Claude Monet, Ross King, and his Recent Book "Mad Enchantment"...

Before reading about Claude Monet's water lily paintings, I am teaching a terrific plein air workshop in Sicily this fall. Italy is now open so we can eat some great pasta, drink some good wine, and paint some beautiful sun-drenched pictures!  

For more information, download my pdf brochure below...

October, 17th - 24th, 2021

Click to read my detailed  22 page brochure about this painting adventure!

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Ross King and his Wonderful Talk on Claude Monet for Oil Painters Of America...

Here is a special treat from the folks at Oil Painters of America. 

They invited celebrated author and art historian, Ross King, to talk about Claude Monet and his large waterlily paintings which now hang in the Musée de l'Orangerie, in Paris. The paintings are the subject of his recent book, Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies, a book which presents a fascinating tour of Monet's late life, and his final obsession. 

This lecture is well worth the 90 minutes it takes to watch, and remains accessible on the Oil Painters Of America's website. It is free to watch here at www.OilPaintersofAmerica.com. 

Or use this direct link: https://tinyurl.com/MadEnchantment

And if you are a representational painter, consider joining Oil Painters of America. It is a great association filled with all levels of artists from all over the world.

And finally, Ross King is also the author of many other books on Art & Culture, among which is one of my personal favorites, The Judgement of Paris: The Revolutionary Decade That Gave The World Impressionism – all of which may be found here: www.rosskingbooks.com

Mad Enchantment: Claude Monet and the Painting of the Water Lilies

Pub: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Length:416 Pages

TJK

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Here is a short trailer I created to entice you... enjoy!

Color for the Plein Air Painter...

As promised, here are the two contemporary palettes I refer to in my recent 42 minute video, "Color for the Plein Air Painter". (Video will be presented at this year's PleinAir LIVE.)

Version A is close to what most of the French Impressionists used at the end of the 19th century – with the exception a few substitutions made for reasons of health & safety, expense, and availability. Paint with Version A if you want to experience the closest match to what Monet, Pissarro, and their peers used.

Version B can be considered a decent contemporary counterpart to the Impressionistic palette – with the main difference being its colorants express a much higher chroma (intensity); and as such, they are colors capable of encompassing a wider range of hues. However, since these contemporary colors are so intense, mixing and controlling your tertiaries and neutrals can become more difficult. If you choose to paint with Version B I recommend you pre-mix a few grays to feed into your purer hues to lower chroma. Also, this contemporary palette is almost entirely transparent so if you need to adjust the opacity of your paint you must use the white and the black listed.

Feel free to download and share this graphic with all of your friends with my blessing – so long as you credit me and include my website URL and the copyright information.

And here is a brief teaser for my 42 minute video on how to mix color. It is just the opening mood setter. I plan to expand upon this video soon and offer it as a stand-alone lesson on how to see, mix, and intentionally manipulate color for artistic effects. Look for it sometime in the next few months.

Enlarge this video for the best viewing. If you don't see the preview click https://youtu.be/0d0PByxCbaM to watch it on YouTube.

If you want to be among the first to see the entire video you can register for this year's PleinAir LIVE. It will broadcast on Friday and I will be there in the chat room to answer any questions you might have. Here is a link if you wish to register. 

https://www.pleinairlive.com/2021?affiliate_id=2987784

Using the link above will do me a favor as I will receive a small percentage of your registration fee. Which I will put towards an expanded version of the color video...

That's it, until next time!

TJK

Color for the Plein Air Painter: How to See and Mix Color

Color for the Plein Air Painter

Hello All:

Here is a short teaser for a 42 minute video I just produced. It will play in Hi-Def in its entirety during PleinAir LIVE 2021. In this video, I will demonstrate how to see and mix the colors you need in oil. If you want to see the full video you may do so by registering with PleinAirLIVE 2021 below:

https://www.pleinairlive.com/2021?affiliate_id=2987784

If you use the link above to register, you will help me out, as I am affiliated with the folks running the show, and part of your registration fee is shared with me; which means I can make more instructional videos and offer them to you. So I thank you ahead of time if you choose the link above. 👍 ♥️

Many great outdoor painters are participating. Just review the line up. Many are friends and peers, and there are many I'd be happy take a class from. So no matter what your level may be, this year's PleinAir LIVE will be a fantastic way to launch your 2021 plein air season.

