"The Iris Glow" by Ann McCann 9 X 12 Oil

My neighbor across the street has a bed of violet irises that glow every morning and evening for about a month.  In this painting, I tried to captured how they glow in the sun against the dark shadows behind them. I have enjoyed them, Lisa!

SOLD- "Queen Anne with Butterflies & Bugs" by Ann McCann 9 X 12 Oil

A dear friend commissioned me to create a smaller version of one of my paintings.  So, here it is, a field of Queen Anne's Lace on the harbor in Orleans, MA. This one is unique as it has several butterflies and flying insects on the flowers, as it actually did in the field.

Ann McCann's Painting at the Dutch Art Gallery Show on May 20, 2017

Come enjoy the reception this Saturday at the Dutch Art Gallery, 10233 E. Northwest Hwy #420, Dallas.  Have a glass of wine and view all the beautiful paintings.  See my entry in the show below.  Ann McCann

"White Flower Valley" by Ann McCann 20 X 24 Oil (2017)

How Do I Paint When I Travel?

I used to take all my oil painting supplies with me when I traveled, easel, chair, paints, brushes, etc.  It is nice to have all your supplies with you.  However, it costs a lot to carry an extra suitcase for all of this.  I have taken all that stuff to Europe four times and many times to Cape Cod.  I have a rolling backpack that will hold of these supplies, though you can't take oil paint or mediums (like turpentine) through security.  Those have to go in your luggage. I bury them under my clothes, just in case.  

These days, I have cut back extensively on the supplies I carry.  I take a sketch book, small set of watercolors, brushes, pencil, ink marker and camera.   On site, I do a pencil sketch, then apply ink and then watercolor.  I finish by taking photos of the site to help me create an oil painting in my studio. Then I also have nice watercolor journals of my trips.

Just Back from the Gallery- "Monet's Red Lily Pond" by Ann McCann 16 X 20 Oil

I painted this in the style of Claude Monet.  It has a lot more texture than Monet's work as I painted it with a knife instead of a brush.  The warm and cool complementary colors vibrate, and it is big enough to have some presence on your wall.  It is painted on the sides, so it does not need to be framed.  I have been to this pond in Giverny, France and there is a lot of red foliage that reflects into the pond.

Do You Need Natural Talent to Paint?

I'm sure it helps to have a good aesthetic sense and a good eye for color.  However, drawing and painting skills are not instinctive or inborn.  They certainly were not for me.  I did not draw or paint much as a kid.  I shied away from art classes in junior high, high school and college, because I thought I would do badly!  Fortunately, much of the skills can be learned with instruction and especially practice. If I could have practiced every day, I would have learned faster.  But, since I had a day job, I had to stick to art in the evenings and on weekends, and it took me about 20 years.  This means there is hope for any of you who want to be an artist!

When I Decided to be an Artist

The first time I really got the nerve to promote and sell my paintings was during a 30 Day Challenge sponsored by Leslie Saeta in fall 2014.  A fellow artist was planning to participate and she encouraged me to do so also.  This involved painting every day for a month, and for someone with a day job, that was very difficult. I sometimes painted 3-5 paintings on the weekends to keep up.  Every day I would post my painting on the Challenge site as well as my own Facebook page.  My friends/followers really got into it and looked forward to seeing the daily painting.  They encouraged me and told me what they liked about each one.  I was very encouraged by all the positive feedback.  I began selling some of them and that was really rewarding for me.  That was when I decided to declare myself an artist and commit to entering the painting business.

"White Flower Canyon" by Ann McCann 20 X 24 Oil at the Dutch Art Gallery Spring Show

My painting of Big Bend was selected to be in the Spring Show with a "Wild" theme at the Dutch Art Gallery in Dallas.  The show opens on May 20, 2017.

Willow City Loop Bluebonnets Revisited by Ann McCann 9 X 12 Oil

My husband and I went to Fredericksburg, Texas in early May to see the wildflowers, especially the bluebonnets.  it wasn't the most spectacular year, but it was still very beautiful. We painted plein air at my favorite spot on the Willow City Loop road.  This one spot has everything, flowers, a running stream, distant mountains, etc.  I made the mistake of wearing regular lotion instead of sunscreen and got my first sunburn for many years.  A rancher stopped by to warn us not to walk the property due to the number of rattlesnakes.  That kept me from wandering off the roadside!!

