September 10th Paintout with Zufar Bikbov

Zufar Bikbov, of Oakville, CT, is the Pomperaug Outdoor Painters guest teacher September 10th at Bent of the River Audubon Center in Southbury. 

On September 10th, Pomperaug Outdoor Painters (POP) will meet at the Bent of the River Audubon Center, 185 East Flat Hill Road, in Southbury for an outdoor painting/sketching event from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.   

This year, a seasoned POP volunteer artist will work one-on-one with a beginning artist at each event. Anyone interested in trying “plein air” painting in oil with noted Watertown painter, Zufar Bikbov, the featured volunteer teacher for the event, at no charge, may register by phoning Ellie Boyd (203) 429-4356 or email,pomperaugoutdoorpainters@gmail.com.  The event is also open to experienced painters who just want to come out and spend the day sketching and painting on their own.  The beautiful nature sanctuary is adjacent to the Pomperaug River and features large open fields and a picturesque walk along the river, antique barns and structures, with plenty of shade, parking, and bathroom facilities.  Non-painters are welcome to hike the property and see plein air artists at work.  No pets allowed.  

A Russian native, Zufar Bikbov drew and painted with watercolors under the encouraging eye of his artist father as a child, and said "Learning about art was fascinating and the process of painting was pure magic for me. As a young child, I mimicked whatever my father was drawing. Because I was an enthusiastic learner, my father was taught me as much as he knew.”

He later graduated cum laude from Zelenodolsk Art School in Russia and continued his education with leading artists of Kazan, the "Third Capital of Russia", in the Saint-Petersburg Academy of Fine Arts. His other chosen field is medicine, and studying and completing a degree at Kazan State Medical University.  

Zufar states “My love of painting has been instrumental in shaping the direction of my life. It gave me my wife, talented music teacher and singer, best friends and sense of endless way of growth and perfection. Because of the presence of medicine in my life, I have a very special feeling about nature and all that lives in the human soul.  It is reflected in my mind and permeates my art. I love to work with oils, which allow me to be flexible and deeply expressive.”    

Bikbov has received numerous awards for his paintings, most recently three awards this summer alone at Plein Air Easton, one of the U. S.'s premier plein air events, including Best Composition, Artist's Choice, and Best Nocturne awards.

http://www.zufar.com/

Jim Laurino to Teach Plein Air Painting August 13th

Jim Laurino, guest teacher, pictured with a young student,
 Annie, and her first plein air painting. 

Workshop Cancelled Due to Heat

UPDATE:  Due to the excessive heat warning, the one-on-one teaching portion of the POP paintout tomorrow with Jim Laurino has been cancelled. Painters can still come out and paint in the morning if it is cool enough, and if it is not raining/thundering/lightning!




On August 13th, Pomperaug Outdoor Painters (POP) welcomes landscape painter Jim Laurino, of Burlington, Connecticut for an outdoor painting/sketching event to be held at Three Rivers Park in Woodbury CT from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.    This year, seasoned POP volunteer artists will work one-on-one with beginning artists at each event. Anyone interested in trying “plein air” painting in oil with Jim, the featured volunteer teacher for the event, at no charge, may register by phoning Ellie Boyd (203) 429-4356 or email, pomperaugoutdoorpainters@gmail.com.  The event is also open to experienced painters who just want to spend the day sketching and painting on their own. Three Rivers Park is located at the junction of Route 47 and Jacks Bridge Road, where the Weekeepeemee River and the Nonnewaug River join to form the Pomperaug River. The site features large open fields and a picturesque walk along the river, with plenty of shade and parking.

A Connecticut native, Laurino draws inspiration from nature, the changing seasons, farmland vistas, and the geography of his home state.  Like most landscape painters, he prefers working en plein air, on site, whenever possible.   Laurino creates in a style heavily influenced by American and French Impressionist painters.

As a high school student Laurino studied with Richard Montross, and received instruction from notable marine painters Carl G. Evers, and Christopher Blossom. Jim studied fine art at the college level at the University of Connecticut.  He has received numerous awards for his paintings, including a recent 1st place award from Lyme Art Association (Maritime Exhibit), and a 2nd place finish in the 2015 Finger Lakes Plein air competition (NY State). http://jimlaurino.com/

POP is a “plein air” (outdoor) painting group formed to promote landscape painting in all media, camaraderie amongst local artists, and preservation of natural landscapes.  More information about the organization and paintout schedules may be obtained at the group's website: http://pomperaugoutdoorpainters.blogspot.com/

Zufar Bikbov Demo Sunday, 10/5 at 1PM

Stone Walls by Zufar Bikbov

POP's own Zufar Bikbov will demo at 12:30 PM on Sunday in Norwalk. He told me he'd be painting stone walls! Looking forward to seeing his one-man show too. 

