To my students in the Emeritus "Plein Aire" painting class.
Next week marks the end of the fall semester of our class - #9725, Wednesday, 9:00 AM- l2:00 PM.
The winter semester begins January 4, 2006, and runs for 4 weeks. After that, the spring semester will begin. The procedure at Emeritus is that you sign up, at the office on 2nd and
Wiltshire for each series of classes - which means that you must sign up now for the winter semester.
It has been very gratifying getting to know you and to see your work. Realizing that many of you have been together for a long time, and some of you are new, it has been a challenge to figure out how to approach this group of people so that all will feel content with their own work, and also feel that they are progressing in their own styles. Some of the new people are struggling with developing a new style, and some of you love what you are doing and want to continue on the road you have chosen.
A perfect spot is the park above the Santa Monica Pier. There is enough to paint, and the bathrooms are accessible and the parking good. The park is long, running from North to South, and I have painted quite a few paintings from this park, some looking down at the houses and ocean from up-high. And speaking of up-high, the Hamills live up on a bluff, and have invited the class to come to their home with a 180 degree view. Please give me some feed-back. My main idea this semester was to keep you on the Boardwalk and around this area for the whole time. We can continue this way if you would like, but I am getting the idea that you would like to experiment with different places.
Regarding timing:
From now on, we will go to the agreed upon spot, and begin painting right away. This is because it seems that it is impossible for everyone to arrive at the same time, so instead of wasting time waiting for people, I think it would be better to begin painting right away, and then break at ll:00 or ll:30 for a quick critique so that everyone can see what everyone else has painted. This will also make it possible for those people who have to leave early to do so, and also for those people who have to come late to do so.
If anyone needs particular attention, I will be happy to meet with them privately during the class to help them with their own particular problems. This week I took Gladys into my studio to show her work I have done concerning texture. As you know, she is working on
Plexiglas, and then using the plexi to make a monoprint. I showed her different ways that I worked with materials and texture, and suggested that she add different media to those she is already using. So please give me feedback concerning:
Looking forward to the winter semester,
Susan Weinberg
