niebruggestudio.com

May the year 2008 be prosperous and bring joy and happiness into your life. May this be a year of learning new things, growing, changing, exploring and challenge. May you never loose sight of your blessings, and always be thankful. Keep your eyes open and watch for things to paint, find the beauty in nature, observe the changing light, take the time to evaluate the differences in the structure of leaves, petals on flowers, branches of trees, the shapes of rocks, the cast shadows in the morning and how they change in the evening, and again, always be thankful.

Happy New Year! And, God Bless.

Gail Niebrugge, Artist of Alaska

Mountain Springs B&B located on the Edgerton-Parks Road in Palmer is the location for my one week workshop July 14-18, 2008.  This beautiful facility has overnight accommodations as well as a large room for classes, and is located at the foothills of the Talkeetna Mountains near Hatcher Pass.  For more information and to book your space in the workshop please contact Mollie Flack at mollieflack@hotmail.com.  We will focus on acrylic and/or watercolor paint with some outdoor plein air field research, and studio time indoors to complete our paintings.  July is a gorgeous time in Alaska, don’t miss out on the fun.

More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Alaskan Artist

If you are interested in attending my July 14-18 workshop here are some things that you can do to prepare in advance. The emphasis will be on finding subject matter out-of-doors. So start now by looking at the landscape three ways; distance, mid ground, and close-up. Learn to do quick thumbnail sketches with pencil in a small sketchbook. Keep notes about the colors, important details, and anything else you will need to translate the quick sketches into larger compositions. We will evaluate these sketches together and find ways to improve by changing the focus or altering the composition. If you use a camera it will be helpful to take photos of details that you can refer to when we are back at the lodge ready to paint.

Practice quick sketches, fill sketchbooks with ideas and bring these to the workshop for personal discussion and evaluation. Practice translating sketches to a larger format to paint. Sketches should done with a very light touch in pencil, nothing heavy, no erasing! Just quick, light impressions. I cannot emphasize this enough. This is the hardest part of the workshop for most students. This is not the time to make a masterpiece drawing, save that for a drawing class. Instead, these are rough reference sketches. Learn the difference. It will make you a better artist and help you learn to see. The detail work will be done later, with paint. And, most of all, enjoy yourself! If you are having fun it will show in your work.

More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska’s Artist

I’ve been thinking about teaching a one week workshop this summer, mainly because a dear old friend has resurfaced in my life with plans to start a series of summer art workshops in Palmer, Alaska. This event caused me to reminisce about the importance of good classes and teachers in my own career.

Teaching is not new to me, I was a member of the adjunct faculty for Prince William Sound Community College, and the University of Alaska for many years. But it has been a long, long time since I’ve stood at the front of a classroom of eager students. I enjoyed teaching, but found that it was almost impossible for me to make a living from my art and find the time to teach.

Here is a list of the courses I’ve taught; Art 161 Design, Art 105 Beginning Drawing, Art 160 Appreciation, Art 212 Beginning Watercolor Painting, Art 213 Beginning Painting, Art 231 Watercolor, Art 205 Intermediate Drawing, Art 313 Intermediate Painting, Art 305 Advanced Drawing, Art 392 Business of Art, and Art 418 Education.

My workshop will meet all day July 14-18, lunch included. It will be held at a beautiful lodge in the foothills of Hatcher Pass, with overnight accommodations available for out of town students. The class will spend several mornings out-of-doors with sketchbooks and cameras to gather research in some of Palmer’s most beautiful gardens, then paint indoors during the afternoon. Acrylic paint and/or watercolor are both acceptable. More information will be posted on my website as soon as it is available.

For questions please contact Mollie Flack at mollieflack@hotmail.com, or leave your name, phone number, and email address in the comments section below this blog post.