Location: ARTWorks Gallery on the Green 
St. Paul's on the Green
Chittim-Howell House
60 East Avenue
Norwalk, CT

POP Paints by Lake Zoar in Southbury July 26th

Pomperaug Outdoor Painters (POP) will host a free painting/sketching event in Southbury on Lake Zoar on Saturday, July 26^th, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m, in cooperation with the Southbury Historical Society.  Free and open to artists of all skill levels to come and sketch or paint for the day—no instruction provided. PARKING: IN FIELD adjacent to cul de sac.  PLEASE do not park in cul de sac.  Rain cancels.

Lake Zoar offers many water views and painting opportunities for artists. Directions: travel North on Route 172, turn left on West Flat Hill Road at South Britain Country Store, turn right on Purchase Brook Road and then left on West Purchase Road.  Finally, turn left on West Gilbert Road and follow to end.  Location is on Right..  Participants should bring an easel and art supplies, water, bug spray.  Group will break for lunch around noon.  

POP is a “plein air” (outdoor) painting group formed to promote landscape painting in all media, camaraderie amongst local artists, and to help in the preservation of natural and historical spaces in Southbury and the surrounding area.  

For more information on this event or future events, please call or email:

Ellie Boyd, 203-264-2313, ellie@ellieboydstudio.com

Paintout on Mansion House Road, Southbury, June 28, 2014

White Oak Schoolhouse, Southbury CT

Pomperaug Outdoor Painters (POP) will host a free painting/sketching event in Southbury on Mansion House Road on Saturday, June 28^th, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m, in cooperation with the Southbury Historical Society.  Free and open to artists of all skill levels to come and sketch or paint for the day—no instruction provided.  Children welcome, accompanied by a parent.  Parking in field adjacent to 7 Mansion House Road.  Rain cancels.

POP is a “plein air” (outdoor) painting group formed to promote landscape painting in all media, camaraderie amongst local artists, and to help in the preservation of natural and historical spaces in Southbury and the surrounding area.  

Mansion House Road, and adjacent Crook Horn Road offers many views and painting opportunities for artists featuring open fields, mature floodplain forest, beautiful old adjacent farmhouses and barns, an historic bed and breakfast, and even an old school house. Mansion House Road may be reached by turning left off of Route 6, just north of town.  Participants should bring an easel and art supplies.  No pets allowed.  Non-painting visitors also welcome to view artwork in progress.

Kettletown Woods Paintout August 3rd

Join POP painters at Kettletown Woods, home of the Lyons family, 1133 Kettletown Road, Southbury CT 06488. A beautiful small farm location with a number of interesting outbuildings, cows, pond, rocks, chickens and across the street a vista with a silo, and a renovated cottage and barn. Parking is at the Lyons off to side of semicircle gravel drive. Bathroom available. Bring lunch, meet the Lyons, and with members of the Southbury Land Trust board at 1:00pm, then continue painting. This is our last paintout for new participants to be eligible to enter September show to benefit the land trust. Come and bring a friend!

Resizing Photos for Art Show Submissions: Photoshop Elements

Chris Ivers, of the Connecticut Pastel Society, an accomplished artist and advertising exec gave a workshop in Meriden, Connecticut, for artists who needed help to get the best quality photos for submission to art shows--either online, for emailing or for burning to a disc to mail.  She must have gotten tired of seeing butchered images during the jurying process.  Here is what we learned for Photoshop Elements (note 12 Steps!)

1.  Take painting outside, prop up on wall in sunlight, place a piece of white paper like an index card next to it, take a photo, including the white paper.  Very important!  Use the highest quality resolution your camera allows.  (Check your camera manual.)

2. Come back inside, turn on your computer, open Elements, sit next to painting so you can compare it to what you see on the monitor, in natural light, not florescent and begin adjustment/resizing process.

3. Transfer your photo from your camera card to your computer.  Place it in a new Folder, i.e. titled "CPS Images".   It's easiest to find them if you put it on your Desktop. But later you should move it to the right area on your hard rive.  Don't email yourself the image, because that will automatically generate a small JPEG image.  

 

4. Make a copy of your original photo, so you are not working with the original--click Duplicate, then rename it. 

5.  Open the copy, then in top menu, click Image.  Under MODE, be sure RGB is selected.

6.  Under "Enhance" (in PSE) select Adjust Lighting, Levels.

7.  Click far right eyedropper, then click on the white piece of paper you photographed next to your painting in your photo.  The result should look pretty much like your painting now.  If you're still not happy, do any minor tweaks you want on contrast, color etc.  You can also grab the little arrows under the histogram, that represent Shadows, Midtones, Highlights and play around with them.  Click save when you like the results.  

