plein air painter - Let's all get real...

American Contemporary plein air painter.

We've all been an amateur at something, at some time...

I remember the very first workshop I took. It was a gift for my 25th birthday.
I shouldn't have been surprised, coming from my parents, who sent me to art school at Munson Williams Proctor School of Art before I was 10 years old. I shouldn't have been surprised that they would give me such a gift, since their unspoken message to us always was that we were capable of doing anything we set our mind to. I remember my Dad's exact words growing up, 'you're better than average', this was a reference to his grandfather being a land baron in Austria, but also gave him a sense of pride that his children were born to 'do well'. Still, I was pretty scared to be going away to a workshop where I wouldn't know a soul and I was probably going to be in the midst of everyone in the world who was a better artist than I was.
So, last week, I was thinking about something I've been putting on the back burner for quite a while. I've mentioned before that I was working on a book, right ?
Well, I've compiled pages and files and thoughts, but there was one thing I couldn't get past. Namely, why would anyone be interested in what I had to say - and what made me think that I could do this ?
And then it happened, last weekend in midst of one of our busiest days at the studio, I woke up and said  'I can do this - I have something to say'...and really, I got so excited, it's all I could think about all day.
And you know what starts happening when you focus on something...
There is a Zen saying that applies here: “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”   That night I met someone who had just had a book published and offered help if I needed it, and emails started appearing in my mailbox from authors and the list goes on.
Every artist faces fears and negative self talk regarding their creative abilities.These concern lack of knowledge and lack of confidence. 

So if you have an obstacle that's stopping you from going for something you want, focus your positive thoughts on it, instead of all reasons you can't do it and

Let's all get real...
www.jrbaldini.com

Plein Air Painter - Historical Paintings

American Contemporary plein air painter.

This morning I was in a vault,standing a foot away from a Rockwell Kent painting of Monhegan Island painted in 1905, when Kent was just 23 years old and had arrived on the Island in June of that year.

I had a two hour meeting with the Curator of the Riverbrink Museum in Queenston, Ontario.
I got a call from him last week to see if I might be interested in displaying some work.
The Museum/Gallery is on the way to Niagara on the Lake.

My work will be in the Museum by the end of May.

Niagara this week.com - Art embraces special moments

Art embraces special moments, places in outdoors
"NiagaraThisWeek.com: Article: Art embraces special moments, places in outdoors";


By Doug Draper
Arts & Entertainment
Feb 08, 2008


This past Tuesday, on a damp, gray, foggy morning when many Niagara residents would probably prefer to spend a little more time in bed, Jacqueline Baldini was eager to head out to the countryside to capture the mood of the day on canvas.
"I am looking out there," said the Niagara artist at her studio on Lundy's Lane in Niagara Falls, "and going 'Wow, look at that.' "
Those "wow" moments, when Baldini is full of passion for the light and colour a day can bring -- regardless of the weather or the time of year -- has fueled her art for more than 30 years and has earned her the respect of other artists, nationally and internationally, for her ability to produce works embracing special moments and places in the outdoors.
"I don't want a perfect world," said Baldini in a studio with walls full of paintings of the Niagara Falls area, including the rapids of the famous river and its cataract, and of other regions of Niagara and the rest of the world, including Portugal, Spain, the Bahamas, Honduras and Yucatan.
"If all we had were all blue skies and sunshine, that would be boring."
Baldini is offering everyone from beginners to those will some experience in applying oil paints to canvas anything but a boring time at a workshop she is hosting at the Lundy's Lane studio this Sunday.
That workshop, called Day in an Artist's Studio, runs this Sunday, Feb. 10, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with coffee and Danish treats in the morning, a lunch and all materials, including canvas and paints provided, for a fee of $65.
"I am asked frequently to do weekly lessons at my studio," Baldini said. "I made the decision a few years ago, that people learn and absorb much faster when completely immersed in a project."
As a host and mentor at the workshops, Baldini said she always finds them as rewarding as those who attend hopefully do. Often from someone who is just starting out in art, she said, she is reminded of the virtues of keeping things simple in some of her own work.
"I've had complete beginners in my classes," she said, "and I have learned from them."
Baldini's approach to art is something she said is described as "Plein Air Artist" or one who chooses to paint from life outdoors. "This often means painting in the fog, mist or frozen landscape of this beautiful peninsula," she explained. "Plein Air Painting is a metaphysical skill capable of creating an image that lets the viewer 'be there in the moment' when viewing the painting."
An upper New York State native before moving to Niagara Falls more than thirteen years ago, Baldini is the founder and signature member of International Plein Air Painters (an organization of artists dedicated to producing painting of moving outdoor settings around the world) and in 2002 established the first Worldwide Paint Out, that brings groups of artists together through the internet each year to share their work.
Her paintings hang in private and public collections across Canada, the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe. To obtain more information on this Sunday's Day in an Artist's Studio Workshop or to register for the workshop no later than this Saturday, contact Jacqueline Baldini at her studio on 7973 Lundy's Lane in Niagara Falls at 905-354-8692 or visit her website at http://www.artworkshops.homestead.com/.

Niagara Falls Artists - taking back downtown

I attended the meeting recently downtown and I want to stress how important it is for the Niagara Falls community to get involved.

For the past 5 years, I've been organizing a worldwide paint out , bringing artists from all over into the parks each September to paint Niagara. Interesting to note, I can count on one hand, the artists that have been from this area. Sad to say but, because of no community support, the event will happen worldwide but, Niagara Falls NY, will likely organize their own paint out. One more thing that has left this area.

The arts supported by a community, are so important for our children.
The arts always provide a balance, a calming and security, a sense of belonging in a community. And we have much talent in this area.

Niagara Falls is one of the most dramatic locations in North America - artists are naturally drawn to this natural wonder. Let's make sure the arts survive here, the artists can make a living and the community is pulled together in a central location like downtown.
From there, who knows where we can go !

Please support this grassroots movement by letting others and your councils know. Let's make sure this 'revitalization' is publicized - let's give every small town downtown, something to model after. Niagara Falls is always news, let's let the world watch our success story !

Spread the word 'Where's my Downtown ?"

Where's My Downtown will hold a meeting at Perspective Art School and Gallery on Queen Street, Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. A petition to revitalize Queen Street can be found online at www.thepetitionsite.com/1/revitalize-downtown-niagara-falls and Facebook members can find the site by entering My Downtown Niagara Falls in the search section of their profile page.

J. R. Baldini, Executive Director
International Plein Air Painters