Plein Air Painters and Cyclists converge on the historic town on New Bern, NC for great causes!

The Eastern NC Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society announced over 2,400 cyclists and 300 volunteers participated in last weekend’s Bike MS: Historic New Bern Ride. Cyclists left from Union Point Park in New Bern for the successful 21st annual Bike MS September 12-13. Over $1.34 million has been counted to date, and officials project that they are on target to meet their $1.7 million goal.

Also converging on the historic town were plein air artists from Eastern North Carolina participating in the International Plein Air Painter's (IPAP) 7th annual Worldwide Paint Out (WWPO). The paint out is designed to bring recognition to the tradition of painting "en plein air"... the French term for "in the open air". The event brings plein air artists from all over the world who agree to paint outdoors on the same date by organizing events in their local area. Plein air painters from Onslow, Craven, Beaufort, Carteret, Wayne, Pamlico, and Pender counties were present for the special 2 day event.


The following artists participated in the 7th WWPO:
Susan Cheatham (organizer)
Bernie Rosage Jr (organizer)
Mitchell Morton
Stephen Greer
Dean Remington
Kit
Pat Boni
Karen Crenshaw
Kristen Crenshaw
Donna Tyree
Mike Rooney
Ann Ward
Sue Henry
Vickie Vitale
Eleanoe McAiver
John Hanley
Art Tyndall
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Apologies to any artist not mentioned.
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Hope you enjoy these photos from the paint out and make plans to join us for the 8th annual WWPO next September... see ya!
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Ann Ward presented Bernie Rosage representing OOPS (Onslow Outdoor Painters Society) with this cool bottle of wine! Thanks Ann!

Plein air painting while fresh on the trail of Ben Long's frescoes...

Tami, Liv, and I are enjoying a week in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains of North Carolina. The weather has been clear and cool... almost an enigma for July in the south. Between hiking, horseback riding, plein air painting, picnicking, and just relaxing... the three of us have manged to visit three of the Ben Long fresco locations on the Fresco Trail.

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Stop #1... St Mary's Church, West Jefferson, NC

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This is one of my favorite spots on the trail... I have painted this small church on several occasions. Last Monday, Tami dropped me off to plein air paint while she and Liv went to the newly remodeled library in West Jefferson.

I found a nice shady spot under a huge Linden tree... 2 1/2 hours of peaceful recollections of my sister, Kristi, and savoring the beauty of this sacred spot.

Finished painting... "St Mary's"... 8x10" Oil on panel by Bernie Rosage Jr, en plein aire, July 20, 2009.

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Stop #2... Holy Trinity Church, Glendale Springs, NC

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We have been going to Glendale Springs for years to visit George Bell's Greenhouse Crafts Shop... our favorite shop in the Blue Ridge. Our journey there would not be complete without a trip across the street to Holy Trinity and the frescoes there. I have painted this small church as well.

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Stop #3... The City of Morganton Municipal Auditorium (CoMMA), Morganton, NC

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We had a cool visit with my cousin Pam (Aunt Pammie) who lives in Morganton. She took us on a tour of the town... what a beautiful town too. The highlight of our tour was the The City of Morganton Municipal Auditorium.. (CoMMA) for short. The crowning jewel of the CoMMA was the ceiling fresco by Ben Long titled... "Sacred Dance & The Muses". We actually sat on recliners on a revolving floor to view the awesome work... how cool is that! You can see Liv enjoying the fresco in this photo.

Liv, Pam, and Tami enjoying the comfort and the artwork.

Ben Long even included a self portrait in this work showing his exhaustion from his labors.

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These wonderful works and experiences only prove my theory that every artist and art patron already knows... There is nothing like viewing art in person!

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Thanks for listening to me ramble... feel free to comment...

Bernie

www.bernierosage.com

"Carolina Marsh" plein air by Bernie Rosage Jr.

"Carolina Marsh"... 5x7" Oil on panel, en plein aire, 4-2009.

We had a great location and day to paint outdoors last Sunday. We... as in OOPS!... the Onslow Outdoor Painters Society I am a member of. A great bunch of artists who carry on the tradition of painting "en plein aire". Read about our outing HERE...

I'm pictured below painting this one...

Bernie

Short Plein Air Demo from Appalachian State University by Bernie Rosage Jr.

There's a small park in the center of campus at Appalachian State University (ASU) in Boone, North Carolina that is one of my favorite spots to paint en plein aire. My wife dropped me off with easel and painting gear in hand buying me two hours time while she took the kids to the library. The weather was clear and warm for Boone in late December... around 55 degrees... perfect painting weather!