Take care, be safe, and have fun!

Thomas

The Teaser: (click if video doesn't show in your browser)

PLEIN AIR SICILY 2020 Workshop: Painting the Intensity of Light and Color...

PLEIN AIR SICILY Workshop
May 16- 23, 2020

This will be one of my premier workshops for 2020!... Watch this video to see what your week can be like – painting, eating, drinking and touring like an Italian, and yes, soaking in some sun after a long winter. So come join me and have some fun, and learn a lot while you do!...

Enlarge to full screen or click here to play on YouTube...

Why Sicily? It seems so far away. Why go all the way to paint there?...

Well, because of the light. The sparkling clear, vibrating light.

Sicily, and specifically the area we will paint in, is at the very bottom of Italy. Far to the south and out to the west, Marsala is the nearest town. Low in latitude, at the tip of the boot, the toe juts far enough out into the Mediterranean to make the area feel like an island. This means there will be brilliant light from above, and crystalline water for the light to bounce off of. The water itself is clear and shallow, and when you look into it you can see the same limestone rock beneath the surface as you do along the cliffs above. 

This is a perfect place to learn how to paint the color of light en plein air... The cliffs exhibit bright yet subtle variations of white and off-white colors, and all those high-key values keep the light bouncing around and around. All this light fills the shadows you see with color and it is a magical thing to paint. There is no such thing as a 'black shadow' in Sicily.

The subjects we paint encompass classical history – including some of the best preserved Greek ruins you will ever find outside of Greece. We will paint intimate village alleyways, centuries-old salt pans with traditional windmills pumping water in and out of those pans. We will paint colorful working fishing boats drawn up upon the shore, open air markets, and perhaps even local people in traditional dress if it can be arranged. We will take a day trip up to the ancient mountain village of Erice (el. 2460 feet) and paint glorious views over the entire peninsula.

And the food, the food!... 

The food of Sicily is famous world-wide for its flavors, sensations, and textures. It is an incredible conjoining of things from sea and land. The combinations can't be described, they must be experienced. Much of what you think of as Italian cuisine is actually Sicilian. So why not go directly to the source? (No slight intended to the Italians to the north, but the best meal of my life was Sicilian...) And the wine. Not well known, but among some of the greatest varietals are grown here.

And your lodgings? Well, Salinara speaks for itself. An old villa, long a destination for many artist groups, has been beautifully maintained with love, care, and attention to detail. It too offers many opportunities to paint on site. There are intimate vignettes within the walls, and distant views from above, all from on the grounds, just a few feet from your room. Or you can just lounge between our daily painting excursions and relax in your private space, or by the pool, or in the kitchen.

Your accommodations are all-inclusive: breakfast, lunches, and dinners prepared for you by the owner, an incredible chef. There is no need to rent a car. We will pick you up at the Palermo airport and transport you to wherever we go. Then we will take you back to the airport for the next part of your journey.

This will be the best of Sicily delivered to you in a week... 

I promise to make it one of the most amazing painting excursions you've ever experienced. By the time you go home your paintings will be filled with light and color, your mind with history and lore, and your belly with good things to eat. Memories for a lifetime.

Registration is open now. Contact me directly for more information. Or download this free pdf brochure.

Click to download to your digital device...

But don't wait because this workshop is filling up. Send me an email at workshops@thomaskitts.com and I will respond!...

Until then, la dolce vita!...

Thomas

The Macro and the Micro of Oil Painting

I recently completed a large painting of a group of California Washington Palms that grow in an oasis near Palms Springs, CA These palms (Washingtonia filifera) often wear a long skirt and tend to clump around a desert spring, or wherever water may be found close to the surface. These palms are near the mouth of Indian Canyon, where native Americans once harvested them for fruit.