More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Original acrylic paintings

One of fourteen living legends in American Watercolor, as dubbed by the American Artist Magazine in 1983, Edward H. Betts, N.A., A.W.S. is a man that I was fortunate to be able to study under. My first opportunity was a workshop sponsored by the Anchorage Community College in 1980. Subsequently I traveled to two more workshops held at the Mendocino Art Center, Mendocino, California. He became my mentor and advised me by mail for several years. His only rule for mentoring was that I not submit slides of paintings for critique until I had completed at least 50 new works. His advice was always the same; paint, paint, paint. You learn by doing. We corresponded for over 20 years, and his letters are an important source of inspiration to me, even today. His text book; “Master Class in Watercolor” published by Watson Guptill in 1975, battered and dog eared, still occupies my reference book shelf. The second and third editions of the book are titled “Master Class in Watermedia”.

I took many workshops and classes in the 1980’s, but few stand out like the one that artist Barbara Nechis taught for the Alaska Watercolor Society. Although our work is at the opposite ends of the earth in similarity, she inspired me to reach new levels. My Masters Degree Thesis advisor, instructor, and director of the Independent Study School of Illustration at Syracuse University, Murray Tinkelman, had the greatest impact on my life and my ability to make a career from my art. His undying support, enthusiasm, and ability to attract the top notch instructors made my late-life attempt to gain a degree successful. I am forever grateful to Murray and his staff for waiving the required Bachelors Degree and accepting me into the Masters Degree program where I graduated with honors in 1995.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of studying and learning from gifted professional artists and teachers. God Bless our teachers!

More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Original acrylic and watercolor paintings

Bob wearing his red and white apron with volunteers in the kitchen at Wasilla High School on Christmas day.  A beautiful Christmas dinner was served for free to over 1,500 people, many were delivered by volunteers to shut-ins and folks without families.  This amazing community event is months in the planning.  We helped on Christmas eve morning by peeling boxes and boxes of potatoes donated by valley farmers.  Then at 6:30AM Christmas morning we were there to help cook, mash, serve, and clean up.  It was a festive and fun event, but we were dog tired by the end of the day.  It feels good to give back to the community.

More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska artist

“Holiday Tree” original acrylic/watercolor painting sold. Artist proof prints and art cards available.
Best wishes to all, God’s blessings, and Merry Christmas from Alaska. Enjoy your day wherever you may be, and be sure to attend a Christmas day worship service. I give thanks for this day, the beauty of nature, for family, for food and shelter, for my Blog family and collectors, for friends, to be able to see, to hear, to talk, to sing, to paint, and especially to love and be loved.

Sincerely,

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska fine artist

I have tried nearly every color of acrylic paint manufactured, and my basic palette still boils down to simple primary colors with a few browns thrown in for good measure. Years ago I learned that you must always mix your own green, never use pre-mixed greens. I believe that learning to mix all values of green will make you a superior painter. It is easy to spot a novice painter because of the use of ghastly pre-mixed green. For years I included black on my palette, that is another color to avoid. I know, I know, black is not a color! Make your own blacks by mixing anything and everything. These blacks will be richer and better. Using black is a slam dunk mistake in amateur art, and very easy to spot. It creates a “dead” color, areas of paint without life.

One color that I do buy pre-mixed is violet. A truly gorgeous red doesn’t exist in acrylic. It takes a great red to make a fabulous violet, and I’ve yet to find a great red in acrylic. So, my one exception to the rule of not using pre-mixed colors is Liquitex Acra Violet which unfortunately is not made anymore and hard to find. Here is a list of my basic acrylic palette; Titanium White, Cadmium Yellow Light, Cadmium Yellow Medium, Cadmium Red Light, Naphthol Crimson, Acra Violet, Burnt Sienna, Burnt Umber, Ultramarine Blue, Phthalo Blue.

More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Original paintings of Alaska

During my 35+ years of working with acrylic paint I have tried almost every kind of paint brush recommended, literally hundreds and hundreds of different brushes. Acrylic paint destroys brushes, so the first thing I learned is not to spend a lot of money on one. This is diametrically opposed to watercolor brushes, where the more expensive, the better. I own some fabulous watercolor brushes that cost hundreds of dollars each. Not so with acrylic. What I want is a brush that will stay pliable as long as possible, hold a point if needed and spread paint in nice even strokes.

