niebruggestudio.com

We started preparing for the Alaska State Fair in Palmer early this year, we plan to move outside the noisy, hot, crowded Raven Hall into a booth of our own.  Our Niebrugge Studio booth is 10′x20′ with 10′ walls, plenty of room to hang framed artwork.  It is fun to watch professional carpenters work, they are so fast!  It would have taken Bob and I all summer to do what they did in two days.

The electrician finished the rough wiring today, so the inside walls will go up this week, along with the roof and external siding.  We will have double opening doors on the front with a ramp.  My next mission is to get some signs made and to select light fixtures.  Bob says he will build the counter and print bins.  Good thing we started early, we may be painting the exterior during the fair!

More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska artist

Yesterday I wore the hat of Alaska State Arts Council Board member and Co-Chaired an all-day meeting at the British Petroleum Energy Center, Anchorage, to evaluate biennial and annual support grant applications from non-profit arts organizations.  The hard-working panel included (from left to right) Michele Miller of Anchorage, June Rogers from Fairbanks, Co-Chair Ben Brown of Juneau, myself, Charlotte Fox the AKSAC director Anchorage, (not shown) Annette Evans Smith of Anchorage, Roger Schmidt from Sitka, and sitting in front on the right, Vivian Kinnaird of Anchorage.  The public was invited to attend and a teleconference phone connection remained open for grant applicants to listen to the discussion.  The applications filled a four inch thick book that was sent in advance to each member to review.  I’m really glad to be finished lugging around that big, fat, heavy notebook.

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Gail Niebrugge, Alaska wilderness artist

Yesterday Gail gave a presentation about her work as an artist to a group of 8th grade students during the Palmer Middle School Career Day, Palmer, Alaska.  She enjoys sharing herself and her world as an artist with her community, and even though she is very busy she tries to find time to do as much community service as possible.

Yesterday an early Spring snow storm snarled traffic and caused endless accidents on the Glenn Highway from Palmer to Anchorage, and I was committed to give a power point presentation to the Alaska Watercolor Society in the evening.  We packed up the new Apple Macbook Pro and Optoma65 digital projector with my first ever power point presentation using Keynote, a part of iWork software, and carefully drove through the highway wreckage for the meeting.  I must admit, after endless hours of scanning old slides of early artwork, and tedious color correcting in Photoshop CS3, I thoroughly enjoyed the benefits of new technology for my presentation.  I am pictured in our driveway on our return, standing next to our car caked with ice and covered with salt from the ice melt used on roads.  It is 9:30PM and still light outside.  Another day in the life of an artist in Alaska.

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Gail Niebrugge, Alaska landscape artist

Along with a busy booth and brisk sales, the temperatures rose to 48 degrees above zero today in Fairbanks, snow is melting everywhere and spirits are high! We are very much enjoying our participation in this show.

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Gail Niebrugge, Alaska pointillism artist

We’ve really become high tec with a laptop in our art booth at the Northern Living Home Show in Fairbanks. It is really nice to have access to my digital files of originals and past work to show clients in the booth. We have a great spot right at the entrance to the building. Come on down and see us this weekend.

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Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist

We had a gorgeous drive to Fairbanks, six hours of sun on a dry two lane highway, we passed no more than three dozen vehicles in either direction the whole trip! What a contrast to Hwy. 76 in California two weeks ago, where traffic was backed up for miles on the two lane road as we were returning from Borrego Springs to catch our flight home to Alaska.

On the Parks Hwy. from the bridge over the Nenana River we saw the famous tripod that will tip when the ice goes out, signaling the exact time for the lottery winner of the Nenana River Ice Classic. It is amazing how long daylight is in Fairbanks now. With snow still on the ground and daytime temperatures in the mid 20’s it isn’t dark until 8:30PM, 13.5 hours of daylight already! What a pleasant time of the year to visit.

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Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Artist

This week I wore the hat of a board member of the Alaska State Council on the Arts and joined our director, Charlotte Fox, for a board meeting of the Palmer Arts Council. This is a dynamic, active group of art supporters who’s mission is; “….to nurture, encourage, sponsor, and support the free expression of ideas in our community through the Arts.” This fledgling organization has done an impressive job of attracting members in the community and have sponsored a Summer Youth Program among other good works. Congratulations to the the Palmer Arts Council, keep up the good work!

More tomorrow,

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska Pointillism Artist

One of the most difficult parts of my job as an artist is managing my photo reference resources. 40 years ago I began with colored snapshots taken with a cheap camera.  Today these photos are faded and useless, the negatives stored in shoe boxes.  Photo quality improved with a through the lens focus 35mm camera,   before long I had boxes and boxes of slides.  They are labeled by date and location, but sorting them on a light table takes forever.

To find what I need faster I set up file folders by subject ie; moose, caribou, Denali winter, ect., and placed slides in plastic sleeves.  After we moved from the wilderness of Alaska I enjoyed the convenience of one-day service for prints so I abandoned slides, this led to piles of envelopes full of colored photos.  When I find time I file prints by subject in plastic sheets and include them in the folders with the slides. Soon I needed expandable files.

Finally, the age of digital arrived. Now my computer is full of digital images all sorted by date, but not by subject.  When I finally decide to organize my digital photos I will spend weeks on the computer and no time on the easel. Managing my reference resources is an ongoing challenge. Before I start a new painting I fritter away at least a day searching all my various files for support material.  Not a bad problem to have really, and what a wonderful life I’ve led traveling to so many great places to gather research.

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Gail Niebrugge, Alaska fine art

To pack for my summer art workshop in Alaska keep several things in mind; our weather changes by the minute so layer your clothes. Since we will be sketching out-of-doors, bring comfortable shoes for uneven terrain, a windbreaker or light weight jacket, a hat or visor for the sun or rain, sunglasses, bug spray, water bottle to drink, sketch book, pencils, digital camera (optional), your favorite brushes, watercolor palette (optional). You will need a container for water to paint, paper towels or rags, and don’t forget to bring a paint shirt that you don’t care if it gets ruined.

Acrylic paint and rag paper will be available to purchase. If you wish to bring your own acrylic paint here is the suggested palette; Titanium white, Cadmium yellow light, Cadmium yellow medium, Cadmium red light, Acra violet, Naphthol crimson, Burnt sienna, Burnt umber, Ultramarine blue, and Phthalo blue. Disposable palettes are best.
We will have full details and a suggested supplies list available soon. This is just a teaser to get you to plan ahead.

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Gail Niebrugge, Alaska pointillism art

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.

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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

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.

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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.
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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

A cropped version of “Green Aurora” by Gail Niebrugge is available as a tile mural from Pacifica Tile Art Studio.