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  • Gallery Two – Pond in Bloom
  • Gallery Three – Hats on Broadway
  • Gallery Six – A Murder of Crows
  • Gallery Four – Artist in Residence at Pepperwood Preserve
  • Gallery Five – Seasonal Paintings, A Pepperwood Sonata
  • Gallery Seven – Pastel Landscape and Still Life
  • MEET SONOMA COUNTY ARTIST MARSHA CONNELL by Satri Pencak

Marsha Connell Studio

Marsha Connell Studio

Tag Archives: workshop

Painting Pepperwood’s Landscapes

20 Tuesday Apr 2021

Posted by Marsha Connell in Uncategorized

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Tags

en plein air, landscapes, Paint Out, paintings, Pepperwood Preserve, workshop

 

Are you hungering to return to the joys of plein air painting in a unique location? Would you like to practice seeing more deeply with brush or pastel in hand?

Come paint with me during the glorious wildflower season at Pepperwood Preserve on Saturday May 1.
Seeking vaccinated painters beginning or experienced. Class will be entirely outside with Covid guidelines followed. This will give us the camaraderie and intimacy of being with just a small group of people while spaciously arrayed in the landscape. 

Pepperwood  Preserve is over 3000 acres located  above Safari West between Santa Rosa and Calistoga. We will be headquartered on the hillsides near the Bechtel House.

You’re welcome to paint in any media at any size. I plan to demo some approaches with oil and with pastel. I also paint in watercolor and acrylic, and find drawing and sketching a profound way to connect with nature. My intention is to support and encourage you in directions of your choice. 
Use any art materials you already have. But please read my supply ideas list which will come with registration confirmation, for reminders of how to prepare for a day in the landscape and for thoughts on how to expand, or to limit, the supplies you own or bring.

Here’s a link to Pepperwood’s site for more information and registration form: https://www.pepperwoodpreserve.org/?event=in-person-workshop-painting-pepperwoods-landscapes&event_date=2021-05-01

It would be a pleasure to share this experience with you. 
Please forward to interested friends.

Warmest greetings, 
Marsha

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Landscape Painting at Pepperwood Preserve. May 15

10 Tuesday May 2016

Posted by Marsha Connell in Art, Art workshops, Drawing, En plein air, Landscape, Painting, Pepperwood Preserve, Sonoma county, Watercolor, Workshops

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Tags

abstract sensibility, art, brushstrokes, California, colorist, demonstrate, en plein air, Expressionism, Impressionism, joy, landscapes, Marsha Connell, nature, observation, oils, painterly, painters, paintings, Pepperwood Preserve, Realism, Sonoma county, voice, watercolor, weekends, wildflowers, workshop

There are just a few spots left. Sign up by Thursday May 12 noon!
Landscape Painting: Observation and Expression. Sunday, May 15, 9am – 3pm
Only $45 per participant ($40 for members)!
Ages 13+
Explore plein air painting with me! Deepen your observational skills and express your responses to Pepperwood’s verdant and blossoming spring landscape. The continuing rains have gifted us with wildflower joy this year!
Beginning painters: learn basics of working in the field. Experienced painters: expand your repertoire with elements of realism, impressionism, expressionism, with support for finding your own voice. Demonstrations in oil but you may use any media.Marsha Connell-The Warmth of Autumn, o/c, 24 x 24", 2010

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Setting up that tasty pastel palette, some technical details

04 Sunday Oct 2015

Posted by Marsha Connell in Art, Art workshops, Drawing, En plein air, Exhibits, Landscape, Mendocino Art Center, Open Studios, Painting, Pastel, Sonoma County Art Trails, Watercolor

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Tags

art, California, cards, Coastal, demonstrate, discussing, drawing, en plein air, Mendocino Art Center, October, open studios, paintings, pastel, Santa Rosa, Sonoma county, techniques, watercolor, weekends, workshop

There will be color hors d’oeuvres and tasty demos of pastel and watercolor at noon each day of my open studio (click for catalog page), Oct 10, 11, 17, 18. Click for map.