Here is a sweeping video with close up shots that present the painting's color, texture, and brush strokes up close. I want to share how the painting looks when you stand ten feet back, and how it looks when you are close enough to press your nose against the paint. (Something I have been known to do in some of the finest museums in the world.) Why? Because I am fascinated by how the grand masters can use paint to create an illusion of reality, yet also play around with the paint as they do so, and transform what they see into abstract color, shape, and movement. So I guess, as you watch this video I want you to also experience the concrete nature of my subject, yet never forget you are – in truth – only looking at paint.

(Can't see this video? Click here...)

"Five Palms", Indian Canyon, near Palm Springs CA
48 x 72 inches, oil on linen
2019

I invite you to enlarge the video and crank up the sound. But before pressing play, confirm you are connected to WiFi or have an unlimited cell plan because this video is large.
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Workshops!... Workshops!... Workshops!...

It's that time of year when some of you look for Summer and Fall workshops. Click here to learn about my upcoming classes with detailed downloadable info. But don't delay, most classes are about half-full as of this posting.

Brushstrokes - The Early Masters (Part 1)

Part 1 of 3 clips on the history of brushstrokes of the masters. 

Remember, your surface and brushstrokes are two of the most important things you can use to distinguish your paintings from a photograph...

Enjoy,

TJK

Author credit:

Jill Poyerd Fine Art

Published on Nov 21, 2017

SUBSCRIBE 9.8K

How do brushstrokes influence a work of art? What are the different brushstrokes available to artists and which Masters made them famous? This groundbreaking video by artist Jill Poyerd traces the history of artistic brushwork from the pre-Renaissance era up to the 1800s. This is part one of a 3-part series. Music Credits (Part 1): Night Scenes by TheJRSSoundDesign Simple Piano by TheJRSSoundDesign Night Scene by TheJRSSoundDesign Above the Clouds by TheJRSSoundDesign Emotional Flashback by TheJRSSoundDesign Simple Piano by TheJRSSoundDesign

Sorolla and the Concept of Color Temperature...

First, let me begin by saying that Color Temperature is one of the worst explained aspects of painting....

Too often a teacher either doesn’t understand it himself, or she makes it sound more complicated than it is. This leaves a student struggling with trying to see what is being talked about before giving up frustration. Or worse, the student comes to believe color temperature is not a real thing. Which is unfortunate, because seeing, understanding, and learning how to accentuate color temperature can transform your work – indoors or out.

I think of color temperature the same way I think about cooking. Until recently, food scientists firmly believed there were only four flavors the human tongue could taste: Sweet, Sour, Bitter, and Salt. But now, most culinary experts agree there is a fifth flavor – Umami – the flavor of meat. It is a concentrated sensation found in grilled meat, mushrooms, and many fermented foods as well. A taste we all love...

Color temperature is similar to Umami in the sense that once you know it exists you start seeing it everywhere. And when you do, you never stop seeing it again. 

So okay, how do you start seeing color temperature?

First, it is important to understand that color temperature has nothing to do with a single color or hue. A yellow, orange, red, purple, blue, or greens by itself is not inherently warm or cool. Color temperature is defined by the relationship between two or more hues! The relationship between a green and a blue (top left). Between an orange and a purple (middle). And even a red and a slightly different red (bottom left). In all cases, one hue will appear to be warmer or cooler than the other. To what degree they will appear to be warmer or cooler depends upon where each hue sits on the color wheel. Or, to be more precise, how close a hue is positioned to the color yellow or purple. The French Impressionists discovered this principle while painting snow outdoors: the hue closest to yellow is the warmer of the two. The hue that sits closest to purple is cooler. It’s really that simple.

Okay, so why does this matter?