8.  Now to straighten the painting if your corners are distorted:   on the top menu, click View, Grid.  You'll see a grid over your photo.  This is just an aid to straighten out the image.  Now click Image, Transform, Distort.  Grab little handles at each corner until the painting edges are pretty much horizontal or vertical and line up with the grid.  To maintain the right proportions, hold down the Shift key while you do this.    Now you save again, and turn off "Grid".

9.  Click on the Crop symbol on the left, and position the cross bar at the top left corner.  Drag the cross bar from the top left corner of your painting to the bottom right corner.  You should see the painting highlighted with little corner markers.  You can drag those to make the crop area bigger or smaller.  If it jumps around while you drag, try making the picture bigger by clicking the Command key, Shift, + key.  It will be easier to fine tune your cropping.  Save.

10. Now your painting photo is the way you want it, you are ready to Resize!

In the top menu, click Image, Resize, Image Size.  

In the window that pops up next, be sure the bottom boxes are all checked off.

(Scale Styles, Constrain Proportions, Resample Image= all checked.) 

Change RESOLUTION box number to 300.  (If the show calls for 300dpi.)

Then, check your art show submission requirements again, and see what they want the longest dimension on a side to be, 2100 pixels, for example.  If you are submitting a horizontal landscape, that will be wider than it is tall, click in the WIDTH box, and enter 2100 pixels, or whatever they have asked for. If you see the little Locked symbol on the right of the boxes, when you put in one dimension like the width of the pixels, the other dimension should automatically change too, if you checked all the bottom boxes. Click OK. Click Save.

11. Under the top menu, click Save As.  Rename your file to be whatever the competition calls for, i.e., EPB1.  Select JPEG under Format, click on Save button.  A new window pops up, under Image Options, select Maximum.  Then, going down, under Format Options, you click the top button, that says Baseline ("Standard").   This will give you the best image.  Click OK.  Done!  

12.  Now you just go to your new folder, grab the images and either email them, burn to disc, or if you apply online to a show, browse for them and click to submit.  Good luck!

Thanks Chris!!!!

POP and Southbury Land Trust Hike and Paint

Gladys Taber, Nelson and Polly Camp were with us in spirit on this chilly April day celebrating the beauty of CT open space at Stillmeadow Farm in Southbury CT.  The SLT arranged the hike and a bench dedication to longtime supporters Nelson and Polly, no longer with us.  Hikers walked the proposed Stillmeadow conservation property with Joe Ruggiero and other members of the SLT board, while POP painters set up near the Taber homeplace and spent a peaceful afternoon painting.  POP artists attending:  Diane Debreuil, Karen Cashman, Zufar Bikbov, Jill Nichols, Ellie Boyd, Tina Skor, and Dorothy Calio.  Visiting:  Jose Luis Nunez.  Here are a few photos from the event:

It's Pretty Nice Out for January

Karen Cashman, fellow Pomperaug Painter and I headed over to the West side of town to get some sunshine, fresh air, and do a quick study. Limited palette: ultramarine blue, burnt Siena, yellow ochre, titanium white. The Canada geese hunkered down in just a little open water. Feels good to be outside--35 degrees & sunny.  Supposed to be warmer Wednesday.  If you venture out, send me a photo of your painting so I can post it here and share.  

POP Painters Support Safe Haven Show

POP painters Alain Picard and Karen Cashman will take part in the Safe Haven Gala and Art Show on Nov 10th 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm and Nov 11th 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. If you need further information, please contact Susan McNeil @ 203-217-5445.

Tina Wiese takes on the farm buildings. (Photo:  David Liang) 

Karen Cashman captures fog effects on Autumn leaves. (Photo:  David Liang)

Photographer David Liang of Oxford stopped to take pix of POP painters and friends in this beautiful location, Southbury Land Trust's Platt Farm on Flood Bridge Road in Southbury CT.  The fog rolled out, and we had a great time capturing the colors of Fall.

Pomperaug Outdoor Painters Event at Platt Farm October 20, 2012

Turn Right at South Britain Library off Route 172.

Sweeping View of Platt Farm on Flood Bridge Road

Please join the Pomperaug Outdoor Painters (POP) at Southbury Land Trust's Platt Farm located on Flood Bridge Road in Southbury on Saturday, October 20th, with a rain date of Sunday, October 21^st from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.  Artists of all skill levels are encouraged  to come and sketch or paint for the day at no charge.  This will be the final printout of the season.  

POP is a “plein air” (outdoor) painting group that has been formed to promote landscape painting in all media, camaraderie amongst local artists, and additionally to help in the preservation of natural spaces in the Southbury, CT area. 

The SLT Platt Farm Preserve, 110 acres, was purchased from Willis and Lillian Platt who had farmed the land for more than 50 years.  The property features, open hayfields, mature floodplain forest along the Pomperaug River, glacial boulders, a beautiful old adjacent farmhouse, and barns.   The property offers many views and painting opportunities for artists, as well as hiking companions. 