I’ve always loved an essay by Henry Miller in “Paint as You Like and Die Happy” about hungry painters discussing the juicy names of colors like hors d’oeuvres!

My plein air pastel boxHere’s the container for my tasty new pastel palette. Good enough to eat?!
I researched many pastel boxes and easels ’til settling on this Heilman backpacking box. I might like a larger box, but not a heavier one. Then I made a switch from my trusty but weighty French easel to an old camera tripod, attaching a “quick release” gadget from the photo store (Glad I brought my filled pastel box and tripod along to work it out.), inserting the Heilman metal easel into the two pre-drilled holes in the opened pastel box. This, theoretically, lightened the potential load by 6 pounds. I attach my Bestbrella to the tripod legs. I can carry all into a deep backpack.

My new plein air pastel set up is a work in progress. It was a dramatic move to peel and break off chunks from my collections of many years, stored in several kinds of boxes, mostly Unison, Rembrandt, Nupastel, Sennelier, with additional samples from Terry Ludwig, Diane Townsend, Schmincke, and more. Sometimes I’ve bought pastels in sets, when they come in their own box, sometimes by the stick. Creating and recreating order after making each painting, light to dark, warm to cool, more or less, and cleaning the pastels to let their color shine through and speak with each other, is an intellectual, meditative and time-taking experience.

Pastel painting in progress Mendocino Headlands West 3  Pastel painting in progress Mendocino Headlands West 2Pastel painting in progress Mendocino Headlands WestI had my misgivings about the stability of this set-up. So far it held up well painting during Mendocino Open Plein Air, which was a week of extraordinarily calm and sunny coastal weather. http://www.mendocinoartcenter.org/pleinair.

The blue flag was for viewers to find the “celebrity artists”. I was the pastel specialist, a good motivation for setting a deadline to reorganize. And two weeks before I taught a Mendocino Art Center workshop “Lively Pastels”. I’ll teach this again April 16-17, 2016.

It’s harder to detach the box than to set up. Inside, I use a table and/or a studio easel and keep carrying pastel paintings outside to knock off the extra dust between layers.

  • Mendocino Art Center, Mendocino Open Paint Out – September 7-12, 2015

    mendocinoartcenter.org

    You might enjoy seeing more examples of pastel set-ups and conversation among artists here: Pastel Society of America
    Adrian Frankel Giuliani
    Yesterday at 1:22pm
    that would be Oct 3, 2015

     

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The Pastel Society of the West Coast, Featured Artist: Marsha Connell. E-Blast

21 Thursday May 2015

Posted by Marsha Connell in #PACE15, Art, Art workshops, Drawing, En plein air, Landscape, Mendocino Art Center, Oils, Painting, Pastel, Watercolor, Workshops

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

abstract sensibility, art, brushstrokes, California, Coastal, colorist, demonstrate, drawing, en plein air, exploration, expressive, gallery, gesture, interior landscape, landscapes, Mendocino Art Center, nature, oils, painterly, paintings, scumbling, Sonoma county, techniques, watercolor, workshop

Thank you Jan Thomas for this excellent interview and introduction to members of the Pastel Society of the West Coast, which I recently joined while attending #PACE15, the Plein Air Convention in Monterey, CA. As it is only available by email, I am republishing the interview here, with Jan’s permission. I’ve added information about the Pastel Society from their website at the end .

Featured Artist: Marsha Connell.
The Pastel Society of the West Coast, E-Blast

Across from Mendocino Art Center, I dream of what might take place in these studios . . . the camera would show them in their richly dark brown grey wood.

 Featured Artist

 Marsha Connell

My paintings are about the spirit of place. Painting on location, en plein air,
 I observe the place: mood, shapes, color, and spatial relationships.
 I reflect on how the sense of place affects my own interior landscape.
 I am attentive to nuances of color and value, but do not require fidelity to local color; expressive color often feels more true. Watching, listening, trusting intuition and gesture, infuse my painterly representation with an abstract sensibility.
–Marsha Connell

Taking back roads to Occidental, I was smitten with a hillside of wildflowers and waving grasses, changing colors and shapes in the wind, like rising and falling music.

