Landscape Painting in Sabino Canyon

A few young artists, Desi and Tatum, participated in Outside Art's landscape painting lessons in Sabino Canyon last Saturday. After walking about a mile uphill with easels over our shoulders and about 50 pounds of paints, brushes and canvases, we found our inspirational vista. (along with some shade) After a drink of water, and a thorough panoramic intake, we set up out portable easels, discussed, planned and painted our compositions and started our background tones. Desi and Tatum applied a few new painting techniques, such as impasto, wet-in-wet, and double-charging your brush. These outside artists did a great job with these new techniques. See for yourself!

Students Place in the Pima County Fair

Two Outside Art students, Lorraine and Aurie won first and second place in their age category at the Pima County Fair. These two talented sisters spent several weeks perfecting their animal scene paintings before entering them into the fair. Aurie's painting showed a giraffe in a beautiful savanna, while Lorraine painted an otter in its favorite element, the water. These prize winning paintings demonstrated a wide variety of professional watercolor techniques, such as washes, drybrush, and sponging. To view their art go to : http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?exhibit=188354

A Windy Spring for Young Outside Artists

It has been quite windy this spring, but aspiring young artists have prevailed, despite the wind. I can not count the number of paintings that have flown across fields and schoolyards over the past few months. A few weeks ago, Girl Scout Troop 1000 painted a number of beautiful murals at the Marana Youth Farm during a dust storm. By the time the art was completed, enduring artists were covered in just as much dust as paint! Below is a picture of one of the murals that these amazing and hard working young artists made during 60 mile an hour winds. It is as if our artists were sail boats this spring. The wind just pushed them forward.

To see more of their art go to: http://www.artsonia.com/museum/gallery.asp?exhibit=189433

Why Teach Art Outside?

Nature is an inspiring classroom for all ages, providing a peaceful environment which is conducive to creativity and discovery. It is also an excellent sensorial muse by which the elements, principals and expressiveness of art can be exemplified. Art creation is a higher-level, analyzing, synthesizing and evaluative process that increases neural activity and intellectual growth in children. The study of nature through art allows the “artist” to observe, value, analyze, synthesize and express his/her understanding of, and relationship to, the environment. The study of nature through art has been a constant in the development of artists, scientists, and all cultures. From the time of the Lascaux cave painters to the present, nature has inspired man to create in order to understand and tribute nature. As the great painter Francisco Goya explained, “I have had three masters, Nature, Velasquez, and Rembrandt.” (c) Dawn Malosh