Gamblin my money away.....

Back in early October, I attended the Pasadena Art Methods and Materials Expo and signed up for a very interesting class called “Roots of Impressionism”, taught by Ross Merrill (conservator at the National Gallery) and Robert Gamblin (of Gamblin Paints.) It was an all-day class, and I had an outstanding time. Much of the information was familiar—having a degree in art history, I already knew most of the background that the Impressionists were building off of—but what I did learn were specifics on the materials and colors they used, application methods, and how their techniques differed from artists that came before them. Both presenters were professional *and* entertaining (a rare combo). I was in a quiet mood so I didn’t speak up much—I wish now that I’d asked Bob some questions about Gamblin, alkyds, the delaminating controversy, etc. Overall, I think I’ll attend next year again. I did feel that the Expo lacked a cohesive center—there was no sense of a central space to come together, just a collection of lectures and workshops going on simultaneously. It would have been a real pleasure if all the motivated, interested people I saw in the hallways and in classrooms could have had a meeting place to socialize either before or after classes, to discuss the events of the day. Maybe next time I’ll do one of the plein air events—by its very nature, a paint-out should be a little more sociable than the lecture I attended this year. I guess my life as an artist is so isolated in general, that I look to an event like this as a rare opportunity to meet some kindred spirits. I drove home motivated, ready to paint, wishing I were organized enough to start a local painting group. Maybe someday….