plein air painter - Greece October 6-15, 2013

American Contemporary plein air painter.
Artist J. R. Baldini is selected to head an art workshop watercolor journaling tour to the Greek Islands.
The Tour is organized by Wanderwomen/Eurynome Journeys out of Camden Maine Oct 6-15.
This tour is women only, because there's a different kind of energy when women create together.

The Tour director and J.R. actually met about 7 years ago on a tiny island in Maine. They exchanged business cards and casually mentioned, 'we should do something together sometime' Last year the tour director found the card and remembered the conversation.

The rest of the story will be played out, as the group tours some of the less touristy islands, journaling, cooking and even taking a dance lesson on their memorable "Greek Muse" holiday workshop.
More information can be found at http://www.permissiongranted.org or email info@eurynomejourneys.com

plein air painter - Green Drake Gallery, Millheim PA

American Contemporary plein air painter.

J. R. Baldini is from upstate New York where she studied painting and printmaking from a very early age at Munson Williams Proctor School of Art, now part of Pratt.

Having spent 30 years painting on tiny and exotic islands and the Niagara Peninsula, she now resides there with well known Canadian photographer husband Charles Vandersluys and their Silky terrier Bebe Star.

J, R. is referred by the National Gallery of Canada as the only Contemporary artist painting Niagara Falls, painting Niagara over and over for the same reason Monet painted his haystacks, the ever changing quality of light.

“Painting en plein air has the capability of transferring internal communication to the viewer very successfully. A metaphysical immersion happens when you're drawn to a plein air painting – you're engaged in the atmosphere the painting was created in, connected to a moment in time,” says Baldini.

J. R. founded International Plein Air Painters in 2001, hosting the annual Great Worldwide Paint Out bringing artists from all over North America to Niagara to paint, as the Executive Director and a Signature member of IPAP .

J. R. is currently showing at the NEW CENTURY ARTISTS Gallery in Manhattan and the GREEN DRAKE gallery in PA.,as part of the WORLD TOUR OF CONTEMPORARY LANDSCAPE ARTISTS that she has been a founding member of since 2007. She's been a juror for numerous plein air events and been published in many art and travel magazines. She has taught workshops in St. Lucia for eight years, Maine for many more, Niagara Falls, Florida, SC and new locations including a 'Greek Muse' painting tour of the Greek Islands in the Fall. J. R. is a Master Photographer, she's been inducted in the Niagara Falls Arts & Culture Wall of Fame and is currently writing and illustrating a book on art and psychology and a children’s book on celebrating what makes us different.

 

American Contemporary plein air painter. Monhegan Island workshop

August 5-9, 2013 5 day

August 8-9, 2013 2 day

MONHEGAN WORKSHOP

American Contemporary plein air painter.

Video of plein air painter J.R. Baldini painting Niagara Falls

Last plein air workshop - Niagara Falls

American Contemporary plein air painter.

Summer on an Autumn Day

8 x8 oil on canvas

Check WEBSITE for scheduled artworkshops updates

plein air painter - Niagara Falls

American Contemporary plein air painter.

Heading out for another bonus day of painting at the boat landing in Niagara Falls.
Bonus, because of the incredible weather we are having here in the Northeast, which makes
for great days to paint - mild temps and not thousands of tourists looking over your shoulder !


Posting an image I was happy with done yesterday at the landing in the afternoon light on the American Falls.

 

November Light - American Falls

8x8 oil on canvas

AVAILABLE FOR YOUR COLLECTION

www.jrbaldini.com

1.800.393.7270

Watch for updated workshop schedule in Niagara Falls for 2012

Plein Air Painter - Monet's Haystacks

American Contemporary plein air painter.



Hello plein air painters !

I am an American Contemporary plein air painter living & working in Niagara Falls, Canada.
As an American, I secretly delight in the fact that the National Gallery of Canada, refers me as the only Contemporary artist painting Niagara Falls.
You see, to the painters in this area, studios are much more comfortable and why would they want to paint Niagara anyway ? It's just a tacky tourist trap...

