Paint the Blossoms
En Plein-Air at VanDusen Gardens
Guest contribution by Nita Wardlow
Photo Credit: Karen Stewart
This spring the Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival offers plein-air painters a unique opportunity to work with some of the city's finest artists. On 4 consecutive Saturdays between March 29 and April 19, classes follow the exciting progression of the blossoming of VanDusen Botanical Gardens' cherry trees.
Read about the professional teaching artists on the festival website - vcbf.ca or view their remarkable work on their own websites listed below. All have extensive teaching experience, with two artists leading plein-air painting tours far from Vancouver - Alfonso Tejada in Italy and Mexico, and Zshu-Zshu Mark in Corsica, Umbria and Tuscany.
Asked recently why they enjoy painting outdoors and what students can expect from their classes, the artists' responses were enthusiastic and varied:
Alfonso Tejada, West Vancouver architect and urban planner, says when he paints outdoors, he feels he's part of the place, not just an observer. He strives to "capture the colour and light in nature at different times of the day, in various seasons and places. Outdoor painting helps artists of all abilities develop a vocabulary of light and colour that transfers to their studio work as well." http://members.shaw.ca/atejada//
Zshu-Zshu Mark notices a remarkable difference in her students work when painting outdoors. "Nature inundates, and tweaks all your faculties. Students will find themselves using all their senses often simultaneously, putting them on edge. I think edges are good because that can be where energy/spontaneity comes from! The key will be how to give form to that energy, through light, colour and contrast with paint." zshu-zshu-mark.com
Teressa Bernard, is excited that this year's classes will be at VanDusen Gardens with its myriad of sights for the plein-air enthusiast. She hopes her classes will be an enjoyable experience in which students see "what makes a good composition and how not to be overwhelmed by all that is before them." teressabernard.com
Robert McMurray likes to address the practicalities of painting en plein-air - how to set up to paint outdoors, to prepare for changing elements, and to select an appropriate composition from a very big vista. "Students will see how I use pigments and colour to develop my impression of the subject I select." artists.ca/gallery/rmcmurray.html
Krystie Baballos and Yoriko Takui, look forward to the exuberance young students (age 6 to 13) bring to the outdoor classes. They encourage children to feel the spirit of new life in the cherry blossoms so their ideas "dance onto the paper, with their unique little paint strokes." takui.net/yoriko
All classes are designed for beginners and experienced painters of all media - water color, acrylic or oil. Classes run from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Adult sessions ($150 for all four classes or $45 for one class) are Saturdays from March 29 to April 19, starting at The Glass House at VanDusen and spreading out onto the Garden's 55 acres.
The April 19th Children's Plein-Air Class ($30) meets at Waterworks Park on Granville Island.
Don't miss this memorable experience! Register at vcbf.ca.
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