I positioned myself along a walking path in the park with a great view of the campus bell tower... my focal point.

I met many nice folks walking and jogging along the path... it's a wonder I finished the painting before my wife returned with the numerous conversations I had. Knowing the short time frame I had to work with I had to do some mental editing and only included the

elements necessary to make the piece work compositionally.

Stage 1... First I sketched a "rule of thirds" grid to help position the focal point on my panel. I then began to block in the important shapes with burnt sienna and ultra marine thinned with odorless mineral spirits.

Stage 2... I began to block in with more opaque paint defining the shapes and values more. I mixed Liquin Impasto Gel with all my pigment mixtures to speed drying times knowing I would be transporting this one back to the coast in a Honda CRV packed to it's gills with luggage, kids, and two cats.

Stage 3... I began working in some detail. Note my editing consisted of leaving out a few trees and the gazebo. Often times you know when something in a painting just isn't working... that's how it was with the evergreen tree on the left for me. My evergreen looked more like a sycamore giving half the painting a visual tension with the bare tree on the right... it was as if I had two seasons (summer and winter) within one painting.

Stage 4... With that said... the best thing to do was wipe it out... I could have licked it to death trying to fix it but I learned sometime back it is better for me to wipe it clean and start fresh. Many times the plein air painter has to wipe his whole panel clean... we call that a "scrapper".

Stage 5... Adding more detail and refining areas. My palette for this painting consisted of cad lemon yellow, cad yellow medium, yellow ocher, terra rosa, burnt sienna, alizarin crimson, viridian, cerulean blue, ultra marine blue, and titanium white.

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Stage 6.... The Finished work... just in time... my wife showed up just as I was signing it.

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Click on image to see a larger view...

"ASU Bell Tower"... 8x6" Oil on Panel, alla prima en plein aire, 12-30-2008.

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This original oil painting by American Artist, Bernie Rosage Jr. is available for purchase... email Bernie with the title in the subject line... click HERE... for price and details...

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Packing up and looking forward to the next plein air adventure... Hope you enjoyed this short demo.... Happy New Year!

Bernie

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Here's another plein air demo I did in 2005 in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains that you may glean some info from: Impressionistic Demo by Bernie Rosage Jr.

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WHOOPS... Forgot my brushes!

"Impressionistic Marsh".... 8x16" Oil on panel, alla prima "en plein aire" with palette knife, 11-2008. .

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This piece is currently on display at the Baysden Gallery for the Invitational Show titled "Water World" on exhibit through January.

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Click on image to see a larger view and experience the texture and colors better...

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My Lil' Painting Buddy, Olivia, and I set out on another plein air painting adventure recently. We went to one of our favorite spots at the Cedar Point branch of the Croatan National Forest. I got my Lil' Buddy all set up and painting and I picked out a good view for myself. As I began setting up my french easel I discovered something... Whoops... I forgot my brushes... they were on my desk at home just where I left them while packing my gear. Adapting to the dilemma I decided to do my painting totally with my palette knives which were luckily packed in my easel. The result was something totally different than you are used to seeing from me... I enjoyed the freedom of doing something totally different and fresh.

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Close ups showing impasto texture from palette knife work...

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This original oil painting by American Artist, Bernie Rosage Jr. is available for purchase... email Bernie with the title in the subject line... click HERE... for price and details.

"Surf City Crab"... Plein Air painting by Bernie Rosage Jr.

"Surf City Crab"... 8x6" Oil on Panel, alla prima en plein aire, 10-24-2008.

I painted this impressionistic style landscape during a recent paint out with my local plein air group... OOPS. The scene is set in the coastal town of Surf City on Topsail Island, North Carolina. This Surf City Crab sign caught my eye lika a magnet and screamed "Paint Me!".

Click on image to see a larger view...



This original oil painting by American Artist, Bernie Rosage Jr. is available for purchase... email Bernie with the title in the subject line... click HERE... for price and details.

"Along the Marsh" by Bernie Rosage Jr.

"Along the Marsh".... 6x8" Oil on panel, alla prima, "en plein aire", 5-2008.

Click on image to see a larger view...



I am always drawn to the marshlands near my home... in fact... I never tire of painting them. I painted this scene on location en plein aire at the Cedar Point branch of the Croatan National Forest in eastern North Carolina. A great place to kayak, hike, camp, and PAINT! May this painting bring you the peace I experienced painting it.

This original oil painting by American Artist, Bernie Rosage Jr. is available for purchase... click HERE to check on details...

See other works by Bernie at Artistic Release...