When looking at one of Marsha Connell’s expressionist paintings, in both pastel and oil, one can almost see the dancer that she is moving across the surface leaving behind rhythmic nuances of gesture and color.

A plein air painter, Marsha developed a deep connection to the land as a child. Her grandfather, Samuel Riss, a farmer in upstate New York, was also an artist who influenced Marsha’s love of drawing and encouraged her to pursue her craft with diligence and courage. Today, she has shelves of sketchbooks saved from years of sketching outdoors, filled with energetic drawings of landscapes. She says these drawings are dialogs with nature, creating an attachment to the living world, and birthing paintings that portray mood and feeling. Her plein air forays always include sufficient time to roam and to do as many sketches as necessary to get a sense of connection with a place. When she begins to paint, this energy is translated directly to her surface; rarely does she start with an initial drawing. Instead, she relishes the immediacy of putting pigment to paper with a “get it before it’s gone” intensity. Her colors are “responsive to nature”, but she relies on intuition to provide what she feels the painting needs.

Marsha’s first and ongoing love in painting is pastel, for its natural connection to drawing, the immediacy of pure color, the shimmer of its layering, and the convenience of carrying into the landscape. Her natural voice in pastel comes through in her oil and watercolor paintings, especially in the soft edges, visible brush strokes like drawing, and scumbled color over color.

A mile hike to an overlook of Mendocino's Big River distilled on the spot and in memory in the studio to this shimmering many layered pastel.

Marsha is a long-time Adjunct Professor of Art at Santa Rosa Junior College and also teaches workshops throughout the year. Her goals as a teacher are to offer people tools and working processes that give them comfort and confidence to explore and create with joy. She supports people in finding their own context and path and their authenticity as artists. While she is happy to demonstrate technique and supplies, she also offers a broader artistic scope, introducing students to the work of other artists, current and past, and inviting dialog that stimulates creativity and expression. She encourages students to take advantage of the workshop setting to try new things, to approach many subjects courageously, and to allow their paintings to be unfinished works in progress.

Connell_Pastel_1_L9K1438E-Mail                               River Passage, 16″ x 20″ – Pastel

Artists at any level seeking to energize their work, or refine their artistic direction, or to simply learn how to use pastels, will want to checkout “Lively Pastels: A Bridge Between Drawing and Painting,” a workshop that Marsha is offering in Mendocino, California, July 31 – August 2, 2015 at the Mendocino Art Center. A charming seaside village, Mendocino offers a wealth of inspiring painting venues: quaint cottages, lush gardens, dramatic bluffs and, of course, the ocean, all within walking distance of the Art Center. Marsha has led workshops and given presentations in many California venues, and also in Mexico, New Mexico, Oregon, New York, Tennessee, Alaska, and France. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group shows regionally and internationally. More information about the pastel workshop can be found at www.mendocinoartcenter.org/Summer15/Connell.html

I sit near cliff edges, awaiting moments of sudden illumination. What emerges on the page is a distillation of moments, and an invention, a response to an often fleeting rush of feeling and visual event.

Marsha will be a celebrity artist, and give pastel painting demonstrations, for the Mendocino Art Center’s Mendocino Open Paint Out, September 7-12, 2015.

http://www.marshaconnell.com

 Submitted by Jan Thomas

Want to be a Featured Artist on the eBlast? In an effort to get to know you, PSWC will feature a member artist every month in the eBlast. If you would like to be the featured artist in the newsletter, submit your name, telephone number and a photo of your recent work to president@pwcs.ws You will be directed to the website, click on Contact.

