2011 CAC Limantour Retreat

This past September 23-25 the Bay Area Chapter of the California Art Club hosted the third annual Limantour Retreat… an event that is eagerly anticipated and unanimously appreciated.

Friday morning the earlybirds converged on Limantour Beach for the first day of painting. After a light morning fog burned off we were treated to one of those perfect fall days. Christin painted from the hillside overlooking the Estero and I painted from the edge of the parking lot looking south toward a distant tree line and the cliffs beyond. I then joined her above the estero for another. We both came away with a few gems. The tide moves quite quickly there so the meandering channels through the pickle weed marsh alter while you paint. I’ve learned over the years of painting there that you need to put down your water at the beginning so you don’t have to keep chasing the changing patterns. At 4pm we went back to the Hostel for check-in. Cars were lined up waiting to be admitted so that those who needed a lower bunk for various reasons could get first shot at them. I don’t think it has ever been a problem, but people seem to be quite determined to claim them since we don’t reserve spots in advance. Everyone brought an enormous amount of food for Friday’s pot-luck dinner and we all sat around the comfy living room getting to know each other better. Debbie Gualco brought a DVD of Morgan Weistling painting a portrait… and this kept a whole bunch of people enthralled.

Saturday morning was socked in with fog. We all shared a yummy Bagel and salmon breakfast and then trooped out to Drake’s Beach where we had a planned paint-out. Many stayed and some went to other areas of Point Reyes in search of some sun… but I’m not sure they found any. Those who stayed, spread out on the beach and hills to paint the surf and dramatic cliffs. At 4pm about 30 of us gathered and set out our paintings on the café picnic tables. It was impressive… such good work. Kay Young was awarded the artist’s choice award and received a set of Sennelier oils for her little square painting of the surf painted on a silver-leaf panel. Will Maller captured second with another loosely interpreted surf painting. Back at the Hostel, after a dinner of leftovers and such, some of us took a walk in the dark down the trail toward the beach. Later some of us went up to the upper dorm and we held an impromptu portrait session. Christin sat with a guitar for the nine painters and we had lots of laughs.

Sunday morning we were greeted by unseasonable rain… so instead of laying out all of our weekends paints on the patio, we went to the upper dorm again and set everything there. Pretty amazing how many paintings were created and such good work.

It’s not often that painters can gather for fun. It’s usually for a high-pressure event or workshop educational gathering… but at the Limantour retreat, we simply paint and get to know other painters better. It sure is fun and I look forward to next year!

2011 DOOR COUNTY PLEIN AIR FESTIVAL - How To Stage a Perfect Event

Having participated in many Plein Air events, it's easy to see why the Door County Plein Air Festival organizers at the Peninsula School of Art in Fish Creek, WI have become one of the top events in the nation. The highly dedicated women who facilitate this event seem to clearly see what makes it all work and the 2011 festival produced enormous results. At the time of this posting, sales increased by 44% over 2010 with 207 paintings sold in the first two days.

Several years ago, Christin had received an invitation from Cinnamon Rossman (the event director) but had declined to attend due to the distance and lack of knowledge of the area or event. Last year our friends Carole Gray-Weihman and Al Tofanelli described thier incredible experience to us, so we contacted Cinnamon and we were invited to participate in the 2011 event.

Clearly the Door County Plein Air Festival has developed huge support from the local community and from around the Midwest metropolitan areas who vacation there each year and take advantage of the summer recreational opportunities this unique Lake Michigan spot offers. Building support of the community is one of the main ingredients for success in any event. Building the knowledge base about creating and collecting fine art is crucial. In addition to the schools schedule of classes and website offerings, they provide weeklong opportunities for the "Palette Pass" holders (who are invited to all of the weeks events) to be involved. There was a meet the artists night dinner held lakeside on Monday, A sunset paint-out in Sister Bay on the waterfront with catered food and drinks, the Gala for collectors was held on Friday night, a quick draw at the waterfront on Saturday and a public opening reception on Saturday night. In addition, throughout the week, artists were asked to sign up for specific locations so that the public could come and watch the painters work. Everyone was so excited to see the weeklong results from the artists, that paintings were simply flying off the walls at the Gala and this energy continued into the next day.

Another major component for the success of this event was the selection of hi-caliber talent. Although I work for Plein Air Magazine and am familiar with many of the nationally acclaimed plein air artists, there were many artists here that have not reached a national stage, yet were exceptional talents. Tom Nachreiner, Mat Barber Kennedy, Frank Gardner, Mark Boedges, Stuart Fullerton, Jim Hempel, Brian Sindler, John Stuart Pryce and William Suys were among those who I admired but had not known and they joined some of my favorites who have achieved a larger audience like Marc Hanson, Colin Page, Joshua Been, Jim Markle, Shelby Keefe, Debra Joy Groesser, Kim Casebeer, Mary Garrish and Ulrich Gleiter. Other artists who haven't been mentioned here also worked hard and deserve mention, but then I would just be listing everyone.

Door County is a gem. The beauty of this peninsula that juts out into the enormous Lake Michigan provides a wealth of painting subjects. We were thrilled to be part of this event and took away lasting memories. Here are some more photos of the area.