But, you see, they're missing the whole point - Niagara is many things, the light is spectacular and the forms forever morphing...
Niagara is to me what haystacks were to Monet..

Anyway, here I am in Niagara, where I can paint this fabulous cataract daily, when I'm not traveling or instructing workshops or hanging out with my husband Charlie (who's a Master Photographer) and my little dog BeBe Star.

In 2001, just after 911, I founded International Plein Air Painters, a Worldwide organization. Maybe you've heard about the annual Worldwide Plein Air Paint Out each September ? The group is active online and registration for 2010 is currently open.

You can visit my website, if you have a minute at
http://jrbaldini.com/
http://jrbaldini.blogspot.com/

or check which workshops are scheduled at
http://artworkshops.homestead.com/

Thanks for reading and hope to see you out there somewhere...

American Contemporary plein air painter - Old friends

American Contemporary plein air painter.

During a recent workshop, I had packed a few things quickly - one being my brush carrier.
My brushes are stored in the studio gathered in a vertical container, jar, vase of some kind. I grabbed a handful and when I began painting, I recognized an old friend.

When I was 10 years old, my parents sent me to Munson Williams Proctor School of Art in Utica, NY.
In addition to the Children's Saturday morning classes, I was allowed to attend an oil painting class on one weekday evening.
I still have these brushes, very carefully carved with a J, so no one would take them on me. Obviously treated roughly but, like the Velveteen Rabbit, treasured...



www.jrbaldini.com

Plein Air Painter - Niagara Falls

The Sarasota/Longboat Key plein air painting workshop is just a short 2 wks away !

I'm excited to be able to paint outdoors again after the last month of cold, since returning from 2 wks painting in beautiful St. Lucia.

As you may know, this part of Florida is my favorite to paint. It has everything all in one place - water, lush greenery, quaint street scenes...let's hope it doesn't have snowscenes...lol

If you're in Florida, drive down for the weekend and join us. The workshop is two days Feb 27 & 28 from 10:00 am - 4:30pm for $275.00 pp - instruction only and PayPal is available for convenience. Notice how it's already starting to stay light longer ? I noticed on Fri, it was still light at 5pm EST.

FLORIDA WORKSHOP INFO HERE

Plein air painter - St. Lucia plein air painting

Plein air painter - St. Lucia plein air painting

My decision to bring Golden OPEN acrylics to St. Lucia, instead of regular acrylics or my preferred oils, was a bigger decision than I imagined.

The first few days, I did some uncomplicated sketches and really didn't notice any issues.Other than I realized after the first, I did not care for the support of linen with this medium.

A few days ago, I did a few larger paintings and the learning curve began...
There were issues with repainting a few areas and when I packed up, both paintings were considerably wet and had to be hand carried back.

So, I decided yesterday to delve into the written material, to get more of a feel for the medium and do some experimenting before I venture out again.


Jacq
www.jrbaldini.com
If you haven't tried the Golden OPEN, or for that matter, the Chroma Interractive, you'll find that they are really neither like acrylics you may have mastered or oils.
It may have been better from the get go to just name them something else. This would have been less confusing for me to have them out on location behaving in an unfamiliar manner.

So, I read the materials and did some small studies. Here's what I found so far...
They blend well, but as they set a bit, they can be pulled back up off the canvas, much like you can wipe your oils or to some extent, lift the color from heavier watercolor papers.While wet - which according to the materials is about an hour, ( this was influenced by the environment here in St. Lucia)They can be blended. After that, they lift with water and to my dismay, the clump in tiny bits when you add the thinner at that point, contrary to what the materials stated...

Going on location with them again today
More later...

Plein Air Painter - Plagarism

Plagarism - it exists...
But don't you just hate when someone comes along and takes the words right off your
website and writes articles and BLOGS - My article is clearly labeled copyright and may not be reproduced without written permission.I am so upset ! I found another artist who had written an article on a site called Empty Easel about Choosing an Art Workshop - only when I started reading, she had plagarized an article I had written and copyrighted clearly 5 years ago ! It's also on her blog at http://elicedrone.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-to-have-great-workshop-experience.html