Landscape and figurative painters, such as Sorolla, understood that on a sunny day, the areas of light will appear warmer if the shadows in close proximity are being influenced by the cooler light bouncing in from the sky. Thus, on a sunny day the temperature relationship between a color lit by the sun, and the same color that passes into a shadow, will be warm and cool. For example, if you set out to paint a white shirt going from light into shadow you can see the white in the light contains more yellow; and the white in the shadow is not just darker, it is also a little cooler. The shadow has a bluish/purplish cast (see lower right image). If you maintain this relationship of warm lights/cool shadows consistently throughout the painting you will end up with color harmony – a unified color of light.

When you examine Sorolla’s outdoor work you discover he often pushed his colors in the sunlight more towards the yellow than they actually were. And you also learn he pushed the colors in his shadows towards the blue or purple. This warm/cool temperature shift, or ‘push’, forced a greater separation between the light and shadow masses and also created an optical vibration within the eye. This color vibration was a well understood physiological effect called “Simultaneous Contrast in Hue” and it was first exploited to its fullest extent by painters of Sorolla's generation. In fact, Simultaneous Contrast in Hue was one of the principles that launched Impressionism.

However, as you continue to examine at Sorolla’s work for this effect you find exceptions to the principle of warm lights/cool shadows. (Nothing is art is ever simple, right?) Yet when you find them they turn out to be logical exceptions, easily explained.

Not all light that bounces into a shadow comes from the sky. Some light may be reflecting in from another direction all together. And that light may be of a different color. In Sorolla’s paintings on the left, the sunlight is bouncing up off a beach below onto the underside of the woman's arm. In the middle image, the light can be seen bouncing off the inside of a straw basket that is held tightly against a boy's torso. And on the right, the light is bouncing off the face of a cliff outside the painting, AND bouncing up from the bottom under the water. (Fantastic, yes?) In these three examples the reflected light is so strong it overwhelms the weaker, cooler skylight coming in from above. So exceptions to the warm light/cool shadow principle is limited to specific situations where the color within the shadows are being pushed toward a warmer hue than the sunlight shining down from above. As a result, in comparison, the color of sunlight may appear cooler.

Tricky, yes? Well, not really, once you start looking for such exceptions in real life. And, once you do, you begin to see all kinds of colored light bouncing around in the shadows. And of course, when you include such temperature shifts into your own work it will imbue  a quality of light everyone will love.

My Sorolla video is extensive and filled with a lot of information about color and temperature. In truth, I’ve been working on it over the past five years when I began traveling to view his his masterworks and the places he painted. This demo is a stroke-by-stroke presentation and it runs just over 15 hours from start to finish. It includes detailed explanations of what I am about to do, and explanations while I do it. I talk about the Why, as well as the How because both are critical to fully understand what is happening. Nothing is left out or held back. Nothing is dumbed down. And topics beyond color temperature are explored in detail. I talk about how Sorolla applied his paint. How he altered, edited, and simplified his subjects. How he used his brush at the beginning of a painting, and how he used it at the end. And much, much, more...

So if you are a painter like me, who is in awe of the genius of Sorolla – or if Sorolla is a new artist to you – you can learn a lot about how he worked from this video. Click the link below to receive a time limited special pre-release price. But don't wait. This discount will end the day after its official release, Monday, April 16. 

You can pre-order your copy of my Sorolla demonstration here... 

In this video you will learn how to see, understand, and use color temperature to add vibrancy and life to your own work, just like Sorolla…

   – TJK

Announcing My First DVD Video Release! Sorolla: Painting the Color of Light...

Hey there Everyone:

It's been a while since I posted to the blog and my wife has been bugging me to get back to it because you readers have changed my life and attitudes about art over the past decade. And so, I shall...

Much has happened within the past few years that pulled me away from this blog. There is only so much time in a day, right? But I am going to commit to offering more tips on painting – and art in general – right here in the near future. 

But first, I want to share the biggest news about me in a long time.

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My Sorolla DVD Set Will be Released April 16th, 2018 through Streamline Premium Art Video!

Click to order now...

You can pre-order your own copy right now and receive a pre-release discount – or you can wait to hear about it at the Plein Air Convention & Expo in a few weeks. Or hopefully, you can hear about it from your friends...

