Art Session
July 8 - 20, 2012
The Artists
Instructors
John Hewitt, TWSA, WW
Dennis Simpson
NOTE: Dennis Simpson will be teaching the first week and John Hewitt will teach the second session.
John Hewitt the Artist
John began painting in college with Vernon Nye, who was chairman of the art department at Pacific Union College. Immediately after finishing medical school, John continued study with Vernon and with other California School greats such as Millard Sheets, George Post, and Rex Brandt.
John was appointed instructor in art at College of the Redwoods from 1982 to 1985, where he also had a one-man show in 1984. In 1994 he was appointed instructor in art at Pacific Union College and now teaches their yearly summer art course at Mendocino, California, during the last two weeks of June.
John is in several permanent collections nationwide, and exhibits regularly in national juried shows. He has had 10 one-man shows in several different states and galleries in the past 15 years. He has been in over 100 national juried watercolor show in the last 20 years with 27 awards.
Permanent Collections: State of California (Jade Fon Asilomar purchase award winner 1985), Ingomar Club of Eureka, Calif., Trust Fund of the West museum collection; University of West Virginia Hruby Memorial Hospital; St. Joeseph's Hospital in Eureka California; and many professional office complexes.
Artist's Statement: I believe that great painting evokes an emotional response in the viewer that can not be translated into words. It is a manipulation of form and color that grabs the viewer without intention. I believe quality paintings are more likely achieved by heeding the wisdom of those who came before rather than simply launching rudderless into the unknown. I believe that the final judgment of what is good art rests with the people who purchase it as well as those 'trained' to judge it. That being said, I strive to paint as personal a view of the world as possible. I am particularly interested in areas of conflict in nature such as the sea against the shore, timberline in the mountains, the effects of nature against the temporariness of manmade structure, and of the people who are part of it all.
John has been represented by several galleries including Accurate Art of Sacramento California; Valperrine Gallery of Madison, Wisconsin; Tudor Gallery of Brookings, Oregon; Peanut Gallery of Portland, Oregon; Presidio Gallery of Sonoma, California; the Zimmer Gallery in Mendocino, and the Grimmer Gallery in Oakhurst, and the Vault Gallery in Sonora, California.
Dennis Simpson the Artist
Dennis Simpson, an artist, admits to being a "storyteller." He is a watercolorist creating the story with a brush rather than a pen. It is a convincing narrative. He was born in 1946 in Albany, California. He began painting at the age of 8. He painted through high school, later meeting and studying with the accomplished painter Vernon Nye, AWS, who became his mentor and trusted friend. Simpson learned to be spontaneous as opposed to being deliberate in the application of his paint.
After graduating from Cal State University, Hayward, with a degree in fine art, Dennis served in the Army as an illustrator, 5th Army Pistol Team member and a Helicopter medic from 1970 to 1972. He was a Special Education teacher and part-time art instructor before retiring in 2004.
Artists such as Homer, Sargent, Degas, Breton and Nye have been most influential on Simpson. He also feels a close affinity to the Barbizon approach to landscape painting, where the changing light, weather and daily rituals provide the subject for his paintings.
Simpson prefers "plein air" painting. The rolling California hills and coastal scenes are his focus. A painterly approach appeals to the artist, capturing his impressions and personal feelings generated by the subject at hand. By allowing the paint to settle in ways one can not anticipate, he brings even more integrity to his work. He admits there are certain things in painting, like life, that you just cannot predict. By honoring the past he believes one can add a little bit of "it," making it fresh, your own.
He loves the first 15 minutes of the painting process, laying the groundwork. "The shape, texture and values of the visual elements confronting me are more important than the elements themselves in my efforts to capture a scene or object." In designing the composition he "snatches some fun." He then has to deal with "sets of skirmishes" and "mitigates the damage." Simpson likens himself and the art of watercolor to that of a physician. The artist and physician are directed by the circumstance. At times one must act quickly, in the now, perform and improvise where needed.
Like Homer, Simpson has thrown away what many set as "rules." He is not a purist. He will not hesitate to do what it takes to create his finished painting, be it lifting color or scratching the surface. He continues to teach credited watercolor workshops at Pacific Union College in California. The artist instills in his students the need to simplify, simplify, simplify. He reminds his students that "they are not cameras and never will be. The eye shall travel to the subject, not the entire picture, and at times you'll discover there is more than one subject to address."
Dennis Simpson exhibits his paintings in Mendocino, California, and has shown his work in Yountville and Napa, California.
General Information
Directions to apply
The best way to apply is by phone (707-937-5440) to reserve a position in the class and to obtain your lodging. Credit cards are now accepted and processed at the Field Station. Feel free to call any time between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. (office hours).
Classes
The two-week art session may be taken for one week or two weeks, and you may choose which week. A workshop fee of $300 per week applies. College credit is only available for the two-week session. The fee for college credit is $600. Daily attendance rates are $100/day.
Contact Information
Albion Field Station, P.O. Box 86, Albion, CA, Fax 707-937-3557, email albion@puc.edu
Rooms
All rooms now have private baths and sleep a maximum of four. The dorm rooms have a queen bed and two single beds in the form of a bunk. The family cabins have a queen bed and two singles in a sleeping loft. The kitchenette rooms come fully equipped with range, oven, microwave, refrigerator, dishes and utensils.
Food Service
Two meal plans are provided for your convenience. You may choose the one which works best for you.
