San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, a haven for artists

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, a haven for artists

by | May 5, 2022 | Arts, Cold Wax and Oil, Travel, Workshops

I’ve made plans to travel to San Miguel de Allende in October for a 5 day workshop with Jerry McLaughln, master of cold wax media painting. (https://www.jerryscoldwaxworkshops.com/) Yes, I’m looking forward to getting up at the crack of dawn, stumbling out to the breakfast room for coffee and breakfast made by cheerful Senoritas and hurrying to catch the bus to the studio. In the evening. I’ll ramble around this artsy town full of galleries, artisan shops and restaurants. Maybe I can meet up with my friend Genevieve for a hike at dusk. Such bliss!

Ex Pats are all over the place. Even Jerry, who several years ago organized his first class there, decided to move to this small town three weeks later. He’s renovated a studio for his classes and opening a work residency for artists this fall.

I’m taking the beginning class because I have been going my own way with cold wax since 2019. There is a lot more technique to learn and I hope to be able to apply that to larger boards when I return. For more on what cold wax is, see my previous post here.

2022 Shows in Spring and Fall

2022 Shows in Spring and Fall

by | Apr 10, 2022 | Arts, News, Newton Open Studios, Photography, Shows

Coming soon! Newton Open Studios is heralding Spring this year with a show May 21 and 22 throughout the town. With over 190 artists, find me and ten other artists at New Art @ Trio, 245 Walnut Street, Newtonville, a well-lit large gallery space, corner of  Washington St. 11 am to 5 pm both days. We are on the second floor accessible by elevator. 

Date still to be announced is the second annual “Pop-Up Art Sale”, in West Newton this Fall (Sept or Oct). Located at 52 Sewall Street in West Newton, it was a huge success last year. The open grassy green space with shade was perfect for visitors to stroll and take in the photography, painting and crafts. Stay tuned!

Cold Wax Medium and Oil Explained

Cold Wax Medium and Oil Explained

by | Aug 11, 2021 | Abstraction, Books, Cold Wax and Oil

A number of newer paintings on Perugi Studio are described as Cold Wax & Oil. What is this new (or not so new) painting method? It is a product by Gamblin (and others) made with mostly beeswax and some solvent. When the artist adds oil paint in a ratio of 1 part paint to 3 parts wax, it becomes a spreadable mixture that is easy to use and less expensive than oil alone. Other advantages are its’ luminosity, butter consistancy, and short drying time. It can be textured with tools and layered which is useful for making abstract paintings. Because it is primarily made of wax, it can only be applied to cradle board or other hard surfaces. (Arches oil paper can also be used if it is adhered to a board later.)  The mixture can be collaged with paper and other materials. Other innovations include adding marble dust, sand, pastel powders, etc.

Cold was was introduced in the 30’s as an alternative to hot wax or encaustics. Encaustics involve heating pots that can be dangerous. Cold wax has become more popular in the last few years because of its ease of use, versatiliy and accessibility. And it was reintroduced by the cold wax Bible  “Cold Wax Medium: Techniques, Concepts & Conversations” by Rebecca Crowell & Jerry McLaughlin, now in its third printing. It can be purchased at the website ColdWaxAcademy.com.

Lucy MacGillis Painting

Lucy MacGillis Painting

by | May 4, 2021 | Oil Painting, Plein Air, Travel, Workshops

I met Lucy MacGillis through a friend at the Boston Globe. Lucy is the daughter of Don MacGillis, who sadly passed away this past Fall. Don and his wife Ingrid talked many times about their daughter who moved to Italy and was so successful at her painting that she never moved back. Lucy grew up in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and as a youth would visit the Clark Institute in Williamstown to study master’s paintings. Lucy now lives in Umbria with her son and her companion. She makes gorgeous oil paintings of the italian countryside, portraits and still life.

Lucy paints from life, directly from observation, as a “perceptual painter”. The style might also be called “magical realism” or just “realism”. She first studied at University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and got a grant to study in Italy at Nick Carone’s former International School of Art in Montecastello di Vibio, Umbria. “Along with Carone I learned from Lennart Anderson, John Lees, Jake Berthot, William Bailey, Ying Li and many others; quite the line up.”

On her website you can book a workshop in Umbria, Sicily and Austria. She travels back to Massachusetts for openings at the Hoadley Gallery in Lenox, Mass. and teaches a class that same weekend at IS183 in Stockbridge. I was fortunate to attend a free public art talk hosted virtually by Black Pond Studios this March. She offers an online class studying classical painting by sketchings and writing observations. Lucy also described how she makes her own italian earth paint in her studio by mixing ground earth and stone with Walnut oil.

On a visit to a Hoadley Gallery opening a few years ago, I was able to ask about her methods which she was very generous to share. She first stretches the linen and sizes it with rabbit glue. I noted that some of the tan canvas can be seen between the splashes of paint on the finished work. This reveals confidence in the medium and location. Her impressionist playful dabs of color shows a deep understanding of what makes a good painting.

“Lucy MacGillis combines an appreciation of Cezanne and Morandi with her own unique style to create exquisite oil paintings of her life in Umbria. Her paintings are timeless and classic yet have a fresh contemporary feeling.” –– Hoadley Gallery.

If you get a chance, visit Hoadley Gallery in Lenox to see Lucy MacGillises outstanding work.

Featured Image: “Gaetano (Man’s Name)” at Hoadley Gallery, Lenox. Inset Image: Italian Earth Color Study, by Lucy MacGillis.