This video demonstration focuses on how Sorolla painted. With much attention given to how he used value and color temperature to convey a sense of intense natural sunlight.

While I put a lot of effort into explaining things clearly, nothing has been "dumbed down" or held back during this demo. Having said that, I made sure it includes substantial instruction for both the novice and the advanced painter. In fact, while I do talk about Sorolla's methods and materials at the beginning, this demonstration is more about how Sorolla used color to achieve his astounding effects, how he simplified and composed his subject matter, and how he physically applied and pushed his paint around. You know, the things with move you forward as a painter...

Click here to pre-order your own copy at a special pre-release discount from Streamline Premium Art Video......

In 'da house', the Museo Sorolla, Madrid...

This three-DVD set contains a complete stroke-by-stroke, start-to-finish demo, with a total run-time of over 15 hours. It also contains many extras, such as a brief overview of Sorolla's life, an explanation of the color theories he incorporated into his work, and an in-depth interview with me hosted by Eric Rhoads, owner and publisher of PleinAir and FineArt Connoisseur Magazines. We talk about how and why I became a painter, what my current artistic interests and influences are, and there is also a select gallery of my artwork that spans the last two decades. So, for those of you who've been asking me for a DVD at my workshops, well – this is the one to get. (In fact, it is the only one to get...ha!)

"How did you do it?... How?"

I started working on this project five years ago when I began traveling to Madrid, Granada, Toledo, New York City, and San Diego to study original Sorolla paintings first-hand, and to visit the places he painted. All of which has been a dream come true for a Sorolla-nut like me.

Now, I am thrilled to offer it to you with the assistance of Streamline Premium Art Video – in HD format, with high production standards, edited for your convenience. I hope you will find this video demonstration a valuable addition to your art library.

And oh yes, please let me know what you think of the demo in the comment section below!...

Thomas

Color and Culture – Culture and Color...

By the time I arrived in art school I was convinced I was severely color blind. Largely because my previous art teachers and peers would talk endlessly about color distinctions I did not seem able to make. They'd say things like "Oh, look at that beautiful 'pinkish-green'", or "Can't you see the red in that (green) tree?" (I tried. Oh, how I tried...) Such discussions always left me feeling inadequate and ill-prepared to make art until my sophomore year in school when it became time to take a semester-long class devoted to only color.

At first I was intimidated but that class was the best thing that ever happened to me. In fact, that class was life-changing. It literally opened my eyes. Or more accurately, it opened up my mind because the professor who taught it offered tools I could use to understand what I was looking at. He gave me (and my fellow classmates) a precise language I could use to analyze, comprehend, and parse color.

In his class, I learned there was objective terminology one could use to reduce a color into its fundamental elements (as in Hue/Value/Chroma). I learned that we do not see isolated colors, we see relationships between colors. I also learned there is the color of nature, which is out in the world, and there are optical effects of color that only occur within the eye and brain. I learned about the interaction of color. And color persistence. And so much more. As a result, that professor opened up color to me like a light bulb. My hardware, my eyes, hadn't changed. But my perception had. And all that talk about pinkish-greens, and red-trees began to make sense.

In addition to explaining the simple mechanics of color, that professor delved into the cultural constructs of color – both in how different cultures at different times in history categorized the visible spectrum, and the ever-evolving symbology of color; meaning, what certain colors represented to certain people in different parts of the world. Even the whys and hows of such symbology. (For example, white often represents purity in most parts of the Western World, but in contrast, often represents death in Asia. And red often represents impurity in Western Culture, yet again in contrast, can represent purity on the Asian side. I know, I know, I simplify things greatly, but you get the picture, yes?) And while I learned there is no universal color code that can be applied to all of humanity, there are common color stages most cultures incorporate, and the more nuanced the terminology, the more nuanced the seeing.

So I was pleased to stumble across a short Ted Talk video (below) that neatly summarizes a few of the cross-cultural stages of color I remember from that class. The anthropological aspects of color continues to interest me today even though I have remained mostly a naturalistic painter. While I may not believe color is as quantifiable as the video below will imply, I do accept our individual perception of color is greatly impacted by what we expect to see. Or perhaps, what we have been told to see! But then, as this video shows, there does seem to be a few things about color that develops in a similar manner across different cultures and perhaps that part of our color perception is hard-wired. I dunno.