If you choose the flat-rate plan, it is a fixed dollar amount for the full time you are here. For the two-week session there will be 36 meals served. The one-week session will consist of 15 meals. Breakfast and dinner will be sit down meals served in the dining room. For lunch you will prepare your own sack lunch from the materials provided.
If you choose the occasional meal plan, the cost is $9.50/meal for only those meals you choose to take. Out of courtesy to the chef and to make sure that he has enough food, please give him eight hours advance notice.
All meals will have the current California State Sales Tax added to the price charged for the meals. Regular PUC students are not subject to the sales tax charge.
Classes
| Class | Title | Credit | Session | Dates | Cost |
| Art 220 | Acrylic Painting | 2 hrs credit | 2-week session | July 8-20, 2012 | $600** |
| Art 310 | Water Color Painting | 2 hrs credit | 2-week session | July 8-20, 2012 | $600** |
| Art 326 | Oil Painting | 2 hrs credit | 2-week session | July 8-20, 2012 | $600** |
**Full session is 10 days of instruction. May be taken for 2 quarter hours credit or audit. The cost is the same for either credit or audit. Half session is 5 days of instruction for $300 and is only available for audit. Daily attendance fee is $75 per day.
Lodging Rates - Double occupancy except camping***
| Room | 12 Nights (2 week session) | 5 Nights (1-week session) |
| Bedroom Cabins | $630 | $262.50 |
| Kitchenette Cabins | $816 | $340 |
| RV Parking | $420 | $175 |
| Camping (per person) | $90 | $37.50 |
***Special rates for families with children 16 and under are available. At least one parent must be taking the class to qualify. Call for details.
Meal Plan
| Description | Cost |
| Meals for the full 2-week session are 36 meals ($28.50/day) | $342 |
| Meals for the half or 1-week session are 15 meals ($28.50/day) | $142.50 |
| Occasional meals (inform chef 8 hours in advance for breakfast, lunch or dinner) | $9.50/meal |
Beginning Times for All Classes
- The Full 2-week Art Session begins with check-in after 3 p.m. on and dinner on July 8 and ends with check-out before 11 a.m. and lunch on July 20.
- The first week of the Art Session begins with check-in after 3 p.m. on and dinner on July 8 and ends with check-out before 11 a.m. and lunch on July 15.
- The second week of the Art Session begins with check-in after 3 p.m. and dinner on July 17 and ends with check-out before 11 a.m. and lunch on July 20.
Supplies and Equipment for Class
Recommendations by John Hewitt
Paper
I use T H Saunders Waterford 300 pound rough most of the time. The rough paper gives more texture to the brush strokes which gives better variety of edges. There are several other perfectly good papers such as Arches, Fabriano, Twinrocker, and Winsor Newton. Winsor Newton paper seems to be identical to Waterford and I suspect is made by Waterford and stamped with Winsor Newton mark for marketing purposes. Waterford is a British paper endorsed by the Royal Society of Watercolor painters. It is a very sturdy, high quality, and very white paper for a better price than the other top brands.
Paint
I use Winsor Newton for most colors. They are the 'gold standard' of WC paint. Again there are several other excellent brands. Daniel Smith has some excellent paints made from the newer quinacridone dyes. I particularly like quinacridone gold. My most used colors in order of usage are as follows: 1) cobalt blue. 2) burnt sienna. 3)ultramarine blue 4) permanent rose, cerulean blue, cad yellow, thalo blue and green, and quinacridone gold. 5) cad orange, cobalt green, Winsor red, and yellow ochre.
Preparation
I sketch the scene in pencil first to help sort the essentials of the scene form the trivial. This is the best way I know to maximize emotional impact on the viewer. By emphasis on the most powerful content of a scene you create something memorable, rather than a faithful but probably boring representation better done by a competent photographer.
The sketch is then put down on the paper lightly as outlines. The paint is then applied most often in broad washes on damp or wet paper to establish the large areas of value from the lightest to the darkest in that order.
After drying, the painting is then brought together with more detail and contrast to emphasize the design elements. The painting then has come as far as the original plan can take it. More often than not, it will need some coaxing to be any good. This is an individual matter that varies according to the needs of the deficiencies and oversights you have committed so far. If your plan initially is simple enough you may actually pull it off without these corrections at the end. Those will be the best paintings because you have simplified to your capability to understand. That is a wise place to stop.
Choice of subject
This is a neglected topic but one of extreme importance. First the subject should excite you in some primitive way you may not understand intellectually. Painting I believe is first an emotional thing. However, a good painter will attempt to understand why some scenes are appealing. You can then more often have a success.
The second choice is how you approach the scene. Strive to show as unique an approach as possible. Every scene has been done thousands of times. You must present a new interpretation to get much response from the critical viewer.
Technique
Your skill with the tools will win over some of the public whether or not you have any originality. Millard Sheets said often "It is better to have poor technique and have something original to say, than it is to be highly skilled with nothing to say to see a highly skilled painter with nothing to say". I think both are sad. If you have something to say you should learn to say it as well as you can. That is why I am meticulous with technique. Be very vigilant that you know the water content of the surface of the paper and the amount of paint and water on your brush.
Resources
Those greats who have gone before are your best resource. I treasure my time spent with Millard Sheets, Vernon Nye, George Post, and many others. Many books have been written about painting. I recommend Edgar Whitney's and Edgar Payne's as the most complete.
For More Information
For more information and detail about materials and methods, visit John Hewitt's website, www.johnhewittart.com.