The problem with most cheap brushes is that the brush hairs, no matter what kind, begin to fall out after use. I hate it when I’m working carefully on a difficult passage of paint only to find a brush hair stuck somewhere on the surface. Removing it will usually cause a mess. My next pet peeve is a brush that won’t hold a point, even after just a little bit of use. I call these my fake fan brushes. If I wanted a fan brush I’d buy a fan brush. When I need a point, I want a point, not something that will make a mark as big as a pencil eraser, or look like it was applied with a cue tip. For the last few years I’ve been using an assortment of styles and sizes of white nylon by Winsor & Newton University Series #233, and white sable Robert Simmons . If any of you have a favorite acrylic brush to share just leave the information in the comment section of this blog post.

More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, original pointillism paintings

I’m often asked where I purchase my art supplies, and the truth is I use catalogs. This habit began 31 years ago when we moved to the remote wilderness of Wrangell-St. Elias, Alaska, where few supplies of any kind were available. Before the days of computers and internet, catalogs were a coveted and cherished source for learning about new products and buying anything you might need. Through the years I’ve found several companies to be reliable and provide good service, among my favorites are; Utrecht, Dick Blick, and Daniel Smith. If any of you have a favorite you would like to share leave the name under the comments section of this blog entry and I will check them out.

More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Pointillism Art

If you are scratching your head about what to give the budding young artist this Christmas, or for that matter, the person who has expressed an interest in learning about art but is reluctant to try, give art supplies. They will always be appreciated. A great way to introduce someone to the skills needed to handle a brush and paint is to have them try a paint-by-number painting. Many nice sets are available for all ages and skill levels, and some come with brushes, paint, instructions, as well as the numbered picture and a photo of how the finished piece should look. It might seem amateurish or simple, but believe me if someone is really interested in learning to paint they will enjoy one or more of these kits. For last minute shoppers I have found some very nice kits on the shelves at WalMart.
More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Pointillism Artist

I believe in studying art, taking classes, and learning all that you can about this wonderful profession.  It has been a few years since I’ve taken any workshops or taught, but my shelves are full of art books from classes I’ve taken and courses I’ve instructed.  No matter what your talent, classes can help you grow and improve.  I think of it this way; it is same as the athlete with natural skills, those that just rely on their talent and don’t study and practice can be out performed by those without a lot of talent, but who work hard, practice and study.

People ask me where I learned to paint, and the answer is; it is the accumulation of knowledge from years, and years of study.  No one person can give you all the answers, but with input from many different people suddenly someday something will click in your head and you will gain some understanding.  I remember studying under a lady who had much less talent and skill that I had, and wondered if she could teach me anything.  It was amazing, but with an open mind I learned a lot from this incredible woman.  Some people are gifted teachers, and are better at teaching than they are at practicing what they teach.  So, study at every opportunity and keep your mind open to new ideas and techniques and soak up information like a sponge.

More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Artist of Alaska

“Sweet Repast” original acrylic painting by Gail Niebrugge. Original sold, artist proof prints available.
Here is an example where staying flexible and making lemon aid out of lemons paid off very well for me. The Mc Carthy Road is famous for flat tires, it is a rare trip without getting at least one, sometimes two, depending on how thin the tread. The locals know to carry a good spare tire and an extra one in order to make good time on the road. Waiting for a tow truck is not an option. Without cell phone service, getting help depends on word of mouth or the skills and tools of good samaritans. With this background, picture us with a flat tire at the location in the above painting, sans swans. Pretty country. The true picture is a narrow road, bumpy and muddy, with our vehicle off the edge stuck in the muck. The last thing we were thinking was; “oh, what a pretty scene!” Quite the contrary. As time passed I finally started to evaluate the landscape, and imagined how wonderful it would look in a painting with Trumpeter Swans on the pond. And so it came to pass….

More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Art of Alaska

“Spirit of Flight” original acrylic painting in pointillism by Gail Niebrugge. Original painting sold, Giclee prints available.