Directions:  the preserve may be reached by taking Exit 15 off of I-84.  Drive North on Route 172  to the South Britain Library. Take a right off of Route 172 onto Library Road, continue up the hill, turn right on Flood Bridge Road. As you drive down Flood Bridge, you will see many areas to paint--and a couple of places where you might park on the road.  If you continue on to the dirt portion of the road, just before you get to the far Eastern boundary of the preserve, you will see a grassy, fenced parking area on your left. Bring your own easel and art supplies, a lunch/snack and water.  No restroom facilities available.  Artists will gather at 12 for a lunch break.

For more information on this event or future events, please call or email:

Ellie Boyd, 203-264-2313, ellie@ellieboydstudio.com

Pomperaug Outdoor Painters to Host Plein Air Event September 16th—Audubon Bent of the River Center

The Welcome kiosk near the parking area at the Bent of the River  entrance.

The barn education center.
Visitors are asked to walk up or get permission to carpool up to the barn,  
about a fourth of a mile up the hill from the entrance.

Please join the Pomperaug Outdoor Painters (POP) at the Audubon Bent of the River Center located at 185 East Flat Hill Road in Southbury on Sunday, September 16th, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. followed by a potluck.  Artists of all skill levels are welcome to come and sketch or paint for the day, and bring a dish to share.

POP is a “plein air” (outdoor) painting group that has been formed to promote landscape painting in all media, camaraderie amongst local artists, and additionally to help in the preservation of natural spaces in the Southbury, CT area.  

The Bent of the River Center, owned and operated by the National Audubon Society, lies on 660 acres in Southbury, CT, near the historic village of South Britain.  The center is an outdoor sanctuary where artists can connect with nature on 15 miles of walking trails through a wide diversity of habitats.   The property offers many views for sketching and painting.  Parking is on the grassy area, to the right of the entrance.  Be sure to bring your own easel and art supplies.  No pets allowed.

For more information on this event or future events, please call or email:

Ellie Boyd, 203-264-2313, ellie@ellieboydstudio.com

New Outdoor Painting Group Southbury CT

POP first paint out to be held at Southbury Land Trust's Phillips Farm (see below for map and directions.)

Please join Pomperaug Outdoor Painters(POP), a new informal plein air group for Western CT painters and neighbors for its first paintout at the Southbury Land Trust's Phillips Farm, August 25th from 9:00-4:00 (rain date 8/26.) (See below.) We are planning to host one or more events per month, and welcome participation of artists of all levels.  A listserve is being set up to facilitate getting the word out to painters about scheduled events and impromptu painting outings.  Additionally, there is a show being planned for September 2013, and the possibility of a workshop with a nationally known instructor.  For further information call:  

Ellie Boyd, 203-264-2313

Event information:

Pomperaug Outdoor Painters to Host Plein Air Event August 25^th

Southbury, Connecticut, August 8, 2012; Please join the inaugural painting event of Pomperaug Outdoor Painters (POP) at Southbury Land Trust's Phillips Farm located on Sanford Road in Southbury on Saturday, August 25^th, (rain date,Sunday, August 26th) from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Artists of all skill levels are welcome to come and sketch or paint for the day at no charge. 

POP is a “plein air” (outdoor) painting group that has been formed to promote landscape painting in all media, camaraderie amongst local artists, and additionally to help in the preservation of natural spaces in the Southbury, CT area.  

The SLT Phillips Farm offers 105 acres of panoramic ridgeline views, pastoral meadows, uncommon old growth forest, and delicate marsh and wetland areas. Located on unpaved Sanford Road, where the popular author Gladys Taber lived and wrote about the pleasures of country living, Phillips Farm is a scenic emblem of Southbury's rural past. Connected to Phillips by hiking trails, Lovdal Farm next door also hosts a variety of wildlife, birds, agricultural fields, plants and trees – even an old apple orchard - on the 50-acre property.  Together, the properties offer many views and painting opportunities for artists. Parking is on the grassy area, to the right of the entrance.  Be sure to bring your own easel and art supplies.  No restroom facilities available.

Bring a friend and join us for the day.  There is plenty of hiking for non-artists.  

Come and enjoy one of Southbury Land Trust's fine preserves.

Directions to Southbury Land Trust Phillips Farm:

About 5 minutes from Exit 15.

From Exit 15, head South on Route 67.

About .4 mile, take Right on Jeremy Swamp Road.

Travel 1.8 miles then take Right on Sanford Road

In .2 miles on Left, turn into entrance to Phillips Farm and park on right in grassy area.

Map:

New to oil painting, Keely Riel trys out plein air painting at Phillips Farm.