Pastel Society of the West Coast
P.O. Box 4518 · Stockton, CA 95204-0518
www.pswc.ws

Welcome to the Pastel Society of the West Coast

About Pastel Society of the West Coast

PSWC was organized in 1984 to promote pastel artists and the soft pastel medium.

We offer opportunities for pastel artists through “pastels only” exhibitions in

Highlighted itemMembership, International Open Shows
Highlighted itemInformative demonstrations by recognized pastel artists.

An emailed Newsletter for pastel artists is included with PSWC membership and all pastelists are invited to join. Pastel workshops, classes, exhibitions and pastel related editorial articles can be found in the newsletter.

PSWC members are from all around the US from New York to California.

The Pastel Society of the West Coast is incorporated as a non-profit organization. The PSWC is run completely by volunteer Board Members and others.

Pastel Society of the West Coast | 7251 Baldwin Dam Road | Folsom | CA | 95630

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En plein air and in the studio: Mendocino pastel workshop and more plein air news

24 Friday Apr 2015

Posted by Marsha Connell in #PACE15, Art workshops, Drawing, En plein air, Landscape, Mendocino Art Center, Painting, Pastel, Pepperwood Preserve, Still Life

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

#PACE15, California, Coastal, en plein air, Mendocino Art Center, Monterey, pastel, weekends, workshop

I’ve just returned from 5 days in Monterey at “the Woodstock of plein air painting” with 700+ painters at #PACE15, the 4th Annual Plein Air Convention and Expo. I attended lectures, demos and critiques by many accomplished artists in oil, pastel and watercolor, and painted every afternoon on the beautiful, and windy, central coast of California. I’m refreshed and re-inspired to share the joys of the plein air painting experience with others!

Marsha Connell_Bluff–Looking Up_pastel_16x20"

My Spring Retreat at Pepperwood Preserve: Landscape Painting “En Plein Air” is filled! but happily there is still space in my summer Mendocino pastel workshop, en plein air and in the studio. LIVELY PASTELS: BRIDGE BETWEEN DRAWINGS AND PAINTING. July 31–August 2, 2015 (Friday–Sunday, 9:30am–4:30pm) SU15FA513 • For all levels. You can register online @ http://www.mendocinoartcenter.org/Summer15/Connell.html
Or call 707 937-5818, ext. 10. Toll-free 800 653-3328, ext. 10

Marsha Connell_Bluff–Looking Down_pastel_16x20"

I’ll be there again for the Mendocino Art Center’s “Mendocino Open Paint Out”, September 7-12. I’m honored to have been invited as one of eight “celebrity artists”. In addition to painting every day on location, in public view with many other painters, I’ll be demonstrating pastel painting and serving as a juror to award prizes to participants. Mendocino boasts a spectacular coastal location and a charming and walkable New England style small town. It would be lovely if you could join us! http://www.mendocinoartcenter.org/pleinairMarsha Connell_Blue Moon_pastel_16x20"

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Spring Retreat at Pepperwood Preserve: Landscape Painting “En Plein Air”

10 Friday Apr 2015

Posted by Marsha Connell in Art workshops, Drawing, En plein air, Landscape, Oils, Painting, Pastel, Pepperwood Preserve

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

art, California, demonstrate, drawing, exploration, inspiration, landscapes, nature, observation, oils, Pepperwood Preserve, Sonoma county, techniques, weekends, workshop

8-Marsha Connell-Poppy Fields at Pepperwood-oil- 15x30"-2008

Expressing the Spirit of Place

Spend an exciting weekend painting on location in iconic Sonoma County landscapes with Santa Rosa Junior College instructor Marsha Connell. Engage your senses and the body to awaken an energetic connection with the land.

Plein air painters share a commitment with scientists to deep observation, to documenting and protecting our open spaces for future generations, and to sharing the joys and solace of nature.

Beginning painters: learn basics of working in the field. Experienced painters: practice and expand your repertoire. Explore aspects of realism, impressionism, expressionism, or abstraction. Enjoy support for finding your own painting voice to express the spirit of this special place.