What Does It Feel Like to Paint

When I tell people that I paint, they always says, O that must be really relaxing."  I always laugh inside, because it is not relaxing at all.  If I am painting outside, yeah the sun and wind feel good but it is not relaxing.  You are actually concentrating very intensively.  As they say, you are "in the zone."  The world drops away, and the only thing that matters is the painting. You paint as fast as you can while being the zone lasts.  After several hours, you get tired, and the world around you comes back.  That is the time to take a break or put your brush down for the day. If I paint in the evening, I have trouble falling asleep, because my brain is over stimulated from being in the zone so long!

"Wild Seed Poppies" by Ann McCann 8 X 8 Oil (c) 2017

Plein Air Poppies (Wild Seed Farm) by Ann McCann 5 X 7 Oil

We just got back from wild flower painting in Fredericksburg, Texas. The Wild Seed Farm there has several fields of red and variegated poppies. It is so glorious to see these whole fields of red. While we were there, we heard some very loud metal crashes and sure enough, people stopping their cars to gaze at the red fields caused a chain car crash! This small painting can be purchased at the Dutch Art Gallery in Dallas.

How I Learned to Paint

I initially took a lot of evening classes at a local university, drawing and painting human models, still lifes and portraits, in addition to my weekend plein air class outdoors.  I painted with pastels and watercolors, in addition to oils.  You draw with pastels and there is no color mixing.  It is very immediate, and the myriad colors are lovely.  Watercolor is trickier and less forgiving.  You have to start with the light colors first and slowly go darker.  You can’t change dark colors once they are laid and you also need to leave white spaces.  This is just the opposite of oils, where you start with your dark values first, and you can paint over your mistakes. 

Watercolor and ink sketch of the Chiso Mountains in Terlingua, Texas

I slowly worked up to using my oils more and more over time.  One of the best learning experiences with oils was participating in the 30 Days-30 Paintings Challenge by artist Leslie Saeta.  Painting every day improved my technique much more rapidly. Oils are less fragile than either pastels or watercolors and are less expensive to frame: no matting or glass is required.  So, I decided to focus on oils.  However, I still like to sketch with watercolors when I travel.  I can carry everything I need in a small bag.

Oil Painting of the "Chiso Mountains" by Ann McCann (c) 2017

Why I Paint Plein Air

Plein air painting is conducted outdoors and ideally in one session.  I plein air painted every Saturday for 15 years with classes taught by Suzanne Kelly Clark, soaking up the light and fresh air of Texas (except for July and August!)  Besides enjoying the outdoors, you see subtle changes in light and shadow within three dimensions which a photo cannot capture. A photo flattens space and is pretty much just light and dark.  Even if I end up finishing the painting in my studio, it is better for being created plein air, looser, fresher, etc.  You really need to be in that landscape and experience the light and colors of that spot to convey that onto the canvas.

(c)Ann McCann, "Golden Moment," 11 X 14 Oil,  2017

Why I Started Painting

When my daughter Hannah was in first grade, about 20 year ago, she showed some talent in art.  However, her school art teacher encouraged her to paint as fast as possible.  He also didn't think that six year olds could learn perspective.  So, she wasn't doing the best that she could. I enrolled her in a local studio that focused on teaching children.  Hannah's art got better quickly, and she soon incorporated perspective in her drawing and painting.  

Hannah's classes looked like fun, and I thought drawing skills would help me create visuals for my presentations as a college professor. So, I enrolled in a drawing course.  We did blind contour drawings of still lifes (couldn't look at our paper) that helped us loosen up and improve our drawing skills.  My drawing teacher said I shouldn't wait until I was good at drawing to start painting.  Well, I hadn't even thought about painting, but I decided to give it a shot.  I went for my first plein air session, and really struggled to paint sailboats on a lake, how big to make them in relation to the horizon, etc.  However, I kept going, taking courses in the evenings and painting on the weekends whenever I could.

I would show you that first painting but I am pretty sure I got rid of it.  Here is a more recent painting of a similar scene.