated multi figure composition. I then will often do a color study to work out all the larger color relationships and sometimes even carry them to a more finished painting if I feel the need. By the time you have done all of this..one usually has most of the major problems worked out and can just freely execute those results onto a larger studio painting. The only problem with this is that after doing two or three value and color studies, one has played the game twice already and can easily lose the "edge" one needs to produce a fine work of art! So I will usually do either just a value or color study..usually just a color study and get on with the studio painting if I am pleased with the study. As I usually am not able to do larger paintings I will just complete my color study to a more finished painting. Sometimes I have a pretty good idea what I want and will forgo any studies and just dive into a painting and still come up with some decent results...painting is not an exact science by far..and we probably have more failures than successes..particularly for those of us with such high standards! I love to create new work and have hundreds of ideas for new paintings and so working small enables me to do more paintings! I am alway willing to answer any questions you may have and you can just email me at nedmueller06@comcast.net I love to teach and have been teaching classes and workshops for over 55 years! I don't teach as many workshops as I use to, but still will do about 4 or 5 a year now. I will have my workshops listed on my website at www.nedmueller.com
I have quite a busy schedule this Summer and Fall. Will be going back to Wexford, Ireland to be with Karen most of July and August and doing a workshop or two while there. Also getting out to paint as much as we can and also participating in their annual "Art in the Open" plein air event the end of July and first part of August. It is the largest Plein Air event in the world and this year they have over 200 artists participating. I will also teach two "mini workshops" during the week long event as I have done the last several years. Kevin Macpherson, Ray and Peggy Roberts, Dave West and Thomas KItts are some of the other great painters doing mini workshops. It is a great event..a lot of fun and we get a lot of great painting time with all of the great "Irish" subjects! I will also probably be doing my annual Plein Air Workshop the end of August here in the Seattle area. I have been invited to do the "Yellowstone Forever" plein air exhibition in Yellowstone Park for the second year now the end of September and also the "Cape Ann" plein air exhibiton for the second year the first part of October. In between all of that I will get out to paint as often as I can, have some great portrait models in the studio to work from and just keep doing ongoing works in the studio. You may be getting a bit bored by now and I need to save some of my very best travel adventure stories for later so that I don't lose my wonderful audience! Do let me know if you want me to talk about anything in particular..I have been around for almost 79 years now and so have acquired a lot of good and bad knowledge that I am more than willing to pass on...as my good friends will tell you, that I don't need too much encouragement to do that! Thanks so much for getting this far..let me know one way or another how I am doing so that I might be able to improve my ramblings! Should get another one of these out in a month or so...unless I get another award or two and it may be sooner! All my best, Ned