Use any painting or drawing media. Demonstrations will be given in oils, drawing, and pastel. You are invited to stay overnight at the Bechtel House or camp under the stars. The retreat includes moderate hikes of less than a mile at a slow pace with long stops.

A catered dinner Saturday night and continental breakfast on Sunday are included. Saturday’s schedule includes evening sunset painting. A materials list and instructions will be sent to participants in advance.

Saturday, May 30, 9am-3pm & 6:30pm-8:30pm
AND Sunday, May 31, 2015, 9am-3pm
with optional overnight

FEES: $170 per participant
($150 for members) Ages 13 and up welcome

More info>

http://app.pepperwoodpreserve.org/pls/apex/f?p=514:2:7453991560835
Reserve here> http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/898371

7-Marsha Connell-Swift Sunset, 12x24"

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Link

Open Studio Two October Weekends

01 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by Marsha Connell in ARTrails

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

appointment, ARTrails, collages, Corrick's, gallery, gesture, home, Marsha Connell, October, office, oils, open studios, paintings, Pepperwood Preserve, Sally Baker, still life, stillness, view, watercolor, weekends, workshop

connell-marsha_1_2

Open Studio Two October Weekends

MARSHA CONNELL
OPEN STUDIO 2013

October 12-13, 19-20   10am-5pm
Studio #63
2180 Beverly Way, Santa Rosa CA 95404
707-527-7754 marsha@marshaconnell.com
http://www.artrails.org

View paintings year round, by appointment at the studio
or in your home or office, and at

ARTrails Gallery at Corrick’s
637 Fourth Street, Downtown Santa Rosa
707-546-2423 10-5 Mon-Sat, 12-5 Sun

GESTURE and STILLNESS Watercolor Workshop
with Marsha Connell and Sally Baker at Pepperwood Preserve,
Nov 2 & 3
info @ http://www.marshaconnell.com  or
https://marshaconnell.wordpress.com/

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Marsha Connell Studio

  • About
  • Contact and Social Media
  • Gallery Five – Seasonal Paintings, A Pepperwood Sonata
  • Gallery Four – Artist in Residence at Pepperwood Preserve
  • Gallery One – Lakes and Gardens
  • Gallery Seven – Pastel Landscape and Still Life
  • Gallery Six – A Murder of Crows
  • Gallery Three – Hats on Broadway
  • MEET SONOMA COUNTY ARTIST MARSHA CONNELL by Satri Pencak
  • Gallery Two – Pond in Bloom
  • Art Workshops

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Marsha Connell Studio

Marsha Connell Studio

Articles

  • Gathering Clouds Magazine past Issue #2 (3) "Color & Mood" Marsha Connell and others. . .”My paintings are a dance in color, a moving meditation in the landscape,” pages 4-9.

Artist Website

  • Sally Baker

Blogroll

  • WordPress.com
  • WordPress.org

Books

  • A Murder of Crows: Three Artists, Three Objects, Three Images Catalog of an exhibit by Sally Baker, Marsha Connell, Micah Schwaberow. This exhibit has traveled and is available to more venues! *Murder is the collective noun used to describe a group of crows.

Collections

  • Art Talk / The Doyle Collection / Santa Rosa Junior College Libraries Art Talk captures the inspirations and experiences of artists showcased in The Doyle Collection. Click on each artwork to see the full set of videos for each artist.
  • The Doyle Collection, Santa Rosa Junior College Library I am honored to have three paintings included in this permanent collection: “Dissolve – Three Tree Hill”, “Salmon Barn”, and “Dusk at Duncan’s Landing”. They can be viewed on the 4th floor of the Doyle Library.

Fundraising website

  • Amy's Healing Journey: A Fund- and Spirit- Raiser Fundraising website for Amy Connell

My Art Website

  • Marsha Connell Fine Art Expressive Landscape Paintings, Dream Vessels Collages, Workshops

Nature Preserve

  • Pepperwood Preserve

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