One day while sorting through my Trumpeter Swan research file, it occurred to me that I had been given a gift that I was not acknowledging. Instead of searching in vain for the perfect shots of swans in repose to use in a composition, I had tons of great information on the giant birds in motion! At last, a use for all those miserable shots of swans flying away from me. Since that revelation I have completed two paintings using this subject matter, and they have been very successful. The first one, “Departure” was small and quite conservative, many years later I was commissioned to do this very large version with changes to the colors and arrangement of the birds and it was an instant success. The lesson learned; don’t seek subject matter with a preconceived idea. Keep an open mind and stay flexible.

More tomorrow.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Art

“Trumpeters with Young” original acrylic painting by Gail Niebrugge. Original painting sold.

After hours of hiding in the brush watching Trumpeter Swan on Chitina Town Lake, and crawling on my belly with tripod and camera, I finally got a few shots of the swans and their young before they hastily swam to the opposite shore. Then, I’d sneak quietly around the shoreline to the other side and start all over again. I repeated this routine for hours. It was uncanny how the swans knew what I was trying to do, as soon as I’d ease my camera into position they moved out of range. Of course, it I were a professional photographer I would have had much bigger lenses and this would not have been a problem, but with my little 75-210mm zoom it was a challenge. To make matters worse the temperatures hovered near freezing and below, my feet and hands ached from the cold. I’d periodically return to my vehicle and run the heater to thaw out. Through the years my efforts rewarded me with some wonderful research for future paintings. Patience pays.
More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Alaskan Art

“Rail Car” original acrylic/watercolor painting by Gail Niebrugge. To purchase this original painting, call for price and availability.
This old Chitina lawn ornament has always puzzled me, the wheels look like they were designed to run on railroad track. I am fascinated by the shapes and shadows of broken parts, and how the wooden spokes are enhanced by the wildflower Yarrow. One April, before the vegetation leafed out, I drove the Mc Carthy road from Chitina to Strelna and found an amazing number of abandoned historic vehicles, most well entwined in vegetation becoming part of the undergrowth, virtually invisible in the summer.

More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Artist Alaska

“Full Service” original acrylic painting by Gail Niebrugge. Original painting sold.
More posts about my life as an artist in the Wrangell-St. Elias, Alaska. The ghost town of Chitina may appear to be abandoned, but a few merchants actually carve out a modest living doing something they enjoy in an environment they prefer. Gas, oil, tire repair, and other services are offered at this local gas station. You might have to wait a week for parts to be sent, but who’s counting time? Enjoy a hot cup of coffee, pitch your tent and you’ll be welcome to use the outhouse, and until a few years ago, wait in line to use the only phone via satellite. Otherwise, walk down the old railroad road bed and check out the Copper River, watch for moose, and in the fall keep an eye out for the return of the Trumpeter Swans.

More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Artist of Alaska

This morning we woke up to 3″ of fresh snow!  Not much, but better than nothing.  Yahooo!  It is so beautiful.
Gail Niebrugge, Artist of Alaska

“Chitina Skyline” original painting by Gail Niebrugge. Original painting sold.

Late September and early October are the best time to hang out at Town Lake in Chitina to watch dozens of magnificent Trumpeter Swan gather before they fly south on their annual migration. As I sat waiting one evening I noticed the low sunlight illuminating the ancient buildings downtown, causing them to glow against the dark cast shadows of the distant mountains, and creating this lovely scene that I painted later with acrylic and watercolor in my studio.

More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist

“Yellow Door” original acrylic/watercolor painting by Gail Niebrugge. Original painting Sold, prints available.

Back to the series about my life as an artist living and painting in the Wrangell-St. Elias region of Alaska. This rusty old skeleton of a Model A rests in a field in the ghost town of Chitina, along with several other parts and metal bodies from the same era of the Kennicott Copper mining days. This tiny town marks the start of a 69 mile dirt road over the abandoned historic railroad bed to the terminus at Mc Carthy. Chitina is a great place to access the Copper River and is a favorite spot to dipnet for salmon. I find many subjects to paint in and around this area, it is one of my favorite haunts.

More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Artist of Alaska