Color, and the Perception of Color are two of the things I enjoy teaching most in my classes. Largely due to that one day, in that one class, when suddenly I understood color. I just got it and could see so much more. That moment had a profound impact on the rest my life and I will always grateful for that teacher's ability to make someone see what they couldn't see before..

Enjoy!...

(Click here if you have trouble viewing this video)

If you receive my posts via subscription please let me know if this video appears too large on your screen.

I am troubleshooting this issue -- TJK)

Charles Movalli (American 1945 - 2016) – One of the Last Old School Cape Ann Painters...

A winter scene in Essex (Cape Ann)

Charles Movalli: one of our great outdoor painters from the early to mid-century, mid-Atlantic tribe, who lived and worked along the coast above Boston, MA. (Winslow Homer, Childe Hassam, Edward Hopper, John Sloan, Emile Gruppe being but a few other tribal regulars that go back nearly 200 years.)  Movalli, who managed to navigate the vicissitudes of 20th century American Modernism without stumbling off his chosen path, was the last of this tribe. Sadly, Charles passed away recently, leaving thousands of paintings and many inspired students behind. He will be missed.

Watch this video of Charles discuss how to use light and shadow patterns to define a painting composition. Go ahead and watch it several times because there is a lot of information to take in at a high rate. In fact, I am told Movalli would paint with the same intensity and energy we see him using here as he 'splains his ideas to the students behind the camera...

Pay attention! Even though he is gone you (and I) can learn a lot from this guy. 

Here is his website:

https://charlesmovalli.org

Enjoy!

TJK

Plein Air Tuscany 2017!...

Improve your Outdoor Painting Skills in Tuscany with Internationally-renowned Instructor, Thomas Jefferson Kitts, this September 9th-16th, 2017

Join me for my 3rd Annual Plein Air Tuscany workshop in the beautiful hills of Chianti outside of Florence!…Eat, Drink, and Live like an Italian as you become a better outdoor painter!

Note: If you register by July 15th you will get the Early Bird Discount!

Here is a short video of this workshop. What we will do, where we will go, and what we will paint. 2014 and 2015 were awesome, and 2017 will be even better!...

Hey Everyone! I can offer the Early Bird Rate for this workshop until July 15th. – At this rate, your workshop instruction and lodgings will range from €2100 to €2900, depending on your choice of  accommodations. There are single and double occupancy rooms available, with and without a private bath. There are also several self-contained apartments on the grounds if you prefer more privacy. Your actual US cost will depend on the international exchange rate at the time you register and the type of accommodation you reserve. Airfare is not included and a €600 deposit will be required to reserve your space.

To receive your comprehensive
FAQ sheet click:
Plein Air Tuscany 2017! 

Paint en plein air in the sun-drenched countryside of Tuscany. Take your outdoor landscapes to the next level. Stay in a remodeled country farmhouse with sweeping vistas over the hilltop town of Certaldo, where you'll be near Florence and San Gimignano, places we will paint. This workshop is open to the beginning-to-intermediate oil painter and Thomas will offer six hours of instruction a day.

We will take numerous trips to vineyards, farms, and ancient hill towns so you will paint the history and culture of Tuscany. And each day will end with the group enjoying the pleasures and comfort of outdoor dining, overlooking the countryside, and sleeping in a comfortable bed at night. Your week will culminate in a private tour in Florence of the Macchiaioli Painters, the little-known plein air painters of Italy, exhibited in the Palazzo Pitti – followed by the rest of the day spent touring or painting in the streets of Florence. You won't need a car for any of these this trips. We will take you everywhere you need to go!

This workshop is a fantastic way to experience the heart and soul of Italy while you concentrate on your outdoor painting skills. It is an opportunity to create new friends and treasured memories of a lifetime!

– TJK