September 2010 Nocturne Painting Marathon!

Instead of the four paintings a day that I painted for the April Painting Marathon, I'm launching a Nocturne Painting Marathon during which I will be painting 2 nocturnes a night. I know... four paintings a day for 30 days... is a "real" marathon! I'm already feeling like a "lessor" version of myself! Still, two paintings a night, every night in addition to all of the other work I'll be doing ( a lot of September to November deadlines ahead of me), the beginning of the hunting season, a wedding to attend, a two day workshop to teach, and a few other assorted obligations (including the ones that you don't plan on that pop up)... all are sure to challenge my efforts.

"Why would I want to do this?" I have been asked? Because I like painting, a lot, and since the 2009 April Painting Marathon I have been asked a lot if I am going to do it again. I'm not one to want to repeat exactly something like that, a once in a lifetime experience. I don't even know if I could repeat that. But I did enjoy it immensely and have been thinking about what I might do next. I thought about one 30x40 a day for a month (just kidding).

I like painting nocturnes and find a certain expressive freedom in them that comes with the same sort of adrenaline rush that you can get from doing something like eating a wild mushroom for the first time... or putting an airplane into a spin or emergency maneuver for the first time. It's a rush!!!

The subjects are diverse, from natural moonlight to city/industrial to residential lit up scenes. Painting at least 60 of them in the next 30 days means I'll be looking for a lot of variety in the subjects I choose to paint. That is exciting all by itself.

I'LL POST EACH NIGHT'S PAINTINGS THE FOLLOWING MORNING IN MOST CASES. They'll probably also go onto my website, but this is where I'll write about them and what went on. People have asked if they're going to be for sale and the answer is 'YES'.

( I knew there would be things to add...) The paintings are all oil on canvas board and are 5"x7" or 7"x5". For the techies out there, These are Panelli Telati boards, canvas on hardboard, that I over prime with an oil/alkyd type primer. The one I used is no longer available so I would recommend trying an oil primer by Gamblin, Winsor and Newton, Utrecht, Studio Products, Williamsburg, etc.. I've used those too and would find them all good for what I'm doing with these panels.

Auction Info...

1) Below each painting will be a link that says "Click Here to Bid.". This will take you to the 'eBay' page where the paintings are listed for sale via the eBay auction system.

2) Each painting will be put up on a 1 (one) Day Auction for bids. Following the 1(one) Day Auction, they will come off of the market and will not be for sale.

3) The starting price of each painting is $150.00 and includes shipping and insurance to the USA, Canada and Europe. MN residents will be charged MN State Sales Tax. Payments accepted via PayPal.

4) If you purchase a painting it will need time to dry, be varnished and packaged. Following that and cleared payment, the paintings will be shipped promptly. I estimate that it will take approximately 3 weeks following the day the painting is painted for it to be ready to be packed and shipped.

5) I cannot "hold one for" you... "save a special day"... All of the paintings will be put up for a fair sale via the eBay Auction system and will be sold as per that.

Thank you... If I think of anything else I'll add to this post. Oh... This is going to be fun. :-)

The last of August for 2010!

I painted these two this weekend and another one, a 14x18, but that one is only blocked in and will need another trip out to finish. Hopefully soon.


'Swirling Light' oil-10x8 © Marc R. Hanson '10
We painted down on the St Croix in William O'Brien State Park after trying to paint further away in the open farmland. But the winds were such that it just made it not worth it to even set up. This park always offers some shelter from that kind of weather and it's along the river so it's cooler. The water on the river is so high, never have seen it as high in my brief time painting here. I hear that from those who have been here a long time however.


'Glorious Afternoon' oil-8x10 © Marc R. Hanson'10
Following an afternoon hiatus to escape the heat and allergies we moved up north of Taylors Falls for the afternoon/evening and found a beautiful location. I've probably painted 10-15 paintings along this one road in the past. But it still is always a place to find available subject matter.

September!

Interstate Park twice...

I haven't been out painting much lately, and when I have, twice in the last week, it's been to go just down the street to the Interstate Park on the Minnesota side. The first one I painted Saturday the 14th of August, the day after my workshop here in Taylors Falls wound up. Friends and students in the workshop Bruce Newman, Annie Compton and Linda Epstein stayed a day extra and were there painting too, so I joined them.

The water was high then, but yesterday a week later it's even higher from all of the rain the region's been having. Makes for some interesting patterning on the surface and lot's of foam from the spill coming over the dam in St. Croix Falls, WI just up river.

I met some nice people, had a few jokesters too... But best of all I met a young artist named Steven ( about 11 or12 yrs old, a guess... sorry Steven if I'm off by a lot) and his parents. Steven is a painter in acrylics and named the colors on my palette by specific names, ie... "Alizarin Crimson, Ultramarine Blue, Viridian"... not just "red, blue and green"! Steven is going places! :)

Did I mention it was hot, but a beautiful day?

I was really attracted to the 'coffee and cream' coloration in the water of this one. The water up here is always stained due to it's originating in the northern forests of Tamarack and peat bogs. But right now it has a lot of sediment (the cream) stirred up in it from the flow, giving it a creamy, chocolate brown color. The river was approaching a 'record' ft/per/cubic inch flow.

'Record Flow' - oil- 12x16 - August 14, 2010 © Marc R. Hanson

I heard from a ranger in the park yesterday while painting that the river is now at 'record flow'. But it was the warming of the late summer color that really caught my eye and provided the contrast to the cool hillside in the distance and the reddish hues in the water and the rocks in shade. The entire scene had a 'yellow green cast' to it.

'August Colors' - oil - 11x14 - August 22, 2010 © Marc R. Hanson

A new painting project...

Taylors Falls Ten PM

Oil on canvas - 8x10 © Marc R. Hanson'10

This nocturne was painted from life in Taylors Falls last week during my workshop on our 'Nocturne Night'.

Also, this is a first for me, a trial run if you will. I have listed this painting as an auction item on 'ebay'. I have a lot of smaller paintings hanging around that are taking up my studio space and I need the room to work. :) I may be posting some of those in time.

If you are game, you can click on the link below the painting and go there to take a look.




Click here to bid on this painting